Temari's Kamaitachi no Jutsu swept across the field—but when the winds finally dispersed, Hinata was no longer in sight.
Her eyes narrowed in confusion until she realized what had happened: several Konoha jōnin had moved in the instant she launched her jutsu. The fastest among them, Might Guy, had dashed into the arena and rescued Hinata Hyūga just in time, shielding her from the devastating wind blades and bringing her safely to Hayate Gekkō's side.
Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma Sarutobi immediately joined them, kneeling to examine Hinata's condition.
"Hinata!" Kiba and Shino hesitated only a second before leaping down from the stands, rushing toward their fallen teammate. The fact that the jōnin had intervened meant one thing—the match was over.
From the observation deck, Ino Yamanaka gripped the railing tightly, concern plain on her face. She turned toward Shikamaru.
"Shikamaru... is Hinata going to be okay?"
Already walking toward the arena, Shikamaru responded with a furrowed brow, "I'll check."
By the time he reached her, Kurenai had gently peeled back Hinata's shredded outer clothing to assess her injuries. Blood had soaked through her garments, staining the ground beneath her. Kiba and Shino crouched beside her, murmuring reassurances as her fading consciousness flickered.
Shikamaru stepped forward and said to Kurenai, "Let me help. I know some medical ninjutsu."
Before Kurenai could answer, a large, calloused hand settled on his shoulder.
"You don't need to waste your chakra," said a low, familiar voice.
Shikamaru turned to find Asuma standing behind him, his gaze firm but not unkind. The bearded jōnin gestured toward a group of Leaf medical-nin approaching with stretchers and supplies.
"Leave it to them," Asuma said quietly, giving Shikamaru's shoulder a reassuring pat.
Though Hinata's condition was serious, it wasn't life-threatening. After a brief evaluation, Kurenai sighed in relief and nodded to the medical-nin, who began stabilizing her wounds before carefully lifting her onto a stretcher and carrying her away.
By this point in the Chūnin Exams, serious injuries had become less frequent—mostly due to the number of trained jōnin supervising the matches and the readiness of Leaf's medical support teams. After all, these were not ordinary genin. They were the cream of the crop from every village. Each one was a valuable asset.
When Shikamaru returned to the stands, he saw Ino watching him expectantly. Before she could ask, he spoke first.
"She lost a lot of blood, but she'll live."
Ino's worried look softened slightly. She glanced toward the field, where Temari was calmly walking back toward the opposite stands. Ino's eyes narrowed in anger.
"That Sand girl didn't have to go that far! Hinata was already on the verge of collapse—she still hit her with everything she had!"
Standing behind them, Asuma blew a slow ring of smoke into the air and cut in, his tone dark.
"The Sand Village... didn't come here just for show."
He turned his gaze toward the Sand trio sitting across the arena. His eyes lingered on Gaara, the red-haired boy with the massive gourd strapped to his back.
"I watched the recordings of who made it to the tower," Asuma continued. "After your squad and Team 8, the Sand team was the third to arrive. And that red-haired kid? Not a scratch on him."
His tone turned grim. "He's dangerous. Maybe even more dangerous than Neji Hyūga."
He looked to Shikamaru. "If you end up facing him, be ready."
As the jōnin spoke, the electronic match board in the arena flickered again. All eyes rose to it, watching the next pair of names come into focus.
Tenten vs. Kiba Inuzuka
Shikamaru sighed.
"Tough break."
He hadn't seen Tenten's full capabilities in person, but based on what he knew, she was a weapon specialist, able to manipulate ninja tools with pinpoint precision. Under Guy's training, even if her taijutsu wasn't on par with Neji or Lee, it would still be formidable.
Kiba excelled in taijutsu, but he lacked strong defensive techniques. If he couldn't close the distance quickly, he'd be overwhelmed by her ranged attacks. This wasn't going to be an easy win.
The match unfolded just as Shikamaru had predicted.
The moment Hayate gave the signal to begin, Tenten sprang backward and immediately unleashed a barrage of kunai and shuriken. Kiba narrowly dodged the first volley, but she didn't let up.
Within seconds, she unfurled a scroll, releasing a seemingly endless stream of weapons—a storm of projectiles rained down from above.
Kiba gritted his teeth and called out, "Akamaru!"
The little white pup responded instantly, leaping onto Kiba's back. Together, they transformed into a beast clone, splitting to attack from opposite flanks.
But Tenten was ready.
She spun into her signature technique—Twin Rising Dragons—tossing weapons into the air and then controlling them mid-descent with expert precision.
A flurry of spikes, chains, spiked balls, and spinning blades cascaded from above like a deadly hailstorm.
Kiba managed to evade several, but a handful of shuriken still pierced his arms and legs. He stumbled, only to be struck squarely in the chest by a small weighted flail.
"Urgh!"
He hit the ground hard, coughing blood, unmoving.
Akamaru, back in his normal form, rushed to Kiba's side and whimpered softly, nuzzling against his shoulder.
Tenten, though victorious, remained cautious. She lowered her scroll but didn't fully let her guard down, standing at the ready in case Kiba tried something tricky.
But he didn't move.
Another match was over—and it was clear: Konoha's teams were being tested like never before.
And the most dangerous opponents hadn't even stepped into the ring yet.
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