Iruka was quietly thinking to himself. 'It seems that Makoto has been putting in a lot of effort! Otherwise, his progress wouldn't have been so significant. Especially in terms of strength, it looks like he's been training hard during his free time!'
After realizing he couldn't withdraw his fist, Naruto decided to switch tactics and attempted to kick Makoto with a sidekick.
Makoto noticed his move, grabbed Naruto's hand, and twisted it gently. "Ah! It hurts! It hurts!"
Makoto wasn't really using any force. Given his current strength, if he applied any real pressure, Naruto's arm would likely be rendered useless.
[Uchiha Madara: Is this really the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki? Isn't this embarrassing?]
[Senju Tobirama: Fourth! I must say, your son has quite…..the capability]
[Uzumaki Kushina: Hey, hey! Be gentle! Didn't you see how much pain Naruto is in?]
[Namikaze Minato: Makoto! please go easy on him]
[Makoto Ito: Impossible! Do you know how much this kid used to bully me? Every time I couldn't defeat him during training, he'd claim I let him win, and then he'd insist on me treating him to ramen! I'm making sure to teach him a lesson today!]
To be honest, Makoto wasn't really bullied by Naruto. Their relationship was actually quite good. The reason he spoke so harshly was to try and get some benefits from Minato and Kushina.
What if they didn't give him anything?
Well, then, he could do nothing about it. From the beginning, he wasn't really planning to do anything to Naruto.
Naruto, who was still trapped by Makoto, refused to just sit back and accept his fate. He twisted his body, placed his left hand on the ground, turned sideways, and prepared to kick Makoto's head.
"Naruto's move is a clever one! How will Makoto respond?" Iruka was impressed.
In Iruka's eyes, Naruto's strategy was pretty good and it could potentially turn the tide of the match.
[Senju Hashirama: It seems this kid has a good talent for taijutsu]
[Uchiha Madara: Fourth, your son is not totally useless!]
Naruto's move was certainly well-thought-out but the disparity in strength between the two was too vast for it to have any real effect.
Makoto wasn't particularly surprised by his move as Naruto often came up with unexpected tactics in battle. He simply leaned back slightly and grabbed Naruto's ankles with one hand. He then swiftly pulled them upward and spun him like a windmill.
[Uchiha Madara: Pfft! Hahaha! This is hilarious! I never thought watching kids fight could be this entertaining!]
[Senju Hashirama: Well, if the strength were more equal, that move could have worked, but with Ito Makoto's current strength, he easily countered it]
[Senju Tobirama: What a shame! That was a brilliant move. Looks like your son's going to take a beating, Fourth Hokage!]
At this moment, Naruto squirmed desperately, shouting. "Makoto, Put me down now!"
Makoto casually tossed him aside. "Here you go!"
[Uzumaki Kushina: Naruto!]
Naruto quickly twisted his body and landed on his foot.
"Hmph! You caught me off guard, but I'm coming for you now!" Naruto quickly resumed his fighting stance.
Suddenly, Makoto dashed toward him at full speed and he raised his fist using his full strength.
[Uzumaki Kushina: No! Makoto, Don't do it!]
But in the blink of an eye, Makoto withdrew his strength and gently patted Naruto's shoulder with a smile. "That was a pretty good move!"
[Uzumaki Kushina: ....]
Naruto had a stunned face upon hearing his words. With a playful smile, Makoto pushed Naruto down with a slight exertion of his palm, causing him to land on his butt.
"Makoto, I'm going to make you pay for this!" Naruto stood up and rubbed his back with an embarrassed face.
Iruka was relieved after seeing this scene.
At that crucial moment, he was about to step in to end the match, but after seeing Makoto pull back his strength, he stopped.
As Naruto stood up and charged toward him again, Makoto's smile only grew wider.
[Ito Makoto: Minato, Kushina, What should I do? Your son won't back down unless he gets beaten up badly. You don't want your son to be beaten into a pulp, do you? How about you give me the Flying Thunder God technique? I'll subdue him without beating him up, deal?]
[Uchiha Madara: So that's what you were planning]
[Senju Tobirama: Makoto, you are truly cunning! ]
[Hyuga Hizashi: I see now! From the start, you were planning to get some benefits from Minato!]
[Senju Tobirama: But you want the Flying Thunder God technique for this little favor? That's too much!]
[Hyuga Hizashi: Exactly! This is absolutely unacceptable]
[Ito Makoto: Trying to ruin my plan? Do you two want to be banned?]
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