"Are you alright?" Shino walked over to Kiba as he extend his hand.
"Hah! This is nothing!" Kiba rubbed his chest, which still felt a bit tight, and grumbled, "You've been hiding your true strength all along, huh?"
"You just weren't paying attention," Shino said as he adjusted his sunglasses.
"Haha." Kiba awkwardly wrapped his arm around Shino's shoulders. "It's not like that."
"As expected of students from the ninja clans," Iruka said with a sigh.
No matter how hard civilian students worked, it was impossible for them to learn such secret techniques at such a young age.
"Hinata Hyuga versus Ino Yamanaka," Iruka called out after glancing at the match list.
"What? I'm up against Hinata?" Ino was momentarily stunned. She knew she wasn't a match for Hinata. In previous practical classes, even though she lost to Neji, Hinata had held her ground for quite a while.
"Ino!" Sakura rushed over, grabbing Ino's hand and whispering, "Think about Shinho."
Ino blinked, caught off guard. Both she and Hinata liked Shinho. If she lost, would that mean she'd lose her chance with him?
Ino suddenly felt a surge of pressure.
Hinata, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief. As long as she didn't have to face Shinho, she automatically considered it the best outcome.
Hinata quietly walked to the center of the field. After a moment of hesitation, Ino followed.
"Brother," Shino suddenly grew interested. "Who do you think will win?"
What a question. Shinho glanced at his younger brother and replied, "Ino isn't skilled in taijutsu."
Shino understood the implication. Shinho favored Hinata.
"Without their usual team dynamics, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio is weaker when separated," Kiba chimed in, clearly also thinking Hinata would win.
"Ino-Shika-Cho?" Naruto frowned in confusion. "Isn't Ino the butterfly?"
"No, she's the pig," Choji unexpectedly answered. "I'm the butterfly."
"Huh?" Naruto stared at Choji's physique, sinking into silent disbelief. Something didn't seem right.
Shikamaru couldn't help but chuckle. Anyone who didn't know about the Ino-Shika-Cho trio usually had that same reaction the first time they heard the explanation.
"H-Hinata," Ino said seriously, taking a deep breath. "I'm going to give it my all."
Hinata was a bit startled, unsure of what Ino meant, but she could sense her determination. Without hesitation, Hinata assumed her Gentle Fist stance and activated her Byakugan.
Ino suddenly felt exposed, as if Hinata's Byakugan could see right through her. Gritting her teeth, she quickly formed hand seals.
Poof!
Two shadow clones appeared.
It's useless. Hinata moved swiftly, closing the distance between herself and Ino. The clones rushed to block her, but Hinata raised her arms and easily dispelled them with two quick strikes.
Then came the sound of slicing air.
Hidden behind the clones were two kunai, flying straight at Hinata. Ino, aware she couldn't win in close combat, had used the clones as a distraction to buy time and gain distance. Now, she was relying on kunai to keep Hinata at bay.
Hinata, however, wasn't fazed. With her Byakugan guiding her, she snatched the kunai out of the air.
The force behind the kunai were strong, but her strength was stronger. That was thanks to the dual enhancement of her White Pig Gu and Black Pig Gu.
Ino's heart sank. There was no way to win.
Regret washed over her momentarily—if only she had trained harder and learned her Mind Transfer Jutsu.
Hinata tossed the kunai aside and charged toward her. The fight quickly turned into a chase as Ino desperately tried to stay out of range, hurling shuriken and kunai to slow Hinata down.
But it was all in vain.
A few minutes later, exhausted and out of options, Ino was struck by a precise Gentle Fist blow from Hinata, ending the match.
"I lost," Ino admitted, her expression bitter. But she quickly regained her composure, determined as ever. "But I won't lose to you when it comes to Shinho!"
Hinata gazed at her, and for the first time, she understood. Her eyes were now filled with a sense of possessiveness. "I won't lose either."
Achievement Unlocked: 'At that Moment, the Girl Grew Up' - Hinata Hyuga. Reward: Love Separation Gu.
Shinho, who had been enjoying the match, was caught off guard by the sudden achievement. How did that trigger this? And what's with this reward?
The Love Separation Gu was known as the deadliest poison among the Second-Stage Gu worms. It could kill upon contact with blood. To create it, Shinho recalled, required combining a Lifebreath Grass, a Widow Spider, a Red Needle Scorpion, and… a lover's heart.
Yes, an actual heart.
It felt like the system was hinting at something sinister.
After Ino and Hinata left the field, the next match was between Sakura Haruno and Choji Akimichi.
