I'm not certain who Larry Novak is without more context. He could be the author who created this original Christmas story, or perhaps a character within the story itself.
Naruto was able to dispel the fireball with a boeken because he had trained hard and had a deep understanding of his powers. He made a split-second decision and executed the move perfectly, surprising everyone.
I think Naruto might have had a sudden burst of inspiration or strategic insight when using the boeken to dispel the fireball. Maybe he combined it with a previously unknown jutsu or found a flaw in the fireball's composition and exploited it with the boeken.
I'm not sure if there was a character named Larry Novak in 'A Christmas Story'. I don't recall such a name from the movie. It could be a relatively minor character or perhaps not in the movie at all.