The boy who had just lowered his eyes found himself completely defenseless against Hinata, who had closed the distance between them with startling speed.
"Ha!"
Hinata released a soft exhale as she extended her palm toward her opponent. Two slender fingers stretched out with precision, making contact with a specific point on the boy's chest.
The boy was taken aback—he hadn't expected that Hinata, who had managed to approach him before he could even react, would deliver such a seemingly gentle attack. Despite his confusion, he knew better than to underestimate her. He clenched his fist tightly and swung at Hinata with considerable force.
His attack missed its target entirely. Hinata moved with remarkable agility, her petite form weaving effortlessly around his strike. After evading his punch, she tapped another precise location on the boy's body with her fingertips.
Growing frustrated, the boy unleashed a flurry of consecutive punches. Hinata dodged each one with fluid grace, simultaneously landing several more of her light, precise strikes against various points on his body.
Realizing his disadvantage in speed, the boy attempted to create distance between himself and his surprisingly formidable opponent. But Hinata seemed magnetically drawn to him, matching his movements perfectly and refusing to allow him any reprieve.
"My body... why is it...?"
In the midst of their exchange, the boy noticed with growing alarm that his movements were becoming increasingly sluggish, though he couldn't understand why. He hadn't suffered any substantial blows—just those peculiar, light taps from Hinata's fingers.
The battle continued for approximately one minute before reaching its inevitable conclusion. Gradually, inexplicably, the boy felt his strength seeping away until his limbs felt like they were weighted with lead.
"I give up," he finally declared with a rueful smile. Hinata, standing before him, responded with a polite, respectful bow.
"That was weird," Naruto muttered, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Why did he surrender so easily?"
Though he had been impressed by Hinata's unexpected speed, from his perspective, her opponent didn't appear to have sustained any significant damage. However, Naruto had noticed that the boy's movements had become progressively slower as the fight continued.
Puzzled, Naruto glanced at Sasuke beside him, hoping for some insight, but the Uchiha showed no interest in satisfying his curiosity.
"I definitely wouldn't want to admit defeat either," came a voice from nearby, "but that guy's body literally couldn't move freely anymore."
Naruto turned to see Shikamaru Nara observing the match with unusual interest. The typically disinterested boy looked at Naruto with mild surprise.
"Don't you know who that girl is? She's the daughter of the Hyuga clan head."
"I know that," Naruto replied absent-mindedly. "So what?"
"Well..." Shikamaru's lips twitched as he regarded Naruto with a mixture of disbelief and resignation. Is this guy really the Fourth Hokage's son? he wondered silently.
With a sigh that suggested explaining was troublesome but necessary, Shikamaru elaborated: "The Hyuga clan is renowned throughout the shinobi world for their taijutsu prowess. What Hinata just demonstrated was the Gentle Fist style—specifically, a technique known as pressure point striking."
He continued, his voice taking on a more instructional tone. "The technique allows the user to inject their chakra directly into an opponent's body, disrupting their chakra network and potentially damaging internal organs."
"While Hinata probably can't fully execute the more advanced applications yet, she can still use pressure point strikes to gradually immobilize her opponent by interfering with their muscle function and chakra flow."
Having delivered this uncharacteristically lengthy explanation, Shikamaru promptly walked away, evidently unconcerned about whether Naruto had comprehended his words.
Naruto hadn't fully grasped all the technical details, but he'd understood enough to form a clearer picture of what he'd witnessed.
"I had no idea Hinata was so skilled!" he exclaimed, looking with newfound respect at the girl who had already reverted to her characteristically timid demeanor.
The physical training assessments for all first-year students concluded by midday. The afternoon session was dedicated to evaluating the students' chakra control capabilities—a crucial skill for any aspiring shinobi.
All freshmen gathered in a single classroom for this portion of the exam. This assessment required specialized expertise beyond what ordinary instructors could provide, so it was conducted by sensory-type ninja with specific perceptive abilities.
"Let's begin," Iruka announced.
At his signal, the students began forming hand seals at varying speeds according to their individual proficiency. The sensory ninja at the front of the classroom simultaneously performed his own sequence of seals, activating his perceptive abilities.
His heightened senses swept methodically across the assembled students, one by one. These first-years had only been learning chakra concentration techniques for less than six months, so he didn't expect anything particularly impressive.
Among them, students like Shikamaru Nara exhibited somewhat stronger chakra fluctuations than their peers, indicating above-average potential.
"Sasuke... Itachi's younger brother?"
When the sensor focused his perception on Sasuke, a genuine ripple of interest disturbed his otherwise impassive expression.
As expected of someone with the Uchiha bloodline, Sasuke possessed chakra reserves that significantly exceeded those of ordinary children his age. More impressive still was the precise control he demonstrated over his chakra flow.
Of course, he had not yet reached the extraordinary level that Itachi had displayed at the same age. Nevertheless, Sasuke's abilities were remarkable for a child in his first year at the Academy.
If nothing unexpected occurs, he'll undoubtedly secure the top position, the sensory ninja thought to himself. He shifted his focus away from Sasuke, turning his attention to the pink-haired girl seated nearby.
"This is..."
As he carefully extended his senses toward her, his expression subtly changed from mild interest to genuine surprise.
Although the girl's chakra reserves were modest—as expected from someone who had only recently learned chakra condensation techniques—the control she exhibited was nothing short of exceptional. Her relatively limited chakra flowed through her meridians with perfect precision and stability.
In terms of pure chakra control, this girl's abilities rivaled Sasuke's—a fact that astonished the sensor, since Sasuke had clearly been practicing these techniques long before entering the Academy.
How could this girl, who appears to come from a civilian family with no shinobi background, demonstrate control comparable to an Uchiha prodigy?
After processing his surprise, the sensory ninja continued his assessment, turning his attention to other students.
"The Hokage's son?"
When his perception reached Naruto, he paid particularly close attention. After all, Minato Namikaze was a legendary figure among Konoha's shinobi—perhaps the greatest ninja the village had ever produced.
Naruto's chakra reserves were unquestionably the most substantial among all the first-year students—a fact that didn't surprise the sensor, given the boy's lineage.
Although it's considerably greater than most, however...
He noted with some disappointment that while Naruto's raw chakra capacity was impressive, his control over it was significantly lacking. Compared to students like Shikamaru Nara—let alone Sasuke or the pink-haired girl—Naruto's chakra control was decidedly inferior.
Despite understanding that Naruto was not his father, the sensor found the disparity somewhat puzzling. Given that the two were father and son, he had expected the boy to inherit at least some measure of Minato's prodigious talent for chakra manipulation.
Once his assessment was complete, the sensory ninja conferred with Iruka, helping to compile and rank the results.
Suddenly, Iruka's eyes widened slightly in surprise. He turned his gaze toward the center of the classroom where Sasuke and several other students were seated.
"Judging from Iruka-sensei's reaction, Sasuke-kun must have secured first place," Sakura thought to herself with a smile directed at her crush. It never occurred to her that the teacher's attention might be focused on her instead.
"The results have been compiled," Iruka announced, taking the completed form in hand. He began reading the rankings aloud to the class.
"First place: Uchiha Sasuke."
This announcement surprised no one, though it still elicited excited squeals from Sasuke's numerous admirers. Naruto's expression darkened with melancholy; he was well aware of his deficiencies in this particular area compared to his rival.
"And Haruno Sakura."
Following Sasuke's name, Iruka read out another, and the classroom fell momentarily silent. Sakura, who had been celebrating Sasuke's expected victory, froze in shock as she heard her own name called.
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