The Might of a Single Punch

Naruto and Sasuke crouched in the lush grass, stealing a cautious glance at Lu Yu. Fearing they might be discovered, they quickly ducked back down.

Naruto squinted, rubbing his chin with a look of deep contemplation.

"Hey, Sasuke, what do you think that guy Lu Yu is doing lying on that lounge chair? Is he training?"

Sasuke recalled the sight of Lu Yu and said uncertainly, "It looks like he's fishing, not training, right?"

"Then why is the bobber moving, but Lu Yu isn't paying it any mind at all?"

Lu Yu, who was right beside Naruto, also rubbed his chin and said with a serious expression, "Could it be that he's fallen asleep and hasn't noticed?"

Naruto shook his head at this: "Impossible. That guy's senses are incredibly sharp, there's no way—ah?! Lu Yu!!! When... when did you get over here?"

On the other side, Sasuke stared in shock at the suddenly appearing Lu Yu, equally unable to fathom how he had arrived.

Sasuke and Naruto clearly remembered that a moment ago, Lu Yu had been on the lounge chair dozens of meters away. How had he suddenly appeared right beside them in the next instant?

Sasuke and Naruto stood up in silent unison, casting a wary, bewildered glance toward the lounge chair, only to find that Lu Yu's figure was indeed already gone.

Watching their stunned expressions, Lu Yu laughed nonchalantly. "What, are you two skipping class too? If Iruka-sensei catches you, you'll likely get another brutal beating."

Naruto looked at Lu Yu awkwardly and hurriedly explained, "Lu Yu, your strength is so great, could you teach us? To be honest, Sasuke and I are just curious about how you became so powerful, so we came over to take a look."

Sasuke, clearly still reeling from the shock, stood to the side staring at Lu Yu in disbelief, nodding subconsciously.

Lu Yu stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, and said sternly, "No, no. I only teach how to become stronger to my underlings, but you two..."

Naruto's eyes lit up. He would do anything to become stronger, though he wasn't entirely sure of Lu Yu's true capabilities.

Sasuke spoke up directly: "Lu Yu, I admit you're strong, but don't even think about making us your underlings. You're nowhere near my brother, Uchiha Itachi."

Lu Yu chuckled and shook his head, looking at the two of them earnestly. "So, you mean if the strength I display surpasses Uchiha Itachi, you'll be willing to be my underlings?"

The two exchanged a glance, then nodded heavily.

"Alright, Naruto, I'll spar with Sasuke. You just watch from the side, how about that?"

"No problem."

Naruto knew his own limits and fully agreed with Lu Yu's approach.

Especially seeing the lazy look on Lu Yu's face vanish, replaced by a seriousness he had never seen before, he suddenly became incredibly expectant.

On the field, Sasuke and Lu Yu stood ten meters apart, eyeing each other with grim expressions.

When they weren't sparring, Sasuke hadn't noticed it, but standing directly across from Lu Yu now, his expression shifted instantly.

To Sasuke, Lu Yu was just standing there casually, appearing full of openings, yet simultaneously devoid of any at all, leaving him with a frustrating sense of having nowhere to strike.

"Heh, what's wrong? I don't give you the same feeling as Itachi, do I?"

Sasuke's eyes turned cold as he said in a low voice, "Hmph, you and Itachi are not even comparable. Take this!"

Naruto watched excitedly as Sasuke charged toward Lu Yu at high speed, imagining the epic battle to come.

However, just as Sasuke's whip kick was about to land on Lu Yu, the guy vanished in a bizarre flicker.

Naruto, watching from the side, clearly saw Lu Yu appear instantly behind Sasuke and shouted instinctively:

"Sasuke, behind you!"

"What?"

Sasuke was startled by the shout and immediately turned his head...

But the moment he turned, all he could see was a fist rapidly enlarging in his vision, and a sense of mortal danger he had never felt before surged through his entire body.

Whoosh...

In the end, Lu Yu's fist stopped steadily right in front of Sasuke's eyes.

Sasuke's hair continued to flutter from the force of the punch for a full five seconds before finally settling down.

Lu Yu tapped Sasuke lightly on the forehead and said with a laugh, "Alright, time for my underling Sasuke to get to work."

As he finished speaking, Sasuke watched in a daze as Lu Yu walked toward the lounge chair.

Naruto, standing to the side, stared in sheer terror at the space behind where Sasuke had been, so frightened he collapsed onto the ground, his eyes filled with profound disbelief.

Sasuke finally snapped out of his daze after a long moment. Seeing the expression on Naruto's face, he curiously followed his gaze to look behind him...

"This... this... this is impossible..."

Sasuke stared at a section of the mountain in the distance that had eerily vanished, completely stunned.

Could the disappearance of that mountain section really be the terrifying aftermath of the wind from Lu Yu's punch just now?

If that were the case, just how strong must Lu Yu be?

Naruto and Sasuke instinctively exchanged a glance, confirming each other's suspicions, and couldn't help but swallow hard.

This guy was so strong he didn't even seem human; he was clearly a monster...

The two watched as Lu Yu once again reclined comfortably on his lounge chair, legs crossed, wearing his Sun Magic Glasses.

A massive parasol blocked out all the scorching sunlight, and a gentle breeze brushed across Lu Yu's face—he couldn't have looked more relaxed.

Wait, something didn't seem right.

The two frowned simultaneously, their expressions suddenly shifting drastically...

The sun?

They looked up at the sky in shock, and the next moment, they collapsed onto the ground with a thud.

Just a moment ago, dark clouds had been looming overhead, looking as if it were about to rain; how had it suddenly turned into a clear, cloudless day? Could it be?

At that moment, the way they looked at Lu Yu changed completely...