The time had come for the final stage of the Chunin Exams.
Inside the newly built giant circular arena, the voices of the crowd seethed, and not a single seat was empty.
Daimyo and Nobles from the Land of Fire, along with Envoys and Wealthy merchants from other countries, looked down at the vast circular field below with eyes full of curiosity, scrutiny, or expectation, while some shy gazes lingered in the shadows.
The towering stands and the sturdy barrier all showcased the high caliber of this event.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi sat side-by-side with Orochimaru, who was disguised as the Fourth Kazekage, in the center of the main stand, chatting and laughing in a seemingly harmonious manner.
But Hinata's sharp Divine Sense could clearly capture the bone-chilling killing intent radiating from the "Kazekage," which was being suppressed with great effort.
Gekkō Hayate, acting as the Head proctor, stood in the center of the field. He cleared his throat and announced the official start of the finals through the amplification system! On the giant electronic screen, names began to roll rapidly before finally stopping—
Match One: Hyuga Hinata VS Uzumaki Naruto!
"Wow!! Is the first match really Hinata and Naruto?"
Sakura exclaimed from the stands.
Sasuke folded his arms and remained silent, his gaze fixed intently on the field below.
"Naruto, go for it!"
This was a shout from Kiba.
Shino glanced at him.
"Hinata is the one on our team; why are you cheering for him?"
"Tch, she's so strong, why would she need my cheers?"
Shino fell silent; he actually felt that Kiba had a point... The other spectators also broke out into heated discussions, as the overwhelming strength Hinata had displayed in the preliminaries had already spread.
In the arena, Naruto looked at the calm Hinata across from him, slapped his cheeks hard, and cheered himself on loudly.
"Alright! Hinata! You're really strong, but I definitely won't lose!"
Hinata looked at him without much expression. She knew Naruto had already received special training from Jiraiya, and his Seal had been loosened slightly, allowing him to use the Nine-Tails Chakra now.
"Match start!"
As soon as Gekkō Hayate finished speaking, Naruto immediately formed hand Seals.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
*Poof, poof, poof!*
Dozens of Naruto's Shadow Clones appeared instantly, shouting as they charged at Hinata from all directions, attempting to use numbers to confuse her vision and find an opening.
However, this kind of Clone Jutsu was meaningless.
Hinata raised her right hand, fingers spread wide, and lightly brushed the Void Realm in front of her.
A formless yet majestic spiritual power swept through like a gentle breeze.
*Pop, pop, pop, pop—!*
Every charging Shadow Clone vanished instantly like popped balloons, turning into white smoke! Only Naruto's main body was left standing there, dumbfounded.
"Wha... What?! Is this Wind Release?"
A collective gasp echoed from the stands; they hadn't even seen her form any Seals.
"Damn it!"
Naruto refused to believe it and formed Seals again, this time in even greater numbers.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Hundreds of Shadow Clones emerged, making the scene even more spectacular.
Hinata was speechless; only Naruto could consume Chakra so recklessly. If it were Kakashi, he'd be drained by now.
"Vroom—!"
An even more condensed Spiritual Pressure spread out with her as the center, like a tangible gravity field!
*Poof, poof, poof, poof...!*
Those hundreds of Shadow Clones couldn't even take a single step before they were struck as if by an invisible giant hammer, exploding into white smoke in waves, clearing the field instantly!
A total crush! An absolute overwhelming victory!
The audience erupted in an uproar.
Naruto was panting heavily, but an even more unyielding flame burned in his eyes.
He knew ordinary methods were completely ineffective.
"In that case... I'll use this!"
He summoned two Clones to assist him as Chakra began to condense and rotate in his hand.
"Rasengan!"
A deep blue, high-speed rotating energy ball formed in his hand, accompanied by a piercing hum! This was the result of his cultivation with the Pervy Sage.
[Interesting. I thought it would take you a bit more effort to learn it, but you can already use it now.]
Hinata became interested.
Holding the Rasengan, Naruto roared and charged at Hinata!
This time, Hinata didn't use Spiritual Pressure to clear the field; she seemed to want to see the quality of this move.
Her figure moved slightly, easily dodging the linear impact of the Rasengan. At the same time, she pointed her right index and middle fingers like a sword, a spark of lightning flickering at the tip as she precisely tapped Naruto's wrist holding the Rasengan.
*Sizzle!*
The lightning spark rubbed against the Chakra on the periphery of the Rasengan, producing a piercing sound.
Naruto felt a sudden numbness in his wrist, and the Rasengan nearly lost control and dissipated! He gritted his teeth to stabilize it and twisted his body again to try and attack.
But Hinata's speed was far superior to his. Naruto's Rasengan couldn't land, and in the end, it could only smash a large crater into the ground.
"Damn it!!"
He grew increasingly impatient and began using taijutsu, but it was still useless.
Unable to land a hit for a long time, the cold and violent Chakra that had been suppressed within him began to be triggered by his intense emotions, leaking out uncontrollably!
A crimson Chakra erupted from Naruto's body; it was the Nine-Tails Chakra.
The Third Hokage suddenly clenched his fists; he could feel it—this was indeed the Nine-Tails' Chakra.
He thought Naruto's Seal had loosened, but after careful observation, there were no signs of Tailed Beast transformation, so he felt relieved.
Orochimaru, disguised as the Kazekage, showed intense interest in his eyes.
Influenced by the Nine-Tails Chakra, Naruto's speed and strength surged!
Naruto used Multiple Shadow Clones again, and every Clone was armed with a Rasengan.
"Oh?"
Facing this attack from Naruto, she no longer held back.
"Ninth Heaven Thunder Art: Introduction!"
She pointed her fingers like a sword straight at the sky! Although there was no natural lightning at the moment, her own pure spiritual power instantly transformed into the most masculine and powerful lightning energy.
*Crackle—!*
An incredibly massive and dazzling bolt of lightning, like a sword of divine punishment tearing through the gloom, erupted from her hand to clash with Naruto's Rasengan.
The moment the lightning touched the Rasengan, it pierced through Naruto's body and then rapidly spread toward all the Clones.
*Poof, poof, poof.*
The Clones all dissipated, leaving only the main body. Naruto let out a howl of pain and then fell straight backward, slipping into unconsciousness.
At this moment, Naruto's entire body was charred black, and his hair was frizzed out; only his slightly rising and falling chest proved he was still alive.
The entire arena was deathly silent.
From the moment Naruto unleashed the Nine-Tails Chakra to the moment Hinata knocked him down, the entire process took only a few breaths!
Gekkō Hayate snapped back to his senses, took a deep breath, and announced loudly.
"The winner, Hyuga Hinata!"
There were no cheers, only countless gazes mixed with fear, awe, and disbelief focused on the white-eyed girl in the center of the field.
Gaara's eyes were cold; this was a move he hadn't seen before, and she hadn't even used it in the Forest of Death. Was she looking down on him?
Hinata turned and walked toward the spectator stands; she had more important things to do.
[Ding! Defeated the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, demonstrated absolute strength, and caused a large-scale shock. points gained: 5,000.]
Hinata didn't pay attention to the upcoming matches. Instead, she went to a secluded spot, released a Clone to take her place in the stands, and continued moving through the shadows herself.
Her target was the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
While everyone's attention was drawn to the second match about to begin in the arena, Hinata's figure, like a ghost merging into the shadows, used the structure of the spectator stands as cover and began to quietly close in on the main stand.
----------------------------------
I've already posted 70 new chapters on Patreon!
If you like the story and want to reaad more, please visit my patreon. Every support is very meaningful!
[patreon.com/Kazenova223]
Thank you very much!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"