Early the next morning, crowds packed Konoha's streets as they streamed toward the large central plaza. Villagers and many ninja were heading over to watch the day's matches. The Chunin Ninja Exams only came around once every six months, and they were not always held in Konoha, so everyone was swept up in an indescribable excitement.
All the contestants had also set out for the venue early. After getting up, Naruto and Karin first went to the Uchiha Clan compound to find Sasuke, then picked up Hinata from the Hyuga Clan compound before heading to the arena. Along the way, Naruto asked curiously, "Hinata, how come we haven't seen Neji today?"
Hinata replied, "Neji went to the arena early with Father and Uncle Hizashi. Hanabi went with them too. I stayed behind because I was waiting for you, Naruto-kun."
Naruto said, "Oh, I see. Then we'd better hurry too. By the way, Hinata, how confident are you about today's match?"
Hinata replied, "How should I put it? I'm not sure. Neji is so strong that I really don't feel very confident, but I'll do my best."
Naruto replied, "Actually, if you used your true strength, you should be able to beat Neji pretty easily. But just looking at you, I can tell you won't. You respect him so much as your older cousin that I doubt you'll go all out."
Hinata replied, "Yes, I really don't want to use that power. I still can't control it properly, and I wouldn't want to hurt Neji."
Naruto smiled. "Our Hinata really is gentle. But I believe in you. Even without using your weakened Tenseigan, you can still beat Neji."
Hinata replied, "I'll do my best."
Speaking of Hinata's Tenseigan, Naruto and Sasuke had both wanted to spar with her and try it