["Ha!"]
Hinata closed in with a flash step, appearing before Nagi, her Twin Lion Fists at the ready.
Nagi could sense the extraordinary nature of the chakra lion heads forming around Hinata's hands. Not daring to be careless, he amplified the amount of Yang Release chakra flowing into his own hands before meeting her assault.
Hinata's Gentle Step Fist technique proved exceptionally agile. Utilizing clever spins and ever-changing striking patterns, she dazzled the eye—yet Nagi managed to parry each and every one of her Lion Fist impacts...
"Ah~"
From the contestant seating, Naruko watched the match and let out a sigh.
Shizuka approached and said, "Well, both of them are incredibly strong. But Naruko, don't be discouraged. As long as you keep striving to grow stronger—"
"Uh, that's not what I meant."
Naruko hurriedly interrupted, seeing Shizuka's passionate expression.
"I'm saying that not one of us has managed to give Nagi a proper fight. He's been holding back against all of us."
Satsuki nodded in agreement.
"Nagi is fully capable of defeating us in a short amount of time, but he's never done so. I suspect he's worried that if he beat us too quickly, our evaluations might suffer."
"Even though all of us fully demonstrated our abilities during the preliminaries, he's still concerned."
Ameno spoke up, "Nagi really is as gentle as ever."
"Of course." x3
The four girls exchanged glances and laughed together.
...
On the Battlefield...
Hinata and Nagi continued their spar. Maintaining this intense level of combat was placing considerable strain on her Byakugan. Her strength and speed gradually began to decline—but the moment she saw Nagi standing right before her, she refused to appear weak in front of the one she cared for. This very thought reignited something within her, pushing her further.
Nagi noticed Hinata was currently pushing past her limits. He continued matching her strikes, patiently accompanying her through this breakthrough...
Some Time Later...
After such a high-intensity drain, Hinata's stamina finally gave out. Her pale lavender Byakugan state receded, reverting to normal. Her footing faltered, and her body began to fall backward.
Seeing this, Nagi immediately caught her, pulling her into his arms. Leaning against Nagi's chest, Hinata panted heavily.
"Just as I thought... I still can't beat you. Thank you for staying with me while I pushed past my limits."
Nagi shook his head and smiled gently. "It's nothing. I'm glad you're okay."
"As expected, Nagi, you're still so kind... (If only you'd be this kind to me alone.)"
At that moment, Hinata turned to Shisui, who was acting as referee.
"Referee, I concede."
Shisui nodded at her words, then raised the flag in his hand and announced loudly:
"The victor — Nagi!"
"Ooh!!!" xn
Clap clap clap clap!
"Great fight!"
"That was incredible!"
"That white-haired kid is seriously strong!"
"..."
Just as Nagi moved to support Hinata, who was still in his arms, she spoke up.
"Cough, cough... Nagi, my eyes feel a bit uncomfortable. Could you take a look?"
"Of course."
Assuming the intense previous exertion had placed significant strain on her eyes, Nagi didn't dare be careless. He lowered his head to examine her eyes closely.
What he failed to notice, however, was Hinata's hands quietly reaching up behind his head.
Nagi carefully studied her eyes. He had the vague impression they were getting closer—no, wait. Hinata's face was getting closer.
Suddenly, Nagi felt something soft and moist press against his lips.
"!?"
He realized Hinata was now kissing him.
"Mmm—?!"
Hinata's arms wrapped tightly around the back of his head, holding him firmly in place. Nagi's hands were currently supporting Hinata's body, leaving him unable to exert any force to pull back.
Since this was a first for both of them, there was some awkward clinking of teeth. But Hinata's tongue persistently tried to pry open his teeth.
Persistence paid off—she finally succeeded. Nagi now felt a slick, moist, soft thing slip into his mouth. Then came the sensation of his own tongue meeting something equally soft...
Hinata was lost in the moment, savoring this hard-earned fruit of victory. As for Nagi—his mind had gone completely blank...
"Whoa!!" xn
"Haha! That little lady's got spirit!"
"When you're chasing a guy, you've got to be bold!"
"..."
The cheers from the audience grew even more enthusiastic.
"!!!"
Mikoto and Kushina were absolutely dumbfounded, frozen in place like statues.
So this was their daughter's biggest romantic rival—Hinata!
Hanabi exclaimed excitedly, "Ah! Big sister is so bold! Way to go, sis! Father, don't you think—"
At that moment, Hiashi's Byakugan was fully activated, veins bulging around his eye sockets. His face twisted slightly, and the word "kill" might as well have been written across it.
"That boy!!! He actually... how dare he!!"
The surrounding audience broke out in cold sweat from the murderous intent radiating off him.
On the Supervisor Platform...
Fugaku sat in contemplative silence. Minato was about to offer some words of comfort when the former glanced at him with a look of pity before turning away.
This left Minato completely baffled.
In the Contestant Seating...
Ameno, Shizuka, Naruko, and Satsuki felt their minds go blank. Hinata's kiss struck them like a massive hammer to the head, leaving them dazed and dizzy.
"Ahhh!!!" x4
No one noticed Satsuki and Naruko's figures shudder noticeably.
With the Supervising Jōnin...
"Hinata's as bold as ever. Still, these two really do make a lovely couple."
Kurenai Yūhi watched the pair currently engaged in their "oral exchange" on the field, wearing the knowing smile of a doting aunt.
Samui observed Hinata with keen interest.
"Nagi's first kiss has been claimed. Not bad, this girl. But his other firsts will belong to me."
[Kurenai Yūhi: That world's Hinata is truly impressive.]
[Hanabi Hyūga: That version of my sister is so bold!]
[Tsunade: In front of all those people, too. This Hinata's quite capable, isn't she?]
[Mabui: What a formidable rival. Samui, you need to step up your game and claim Nagi's other firsts too.]
[Samui: ...]
[Haruno Sakura: Uh... Hinata just passed out.]
[Kurenai Yūhi: Hmm? No she didn't. Look, she's still latched onto Nagi.]
[Yamanaka Ino: No, not that Hinata. I mean our world's Hinata couldn't handle the stimulation from that scene and just fainted.]
[Kurenai Yūhi: ...]
[Hatake Kakashi: Sigh. Without comparison, there's no sense of loss.]
[Uzumaki Kushina: Sigh.]
[Uchiha Mikoto: Sigh.]
[Jiraiya: By the way, Master Nagi... may I ask how you're feeling right now?]
[ Nagi: Cherish your life.]
[Ebisu: Huh? What do you mean... Oh. I understand now.]
On screen,
[Hinata continued relentlessly "attacking" Nagi with her tongue, her arms holding his head even tighter.
Nagi now felt somewhat breathless. He tried desperately to lift his head, but Hinata simply clung on, refusing to let go. And unless his senses deceived him, Nagi felt her grip was even stronger than during their match.
His eyes were beginning to glaze over.
"Mmph—(Help!)"]
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