[Name: Ino Yamanaka]
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[Chakra: 800]
[Quality: A]
Sakura Haruno's quality was a full grade higher than Ino Yamanaka's.
Qiushui knew that she would later become Tsunade's apprentice and, after undergoing her rigorous training, learn the Cherry Blossom Clash and Strength of a Hundred Technique, allowing her to realize her potential. But that was years in the future. At present, Sakura was merely a civilian student with a solid grasp of theory. She had neither a clan legacy nor extensive combat experience.
Ino Yamanaka, on the other hand, came from the Yamanaka Clan.
Although her future ceiling was lower than Sakura's, for now, the clan blood flowing through her veins and the family environment she had grown up in were very real advantages.
Qiushui had already made up his mind: Ino had the better chance of winning this match.
"Begin."
His words had barely left his mouth when the two girls sprang into action.
Ino reached into her ninja tool pouch almost simultaneously, pulled out a kunai, and flicked it toward Sakura's thigh.
The tips of the kunai used in school matches had been blunted long ago. Even if they hit, they would only leave a bruise, not draw blood.
At almost the same moment, Sakura moved too.
She was just as quick, pulling a kunai from her pouch and aiming for Ino's calf.
The two kunai crossed paths in midair. Neither hit its target, and both clattered to the ground.
Ino didn't pause. Her fingers flashed, sending four more shuriken flying toward Sakura's shoulder, waist, leg, and knee.
Sakura wasn't about to back down. She returned fire with shuriken of her own, her movements looking every bit as practiced.
But this time, the difference between them became clear.
One of Ino's shuriken struck Sakura's calf with pinpoint accuracy, while Sakura's shuriken all missed as Ino dodged aside.
Sakura grunted. The pain in her calf made her legs buckle slightly.
The girls supporting Sakura looked tense, while Ino's supporters beamed.
Ino's eyes lit up.
How could she pass up such a golden opportunity?
She pushed off hard, lunging forward and closing the distance in an instant before launching into close combat.
She clenched her fist and swung at Sakura's face.
Sakura raised both arms to block.
Ino lifted her leg and kicked toward Sakura's stomach.
Sakura jumped back two steps, barely avoiding the blow.
But Sakura wasn't going to just take a beating. While Ino was preparing her next attack, Sakura steadied herself, clenched her fists, and charged back.
The two girls grappled.
Fists and legs flew, hair whipped through the air. It looked fierce at first glance, but Qiushui watched impassively. He felt nothing. In terms of technique and force, this fight was even worse than the earlier matches between some decidedly average boys.
Time passed second by second.
Fifteen minutes later, the two finally separated and backed away from each other, bent over and panting heavily. Sweat ran down their cheeks, and their chests heaved like bellows.
But anyone could see the difference: Ino was breathing more steadily, and she had more color in her face than Sakura.
At the edge of the field, Choji Akimichi stuffed potato chips into his mouth and asked his friend through a mouthful, "Shikamaru, who do you think will win?"
Shikamaru Nara rested his hands behind his head and glanced lazily at the field. "Probably Ino. She's got more stamina than Sakura."
He was right.
Ino could feel her stamina advantage. She caught her breath and was about to charge again—
But after only two steps, an intense hunger rose out of nowhere from her stomach and shot straight to her head. The world spun around her, her legs gave way, and she collapsed.
Across from her, Sakura gritted her teeth and prepared to meet her charge. But after only two steps, the same dizziness hit her, and her body gave out too.
One after the other, they fell in the middle of the field.
Qiushui watched, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly, then calmly announced, "Neither of them can continue. It's a draw."
Several figures rushed onto the field. Their friends hurried in, each helping one of the girls off to rest.
Ino took the water her friend handed her and drank a few sips. The dizziness gradually faded, but regret slowly welled up inside her.
She should've listened to her dad and eaten more that morning.
If she'd had enough stamina, she would've won this match. Not only that, she could've put on a good show in front of Sasuke-kun.
But now, she glanced at Sakura, who was being helped along nearby, and felt a jumble of emotions.
Leaning against a friend, Sakura panted weakly, but a relieved smile crept onto her lips.
She had already felt that she had almost no strength left. If the fight had continued, she definitely wouldn't have stood a chance against Ino.
Ino's sudden collapse—Sage of Six Paths himself must be on my side!
The matches that followed sped up dramatically.
When it was Aburame Shino's turn, his opponent had barely glimpsed the swarm of black insects crawling out from under Shino's collar when his face went pale.
The tiny Kikaichū circled Shino, their wings buzzing softly. There were so many of them that they made the student's scalp prickle. He barely hesitated before raising his hand to surrender.
Shino silently recalled the insects, his expression unchanged, as if he'd done nothing more than some trivial task.
Inuzuka Kiba's fight was much livelier.
He and Akamaru worked together seamlessly, darting and dodging around the field. When the moment came, the ninja dog suddenly raised a leg and launched a surprise Jet, hitting his opponent square in the face.
The student staggered back a few steps. Before he could regain his footing, Inuzuka Kiba had a kunai at his throat.
After the match, he lowered his head and sniffed himself. His expression instantly fell.
When it was Shikamaru Nara's turn, he gave his opponent a lazy glance, yawned, and raised his hand to concede.
"Too much trouble," he said.
That was his reason, and that was just how he was.
Choji Akimichi's match was another story.
His opponent was on the slender side and threw everything he had into punching and kicking Choji. But Choji hadn't eaten all those meals over the years for nothing. The fat he'd been mocked for made him look overweight, but now it was like invisible armor. The attacks sank into him without causing any damage.
Choji didn't even furrow his brow. He simply took a slow breath, then thrust his big belly forward.
Once, twice, three times.
His opponent staggered backward and finally lost his balance after the third charge, landing on his backside.
The students watching looked at one another, unsure what to make of the fight.
"Winner: Choji Akimichi," Qiushui announced.
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