In Team 7

Chapter 28

Hinata quickly got back and hit all of them with Gentle Fist. They fell on the ground.

"How did she-?"

"Shannaro!!!" yelled Sakura and  smashed his face. His glasses were broken and his face was swollen.

"It belongs to you, pervert!" laughed Sakura.

Kazami was distracted and Ino took advantage of that moment.

"Shintenshin no jutsu!"

Sakura quickly caught Ino. Ino's mind was in Kazami now.

"Hinata!"

"Eight Triagrams, Sixty-Four Palms!"

Ino quickly got back and Hinata blocked all his chakra points.

"Two down!"

"You three will never beat me in your life, I am the strongest of them. We have the scroll thanks to me!"

He grew larger.

"It’s similar to Choji's…"

"Only his words make me sick," thought Sakura.

"We will defeat you…" said confidently Hinata.

"That's it, Hinata!" said Ino.

Bubbles began to appear around them.

"It stinks like him," Sakura said with a stuffy nose.

Hinata used Byakugan and saw chakra in it.

"Kaiten!!!"

All the bubbles exploded. Hinata’s Kaiten protected Ino and Sakura.

"You saved us, Hinata!"

"That’s our teamwork, right?" said gently Hinata.

"The dark bluenette is the most problematic…" thought Burami.

Burami focused on Hinata.

"We won’t let you!" said Ino.

Both Ino and Sakura got behind him and hit him. Sakura's brute force damaged his spine and he could not move.

"We did it! We did it!"

They high-fived. They noticed Hinata’s sadness.

"You too, Hinata!"

They took her together and hugged.

"… and where is the giant mole?" asked Hinata.

"Huh?"

They looked around and didn’t see Moguranmaru. They didn't see the losers either.

"But at least we have both scrolls," said Sakura.

Ino healed her wounds and Sakura noticed that Hinata's clothes were torn and she was also injured.

"Show me, I'll take a look."

"T-thank you, Sakura-chan."

"It’s our teamwork, right?" Sakura repeated her words.

They rested for a while. Today was the second day and now they were returning to the main tower. But big sandstorms kept them out.

"W-what is happening?"

"Byakugan!"

"What do you see, Hinata?" asked Sakura.

"The sand falls into my eyes, but near the main tower is Kazekage-sama and the Jinchuuriki…"

"Two Jinchuurikis in one place? Near the main tower? That’s weird…"

"M-maybe we should look there…"

But the storm did not leave them.

"We can't get there with this."

… After a while, Temari came running to help them.

"Girls, are you all right?!"

"I-I think we are…"

"Great, come with me."

Temari sent the storm away with her fan and led the girls into the shelter.

"Kazekage-sama and the Jinchuuriki are in danger … We have to help them…" muttered tired Hinata.

"They are what?!"

"Near the main tower…"

"Tss!"

Temari went to look for them.  But when she got there, Neji was in control of the whole situation.

"H-he saved us," said Gaara who was tired from loosing too much chakra.

"Neji, huh?" thought Temari.

Chunin exams were eventually suspended due to unexpected twists. Everyone returned home, and Gaara reported the whole situation to Tsunade and the others. All the selected genins arrived at her office.

"Now I declare chunins, listen carefully. Hyuuga Hinata, Haruno Sakura, Yamanaka Ino, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, Akimichi Choji, TenTen and Rock Lee…"

"Tsunade-sama, Neji deserves to be chunin too!" yelled Lee.

"Let me finish! Hyuuga Neji is jonin now. Congratulations everyone!"

"Tsunade-sama, I think Hinata should-!"

"W-what are you saying, Ino-chan, I don’t deserve to be jonin. I still have plenty of time for that. You could be a jonin."

"Me?! Now way!"

"This is my decision, I will not change anything!" said Tsunade and kicked them out of her office.

"Why is she so upset?" said Ino.

"Maybe she is overworked," said Sakura.

… It's been ten days since the Chunin exams took place. And the day of Naruto's return was approaching, but Hinata was about to visit the old woman.

"It’s been so long I was here … but I wonder if Naruto-kun is already back…"