Bang!
Shikamaru's figure was sent flying backward.
"Oh no!"
Choji gritted his teeth, blocking Sasuke's attack, his eyes unconsciously glancing in Shikamaru's direction.
Naruto, due to Hinata's attack, broke free from Shikamaru's control. He turned to look at Sasuke, and their eyes met, instantly forming a tacit understanding.
Sasuke continued to accelerate his offensive, suppressing Choji. Naruto instantly appeared behind Choji. Their idea was to first eliminate Choji, the strongest fighter in Shikamaru's squad.
"Choji, watch out!"
Ino had just broken free from the dust and rushed out when she saw this scene, quickly wanting to rush over.
Hinata, using her Byakugan, saw Naruto and Sasuke's target and instantly understood their plan. She then rushed in front of Ino, using Gentle Fist.
"I won't let you interfere with Naruto!"
...
Choji, alerted, gritted his teeth and immediately used his secret technique again.
Partial Multi-Size Technique: Both Hands!
Both of his arms instantly became gigantic, reaching out in front and behind him.
Yang Release Chakra Armor! Normal Punch!
Naruto raised his fist, covered in Yang Release Chakra Armor, and slammed it towards Choji.
Sasuke took a step back, activated the second stage of his Activation Imprint, dodged Choji's giant hand, and instantly appeared in front of him. His crimson two-tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly. Choji was a step too late to close his eyes.
As he was controlled by genjutsu, Choji's Gluttony form was immediately dispelled.
Shikamaru, who had rushed over, panted heavily. Seeing this scene, he showed a helpless smile.
"Ha—ha—this is—such a pain—!"
"One mistake, and you guys immediately seized the opportunity. The three of you work together even better than I imagined."
"We surrender."
Hearing Shikamaru's words, Ino stopped, looking annoyed.
"Hinata, you're really not cute at all anymore."
Who would have thought that Hinata, who was usually shy, would provide such swift assistance in battle?
"Phew—that was a close win."
Hinata let out a sigh of relief, smiled, and patted her chest, saying, "Ino, you're very strong."
Hearing this, Ino rubbed Hinata's head, looking quite disgruntled.
Hearing Shikamaru surrender, Sasuke immediately released Choji from the genjutsu, and stood coolly, a slight curve on his lips. "If it weren't for Naruto's recklessness, we could have dealt with you even faster."
Naruto shouted, quite displeased, "Stinky Sasuke! You're the one who was careless!"
Shikamaru lazily waved his hand and said, "You guys continue, but I remember we haven't gotten the flag yet."
Hearing this, Naruto and Sasuke, who were still bickering, paused, then turned and ran towards the training ground.
As Naruto passed by, he grabbed Hinata, helping her escape Ino's clutches.
Choji woke up, rubbing his stomach, and said dejectedly, "Shikamaru, I did my best. Sasuke's Sharingan is really impossible to guard against."
Shikamaru sat down next to Choji and comforted him, "It's alright, at least we didn't lose too miserably this time."
"You guys actually worked together very well, whether it was the traps before the battle or the cooperation during the fight."
"The only reason you lost was because of Naruto and their unexpectedly good teamwork and a bit of luck."
"We'll win next time."
Shinji instantly appeared beside Shikamaru and the others, took out a few military ration pills, and handed them to Choji, speaking as he did so.
"Thank you, sensei." Choji took the pills, he was very hungry now.
"Sensei! Look!"
Naruto returned with Sasuke and Hinata, waving the flag in his hand and shouting loudly.
Shinji patted Naruto's head, smiling as he spoke, "Very good. Not only was each of your performances stable, but your teamwork was also very good."
"It's just that, Naruto, next time you need to pay attention to your teammates' actions and not go deep into an encirclement alone."
"Yes, sensei." Naruto responded, very receptive to the advice.
—
With the start of the new semester, Naruto was now a second-year student.
Shinji had given his disciples a break before school started, allowing them to rest well.
First day of school.
Naruto and Hinata arrived at their new classroom, where only Shikamaru and others had already arrived early. They were currently leaning by the window, looking down.
Naruto walked over curiously and asked, "Shikamaru, what are you guys doing?"
Ino said, pointing to the crowd on the sports field, "We're watching the new students enroll. We were standing there last year too."
"Eh? Then won't sensei be there too?" Naruto seemed to recall something.
Shikamaru responded lazily, "That's right. Sensei now the Vice-Principal. I heard that Hokage-sama isn't here today, so he is presiding over the new student enrollment."
"Yo! I didn't expect you guys to be here first. I thought I'd be the first to arrive."
A voice sounded from the doorway, unexpectedly a bit smug.
Naruto turned to look, asking with a hint of surprise, "Kiba, what's that lump on your head?"
As he spoke, Naruto walked a little closer, wanting to see clearly.
Kiba pointed to the small white lump on his head, saying smugly, "This is my future partner. His name is Akamaru."
"Akamaru?" Naruto squinted, curiously observing.
"But he's clearly white?"
Perhaps Naruto and Kiba's voices had disturbed Akamaru, as the tiny body wiggled. He accidentally fell off.
Kiba quickly caught him, patting his chest with lingering fear, saying, "Phew, that was close."
"Eh! It's a puppy!"
Naruto finally saw clearly that Kiba's white lump was actually a puppy.
Hearing this, Ino and Hinata quickly gathered around, both curiously observing.
Kiba rubbed his nose smugly and said, "Hehe, he was just born a few days ago, but I need to build a relationship with him, so I had to bring him to school."
"Actually, I also have a partner." Behind Kiba, a voice suddenly sounded.
Naruto and Kiba were startled by the sudden voice. The two of them scrambled, and the entire classroom instantly became lively.
After a while, Naruto said to Shino, who had already sat down, quite displeased, "Shino, next time, please don't be so scary."
Shino pushed up the sunglasses on his nose and said calmly, "I was already behind you, you just didn't notice."
Naruto didn't dwell on it too much, leaning on the desk and asking curiously, "By the way, Shino, what kind of partner are you talking about? How come I didn't see it?"
Beside them, Shikamaru, who knew the situation, twitched his lips and subtly moved a little further away.
Shino then raised his finger, and from under the cover of his sleeve, a dozen or so insects slowly crawled out. Naruto, who had been curious, instantly turned purple. He had just seen one or two of them crawl out from under Shino's hand.
"Those are just bugs!!!"
Ino, although her face looked unpleasant, still explained to Naruto, "Naruto, the Aburame clan's fighting style involves insects."