Hinata's Byakugan returned to normal. Supporting Naruko, she slowly helped her toward the contestants' stand.
However, the spectators were still completely confused.
"That was the Byakugan, right?"
"Yeah."
"But why did it change just now? Did it evolve?"
"I don't know. Wait… can the Byakugan even evolve?"
"..."
People began asking the Hyūga shinobi sitting nearby, but even they looked equally confused.
Hanabi curiously asked her father beside her,
"Dad, what happened to big sister's eyes just now?"
Hiashi stroked his chin and thought for a moment.
He had no idea either—but a father's dignity could not be lost.
"Cough. That was the result of your sister's training."
"Wow! Sister's eyes looked so beautiful just now—so cool!"
Hearing that, Hiashi immediately took the opportunity to reinforce the point.
"Yes. Hanabi, you see how hard your sister trains every day. Only after all that effort did she awaken such beautiful eyes. If you train harder in the future, you might awaken eyes like that too."
"..."
Hanabi fell silent.
Contestants' Stand
Ameno was treating Naruko's injuries with Medical Ninjutsu, while the others occasionally glanced toward Hinata.
Hinata, however, simply sat with her legs crossed, staring at Nagi as he walked toward the battlefield, looking completely unconcerned.
The second semifinal match:
Nagi vs. Satsuki
The two stood facing each other in the arena.
Before the match even began, Mikoto in the spectator stands spoke to Kushina beside her.
"Hey, Kushina. What do you think about the two of them?"
Kushina looked puzzled.
"What do you mean?"
"Nagi and my Satsuki. Don't you think they match well?"
"!!!"
Kushina immediately realized what she meant.
"Wait, Mikoto—are you talking about Nagi and Satsuki? When you say they match, you don't mean—"
Mikoto smiled.
"Yes. My Satsuki clearly likes Nagi. Unfortunately, that girl doesn't know how to take the initiative."
(Satsuki: I'm far more proactive than you think.)
Danger!
Kushina instantly became alert but forced herself to remain calm.
"Well… Satsuki is calm and sensible. She does match Nagi."
"Right?"
"Right. But…"
"But?"
"I think Nagi is a bit… conservative in personality. If he ends up with someone as cold as Satsuki, he might become even more reserved."
"Hmm?"
Mikoto immediately sensed something strange in Kushina's words.
Kushina cleared her throat.
"Ahem. Personally, I think my Naruko is quite good. She's lively and cheerful. She would definitely help Nagi become more outgoing."
Kushina finally laid her cards on the table.
"!!!"
Now Mikoto understood.
Kushina was trying to steal her future son-in-law.
"Kushina… don't tell me you—"
"Yes, Mikoto. Let's settle this!"
"Just what I was thinking."
"My daughter is prettier!"
"No, my daughter is prettier!"
"My daughter met Nagi earlier than Satsuki!"
"My daughter often brings Nagi home to stay overnight!"
"..."
Thus, the two women began a fierce verbal battle in the spectator stands.
The Match Begins
Satsuki made the first move.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball shot toward Nagi.
Nagi pulled out a kunai and flicked it upward, instantly splitting the fireball in half.
But the moment he cut through it, a spear of lightning shot toward him at extreme speed.
"Chidori Sharp Spear!"
Nagi tossed his kunai into the air and raised a single finger.
The lightning spear struck his fingertip. Electricity burst wildly, but it could not advance even a fraction.
Moments later, the Chidori spear dissipated.
At the same time, Satsuki's body transformed into blue particles of light and instantly appeared behind Nagi. Light gathered around her leg as she kicked toward him.
"Lightspeed Kick!"
Just as the kick was about to land, Nagi vanished—only to instantly reappear beside the kunai he had thrown earlier.
Satsuki was not surprised. She turned into light again and disappeared.
Seeing this, Nagi pulled out several kunai and casually scattered them around the arena.
Suddenly, Satsuki appeared above him. Light gathered around her arm as she slashed downward with a glowing hand blade.
But Nagi disappeared again, causing the attack to strike empty air.
In the next moment, Nagi appeared beside her and struck with a palm.
Satsuki turned into light once more and vanished, reappearing beside him to launch another kick.
The two figures flashed around the arena in a blur.
The audience was thrilled watching their exchange, even if their eyes struggled to keep up.
However, several experienced shinobi were shocked.
"That's the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique!"
"That's right. It's definitely the Flying Thunder God."
"I didn't expect someone else to master that technique!"
After all, the Flying Thunder God Technique was Minato's signature jutsu. During the Third Great Ninja War, enemies trembled at the mere mention of it.
Kage Viewing Platform
Ōnoki watched the battlefield with a grave expression.
"Another Yellow Flash? No… perhaps more like a ninjutsu master."
He had once witnessed battles between the Second Generation Kage, and now, looking at Nagi, he seemed to see the shadow of the Second Hokage.
The Fourth Raikage, however, had already witnessed Nagi's abilities during the Box of Ultimate Bliss incident, so he showed no surprise. Instead, he loudly cheered Nagi on.
Fugaku walked over to Minato.
"Minato, Nagi's method and technique when using the Flying Thunder God… it feels quite different from yours."
Minato smiled.
"Yes. I didn't teach that child the Flying Thunder God Technique. It was taught by the Second Hokage."
(The words spoken by the reanimated Second Hokage earlier had led Minato and the others to believe Tobirama had taught Nagi the technique. Technically the statement wasn't wrong—just not quite the same "Second Hokage.")
"I see," Fugaku nodded.
Back in the Arena
Satsuki launched another Lightspeed Kick, but Nagi avoided it again using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
She clasped her right hand over her left palm and drew out a sword of pure light.
"Storm Release: Ama-no-Murakumo Sword!"
Nagi condensed a Chakra Scalpel made of water-nature chakra and rushed forward.
Light sword versus water blade.
Blue sparks scattered when the two weapons clashed.
However, Satsuki's physique and swordsmanship were no match for Nagi. After only a few exchanges, she fell into a disadvantage.
Realizing this, she attempted to retreat.
Seeing her intention, Nagi exerted slightly more force—
Crack!
Her light sword was instantly cut in half.
Before she could react, Nagi struck her with a palm, sending her flying.
As she struggled to stabilize herself midair, Nagi suddenly appeared beneath her.
"!!"
Satsuki instinctively released Chidori Current around her body as a defensive measure.
But Nagi seemed completely unfazed.
He reached out his hand.
His arm passed straight through the lightning and grabbed Satsuki.
Red lightning suddenly erupted from his palm.
The red electricity surged violently, and Satsuki's face twisted in pain.
Struggling, she forced chakra to circulate through her body. Purple-black lightning burst out from her form, briefly resisting the red lightning.
But it was quickly torn apart.
Still, in that brief instant, Satsuki managed to pull away and widen the distance between herself and Nagi.
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