Chapter 72: Advance, Reward!

The hall had fallen eerily silent.

The only sound was Might Guy's voice, filled with anxiety as he shouted, "Lee, are you alright? Lee, wake up!"

You couldn't blame him for being so shaken.

At that moment, Rock Lee looked just like a charred fish—his clothes and skin completely blackened. Due to the aftereffects of the Eight Inner Gates as well as lingering energy from that Storm Release finishing move, wisps of steam still rose from his body. He had lost consciousness long ago. If not for the faint signs of breathing and a heartbeat, anyone would have thought he was a well-done corpse.

Meanwhile, two streams of blue light—visible to no one—emerged from Lee's body and shot toward Izayoi. Even though Lee had lost to Izayoi, through the power of the Eight Inner Gates he had, in a sense, proven himself.

"Cough, cough… Don't worry, he's only knocked out." Hayate Gekko tried to reassure everyone as he pulled out his walkie-talkie. "Medical team, hurry over! We have an urgent case here."

Before long, three medic-nin dressed in white arrived with a stretcher, administered first aid to Lee, and carried him away. Might Guy, whose other two pupils had already finished their matches, chose to follow them, and no one tried to stop him.

All eyes, however, lingered on the gaping black hole that had replaced most of the hall floor. And after that, their attention turned to Izayoi, who was slowly descending from above. Whether genin or jōnin, everyone now regarded Izayoi with an entirely new perspective.

If using both the elemental and shape transformations of Lightning Release had once made the jōnin consider him a potential all-round jōnin, now they all saw him as Konoha's future trump card.

In general, "ultimate" or "secret" ninjutsu—often referred to as S-rank jutsu—are so advanced that no amount of ordinary effort guarantees you can learn them.

Every ninja who commands an S-rank technique is typically an elite jōnin of a major village, someone with the power to threaten, become, or represent a Kage.

Without a doubt, Izayoi had now demonstrated that level of strength. All he needed was experience, leadership, and a proven track record to inevitably reach elite jōnin status.

"Izayoi, was that the jutsu you developed?"

The moment he touched the floor, Kurenai Yuhi rushed over, her voice charged with excitement. Next to her, Shino Aburame and Hinata Hyūga stared at Izayoi just as intently. In Hinata's eyes especially, her admiration for Izayoi was impossible to hide.

"Yeah." Izayoi nodded and grinned. "I did say I'd shock you all. I hope you're not disappointed?"

"Far from it. That's insanely powerful."

Kurenai gave his shoulder a firm pat. "You little rascal…so this is what you were hiding all along!"

She had once thought Izayoi might become "the Kakashi Hatake of this generation," but it turned out he was even more remarkable than Kakashi had been at his age.

Sure, Kakashi became a jōnin at twelve and developed the A-rank Lightning Release: Chidori. Yet comparing Chidori to Izayoi's Storm Release: Judgment was like night and day. Having such a student, Kurenai suddenly found the bet she'd once made with him almost laughable. She had already won, and by a wide margin!

"This kid actually perfected the Rasengan to that extent...what a genius," Orochimaru marveled, his gaze brimming with appreciation as he watched Izayoi—nearly sticking out his tongue to lick his lips.

Izayoi hadn't wasted Orochimaru's time; he'd delivered an absolutely spectacular fight. Even though he didn't appear to have a kekkei genkai, Izayoi's sheer talent reminded Orochimaru of himself in his youth, as well as other "genius commoners." Satisfied, Orochimaru quietly left.

Meanwhile, the Special Jōnin stationed near Hiruzen Sarutobi used Earth Release to repair the massive crater in the hall floor. The time and chakra it took was staggering, a testament to the destructive power of Izayoi's Storm Release finishing move. Anyone who witnessed it would see just how fearsome it was.

Could he have merged Lightning and Water Release into Storm Release, forming his very own kekkei genkai?

Apparently, Kurenai had that exact thought. She couldn't help asking, "Izayoi, have you combined them into a genuine Storm Release kekkei genkai?"

"No, all I did was use that energy sphere as a container and fuse two nature transformations through high-speed rotation. Basically a more advanced composite technique. I can't actually turn chakra into Storm Release nature by itself." Izayoi shook his head.

Truth be told, when Izayoi first realized he had combined Lightning and Water to produce Storm Release, it had given him quite a scare. But after checking himself carefully, he confirmed he hadn't gained a genuine Storm Release bloodline.

Neither did any "Storm Release (Purple)" appear on his personal status screen. He owed it all to his extraordinary chakra control (Gold)—possibly with some help from his Tenseigan. Also, combining two elemental natures didn't reflect his true limits; Storm Release: Judgment was just one of his ultimate techniques.

