"Hmph! Come at me then, but this time, don't say I cheated if you lose again," Naruko placed her hands on her hips, looking at Sasuke with dissatisfaction.
As a boy, he didn't feel anything was wrong with the way he had fought just now.
"You bastard!", Sasuke gritted his teeth, feeling like Naruko had absolutely no shame.
However, seeing Naruko's completely nonchalant yet confident expression, his heart suddenly tightened.
His face became serious.
'Could it be that this is what a true ninja is. Using every available advantage to win?'
From now on, he would be even more cautious. No matter what happened, he wouldn't let himself waver again.
Sasuke looked at Naruko with even more seriousness and said loudly, "From now on, I won't be careless or hold back anymore!"
"That's what I wanted!", Naruko's expression also turned serious.
Sasuke stared intently at Naruko, his face becoming devoid of emotion as he focused his entire being on the battle.
At the same time, he began forming hand seals expressionlessly.
Seeing this, Naruko's heart stirred slightly. He knew that Sasuke was about to use ninjutsu and wanted to rush forward to stop him, but it was already too late.
Because Sasuke's hand seal speed was incredibly fast.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!", Uchiha Sasuke tilted his head back and exhaled. A massive, scorching fireball shot out.
It was even bigger than the one he had used when fighting alongside Aoba earlier. At the same time, it carried an astonishing heat wave, distorting the surrounding air.
"Sasuke's fireball seems even bigger than before!"
Tenten said in surprise.
Perhaps due to his extreme anger, the Great Fireball Sasuke unleashed this time was actually a size larger than usual during training.
"Naruko won't get hurt, right?", Ino and Hinata watched with some concern. Now that everyone was friends, they didn't want to see anyone get injured.
Otherwise, they probably wouldn't be able to have fun today.
"Don't worry. Have you ever seen Sasuke's Great Fireball actually hit anyone? Besides, even if she gets hurt, I can heal her," Aoba reassured the three of them.
After hearing Aoba's words, the three girls remembered his medical ninjutsu and finally relaxed.
"Then, between those two, who do you think will win, Aoba?", Ino asked curiously.
Aoba shook his head. If it were a normal battle, Naruto definitely wouldn't be Sasuke's opponent yet. But judging from Sasuke's reaction earlier, Naruto's plan had clearly succeeded.
So the outcome was still uncertain.
———
[In the Battle]
Sasuke looked at the enormous fireball he had just released, and his expression shifted slightly.
He also worried whether this ninjutsu would hurt the opponent, but he quickly dismissed the thought.
'This is a sparring match, getting hurt is completely normal!'
'With Aoba here, injuries won't be a problem.'
"So big! So hot!", Naruko was also facing Sasuke's Great Fireball head-on for the first time. In their past sparring sessions, Sasuke had never used ninjutsu.
So for a moment, he was stunned. And in that brief moment of distraction, the fireball had already reached him.
"Ah!", Naruko let out a strange cry and immediately performed a rolling dodge, activating extreme evasion. It looked dangerous, but he avoided the Great Fireball Jutsu without a scratch.
"What?", Sasuke was clearly shocked.
He hadn't expected anyone other than Aoba to be able to dodge his Great Fireball Jutsu.
However, Sasuke quickly regained his composure and took out two wooden kunai, throwing them at Naruko, who was still adjusting.
Naruko rolled to the side again, avoiding the kunai, and at the same time, planted his hands on the ground.
His body flipped upside down, spinning in mid-air. He raised his right leg and kicked toward Sasuke at high speed.
"Konoha Whirlwind!"
Sasuke's eyes nearly popped out, his face twisted in anger.
"You bastard, using this cheap trick again!"
This time, Naruko executed Konoha Whirlwind while upside down, making the impact even stronger than before.
However, Sasuke didn't freeze in shock this time.
Gritting his teeth, he crossed his arms in front of him and quickly jumped backward.
When Naruko's Konoha Whirlwind landed on his arms, although it still sent Sasuke flying, he managed to roll on the ground a few times and landed steadily.
That kick was indeed powerful, but he had managed to disperse most of its force.
This was damage reduction.
An incredibly refined damage reduction technique.
It was a skill Sasuke had developed after numerous physical clashes with Naruto.
Seeing Naruko land and still adjusting his stance, Sasuke quickly reversed his grip on his wooden kunai and charged at him with a determined expression.
Earlier, he had lost due to carelessness. This time, he absolutely wouldn't lose again.
Carrying the pride of the Uchiha clan, he had to win.
Seeing Sasuke charging in, after so many sparring sessions, Naruko could already predict what Sasuke would do just by the way he moved.
His reaction was just as fast, he immediately jumped backward, dodging Sasuke's attack.
Sasuke pursued relentlessly, rushing straight at Naruko.
Naruko, like a veteran Souls game player, used expertly timed rolls once again.
He dodged Sasuke's attack, then bent his knees and jumped, launching himself into the air.
As he ascended, the ponytail behind his head came undone, and his long golden hair spread out like flames.
Bathed in dazzling sunlight, he seemed to glow.
With his confident, radiant smile, he looked even more striking.
Thump—
Sasuke's heartbeat seemed to speed up slightly, and he was momentarily distracted.
Naruko was now mid-air, raising his right arm, positioning his elbow to strike Uchiha Sasuke.
'Konoha Elbow Strike…'
'No, it is Konoha Rock Rising!'
This was the third taijutsu technique Naruto had mastered.
"Sasuke, take my Black Elbow!", Naruko shouted as he descended.
His loud shout instantly snapped Sasuke out of his daze.
Immediately, he saw Naruko's right elbow, glistening with a dark light in the backlit setting.
"Damn it!"
Naruko was too fast, and Sasuke realized too late, he had no time to dodge or defend. In desperation, he simply threw his two wooden kunai straight at Naruko.
If he was going to take a hit, then they'd both go down together!
Naruko was airborne and had no room to dodge, he was a sitting target.
The distance between them shrank instantly.
"Ah!", The first scream of pain came from Naruko. Sasuke's kunai hit him squarely on the forehead.
Even though they were wooden, at this close range, it still hurt, a lot.
Then, suddenly, a puff of white smoke erupted from Naruko's body, completely engulfing him.
Everyone except Aoba was startled by the sight.
Before Sasuke could even raise a hand to shield his face, a black elbow shot out from the smoke, striking him right on the side of the face.
Boom!
Both of them crashed onto the ground.
And Sasuke, after taking that elbow strike, had already fallen into a baby-like sleep.
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