Instantly Defeating Asuma

Asuma stared at him.

"Fang Xu, today I'll let you know that a ninja can't win just by talking or taking a master."

Fang Xu replied calmly, "Then let's try it."

Suzuki Nakamura glanced at the two of them and raised his hand.

"Begin!"

Asuma did not probe him at all.

With a flick of his wrist, several Shuriken flew out at once.

The Shuriken split into high and low paths at tricky angles, clearly the result of hard practice.

"So fast!"

"Asuma really is from the Sarutobi Clan."

Kurenai Yuhi also watched the match closely.

Fang Xu stood where he was, only shifting back half an inch.

He raised the Kunai in his right hand.

Clang!

The first Shuriken was knocked away.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The second, third, and fourth were deflected in succession.

The last grazed past his shoulder and embedded itself directly into the wooden post behind him.

The entire exchange was so clean that everyone was left stunned.

Obito's eyes widened.

"He blocked them all?"

The disdain on Ebisu's face lessened as well.

Gritting his teeth, Asuma used the Shuriken as cover and had already rushed in front of Fang Xu with a Kunai in hand.

"Don't think this is over!"

The Kunai stabbed straight at Fang Xu's chest.

Fang Xu raised his hand to block it.

Clang!

The two Kunai collided.

Asuma twisted his wrist and changed moves repeatedly, attacking Fang Xu's shoulder and ribs.

Fang Xu's footing remained steady as his Kunai blocked every strike.

The results of nearly two weeks of intense training were fully displayed at this moment.

His physique was stronger, and his reactions were faster.

His ninjutsu, Nintaijutsu, and swordsmanship foundations had all improved considerably from the beginning.

His control over the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was no longer as crude as it had been when he first obtained it.

In the past, whenever he used lightning, he tended to unleash too much power at once.

Now, he only needed to concentrate the lightning into crucial areas.

Shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, back, ankles—each spot received only the most appropriate stimulation.

The consumption was lower, and his speed was faster.

Asuma grew more frantic as the fight continued.

He was clearly attacking with all his strength, yet Fang Xu's defense was far too stable.

The surrounding students' chatter also became increasingly grating.

"Fang Xu doesn't seem nervous at all."

"All of Asuma's attacks were blocked."

"He really has gotten so much stronger."

Asuma's face heated as he listened.

Then he saw Kurenai Yuhi watching the match intently, and the resentment in his heart could no longer be suppressed.

"Fang Xu!"

Asuma let out a low roar and slammed his Kunai down, trying to force Fang Xu back through sheer strength.

Fang Xu held his Kunai horizontally to block.

Clang!

The sound of metal crashing rang out.

The next instant, blue-white lightning emerged from Fang Xu's body.

Fine arcs of electricity crawled along his arms, accompanied by faint crackling in the air.

Asuma's expression changed.

With lightning speed, Fang Xu's left hand grabbed Asuma by the collar and smashed him violently into the ground.

Bang!

Asuma's back slammed hard into the sand, kicking up a ring of dust.

His chest tightened. Just as he gritted his teeth and tried to roll over and stand, a sudden chill touched his neck.

Fang Xu's Kunai was already pressed steadily against his throat.

Blue-white arcs still danced over Fang Xu's arm, and faint crackling lingered in the air.

Asuma froze, and the entire field fell silent with him.

From Fang Xu unleashing lightning, to Asuma being thrown down, to the Kunai reaching his throat, it had taken no more than an instant.

It was so fast that many had not even finished blinking.

Obito's eyes were wide, his mouth opening and closing.

"Th... that's it?"

Ebisu's hand stopped midway through adjusting his glasses.

"Asuma was instantly defeated?"

Rin Nohara was stunned as well.

She knew Fang Xu had grown stronger lately, but she had not expected him to become this strong.

Kurenai Yuhi's heart beat faster as she watched.

Asuma's offensive had been so fierce just now, yet Fang Xu had steadily blocked everything.

The moment the lightning flashed, the outcome was decided. There was no dragging it out, no desperate counterattack.

It was simply instant suppression.

Suzuki Nakamura stood at the edge of the field, and the surprise on his face was even more obvious than the students'.

As a teacher, he could see more clearly that Fang Xu had not relied on brute force alone.

He first used his Kunai to block Asuma's repeated attacks, waited for Asuma to grow impatient and exert himself, then used lightning to stimulate his arm, waist, and back, breaking Asuma's balance in an instant.

Grab the collar, slam him down, lock his throat with a Kunai.

The three movements flowed together, so cleanly that they did not resemble the moves of a Ninja Academy student.

"Fang Xu..."

Suzuki Nakamura was shaken.

This child had clearly only been in the lower-middle ranks of the class before.

How had he changed so much in such a short time?

Asuma lay on the ground, his face flushed red.

He had considered that he might lose, but he had never imagined he would lose so quickly, especially in front of Kurenai Yuhi.

Just moments ago, he had declared that Fang Xu would learn that a ninja could not win through words or by taking a master.

Yet before those words had even faded, Fang Xu's Kunai was at his throat.

That slap to the face hurt far too much.

Fang Xu did not continue pinning him down.

He withdrew his Kunai, and the lightning around his body gradually faded.

"Sensei, it's over, right?"

Suzuki Nakamura snapped back to his senses and immediately spoke.

"The winner is Fang Xu."

The moment those words fell, the students gathered around the field erupted.

"Fang Xu won!"

"That was way too fast!"

"But Asuma is from the Sarutobi Clan!"

"Fang Xu had lightning around him just now. What kind of ninjutsu was that?"

"Didn't he just become Lord White Fang's disciple? Could Lord White Fang teach Lightning Release too?"

The discussions came one after another.

Asuma's face burned even hotter as he listened.

Gritting his teeth, he braced himself against the ground and tried to stand on his own.

But the throw had been too heavy, and his body had gone numb from the lightning for an instant. His arm gave out, and he nearly fell back down.

At that moment, a hand extended before him.

Asuma looked up.

Fang Xu stood before him, his expression calm.

"Get up."

Asuma looked at that hand, feeling deeply conflicted.

He had lost, and he had lost terribly.

Yet Fang Xu had not mocked him or taken the chance to say anything harsh.

That only made him feel worse.

After two seconds of silence, Asuma still reached out and grasped Fang Xu's hand.

Fang Xu exerted force and pulled him up.

Once Asuma had steadied himself, he patted the dirt off his body and said quietly, "I lost this time."

Fang Xu nodded.

"Yeah."

Asuma looked up at him, his tone suddenly serious.

"But next time, I'll definitely win it back."

Fang Xu smiled.

"Then work hard."

Asuma was taken aback.

He had expected Fang Xu to say something like, "I'll be waiting," or "You're still far from good enough."

He had not expected such a simple word of encouragement.

The bitterness in Asuma's heart eased somewhat.

He took a deep breath and raised his hand.

Fang Xu raised his hand as well.

The two formed the Seal of Reconciliation.

Suzuki Nakamura watched the scene and nodded inwardly.

Humble in victory, unyielding in defeat.

At least in this match, neither child had disappointed him.