A young man entered from the side door, dressed in a standard chūnin uniform. His pale, featureless eyes were unmistakable—he was from the Hyūga clan. Yet, his forehead was smooth and unmarked.
Those present were momentarily taken aback. Why was a Hyūga being sent to test Hinata Haruki? An elder from the Uchiha clan couldn't stay seated any longer and demanded,"Hokage-sama, letting a Hyūga test another Hyūga—this is like grading your own homework, is it not? Surely this isn't proper?"
The Hyūga clan head quickly replied,"This was decided after discussion with several of the Hyūga elders. To assess Haruki's abilities, the best comparison is against one of our own—this way we can also gauge his grasp of Gentle Fist and the Eight Trigrams style. Hokage-sama has already agreed to our request."
The Third Hokage gave an awkward smile."Yes… it was at the clan head's insistence. Everyone here can see for themselves whether or not the match is fair. I believe the Hyūga clan will judge impartially."
The others nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, one Hyūga elder standing at the back gave a sly grin, thinking to himself:"When the clan head first heard of this, he was startled. But once the idea that we might have a prodigy on our hands set in, everyone grew excited. Still, it was Elder Hideyoshi's idea to send a Hyūga to test the brat's skills. The clan head wants to see what's so special about this Haruki… so we asked the Hokage's permission…"
The elder's smile darkened."But what they don't know is that Hyūga Hiroshi is my personal guard. He's been hiding his true strength—he's actually as strong as an elite chūnin. That little brat won't pass. With luck, we'll 'accidentally' cripple him in the exam… killing him would be fine, too. Hahaha!"
In the center of the training ground, Hyūga Hiroshi stepped up to Haruki, looking down at him with disdain."So, you're Hinata Haruki? My name's Hyūga Hiroshi. I'm your opponent. Beat me, and you'll be promoted to chūnin."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Hinata Haruki." Haruki could feel the intense hostility radiating from the man and grew uneasy inside.
"Attention, both of you," a nearby jōnin warned. "Once the test begins, it continues until one of you yields or is unable to fight. No deliberate killing blows. Understood?"
"I understand," Haruki nodded. "Brother, may I ask you a question?"
"What is it?"
"I notice you don't have the Caged Bird Seal on your forehead. Are you from the Main Branch? Why haven't I seen you before?"
"No," Hiroshi replied in a mocking tone, "I'm an elder's personal guard. Not having the seal is a reward from the elders. I'm not like you Branch House types."
"Oh, I see…" Haruki's expression darkened."An elder's man? And clearly hostile toward me… so the Main Branch wants to use this chance to get rid of me, huh? Hmph."
"Use all your strength," Hiroshi said coldly. "I won't go easy. If you get hurt, blame yourself for signing up."
Hiroshi formed a seal, activating his Byakugan. Raising both hands, he assumed an offensive stance. Haruki also raised his palms but didn't activate his Byakugan. The strain on his chakra was too great; he intended to test his opponent first.
The spectators leaned forward, curious.
An Uchiha elder scoffed,"He's not going to use his Byakugan? You have to form a seal to activate it—will he have time once the fight starts? Foolish boy."
The Hyūga clan head gave the Uchiha a sidelong glance."Not all Byakugan activations require seals. Still… fighting without it will make using Gentle Fist tricky. Could be interesting, though."
Hyūga Hiashi turned to Hyūga Hizashi."Hizashi, how strong is Haruki, really?"
"I'm not sure," Hizashi admitted. "Mizuki only trained him for a short time. We'll find out soon enough."
Even Danzō, usually silent, spoke up."Sarutobi, letting a five-year-old take the chūnin exam? Aren't you worried he'll be gravely injured… or killed?"
The Third exhaled smoke and smiled faintly."Shimura, I believe in the boy's strength."
"Hmph!" Danzō sneered. "You're still as naïve as ever. His opponent is beyond what he can handle."
The Third frowned—Danzō's tone suggested he knew something."Why do you say that, Shimura?"
"You'll see when the fight starts," Danzō said coldly. "Better have the medical team ready…"
Haruki faced Hiroshi."In that case… I'm coming!"(BGM: "Reversal of Fortune," Yasuharu Takanashi)
Haruki charged forward, Hiroshi meeting him head-on. Hiroshi struck first—
Smack! Pale blue chakra flared and scattered at the point of contact. Haruki blocked swiftly, countering with a palm strike. Hiroshi sidestepped, reaching for a tenketsu in Haruki's arm, but Haruki caught his wrist joint first, forcing Hiroshi's hand away before countering again. Hiroshi blocked in turn.
