"Sasuke got beaten that fast?!"
Jiraiya and Kakashi were both stunned in unison.
They weren't entirely unprepared for Sasuke's defeat. After all, Yakumo had not only awakened the Koryugan but had also successfully fused with the First's cells, becoming the second shinobi in Hidden Leaf capable of wielding 'Wood Release.' Sasuke was bound to lose to her eventually.
But they hadn't expected him to lose today, at this moment!
And to lose so badly, seemingly knocked out with a single punch from Yakumo!
Tsunade chuckled lightly at that moment, "What do you think? Pretty good show, huh?"
Jiraiya caught on, "Yakumo's mastered your 'Chakra Enhanced Strength' punch?"
"Hm!"
Tsunade nodded proudly.
Jiraiya sighed, "That Uchiha Sasuke's luck is just too rotten!"
If Yakumo had mastered 'Chakra Enhanced Strength,' then Sasuke getting taken out in one hit wasn't all that surprising.
Because 'Chakra Enhanced Strength' was highly deceptive. Without prior knowledge, Sasuke couldn't have possibly guarded against it in advance, so getting floored by a single punch out of nowhere was perfectly reasonable.
Kakashi was somewhat speechless too.
When Naruto secretly learned the 'Multiple Shadow Clone Technique' and 'Rasengan,' Sasuke was the first one he ran into. Now Yakumo had secretly mastered 'Chakra Enhanced Strength,' and Sasuke was again the first to take the hit. Kakashi genuinely didn't know whether to call Sasuke's luck abysmal or oddly fortunate.
At the shinobi academy…
Swish!
With a flash, Yakumo reappeared on the academy's training field. But Sasuke, who had left with her earlier, was nowhere to be seen.
"It's… it's over?"
"Where's Sasuke?"
"Did Yakumo win?"
The students on the field exchanged puzzled looks.
Not just them—even Shinji was a bit taken aback, because the outcome had been decided way too quickly.
Kimimaro and Neji, who were also quietly watching, furrowed their brows as well.
Neither had expected Yakumo to win, let alone win so quickly and effortlessly!
Shion scurried up to Yakumo at that moment, "Yakumo, you… you beat Sasuke?"
Yakumo nodded, her gaze lingering on Shinji's face for a moment before shifting to Neji in a corner of the field. She walked over to him.
Seeing Yakumo approach, Neji's expression darkened as he guessed her intent.
Sure enough…
Stopping in front of Neji, Yakumo said, "Neji, after school this afternoon, I'd like to challenge you!"
"Fine!"
Neji agreed.
Soon, word of Yakumo defeating Sasuke spread like wildfire through the shinobi academy. Some students even embellished the tale, claiming Sasuke had to be carried out of the nearby grove, boosting Yakumo's fame at the academy overnight.
Then the news that Yakumo would challenge Neji after school became the hottest topic at the academy.
Not just the students—even many of the instructors were talking about it.
In the classroom…
Tenten and Lee, upon hearing the news, rushed to Neji and said, "Neji, you shouldn't have agreed so quickly! You should've at least waited until we got details from Sasuke about how he lost before saying yes!"
Neji shook his head slowly, "You don't get it!"
Tenten pressed, "Don't get what?"
Neji sighed and explained, "Yakumo didn't challenge Shinji or Kimimaro. Instead, after beating Sasuke, she came straight to me first. That means she thinks I'm weaker than Shinji and Kimimaro! She's going from easiest to hardest, planning to challenge all of us!"
"What!?"
Lee's face was full of shock.
Not long ago, Yakumo had been on par with him—a bottom-tier student. Now she was set to take on the academy's four geniuses one by one.
Tenten started to catch on, "So you can't refuse?"
"Exactly!" Nodding, Neji said, "If I refuse, Yakumo will skip me and go challenge Kimimaro or Shinji. That'd be no different from admitting defeat!"
Tenten grew a bit worried, "But even Sasuke lost. Yakumo's probably learned some insane technique, just like Naruto."
"I won't lose that easily!"
Neji's expression gradually hardened.
He was the one destined to stop the Otsutsuki branch family on the moon from destroying the shinobi world. How could he let himself be beaten so easily at the academy?!
On the other side…
Haku sidled up to Shinji, "Shinji-kun, Yakumo-kun seems to have gotten a lot stronger after the surgery. Be careful!"
Karin nodded in agreement at first, then hesitated for a moment before quietly sharing what she'd sensed, "Yakumo's chakra has increased dozens of times over!"
Shinji smiled.
Having monitored Yakumo's surgery from start to finish through 'Jikibi' and 'Wazunagi,' he naturally knew far more than Haku or Karin.
He just hadn't expected Yakumo to start challenging them so soon after the surgery was complete.
Clearly…
Shinji had seen through Yakumo's plan too.
She was obviously aiming to take them on from easiest to hardest, challenging all four of them in sequence. He just didn't know where she ranked him in her mind.
The day's classes passed in a flash.
With the ding-ding-ding of the bell, the shinobi academy let out.
But today, the students didn't scatter playfully as usual after the bell. Instead, they crowded onto the hallways or dashed to the training field, eagerly awaiting Yakumo's challenge against Neji.
Before long, Yakumo and Neji arrived at the field one after the other.
Seeing the layers of onlookers gathered to watch, Yakumo frowned slightly. She didn't want to expose the Koryugan's secrets so easily, so she said to Neji, "Can we switch locations?"
Neji assumed Yakumo wanted to keep her techniques under wraps to maintain an edge when challenging Shinji and Kimimaro later, so he didn't say much, only asking, "Where do you want to go?"
"Follow me!"
With a flicker, Yakumo vanished from the field again.
Neji didn't waste words and quickly followed.
"What's going on? Why'd they run off again?"
"Yeah, I've been looking forward to this all day!"
"Don't panic—they must've gone to that grove from this morning. Let's hurry over!"
The crowd grumbled for a bit before someone suggested it, and then they all chaotically rushed toward the grove where Yakumo and Sasuke had fought earlier.
In another grove…
Yakumo and Neji didn't exchange a single unnecessary word before clashing.
Bang, bang, bang…
In an instant, the entire grove echoed with the light sounds of their fists and feet colliding!
Neji, with his Byakugan already active, was fully focused. He'd long noticed the surging chakra in Yakumo's body and the terrifying chakra gathered in her eyes, so he didn't dare let his guard down even slightly.
On Yakumo's side…
Seeing Neji's Gentle Fist seamlessly blend offense and defense with no apparent openings, Ido in her mental world shouted, "His Gentle Fist's power is limited—taking one or two hits won't matter!"
Yakumo instantly understood. She took a hit from Neji's Gentle Fist on purpose, then suddenly unleashed 'Chakra Enhanced Strength.' With a perfectly aimed punch, she struck Neji, sending him flying in an instant…