The afternoon sun of late autumn cast a lazy, warm light over the spacious training grounds of the Ninja Academy.
The earth, packed solid, was marked with clear white circles. The air was thick with the unique mix of tension and excitement characteristic of youth.
All the students sat surrounding the field on stone steps, their gazes fixed on the two figures about to face off in the center.
Sasuke stood on one side of the field, dressed in his dark blue, short-sleeved, high-collared clan attire. Under his black short hair, his handsome young face was taut, his pitch-black eyes gleaming with the confidence of a genius and a trace of barely perceptible arrogance.
He slightly raised his chin, his hands swiftly and skillfully forming the [Seal of Confrontation] in front of his chest. His movements were clean and precise, carrying the distinctive rhythmic flair of the Uchiha Clan.
Crowned with the title 'genius' since childhood and subjected to the strict, high-standard teachings of his father and brother, he believed himself far superior to his peers, whether in Chakra Refinement, Ninjutsu, or the clan's inherited Taijutsu and Throwing Techniques.
As for Menma in front of him?
Although his usual grades were good and his performance in practical classes was above average, Sasuke didn't truly consider him an opponent worth going all out against. His goal had always been to surpass that figure named 'Itachi'.
Menma stood opposite Sasuke, his tall frame accentuated by simple black training clothes.
Unlike Sasuke's tension, he appeared very relaxed, even somewhat lazy. Under his black, unruly hair, a pair of clear blue eyes were calm and undisturbed.
He casually raised his hand, forming an equally standard [Seal of Confrontation]. His movements were fluid and natural, yet lacked the sharp, imposing aura Sasuke deliberately projected.
Iruka, holding a clipboard and pen, stood at the edge of the field, his expression serious as he scanned both of them. "Uchiha Sasuke, Menma! The rules of the match: exercise restraint! Primarily use Taijutsu, the Basic Three Techniques, and the basic tool throwing taught at the Academy. The use of lethal Ninjutsu is forbidden!"
"Prepare... Begin!"
The moment the word 'Begin' was uttered, a sharp light flashed in Sasuke's eyes, and he moved fast as lightning!
His right hand swiftly pulled three wooden training kunai from his tool pouch. With a flick of his wrist, the three kunai shot forth with a slight whistling sound!
They flew in a triangular formation, aimed directly at Menma's upper, middle, and lower paths, precisely sealing off his main possible angles of evasion!
The throwing technique was the foundation of the Uchiha Clan's proud throwing art… cunning angles and full power!
At the instant the kunai were released, Sasuke himself shot forward like an arrow following the kunai! His footwork was swift, adopting the Uchiha-Style Taijutsu opening stance, his right fist coiled and ready.
He clearly intended to use the kunai as a distraction to close in and quickly suppress his opponent with Taijutsu!
"Wow! Sasuke-kun is so fast!"
"Such an amazing throw! He sealed off all directions in one go!"
"Menma's in danger!"
Exclamations of surprise from the girls and admiration from the boys rose from the sidelines.
Naruto clenched his fists nervously: "Menma! Be careful!"
Facing this textbook combination assault, Menma appeared exceptionally calm.
He didn't even take a half-step back.
Instead, his left hand swiftly reached into his own tool pouch, pulling out only a single wooden shuriken. He flicked it with an extremely subtle angle!
Whoosh!
That single shuriken didn't directly intercept any of the kunai. Instead, it accurately struck the tail of the kunai aimed at his chest!
Thud!
With a slight sound, the struck kunai's trajectory instantly changed, flying off diagonally.
This deflected kunai then coincidentally struck the side blade of the kunai aimed below Menma's knees!
Thud!
The second kunai was also knocked off course.
Under this chain reaction, the momentum of this deflected kunai wasn't spent. It finally even collided with the kunai aimed at Menma's face!
Thud!
The three originally fierce kunai, guided by the clever impact of Menma's single shuriken, collided with each other, bounced off, and ultimately fell powerlessly to the ground scattered around Menma!
The entire process happened in the blink of an eye, seamless and smooth as if practiced thousands of times!
"What?!" Sasuke's forward momentum halted abruptly, his eyes showing disbelief for the first time!
'My Uchiha Clan's Shurikenjutsu was actually neutralized so effortlessly by him?!'
"So... so strong!" Choji, holding his half-eaten bag of chips, murmured in awe.
"How... how was that done?" Kiba's eyes were wide with utter astonishment.
"Menma-kun is so cool..." Hinata covered her flushed cheeks with her hands, her eyes sparkling.
"Go on! Menma-nii! Teach that cocky Sasuke a lesson!" Naruto yelled loudly.
