Chapter 9: Sasuke Stunned

As soon as Sasuke and Haru assumed their stances, the scene fell silent.

Especially the female students, who opened their eyes wide and held their breath, afraid to miss any exciting moment involving Sasuke.

"This is what you asked for."

Sasuke said coldly, then took a step forward, launching an attack on Haru.

Iruka and Mizuki immediately stepped back to give the two enough space.

"As a member of the Uchiha clan and a top talent among the village's youth…"

Mizuki couldn't help but say, feeling a strong jealousy toward Sasuke.

Especially considering their clan's unique bloodline limit, the Sharingan.

Once activated, it undoubtedly provided a massive boost to a ninja's abilities.

"Yeah, if Senju-kun underestimates Sasuke, he's bound to suffer," Iruka agreed with Mizuki.

However, practical training at the ninja school was much safer than actual combat or skirmishes later on.

If necessary, he would intervene to stop the two.

Just as Iruka was thinking this, Sasuke had already closed in on Haru with astonishing speed.

"Sasuke's speed seems even faster than before…"

Iruka couldn't help but gasp.

"It's even quicker than that of some genin…"

'Fast?'

Haru tilted his head; from his perspective, Sasuke was simply rushing at him in a very ordinary manner, then clenched his fist and swung at him directly.

Regardless, this version of Sasuke hadn't even activated his Sharingan yet, nor had he been educated in taijutsu by Lee.

So, Haru directly targeted Sasuke's neck and delivered a powerful palm strike.

Bang!

With a dull thud, Sasuke instantly lost his balance and fell to the ground.

Thud!

Sasuke lay flat on the ground, his eyes filled only with shock and disbelief.

What just happened?

Why did he fall so suddenly?

In fact, it wasn't just Sasuke; the entire playground fell silent.

No one expected that Sasuke would be taken down by Haru with just one move.

"What did Senju-kun just do?"

"I didn't see clearly."

"Hinata is absent today; if only she were here, her Byakugan would surely reveal what happened."

"Sasuke-kun…"

Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Sasuke, never having dreamed that the top student would be knocked down by Haru so easily.

"What was that just now…?"

Iruka gasped, as a Chūnin, his dynamic vision was far superior to that of these students.

Just as Sasuke was about to hit Haru, Haru used an even faster move to suppress Sasuke and changed his center of gravity in an instant, causing him to lose balance.

Simple yet brutal.

"Senju-kun's taijutsu is surprisingly strong…" Iruka was utterly shocked.

"This ground is really slippery."

Sasuke supported himself with his hands and stood up. Shaking his head, he felt as if something heavy had slammed into him. Not only did the world spin around him, but he also experienced a ringing in his ears.

"I told you, how could Sasuke-kun lose to a newcomer? It must be the slippery ground!"

One of Sasuke's supporters exclaimed, as if they had discovered a new continent.

"Unfortunately, you'll lose."

As he spoke, Sasuke staggered backward. Although he maintained an appearance of calm, inside he felt the opposite.

He hadn't even seen Haru's attack clearly; he simply felt an overwhelming force pressing down on him.

Though he was reluctant to admit it, Haru's speed and strength surpassed his.

"If I activate my Sharingan now, this wouldn't happen…" Sasuke murmured inwardly.

Speaking of the Uchiha clan, their most famous trait was their bloodline limit, the Sharingan.

It was a powerful dojutsu that could easily reveal an opponent's flaws and identify their weaknesses.

However, it was unfortunate that he hadn't awakened it yet.

But the Uchiha clan wasn't only defined by the Sharingan.

Thinking of this, Sasuke's lips curled up slightly, a smile emerging as if victory was within reach.

Seeing Sasuke's demeanor, the other students also grew anxious.

"Ah, is Sasuke-kun going to use that technique?"

"Real ninjutsu!"

Many turned their envious gazes toward Sasuke.

While they all came to the ninja school to learn ninjutsu, Sasuke had already learned techniques even before enrolling.

It was said that this was a unique talent of the Uchiha clan.

In contrast, Naruto openly scoffed, "What a show-off."

"Is he going to use Fire Release?" Haru's gaze sharpened as he focused on Sasuke's hand movements.

In Sasuke's eyes, Haru was new; he didn't know much about him or the Uchiha clan. Even if he saw Sasuke forming hand seals, he wouldn't know what it meant.

Just like he didn't know what the Uchiha name represented.

But now, he would let him know.

This was power he had gained through daily, relentless effort and persistence.

"Sasuke!"

Seeing the situation unfold, Iruka quickly shouted, wanting to stop Sasuke's actions.

Although it was a spar, it primarily focused on taijutsu. Suddenly using such ninjutsu could seriously injure Haru.

Mizuki's expression became somewhat complicated.

He had heard some rumors about Sasuke, but as a mere ninja student, how could he possibly possess such ninjutsu? He shouldn't have that much chakra…

'Is this what they call a genius?'

Mizuki clenched his fists, gritting his teeth as if feeling a deep frustration.

But Sasuke's hand seal was already fluid and practiced. Before Iruka could intervene, Sasuke completed a series of hand seals and took a deep breath.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Whoosh!

As Sasuke began to exhale, a huge ball of roaring flames erupted from his mouth, hurtling toward Haru.

However, what Sasuke didn't expect was that Haru, right in front of him, began mimicking his hand seals at a clumsy speed.

'What is this guy doing? Does he think he can copy my Fire Release?'

'How is that possible…?'

'Does he even know how long I spent mastering this technique?'

'This isn't something you can just imitate by forming hand seals!'

But in the next second, Haru completed the hand seals and took a deep breath.

Whoosh!

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

In an instant, a fireball far larger than Sasuke's roared toward him, causing Sasuke to stumble back in fright until he fell to the ground.

Not just Sasuke.

Iruka, Mizuki...

The two Chūnin teachers were also left dumbfounded.

'Is this guy a monster...?'

"Haru..." Iruka swallowed hard in shock. "Can... can you do something like this...?"