"Alright, let's— Ouch!"
Just as Naruto was about to speak, Shikamaru suddenly threw a punch, landing a clean hit on his eye and leaving a dark bruise. The force behind it was enough to show that Shikamaru wasn't holding back just because they were friends.
"Why did you hit me?!"
Naruto stared at Shikamaru, completely baffled. They were all friends, so why the sudden attack? This was hardly in line with shinobi ethics.
"Idiot, this is obviously the start of the fight. Hurry up and move!"
Sasuke felt his heart sink at Naruto's lack of awareness. But with the enemy right in front of them, he had no choice but to act. Teaching Naruto a lesson would have to wait until after the fight.
If they won, everything would work out.
And if they lost...
No, losing wasn't an option.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The jutsu that was notoriously known as the most charitable of Fire Style techniques roared forth — but, as expected, it didn't even scratch the Ino–Shika–Chō trio, perfectly demonstrating what true charity looked like.
"Mind Body Switch!"
Ino shouted, and the next second, she collapsed beside Chōji.
"Be careful, Sakura, is that you?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Sakura. If his memory was right, Ino had just cast her jutsu in this direction. He could swear on his Sharingan that he wasn't mistaken.
"Wait! I'm Sakura, not Ino!" Sakura protested desperately as Sasuke prepared to strike.
But what awaited her was Sasuke's merciless attack.
"Wait, Sasuke, that's Sakura-chan! Why are you attacking her?!" Naruto rushed in to stop him.
"How do we prove she's Sakura? To make sure we don't get ambushed, I've decided to tie her up first!" Sasuke's voice was cold. Sakura might be a teammate, but he wasn't attached to her. For his own safety, restraining her was the logical move.
"For the sake of our team's victory... I'm willing to let Sasuke-kun tie me up!"
Even though her heart ached, Sakura was ready to make the sacrifice if it meant helping Sasuke win.
At those words, Sasuke immediately took a step back. "Naruto, send a clone to check her. Right now, she can't be trusted!"
Huh?
Sakura almost clawed her hair out in frustration.
He seriously didn't trust her at all?! Had he already forgotten that during her last fight with Ino, she had successfully resisted Ino's mental invasion?
"Wait, Sasuke-kun, just listen to me—"
"I don't want to hear it. From now on, stay far away and don't move. You don't need to help us anyway—you're just a burden, it doesn't matter!"
With Shikamaru and Chōji advancing, Sasuke decided to take them out first.
"Um... Sakura-chan, just hang on a bit. Once I win, I'll come back for you!" Naruto added before charging off.
Left behind, Sakura sat on the ground, feeling utterly wronged. Both the one she admired and the one who admired her had abandoned her.
"Lightning Style: Chidori!"
Determined to secure victory, Sasuke unleashed his trump card.
Whether or not it would seriously injure the Ino–Shika–Chō trio was no longer a consideration.
To the weak, simply existing was a sin.
"That's quite a technique!"
Though Shikamaru praised it aloud, his gaze was cold.
A jutsu this destructive... Sasuke definitely couldn't control it perfectly. That meant he had unleashed it with killing intent.
"Partial Multi-Size Technique!"
Without waiting for orders, Chōji expanded both arms to massive size and swung them at Sasuke.
"Hmph!"
Sasuke didn't even glance his way, his right hand controlling the Chidori as he thrust it towards Choji.
Foolish.
The blue-white lightning formed a powerful attack, instantly piercing through Choji's palm.
Seeing this, Shikamaru's eyes narrowed, and he quickly formed hand signs.
"Shadow Imitation Technique!"
As the shape of Shikamaru's shadow changed, Sasuke halted his charge.
He was confident he could kill Shikamaru if he rushed over, but he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't be caught by Shikamaru's technique in the process.
Every shinobi academy textbook taught: never fall into the grasp of a control-type jutsu. If caught, you'd only face the enemy's prepared traps.
And Shikamaru was indeed an enemy now. Sasuke couldn't afford the risk.
So, he refused to get caught.
"That really hurts!"
Chōji withdrew his injured hand, gritting his teeth at the pain. Lightning's raw power was one thing, but its piercing attribute made the wound even worse.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Naruto's signature move burst forth, producing a dozen clones.
"Transformation Technique!"
The clones instantly transformed into Sasuke's likeness. Realizing the plan, Sasuke blended into the crowd of clones.
"Multi-Size Technique!"
In response, Chōji activated his true trump card, swelling from a chubby kid into a towering giant over ten meters tall.
*Whoom!*
A massive palm descended from above, forcing Sasuke to dodge. He hadn't expected Chōji's power to scale to this level.
"Not bad at all!"
"Same to you!"
Sasuke and Chōji exchanged mocking praise before clashing again — though with very different aims.
Chōji sought to pin Sasuke down so Shikamaru could find an opening. Meanwhile, Sasuke targeted Shikamaru first, planning to eliminate him before slowly dealing with Chōji.
As for Naruto... unless he used the Rasengan, his attacks were meaningless against Chōji's massive form and monstrous defenses.
"Chōji, you take Sasuke. I'll spar with Naruto!"
Shikamaru had no intention of directly fighting Sasuke.
Sasuke's obsession with strength made him dangerous and unpredictable. A fight with him would escalate beyond control.
Shikamaru would much rather spar with Naruto.
At the very least, win or lose, it wouldn't affect their relationship.
What a drag.
"Ha! You're underestimating me!" Sasuke barked, turning his full focus on Chōji.
"Shikamaru, I'll definitely beat you!"
Naruto shouted, unleashing another wave of shadow clones as he charged forward.
"Shadow Sewing Technique!"
Shikamaru's shadow stretched out like black tendrils, whipping across the battlefield. Wherever they struck, Naruto's clones burst apart instantly.
"Whoa! That's an awesome technique!"
Naruto rubbed at the spot where he had been struck. Aside from a faint sting, there was no real injury. The effect puzzled him.
"This technique only works against clones. It's not much use on a real body." Shikamaru explained calmly, as though the matter was trivial.
But his smirk was infuriating.
Sasuke gritted his teeth.
'Damn bastard... acting cool in front of me? Just wait — I'll make you scream for mercy!'
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