Cousins' Battle

"During the finals, I'll definitely defeat Sasuke. In the second round, I'll face Gaara directly. By then, I can use a seal to lock Shukaku up tight," Naruto explained.

"Naruto, are you sure you can do it?" the Hokage asked. He did not doubt Naruto's strength, but facing a tailed beast was another matter entirely.

"Of course." Naruto activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and stared at everyone in the room, sending a chill down the spine of every person present.

"Troublesome blond brat," Shikaku muttered.

The Hokage said tensely, "You're taking a huge risk." He paused, then continued, "I'll trust you, but just in case, I'll have Jiraiya standing by."

Naruto nodded and replied confidently:

"Old man, have I ever let you down?"

The Hokage sighed. "No, but don't forget, this is a tailed beast."

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Naruto's mouth:

"Hmph, so what? I possess the power of eight more tails than it does."

The Hokage nodded.

"Good. Go gather the heads of the other clans and inform them."

Naruto and Hinata left the room.

Hidden Cloud Village - Raikage's Office

A knock suddenly sounded outside the door.

"Come in," the Raikage said. The door opened, and a woman entered his office. Mabui was a young dark-skinned woman with green eyes. She was the Raikage's assistant.

"Lord Raikage, Yugito Nii has reached the finals of Konoha's Chunin Exams," Mabui reported.

The Raikage said with satisfaction:

"Excellent. Write a letter to the Hokage and tell him that I will personally attend the finals."

"Yes, Lord Raikage," Mabui replied.

"Shi, Darui," the Raikage called, and two shinobi appeared before him.

The Raikage announced, "We leave for Konoha Village immediately." With that, he leaped out the window, shattering the glass.

"Another window," Mabui sighed as she walked out.

Today was the day of the Chunin Exam finals.

The sun rose and slowly climbed into the sky. A beam of light shone through the window.

"Mmm..." Naruto groaned. He looked down and found that his lover was still fast asleep.

"Wake up, Hinata," Naruto said, gently shaking her awake with a sleepy voice.

"Good morning," she said, giving him a kiss. Naruto created a Shadow Clone to prepare breakfast.

They quickly finished all the necessary preparations. Naruto placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder, and the two teleported to the Chunin Exam venue.

They arrived outside the Konoha Arena and quickly entered. The arena was packed with people.

The Kage box was located above the spectator stands, giving them an excellent view of the matches.

At the moment, two Kage were seated in the box. First was the Hokage, with two guards at his side—Raidō Namiashi and Jiraiya.

The third chair was occupied by Raikage A and his guards, Darui and Shi.

As the Hokage and Raikage spoke, they noticed the Wind Shadow's arrival.

"Lord Wind Shadow, welcome. I hope your journey went smoothly," the Third Hokage said.

"Not tiring at all, Lord Hokage. It's wonderful that Konoha is hosting this year. You're not young anymore, so long journeys don't suit you," the Wind Shadow said.

"Don't treat me like an old man. I plan to remain Hokage for another five years," the Hokage said, making A narrow his eyes.

"Shall we begin?" the Hokage asked. The other two nodded. The Hokage stood and walked to the edge of the balcony.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this year's Chunin Exam finals. This year, we have many talented genin from Konoha, the Cloud, the Sand, and the Hidden Waterfall Village. Now, without further delay, let the matches begin." The Hokage finished speaking, and the crowd erupted in cheers.

"Let's begin... Hyuga Hinata versus Hyuga Neji!" Hayate shouted.

"You're weak, cousin. Everyone knows it," Neji said. Hinata shook her head in disappointment. She had thought that after she was expelled from the clan, Neji would at least show a little sympathy.

"Are you ready?" Hayate called. They both nodded. "Begin!" he shouted, leaping aside.

Neji sprinted forward, quickly closing the distance. He threw a traditional Gentle Fist strike at her chest. Hinata waited until he was close, then deflected the attack with lightning speed. She crouched and swept at his legs. Using the momentum, she spun and struck his chest, knocking him to the ground.

"You should take this seriously, Neji," Hinata said as she activated her Byakugan.

Neji brushed the dust from himself, stood up, and activated his Byakugan as well.

Neji rushed at Hinata and unleashed several techniques. Hinata evaded the attacks as though she were dancing.

Damn it, why can't I hit her?

Now it was Hinata's turn to counterattack. She launched a swift Gentle Fist strike at Neji's shoulder.

I can't let her hit me, or my left arm will be useless, Neji thought.

"Rotation!" Neji shouted, spinning and forming a blue chakra barrier.

"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" he shouted, about to launch his final attack when he saw Hinata begin to spin. His eyes widened in shock, but it was already too late.

"Rotation!" Hinata shouted as well, beginning to spin and forming her own blue chakra barrier. Neji was swiftly hurled away and slammed into the wall.

"Baby, that was amazing!" Naruto cheered for Hinata.

Watching Hinata execute Rotation perfectly, Hiashi Hyuga gritted his teeth hard. He had not expected her to perform it so flawlessly.

"Do you still think I'm a failure?" Hinata asked, watching her cousin climb up from the ground and brush several chunks of stone off himself.

"I admit you're stronger than I expected. But in the end, none of that matters."

Neji charged at Hinata as fast as he could. As he approached, he flung the dust in his hand toward her eyes. Hinata had not expected him to use such a despicable trick and could only shut her eyes. Neji smiled at the opportunity, preparing to end the fight.

"Two Palms"

"Four Palms"

"Eight Palms"

"Sixteen Palms"

"Thirty-Two Palms"

"Sixty-Four Palms"

Neji finished his attack. Hinata was pushed back, but she remained standing.

In the stands, Hiashi Hyuga smiled in satisfaction.

"In the end, you're nothing but a loser," Neji said, panting heavily.

At that moment, Hinata suddenly turned into a puff of smoke and vanished.

Shadow Clone? Neji wondered. He noticed Hinata rapidly approaching from behind him.

"Eight Trigrams Three Hundred Sixty-One Palms!" Hinata shouted, launching her fierce assault.

"Two Palms"

"Four Palms"

"Eight Palms"

"Sixteen Palms"

"Thirty-Two Palms"

"Sixty-Four Palms"

"One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms"

"Two Hundred Fifty-Six Palms"

"Three Hundred Sixty-One Palms"