Chapter 68 Movie Emperor Naruto

A brief lull fell over the arena.

This allowed the teachers and students outside, who had forgotten to breathe, to snap back to reality and erupt in astonished shouts:

"What just happened in that fight?"

"Why did I see Sasuke-kun, the Ninja Academy's top student, being beaten down by the dead last, Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Genjutsu, I must be under a genjutsu! Someone pinch me awake!"

"Unbelievable! The dead last, who can't even master the Three Body Technique, can use Water Release and Shadow Clone!"

Compared to everyone else's surprise, Hinata, who had been watching intently, looked puzzled.

"Why was Naruto-kun so slow?"

"Why didn't Naruto-kun use Rasengan in close combat?"

"It feels like he wasn't even as serious as when we 'exercised after dinner'...

"Could it be... he went easy?"

Hinata blinked.

Following Naruto's "guidance," when Naruto and Sasuke fought, she would also simulate the battle in her mind, using it to train her combat thinking and information gathering abilities.

After simulating the battle, Hinata realized that if Sasuke didn't have more trump cards, she could even defeat Sasuke, let alone Naruto, who was much stronger than herself.

"Hinata?"

A clear, pleasant, and confident female voice pulled Hinata back to reality.

Hinata glanced beside her and saw that the person calling her was a girl with a high ponytail, side bangs, and a beautiful face brimming with a confident smile.

"Ya... Yamanaka-san..."

Facing anyone other than Naruto, Hinata became a little shy again.

This was a personality trait developed over many years, not something that could be changed overnight.

Ino Yamanaka put her hands behind her back and said with a grin, "Hinata, are you dating Uzumaki Naruto?"

Hinata's face instantly flushed, and she shook her head like a rattle drum, then lowered her head, poking her two small hands together, and said in a voice only she could hear, "It... it's that I like him..."

Ino Yamanaka didn't hear a thing. She looked up at Naruto in the training ground and murmured, "How interesting. The usual dead last is actually fighting Sasuke-kun to a standstill."

"Don't worry, Sasuke-kun was just careless!"

"Sasuke-kun, hurry up! Beat Uzumaki Naruto in two or three moves! Go! Go!"

Sakura Haruno, seeing that "our side's" morale was wavering, immediately cheered for Sasuke, yelling encouragement.

Ino Yamanaka stuck out her tongue and made a face at Sakura Haruno: "Blech~ If Naruto wins against Sasuke, I won't fight you for Sasuke anymore."

Hinata: "??"

No, what's going on?

Then are you going to fight me for Naruto?

In the arena.

Naruto didn't rush to make a move. Instead, he turned to face the referee's stand, raised his hand, and said, "Hokage Grandpa, I have a request."

Hiruzen Sarutobi crossed his arms, resting his elbows on the table, and asked with a chuckle, "What request? Speak."

"If I win against Uchiha Sasuke and become the top graduate of the Ninja Academy, can I choose my own teammates for the genin teams?"

"This..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, hesitating for a moment.

He had actually already arranged the teams, planning to put Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura Haruno into Seventh Team, led by Kakashi Hatake.

Naruto didn't give Hiruzen Sarutobi much time to think, his tone filled with disappointment: "Hokage Grandpa, can't I?"

"Sigh, I've gone from the last in the entire grade to surpassing the first place. How much effort have I put in, and yet I can't even choose my own teammates."

"I'm not fighting anymore, I'm not fighting anymore."

"Whoever wants to be the Ninja Academy's top student can be it, it's meaningless anyway."

Naruto turned his head, hands in his pockets, preparing to leave the training ground.

"Uzumaki Naruto! I haven't lost yet!!"

Sasuke, who had been resting, felt a surge of anger in his eyes.

He was being underestimated!

And by the dead last of the Ninja Academy!!

The rotation speed of his Sharingan's tomoe involuntarily accelerated.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, seeing this, waved his hand helplessly and agreed, "You can talk about it after you win against Sasuke and become the top student."

"At that time, as a commendation, it wouldn't be impossible to let you choose your own teammates."

He thought to himself, Sasuke has activated his Sharingan, so he shouldn't lose to Naruto.

This Ninja Academy graduation exam, changed from the Clone Jutsu to actual combat, was just to use Sasuke's hand to gauge the depth of both of them.

"Heh!"

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi finally "take the bait," Naruto's lips curved slightly. He turned to Sasuke and asked with a smile, "Sasuke, have you rested well?"

"It's time for our second match!"

Before he finished speaking, three Shadow Clones charged forward in a triangular formation.

"Too slow."

The angrier Sasuke got, the calmer he became. His Sharingan spun wildly, and the residual motion trails on his retina predicted the feint routes of the three clones.

The next moment, when the two sides were less than a step apart, Sasuke seized the opportunity and launched an attack first.

He spun and kicked through the throats of two Shadow Clones, then struck the third Shadow Clone's temple with the butt of his kunai. His movements were clean and crisp, without any wasted motion, even carrying a hint of deadliness.

This performance drew cheers from the teachers and students. Even Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but nod silently in approval, thinking to himself that he was indeed worthy of the Uchiha Clan.

"It's not over yet!"

Naruto intentionally lowered the strength of his Shadow Clones so that Sasuke wouldn't be unable to defeat them, then increased their numbers, creating the illusion that he wanted to win by overwhelming him with sheer quantity.

"Boom boom boom..."

Dozens of Shadow Clones appeared in the training ground, rushing towards Sasuke from all directions.

"Damn it, what kind of hooligan fighting style is this?!"

Sasuke's eyelids twitched as he saw the Shadow Clones swarming him. The next moment, he was engulfed by the numerous Shadow Clones.

"Everyone... get out of my way--"

Sasuke roared, pressing his hands to the ground and rotating his body like a top. His two legs swept out with a "swish," kicking away all the surrounding Shadow Clones that had rushed at him.

However, Naruto and three Shadow Clones stood side by side, forming hand seals, seemingly having waited for a long time.

"Damn it, the Shadow Clone encirclement just now was only to create a visual blind spot for me. The real killing move is coming!"

Sasuke reacted quickly, but unfortunately, by the time he realized something was wrong, it was too late to form hand seals. He could only flick his hands, summoning shuriken through the sealing tags hidden under his wrist guards, and attacking Naruto.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!!"

Naruto and the three Shadow Clones "jointly" performed the C-rank Ninjutsu. With a breath, four gusts of wind instantly converged into one, transforming into a surging hurricane that swept everything away with an overwhelming force, forcibly lifting and blowing away both the shuriken and Sasuke!

By the time Sasuke, dizzy from being caught in the hurricane, fell to the ground and rolled several times, he hadn't even had time to get up when a cold and sharp kunai blade was pressed against his neck.

"You lose, Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto stood with his back to the sun, half-crouching beside Uchiha Sasuke, holding the kunai handle in one hand, and speaking calmly.

Uchiha Sasuke lay on the ground, staring directly into those deep blue eyes shrouded in shadow, his mind somewhat frozen.

At this moment.

A pair of ordinary eyes seemed to exude more pressure than the crimson Sharingan!

Is this... the prankster dead last, Naruto?

He was too unfamiliar!!