Hinata sat down obediently. Her eyes were in severe pain from overusing her Byakugan.
But she was still incredibly excited. Thanks to her guidance along the way, the three of them hadn't lost track of their teacher.
For the first time, Hinata felt her own worth.
Although she wasn't as strong as Naruto and Sasuke in combat, she could finally be of help.
Naruto didn't notice these thoughts running through Hinata's mind.
However, during their fight with Minato, Naruto had noticed that his father adjusted the force of his attacks depending on his opponent.
When facing Hinata, his strength was completely different from when he fought the two boys.
He's so gentle.
Naruto glanced at Hinata's face, recalling how she always used to hide in the back at the Academy. He felt like he understood why his father was doing this.
The group rested for a while, recovering some of their stamina and chakra.
Hinata stood up, and Naruto and Sasuke followed suit.
Naruto asked, "Hinata, are you ready to continue?"
Hinata nodded. "I'm ready. Let's go find our teacher!"
Sasuke analyzed from the side, "It's unlikely he went deeper into the forest. The most probable scenario is that he's returned to Training Ground Three."
Naruto nodded in agreement. He knew that going deeper into the forest would make the search area too large.
"Hinata, we're counting on you."
Hinata said, full of spirit, "Leave it to me!"
"Byakugan!"
Hinata immediately activated her Byakugan and began searching along their original path.
After a diligent search, she finally found a trace of their teacher's chakra at the place where they had first started.
Hinata deactivated her Byakugan, looking slightly fatigued. "Sasuke was right. The teacher is back at our morning meeting spot."
Naruto cracked his knuckles. "Alright! Let's go get the other two bells in one go!"
Sasuke nodded. "Let's go."
Naruto and Hinata hurried to keep up.
A short time later, they arrived back at the morning assembly point.
Minato was already waiting for them in a tree.
"Your teamwork is decent, but you've only managed to get one bell. That means only one of you can pass."
Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata had all expended a great deal of stamina, but only Naruto was still brimming with energy.
Only Naruto spoke up. "Sensei, we're going to get all the bells."
Naruto and the others had just defeated Minato's shadow clone, so Minato was now well aware of their skill level.
He said with a smile, "Then what are you waiting for? It's almost noon."
Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata exchanged a look and surrounded Minato.
Naruto was the first to act, summoning a crowd of shadow clones for a probing attack. Hinata didn't move recklessly, instead activating her Byakugan to observe the flow of Minato's chakra.
Sasuke, meanwhile, activated his three-tomoe Sharingan, his eyes tracking Minato's every move.
Minato moved like lightning, the kunai in his hand becoming a merciless reaper as it flashed through the air.
One by one, Naruto's clones exploded.
With a series of pops, all of Naruto's clones soon vanished. The real Naruto exchanged a glance with Hinata.
Hinata hesitated for a moment but then placed her hand over her chest and made a "three" sign. This was the tactic they had agreed upon on the way here.
Seeing this, Sasuke immediately drew his Sword of Kusanagi and charged forward, unleashing a continuous assault. The glint of cold steel forced Minato to dedicate some of his attention to dealing with Sasuke.
At the same time, with the help of a clone, Naruto had already formed a Rasengan.
But he didn't stop there. Another clone was rapidly forming a second one.
He and the shadow clone, each holding a Rasengan, charged toward Minato.
Just as Minato was using his kunai to fend off Sasuke, Naruto attacked with his dual Rasengans.
In an instant, Minato formed a Rasengan of his own and clashed with one of Naruto's, sending the clone flying before it dissipated into smoke.
And just as he was about to dodge Naruto's other Rasengan...
Sasuke seized the opportunity to perform hand seals for a jutsu, unleashing a massive fireball that restricted Minato's movements.
Minato inwardly approved of their coordination as he cleverly dodged the second incoming Rasengan by the slimmest of margins.
At that moment, using the visual obstruction caused by the fireball, Hinata appeared at Minato's side. She spread her arms and launched her attack.
Faced with the threat, Minato immediately threw a kunai at her.
However, Hinata, with her quick reflexes, easily caught the kunai, which wasn't thrown with much force, and tossed it aside.
Her heart filled with unwavering conviction, Hinata recalled her countless hours of arduous training. Naruto trusts me so much! I absolutely cannot let everyone down!
She then unleashed her clan's signature Gentle Fist style—Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms—her hands striking out like a violent storm.
A smile appeared on Minato's face. He commended her fierce offense while continuously blocking her strikes.
Although Naruto's second Rasengan had failed, as he lost his balance, his entire body suddenly began to emit a red, glowing chakra.
Over on Sasuke's side, a blue flash of light began to form between his fingers.
"...Chidori!"
With his technique ready, Sasuke began to move at extreme speed, circling his target. This forced Minato to defend against the Gentle Fist strikes while also keeping a close eye on Sasuke's movements.
Suddenly, a giant red claw of chakra formed around Naruto's body and shot forward.
In response, Minato formed another small Rasengan, which perfectly struck the giant red chakra claw.
Seizing this chance, Sasuke charged into the fray, his hand crackling with lightning.
With everyone's vision completely obscured by the chaos, only someone with the ability to see through it all could continue the attack unaffected.
Taking advantage of the opening, Hinata reached out and grabbed the item on his waist—the training bells.
Feeling the sudden emptiness at his hip, Minato smiled and turned, catching the two who were trying to escape.
Sasuke, having adjusted his posture in mid-air, landed smoothly on the ground.
But Hinata, her stamina depleted and unable to support herself any longer, fell directly into a firm, warm embrace.
"Are you alright, Hinata?"
Naruto quickly steadied her before helping her back to her feet.
Hearing his words, her face immediately turned bright red, but her eyes were filled with a sense of accomplishment.
She held up her prize and said excitedly, "Naruto, we won!"
The sound of her teammate's hearty laughter rang out beside her, and a figure gave her a congratulatory thumbs-up.
Minato, having witnessed the entire exchange, was deeply gratified.
His gaze was especially gentle as he looked at the two of them. "Congratulations, everyone. You've passed the test!"
A critical internal meeting in Konoha had just concluded.
At this meeting, Orochimaru had displayed his political cunning for the first time.
Compared to the previous Third Hokage, Orochimaru acted with far more force and decisiveness.
Regarding the issues with the two council elders, he adopted a vague stance, clearly intending to protect them.
As for the seat left vacant by this, it was directly assigned to the former primary ally of the Uchiha clan—the Hyuga clan.