"What was that!?"
The moment Sasuke saw the Rasengan in Naruto's hand, his heart lurched.
He didn't know what the Rasengan was, but his instincts told him that if he got hit by it, the consequences would be terrible.
Just as he pushed off the ground, ready to dodge,
two of Naruto's Shadow Clones suddenly rushed out from either side, grabbed his arms, and held him fast.
Sasuke's sense of danger grew, and he quickly took out the two Shadow Clones holding him.
But that brief delay cost him his last chance to dodge. Naruto's real body was already right in front of him, Rasengan in hand.
"You—"
Sasuke opened his mouth.
But before he could finish, Naruto's Rasengan struck him squarely in the chest.
Thud!
With a muffled bang, Sasuke flew backward, smashing through several of Naruto's Shadow Clones before finally crashing into a tree at the edge of the training ground.
"Damn it!"
Sasuke tried to get up, but as soon as he pushed himself upright, his vision went black. He collapsed with a thump and passed out.
For a moment, the training ground fell completely silent.
"I—I'm not seeing things, am I? Naruto beat Sasuke?"
"What kind of ninjutsu did Naruto use?"
"Is Sasuke all right?"
Only after a long while did someone speak.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
The Ninja Academy teachers soon rushed to Sasuke's side and hurriedly checked his condition.
Watching the teachers crowd around Sasuke, their faces full of worry, Naruto finally came to his senses. "I won? I beat Sasuke?"
Sakura stared at the jubilant Naruto, dumbfounded. "Naruto actually beat Sasuke? How is that possible?!"
Shion murmured, "Naruto's improved so much after just one week of training with Lord Jiraiya?!"
Not far away,
Kimimaro merely paused to glance over, then returned to his training