Shino adjusted his sunglasses. Even Shikamaru shed his previous laziness.
Sasuke's shock lasted only a moment. His strong self-esteem was instantly ignited by fury!
He let out a low shout, pushed off hard with his feet, and charged at Menma at an even greater speed! His right fist, carrying a sharp whistling sound, aimed straight for Menma's face!
A standard Uchiha-style Taijutsu rushing punch!
Menma seemed to have anticipated it. He didn't retreat but advanced instead!
He shifted his footing, his body turning slightly, adopting the most basic blocking stance of the Konoha-style Taijutsu. His right arm rose, the forearm precisely blocking the inside of Sasuke's wrist, easily deflecting most of the force from that fierce punch!
Bang!
A dull sound of impact echoed.
Sasuke's strike missed. His left leg followed through with a low sweep, aiming for Menma's lower body!
Menma, however, seemed to know it beforehand. His left leg retreated half a step, knee slightly bent, easily avoiding the sweep.
Simultaneously, his right hand, formed into a chop, struck fast as lightning, aiming straight for Sasuke's exposed side ribs… an opening created by the sweeping kick!
A jolt of alarm shot through Sasuke. He hastily retracted his leg to defend, crossing his arms to protect his ribs!
Bang!
Another dull impact rang. Sasuke's arms went numb from Menma's seemingly casual yet skillfully powerful chop strike. His body was forced to stagger back a step!
Menma pressed his advantage. Or rather, his movements simply didn't pause, flowing seamlessly like clouds and water.
The basic techniques of Konoha-style Taijutsu, like rushing punches, blocks, side kicks, chop strikes, elbow strikes, were wielded by him with effortless mastery, combined flawlessly!
His movements held no flair, yet were exceptionally simple and efficient. Every attack precisely hit Sasuke at the moment his old force was spent and new force hadn't yet been generated. Every block perfectly defused Sasuke's offensive.
Sasuke's proud Uchiha-style Taijutsu now seemed completely restrained by Menma's plain yet impeccable Konoha-style Taijutsu!
Sasuke felt like every one of his attacks landed on cotton, while the counterattacks were like a persistent disease, always finding the gaps in his defense!
His pride in his speed and technique seemed useless against Menma!
He could only passively block and dodge, his footwork growing increasingly disordered, his breathing more and more ragged.
He was forced back step by step under Menma's relentless, tide-like assault!
The sidelines fell silent!
Everyone stared wide-eyed, unable to believe the scene before them!
That Sasuke, admired by countless girls, the acknowledged top student, was actually being completely suppressed in a Taijutsu spar, beaten back relentlessly by Menma?!
"This... this is impossible!" Ino covered her mouth.
"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura's face was full of worry.
"Hahaha! See that! I told you Menma is the strongest! Beat him up, Menma!" Naruto was so excited he was dancing around as if he were the one dominating the field.
Shikamaru watched Menma's fluid movements, a faint, hard-to-detect gleam flashing in his lazy eyes, "This guy... his Taijutsu basics are ridiculously solid..."
Even Iruka was dumbfounded, his pen forgotten in his hand, no longer taking notes.
He had never imagined that the most basic Konoha-style Taijutsu taught at the Academy could be utilized with such mastery and overwhelming force!
Menma's movements were the epitome of simplicity, yet contained an indescribable coordination and predictive ability.
Finally, during an intense close-quarters exchange, Menma seized the moment Sasuke was off-balance. His right leg swept out like a whip… a clean, sharp mid-level kick!
Bang!
The kick landed solidly on Sasuke's hastily blocking forearms!
The tremendous force made it impossible for Sasuke to stabilize himself any longer. His whole body flew backward like a kite with its string cut, landing heavily on the muddy ground several meters away, kicking up a cloud of dust!
"Sasuke-kun!" Ino, Sakura, and the other girls cried out in alarm.
Sasuke tumbled once before barely stopping.
He knelt on one knee, breathing heavily. The black hair on his forehead was soaked with sweat, sticking to his temples.
He looked up, his pale face now flushed bright red. His pitch-black eyes were filled with humiliation, resentment, and unbelievable fury!
Since childhood, when had he ever suffered such a defeat in front of his peers?
Especially under the gaze of so many!
Although he found those fangirls annoying, having so many eyes focused on him... this arrogant brat was extremely embarrassed now.
"Damn it!" Sasuke roared, leaping to his feet. The intense feeling of humiliation completely overwhelmed his reason!
He forgot the rules Iruka had announced. He forgot this was a class spar!
His hands flew rapidly in front of his chest, forming a series of complex, familiar hand seals.
