Naruto : Konoha Light

In the evening, the curiosity brought by the academy festival had gradually dissipated, but everyone still lingered in the grove, unwilling to leave. 

"Hehe, although I've forgiven Zhihui now, that doesn't mean I can't enjoy watching him get beaten up." 

"Place your bets! How long do you think Zhihui will last against Shimizu this time?" 

"I'll put five swords on him lasting five minutes." 

"I'll bet a detonation tag that he won't last more than three minutes..." 

Nearby, Obito growled in frustration. "Hateful! How can these bastards be like this?" 

Zhihui, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind. "It's fine, Obito. Shimizu isn't exactly my ideal opponent.".

Then, as if suddenly realizing something, he turned to Obito with suspicion. "Wait... don't tell me you bet too?" 

Obito looked away sheepishly and nodded. 

Zhihui dramatically clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Good brother, but next time, don't let me catch you doing that." 

At that moment, Might Guy walked up, looking indignant. "I tried to use my Youthful Passion Society's special quota to place a bet, but they wouldn't accept it!" 

Obito squinted at him. Honestly, it was probably better that no one took his quota... 

"By the way, Obito, I saw you bet on Zhihui lasting only one minute. Isn't that a bit risky... Eh? What's wrong with your eye? Why are you blinking so fast? Are you trying to awaken the Sharingan?" 

"Why do I even associate with these idiots..." Obito lamented internally, but before he could say anything, he felt a heavy pressure on his shoulder. Stiffly turning his head, he found himself staring into his cousin's gentle yet piercing gaze. 

He was doomed. 

... 

"Why do I feel like he's walking in with the determination of a warrior heading into battle?" Shimizu mused, watching Zhihui approach with heavy steps. 

"Shimizu, I'll definitely last..." Zhihui started aggressively but then hesitated. If he bragged too much and failed, it'd be humiliating. He reconsidered, then declared, "...five and a half minutes!" 

"Alright, I look forward to it." 

After forming the seal of opposition, Zhihui immediately jumped back, quickly weaving hand signs. 

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" 

Without flinching, Shimizu swung his fist, dispersing the blazing fireball with a single strike. 

Sparks scattered as Zhihui used the moment to vanish into the trees. 

Unlike open combat, the jungle provided cover and obstacles, making it a more favorable battleground for someone relying on agility. 

Shimizu didn't react with surprise—he merely stood still, waiting. 

Suddenly, several bursts of flame shot out from behind him, aimed directly at his back. At the same time, Zhihui leaped forward, following behind the flames, seemingly coordinating an attack. 

Shimizu turned at the sound but, instead of dodging, he swiftly pulled out a handful of shuriken and flung them toward the flames. 

The onlookers were confused. Why was he wasting shuriken on fire? 

Then, as the metal stars struck, the flames scattered and dissipated. 

"What?! How did you see through that?" Zhihui was in shock. This was a strategy he had planned for a long time! 

"Pure fire and a flame-coated weapon make different sounds when they move," Shimizu replied calmly, as if nothing could surprise him. 

"Even that can be noticed?" Zhihui's mind reeled before a realization hit him. "Wait! I lost my advantage... Now I have to fight him in close combat?" 

Panic set in. Zhihui slammed on the brakes and immediately turned, running toward the denser part of the jungle. 

"Hah, I'm temporarily safe—" He heard a sharp slicing sound behind him and turned just in time to see a pale, muscular arm punching through the trunk of a tree right next to his face. 

Gulp. 

Zhihui swallowed hard. 

With a loud crack, the tree toppled over. 

For the new students watching, this "battle" was absolutely terrifying. 

"Too strong! Shimizu-senpai is way too strong!" 

"Strong? He's downright ruthless! We're about the same age, but he has that kind of power?" 

Obito, with his two panda-like black eyes from earlier punishment, was also in shock. "This is insane! Zhihui doesn't stand a chance!" 

Nearby, Kakashi frowned. "Exceptional hearing, precise control over his own strength, and absurd physical power... Is this the person my father said was even stronger than me?" 

In the field, Zhihui kept running, dodging trees while trying to come up with a plan. But every time he heard Shimizu yell, another tree was shattered in his path. 

In less than a minute, he was completely trapped. 

His earlier plan had failed spectacularly. He had tried to manipulate Shimizu's expectations, but Shimizu hadn't played along. 

"Stay calm. There's always a way..." Zhihui focused, scanning the area for any advantage. 

"If I can set fire to these trees and—wait, what's that?" 

As he studied the surroundings, his peripheral vision caught something fine and nearly invisible stretched across the jungle. 

A net. 

"Is this... the chakra-infused trap made by that guy in the back?" 

"It seems like you've noticed. In that case, this fight is over." 

Before Zhihui could react, he was suddenly hoisted into the air, tangled in the chakra-infused net. 

Despite his rather humiliating position, he was more focused on something else. "You were fighting me, and you still had the attention to control someone else's jutsu at the same time?" 

Shimizu smiled as he released him. "Maybe it's because I didn't need to focus that much on the fight." 

Zhihui reluctantly accepted the answer. Yeah... when it came to taijutsu, just throwing punches and kicks didn't require too much attention. 

Meanwhile, the gamblers in the crowd groaned. 

"Too fast! He only lasted 50 seconds!" 

"No way! Last time, he managed two minutes!" 

Zhihui's face turned red with embarrassment. He hadn't expected this, but fighting Shimizu was simply unfair—any mistake was instantly exploited. 

"Haha! I told you, Zhihui would—" 

Hearing someone's laughter, Zhihui's expression instantly turned murderous. 

On the other side, Asuma approached. "Shimizu, let's go." 

Shimizu nodded, but before he could take a few steps, he was suddenly blocked by a white-haired brat.