Watching Naruto grit his teeth and try to force himself back to his feet even with his head pinned underfoot, and Neji clutch his stomach in pain yet keeping his gaze resolute.
A faint smile appeared on Hyuga Kagami's face beneath his mask.
For shinobi who had never truly experienced war and slaughter, suffering a few setbacks was not necessarily a bad thing.
Especially for youths like Sasuke, Naruto, and Neji, who were exceptionally gifted and stronger than their peers, yet had always lived under the protection of the village, their clans, and their families.
They had no clear understanding of the dangers of the shinobi world, nor had they established the most basic truth of shinobi combat in their minds: "Failure means death."
Such youths could easily lose their lives if luck was not on their side.
Take Tsunade's younger brother Nawaki, for example. He had rushed eagerly onto the battlefield, only to lose his life in utter confusion.
Rather than letting them encounter real enemies and only understand this after paying a terrible price, it was better to let them taste in advance the bitterness and terror of having their lives in someone else's hands.
That was why Hyuga Kagami had not held back just now. He had practically gone all out.
Naruto, whose head was pinned beneath his foot, tried once again to force himself up.
Hyuga Kagami pressed down with his foot and stomped Naruto back to the ground. "Idiot, at a time like this, you should obediently lie on the ground and beg me to spare your life."
Naruto shouted defiantly, "What stupid nonsense are you talking about? I, Naruto Uzumaki, am the man who'll become Hokage! And Sasuke is still waiting for me to help him!"
Hyuga Kagami bent down, bringing his face close