Sasuke moved swiftly. In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance between him and Shin. As his momentum carried him forward, he twisted his body and lashed out with a high roundhouse kick aimed at Shin's head.
Shin crossed his arms to block the blow, absorbing the impact, then quickly shoved Sasuke back. Sasuke leapt to the side, spun again, and launched another kick with his opposite leg.
This time, Shin didn't block with his legs. Instead, he shifted backward and twisted his torso, raising his right leg high to counter.
Thwack!
Flesh struck flesh. Both of them winced as pain shot through their legs.
Sasuke quickly pulled his leg back, preparing to retreat a step but to his surprise, Shin was already mid-kick, the second strike arcing toward Sasuke's head. Caught off guard, Sasuke hastily threw both arms up to shield himself.
A muffled grunt escaped him as the impact forced him back two steps. Shin retracted his leg and stood firm, unmoving.
How is he this agile? Sasuke shook his arm slightly, trying to ease the throbbing. He was genuinely surprised by Shin's second kick he knew he himself couldn't follow up that quickly with another one after just throwing a kick.
Taking a deep breath, Sasuke fixed his gaze on Shin, his expression now far more serious. That brief exchange had taught him one thing: he couldn't afford the slightest mistake.
Shin met his gaze silently, the corner of his mouth curling upward. Without a word, he shifted into a defensive stance once more.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He lunged again, this time opting for a more direct approach. His figure blurred as he threw a heavy punch toward Shin's throat.
Shin didn't raise his guard. Instead, he leaned back slightly, letting Sasuke's fist skim just an inch below his chin. But Sasuke didn't falter he pivoted and swept his leg out low.
Shin took a step back, grounding himself, and caught Sasuke's leg between his arms. Then, gripping tightly, he yanked backward with force.
Sasuke immediately dropped down, using both hands to brace against the ground. With a swift roll, he broke free and sprang aside.
But Shin was already upon him, elbow bent as he drove it into Sasuke's chest.
A sharp grunt escaped Sasuke as the strike landed. He shoved Shin's arm away with both hands and quickly kicked out to force distance between them.
"Hah…" Sasuke exhaled heavily, brows furrowed as he stared at Shin. He was beginning to admit, if only inwardly, that Shin's taijutsu might actually be stronger than his. Though he hated the thought.
"Is Shin… winning?" Kiba asked hesitantly, glancing at Shino.
"Seems like it, for now," Shino nodded.
On the other side, Iruka was watching the match with wide-eyed amazement.
"That kid Shin he's handling this pretty well."
Back in the arena, Sasuke clearly no longer wanted to engage Shin up close. He resumed using his long legs to maintain distance and strike.
Clever, Shin thought, his stance steady as he blocked each of Sasuke's kicks with his arms.
He had assumed Sasuke might hesitate after getting punished earlier. But to his surprise, the boy had quickly adapted to the situation.
After blocking the umpteenth kick, Shin began to feel a dull ache radiate down his arms. The repeated impacts were beginning to take their toll.
Sasuke noticed the slight frown forming on Shin's brow and took it as a sign to press harder. His movements became more aggressive, weaving around Shin at a careful one-meter distance.
Shin knew this couldn't go on. Spotting a brief opening, he dodged a kick and reached out with both hands, grabbing for Sasuke's passing right leg.
Smack!
He locked on just as before.
But Sasuke didn't panic. As if anticipating the move, he lowered his body and pushed off the ground with one hand, twisting in midair. His left leg came down hard on Shin's arms.
Using that force, Sasuke propelled himself upward and spun, releasing a fierce whip-like kick aimed at Shin's neck.
With no time to evade, Shin could only raise his arms to protect his head.
Thump!
The blow pushed him two steps to the right before he regained balance.
Sasuke landed a few steps away, putting space between them once more.
Shin let out a long breath. His arms trembled slightly from the strain.
My body still isn't strong enough… he thought with a sigh. I'm still just a kid, after all.
