The eleven participants finished drawing their lots one after another. The match-ups for the third round of the official Chunin Exams were announced in advance.
First Match: Natsuki vs. Kiba.
Second Match: Temari vs. Shikamaru.
Third Match: Rock Lee vs. Gaara.
Fourth Match: Shino vs. Kankuro.
Fifth Match: Sasuke vs. Naruto.
Sixth Match: Hinata, vs bye.
Seeing Hinata with a bye for the sixth match, everyone couldn't help but look at her with envy.
Besides Kiba, who had yelled out earlier, Rock Lee's expression was also quite serious.
His opponent was Gaara, who seemed the most difficult to deal with, his face filled with killing intent.
In the previous elimination round, Gaara had mercilessly crushed the Sound ninja, Dosu. The referee hadn't even had time to react.
Naruto, however, was the most oblivious.
He walked up to Sasuke, laughing loudly: "Hahaha, Sasuke! I never thought my opponent would be you! It seems like fate knows I can beat you and arranged this for me!"
Sasuke curled his lip and turned his head, not even wanting to look at the idiot.
"So, little Sasuke, don't cry when you lose in front of everyone!" Seeing Sasuke's annoyed expression, Naruto became even more energetic.
"Against you? The dead-last loser? Get lost," Sasuke retorted, waving dismissively at Naruto as if shooing away a fly. "My targets are Natsuki and Gaara."
"Alright, quiet down!" Natsuki interrupted before the argument could escalate.
Taking advantage of the fact that everyone hadn't dispersed yet, he quickly called out to his friends. "To celebrate most of us making it to the finals, I've decided to host a group dinner. Everyone come to my place tonight! This is a team-building exercise for our Dimensional End's Congregation. All members must attend!"
"A dinner party? Will there be barbecue?" Choji, who had woken up from his coma after the elimination round, was the first to jump up and ask.
"Of course there will be!" Natsuki glanced at Choji, mentally calculating his funds, and nodded.
He had made a killing selling Ultraman transformation devices and pranking Samui and the Kumogakure ninjas earlier.
He still had plenty of money left. Besides Choji, Hinata also had a huge appetite. Mastering the art of money-making was a necessity if he wanted a future.
"I'll definitely be there! I can help with the groceries!" Before Choji could respond happily, Ino sent him flying with a side kick. Her eyes sparkling, she zipped in front of Natsuki.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Ino," Natsuki replied with a smile.
Afterwards, everyone waved goodbye and went home to change.
Natsuki took Hinata and Ino to the food district for shopping. By the time they returned home, it was almost dusk.
One helped wash the rice and cook, while the other helped wash the vegetables. Natsuki, wielding a kitchen knife, sliced a mountain of meat into thin pieces for hot pot.
He planned to have both hot pot and barbecue.
He was halfway through when a handkerchief gently wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Natsuki instinctively assumed it was Hinata and said softly, "Are you done already? Then come sit and rest for a bit."
"Yes, I just finished preparing the vegetables..." A voice different from Hinata's rang in his ear, making Natsuki subconsciously turn around.
A warm, sweet fragrance wafted into Natsuki's nose.
He opened his eyes to see Ino, her own eyes wide with surprise.
After washing the vegetables, Ino had been captivated by Natsuki's focused expression as he worked.
The setting sun shone through the window, casting a mesmerizing glow on his flawlessly handsome face.
Already harboring feelings for him, Ino instinctively held her breath and slowly approached.
Seeing the sweat on his forehead, she stood on tiptoe, took out her handkerchief, and tried to wipe it away.
She never expected him to suddenly turn around.
Now face-to-face, their noses practically touching, Ino froze for a moment before snapping back to reality.
She quickly took a step back. "I...I just wanted to wipe your sweat...." she stammered, waving her hands in a flustered attempt to explain. "Don't misunderstand!" A second later, she inwardly cursed her own lack of courage.
Before Natsuki could respond, Hinata's voice called from outside the kitchen, "Natsuki, the table is set. Where should I put the grill?"
Hinata entered and saw Ino's flushed face. "Ino, what's wrong? Do you need to rest?" she asked, innocently assuming Ino was tired from washing vegetables.
"Ah? No...no need. I just finished washing the vegetables," Ino replied hastily, turning around and hiding the handkerchief in her pocket with the practiced skill of a seasoned spy.
"I also came to ask Natsuki if there's anything else I can help with now that the vegetables are washed."
Natsuki, glanced at the remaining meat, estimated the amount, and said, "Get me two more plates. These three aren't enough." He then addressed Hinata, "The grill is in the old storage room. Turn right after you go out the front door. It's in the room that used to have the magic circle drawn on it."
Natsuki calmly assigned tasks, his composure easing Ino's anxiety. She let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Okay," Hinata nodded and left the kitchen.
Once she reached the corner, out of sight, she activated her Byakugan, peering through the walls to observe their chakra.
As expected, their chakra flow had accelerated. Something must have happened. Otherwise, the usually boisterous Ino wouldn't be so flustered.
I need to keep a close eye on them, Hinata thought to herself. After all, she knew Ino liked Natsuki; it had been obvious since their academy days.
Hinata, a detective in the making, nodded to herself.
Spending so much time with Natsuki, who always caused incidents here and there had broadened her thinking, making her more perceptive and even a bit playful.
She hadn't expected her hunch to be right this time.
"Phew...that was close..." Ino was about to sigh in relief when she saw Natsuki wink and glance towards the corner of the doorway.
Then he casually turned back and continued cutting the meat.
Natsuki knew Hinata hadn't gone far.
Well, not exactly. It was more that his enhanced senses, thanks to his training and Tenseigan, allowed him to instantly detect Hinata's lingering presence.
Ino froze. Is Natsuki telling me Hinata is still there? She abandoned her attempt to relax and, mimicking Natsuki, pretended to be nonchalant as she went to the cupboard to fetch the plates.
Wait a minute! Why are we acting like we're doing something wrong? Ino screamed internally.
But the thought of her brief moment of closeness with Natsuki brought a smile to her face. Too bad it was so short. I didn't get to savor the moment...