There was a strange atmosphere between Team 7 and Team 3.
Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha hadn't seen their opponents' true strength, which made them a little uneasy. On the other hand, Neji Hyuga and Rock Lee had seen exactly what Naruto and Sasuke were capable of. They both had a good idea of what it would take to win.
To defeat those two, Neji believed that simply taking off their weighted clothing wouldn't be enough; they would probably need a significant power-up.
Fortunately, there was a one-month break before the main tournament. Plus, the final scores were based on the ratings of Konoha's higher-ups, not on the outcome of the matches.
Might Guy watched Team 7 walk away, then turned back to his own two students and slapped them on the shoulders. "Neji, Lee, pour all your sweat and effort into preparing for battle! Don't be like me..."
Neji Hyuga: "..."
Rock Lee threw his arms around Might Guy, his eyes welling with tears. "Guy-sensei!"
As students of Team 3, they knew their sensei well. This Chunin Exam was the continuation of a fateful rivalry. The battle between Might Guy and Kakashi was not yet over, but the battle between Rock Lee and Sasuke Uchiha had already begun, and even Neji Hyuga was now involved.
"You must defeat Kakashi's students!" the taijutsu Jonin sobbed as he hugged his two disciples, his tears soaking their clothes. "This is also a battle between me and Kakashi!"
Seeing this, Kakashi Hatake couldn't help but pick at his ear. "Hey, now... that's a bit much..."
"Kakashi, we will not lose!" Might Guy suddenly stood up, striking a fighting pose. "Let me set an example for my students! Let's have a hot-blooded duel, Kakashi!"
"I refuse," Kakashi said flatly. He pulled at his mask and looked at Neji and Lee with a shrug. "Right now, I'd have a hard time winning against those two myself. You two, good luck in a month!"
This was, of course, a joke. As the Jonin leader of Team 7, he now had a hard time managing even a draw against the kids in his own squad. It sounded ridiculous, but it was true.
The preliminary rounds left a one-month buffer, not only to let the genin prepare for battle but also to give Konoha time to invite the daimyos of various countries, the leaders of smaller ninja villages, and the Kazekage of the Sand Village to attend.
Baki, a Sand Jonin, decided to personally rush back to his village to discuss whether they should continue with their plan. After all, the ease with which Shukaku's rampage was subdued suggested Konoha was stronger than they'd thought.
However, someone else beat him to it.
The supervising Jonin of the Sound Village appeared at the entrance of an orphanage. He glanced at the white-haired, bespectacled young man inside comforting children and beckoned to him.
The young man noticed him, pushed up his glasses, and walked over. "Lord Orochimaru, is something urgent?"
"I suspect the Fourth Kazekage might withdraw from our plan." The Sound Jonin took off his mask, revealing Orochimaru's face. "So, we have to go and lure him out, make sure he sticks to the plan."
"Even so, it will be difficult to persuade him, won't it?" Kabuto Yakushi shrugged and said softly, "Ever since Shukaku was defeated by Naruto, the Sand Village might not dare to continue participating..."
"Then we'll just have to use other means." Orochimaru stuck out his long tongue and licked his lips. "Kabuto, do you still want to participate in our plan yourself?"
"..."
Kabuto was silent for a moment. Feeling a wave of killing intent wash over him, he slowly raised his head and smiled. "It's precisely because Lord Orochimaru's plan has become more difficult that completing it will feel so much more rewarding."
"Then come with me!" The man nodded in satisfaction and flicked his long hair. "Kimimaro is waiting for us... to hunt the Kazekage!"
Kabuto Yakushi: "..."
That sounds interesting, he thought. The Third Kazekage was assassinated by their own village's Sasori of the Red Sand. Now, the Fourth Kazekage was being targeted by Konoha's rogue ninja, Orochimaru. He probably wouldn't escape either. Was there a problem with the feng shui of the Sand Village's location?
The members of Team 7 each went their separate ways.
Sakura took Karin to the Medical Department to study. Even if she forfeited in the exam hall, mastering medical ninjutsu would make it easy for her to be promoted to Chunin.
Kakashi took Sasuke to their designated training spot to teach him more Lightning Release ninjutsu and the White Fang Sword Style.
Naruto Uzumaki appeared at the Hyuga clan compound.
When he knocked on the gate, a woman with a Byakugan looked at him, her expression unfriendly. "What do you want?"
"I want to visit Hinata," Naruto said, gripping the gate tightly.
The woman glanced at him and shook her head. "At this time, Lady Hinata's injuries have not healed. She cannot accept any visitors..."
"He is my sister's friend. Let him in!" a young voice from inside interrupted. It was a little girl, and she sounded very authoritative.
Hearing the order, the woman with the Byakugan paused, then nodded. "Yes, Lady Hanabi."
The Hyuga main family's residence was very large, with its own training ground in the courtyard. When Naruto stepped inside, he saw a little girl in a training uniform.
She was only six or seven years old, probably still a student at the ninja academy. At that moment, she was wiping sweat from her forehead and instructing in a low voice, "Natsu, help me set up another training dummy!"
"Yes, Lady Hanabi," the woman with the Byakugan nodded respectfully.
Naruto looked at the wooden dummy in front of the little girl in surprise. It was tattered and torn, covered in marks from chakra-infused strikes. Judging from both her strength and her demeanor, this little girl named Hanabi did not seem like an ordinary academy student.
"Hinata is my older sister," Hanabi Hyuga said, turning to look at the yellow-haired boy. "Senior Naruto Uzumaki, I have always been very curious about you. I cannot understand what it is about you that catches my sister's attention—so much so that she can't even concentrate on her training."
Almost every younger sibling in the ninja world has, at some point, followed their older sibling around. Hanabi was no exception. She had noticed her sister sneaking out during training time, only to find she was just secretly watching Naruto Uzumaki, the "demon fox" everyone talked about.
Hanabi couldn't understand it. Wasn't Sasuke Uchiha more handsome? And Sasuke was from the Uchiha clan, a noble family just like the Hyuga. What was so special about this Naruto Uzumaki guy?
"Huh?" Naruto looked down in confusion at the little girl questioning him, at a loss for words. "Sorry, I don't really understand what you're saying..."
"..."
The little girl with the Byakugan stared at Naruto, stunned and equally confused.
-----
Bonus:
Hinata: My sister is mine!
Naruto: ???
Hinata: She's mine, do you understand?
Naruto: ???
Hinata: Let's fight!
Naruto: Sure! How do you want to die?
Hinata: ???