Their exchange grew faster, chakra flashing faint blue between strikes. The air filled with sharp impacts—Smack! Crack! Thud!
The Hyūga clan head nodded in approval."Haruki's Gentle Fist is solid. Even without Byakugan, his strikes are precise."
But Haruki was still young, with shorter reach. After dozens of moves, he was a fraction too slow—
"Now!" Hiroshi slammed a palm into Haruki's chest. Haruki's hands blurred into seals, and his body was flung back—only to burst into white smoke.
"Hm? A shadow clone? And he used a substitution on it just before impact?" Hiroshi blinked. "That's fast sealing…"
The real Haruki was already above and behind him, descending with a crushing strike. Hiroshi's Byakugan caught it, and he leapt aside.
Boom! Haruki's palm shattered the floor, dust and debris flying.
From within the dust, twelve shuriken shot out in eerie arcs, encircling Hiroshi.
"Hmph! That won't work on me!" Hiroshi smiled faintly, lowering his stance.
"Eight Trigrams Palm: Rotation!"Hiroshi spun in place, chakra bursting from every tenketsu to form a rotating blue dome. All twelve shuriken were deflected and sent ricocheting back toward Haruki.
"So he knows Rotation!" Haruki narrowed his eyes and leapt back to avoid them.
Hiroshi closed the gap instantly, unleashing a flurry of vicious strikes.
"This guy's aiming to seriously injure me!" Haruki realized grimly, pulling back again.
"You've got skill for someone so young," Hiroshi said, still attacking. "But you're far too weak. Think distance will save you?"
He raised his right hand, palm open, chakra swelling within.
The spectators gasped."That technique?!"
Haruki's eyes widened."No way—he knows that move?!"
"Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!"Hiroshi thrust forward, releasing a circular wave of compressed chakra, ripples distorting the air as it hurtled toward Haruki.
"Damn!" Haruki barely leapt aside in time.
Boom! The impact left a one-meter crater in the wall, cracks spiderwebbing outward.
"You think you can run?" Hiroshi's voice was suddenly at Haruki's side.
In an instant, Haruki was within the Eight Trigrams diagram.
The Third Hokage's eyes widened."That technique… this man's at least elite chūnin level!"
Danzō smirked."Hmph. Elite chūnin is still chūnin. Not against the rules. Pity about the boy…"
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
"Two palms!" Hiroshi's fingers struck—"Four palms!"—again—"Eight palms!" Haruki staggered—"Sixteen palms!" His arms blurred—"Thirty-two palms!" The strikes came like machine-gun fire—"Sixty-four palms!"
Haruki's body was hurled away, blue chakra flaring from every struck tenketsu. Hiroshi had held nothing back; each blow was lethal.
"Hyūga Hiroshi! You are not to use killing blows!" Hizashi roared, ready to intervene.
"This is an exam! How can he—?!" Hiashi's face was grim.
"Well, well… the Hyūga really are impartial when testing their own," the Uchiha elder said mockingly.
"You're finished, boy—if you survive, you'll be crippled!" Hiroshi smirked… until Haruki's body burst into smoke.
"A shadow clone?! When—?!"
From the audience, Mitokado Homura frowned."Don't shadow clones disappear when struck?"
The Uchiha elder answered,"He expelled high-density chakra from its tenketsu at the moment of impact, like a stationary Rotation without the spin. It absorbed part of the damage, delaying dispel—but the last thirty-two palms were still too much."
Suddenly, a chunk of rubble nearby transformed in a puff of smoke—Haruki's real body stood there, eyes closed, seemingly calm… but with an anger that could be felt in the air.
Hiashi smirked."From the very start, when he shattered the floor attacking Hiroshi from behind, the dust hid him swapping with that rock. He's been using the clone to test his opponent ever since."
Hizashi exhaled in relief—then frowned."But why reveal himself now instead of striking from behind?"
"I think… he's genuinely angry," Hiashi said quietly.(BGM: "Clash and Impact," Musashi Project)
Haruki opened his eyes, glaring at Hiroshi."Hyūga Hiroshi… were you trying to kill me just now?"
"This is an exam!" Hiroshi sneered. "If you got hurt, it's because your skills are lacking!"
"Lacking in skill, am I? Then I won't hold back either… Main Branch lapdog—let me show you my Gentle Fist!"
The veins around Haruki's eyes bulged. His Byakugan flared to life, and the cold fury in his gaze made Hiroshi's back prickle with sudden unease.