The atmosphere at the scene turned strange because of Naruto's words. Everyone watched this in silence, unsure what to say.
Fortunately, Gekko Hayate had not forgotten his duty. He immediately raised his right hand in a gesture to announce the start of the fight, drawing everyone's attention.
"Cough, cough. Sasuke, Akado Yoroi, get ready. The exam begins."
Whoosh!
Upon hearing the command, Akado Yoroi's figure flashed repeatedly as he charged toward Sasuke at incredible speed.
"Hmph. Ignorant fool."
Sasuke spoke calmly, taking up his opening stance and preparing to show his opponent what he was capable of once he came close.
Hah!
Akado Yoroi quickly rushed to Sasuke's side, mobilizing the strength in his body as he launched a fierce attack, trying to defeat Sasuke.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The two exchanged blows in rapid succession, beginning a close-quarters battle in the middle of the arena.
As the top student, Sasuke's close-combat ability was extremely strong. Every attack of his was precise, and he easily blocked all of Akado Yoroi's strikes before quickly suppressing him.
"So amazing!"
Sakura gazed at Sasuke like a lovestruck girl, feeling that he looked incredibly handsome right now.
The people around them, such as Rock Lee and Tenten, secretly nodded as well, marveling at Sasuke's impressive strength.
But then Sakura suddenly thought of Naruto's strength. She turned and asked, "Naruto, do you think Sasuke can win?"
"Winning definitely won't be a problem. He'll just have to suffer a little first," Naruto said calmly.
"Why? Sasuke has been suppressing Akado Yoroi the whole time. He should be able to win easily, right?" Sakura asked in confusion, drawing the attention of those around her.
Neji Hyuga and Tenten did not know Naruto's strength, so they looked over with doubtful expressions.
"This Akado Yoroi may be weak, but he