"The time has come."
Kakashi checked the time and stepped in front of the twenty participants, including Naruto and Hinata.
At that moment, massive projection screens rose up around the arena, and images from the center of the field were displayed across them.
Because the venue was so enormous, the average spectator couldn't make out the action clearly without these large-scale displays. Originally, this kind of technology wasn't supposed to exist yet, but thanks to the Nine-Tails' influence and his demands, the tech tree in this field had been accelerated significantly.
"Esteemed guests, thank you all for gathering here to attend Konoha's Chunin Exams. Now, the final twenty contestants who passed the preliminaries will face off in official duels!"
Kakashi's voice echoed throughout the arena, instantly quieting the noisy discussions. All eyes turned to the field, or the screens.
After glancing around, Kakashi fixed his gaze on the participants and spoke calmly: "This final round will be a series of one-on-one, no-holds-barred matches. The battle only ends when one side concedes… or dies. You should fight with the mindset of killing your opponent, though rest assured, I'll step in to stop the fight once a clear winner is determined."
"Now then, the first match…"
"Neji Hyuga versus Shikamaru Nara. All other contestants, please move to the sidelines."
As Kakashi extended his hand, the others stepped back, leaving only Shikamaru and Neji in the center.
After burning through countless brain cells, Shikamaru still couldn't come up with a winning strategy against Neji. Judging his odds to be hopeless, he quickly chose to surrender.
This made Shikaku, who was sitting beside Kaede, cover his face in embarrassment.
He had been hoping Shikamaru would leave a good impression on the Hokage.
"Sometimes, giving up is the smart choice," Kaede said with a soft smile, noting Shikaku's expression.
Next was Rock Lee versus Haku. Lee opened five of the Eight Gates and battled Haku to a draw. Both collapsed and were unable to continue.
Just as Kakashi was about to declare a tie, Lee, completely unconscious, staggered to his feet on instinct alone. Kakashi blinked in surprise and awarded him the victory.
Then came matches featuring Temari, Sakura, and others.
Some participants, like Sakura, were relatively weak, while others, like Haku, showed remarkable strength. The ongoing fights proved thoroughly entertaining for many of the nobles and lords in the audience.
Still, plenty of young girls weren't paying much attention to the battles. Their eyes kept drifting toward the viewing stand, more precisely, toward Kaede, especially those seated nearby.
"These Konoha genin… their strength is truly impressive."
"Indeed. They're far stronger than my personal guards. As expected of Konoha's shinobi, they never fail to inspire confidence."
The nobles and lords nodded among themselves, satisfied.
After all, since they frequently hired ninja for various missions, the stronger the shinobi, the more successfully their requests would be fulfilled.
=============
Time flew by.
After nine intense matches, the final and most anticipated bout was about to begin, the one every Konoha ninja had been waiting for, the match that had stirred excitement across the entire arena.
Naruto Uzumaki vs. Hinata Hyuga
One was the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, a boy hailed as the heir to the Yellow Flash's legacy. The other was the heiress of the Hyuga clan's main branch and, more importantly, one of Kaede's two personal students.
Kaede's first student, Uchiha Itachi, was already a legendary ninja with a fearsome reputation across the shinobi world. That alone made it clear, Hinata, as his second student, could only be equally talented.
Naruto looked at Hinata standing ten meters away, raised his fist, and called out, "You're strong. You even beat Sasuke before. But if you're fighting me, you'd better get serious… I'm not at that guy's level!"
A close-up of Naruto appeared on the giant screens, his voice amplified across the stadium by the loudspeakers.
Somewhere in a corner of the arena, Sasuke's face turned pitch-black.
If this wasn't the official fourth round of the Chunin Exams, he might've charged straight at Naruto and beaten him within an inch of his life.
"Sensei is watching."
Hinata raised her arms and took a Gentle Fist stance, her expression serious and determined. "I won't disappoint him. So… sorry, Naruto."
As Kakashi signaled the start of the match, a surge of chakra erupted from Hinata.
Boom!
The ground beneath her feet cracked violently, spider-webbing outward with her at the center. A fierce gust of wind swept through the arena, causing even the nobles and Konoha shinobi in the stands to change expressions.
Buzz!
Hinata moved.
She struck forward with an open palm.
The force shattered the air itself, unleashing a massive chakra palm blast far more intense than what she had shown against Sasuke.
Naruto's eyes bulged.
"What the hell?!"
This wasn't the same power she used in her last match!
Seeing the massive wave of energy rushing toward him, Naruto panicked and made a hand sign without hesitation. "Seal, release!"
Boom!!
As the seal's formula spread, Naruto released a huge wave of chakra, shattering the ground around him.
He raised one hand, chakra surging violently as he formed a gigantic Rasengan several meters wide to counter the incoming palm blast.
"Super Big Ball Rasengan!!"
BOOM!!
The two attacks collided, erupting into a deafening explosion that sent shockwaves sweeping across the arena.
Sasuke froze.
Sakura, Neji, and others nearly dropped their jaws.
Even the nobles and lords wore bizarre expressions, each inwardly thinking the same thing:
These are… genin?!
"This is absurd…"
Kakashi's eye twitched as he looked toward the viewing stand, where Kaede was calmly smiling back at him.
Their gazes met, and though neither spoke, they seemed to exchange a silent conversation.
Kakashi: What the hell is this Sage Mode energy? What's a "Sage's Body"?
Kaede: First explain where Naruto got Asura's chakra from.
Kakashi's expression stiffened. He glanced back at the arena, already worried that Naruto was about to get obliterated. Sure, Naruto still had some trump cards, but if Hinata truly had a Sage's Body and control over Hamura's chakra, there was no way he could withstand it.
Naruto made his move!
He summoned Shadow Clones!
He unleashed a barrage of Big Ball Rasengans!
Boom!
The clones got obliterated!
Buzz!
He threw a Rasenshuriken!
Hinata smashed it into pieces!
Whoosh!
Naruto started to run!
Hinata began chasing him down and beating the crap out of him!
Explosions kept rocking the stadium like earthquakes. The audience sat frozen in shock.
Konoha… this is what you call genin?!
Kakashi couldn't hold back anymore, he activated his Rinnegan and peered into the field. He was worried that if he didn't, he wouldn't be able to step in to stop things in time.
From his Rinnegan perspective, he could see something the others couldn't, Naruto was surrounded by Asura's chakra, and a faint phantom of Asura had appeared behind him.
On the other side…
A phantom of Hamura Otsutsuki appeared behind Hinata.
These spectral figures stood with stiff, expressionless faces, but for some reason, Kakashi had a strange, inexplicable feeling that Hamura's ghost was glaring at Asura's ghost as if to say:
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Seriously, nephew?"