Qingwu looked at his companions and said gently, "After yesterday, you should all have a pretty good idea of how strong you are, right?"
He just wanted to see how everyone would react.
At those words,
Naruto immediately looked smug.
He declared loudly and confidently, "Hehe! The great Uzumaki Naruto really is amazing! I can even beat a Chunin!"
Not to be outdone, Kiba hurriedly added, "I'm really strong too, okay? Even Mizuki didn't dare take my and Akamaru's Fang Over Fang and Lightning Venom Dragon Drill head-on!"
Akamaru, perched on his head, chimed in with two barks. "Woof, woof!"
Shino, however, was perfectly rational. He analyzed the situation calmly. "I couldn't get close. His swordsmanship was excellent, and he had plenty of combat experience. One-on-one, I had almost no chance of winning. All I could do was find a way to escape."
Naruto immediately burst out laughing, showing no mercy. "Hahaha! Shino, you're so lame! All you can think about is running away..."
Qingwu narrowed his eyes slightly.
Naruto was getting a little carried away. If Qingwu hadn't known what the boy was really like, he would have taken those words as mockery.
Kiba chimed in as well. "Exactly! You're talking him up and selling yourself short... You can't be like that, Shino!"
But Shino remained composed and replied unhurriedly, "I'm only telling the truth."
Naruto and Kiba were annoyed. They felt that Shino always liked to rain on their parade, and complained in unison, "Shino, you..."
Seeing the atmosphere grow tense, Qingwu quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "All right, stop bickering, you two. Everyone saw how strong you and Kiba are, Naruto. Your power is already on par with a Chunin's."
At that, Naruto and Kiba broke into smug smiles.
Naruto said with a grin, "Hehe!