The Terrified Sasuke

Chapter 9: The Terrified Sasuke

Once Sasuke and Xu Fan had formed the Seal of Confrontation, the field immediately fell silent.

The female students in particular all opened their eyes and held their breath, afraid they might miss Sasuke's impressive performance.

"You brought this on yourself."

Sasuke spoke coldly, then stepped forward and launched his attack on Xu Fan.

Seeing this, Iruka and Mizuki immediately retreated, giving the two of them plenty of room.

"As a member of the Uchiha Clan, and one of the strongest among the village's younger generation..."

Mizuki could not help saying, his heart filled with jealousy toward Sasuke.

Especially because of the clan's unique Kekkei Genkai—the Sharingan.

Once awakened, it would undoubtedly provide the greatest possible boost to a ninja.

"Indeed. If the Senju student underestimates Sasuke, he'll definitely suffer for it," Iruka agreed with Mizuki.

Still, practical training at the Ninja Academy was far safer than the battles—or even killings—they would face in the future.

If necessary, he would step in and stop them.

Just as Iruka was thinking this, Sasuke had already charged in front of Xu Fan with astonishing speed.

"Is Sasuke faster than before...?"

Iruka could not help crying out.

"He's even faster than some Genin..."

Fast?

Xu Fan tilted his head. From his perspective, Sasuke had merely rushed over normally, clenched his fist, and thrown a punch straight at him.

No matter what, Sasuke at this stage had yet to awaken the Sharingan, nor had he been taught a lesson in taijutsu by Rock Lee.

So Xu Fan aimed directly at Sasuke's neck and brought his palm down hard.

Thud!

With a muffled impact, Sasuke instantly lost his balance and fell straight to the ground.

Thump!

Sasuke lay stiffly on the ground, his eyes filled with nothing but shock and disbelief.

What had this guy done?

How had he been knocked down so easily?

In fact, it was not just Sasuke. The entire training field had fallen completely silent.

No one had expected Sasuke to be taken down by Xu Fan in a single move.

"What did the Senju student just do?"

"I didn't see it clearly."

"Hinata just had to take leave today. If she were here with her Byakugan, she definitely would have seen what happened."

"Sasuke..."

Sakura's eyes widened as she stared at Sasuke in utter disbelief. Not even in her dreams would she have imagined that Sasuke, the top student, would be knocked down in one move.

"That just now was..."

Iruka could not help drawing in a sharp breath. As a Chunin, his dynamic vision was far superior to that of these students.

Just as Sasuke was about to hit Xu Fan, Xu Fan had used an even faster move to suppress him, instantly shifting his center of gravity and throwing him off balance.

Simple, yet brutally effective.

"The Senju student's taijutsu is actually this strong..." Iruka was even more stunned.

"This ground is really slippery."

Supporting himself with both hands, Sasuke got up from the ground. He shook his head, feeling as though something heavy had just slammed into him. Not only was the world spinning, but his ears were ringing as well.

"I knew it! How could Sasuke lose to the new student in taijutsu? The ground was too slippery!"

One of Sasuke's supporters spoke as if she had discovered a new continent.

"But unfortunately, you'll lose."

As he spoke, Sasuke backed away again and again. Though he appeared calm on the surface, the truth in his heart was entirely different.

He had not even seen Xu Fan move. All he had felt was a burst of Super Strength pressing down on him.

Though he was unwilling to admit it, this guy's speed and strength were both above his own.

If I had awakened the Sharingan already, this never would have happened...

Sasuke muttered inwardly.

When it came to the Uchiha Clan, their most famous trait was undoubtedly their Kekkei Genkai—the Sharingan.

It was a Dojutsu even more powerful than the Byakugan, capable of easily spotting an opponent's openings and finding their weaknesses.

Unfortunately, he had yet to awaken it.

However, the Uchiha Clan did not have only the Sharingan.

At that thought, the corners of Sasuke's lips rose into a faint smile, as if victory were already within his grasp.

Seeing Sasuke's expression, the other students grew tense as well.

"Ah, is Sasuke going to use that move?"

"Real ninjutsu..."

Many people looked at Sasuke with envy.

Although they had all come to the Ninja Academy to learn ninjutsu, Sasuke had already learned ninjutsu before he even enrolled.

They said this was also a talent unique to the Uchiha Clan.

Naruto, on the other hand, bluntly mocked him, "He only knows how to show off."

"Fire Release?" Xu Fan narrowed his eyes, watching the changes in Sasuke's hand movements.

In Sasuke's eyes, Xu Fan was a newcomer. He knew nothing about Sasuke or the Uchiha Clan. Even if he saw Sasuke forming hand seals, he would not know what they meant.

Just as he did not know what the name Uchiha meant.

And now, Sasuke would make him understand.

This was the power he had gained through tireless effort and perseverance, day after day, year after year.

"Sasuke!"

Seeing this, Iruka hurriedly shouted, wanting to stop him.

Though this was only a spar, it was supposed to focus on taijutsu. Using that kind of ninjutsu so suddenly might seriously injure Xu Fan.

Mizuki's expression, however, became somewhat strange.

He had heard some rumors about Sasuke, but he was only a ninja student. How could he possibly know that ninjutsu? He should not have that much Chakra...

"So this is what they call a genius."

Mizuki clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, looking deeply unwilling to accept it.

But Sasuke's hand seals flowed with practiced ease. Before Iruka could stop him, he had already completed the sequence of signs and taken a deep breath.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Whoosh!

As Sasuke exhaled, roaring flames burst from his mouth and formed an enormous fireball that shot fiercely toward Xu Fan.

Yet what Sasuke had never expected was that Xu Fan would imitate his hand seals right before his eyes, and at a clumsy pace.

What was this guy doing? Was he trying to copy my Fire Release?

How could that be possible...

Did he know how long it had taken Sasuke to master this ninjutsu?

This was not something one could learn just by copying the hand seals.

But in the very next second, Xu Fan completed the seals and took a deep breath.

Whoosh!

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

In an instant, flames surged into the sky. A fireball more than ten times larger than Sasuke's roared toward him, frightening him into retreating again and again until he collapsed onto the ground.

And it was not just Sasuke.

Iruka, Mizuki...

The two Chunin instructors stood frozen in place as well.

Was this guy a monster...?

"Mizuki-sensei..." Iruka swallowed hard in shock. "Can... can you do something to that... that extent?"