Taking Tenten in Hand! So This Is a Hyuga Genius?

Facing Naruto's bottomless blue eyes, Tenten felt as though her heart was about to leap out of her throat.

She instinctively staggered back again and again until her back hit the cold wall with a thud, leaving her nowhere to retreat.

Her beautiful wide eyes were filled with fear, confusion, and a trace of curiosity she herself had not even noticed.

What was this man... this man who had just kicked the Hyuga Clan's genius into a trash can, going to do to her?

Silence her?

Or...

A hundred and eighty possibilities flashed through Tenten's mind in an instant, and every single one made her scalp tingle.

Yet Naruto did not reveal the savage expression she had imagined.

He merely walked up to her at an unhurried pace.

His intense scent, mingled with sweat and sunlight, enveloped her as though it had substance.

I'm done for... Tenten shut her eyes in despair.

But the attack she expected never came.

After a faint rustling sound, she cautiously opened one eye.

Naruto had actually bent down and was leisurely picking up the medical scissors and bandages scattered across the floor. Then, as if offering her some precious gift, he gently placed them back in her hands.

The warmth of his palm traveled through the roll of bandages, making Tenten shudder.

"Next time, hold them steady."

Naruto's slightly magnetic voice echoed through the hallway. It was clearly an ordinary reminder, yet Tenten's heart skipped half a beat, and her cheeks flushed red like apples.

What... what was going on?

This wasn't how the script was supposed to go!

She stared blankly at the blond boy before her. At such close range, she could clearly see the distinctive whisker marks on his face, as well as those deep blue eyes that seemed capable of swallowing everything.

How was he some dead last?

Tenten felt like she was about to stop breathing!

The domineering aura around him, as though he ruled over the world itself, was like a tyrannosaurus that had just awakened from ancient slumber!

It was filled with primal, wild, bone-chilling strength!

Compared to that aura, Might Guy's so-called "fiery youth" was practically child's play!

She did not even dare breathe deeply, afraid she might disturb the "humanoid beast" in front of her.

Just as Tenten's brain crashed and a storm of thoughts erupted in her heart, Naruto suddenly stepped closer, his warm breath nearly brushing against her ear.

"Stop staring."

He chuckled softly, lowering his voice with a teasing hint of amusement.

"Your genius teammate is contemplating life in a trash can. He won't be getting out anytime soon."

"If you have time, look at me more. Aren't I more handsome than that weakling from the branch family?"

Boom—!

Those words shot through Tenten's limbs like an electric current, freezing her whole body stiff.

Her ears felt so itchy...

Her heart was beating so fast...

[ Ding! Detected intense emotional fluctuations in bond target 'Tenten.' Heart rate exceeds 150/min, adrenaline secretion sharply increased... Comprehensive assessment: Favorability +30!]

[ Current Favorability: 30 (Love at First Meeting) ]

Hearing the system notification in his mind, Naruto's grin widened further.

Piece of cake!

A lovestruck girl was easy enough to handle.

He straightened up and stepped back, putting distance between them again as he coolly slipped both hands back into his pockets.

The entire sequence flowed smoothly, exuding nothing but carefree swagger.

Tenten watched helplessly as he turned around, humming an unrecognizable tune as he leisurely sauntered away. His silhouette stretched long beneath the sunlight at the end of the hall.

Her mind was still completely blank.

A full half minute passed before she stiffly turned her head and looked toward the other end of the corridor.

Inside that enormous metal trash can, Neji Hyuga's legs still hung outside, twitching nervously now and then. His head was buried deep in a pile of waste paper and cotton, and his eyes had completely rolled back.

On one side was a mysterious man who had left with effortless style, so powerful it defied reason.

On the other was her genius teammate, stuck in a trash can and blending in with the garbage.

Crack—

Tenten seemed to hear the worldview she had held for more than a decade shatter all over the ground.

She violently shook her head, trying to throw all those messy images out of her mind.

What dead last?

What perennial last place?

Those rumors at the academy were simply the funniest joke in the world!

Tenten remembered how her classmates, including herself, had secretly mocked Naruto as an idiot who only knew how to cause trouble.

But now?

One kick!

Just one casual kick!

It had utterly crippled the acknowledged strongest genius of their generation, Neji Hyuga, whom even jonin praised endlessly!

That terrifying Monster Strength that was powerful beyond all reason...

That calm, domineering presence when facing a powerful enemy...

An exceptionally primal and intense admiration for strength began growing wildly in her heart like weeds!

This man was way too wild!

He was... he was so handsome!

Meanwhile.

Inside the Hokage's Office.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was puffing away on his treasured pipe, exhaling clouds of smoke with a kind and benevolent expression.

Across from him stood Iruka, whose face was full of conflict and fear.

"Lord Hokage, th-that's what happened..." Iruka wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his voice trembling slightly. "Naruto... he was like a completely different person today."

"Oh? How so?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi blew out a smoke ring, narrowing his cloudy old eyes into slits.

"He first slapped Neji Hyuga flying in the classroom. Neji's face swelled up like a pig's head! Then, during the graduation taijutsu test on the training field, he instantly defeated Kiba Inuzuka in a single move. Kiba is still lying in the medical ward! And that wasn't even the end of it. The medical ward just sent word that Neji Hyuga intercepted Naruto in the corridor again, only to have more than ten ribs broken by one kick and get sent flying headfirst into a trash can!"

"Hm?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's movements paused.

Kiba Inuzuka might have been reckless, but he was still a direct descendant of the Inuzuka Clan. He was no weak genin, yet Naruto had instantly defeated him with one slap?

Interesting.

Seeing that the Hokage did not seem to take it too seriously, Iruka anxiously stepped forward again. "And that's not all! The medical ward just sent word that Neji Hyuga... was beaten by Naruto too!"

"Neji?"

This time, Hiruzen Sarutobi was genuinely surprised. "Why would Neji clash with Naruto? How badly is he hurt?"

Iruka swallowed, his expression growing utterly bizarre. "Very... badly. Apparently, Naruto kicked him and broke more than ten ribs. He was sent flying and fell headfirst into a trash can in the hospital corridor. He still hasn't woken up..."

"Pfft—cough, cough, cough!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi failed to hold in a mouthful of smoke and choked on it directly. He sprang up from his chair in shock, even dropping his pipe onto the floor.

His weathered old eyes widened like bells, his face full of disbelief.

"What did you say?! Naruto crippled Neji with one kick?!"

That Hyuga Clan genius?

That Neji Hyuga, hailed as the strongest of this generation, whom even he believed had great potential?

The Naruto he remembered as nothing but a prankster had kicked him into a trash can?!

What kind of absurd joke from hell was this?!

"It's absolutely true, Lord Hokage!"

Iruka was practically on the verge of tears.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression instantly turned incomparably grave. Without wasting another moment, he pulled out the crystal-clear orb from his drawer.

Telescope Technique!

He formed hand seals with both hands and poured chakra into the crystal ball.

He had to confirm it immediately!

What earth-shattering change had happened to Naruto?!

Could it be... that something had gone wrong with the Nine-Tails' seal?!

At that thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart sank to the bottom.

That was the peace the Fourth Hokage had bought with his life!

There could be absolutely no mistakes!

Soon, the image within the crystal ball rippled, clearly revealing Naruto's figure.

At this critical moment, when the entire Hidden Leaf leadership was on edge, Naruto had both hands in his pockets, humming an off-key little tune as he leisurely walked home.

His vitality was absurdly robust, his steps steady and imposing. The immense life force within him seemed ready to overflow through the crystal ball itself, and Hiruzen Sarutobi could vaguely even hear the roars of tigers and dragons!