Once the hall was repaired, the exam continued. Izayoi's battle with Rock Lee had been Match Ten out of the twenty-three remaining competitors. Only three had yet to fight: Gaara, Yoroi Akadō, and Shino Aburame. Among them, one would be the lucky contestant to advance automatically.

The board flickered with names, then settled on:

Gaara vs. Yoroi Akadō.

"… …"

Izayoi was slightly speechless and cast a sidelong glance at Shino.

Sensing something was up, Shino asked, "What is it?"

"Oh, nothing," Izayoi said, shaking his head. He certainly couldn't say out loud, 'Aren't you only advancing by default because no one remembers you exist?' as that would surely hurt Shino's feelings.

Match Eleven played out in predictable fashion: Gaara instantly crushed Yoroi. Had it not been for his Konoha headband—and Hayate Gekko stopping the fight at just the right moment—Gaara would likely have squashed him with his Sand Binding Coffin. Plus, with Sasuke unmarked by any Curse Seal, still able to use his Sharingan, Yoroi's chakra-absorbing skill was of limited use—certainly less effective than Zaku's airwaves. So Yoroi's defeat was inevitable.

And so the prelims ended with eleven candidates advancing:

Dosu Kinuta, Sasuke Uchiha, Hinata Hyūga, Kankuro, Temari, Shikamaru Nara, Naruto Uzumaki, Neji Hyūga, Izayoi, Gaara, and Shino Aburame.

"As I said before, the Chūnin Exams represent a microcosm of warfare between allied nations. For the finals, there will be a huge audience full of dignitaries and potential clients. To ensure we put on the best possible show, you have one month to train. At ten in the morning, one month from today, report to Konoha's public square."

With those words, Hiruzen Sarutobi motioned for Anko Mitarashi—carrying a box—to come forward so the eleven remaining examinees could draw lots for their match-ups in a month's time. Eleven participants meant five matches, leaving one lucky person with a bye.

They drew quickly, and Anko wrote down the results on a board:

Match 1: Naruto Uzumaki (1) vs. Dosu Kinuta (2)

Match 2: Hinata Hyūga (3) vs. Temari (4)

Match 3: Shikamaru Nara (5) vs. Kankuro (6)

Match 4: Izayoi (7) vs. Gaara (8)

Match 5: Sasuke Uchiha (9) vs. Neji Hyūga (10)

Bye: Shino Aburame (11)

After the lineup was set, everyone turned their eyes to Shino, the unexpected lucky one who got to advance automatically. For once, Shino felt the attention of the crowd. Hiding his grin beneath his collar, he experienced an uncharacteristic delight.

With the drawing finished, the exam participants left the Forest of Death alongside their jōnin instructors. Once outside, Kurenai Yuhi put an arm around Hinata's shoulder and beamed at Team 8. "Alright, since all of you made it to the finals, dinner's on me. Let's celebrate!"

"Thank you, sensei."

The group, who'd been living on decidedly mediocre rations for the past five days in the tower, saw no reason to refuse. It was already dusk, the perfect time for a meal.

By the time dinner wrapped up, night had fallen. Hinata didn't head straight home—instead, she went to Izayoi's place. The two of them ended up in his room, developing photographs.

"Hinata, that final palm strike of yours was just so cool!"

"Heehee… Well, that Storm Release: Judgment of yours was even cooler, Izayoi-kun. I never imagined your ultimate move would be Storm Release!"

"So, should I work harder to ensure my future kids inherit Storm Release, too?"

"Eh—?"

With the door and windows tightly shut, the heavy blackout curtains drawn, and only a single lamp illuminating the desk, they sat together on one chair, admiring the newly developed photos and praising each other. Then, out of nowhere, Izayoi brought up the idea of children. Though he used the word "my kids," the smirk on his face made it clear he was looking right at Hinata.

She froze, flustered, her cheeks going red as she stammered, "I…I'm not sure…"

But in her mind, she was already picturing what a child of hers and Izayoi's might look like. Would the child have hair like hers or Izayoi's? Eyes like the Byakugan, or Izayoi's blue ones—or possibly his Tenseigan(?l)? Would Izayoi prefer a boy or a girl? Getting lost in her own thoughts, Hinata's face turned so hot she nearly started steaming. Her pale lilac eyes practically swirled with hypnotic circles.

At that moment, a hand settled on her shoulder and shook her from her daydream. She saw Izayoi leaning in with a mischievous smile. "Hey, Hinata, remember what I said before the match began?"

"What…what was that?"

She looked puzzled for a second, not following.

"A reward, of course! I won, didn't I? Don't you owe me a prize?"

