Chapter 137: The last-place counterattack, the genius' duel challenge!
The entire place was silent. Everyone stared wide-eyed at Hinata, who was still a bit shy. This... was this really Hyūga Hinata, who didn't even dare to speak loudly?
"It's amazing! Hyūga Hinata, your progress is simply leaps and bounds!" Yamada's eyes were filled with undisguised admiration. "As expected of... Fifth Hokage-sama's direct disciple!"
Sakura and Ino both had their mouths wide open, looking at each other and seeing the disbelief in each other's eyes. The girl who had been completely unnoticed in class had quietly surpassed all of them.
"Did you hear that! Did you hear that!" Naruto excitedly waved his fists, his face full of pride. "That's my senior sister! Isn't she super awesome!" He smiled brightly, as if he was the one who had achieved this result.
Hinata's cheeks were so red they looked like they could drip blood. Senior sister... Naruto-kun's... senior sister... She secretly, out of the corner of her eye, glanced at the boy cheering for her. Under the sunlight, his golden hair was even more dazzling than the sun. The immense joy that surged in her heart even overshadowed the nervousness of being watched by the entire class. She had done it. She had not disappointed Akira. And even more so... she had not disappointed Naruto-kun.
Finally, "Next, Uzumaki Naruto!" Yamada called out the name. Instantly, the atmosphere of the entire training ground became a bit strange. Everyone's gaze simultaneously turned to Naruto at the end of the line. He was also a disciple taken in by Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Akira. He had always been the dead last.
"Hey, it's that dead last's turn." "It'd be good if he could even hit the target today, right?" "Haha, I bet he won't hit a single one!"
Sakura frowned and snorted disdainfully. "Naruto, that idiot, is going to make a fool of himself again. I really hope he doesn't drag down our class's average score."
Inuzuka Kiba laughed even more unceremoniously: "Hey! Naruto! The target's over there, don't throw it at the teacher!"
Facing these taunts, Naruto didn't jump up and argue with them as he usually would. Naruto's face no longer showed the impatience and unease of the past. "Naruto," Sasuke's cold voice suddenly rang out. "Don't think that just because you became Fifth Hokage's disciple, you can change the fact that you're a dead last. Don't disgrace us Ninja from prominent clans."
Naruto stopped, turned his head, and looked at Sasuke. He didn't fly into a rage as before, nor did he loudly retort. He just grinned, revealing a brilliant smile. "Sasuke, just you wait and see."
He pulled out a shuriken from his ninja tool pouch. There was none of Sasuke's deliberately cultivated cool posture. He just stood there simply, raised his hand. Then, he lightly flicked his wrist. Whoosh! A black light, almost inaudible as it cut through the air, flashed and disappeared. Clang! A crisp sound came. In the very center of the target, a shuriken was firmly embedded there.
The entire training ground instantly fell silent. All the mocking sounds came to an abrupt halt. Kiba's smile froze on his face. "Ho... how is that possible?"
Naruto ignored the reactions around him. The second one. Whoosh! Clang! Another crisp sound. The second shuriken accurately hit the tail of the first shuriken, pushing the first one in deeper. The third one! The fourth one! The fifth one! ... Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Naruto's movements became faster and smoother. Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
When the 10th shuriken was thrown, on the target, 10 shuriken were perfectly stacked in a straight line, deeply embedded in the bullseye. The entire training ground was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone seemed to be under a paralysis jutsu, staring blankly at this scene. This... was this really that perennial dead last, Uzumaki Naruto?
Sasuke's pupils suddenly constricted. He stared intently at Naruto. Impossible! Absolutely impossible! This guy couldn't even hit the target a few days ago! What on earth happened? Hinata stood in the crowd, her small hands tightly clasped together, her fair face flushed with excitement and joy. "Naruto-kun... is so amazing..."
10 out of 10 bullseyes! Yamada's mouth was open wide enough to fit a fist. He looked at Naruto, then at the target, rubbed his eyes, thinking he was hallucinating. "Full... full marks... Uzumaki Naruto... 100 points!"
This score was already the highest, a perfect score, just like Sasuke's.
"Impossible!" Sasuke let out an uncontrollable low growl, staring intently at Naruto. "This is absolutely impossible! How could you, a dead last, do something like this!" Sasuke's eyes were filled with unwillingness.
Naruto turned his head, looked at the almost frantic Sasuke, and calmly said, "I told you, I'm just training seriously."
"I don't believe it!" Sasuke took a step forward, glaring at Naruto. "Hitting a stationary target doesn't prove anything! If you've got guts, compete with me and attack a moving target!" Sasuke's voice was full of provocation. He wanted to prove that everything just now was just a joke! He was the true genius!
Yamada immediately had a splitting headache. "Sasuke, Naruto, calm down! Fighting privately at school is against school rules!"
Sasuke completely ignored Yamada, his eyes locked on Naruto, "Do you dare or not?"
Everyone's gaze focused on Naruto. Naruto looked at Sasuke's eyes, which were slightly red from anger and unwillingness. He knew that if he didn't completely subdue Sasuke today, this guy wouldn't give up. Naruto grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. "Alright. I accept your challenge."
Yamada looked at the 2 unyielding boys, then at the students around them who seemed to revel in chaos, and rubbed his forehead with a headache. Yamada knew he couldn't stop this now. Moreover... deep down, he also had a hint of irrepressible curiosity. He also wanted to see how much more shocking power this Fifth Hokage's disciple was hiding.
"Alright..." Yamada sighed and compromised. "Since you both insist, I'll make an exception this once. However, this is just a test of skill, and no matter who wins, the other must accept it gracefully! Do you understand?"
"Yes!"
"Hmph."
Sasuke and Naruto replied in unison. And in the distant treetops, an Anbu wearing a mask silently watched everything. Is this... Akira's disciple? Truly... something to look forward to.
[Inorin Note:
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