Sign in From Naruto

As Sasuke and Xu Fan completed the Seal of Opposition, the playground fell silent.

The female students, in particular, held their breath, their eyes wide as they eagerly awaited Sasuke's performance.

"You asked for it," Sasuke said coldly, then lunged forward, his legs propelling him toward Xu Fan.

Seeing this, Iruka and Mizuki quickly stepped back, giving the two enough space to spar.

"As a member of the Uchiha clan and one of the village's top young talents..." Mizuki muttered, his voice tinged with envy.

He couldn't help but feel jealous of Sasuke, especially given the Uchiha clan's unique Kekkei Genkai—the Sharingan. Once awakened, it would grant Sasuke unparalleled power.

"Yeah, if Senju-san underestimates Sasuke, he's in for a tough time," Iruka agreed.

However, sparring in the academy was much safer than real combat or life-and-death battles. If necessary, Iruka would step in to stop the fight.

Just as Iruka was thinking this, Sasuke closed the distance between himself and Xu Fan with impressive speed.

"Sasuke's speed... it's even faster than before," Iruka exclaimed, shocked.

"It's almost on par with some genin..."

Faster?

Xu Fan tilted his head slightly. From his perspective, Sasuke had simply charged forward in a straightforward manner, his fist aimed directly at Xu Fan.

At this stage, Sasuke hadn't awakened his Sharingan, nor had he been trained by Rock Lee in taijutsu. His movements were predictable.

Xu Fan calmly aimed for Sasuke's neck and delivered a precise strike.

Thud!

With a dull sound, Sasuke lost his balance and collapsed to the ground.

Thump!

Sasuke lay sprawled on the ground, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

What had just happened?

How had he been taken down so easily?

The playground fell into complete silence.

No one had expected Sasuke, the top student, to be defeated in a single move.

"What did Senju-san just do?"

"I didn't see it clearly."

"If Hinata were here, she could've seen it with her Byakugan."

"Sasuke-kun..."

Sakura stared at Sasuke, her eyes wide with disbelief. She couldn't fathom how Sasuke, the class's top performer, had been defeated so quickly.

"That was..."

Iruka inhaled sharply. As a chūnin, his reflexes and perception were far superior to the students'. He had seen exactly what happened.

Just as Sasuke was about to strike, Xu Fan had moved with incredible speed, disrupting Sasuke's balance and sending him to the ground.

Simple, yet devastating.

"Senju-san's taijutsu... it's astonishingly powerful," Iruka thought, his shock deepening.

"The ground's slippery," Sasuke muttered, pushing himself up. He shook his head, feeling dizzy and disoriented. It was as if he'd been hit by a heavy object.

"I told you! Sasuke-kun wouldn't lose to a newcomer in taijutsu. It's just the ground!" one of Sasuke's supporters exclaimed, as if discovering a new truth.

"But unfortunately, you'll lose," Sasuke said, retreating a few steps. Though he maintained a calm exterior, his mind was racing.

He hadn't even seen Xu Fan's movements clearly. All he'd felt was an overwhelming force pressing down on him.

As much as he hated to admit it, Xu Fan's speed and strength surpassed his own.

"If I had awakened my Sharingan, this wouldn't have happened..." Sasuke thought bitterly.

The Uchiha clan's most famous trait was their Kekkei Genkai—the Sharingan. It was a dojutsu far superior to the Byakugan, capable of seeing through an opponent's movements and exposing their weaknesses.

But Sasuke hadn't awakened his Sharingan yet.

Still, the Uchiha clan wasn't just about the Sharingan.

A smirk crept onto Sasuke's face as if victory was already within his grasp.

The other students, noticing Sasuke's expression, grew tense.

"Is Sasuke-kun going to use that move?"

"A real ninjutsu..."

Many cast envious glances at Sasuke.

While they were all at the academy to learn ninjutsu, Sasuke had already mastered several techniques before even enrolling.

It was said to be a talent unique to the Uchiha clan.

Naruto, however, scoffed. "Show-off."

"Fire Release," Xu Fan murmured, watching Sasuke's hand seals.

In Sasuke's mind, Xu Fan was a newcomer who knew nothing about him or the Uchiha clan. Even if Xu Fan saw his hand seals, he wouldn't understand their significance.

Just as Xu Fan didn't understand what the name "Uchiha" truly meant.

And now, Sasuke would show him.

This was the power he had honed through relentless training, day after day, year after year.

"Sasuke!" Iruka shouted, trying to intervene.

While sparring was allowed, using ninjutsu could seriously injure Xu Fan.

Mizuki's expression, however, grew complex.

He had heard rumors about Sasuke, but how could a mere academy student possess such a technique? He shouldn't have that much chakra...

"Is this what they call a genius?" Mizuki clenched his fists, his teeth gritted in frustration.

But Sasuke's hand seals were fluid and precise. Before Iruka could stop him, Sasuke completed the sequence and took a deep breath.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Whoosh!

A massive fireball erupted from Sasuke's mouth, roaring toward Xu Fan.

But what Sasuke didn't expect was that Xu Fan had been mimicking his hand seals at an astonishing speed.

What is this guy doing? Is he trying to copy my Fire Release?

That's impossible...

Do you know how long it took me to master this technique?

This isn't something you can learn by just copying the hand seals!

Yet, in the next moment, Xu Fan completed the seals and took a deep breath.

Whoosh!

"Fire Release: Grand Fireball Technique!"

A fireball dozens of times larger than Sasuke's erupted from Xu Fan's mouth, roaring toward Sasuke with overwhelming force.

Sasuke's eyes widened in terror as he stumbled backward, collapsing to the ground.

It wasn't just Sasuke who was stunned.

Iruka and Mizuki stood frozen, their jaws hanging open.

Is this guy a monster...?

"Mizuki-sensei..." Iruka gulped, his voice trembling. "Can you... do something like this?"