Is This Still a Student's Fight? (Seeking Follow-ups)

Uchiha Sasuke's movements were clean and crisp, every punch and kick delivered with precise force. In comparison, while Naruto Uzumaki's offensive was grand in scale, that savage, reckless momentum appeared clumsy in a true contest.

"There is indeed a gap in taijutsu," Qiushui said, watching the situation on the field. "But the match isn't over yet; it's too early to call a winner."

Taijutsu truly requires training accumulated over time, with no shortcuts to be found. This was precisely why he had spent the majority of the past week focusing on Naruto's ninjutsu training.

The Shadow Clone Technique Naruto had displayed earlier was far from his limit, not to mention he still had the Wind Style: Gale Palm as his trump card.

Matsumoto Mie shook her head slightly, choosing not to argue further. In her view, while Qiushui had a talent for teaching, his vision remained too shallow.

The observing students were also whispering among themselves. In their eyes, the moment Naruto's clones dissipated, the match had already lost all suspense.

However, the scene that followed left everyone stunned.

Uchiha Sasuke knocked Naruto back with a punch and immediately followed up with a kick. Before Naruto could steady his footing, he realized it was too late to raise his arms in defense and was kicked to the ground. He immediately used the momentum of Sasuke's attack to roll away and create distance, then quickly formed hand seals. In an instant, twelve identical figures appeared out of thin air.

"Holy crap..." a student muttered, tugging at his neighbor's sleeve in a daze. "Pinch me, is this real or not?"

"This has to be a genjutsu; I want to request a review," another student stared fixedly at the dense crowd of Narutos on the field, unable to believe that this was the result of the Clone Technique they practiced repeatedly in class.

"Is... is this really Naruto?" Ino Yamanaka whispered to herself, her eyes filled with disbelief. "Could it be someone else transformed into him...?"

"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura Haruno clenched her hands, her expression growing tense. "He isn't actually going to lose, is he?"

"Naruto-kun... do your best." Hinata knew that Naruto was capable of using this ninjutsu.

"Brothers, get him!" Naruto shouted. The twelve shadow clones moved in unison, shuriken and kunai flying from all directions, flashing with cold light under the sun as all the clones charged toward Sasuke in the center.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he instantly assessed the situation. With these attacks coming from every angle, it was impossible for him to block them all with his current strength.

But he had already prepared.

Sasuke flicked his wrists, and eight kunai flew from between his fingers, shooting precisely toward the Naruto clones behind him. At the same time, he quickly formed hand seals, his chest heaving as his chakra surged toward his throat like a tidal wave.

"Fire Style: Fireball Technique."

A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, sweeping toward the Naruto clones in front with scorching heat waves.

The sounds of clones popping into smoke and the clatter of kunai and shuriken hitting the ground rang out incessantly.

Naruto Uzumaki stood at the very back, watching his clones burn away into mist. Feeling a faint stinging sensation on his body, he couldn't help but wince and gasp, a lingering fear gripping him. It was fortunate he had kept his wits about him and hadn't foolishly charged in with the clones.

His gaze landed on the slightly panting Sasuke not far away, and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

How could he let such a good opportunity pass?

Naruto formed hand seals again, and as his chakra surged, fifteen shadow clones appeared in succession, surrounding Sasuke completely.

Uchiha Sasuke's pupils contracted slightly. He truly hadn't expected Naruto to be able to release clones continuously.

However, surprise aside, he still didn't believe he would lose. In his view, as long as one was human, there was always a limit to chakra. These clones before him should be all that Naruto could muster for now; as long as he blocked this wave of attacks, victory would be his.

"Is... is this still a duel between students?" someone among the onlookers couldn't help but exclaim.

Many of them hadn't even fully mastered the basic Three Basic Techniques, let alone learned new ninjutsu.

Yet here were two students: one using a solid offensive ninjutsu like the Fireball Technique, and the other even more outrageous, tossing out the B-rank Shadow Clone Technique as if it were nothing, with so many clones it was as if chakra didn't matter.

Someone muttered, "I still think Naruto will lose. He has a lot of clones, but they definitely can't withstand a Fireball."

Someone nearby immediately retorted, "That's not necessarily true. What if Naruto knows other ninjutsu too?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Naruto moved.

He didn't command his clones to charge in for melee combat like before, nor did he throw kunai to test the waters. Instead, he stood his ground, raised his hands, and gathered chakra into his palms.

"Wind Style: Gale Palm."

Over a dozen air waves blasted out from all directions simultaneously, effectively sealing off every possible escape route for Sasuke.

Uchiha Sasuke's expression finally changed.

He never imagined that Naruto not only knew the Shadow Clone Technique but had also mastered an offensive ninjutsu on the same level as the Fireball Technique.

That last Fireball had consumed nearly half of his chakra, and he could barely manage one more at most. But the problem was, even if he used it, he couldn't block these shockwaves coming from all sides.

Things like kunai were no different from toys in the face of such high-level ninjutsu.

Sasuke gritted his teeth, his eyes instantly turning scarlet. Sharingan, activate!

He scanned every clone frantically, trying to find Naruto's true body. If he could find the original, he would have a chance to turn the tables, even if it meant taking a few Gale Palms head-on.

However, the next second, Sasuke's heart sank to the bottom of his chest.

His one-tomoe Sharingan could not distinguish which was a clone and which was the original.

In the split second Sasuke was stunned, the dozen air waves roared toward him, mere inches away. It was too late to dodge, and defense was out of the question. He could only instinctively close his eyes and grit his teeth, preparing to take the hit head-on.

At the critical moment.

Qiushui, who had been prepared all along, vanished from his spot and appeared at Sasuke's side. He grabbed the boy by the collar with one hand and flashed away, whisking him off the field just before the shockwaves landed.

Uchiha Sasuke felt no pain. He opened his eyes to find himself standing next to Qiushui, then looked back to see the Wind Style: Gale Palm attacks carving dozens of shallow pits of varying sizes into the ground.

"Thank you, Teacher." Uchiha Sasuke thanked Qiushui. Although he was cold by nature and usually taciturn, he was not someone who didn't know when to be grateful. If Qiushui hadn't acted in time, he would likely be lying on the ground, unable to move.

A notification popped up in front of Qiushui.

Seeing this message, a look of surprise appeared on his face.