In Kirito's eyes, the two people who couldn't even release their chakra were just fighting like children.
Moreover, in a one-on-one situation, the students of Class A would never be a match for Ino.
Class S had the best teaching staff and resources, and its homeroom teacher, Iruka, was a top-level Chūnin.
However, entering Class S was not easy.
First: descendants of large clans, such as the Hyuga and Yamanaka clans, who had made great contributions to the village.
Second: excellent talent. If there was still room in the class, students with great potential would be admitted — such as Rock Lee and Haruno Sakura.
Third: special approval. For example, Naruto...
In Class S, at least half of the students were from ordinary families but possessed great potential.
Therefore, Yumiko, Chiki, and Natsuko naturally lacked the same level of ability.
Although Kirito hadn't been to school for a long time, Iruka knew he had the strength of a Genin; otherwise, he wouldn't have been assigned this patrol mission.
However, no one knew that Kirito's true strength had already reached the level of a Chūnin.
From a short distance, Kirito could sense that the combined chakra of Yumiko, Natsuko, and Chiki was only slightly higher than Ino's.
So, it was almost a one-sided battle.
"Ah—!"
Ino seized the chance and kicked Yumiko to the ground.
Yumiko slumped down in disbelief, shouting, "Impossible! I can't possibly lose to you!"
Ino looked at Yumiko lying on the ground and said proudly, "You think you can compete with me for Sasuke?"
"Hmph!" Yumiko sneered, stood up, and waved at Natsuko and Chiki. The three of them prepared to attack together!
Natsuko and Chiki understood immediately and surrounded Ino.
Sakura saw that the situation wasn't good and rushed to Ino's side, shouting, "What? Can't the people in Class A afford to lose?"
Chiki smiled mockingly and said, "When did we ever promise a one-on-one?"
Ino cursed under her breath and launched the first attack.
Even if it was two against three, Ino and Sakura had confidence in their teamwork.
But Yumiko ordered Chiki to hold off Sakura while she and Natsuko teamed up against Ino.
Two fists were no match for four hands. After a few rounds, Ino was clearly at a disadvantage. The girls from Class A, full of resentment, attacked ruthlessly.
Kirito knew that if he didn't intervene soon, something bad might happen. He could no longer just stand by.
If possible, he really didn't want to get involved in girls' disputes.
Taking a deep breath, he gathered chakra under his feet and rushed into the fight. He caught the beaten Ino in his arms, raised his hand, and blocked Yumiko's punch. Then he pushed her back and shouted, "Ladies, please stop!"
Ino felt relieved when she heard that familiar voice.
Kirito would never let them be bullied!
Natsuko and Yumiko immediately became alert, and Sakura and Chiki stopped fighting, turning to look at him.
Sakura took the opportunity to run behind Kirito.
Kirito glanced at her and noticed that she was covered in dust but hadn't taken any serious hits.
He guessed she'd been bullied by the three girls before Ino arrived.
"Kirito, let me go!" Ino squirmed in his arms, her face turning red. Being hugged by a boy felt... awkward.
"Oh? Ah!" Kirito reacted slowly, then quickly let go of her.
Yumiko, Natsuko, and Chiki gathered together and glared at him. "Hey, Kirito! This is between girls — why are you, a boy, meddling?"
Meddling?
Kirito frowned helplessly and said, "Fighting is prohibited on school grounds, right? What you're doing counts as school violence!"
Chiki narrowed her eyes cunningly. "You're not even a student here. I advise you not to stick your nose where it doesn't belong. Do you really think a teacher will punish actual students for this?"
Kirito cleared his throat and said seriously, "Teacher Iruka gave me a mission to patrol the school festival. You three beauties have violated the rules."
After hearing that, the three of them looked slightly panicked — but still defiant.
Chiki scoffed, "Kirito, are you lying to help them? How could Iruka give you such an important task? You're not a student here, and you're our age. Why should anyone believe you?"
Chiki's words made sense. Ino tugged Kirito's sleeve and whispered, "Hey, Kirito, you're not lying, are you?"
At that moment, Sakura's eyes also showed clear doubt.
"Hahaha, you've been exposed, haven't you?" Natsuko laughed, pointing at him. "I advise you to mind your own business, or I'll beat you up too!"
Kirito was truly annoyed by their arrogance. He frowned and said impatiently, "If you don't believe me, we can go ask Teacher Iruka face to face. I'll report everything that happened."
Hearing this, Chiki, Natsuko, and Yumiko froze. Yumiko said nervously, "Iruka-sensei is their homeroom teacher — he'll definitely take their side!!"
"Feeling guilty?" Kirito replied calmly. "Iruka-sensei is fair and selfless."
They were clearly the ones who started the fight, and deep down, they knew it.
Natsuko whispered, "Could he be telling the truth? I heard Iruka-sensei really did issue a mission a few days ago."
Yumiko's face turned pale. "No… that's impossible…"
Chiki smirked coldly and said, "If we beat them all now, we won't have to worry about punishment later, right?"
"Fine. Let's finish this." Natsuko and Yumiko nodded, and the three of them spread out, surrounding Kirito.
Kirito was already prepared. He quickly formed hand seals and shouted, "Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"..."
Six distinct puffs of smoke appeared — six shadow clones!
He pointed at the three girls and commanded, "Capture them!"
"..."
Although Kirito's strength had reached Chūnin level, his actual combat skills were limited. The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique was the only offensive jutsu he had, obtained as a system reward.
Sakura watched with concern and muttered, "Those illusions might not scare them for long."
Kirito blinked in confusion. Illusions?
It suddenly dawned on him — Shadow Clone was a forbidden technique, and everyone mistook it for a regular Clone Technique illusion!
In the blink of an eye, Yumiko, Chiki, and Natsuko were subdued.
But then Kirito's eyes widened — the girls were pinned down, but… how did the shadow clones' hands end up touching—emmmm?
The air suddenly turned awkward. Before Kirito could explain, Ino's fist came flying.
"Kirito! What are you doing with your hands?!"
"Ah—wait, I didn't mean—!"
The clones vanished with a puff as Kirito stumbled backward, nursing a bruise and a headache.
End of the chapter.