Naruto followed her gaze. She was looking at Genya.
Genya nodded at Hinata.
His gaze was calm and firm, as though saying, You can do this.
Hinata took a deep breath and raised her head.
The music began.
It was a light, hopeful song. Naruto led them in, his voice loud and brimming with youthful passion.
"Walking in the sunshine, the wind brushes through our hair..."
He was wildly off-key. But no one laughed.
Because Sakura immediately picked up the second line, her clear voice firmly bringing the melody back on track.
"The sky is so vast, our dreams lie ahead..."
Ino joined in, her voice sweet.
"The road we've walked together, we'll never forget."
Sasuke began singing without a change in expression. His voice was deep and unexpectedly... lovely.
The screams from the audience instantly went through the roof.
"Sasuke's singing!"
"Oh my gosh! He can actually sing!"
"He sounds so good!"
The corner of Sasuke's mouth twitched, but he didn't stop.
Neji sang next, his voice calm and his rhythm precise. Rock Lee started crying again as he sang.
Choji still had potato chips in his mouth and hummed along indistinctly.
Halfway through Kiba's part, Akamaru began howling along.
Shino's voice was very quiet, but the microphone faithfully carried it to the audience.
Shikamaru's lazy delivery proved surprisingly distinctive. Tenten smiled until her eyes curved into crescents.
It was Hinata's turn.
She tightened her grip on the microphone and took a deep breath. Her voice trembled, but it was resolute.
"The wishes we made together will surely come true..."
The audience fell silent for a moment. Then thunderous applause erupted.
Hinata nearly burst into tears.
She held them back and kept singing.
As she sang, her nervousness faded.
Because she saw the smiling faces in the audience, her