Chapter 66: Ostrich Theory
"Sigh, another battle with a foregone conclusion."
Shikamaru lazily lifted his eyelids, looking at the serious-faced Sasuke and shaking his head.
He felt both admiration for Sasuke's persistence and helplessness at Sasuke's tenacity.
"Sasuke is, after all, a genius from the Uchiha clan, but facing Naruto..."
Sometimes the word 'genius' truly makes one's peers feel deeply powerless.
Not referring to Sasuke, but that guy Naruto.
He remembered when Naruto first enrolled; most of the civilian children in class rejected him.
But afterwards, Naruto continuously displayed his charm and emotional intelligence, making it impossible for most in the class to harbor malice towards him.
Who would dislike a gentle, mature, helpful, and almost perfect peer?
Naruto later revealed his strength in practical combat training, turning the few who originally harbored jealousy into admirers and aspirers.
"Naruto, do you see?"
Inside the seal space, Menma also smiled: "This is the Ostrich Theory I told you about before."
The so-called Ostrich Theory posits that when two chickens are of the same size, both chickens will definitely think the other is smaller than themselves.
But when one is a turkey and the other is a chick, the turkey will think it's incredibly large, while the chick will think both 'chickens' are the same size, or merely believe the turkey's food is a bit better than its own.
However, if one of them is an ostrich, then the other chick will finally admit the ostrich is larger, even developing a sense of worship.
Because they are simply not the same species.
"Sometimes, jealousy and admiration are separated by merely a single thought."
Menma said meaningfully: "As long as you possess a clear, overwhelming advantage, others will naturally stop their slander and jealousy towards you, and may even turn to support and admire you."
Excellence mostly comes from an individual's subjective feeling, not an objective standard. And a person's self-perceived level of excellence mainly comes from comparison with the outside world.
When excellent people are high above, possessing resources and dreams unattainable by oneself, then the desire to compete on the same stage naturally vanishes.
Thus, jealousy loses its most fundamental psychological support and transforms into personal admiration.
Naruto nodded almost imperceptibly.
Only after starting to interact with crowds did he understand just how practical the knowledge Menma-nii taught him was.
Combat instruction was secondary; experience in how to conduct oneself and handle matters was most important.
"If it weren't for Menma-nii, I might be like this group of civilian kids now, blindly worshipping the so-called Will of Fire."
He might even, like them, make becoming Hokage his lifelong ideal.
But in reality, becoming Hokage changes nothing.
"Then please, you two come up to the stage."
Iruka also smiled helplessly, gesturing for Naruto and Sasuke to come forward.
The ninja world, after all, wasn't child's play, but filled with bloodshed and slaughter.
Therefore, practical combat training was necessary and advocated by them.
Uchiha Sasuke walked out with a cold expression, his gaze towards Naruto filled with seriousness.
Born into the Uchiha clan, he would absolutely not allow himself to lose to Naruto.
"Go Naruto! Teach this arrogant guy a lesson!"
Inuzuka Kiba's jeers came from below the stage, inciting a group to echo him.
Aside from a few little girls who liked Sasuke, most people were cheering for Naruto.
Sasuke frowned, a trace of discomfort rising in his heart.
Although he didn't care about these guys' thoughts, being targeted like this inevitably made him, still young, feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Thinking this, a strange look appeared in Sasuke's eyes as he looked at Naruto.
"That guy Naruto... has he been enduring this kind of pressure all along?"
No, perhaps far more than this...
He had some understanding of Naruto's situation in the village.
Also targeted, but Naruto faced the malice of almost the entire village.
Those adults' vicious words made even him feel a chill down his spine.
But this guy can still smile... he really is...
Just as Sasuke ignored the jeers from below and was about to form the Seal of Confrontation,
"Shh~"
Naruto suddenly turned to face the crowd, raised his index finger to his lips, and smiled: "Please be a little quieter. This is respect for someone with firm conviction."
Then, ignoring the crowd's astonished expressions, he turned back to face Sasuke, his expression serious: "Fists and feet have no eyes. Be careful, okay?"
Sasuke snapped back to reality. Unsure why, he suddenly didn't dare to look directly into those azure blue eyes and averted his gaze.
The two completed the Seal of Confrontation.
"I'm coming!"
Sasuke saw Naruto standing there as before, looking like he was ready and waiting.
So he didn't hesitate and chose to attack first.
"Come on!"
Naruto nodded, slightly lowering his body.
Swish!
Sasuke's speed was extremely fast as he rushed directly towards him.
Then a straight punch smashed directly towards Naruto's face.
But it was easily dodged.
Boom!!
Immediately after, Sasuke's right leg swung around, kicking fiercely towards Naruto's abdomen.
However, Naruto directly raised his arm and blocked it, the movement clean and crisp, without any sloppiness.
Uchiha Sasuke didn't stop his assault there, a fierce kick aimed at Naruto's head.
This scene made the girls want to scream in excitement.
Bang!
But in a flash,
Naruto's body suddenly tilted to the side, evading Sasuke's attack.
"So many openings, Sasuke."
Sasuke's movements were full of flaws in Naruto's eyes. If he went all out, he could completely kill Sasuke in an instant.
But Naruto merely extended his right foot and swept backwards sharply.
"What?"
Uchiha Sasuke's expression changed. Before he could even land, he barely managed to cross his arms defensively.
His entire body was sent flying straight backwards by the immense force, arms burning with pain.
Boom!
Suddenly, the retreating Uchiha Sasuke transformed into a log of wood.
"Body Replacement Technique?"
Iruka nodded, exclaiming in admiration: "Sasuke's fundamentals are very solid too."
Although many students from powerful clans had already mastered the Three Basic Academy Techniques,
It was rare to see someone at this age skillfully apply the Body Replacement Technique in actual combat.
Unfortunately, he's facing Naruto...
"There!"
Someone shouted.
Uchiha Sasuke, at some unknown point, had reappeared on the other side.
"I won't lose to you!"
His gaze was firmly locked on Naruto, then his hands rapidly formed seals.
"The Tiger seal! Not good..."
Iruka's expression changed instantly upon seeing this.
He never expected Uchiha Sasuke, still a junior student, to have already mastered such a ninjutsu.
If Naruto was really hit by such a lethal ninjutsu, wouldn't that mean...
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
(End of Chapter)
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