Chapter 16: The Match Ends

As a guardian of the Hyuga clan, Hinata Hengzu considered himself quite experienced. The fact that Naruto bore no scratches was inexplicable—there was only one explanation:

He had indeed dodged his attack, choosing to retreat beneath the surrounding wall.

With his Byakugan activated, he could not fathom how Naruto had managed to evade such crude techniques as the Body Replacement Technique or the Body Flicker Technique. How had he done it?

"Hey, kid."

Hengzu's gaze shifted. Though he didn't want to believe it, he had to admit that he seemed to have underestimated his opponent.

"Kid? Hey, old man, I'm not a kid! My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I will become Hokage one day!" Naruto corrected Hengzu, looking up at him defiantly.

"Hokage?"

Upon hearing Naruto's ambition, Hengzu instinctively wanted to mock him but held his tongue. Instead, he slowly activated his Byakugan. Seeing the puzzled look on Naruto's face, he said, "Let me be clear—I have no enmity with you and don't care about your dreams, but…"

"I'm curious about your power!"

With almost a sneak attack, Hengzu channeled his chakra and struck out with a powerful palm before Naruto even had a chance to react!

There was no movement that his Byakugan couldn't see through. How had that kid dodged his earlier grab? His Byakugan should have seen right through it. This palm was delivered with full strength; there was no way this kid could take it!

In that split second, Naruto pulled out a shuriken from behind him.

"Ugh!"

Meanwhile, the battle in the courtyard was about to reach a conclusion.

The opponent's palm strikes were fierce and fast. Hinata, let alone counterattacking, couldn't even defend herself adequately.

Neji's attacks fell like rain and wind. When Hinata let her guard down, one of his palms broke through her defense, striking her shoulder and causing her to lose balance and fall to the ground.

"Is it over now?" Neji paused his assault, standing still as he awaited the referee's declaration.

It was always like this; the clan's young lady would quit the match after falling, lacking the courage to stand again...

"It's... not over yet."

However, Hinata, trembling, pushed herself up from the ground, her face showing an unmistakable pain. Though there were no visible injuries, the unique Gentle Fist technique of the Hyuga clan targeted internal injuries and chakra points.

Even though Neji and Hinata were just kids and their match didn't involve chakra, the essence of the Gentle Fist remained unchanged.

No visible wounds didn't mean Hinata was unscathed. In fact, she was suffering internal injuries; her whole body ached terribly, making standing feel like a struggle.

"Have you gained a bit of fighting spirit compared to before?" Neji observed her attempt to rise and was ready to continue.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, the surrounding wall exploded, and a figure shot through the debris, landing right in the middle of their fighting arena.

"What happened?"

"Is it an enemy attack?"

"How could there be an enemy attack in the Hyuga clan's estate in Konoha?"

Confusion spread among the crowd, but as an elite clan, several figures from the Hyuga clan had already rushed to protect Hinata and Neji the moment the wall shattered. Other skilled members quickly apprehended the intruder.

In front of his Byakugan, the dust from the collapsed wall was nothing.

"Cough, cough, it's me!"

However, the shadow didn't resist at all and hurriedly explained himself to the crowd.

"Hmm? Hengzu? What are you doing?"

Everyone froze when they recognized the figure who had crashed in.

It was Hinata Hengzu, who had just gone to intercept Naruto. He wore a bewildered expression as he looked at everyone: "Why is everyone surrounding me?"

"You're asking why?" The crowd exchanged glances, and an elder, who appeared older, spoke up. "I want to ask you why you broke the wall? Weren't you watching that kid? How did you end up fighting someone?"

"Me? Break the wall?" Hengzu was utterly baffled, quickly turning to look at the wall. "How could that be? I was clearly aiming at that kid... Ah?"

Hengzu gazed in disbelief at the large hole in the wall, while Naruto stood outside, waving cheerfully: "Oh, oh, oh, thanks, old man! I can see so much better now!"

Without a care for the countless Byakugan gazes upon him, Naruto scanned the crowd, his eyes lighting up when he spotted Hinata, surrounded for protection: "Yo, Hinata! Are you done? Did you win?"

"Naruto-kun, are you okay?" Hinata felt a wave of relief at the sight of Naruto, her pain diminishing a little.

But before Hinata could move forward, Hyuga Hizashi appeared before Naruto, his authoritative Byakugan scrutinizing him from top to bottom.

"What's going on? I was waiting outside just as you instructed," Naruto said, feeling uneasy under that intense gaze, as if every part of him was being scrutinized.

Upon hearing Naruto's words, Hizashi lowered his gaze to where Naruto stood, realizing he was indeed outside the wall.

But now, the wall was entirely gone.

This, however, was not what Hizashi was focused on. He had seen Naruto earlier and noted two distinct chakra flows within him—one belonging to the Nine-Tails and the other his own. But now, why was the chakra within him so pure? Did the Fourth Hokage's seal enhance its effectiveness as the jinchuriki matured?

As he observed the broken wall and the still-confused Hengzu, Hizashi—known for his caution—felt a slight unease for the first time regarding a child under five years old.

Perhaps this child would not become what the Third Hokage envisioned; his potential might be even greater than anyone could imagine...

"Let's call it a day for the clan matches," Hizashi announced to everyone. "Neji wins the last bout. Hengzu, come to my room later. Everyone else, you may return."

"Yes." Though puzzled, the clan members obeyed their leader's orders.

"Naruto-kun, is it?" Hizashi turned back to Naruto, maintaining his calm demeanor. "Next, we will hold our clan meeting, so you are not invited."

"Ahh, haha! Of course…" Naruto replied awkwardly, clearly understanding the adult's hint to leave.

And he was feeling a bit hungry; the afternoon had already slipped by amid all the commotion.

Hizashi no longer regarded Naruto, turning to nod at Neji and murmuring, "Well done."

"Not at all," Neji replied, not feeling the praise of his clan leader; instead, he appeared indifferent, with a hint of disdain.

"Hinata, your friend came to cheer you on. I'll prepare a token of gratitude for him; please deliver it," Hizashi said, ruffling his daughter's hair. After instructing her, he added a remark that surprised Hinata: "You did well today."

"Father…" Hinata stood frozen in place.