Naruto, What's the point of being Hokage without you!

Naruto let out a roar. Having experienced countless battles in his dreams, he now reacted with the precision of a conditioned reflex.

Once he entered a combat state, his fighting spirit soared, boiling over with intensity!

"Take this!"

Sasuke held his breath, eyes locked on the scene, determined to see every detail of Naruto's movements without missing a single thing.

Sakura was equally engrossed. After hearing Iruka speak, she wanted to change her opinion of Naruto, even if she couldn't manage it in an instant.

Yet, she was also curious to see exactly how much weight Naruto carried, enough to make Sasuke value him so highly.

Beyond that, she wanted to gauge Hinata's strength and the nature of her relationship with Naruto.

Ino was even busier; besides focusing on the match, she was simultaneously observing both Sasuke and Sakura.

True to form, Naruto didn't hold back the moment he engaged.

Two shuriken shot out!

Although Hinata felt a complex mix of emotions fighting the person she liked, she was no longer just the introverted, shy girl she once was.

Just as she had said, if she wanted to stand by Naruto's side, she had to make herself stronger!

That was what she said, and that was what she did.

Hinata's training had been so rigorous it could be called brutal.

At this moment, she unleashed the fruits of her labor to their fullest extent.

With a sudden twist of her body and a tilt of her head, she easily dodged Naruto's attack.

In terms of insight, the Byakugan was in no way inferior to the Sharingan, and in some ways, it even surpassed it!

Naruto's move had only been a probe, and he instantly closed the distance, unleashing the taijutsu he had drastically improved over these many days of special training.

Bang--

Bang, bang, bang!

One punch and three kicks erupted almost simultaneously!

Hinata activated her Byakugan, tracking Naruto's offensive, and took a deep breath before unleashing the Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Palms passed down through her main family line.

"Hah!"

With a light shout, Hinata set her stance. Coordinating with the ocular power of her Byakugan, she instantly met and redirected his strike, first neutralizing Naruto's terrifying force before using the momentum to swipe and palm him, deflecting him to the side.

"Huh?!"

Naruto was taken aback; his powerful taijutsu had been effortlessly neutralized by Hinata!

"Heh, as expected of Hinata, come again!"

In truth, from Iruka to everyone else, the entire crowd was already stunned by this single exchange.

"Wh-when did that guy Naruto's taijutsu get this strong?!"

"His form, power, speed, and even technique—it's all impeccable!"

"He's... he's practically on par with Sasuke!"

Sasuke furrowed his brows, clenching his fists tightly.

"Naruto..."

Sakura and Ino cried out in shock.

"What terrifying explosive power..."

"Is... is that really Naruto?"

Choji stopped pretending, his eyes nearly popping out as he chewed on his snacks.

"Nom nom, Shikamaru, that guy Naruto is like a completely different person!"

Shikamaru was also somewhat shocked.

"It... it really is..."

On the other side, Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame were left dumbfounded.

"How did that dead-last suddenly become so strong?!"

Shino Aburame shook his head. "It wasn't sudden."

"If you ask why..."

"Everyone has seen the desperate, life-risking effort Naruto has put in these past few days."

Kiba Inuzuka jumped in surprise. "Shino?!"

"When did you get next to me?"

"..."

At this moment, Naruto also sensed that Hinata's strength was far more than that of the shy girl she appeared to be on the surface.

Instead, he became even more excited.

He pushed his strength further, unleashing even faster and more violent taijutsu!

It poured down like a raging storm!

With punches and kicks, his speed was blinding, and his explosive power was truly unparalleled!

Soon, it wasn't just the students and teachers of this class; the entire Ninja Academy had been drawn over.

Rock Lee, Tenten, and others from the grade above also curiously crowded around to watch.

Naturally, this included the person Rock Lee most wanted to defeat, the one also hailed as a genius ninja...

Neji Hyuga!

"Hmm?"

"That dead-last Naruto Uzumaki, and..."

"Hinata Hyuga?"

Neji Hyuga let out a cold snort and clenched his fists, yet he watched the sparring match more intently than anyone else.

Rock Lee glanced at him.

"Even Neji has been drawn in?"

"Naruto, you really are something..."

"I never expected your taijutsu to have become this strong so quickly!"

Tenten frowned and said, "Is that the dead-last Naruto Uzumaki?"

"He doesn't look like one at all!"

"If that's a dead-last, then what does that make everyone else?!"

At this moment, facing Naruto's storm-like barrage of punches and kicks, Hinata had to rely on her Byakugan and Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Palms to focus primarily on defense, finding it impossible to launch a counterattack.

Neji Hyuga gritted his teeth, his expression growing increasingly grim.

Naruto, however, was equally surprised; he had assumed that, aside from Sasuke, no one else in the class was his match anymore.

He hadn't expected Hinata to be this formidable.

And so...

He smiled with complete confidence: "Hinata, let's decide this with one final move!"

Under the shocked gazes of everyone present...

Naruto unleashed his strongest strike!

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

Amidst the stunned gazes of the crowd.

Naruto erupted with his final and strongest strike!

Its name was...

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

Rock Lee's eyes lit up, burning like fire, as he clenched his fists tightly to cheer Naruto on.

"Oh, oh, oh! It's that move!"

"Go, Naruto!"

Sasuke's eyes widened: "Th-that is..."

"That idiot Naruto, his strength and technique have improved this much since I last saw him?!"

These two were at least aware of the situation.

But for everyone else, it was their first time seeing Naruto display such terrifying taijutsu.

In an instant, the entire arena was in an uproar, filled with gasps and cries of shock!

Ino's face turned pale: "Th-that move is so dangerous..."

"Hinata! Watch out!"

The potato chips in Choji's hand froze in mid-air for the first time, trembling slightly with intense nervousness.

Shikamaru seemed to have lost all his sleepiness.

"Is that really Naruto?!"

Sakura's mouth hung open in disbelief.

Iruka was both shocked and overjoyed.

He had followed Naruto like a stalker the whole way, witnessing his hard work, and now, he was finally radiating a light all his own!

"Go, Naruto..."

"Show them what you're made of!"

The entire Ninja Academy watched with bated breath.

Inside the Hokage office, Sarutobi Hiruzen was also watching the scene unfold through the Telescope Technique, his brow furrowed deep.

"Naruto..."

Naruto had already entered a combat state, his mind clear and focused solely on his opponent and the victory at hand.

The shock and exclamations of the crowd meant nothing to him.

Leaf Whirlwind erupted in an instant, a burst of violent power accompanied by flying legs as he kicked heavily toward Hinata!

Although Hinata used her Byakugan to track the trajectory of Naruto's movements, she still chose the best method to defend.

Crossing her arms, she employed the exquisite techniques of the Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Palms to counter.

However...

Naruto's strength was far too overwhelming; even though she managed to block the blow, she was still sent flying backward, stumbling out of the circle and struggling to keep her footing.

Seeing this, Ino rushed forward to steady Hinata.

"Hinata, are, are you alright?"

"That jerk Naruto, he actually hit you so hard..."

Yet, she noticed that Hinata's pale little face was actually wearing a faint smile.

"You, you can still smile?"