Asuma stared at him.
"Fang Xu, today I'll show you that a ninja can't win just by talking or taking on a master."
Fang Xu said calmly, "Then give it a try."
Suzuki Nakamura glanced at the two of them and raised his hand.
"Begin!"
Asuma didn't bother testing him.
With a flick of his wrist, he sent several shuriken flying at once.
The shuriken split into high and low trajectories at tricky angles. It was clear he had put serious effort into practicing.
"So fast!"
"Just what you'd expect from Asuma of the Sarutobi Clan."
Kurenai Yuhi also watched the field intently.
Fang Xu stayed where he was, moving his feet back only 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 one after another.
The last flew past his shoulder and buried itself in a wooden post behind him.
The entire sequence was so clean that it left people stunned.
Obito's eyes widened.
"He blocked them all?"
Some of the disdain also faded from Ebisu's face.
Gritting his teeth, Asuma had already charged up to Fang Xu with a kunai, using the shuriken as cover.
"Don't think that's all!"
His kunai thrust straight toward Fang Xu's chest.
Fang Xu raised his hand to block.
Clang!
The two kunai collided.
Asuma twisted his wrist, changing moves in rapid succession as he attacked Fang Xu's shoulder and beneath his ribs.
Fang Xu's footwork remained steady, his kunai blocking again and again.
The results of nearly two weeks of intense training were fully apparent at that moment.
His body was stronger, his reactions faster.
His ninjutsu, Nintaijutsu, and swordsmanship fundamentals had all improved from where he had started.
His control over the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was no longer as crude as when he had first obtained it, either.
Before, when he used lightning, he tended to release too much power all at once.
Now, he only needed to channel the lightning into key areas.
His shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, back, and ankles-each received just the right amount of stimulation.
Less energy spent, greater speed.
Asuma grew more anxious as the fight went on.
He was already attacking with everything he had, yet Fang Xu's defense was far too steady.
The comments from their classmates grew increasingly grating.
"Fang Xu doesn't look panicked at all."
"He's blocking all of Asuma's attacks."
"He really has gotten a lot stronger."
Asuma's face heated as he listened.
Then he saw Kurenai Yuhi watching the field attentively, and he could no longer suppress his defiance.
"Fang Xu!"
Asuma let out a low roar and pressed his kunai down hard, trying to force Fang Xu back with sheer strength.
Fang Xu held his kunai horizontally to block.
Clang!
The sound of colliding metal rang out.
The next instant, blue-white lightning appeared over Fang Xu's body.
Fine arcs crawled along his arm, faint crackles sounding in the air.
Asuma's expression changed.
Fang Xu's left hand seized Asuma's collar with lightning speed and slammed him toward the ground.
Thud!
Asuma's back hit the sandy ground hard, sending up a ring of dust.
His chest tightened. He was just about to grit his teeth and roll to his feet when he suddenly felt something cold at his neck.
Fang Xu's kunai was already held steadily against his throat.
Blue-white arcs still danced along Fang Xu's arm, and faint crackles lingered in the air.
Asuma froze, and the entire field fell silent with him.
From Fang Xu's burst of lightning to Asuma being thrown down and the kunai reaching his throat, only an instant had passed.
It was so fast that many hadn't even finished blinking.
Obito's eyes widened, and his mouth opened.
"That's... that's it?"
Ebisu's hand stopped in midair as he adjusted his glasses.
"Asuma got beaten in an instant?"
Rin Nohara was stunned too.
She knew Fang Xu had grown stronger lately, but she hadn't expected him to be this strong.
Kurenai Yuhi's heart raced as she watched.
Asuma's attacks had been so fierce, yet Fang Xu had blocked them steadily the whole time.
Once the lightning flashed, the outcome was decided outright, without any drawn-out struggle or desperate counterattack.
Just an instant of overwhelming dominance.
Standing at the edge of the field, Suzuki Nakamura looked even more surprised than the students.
He was a teacher and could see it more clearly. Fang Xu hadn't simply relied on brute force.
He had first blocked Asuma's successive attacks with his kunai, then waited for Asuma to grow impatient and exert his strength before stimulating his arm, waist, and back with lightning, instantly breaking his balance.
Grab the collar, slam him down, pin his throat with a kunai.
The three movements flowed together with a precision that hardly seemed possible for a Ninja Academy student.
"Fang Xu..."
Suzuki Nakamura was shaken.
This boy had clearly been in the lower-middle ranks of the class before.
How had he changed so much in so little time?
Asuma lay on the ground, his face flushed bright red.
He had considered that he might lose, but he had never imagined losing this quickly, especially in front of Kurenai Yuhi.
Just moments ago, he had said he would show Fang Xu that a ninja couldn't win just by talking or taking on a master.
Yet barely any time had passed since those words, and Fang Xu's kunai was already against his neck.
That humiliation stung badly.
Fang Xu didn't keep him pinned down.
He withdrew his kunai, and the lightning on his body slowly faded.
"Teacher, it's over, right?"
Only then did Suzuki Nakamura come back to his senses and immediately speak.
"The winner is Fang Xu."
At those words, the students gathered around the field erupted.
"Fang Xu won!"
"That was so fast!"
"But Asuma is from the Sarutobi Clan!"
"There was lightning on Fang Xu just now. What ninjutsu was that?"
"Didn't he just become Lord White Fang's student? Does Lord White Fang teach Lightning Release too?"
One wave of chatter followed another.
Asuma's face burned even hotter as he listened.
Gritting his teeth, he pushed against the ground, trying to stand on his own.
But the throw had been too hard, and the lightning had briefly numbed his body. His arm gave way, and he nearly fell back down.
Just then, a hand reached out in front of him.
Asuma looked up.
Fang Xu stood before him, his expression calm.
"Get up."
Asuma looked at the hand, feeling deeply awkward.
He had lost, and lost badly.
Yet Fang Xu hadn't mocked him or taken the opportunity to say anything nasty.
That only made him feel worse.
After two seconds of silence, Asuma reached out and took Fang Xu's hand.
Fang Xu pulled him to his feet.
Once Asuma had steadied himself, he brushed the dirt off his clothes and said quietly, "I lost this time."
Fang Xu nodded.
"Yeah."
Asuma looked up at him, his tone suddenly turning serious.
"But next time, I'll win."
Fang Xu smiled.
"Then keep at it."
Asuma froze.
He had expected Fang Xu to say something like, "Anytime," or, "You've still got a long way to go."
He hadn't expected such a simple word of encouragement.
Some of the bitterness in Asuma's heart faded.
He took a deep breath and raised his hand.
Fang Xu raised his hand too.
The two formed the seal of reconciliation.
Watching this, Suzuki Nakamura nodded to himself.
Neither arrogant in victory nor discouraged in defeat.
At least in this match, neither child had disappointed him.