Ram - Monkey - Boar - Horse - Tiger!
"Sasuke! Stop!!" Iruka, seeing those hand seals, paled drastically and shouted to halt, simultaneously rushing forward to intervene!
But it was too late!
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Sasuke's chest puffed out, Chakra surging madly towards his throat!
He took a deep breath and, aiming at the calmly standing Menma just meters away, exhaled fiercely!
Whoosh-!
Roar-!
A scorching, massive orange-red fireball, easily two to three meters in diameter, materialized out of thin air! It roared towards Menma with the momentum to incinerate everything in its path!
A wave of blistering heat instantly swept across the entire training ground, distorting the surrounding air!
The students erupted into screams of terror!
"Menma!"
"Danger!"
Hinata turned deathly pale, nearly fainting on the spot.
Naruto was also stunned, his mouth hanging open in shock.
However, at the very moment the terrifying fireball was about to engulf Menma, something bizarre happened!
The 'Menma' standing in place was completely swallowed by the Great Fireball!
But the expected scream of pain never came.
The fireball roared past, crashing into the specially reinforced protective earthen wall at the edge of the training ground, leaving a charred mark and scattering sparks.
In the original spot, only a single, scorched black log stump remained, standing alone, wispy smoke curling from it.
"Substitution Technique?!" Sasuke's pupils contracted sharply, his mind going blank!
'When?'
'I hadn't sensed him forming hand seals!'
In the instant Sasuke's mind was reeling, a calm voice, ghost-like, sounded just behind and to his side, carrying a hint of barely perceptible mockery:
"I win."
Every hair on Sasuke's body stood on end. He whipped his head around!
There, standing less than half a meter behind him, was Menma. His right hand held a cold, wooden training kunai,
its blunt tip now resting steadily and lightly against the vulnerable side of Sasuke's neck, right over his carotid artery!
He could even feel the slightly cool touch of the wood!
Time seemed to freeze in that moment.
Sasuke stood rigid, the color draining completely from his face, leaving only endless shame and a sense of defeat.
He had lost... lost utterly and completely!
His proud Taijutsu was suppressed, his final Great Fireball Technique was easily tricked by the most basic Substitution Technique, and he was even silently 'killed' by the opponent closing in!
"Stop! The match is over! Menma wins!" Iruka rushed into the field, his voice carrying lingering fear and sternness.
"You two! That was far too reckless! Sasuke! Who told you to use a C-Rank Fire Release Ninjutsu in a class spar?! Menma! You..." He looked at Menma, who calmly retracted the kunai, and the words of reprimand died on his lips.
After all, Menma had only used basic Taijutsu and the Substitution Technique the entire time, and his reaction was nothing short of perfect.
Iruka's stern gaze swept to Sasuke: "Sasuke! You broke the rules! Your punishment is cleaning the training grounds for a week after class! Now, return to the group immediately!"
Sasuke hung his head, biting his lip so hard it nearly bled, his shoulders trembling slightly.
He didn't look at anyone, nor did he acknowledge Iruka's scolding. He turned sharply, and then, without a word, he sprinted out of the training field, his figure quickly disappearing down the path leading to the Academy building.
Menma watched Sasuke's retreating back and shrugged helplessly.
'He'll probably go home and cry into his big brother Itachi's arms again.'
Menma put away the kunai, brushed non-existent dust off his black training clothes, and walked relaxedly towards the stone steps where his classmates were.
"Wow! Menma! That was amazing! Did you see the look on that guy Sasuke's face? Hahaha! So satisfying!" Naruto was the first to pounce, excitedly slapping Menma's shoulder as if he were the one who had won.
"Menma-kun... are you alright? Just now... you scared me to death..." Hinata's face was still a bit pale. She timidly moved closer, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum, her eyes filled with concern and lingering fear.
"Well done, Menma," Choji offered a potato chip, his chubby face full of admiration.
"Hmph, I guess you're not completely useless," Kiba said, though his eyes also held clear respect.
"What a drag..." Shikamaru looked in the direction Sasuke had disappeared, then at the relaxed Menma, and let out his signature sigh once more.
Iruka looked at Menma, surrounded by his classmates, then glanced in the direction Sasuke had left. He raised a hand to wipe the cold sweat from his temple and let out a long, relieved sigh.
He thought with lingering fear, 'Thank goodness... thank goodness Menma is strong enough and reacted quickly enough. If his Substitution Technique had been half a beat slower, or if he'd been even grazed by that Great Fireball... the consequences are unthinkable! That Sasuke... his desire to win is just too strong.'
He decided then and there that he absolutely must have a good, long talk with Sasuke after class.