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If we want Teacher Shiratori to move a step, we'll need to knock him back with our attack. Let's observe for now, Haruno Sakura thought to herself, her mind racing. Both she and Sasuke were on high alert, acutely aware that Shiratori Satoru's proposal for this assessment likely concealed hidden traps.
"It's good to be cautious, but there's no need to be so careful," Satoru said lightly, sitting cross-legged on the grass, his gaze drifting over the lush greenery in the distance. His Six Eyes allowed him to see in all directions; even though Sasuke and Sakura believed they were well hidden, he could see them clearly.
The power of his Six Eyes was akin to an enhanced version of the Byakugan, granting him unparalleled perception.
"As an apology for being late," he continued with a playful grin, "I'll reward the student who performs well with all the barbecue they can eat." He chuckled lightly. "And the one who makes me move a step? I'll teach them a super powerful technique."
"Hey, Teacher! Is this technique really that powerful?" Naruto asked, arms crossed defiantly.
With exaggerated flair, Satoru replied, "It's super-powerful!"
"The barbecue is mine, and that technique is mine too! Watch me blow you away with one punch, you stinky teacher!" Naruto declared passionately as he launched himself toward Satoru with all his might.
"Wow, how scary," Satoru remarked nonchalantly as Naruto closed in. He slowly raised his hand and flicked his fingers.
Boom!!
Naruto was sent flying backward, crashing to the ground with a thud.
"Hiss! It hurts, it hurts!" he groaned, clutching his swollen forehead and rolling on the ground in agony.
In the grass nearby, Sasuke watched in shock as Satoru had effortlessly knocked Naruto away with just a single finger. Is this the power of a Jōnin? he thought. This is outrageous.
No wonder the assessment was simply to make him move a step; getting even that much from someone like Shiratori Satoru would be incredibly difficult—especially without traps involved.
On the other side of the clearing, Sakura's expression shifted from concern to relief as she saw Naruto go flying. She slowly tucked her kunai away and thought, Thank goodness I didn't attack just now.
"Asshole Teacher Satoru! Watch me fly at you with my Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!" Naruto shouted defiantly as he crossed his fingers. A large cloud of white smoke erupted around him.
Dozens of Narutos armed with sharp kunai surged forward in unison.
"Shadow Clone? That takes a lot of chakra," Shiratori Satoru observed without moving from his position on the ground. He watched as Naruto's clones charged at him.
Shadow Clone Technique created clones that were nearly indistinguishable from the original. Many Jōnin-level shinobi struggled to create even a handful of clones due to chakra limitations. Yet here was Naruto, effortlessly producing dozens in one go without breaking a sweat.
"When faced with a gap in strength, using numbers can be an effective strategy," Satoru mused. "But sometimes sheer numbers can't compensate for that gap." He pressed his fingers against the ground and tapped twice.
A repulsive force emanated from his fingertips.
Rumble!—
With Shiratori Satoru at its center, cracks spread across the ground like an earthquake. All of Naruto's clones fell into the newly formed pits and dissipated into clouds of smoke.
He hadn't used this technique to attack Naruto directly; if he had done so, it would have been fatal given Naruto's current strength.
As the dust settled and silence returned, Satoru remained seated calmly on the ground.
"Hmph! Bastard Teacher! Those clones were just distractions—this is my real attack!"
From within one of the pits emerged Naruto's transformed self, kunai in hand as he lunged toward Satoru's back.
In an instant, Shiratori Satoru turned around and lightly kicked Naruto away.
Naruto landed hard but felt no serious injuries—only a dull ache in his abdomen as he scrambled back up. "Damn it! How did you see through my plan?" he gritted out through clenched teeth.
"Stupid brat," Shiratori Satoru said flatly. "You're not exactly subtle when you shout your intentions."
He had already detected Naruto hiding behind a stone before he even attempted his sneak attack. The fact that Naruto had announced his approach made it laughable; it was like yelling "I'm going to sneak up on you!" before launching an attack.
"Listen closely: sneaking means you should do so quietly and strike without being noticed," Yagyu Satoru instructed coolly as he glanced at Naruto in the distance.
Suddenly, several sharp kunai flew through the air toward him.
"Teacher Satoru! Get out of the way!" Naruto shouted as he watched in horror.
All kunai halted mere inches from Shiratori Satoru's skin as if suspended by an invisible force.
"Now that's how you do it," Satoru said calmly without looking at them. "Sasuke does this very well; when I'm talking to someone else, he knows how to strike without drawing attention."
Sasuke's expression darkened at this comment—was that praise or mockery?
"Phew—I was scared to death," Naruto exclaimed as he saw nothing happen to Shiratori Satoru. He turned toward Sasuke's hiding spot and yelled, "Sasuke! You bastard! Are you trying to kill Teacher Satoru?"
"It's fine... use any means necessary—kunai or fancy moves—give it your all and attack me with the intent to kill." Shiratori Satoru waved his hands dismissively, maintaining an air of calm confidence.
The corners of his mouth turned up slightly into a mocking smile. "After all...you are weak."
"W-w-weak?" Naruto echoed incredulously, anger flaring in his eyes as he brandished another kunai and charged at Shiratori Satoru furiously. "Bastard! I'm going to kill you!"
"That's more like it." Shiratori Satoru raised his hand just as Naruto approached within striking distance and grabbed him by the collar effortlessly.
"Let me go! I'll kill you!" Uzumaki Naruto struggled violently against his grasp.
"You're too weak for that kind of bravado," Satoru said coolly before tossing Naruto toward where Sasuke was hiding among the trees.
"Ah! You bastard!" Naruto cried out as he flew through the air and landed hard in a patch of grass nearby.
As he rolled onto his feet, he quickly spotted Sasuke approaching him and shouted urgently, "Sasuke! Look out!"
"What? How did I get discovered?" Sasuke wondered coldly as he pinched his jaw in frustration.
Before either could react further...
Boom!!
Naruto collided into Sasuke with enough force that they both tumbled onto the ground together in disarray.
"Well!" they exclaimed simultaneously as they locked eyes—both glaring angrily at each other while lying on their backs in shock.
Haruno Sakura stood nearby with her mouth agape at what she had just witnessed—the two rivals had ended up kissing!
"Ugh—!" They both recoiled simultaneously, scrambling away from each other while retching violently on the grass.
Sasuke clutched his chest as nausea washed over him. "Naruto! You super idiot! I will definitely... absolutely kill you!"
"This is what I want to say too! My second first kiss was stolen by you!" Uzumaki Naruto yelled back indignantly while covering his mouth and shooting daggers at Sasuke with his eyes.
What are you doing?!
His first kiss had been an accident back in class; now it seemed fate had decided to play another cruel joke on him!
"Naruto!" Haruno Sakura shouted furiously as she stormed toward him with her hair blowing wildly in the wind.
Sasuke's first kiss had been stolen by none other than Naruto—and now it seemed like her own feelings were caught up in this ridiculous mess!
"I'm going to tear your mouth apart!" she threatened angrily as she closed in on them both.
"Listen... let me explain about Teacher Satoru—AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
Naruto's wail echoed through the clearing as chaos reigned around them once again.
Shiratori Satoru couldn't help but chuckle softly from where he stood nearby; pulling out a camera to capture this unexpected moment between rivals-turned-kissers was too amusing not to document.
"Two men who regard each other as rivals are actually kissing," he said between fits of laughter. "Pfft—that's so funny."
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