Cangwu blinked. Oh~ Not bad acting. You even copied his expressions perfectly.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Just then, several sharp whistles sounded behind Cangwu.
Dozens of kunai and shuriken shot toward him.
In front of him, Sasuke made no unnecessary movements.
As he finished the hand signs, he abruptly spat out a ball of chakra.
The moment the chakra left Sasuke's mouth, it turned into burning flames.
Boom—
Suddenly, two hands burst out of the ground beneath Cangwu's feet and grabbed them tightly.
"Very nice."
As soon as Cangwu finished speaking, the only sound around them was the roar of the Great Fireball.
At the same time, there was a sharp pop.
Clearly, Naruto's shadow clone, which had been hiding underground, had burst.
Even Naruto underground had been affected.
And what about Cangwu, who had been hit by the attack at such close range?
The three of them stared at the spot where Cangwu had been standing.
None of them noticed the streak of golden light that flashed by as the Great Fireball exploded.
"How is that possible...? You didn't even make hand signs... Why weren't you affected at all?!"
At that moment, Sasuke fell into self-doubt.
Naruto and Sakura were dumbfounded, too.
Especially Naruto.
He suddenly remembered the night a few days ago, when he'd stood in front of Cangwu.
He'd kind of looked like a fool...
No, wait!
Since when had Teacher Cangwu gotten so strong?!
Wasn't he weaker than girls?
Wasn't that why girls were always pushing him around?
Wait... I think I've realized something incredible!
Clap, clap, clap—
Suddenly, Cangwu applauded.
Hearing the applause, all three looked up at him.
"You can skip the next little tricks."
"For example, the simple traps buried underground."
At that, astonishment surfaced on Sasuke and Sakura's faces once more.
Cangwu smiled and raised a hand to ruffle Sasuke's hair.
Sasuke had already been intimidated by Cangwu's performance. He wanted to dodge, but found that his body wouldn't obey him.
"Having Sakura use the Transformation Jutsu to take your appearance, then run up to me and draw my attention."
"Not a bad idea."
"And pairing it with the hand signs... Now that I think about it, Sakura was using an Illusion Technique while wearing your face, wasn't she?"
"Subconsciously, I assumed you'd use a Fire Release jutsu, so I didn't pay much attention."
"Then Naruto pulled the same trick again and drew my attention."
"When I turned back to look at you, I spotted the flaw."
"Your final hand sign was the one for the Great Fireball Technique."
"Hmm... All in all, you've earned my approval for your teamwork."
"Yeah~!" As soon as Cangwu finished speaking, Naruto leaped up triumphantly.
Naruto acted as if all three of them had already passed the test.
Sakura let out a long breath and patted her flat chest, her pretty face brimming with relief.
But Sasuke's face remained cold as he lowered his head.
That survival exercise, which hadn't even lasted half a shichen, had made him realize that all his previous efforts had been a joke.
Even with a Jonin Instructor holding back, the three of them hadn't managed to hurt him.
Meanwhile, the man's clothes were barely even dirty...
That man... He must be even stronger... No, I have to get stronger!
"Damn it... I'll definitely get stronger!"
Looking at their expressions, Cangwu asked in confusion, "What?"
"Did a little praise make you that proud?"
"The bells are still right here, and it'll be noon soon."
The three little ones: "???"
When we put question marks, it's not because we're confused. It's because you're the one acting weird!
"W-We passed, didn't we?" Sakura asked timidly.
Cangwu gave her an exasperated look.
"I was only praising your teamwork."
"And telling you not to waste your effort."
"Because this plan failed. The bells weren't the objective from the start... Well, Naruto did just attack from behind, so he actually had a chance to grab one."
Just then.
The Second Pillar, who'd had his head lowered the whole time, suddenly reached for the bells.
And he went straight for both of them.
Thud—
Sasuke: "..."
"Well, take this as your punishment for failing. Think it over. There's no rush. Even if you fail, you'll have plenty of chances to try this afternoon."
Sasuke shut his eyes in pain, one hand instinctively covering his butt.
Damn you, Cangwu. I'll kill you someday!
"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted.
"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura stared wide-eyed at Sasuke, who was airborne and completely lacking in dignity.
"Damn it... Teacher Cangwu, don't think you can do that again... Ugh!"
Naruto was yelling and carrying on, but he wasn't attacking.
He'd sensed the familiar danger, so he turned and ran.
But he hadn't expected that the instant he turned—
A streak of golden light flashed by.
Cangwu was already standing in front of him.
"You're going the wrong way."
After Cangwu helpfully reminded him, Naruto asked in confusion, "What way?"
If he was running away, of course he was going back to the woods. What did it matter which way he went?
Thud—
Cangwu didn't give Naruto time to think.
He turned Naruto around to face the right direction, then kicked him.
His butt took another crushing blow.
"Ah—!!!"
"My butt's going to split in two!!!"
Naruto's pained wails rang across the entire training ground.
Then his figure slowly disappeared into the woods.
In that direction... the one who'd landed there earlier was the rightful wife, the Second Pillar.
Splat—
"Ugh..."
"Ugh..."
The faint, familiar sounds came from nearby.
A satisfied smile appeared on Cangwu's face.
"Teacher Cangwu..."
Sakura bent over, both hands clamped tightly over her flat behind.
"Could... could you pick a different spot?"
Cangwu shook his head.
Sakura's face had turned as red as an apple.
"Gently..."
Smack—
Sakura: "???"
"You really don't have much meat on you. You're not suited to being kicked away, or you might damage your bones." Cangwu glanced at the dazed Sakura.
The sharp smack left Sakura's mind completely blank.
She felt the burning pain spread through her whole body from the handprint.
Sakura was struck as if by lightning.
She sucked in a sharp breath.
Tears glimmered in her eyes.
She'd thought that her usually gentle teacher Cangwu would let her off.
But she hadn't expected...
"Bastard!"
Sakura's little face was full of mortification and anger.
She cursed him in a tearful voice.
Then, the next second, she felt her body go weightless as she began to fall.
"In that case, I'll just throw you instead."
Ignoring Sakura's struggles, he casually flung her away as if she were garbage.
Splash—
Water sprayed everywhere.
After a while, a pink head surfaced.
Drenched like a drowned rat, Sakura glared viciously at Cangwu.
But after only one glance, she hurriedly lowered her head again.
Mortified, she ran to hide in the woods.
Naruto, who was retching, had watched the whole thing.
He was completely stunned.
"Teacher Cangwu, you're so unfair!"
"No, that's not the point... Sakura... Teacher Cangwu, how could you..."
Before Naruto, who was stammering and unable to finish a sentence, could get the words out—
With his butt sticking out toward Sasuke.
Sasuke naturally wasn't about to let this opportunity pass.
His heart was already filled with frustration, resentment, and humiliation.
And on top of that, he'd been stuck with that idiot Naruto yet again...
"Go to hell, idiot!"
Thud—
Naruto got kicked in the butt again.
He fell flat on his face, and tears sprang to his eyes from the pain.
"Damn it... You smug jerk, Sasuke..."
Before you continue