But the talent Sasuke showed… His instincts are impressive, Shin admitted inwardly.
Sasuke, meanwhile, looked at Shin with a flicker of triumph in his eyes.
"What about now?" Kiba asked, seeing the tables turn. He turned again to Shino.
"I'm… not sure anymore," Shino replied uncertainly.
"Ino, is Sasuke winning now?" On the other side, Sakura asked anxiously.
Everyone watching the match was fully absorbed.
"I think… it's pretty even," Ino said cautiously.
"Let's go, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted, breaking the tension in the air. Her voice sparked a wave of cheering.
"Go, Sasuke!"
"Shin, you've got to beat him!"
Back in the arena, Shin realized his arms wouldn't recover quickly.
His hands still tingled and ached. He couldn't keep defending. His only option was to go on the offensive. With a clear decision in mind, he surged forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
"Why's Shin going in now?" Kiba blinked in surprise.
"Probably because that last kick from Sasuke hurt his arms," Shino said, eyes locked on the field. "But with both arms in bad shape… wouldn't attacking make it worse?"
Sasuke seemed to anticipate Shin's approach. Unlike Shino, he'd already experienced Shin's legwork firsthand and was prepared for it.
Just as expected, Shin reached him and launched a kick his left leg sweeping toward Sasuke's right side.
The right? Sasuke thought, raising his own right knee in haste.
Knee clashed with shin. Sasuke staggered on one foot, barely able to keep his balance. As Shin withdrew his leg, Sasuke hurriedly pulled his own back in to steady himself.
But before he could fully recover, Shin's left leg came again once more striking toward his waist.
I knew it, Sasuke cursed inwardly. This time, he had to block with both arms.
Thud!
The impact knocked him back two steps. He stumbled but didn't fall. Shin, however, was relentless he withdrew his leg, spun on the spot, and lunged forward.
His right leg came crashing forward
Before Sasuke could react, it slammed into his abdomen. He flew backward, flipping midair, and barely caught himself with one hand before hitting the ground.
Shin stood in place, his breathing steady.
How is he this fast with his kicks?! Sasuke couldn't shake the shock. It had only taken three strikes from start to finish.
Slowly, he stood and gathered his breath, returning to his battle stance.
"That's enough!" Iruka's voice rang out, halting Sasuke mid-movement.
"That's plenty," Iruka repeated. "There's no need to push it to the limit."
He'd seen how intense the sparring had become and didn't want either of them getting hurt.
Sasuke pursed his lips and slowly lowered his arms.
I lost… this time.
"That will conclude the match," Iruka said.
"Perform the seal of reconciliation."
Around them, the other students broke into murmurs.
"What kind of result was that?"
"Who actually won?"
"Iruka-sensei said it was a draw, didn't he?"
"Draw? Come on, Shin clearly had it!"
"No way it was Sasuke-kun!"
"No, Shin!"
The class was suddenly abuzz. Kiba, too, looked frustrated.
"What's with that? Shin was totally about to win!" he said angrily.
Shino didn't speak, but it was clear he agreed.
"Ino, it was a draw, right?" Sakura asked from beside her. "If they kept going, Sasuke wouldn't lose… right?"
"Sasuke-kun would've won, right?"
Sakura's tone grew anxious, and she kept pressing for reassurance.
Ino felt a twinge of irritation, but held back the urge to say that Sasuke probably would've lost.
"Iruka-sensei already said it a draw."
In the middle of the field, Shin and Sasuke approached each other and performed the seal of reconciliation.
"Thank you for the match," they said in unison, bowing.
"Next time…" Sasuke suddenly spoke as he turned to leave.
"Hm?"
"I'll win for sure."
"Is that so?" Shin smiled, not the least bit modest.
"I'll be looking forward to it."
---------------------------------------
Want more chapters?
Help us reach 50 Power Stones and an extra chapter will be released as a thank you for your support.
If you're enjoying the story and want to see more, consider leaving a review or comment. Your feedback means a lot and helps the story grow.
Thank you for reading and supporting!