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Over twenty Ninja Academy students stood on the very spacious arena. Although young, after several years of cultivation, they were actually quite capable in the eyes of ordinary people. What was astonishing was that these little brats in front of him were all holding sharp iron kunai! Iruka, on the other hand, stood directly in front of them, holding a short wooden stick. He wasn't holding a kunai. Because he was a chunin. And these students before him were only third-year students in the Ninja Academy, with two or three years left until graduation. Moreover, ninety percent of them had no practical combat experience. So, even if Iruka only held a short stick, it felt a bit like bullying.
Inside Hinata's consciousness sea... Liu Chen silently watched Hinata. This little girl had indeed laid a good foundation in a month, perfectly utilizing her "big eater" physique to fully utilize the energy she consumed. But she ultimately had no practical combat experience, not even sparring. Of course, this referred to sparring with ninjas, not with her peers.
"With your strength, even if you can't beat Iruka, lasting fifteen minutes is more than enough. So, little Hinata, you don't need to worry about anything. For the upcoming battle... you just need to go all out." Looking at Hinata, whose expression was a bit flustered and uncertain, Liu Chen slowly and indifferently said. Although his voice wasn't particularly passionate or inspiring, it gave Hinata a strong boost of confidence.
Among all the students, Hinata stood in one of the front-row positions, along with Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, and others. They were in the first row, closest to Iruka. Her delicate face wore a solemn expression, though still with a hint of flustered bewilderment. But compared to a few seconds ago, she was already much better.
"This is my first time... fighting a ninja. And Iruka-sensei, he's a well-known chunin. But... Guardian Spirit Brother said I can definitely last fifteen minutes. He definitely wouldn't lie to me." Hinata let out a soft sigh, her clear Byakugan eyes flashed with solemnity. Her delicate face also showed a serious expression. She assumed a gentle fist stance of the Hyuga clan. Liu Chen hadn't taught her any taijutsu yet, so Hinata could only use Gentle Fist. Although she wasn't very proficient in Gentle Fist, at least she had moves to use. She wouldn't resort to wild punches.
Just as everyone held their breath... Iruka, who was originally standing still, suddenly seemed to vanish from his spot, making people almost unable to react. "Wh-what happened? Iruka-sensei, he seems to have disappeared?!" Hinata's small face wore a bewildered expression.
At this very moment... Liu Chen suddenly said helplessly, "Little Hinata, be careful behind you." Hinata's expression slightly tightened. She heard a whooshing sound behind her. She quickly performed a "donkey roll" to dodge. A short stick almost grazed her hair. She could even feel the airflow from the stick. If she had been hit by that short stick, she would probably have fainted, right?! Fortunately, Guardian Spirit Brother reminded her in time. Otherwise, she would have been out in one hit. Hinata secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Eh?! She actually dodged it! Is it the Hyuga clan's Byakugan? No... Hinata didn't seem to have activated her Byakugan just now. Was it purely instinct?!" Iruka's face showed surprise. He had initially intended to target the weakest and then knock these little brats unconscious one by one. But what he didn't expect was that Hinata, whom he considered one of the weakest, easily dodged his surprise attack, making him hit the air with his stick. Was it a coincidence?! Or was she hiding something very deeply?! Never mind. For now, let this little girl remain conscious for a bit longer. Iruka shifted his gaze to the other students. Like a tiger among sheep, almost no one was a match for him in one hit. However, these students' wild swings with their kunai did cause him a little trouble. Although children's strength wasn't great, the sharpness of the iron kunai meant that even a light scratch would draw blood.
Fifteen... fourteen... thirteen... eight... seven... six... At this moment, as time slowly passed, nine minutes had already gone by. Only six people remained standing on the arena. Sasuke Uchiha. Shikamaru Nara. Hinata Hyuga. Ino Yamanaka. Choji Akimichi. As for the last, sixth person... that was, of course, Chunin Iruka.
"Huff... huff... Damn it! This is simply a crushing battle. Twenty people knocked out in nine minutes. All of us combined are no match for him." Sasuke Uchiha had long since lost his aloofness, a hint of unwillingness on his face. The kunai in his hand had disappeared to who knows where. He could only fight bare-handed. His entire body was covered in various bruises. Cold sweat had soaked his back, especially the faint pain from the back of his head, which made him gasp. If he weren't desperately holding on with willpower, he estimated he would have fainted too. As for a certain original protagonist... he had long since been unconscious.
Sasuke Uchiha shifted his gaze to Hinata, who was also panting slightly. This classmate, who usually had very little presence, actually possessed greater strength than him!! Because just now... Sasuke personally saw Hinata, holding a kunai, violently slash a bloodied wound on Iruka's arm! Making Iruka, a chunin, suffer an injury!!