It was time for another test of their combat skills, and Lin Chuan, Naruto, and Sasuke gathered once again.
Splash, splash-
"Nice side kick. Learned that from me?" Lin Chuan brushed off his clothes and looked at Naruto, who had escaped his Water Prison. Naruto and Sasuke had then teamed up to kick him out onto the river.
With chakra clinging to the soles of his feet, he stood steadily on the water. No matter how fiercely the waves stirred up by their battle surged, they could not budge him. He silently marveled at how much better the two had become at working together.
"Chuan, we're not who we were a year ago," Sasuke said, looking at Lin Chuan excitedly. After more than a full year of training, they could finally see some hope of catching up to him. At last, they could make him take this fight seriously.
"I can see that," Lin Chuan said, twisting his mouth helplessly. These two were improving far too quickly. His Water Prison could no longer hold Naruto and Sasuke when they worked together so well.
He had intended to trap both of them in Water Prisons, but who would have thought Sasuke had mastered the Shadow Clone Jutsu? The Sasuke he had trapped was only a Shadow Clone. Then Sasuke had caught him off guard and freed Naruto from his Water Prison.
"Naruto, don't hold back. Go all out. Use your Shadow Clones to distract him first." Sasuke exchanged a glance with Naruto and took command as the team leader, directing Naruto to distract Lin Chuan as the battle erupted again.
"Got it! Watch this!" Naruto pressed his index and middle fingers together and crossed his hands into a cross-shaped seal, shouting, "Shadow Clone Jutsu..."
Pop, pop, pop-
A string of popping