Brute strength could not be met head-on.
Having witnessed Nawaki's mountain-shaking punch, Dan Katō had come to the proper realization. Forget taking it head-on—even getting too close would leave one caught in the storm stirred up by the punch. If his Earth Release had not been fast enough, that strike just now would have injured him badly.
Getting hurt was a small matter. Losing that much face on his first day leading the team was the real problem. If he were actually knocked over by these little brats in a mock battle, there would be no way to lead this squad afterward.
There were two purposes behind this so-called mock battle. The first was to get a clear grasp of these little brats' abilities. Many things could not be understood through written reports alone; only firsthand experience and seeing them with his own eyes would give him confidence.
The second was to show off his strength and establish his authority as their leader. In his experience, geniuses were synonymous with arrogance. Only strength could win over these little brats, and only then would the team be manageable.
"These little bastards are really troublesome."
Hidden behind thick leaves, Dan Katō watched Katsuki and the others charging toward him through a narrow gap and gave a bitter smile. Winning over these little brats was truly no easy task. If he used too much force, he worried about dealing them too severe a blow, but if he went too easy on them, he could not suppress them. Finding a balance between the two was no simple matter.
Even though he was a jōnin.
"With this level of combat power, they're already close to chūnin level... Geniuses really are difficult to handle. Mm, that was close."
Dan Katō exerted a little force beneath his