Though Sakura excelled in theory, her mastery of jutsu was limited to the basic three—Transformation, Clone, and Substitution. Against Choji, a heavyweight fighter, she had no viable strategy.
"I'm up against Naruto Uzumaki!" Sasuke thought to himself as Iruka-sensei announced the match between Sasuke and Naruto.
His excitement grew. This was the fight Iruka had been waiting for most, second only to Shinho's.
"Wait, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto raised his hand, his confusion obvious. "Who's Shinho's opponent?"
Sasuke shared the same question. He had figured out the pattern behind Iruka's pairing decisions, and in his mind, no one but himself was worthy of facing Shinho.
"Whoever wins this match will face Shinho," Iruka answered bluntly.
"Perfect!" Naruto's eyes lit up with excitement. "Sasuke, let's see who makes it to Shinho!"
"It'll be me, obviously," Sasuke said confidently. "Last time, you just got lucky."
"Lucky? No, this is the power of youth!" Naruto declared, giving a thumbs-up while striking a ridiculous pose.
Sasuke twitched. Why do I even bother talking to this guy?
With a cold expression, Sasuke formed the Seal of Confrontation.
"Do your best, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cheered from the sidelines, waving her hands energetically. Her enthusiasm soon spread, and more girls joined in.
Too noisy!
Without hesitation, Sasuke flung four shuriken at Naruto, targeting him from all four directions.
Naruto dodged them easily with nimble and agile flips.
Sasuke wasn't surprised. He had already prepared his next move.
Lightning Style: Flash!
Just as Naruto regained his balance, a blinding light filled the area, robbing him of his sight.
He could hear the faint sound of something cutting through the air.
Leaf Great Whirlwind!
Naruto, relying on pure instinct, responded with a wide, spinning kick, his right leg sweeping the area around him.
His leg struck something—a kunai?—and knocked it away, and Naruto felt a brief moment of relief.
But as the light faded, the shocked expressions on Iruka's face and the other students caught Naruto off guard.
Did I really just impress them with that kick? Naruto thought, bewildered.
Then he heard it—the sound of crackling lightning.
Naruto instinctively turned to see Sasuke, his right hand enveloped in brilliant arcs of electricity, emitting a threatening buzz. The chakra had coalesced into what looked like a lightning arrow.
"Lightning Style: Thunder Arrow!" Sasuke shouted, unleashing the attack.
The lightning arrow shot forward at an incredible speed, aimed directly at Naruto.
Iruka felt a surge of panic. "Oh no!" He instinctively took a step forward, but it was already too late.
Each of the five elemental techniques—Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, and Lightning—had its own unique and terrifying power.
Lightning Release, with its speed and paralyzing effect, struck hard.
Naruto instinctively raised his elbow.
Wooden Leaf Boulder Guard!
Chakra enveloped his elbow, directly clashing with the lightning arrow.
A sharp pain shot through his body.
His sleeve tore open, revealing scorched, blackened skin.
"Aaaargh!"
Naruto tightly gripped his right arm with his left hand, legs bent, and muscles tensed as he strained to stay upright. His blonde hair, now stood on end, crackling with residual electricity.
Iruka breathed a sigh of relief.
Though Naruto was injured, at least he wasn't dead. He didn't dare to imagine the consequences if Naruto had been badly injured in this fight or worse yet, killed.
Sasuke's lips curled into a small, victorious smile.
He had won!
All of his efforts this past month had paid off.
Next, he would face Shinho and finally redeem himself.
But something wasn't right.
Why hadn't Naruto fallen yet?!
Despite the pain-filled screams, Naruto was growing more energetic instead of collapsing.
Am I caught in some sort of genjutsu?
The lightning dissipated. Naruto stood, his body slightly tilted to the right, with his right arm hanging limp and numb. He raised his head, locking eyes with Sasuke.
Naruto's eyes were filled with a steely determination and an unyielding spirit to fight.
Sasuke instinctively took a step back.
He had never seen such a terrifying look—one so resolute that it seemed incapable of surrendering.
"Sasuke," Naruto grinned, his voice hoarse but unwavering, "Let's keep going."
A shiver ran down Sasuke's spine.
He had always been the untouchable genius, unable to comprehend Might Guy and Naruto's talk of youth and fiery passion.
But right now, he felt an inexplicable tremor on his spine, an unsettling emotion gnawing at heart.
"He's fired up? Kiba muttered, wide-eyed.
Sakura swallowed nervously, suddenly finding this version of Naruto unfamiliar and intimidating.
"What a freak," Shikamaru murmured, his jaw dropping.
