"Battle begins!"
The moment Iruka's voice fell, the two figures shot toward each other like arrows loosed from a bow.
Satsuki moved as swiftly as the wind, her long black hair tracing a graceful arc behind her. Her fist flew straight at Naruto's face, but he easily dodged with a sidestep.
"In taijutsu, I won't lose to you!"
Satsuki declared confidently, backflipping away from Naruto's sweeping kick. Her movements flowed as smoothly as water, making it impossible to believe she was merely a child from the Ninja Academy.
"It's too early to declare victory!"
Naruto suddenly changed tactics. After exchanging several moves, he used the momentum of a spin to leap into the air, bringing his right leg down like a battle axe.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
This taijutsu, personally taught by Might Guy, came crashing down on Satsuki with astonishing force. The watching children collectively sucked in a breath, and several even shut their eyes instinctively.
"Bang!"
The tremendous impact kicked up dust and sent gravel flying. Iruka's expression changed abruptly, his hand already halfway raised to stop the match—this level of power had completely exceeded his understanding of "children's taijutsu practice"!
"Wait, Iruka-sensei."
Naruto's voice came from within the dust cloud, remarkably calm. "Satsuki... isn't that weak."
His words were soon proven true as the dust gradually settled. Only Naruto and a wooden log remained in the field.
"A Body Replacement Technique..."
Naruto straightened up, admiration flashing through his eyes.
"You're pretty good."
The instant Naruto's praise fell, a sharp sensation suddenly prickled at the back of his neck. He instinctively raised his right arm and drove a fierce elbow backward—
"Bang!"
The Satsuki who had tried to choke him turned into a puff of white smoke and vanished once more.
A Clone Technique!
Naruto gave himself no time to