Hinata couldn't help but laugh. "Izayoi-kun, you're sounding just like Hanabi…"

"I've said before, we watched Hanabi grow up. It's not weird that she's similar to me." Izayoi raised his chin with a playful air. "Whenever Hanabi secures the top spot at the Academy, she always asks me for a reward. Now I made it to the finals. Shouldn't I get something from you?"

"Oh? Well then, what about me?"

This time, Hinata turned the tables with a bright smile. "I reached the finals too, didn't I? So what reward will you be giving me, Izayoi-kun?"

"I've got one in mind!"

Izayoi put a finger to his lips and grinned. "But that'll have to wait a little while."

Wait a while?

Hinata tilted her head and quickly guessed exactly when he meant. Without pressing further, she just smiled softly. "So, Izayoi-kun, what reward do you want from me?"

"Pictures!"

That was what Izayoi had been hoping for. He jumped to his feet, opened his closet, and retrieved two gift boxes from inside. They'd been delivered a while ago via his shadow clone, but with Hanabi always around, Izayoi hadn't had a chance to pass them along.

He placed both boxes in Hinata's arms, his expression alight with enthusiasm. "Hinata, I want to take a few 'artistic' photos!"

"'Artistic' photos?"

Though not entirely sure what he meant, she could guess these boxes contained clothes—like the last ones. Maybe another sailor uniform? Or something else he'd designed?

Feeling both shy and somewhat expectant, Hinata quickly opened the packaging. The moment she saw what was inside, her face—which had barely cooled—went beet-red again, steaming as though it might melt.

"T-this…this…"

She stared wide-eyed at Izayoi, her voice trembling. "I-Izayoi-kun, did you make a mistake? Aren't these clothes meant for Hanabi?"

"Nope, they're for you."

Holding it up by the collar, Izayoi lifted a tiny, short-sleeved white top. "This is called a 'gym uniform,' and it goes with these shorts. The one-piece down there is called a 'school swimsuit.' And in the other box, there's a cheerleader outfit with pom-poms."

"It's…too small…"

Hinata blinked at these items, which could all fit in one box, feeling dizzy—like she was in a steamy bathroom with no fan on.

"Come on, Hinata."

Izayoi clasped his hands together, whining sweetly. "This is my life's dream!"

Mind hazy, Hinata wasn't quite sure how she ended up in the bathroom. Even though it was just a handful of little garments, it took her over ten minutes to reemerge. Under the light above the bathroom door, she shyly stepped out, pinching the corners of the fabric. Izayoi, who'd already used his Tenseigan to ensure no one could spy on them, felt his nose grow hot at the sight.

Wiping his upper lip, his hand came away bloody.

Despite possessing the proud lineage of an alien clan, he'd gotten a nosebleed anyway. But in all fairness, who wouldn't in his position? The effect of Hinata wearing something so tiny was practically more lethal than a Kekkei Tōta.

The white, short-sleeved "sailor-collar" shirt Hinata had tried on before was enough to make her blush. Now she was wearing a gym uniform a few sizes too small. If not for Izayoi's six years of constant moral support, she might have simply fainted in the bathroom from embarrassment—like her original self in the anime.

"Gulp…"

Cotton stuffed in his nose, Izayoi swallowed hard, voice quavering with excitement. "H-Hinata, lie down on your side first. I'll show you how to pose."

"Mm."

Hanging her head, Hinata didn't notice how strange Izayoi looked. She complied in a voice barely louder than a mosquito. Carefully, she lay on her side as instructed, her head propped up by a pillow, fingers forming a V-sign at chest level, while Izayoi fiddled with his camera, trying different angles.

"Pff…"

A bright flash popped as the shutter clicked, followed by a spurt of blood that splattered across the bedding. Hinata instantly forgot her shyness and looked up in concern to see Izayoi clamping a hand over his nose. "I-Izayoi-kun! You're bleeding! Are you okay?"

"I'm…fine, probably just the hot, greasy dinner."

Izayoi waved dismissively but cast her a peculiar look. Finally, he couldn't hold back his curiosity. "Hinata, why…why aren't you wearing…?"

"Huh?"

Confused, Hinata tilted her head. It dawned on her that Izayoi wasn't exactly meeting her eyes. Following his gaze, she glanced down at the undersized uniform that barely managed to hide her chest. Finally, she realized what she'd unconsciously done in her daze.

Buzz—

Perhaps it was just her imagination, but Izayoi thought he heard a train whistle shrieking in the distance. And with that, the "artistic photo session" ended prematurely. The "model" had toppled onto the bed, face burning red, white steam billowing from her head, eyes swirling like a hypnotic spiral—completely passed out.

~~~

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