Truly a Brother

Upon hearing Kakashi announce the start, Lu Yu sat cross-legged on a wooden post, arms folded, watching the group with keen interest.

I wonder what that kid Shikamaru is planning?

The next moment, Naruto and Sasuke took the lead, covering the distance to stand ten meters away from Kakashi and Asuma.

They stood there, faces full of confidence, facing off against Kakashi and Asuma from afar.

Naruto looked at Kakashi with excitement, then glanced at Sasuke beside him and chuckled.

"Don't let the bearded teacher knock you down, Sasuke."

Sasuke's lips curled upward at the remark.

"Hmph, dead-last, you'd better worry about yourself."

Across from them, Kakashi and Asuma frowned as they watched the two, a flicker of surprise crossing their minds.

Are these brats actually trying to challenge us to a duel?

Genin challenging Jonin? Isn't that a bit too arrogant?

A gentle breeze blew, and a leaf drifted through the air. The moment it touched the ground, Naruto moved.

Naruto quickly formed hand seals and let out a low shout.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Poof!

As the white smoke cleared, nearly a hundred shadow clones surrounded Kakashi and Asuma.

Kakashi and Asuma frowned as they surveyed the surrounding clones.

"It seems this year's students are a bit troublesome."

Asuma laughed.

"That makes it interesting, doesn't it?"

At the same time, Naruto yelled out.

"Let's go, Sasuke!"

"Shut up, dead-last. I don't need your orders."

Sasuke dashed toward Asuma at high speed, his velocity causing Asuma's pupils to constrict slightly.

Is this speed for real? Are these kids really just fresh out of the Ninja Academy?

In a split second, Sasuke reached Asuma.

Sasuke raised his right leg and delivered a heavy axe kick, the force so fierce it felt like a sudden gale.

Thwack!

Asuma raised a single arm to intercept the blow.

His expression shifted slightly; Sasuke's attack was far sharper than he had anticipated, and the impact actually made Asuma sway.

Taking advantage of the moment Asuma was adjusting his balance, Sasuke used the recoil from Asuma's arm to spin in the air, pulling shuriken from behind his back and hurling them at him.

Then, as Asuma dodged in a slightly disheveled manner, Sasuke landed steadily, quickly formed hand seals, and shouted.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

A fireball two meters in diameter reached Asuma in the blink of an eye.

Seeing the fireball closing in, Asuma's expression changed. He leaped back instantly, opening his mouth to unleash a technique.

"Wind Style: Dust Cloud Jutsu!"

A small whirlwind blew out against the fireball. Using the moment the flames were obstructed, Asuma jumped aside, successfully clearing the attack's range.

However, the moment he landed, Sasuke attacked again.

This time, Sasuke held nothing back. His dark pupils erupted with an eerie blood-red light; he had even activated his Two-Tomoe Sharingan.

The two engaged in a fierce battle, and for a moment, they were evenly matched.

This terrifying scene left everyone on the field—except for Naruto and Lu Yu—completely stunned, let alone Asuma.

Kakashi even rubbed his eyes in disbelief, muttering to himself.

"You've got to be kidding me. That guy Sasuke can already use the Sharingan? No wonder he's holding his own against Asuma. It seems the situation isn't looking too good."

"Heh, Kakashi-sensei, instead of worrying about the bearded teacher, you should be thinking about yourself."

Naruto's voice came from behind Kakashi. Kakashi turned instantly to see the boy lunging at his blind spot with a kunai.

Kakashi looked at him with dark lines on his forehead and kicked the clone away.

Watching the sea of Naruto clones surrounding him without attacking, Kakashi frowned, feeling that something was off.

This isn't right. What are these seven brats thinking? Why are only Naruto and Sasuke launching frontal assaults?

Lu Yu, whom the Third Hokage asked us to test, is just sitting on the post looking unbothered, but why aren't the other four showing any intention to attack either?

Kakashi's brows furrowed as he pondered, but he couldn't find a clue. His gaze sharpened as he looked at Naruto.

"I don't understand what you're trying to do, but it's probably right to take care of you guys first."

Upon hearing this, one of Naruto's clones trembled violently, seemingly displaying the panic of having its trick exposed.

Kakashi let out a cold laugh:

"Your act is quite convincing."

Kakashi knew that destroying Naruto's shadow clones one by one would be too troublesome. It would be better to eliminate the four little guys watching from the sidelines.

With this thought, Kakashi formed hand seals with phantom-like speed:

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

This was the same Great Fireball Jutsu, but Kakashi's version exceeded five meters in diameter. He clearly wasn't going all out.

The great fireball cleared a path for Kakashi, and Naruto's clones couldn't even resist it.

Lu Yu, watching Naruto make no move to counter, saw a cunning glint flash in his eyes, and a sense of unease washed over him.

The next moment, as the great fireball vanished, three kunai and several shuriken flew towards them at high speed.

Lu Yu's head moved slightly, easily dodging Kakashi's attack. But when he saw Shikamaru and the other three dissolve into white smoke, the corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.

As expected of my own brother. He even set up his older brother...