As the Chunin Exams drew closer, ambitious young Genin who intended to participate began training even more diligently.
Konoha had several public training grounds, but their number was limited. Because of this, the various martial arts dojos throughout the village became the main training venues for young ninjas.
Kirito worked as an employee at Tenten's weapon shop. In addition to the shop, Tenten also owned a fairly large dojo.
Recently, the number of visitors to the dojo had surged dramatically. Because of the staff shortage, the owner temporarily reassigned some workers from other places to help.
Kirito was one of the people transferred there.
---
Since it was a dojo dedicated to martial training, sparring matches were naturally common.
Around the arena was a three-meter-high corridor serving as a viewing area where visitors could watch the fights below.
Kirito wore the blue uniform of the dojo staff, standing at a distance while watching the young ninjas training and sweating on the arena floor.
The sparring between ninjas was quite intense.
Among them, one particular match caught Kirito's attention.
At a platform in the upper-left area stood a petite girl with short gray-blue hair and clear silver-white eyes.
The girl was none other than Hinata Hyuga, the eldest daughter of the Hyuga main family.
Standing opposite her was a slightly older short-haired girl.
The two began practicing close-quarters combat.
Rather than relying on brute strength, they used smooth and elegant techniques to redirect each other's attacks.
Although Hinata looked small and gentle, it seemed she still had plenty of energy left.
Most of the spectators were captivated by her graceful techniques.
However—
there was one exception nearby.
Just as Hinata skillfully finished the round and politely bowed to her opponent, a dissatisfied snort sounded beside the arena.
A young man stepped directly onto the platform.
He looked about sixteen or seventeen years old, somewhat shorter in height but with a body that looked springy and strong.
His eyes carried a beast-like gaze, and his cheeks were marked with red tribal paint.
Hinata blinked in surprise before asking cautiously:
"Are you… a relative of Kiba?"
"Oh? Good eyesight."
The young man's tone was hostile.
"That's right. My name is Inuzuka Chi. I'm from the Inuzuka clan of Konoha."
He looked at her coldly.
"You're the young lady of the Hyuga clan, right? If I remember correctly, you're on the same team as my arrogant cousin Inuzuka Kiba."
Although he called Kiba his clanmate, his tone clearly suggested their relationship was far from friendly.
Hinata frowned slightly.
"May I ask what you need, senior?"
Being intelligent, she quickly guessed the situation.
This relative of Kiba probably didn't get along well with him and had come to cause trouble for her because she was Kiba's teammate.
Chi stretched his arms lazily, an unpleasant smile forming on his lips.
"Training alone, huh? Doesn't that get boring, Miss Hyuga?"
Hinata's previous sparring partner immediately looked embarrassed.
Chi's words clearly implied that she wasn't even qualified to be Hinata's training partner.
She was about to protest—
but when Chi shot her a cold, murderous glare, she froze in fear and didn't dare speak again.
"Trash should just get lost!"
Chi glared at her mercilessly.
Her face flushed with humiliation, and she ran away without another word.
Then Chi turned his gaze back to Hinata.
"I participated in the Chunin Exams before," he said mockingly.
"So guiding juniors like you… I'm quite happy to do it."
"…"
Hinata was timid by nature.
Partly intimidated by his hostility, and partly unwilling to create conflict with Kiba's clan member, she hesitated before speaking softly.
"That won't be necessary, senior… If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
She turned to leave.
But at that moment—
two more people stepped out from behind Chi.
They quickly moved forward and blocked Hinata's path.
The three surrounded her, smiling mockingly.
"…"
Hinata clenched her fists, suppressing her fear.
"What do you mean by this, senior?"
"Oh, nothing."
Chi spread his hands casually.
"Miss Hyuga, I heard you're planning to participate in this Chunin Exam, right?"
"As your seniors, how could we not properly guide such a cute junior?"
"Don't you agree?"
"Exactly," the other two laughed.
They clearly had no intention of letting her leave unless she accepted.
Although Hinata was often bullied due to her timid personality, few people dared to target her because of the powerful Hyuga clan behind her.
But Chi was different.
The Inuzuka clan was also one of Konoha's famous families.
Although slightly inferior to the Hyuga clan, conflicts among younger members usually wouldn't escalate to the clan leaders.
That made Chi completely fearless.
He had no personal grudge against Hinata.
But he had a terrible relationship with Kiba, who belonged to the clan leader's line.
Combined with his naturally troublemaking personality, he had impulsively decided to pick on Hinata.
---
Surrounded by the three, Hinata found herself unable to move forward or back.
Her eyes grew slightly misty.
It wasn't that she was truly afraid of them.
But her lack of confidence and her reluctance to fight someone from Kiba's clan made the situation difficult.
The surrounding spectators simply watched as if enjoying a show.
Members of the Hyuga clan were often seen as proud and arrogant, so many young ninjas didn't particularly like them.
Seeing Hinata cornered, no one stepped forward to help.
Instead, they watched with amusement.
Hinata bit her lip.
Just as she didn't know what to do—
"So what's it going to be, Miss Hyuga?" one of Chi's companions said impatiently.
"Not answering… Are you looking down on your seniors?"
He reached out to grab Hinata's shoulder.
"!"
Hinata's expression changed.
She clenched her hands, ready to resist.
But suddenly—
a figure stepped in front of her.
The familiar silhouette made her eyes widen slightly.
"…Kirito… big brother?"
"Who the hell are you?"
The hand reaching toward Hinata had been grabbed.
Standing in front of him—
was Kirito.
"I'm staff from the dojo," Kirito said calmly.
"Senior, the rules of the dojo say that sparring only happens when both sides agree."
"Oh really?"
Chi looked at Kirito coldly.
"And what if someone decides to break the rules?"
Kirito smiled slightly.
"Then…"
"I'll have to escort him outside."
---
If you'd like, I can also continue with Chapter 16, because the next part is where:
Kirito fights an Inuzuka clan ninja
Hinata's relationship with Kirito becomes clearer
And we see how Kirito's assassin-style combat works in close range.
The next fight scene is actually pretty intense.