All eyes turned to Ino.
She declared she wanted to challenge Naruto. While Ino might have a slight edge in Ninjutsu, Taijutsu? Don't expect too much. But looking at Naruto's current condition, the possibility of Ino winning couldn't be ruled out.
Even so, some students began to suspect there was something personal between the two.
"Ino, what's going on? Why so suddenly?" Iruka asked.
"I just want to challenge him. Is that not allowed?" Ino shot back.
Iruka paused for a moment, then nodded. "Alright then," he said, silently hoping this would resolve whatever tension was between them.
Meanwhile, Naruto, who had been listening the whole time, immediately protested. "Hey, I'm exhausted! Why does she still want to fight me? Sensei, this isn't fair!"
"Naruto, Ino also fought once already. And as a boy, you should be ashamed to say something like that," Iruka said firmly.
His words drew support from the other students.
"Naruto, are you really that weak?"
"Yeah. Didn't you beat Yamamoto?"
"Or was that just luck?"
Annoying voices buzzed like mosquitoes, making the veins in Naruto's neck tighten. He was truly irritated.
"Who said I'm scared? Even if my opponent were a Sannin, I'd fight them!" Naruto said clearly and calmly—though it sounded arrogant to everyone else.
"I think you're going overboard, Naruto," Shikamaru commented.
"Tch, one win and he's already cocky," Kiba added.
As the noise died down, the students stepped aside, making room for Naruto and Ino.
Naruto moved forward first, followed by Ino. Iruka reminded them not to go overboard.
They both nodded. After bowing, the match began. Unlike Naruto who charged in immediately, Ino moved more cautiously. She sidestepped, aiming a punch at Naruto's solar plexus.
Whoosh.
But unfortunately for her, Naruto had already read her movement and spun forward to avoid it.
Ino followed up with a straight punch to the face, but Naruto caught her hand.
"Stop, Ino… before I get angry," Naruto whispered, his voice low and cold in her ears.
"Shut up!" Ino shouted, striking with her other hand.
Naruto instinctively let go and dodged sideways.
"Phew... lucky," Naruto said, jumping back.
The match paused for a moment. They stared at each other, waiting for an opening.
If this keeps going, I'm going to pass out. This stupid girl... I'll get her back later, Naruto thought.
He finally decided to go on the offensive. Naruto dashed forward, kicking from the side. Ino tried to dodge, but it was too late. Naruto suddenly changed direction and tempo mid-kick, bending the strike.
Thud!
A Brazilian kick landed clean, sending Ino flying and kicking up dust as her body hit the ground.
"Is she okay...?" Naruto looked slightly concerned. She was still a little girl, after all.
He stepped closer.
Whoosh!
A punch burst through the dust toward Naruto. He was surprised, but managed to shield his chest.
He was sent flying a few meters back.
"Do you have no sense of decency, Ino?!" Naruto complained.
"Are you stupid? In a fight, a ninja has no decency. Only victory matters," Ino replied coldly.
Damn… she's got a point, Naruto thought.
The fight resumed. They exchanged fast punches. Naruto dodged and attacked, and so did Ino.
Until Naruto spotted a small opening. He moved quickly, mimicking Wing Chun techniques, blocking Ino's punch with his palm and parrying the next strike briefly, then—
Thwack!
A strong palm strike hit Ino's chin from below, launching her into the air. Wind whistled past her head.
Repeated high-speed hits to the chin could rattle the brain. In extreme cases, it could be fatal. But Naruto had already controlled his strength to avoid harming her.
Before Ino hit the ground, Naruto quickly caught her, holding her like a fairy.
Ino's body was limp. She couldn't move. Her eyes looked at Naruto holding her.
Her gaze was soft, and her eyes slightly watery.
"Why...? Why did I lose..." she muttered before finally passing out.
Naruto chuckled. "What a troublesome girl..."
He gently laid her on the ground. But before Iruka could declare him the winner, Naruto's body also collapsed from extreme exhaustion. He had pushed past his limits.
"What the hell is this?"
"What's going on?"
"Why did they both fall at the same time...?"
Sakura rushed to check on Ino, while Shikamaru, Chouji, and Kiba went to Naruto.
Iruka, who had been stunned, quickly moved to help them.
Hinata wanted to assist, but fear held her back. In the end, she could only pray in her heart.
"Naruto-kun… please be okay..."
Elsewhere, Shino stood still, unsure of what to do. And Sasuke—as always—remained silent.
But this time, a slight smile appeared on Sasuke's face.
"Naruto... you're quite interesting after all..."
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"I'm already exhausted. Alright, that's 4 chapters for today. Starting tomorrow, maybe just one per day. To those who enjoy it, thank you. To those who don't—just leave...
See you tomorrow..
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