Akamaru Trembles

Lu Yu had just walked into the crowd when he heard the announced matchups, and he couldn't help but glance at Iruka, who was wearing a mischievous smirk.

Iruka felt an inexplicable chill. After a moment's thought, he still approached Lu Yu and whispered, "I promise, there won't be any more fights after this one. As for why I had you face him, I suspect you've already figured it out..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu looked at Inuzuka Kiba, who was swaggering into the arena, and seemed to understand everything in an instant.

"Hey, Lu Yu, don't be a coward. If you've got the guts, fight me properly. Don't think you're all that just because you beat Hinata."

"Woof! Woof!"

"Haha, Akamaru, you think this guy is nothing special too, right?"

"Woof!"

"Did you hear that, Lu Yu? Get up here and let me see what you're really made of..."

"Woof, woof, woof..."

It had to be said that the Inuzuka Clan really had a knack for provocation. The boy and his dog were perfectly in sync, and after just a few sentences, even the usually calm and collected Lu Yu found his patience wearing thin.

The two stepped onto the field, performed the sign of confrontation, and then backed away.

At that moment, Inuzuka Kiba finally sensed that something was wrong.

Strange, why does this guy feel like he has absolutely no openings?

That's impossible!

Even that jerk Sasuke doesn't give me this feeling. How could this guy, who skips class every single day, be like this?

Inuzuka Kiba frowned, completely unable to wrap his head around it...

Lu Yu looked at Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru, who was baring its teeth at him from the boy's arms, and couldn't help but think:

So it was this guy who's been snitching on me every day, huh?!

It looks like I'll have to give him a memory he won't soon forget today...

With that thought, Lu Yu's gaze turned icy.

"Whimper..."

Across the field, Akamaru suddenly sensed a lethal threat. Its fur stood on end, and it let out a pathetic, whimpering cry.

Not only that, but Akamaru struggled desperately to jump out of Kiba's arms, only to collapse onto the ground with weak, trembling legs.

Seeing Akamaru in such a panic, Inuzuka Kiba was struck with alarm. He couldn't even spare a glance for Lu Yu anymore and knelt down, trying to soothe the dog.

But no matter what Inuzuka Kiba said, Akamaru ignored him entirely, only trying to scramble away from the scene as if there were something truly terrifying nearby.

One had to remember that a dog's sixth sense was countless times sharper than a human's. Even though Lu Yu had only released a tiny sliver of his killing intent, Akamaru had keenly sensed a fatal danger.

"You jerk, what did you do to Akamaru?"

Inuzuka Kiba roared toward Lu Yu's position, only to be shocked to find that the boy had vanished into thin air.

"From now on, if I catch you snitching on me again, I promise, next time Akamaru might end up in the pot."

A familiar voice sounded from behind Inuzuka Kiba; Lu Yu had appeared behind him without him even noticing.

"Lu Yu is the winner! Perform the sign of reconciliation!"

Seeing Lu Yu standing behind Inuzuka Kiba, Iruka immediately shouted from the sidelines.

Yet, this strange battle had ended before it even truly began, leaving the students watching from the sidelines completely bewildered.

"That's weird, when did Lu Yu get behind Kiba? I was watching Akamaru, I didn't notice."

"Me too, I blinked and Lu Yu was just gone..."

"I heard a dog's sixth sense is much sharper than a human's. Could it be that Akamaru sensed something terrifying?"

"Something terrifying? What could possibly scare Akamaru like that?"

"Who knows..."

The other students discussed it curiously among themselves; the vast majority had failed to notice Lu Yu's movements.

However, Ino, Shikamaru, and Sasuke had all caught a glimpse of Lu Yu's terrifying speed.

At this moment, Sasuke's fists were clenched tight, his eyes filled with boundless shock.

Sasuke couldn't fathom how Lu Yu's speed could be so fast that his own eyes couldn't even track it. How terrifying was that?

Shikamaru stroked his chin, thinking, Strange. My brother is a total slacker, so how is he this strong? Could he have been training in secret lately?

Ino, meanwhile, looked at Lu Yu with stars in her eyes. She couldn't be bothered to wonder why Lu Yu was so strong; in the young girl's heart, Lu Yu was already synonymous with being capable of anything.

The two combatants performed the sign of reconciliation and walked off the field, and Iruka began to announce the next list of names.

"Next match, Nara Shikamaru versus Inokuchi Daio..."

Unlike the one-sided, instant-kill battle Lu Yu had just displayed, the other students were more evenly matched.

Even for the likes of Nara Shikamaru and the others, their current strength hadn't yet completely outpaced their peers.

It took over a dozen exchanges for the two sides to decide the winner...

Time gradually slipped away along with the figures clashing and intertwining on the training ground.

As dusk fell and the final pair finished their match, Iruka announced that they were dismissed...