A Matter of Course

Chiba's eyes widened slightly, Hyuga Yukyō's attack reflected in them.

Fast, precise! That was how he judged Hyuga Yukyō's attack.

One palm—just one palm—and Hyuga Yukyō had knocked Yamada Akira unconscious. He had not even used a Pressure Point Strike. The opponent had been too weak to draw out Hyuga Yukyō's true strength! That was Chiba's other conclusion.

But from that single palm, Chiba was certain that Hyuga Yukyō's mastery of the Gentle Fist far surpassed Yukina's.

Avoiding that palm just now would not have been difficult, but Chiba had no idea where Yukyō's second or third palm would come from...

During this period of hellish training, he had constantly sparred with Kushina Uzumaki. With Chiba's taijutsu combat experience, he could make some predictions during battle and evade accordingly. Otherwise, he would have been knocked flat after taking only a few of Kushina's powerful attacks. That was also thanks to Kushina's exceptionally high taijutsu level. After all, to evade her attacks, he had to fight while mentally constructing her possible moves and predicting her next strike. Gradually, this had trained Chiba to develop a certain level of combat prediction.

At the very least, out of Kushina's ten attacks, Chiba could now accurately predict five to seven of them.

But Chiba also understood clearly that such predictions depended on familiarity with his opponent. Daily training had given him a considerable understanding of Kushina's fighting style, which was why he could make those predictions with such a high success rate.

Chiba knew nothing at all about Hyuga Yukyō now. If he wanted to evade, he would have to rely on his reactions. Without being able to anticipate movements, dodging would not be so easy.

He might even be struck by an unexpected move.

The Gentle Fist came with the effect of sealing chakra points. If his chakra pathways were sealed, he would gradually fall into a disadvantage. After all, he had no trump card that could instantly reverse the situation.

Moreover, his battle with Hyuga Yukyō was called a match, but in truth, it would be a fight to the death.

I have to be careful. Careful, and then even more careful! At that moment, Hyuga Yukyō looked at Yamada Akira's limp body on the ground. None of the ninjas present discussed it. Everyone wore expressions as if it were only natural; clearly, no one found it surprising that Hyuga Yukyō had defeated Yamada Akira in a single blow.

Hyuga Yukyō's one-strike victory had been within everyone's expectations.

From this, one could also see Hyuga Yukyō's strength.

Hyuga Yukyō slowly raised his head, glanced at Chiba, then silently headed up the stairs without even waiting for the Chunin Exam Proctor's announcement.

There was no need to announce it.

Hyuga Yukyō had won overwhelmingly! "Third match, the victor is Hyuga Yukyō!" Still, the Chunin Exam Proctor dutifully made the announcement.

"Hyuga Yukyō—I've heard of him for a long time. It's a pity his opponent was far too weak compared to him. Otherwise, it could have been an exciting match." Orochimaru smiled as he watched Hyuga Yukyō.

"Mm, he's also a well-known genius in the village." Jiraiya agreed. "The strongest Chunin this time will be him."

"Yes." This time, Tsunade did not take out a scroll to record anything. It was as though Hyuga Yukyō's strength no longer required any record.

Without question, the Sannin rated Hyuga Yukyō the highest, far above Hyuga Yukina.

On the second floor, Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze had a similar conversation.

"This Hyuga Yukyō isn't very likable, but his strength cannot be ignored. He's probably the strongest one here." Kushina Uzumaki gave that assessment.

Although Yamada Akira was merely a child from an ordinary background, he still possessed considerable talent in the qualities of a ninja. Otherwise, the Third Hokage would not have approved his participation in the exam. It should be said that every Genin taking part in the Chunin Exams had something outstanding about them. Even if they were not geniuses, they were still exceptional among their peers.

Kushina Uzumaki did not think Yamada Akira was weak. Even at his weakest, he had at least possessed the strength to become a Chunin. Hyuga Yukyō had knocked his opponent unconscious with one palm. From the perspective of the examinees, his opponent had absolutely not been weak—it was Hyuga Yukyō who was simply too strong!

A faint look of surprise was reflected on Minato Namikaze's face.

Hyuga Yukyō was faster and more precise than before! His progress was astonishing as well! "Kushina, after seeing this, do you still intend to continue that bet?" Minato Namikaze possessed more experience and greater strength than Kushina Uzumaki, and he had also had some contact with Hyuga Yukyō. He saw far more from that palm strike.

The reason he asked was that he feared Kushina would force Chiba to fight Hyuga Yukyō because of their bet.

As for why he was afraid? Naturally, Minato Namikaze could tell from Chiba's battle with Kakashi that Chiba was absolutely no match for the current Hyuga Yukyō! Even if Chiba's rate of improvement was extraordinary, even if he had made another tremendous leap in these seven days, it would still be difficult to close the gap between him and Hyuga Yukyō.

Forcing Chiba to face Hyuga Yukyō might deal a devastating blow to his future growth!

"Of course we're continuing!" Kushina Uzumaki's gaze settled on Minato Namikaze.

Minato Namikaze sighed. "I don't think there's any need to continue this bet. If you truly think so highly of your students, I can fulfill that condition for you. But let's forget the bet."

Kushina... please, just accept it like this.

That was Minato Namikaze's true thought. He knew his lover's personality. Though she was his lover, she had never asked anything of him. Even when it was something she opposed, if he insisted, she would silently support him. She was a virtuous woman, only exceptionally strong-willed and stubborn in certain matters.

If she wanted something, she would fight for it herself! She would not simply accept charity from others! That was one aspect of her pride and persistence.

Although those were among the reasons he loved her so deeply, they were also making Minato Namikaze quite troubled now.

"Minato, don't underestimate my students. Don't underestimate Chiba!" Even after witnessing Hyuga Yukyō's strength, Kushina Uzumaki did not doubt Chiba in the slightest. She remained firmly convinced that Chiba would win.

Minato Namikaze sighed inwardly, but did not continue speaking.

I need to find a way to make Kushina give up on this bet.

Kushina Uzumaki saw that Minato Namikaze had fallen silent and seemed about to say something else when the Chunin Exam Proctor's voice rang out.

"The next match, the contestants..."

Before she could say anything, Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze's gazes were drawn to the scrolling screen.

Taki Chiba! The first name had stopped.

Seeing that name, Kushina Uzumaki abandoned her intention to speak.

Is Chiba going up now? she thought.

As Chiba looked at the first name, Hirohiko patted him on the shoulder and said, "Ninja Tool Pouch."

Chiba lowered his head and saw that Hirohiko was already handing him the Ninja Tool Pouch.

"Thanks." Chiba took it.

At that moment, the second name stopped.

Might Guy! Seeing that name, Chiba tightened his grip on the Ninja Tool Pouch.

Guy? My opponent is actually Guy!

I really am something else. I didn't even notice Guy in the lineup just now. No, I didn't see Kurenai either! Did I get lost in thought again, oblivious to everyone around me? This habit...

Chiba felt both helpless and excited.

To many Naruto fans, the name Might Guy held a special significance.

And now, he was actually taking the Chunin Exams alongside him! They were even opponents! "Fourth match: Taki Chiba versus Might Guy!"

The Chunin Exam Proctor announced the two opponents.