Konohamaru remained standing there in a daze even after Hanabi Hyuga withdrew her sword-like fingers.
Even now, he could not figure out how he had lost.
It felt as though, in the blink of an eye, Hanabi Hyuga had already reached him, her sharp fingers locking onto his vital points.
They said onlookers saw things clearly, yet Kazematsuri Moegi and Ise Udon were equally baffled.
The two of them had been expecting an exceptionally exciting battle, but they had never imagined it would end like this.
"Is it over?"
Ise Udon sniffed his runny nose back in and rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
"S-So amazing..."
Kazematsuri Moegi looked at Hanabi Hyuga with admiration in her eyes.
They were both girls and nearly the same age, yet the other girl was so formidable that Moegi could only look up to her.
Konohamaru had not suffered any actual injury.
But his spirit had taken a crushing blow.
That was hardly surprising.
He had been brimming with confidence, thinking he could turn the tide with the B-rank ninjutsu, the Shadow Clone Technique, only to be denied even a chance to make a move.
It felt as if someone had lifted him high into the air, only to slam him brutally to the ground.
"Tell me, what... what did you just do?"
Konohamaru stared fixedly at Hanabi Hyuga across from him.
Hanabi Hyuga answered calmly,
"I merely defeated you in the simplest way possible."
It truly had been direct and simple!
Yet the impact it had on Konohamaru was anything but ordinary.
Konohamaru looked utterly dejected.
He finally realized that the gap between him and Hanabi Hyuga was far greater than he had imagined.
He had always thought himself so impressive, but it turned out he had been a frog at the bottom of