Before long, Naruto and Satsuki launched into a taijutsu exchange worthy of true ninja. Their figures darted across the clearing, the dull thuds of fists and feet colliding ringing out intermittently. Their movements were dizzyingly fast, yet they maintained a delicate balance, trading blows without either gaining the upper hand.
The thrilling contest drew wave after wave of cheers and gasps from their classmates watching nearby.
Of course, almost all the cheers from the sidelines were for Satsuki. The boys in their class shouted, "Go, Satsuki!" at the top of their lungs, their faces flushed. They hoped this straightforward approach would catch her attention, though Satsuki ignored them completely.
In truth, this seemingly even taijutsu match had borne the marks of Naruto's deliberate restraint from the very beginning. With the system's taijutsu enhancements, he was less a "hardworking genius"
And more a "hardworking cheater."
Although Naruto had obtained the Flying Thunder God Technique through the system's lottery, he had gradually realized that he seemed to have inherited at least some of his father Minato Namikaze's gift for reflexes. Otherwise, he could never have kept the Raikage on the defensive back then.
During their first spar, the moment Satsuki used the Body Replacement Technique, he had clearly had a chance to interrupt her and make it fail. Instead, he had deliberately slowed down and gone easy on her.
Why had he deliberately controlled the pace to make their spar look evenly matched? The answer was simple—to spare Satsuki's feelings.
Although the Uchiha Clan loved fighting and possessed a deeply ingrained pride that refused to admit defeat, they did not enjoy battles where they were utterly overwhelmed. If the gap in their abilities grew too wide and she felt an insurmountable gulf between them, her pride might leave her badly shaken.
*What