Naruto's perseverance wasn't just mental—he had physically withstood Sasuke's Lightning Release attack and was still standing.
It was absurd, to a degree.
Ino clenched her fists, realizing that as her friends grew stronger, she had been too complacent. She couldn't afford to slack off any longer.
"Naruto!" Iruka finally broke the silence, concern etched on his face. "You've done enough. It's time to go get some treatment."
"Don't worry, sensei," Naruto gritted his teeth, forcing a grin, "It's just one arm. Nothing can stop my burning passion of youth!"
As he spoke, he even managed to raise his one good arm and give a thumbs-up.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Iruka glared at him.
"Sensei," Shinho interrupted, raising a hand, "I can provide first-aid treatment."
"No!" Naruto objected vehemently. "That would be cheating!"
"..."
Sasuke stood in silence, unsure how to respond.
"But..." Iruka hesitated.
"I have an idea." Shinho quickly formed hand seals, then bit his thumb and pressed it to the ground.
Black markings spread across the ground, and with a puff of smoke, a small slug the size of a puppy appeared.
"That's... Lady Tsunade's slug!" Iruka's eyes widened in surprise.
"A slug?" Sakura leaned closer, curiously inspecting the snow-white creature. "What can it do?"
"Oh, it's extremely useful!" Ino chimed in eagerly. "A lot of Lady Tsunade's fame comes from her summon, the slug!"
"So Shinho has officially become Tsunade's disciple?" Shikamaru said, clearly impressed.
Being a true disciple of Tsunade meant more than just learning from her—it meant being recognized as her successor.
"And she's one of the legendary Sannin," Ino whispered, biting her lip. If she didn't push herself harder, she feared the gap between her and Shinho would only widen. But Hinata, as the heiress of the Hyuga clan, was the one truly suited to stand beside him.
"You two can continue the fight," Shinho said calmly. "I'll heal both of you afterward."
"...?" Iruka was puzzled.
"As Naruto said, treating him right now would be unfair." Shinho explained, "But I've summoned the slug, so if either of them is in serious danger, it can intervene and heal them immediately."
Iruka, trusting in Lady Katsuyu's abilities, finally agreed.
"Let's go, Sasuke!" Naruto called out, getting bolder with the slug's presence.
"If you're so determined to get defeated by me, I'll oblige," Sasuke replied, taking a deep breath as he regained his usual cold composure.
This is just desperation, he thought to himself. Deciding to end the fight quickly, he pulled out four kunai and threw them with precise timing.
Naruto dodged the initial throw, but the kunai rebounded, controlled by Sasuke's ninja wire. They angled downward from above, boxing Naruto in from both sides.
Sasuke released the wires and quickly formed hand seals.
Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!
The enormous fireball erupted from Sasuke's mouth, twisting the air with its intense heat as it sped toward Naruto.
Iruka and the others felt their hearts leap into their throats.
Unbeknownst to them, they were all silently rooting for Naruto now.
Leaf Strong Whirlwind!
Naruto planted one hand on the ground, pushing off and twisting his body mid-air. His movements were fluid and agile, narrowly avoiding both the kunai and the fireball.
While still airborne, Naruto spun and delivered a powerful right-leg roundhouse kick.
Sasuke barely registered the blur of motion before Naruto's leg connected with his chest, sending him sprawling to the ground, unconscious.
"The winner... Naruto Uzumaki!" Iruka stood dumbfounded for a moment before loudly announcing the result.
For once, it wasn't a fluke—Naruto had won fair and square.
"How is this even possible?" Sakura clutched her head in disbelief.
"Is this really Naruto?" Kiba was drenched in sweat. He realized he might now be the weakest in their group—except perhaps Sakura.
"Ha... Haha..." Naruto, basking in everyone's shock, began to laugh—until the pain caught up with him, and it turned into a wail of pain.
"Don't get too cocky yet," Shinho said, stepping forward with a calm expression.
He raised his hands.
Mystical Palm Technique!
A soft green glow enveloped Shinho's hands.
"Lady Katsuyu, you can begin the healing now," Shinho reminded his summon.
Under the combined effort of Shinho's healing jutsu and the slug's healing abilities, the injury on Naruto's arm rapidly healed.
"That's it then," Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Guess I won't get the chance to fight you, Shinho."
Shinho raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. So, he's aware of his own limits after all.
"You should check on Sasuke," Naruto added, suddenly remembering his unconscious opponent.
"He's fine," Shinho replied casually. "He's just knocked out."
Sasuke wasn't seriously injured—he had just fainted from the impact. In truth, his body wasn't as strong as Naruto's, who could grin even after being hit by that lightning.
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