By the stream, Sasuke and Kiba stood facing each other. Kiba formed the seal of opposition, while Sasuke casually kept his hands in his pockets. He wasn't one for formalities like the seal of opposition or reconciliation.
"Akamaru, let's go!"
"Woof!"
Before Kiba finished speaking, white smoke exploded, covering his figure.
Sasuke casually threw three shurikens into the white smoke.
Two identical figures darted out from opposite sides of the smoke, rushing toward Sasuke.
Both Kibas looked exactly the same, making it difficult to distinguish the real one from the clone.
"Dog clone?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. If he remembered correctly, Kiba first used this technique during the Chunin Exams.
Sasuke had rewatched the Chunin Exam arc countless times and knew all the techniques that appeared during that period. Seeing Kiba use this move several years earlier than expected intrigued him. Did I inspire him? Sasuke thought, amused.
He smiled, not rushing to counterattack. He wanted to see just how much Kiba had improved.
The two Kibas advanced on all fours, zigzagging left and right, trying to confuse Sasuke.
"How about it, Sasuke? Can you keep up with my speed?" Kiba called out.
Sasuke's eyes focused on the Kiba approaching from the left.
"Haha, you fell for it!"
The Kiba on the right suddenly shouted in triumph.
That was the real one!
Akamaru, disguised as Kiba on the left, had only been a distraction. The real Kiba closed in from behind, his right fist raised to strike Sasuke.
"Ah!" *2
Ino and Chika screamed in unison.
As Kiba's fist neared Sasuke, Sasuke's eyes shifted, and he locked his gaze on Kiba.
"Impossible..." Kiba's face paled.
Boom! Sasuke took a step forward, thrusting his elbow out and catching Kiba's wrist, blocking the attack before it landed.
At the same time, Akamaru leaped toward Sasuke.
Sasuke quickly jumped, using Kiba's arm as leverage. He kicked Akamaru away with his right foot while spinning in the air, delivering a powerful kick to Kiba with his left.
"I won't lose to you that easily!"
Kiba, showing the instincts of the Inuzuka clan, reacted quickly. He shifted his body, using his shoulder and back to absorb Sasuke's attack, minimizing the impact.
The two collided mid-air and landed simultaneously.
As soon as they hit the ground, Sasuke planted his right hand on the ground, using his momentum to kick Kiba away with a strong leg swing.
Of course, Sasuke held back, ensuring the kick wasn't too strong.
Kiba used the force from Sasuke's kick to somersault through the air, landing on his feet.
Akamaru, still in his transformed state, rushed to Kiba's side.
Sasuke stood up, observing the two humanoid figures in front of him. He now had a clearer understanding of the Inuzuka clan's techniques.
Their attack power, defense, and grip were all significantly enhanced, and their movements were more agile. They also had an impressive sense of battle intuition. At the same level, fighting them using just taijutsu would be challenging.
However, that was before Sasuke activated his Sharingan.
With the Sharingan's enhanced perception, fighting physically specialized opponents like Kiba became much easier. Unless their speed or strength far exceeded his, they wouldn't be much of a challenge.
"Not bad, Sasuke, but we're not done yet!"
Kiba and Akamaru rushed forward again.
Sasuke bent his legs slightly, throwing shurikens one after another like bullets.
"Spread out and prepare!"
Kiba shouted. Both he and Akamaru dodged the shurikens, moving to the left and right. They then opened their mouths, each revealing a small ball.
"Go!"
Boom!
A massive cloud of smoke exploded, covering an area over ten meters wide and enveloping Sasuke completely. Kiba and Akamaru's figures disappeared into the thick smoke.
"I know you have the Sharingan, and I know it counters my taijutsu. So I came up with this strategy: smoke bombs to block your vision! I, on the other hand, have a sense of smell thousands of times stronger than normal. I can fight you blindfolded in this smoke. How do you plan to beat me now, Sasuke?"
Kiba's voice echoed from different directions within the smoke.
From time to time, a dark figure would dart out, launching surprise attacks. Sasuke, relying on his exceptional reflexes, managed to block each attack.
He briefly considered activating his Sharingan, which would allow him to track their chakra even through the smoke. But he refrained. He didn't want to reveal his Sharingan's abilities just yet.
Another figure leaped from behind, and Sasuke sidestepped as if he had eyes in the back of his head.
Before he could adjust, yet another figure lunged toward him from the ground. This time, Kiba was nearly close enough to land a punch.
Sasuke heard the wind, quickly turning to see Kiba's fist inches from his face.
At that moment, streaks of electric light danced across Sasuke's body.
The two clashed in the thick smoke, their movements concealed from the onlookers outside.
The smoke bombs obscured everyone's view.
"Hey, Shikamaru, what do you think's happening in there? Sasuke won't really lose, will he?" Ino asked nervously, gripping Shikamaru's arm.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "How would I know? And can you let go of my arm? You're crushing it."
"Hey, over there!" Chika yelled, glaring at Ino. "Brother Sasuke won't lose!"
"Of course, I know Sasuke-kun won't lose! I was just kidding."
"You're terrible at jokes! You're going to jinx him!"
"What did you say?! Who's the jinx here?"
"I'm talking about you, obviously!"
The two girls started bickering again.
Shikamaru, trapped by Ino's grip, sighed as their shrill voices filled the air. He was starting to get a headache.
At that moment, Choji spoke up.
"It's over."
"Huh?"
Shikamaru paused, listening carefully. Sure enough, the sounds of fighting had stopped, and the arguing between the girls had died down too.
Everyone noticed, and a tense silence settled over the group as they stared at the smoke.
Half a minute later, the smoke began to dissipate, revealing a figure.
Sasuke stood there, unharmed, while Kiba and Akamaru sat nearby, clearly defeated.
"No fair, you used ninjutsu," Kiba muttered in frustration.
"You used ninjutsu too," Sasuke replied, smiling. "But your dog clone was impressive. You've practiced well."
Sasuke's praise was genuine. For Kiba's age, his strength was quite commendable.
"Humph, I didn't lose to you," Kiba said, turning his head away in defiance. He knew, deep down, that Sasuke had beaten him fair and square.
At the last moment, Sasuke had used Chidori Ryu to cover his body in electricity. When Kiba charged at him, he was caught off guard and paralyzed on the spot, unable to continue.
Akamaru, seeing Kiba in trouble, had rushed in foolishly and was easily subdued by Sasuke as well.
(End of this chapter)