"Come on."
Uchiha Mai smirked. He relaxed his left fist, opened his palm, and beckoned with his fingers in a taunting backhand motion.
Arrogant. Beyond arrogant. He was practically begging for a heavy counter-punch!
With his goddess, Kurenai Yuhi, watching from the sidelines, Asuma didn't want to look like a coward. Despite his inner caution, he lunged forward, throwing a heavy punch aimed straight for the Uchiha's cheek.
The fist whistled through the air, carrying a faint gust of wind. It was clear Asuma had put his full weight into this strike, having channeled chakra into his limbs.
Taijutsu doesn't strictly require chakra to hit an enemy, but using it allows for high-level cellular activation, granting the body explosive power and speed.
This wasn't a secret technique exclusive to Kakashi or the Cloud Village's Nintaijutsu; it was a fundamental skill any shinobi possessed.
Did anyone truly believe a twelve-year-old Naruto could scale walls and leap onto rooftops with pure muscle alone? No. Techniques like Kakashi's cellular activation, the Cloud's Lightning Release body flickering, or the Eight Inner Gates simply allowed the user to utilize chakra in a more refined, efficient manner—extracting more power and speed for the same amount of chakra cost.
Asuma's chakra-infused punch was clearly intended to turn Uchiha Mai's face into a bruised mess.
Mai repeated his previous maneuver. His torso and head snapped back just out of reach, and as the punch whiffed, he fired a straight left jab—a classic defensive counter.
However, Asuma had wised up. He ducked immediately after his swing missed, managing to save his rather un-handsome face.
"I've already seen through your moves!" Asuma crowed, mocking him.
"Oh, is that so?" Mai smiled thinly. He stepped forward half a pace, his left hand snapping out a straight jab toward Asuma's cheek with blistering speed.
Asuma flinched. He had assumed Mai only knew how to counter-attack; he hadn't expected the proactive strike. For a split second, Asuma lost his focus, instinctively raising his hands to block the jab.
Having one side of his face swollen was bad enough; a second hit was unthinkable.
But the moment Asuma reacted, his midsection and jaw were left wide open. Mai seized the fleeting window. His right fist, which had been coiled near his chin, whipped out in a lightning-fast cross that slammed into Asuma's eye socket.
"Ow!"
Asuma let out a cry of pain. Tears leaked involuntarily from his eyes as his left eye socket instantly began to turn black and blue. Mai hadn't held back much on that one.
Probing attacks and see-saw counters—standard boxing tactics, and ones Mayweather was particularly fond of.
Struck again, Asuma's face burned with shame. He had talked so much trash, only to have his face mangled in just two rounds. It was humiliating. Utterly humiliating.
Worst of all, his dream girl, Kurenai, was watching.
It doesn't matter, he told himself, numbing his pride with a dose of "A-Q" spirit. The first one to hit isn't the winner; the one who laughs last is. If I beat him into the dirt now, I can take it all back!
Desperate to salvage his reputation, Asuma swung a wild haymaker at Mai's chin.
Mai didn't panic. He tucked his chin and shrugged his left shoulder high, utilizing the Shoulder Roll to protect his vitals, ensuring he wouldn't be taken out by a lucky KO.
After the exchange, Mai hopped back two steps to reset the distance. He kept his left fist low, constantly flicking it in Asuma's face—not to land a blow, but to harass his vision.
This "flicker jab" was a common boxing trick used to control an opponent's line of sight, disrupt their balance, and scatter their attention.
Asuma was eager to attack, but he was terrified of Mai's fists. If he took another clean hit, his face wouldn't survive the day.
Mai watched Asuma's eyes. The moment he saw the boy's attention waver, his right hand whistled through the air, landing flush on Asuma's cheek.
Before the dazed Asuma could even process the anger, he realized that Mai—who usually retreated after a single hit—was suddenly on top of him, unleashing a torrential downpour of punches.
Holy crap!
If this were a boxing ring, a professional's first instinct would be to cover up with a high guard. But Asuma was a "ninja." He decided to stand his ground and trade blows. Real men fear nothing!
Unfortunately, his resolve didn't help. Before Asuma could land a single counter, he was completely overwhelmed by a flurry of combinations. The assault ended with a sharp right hook to the jaw.
Asuma hit the dirt, out cold.
The instructor, Murakami Jingning, panicked. Did he just kill the Hokage's son? He rushed forward, pulling Mai away. He checked Asuma's pupils, his airway, his pulse, and his heartbeat.
Only then did he subtly flash a "don't worry" look toward the office. The boy wasn't dead; he was just unconscious, missing a few molars.
Asuma lay on the ground, his face a purple-and-blue mess, with bloody foam leaking from the corner of his mouth. It was a pathetic sight.
"Teacher, should I start the ten-count?" Mai asked instinctively.
"What ten-count?"
Jingning asked, confused, before realizing Mai meant giving Asuma ten seconds to stand up. "There's no need for that. The shock from that last punch traveled through the bone directly to his brain. I doubt he'll be getting up for a few days. You win this match."
"See? I told you a hit to the chin would cause a blackout!" Might Guy shouted excitedly to the girls nearby.
Mai sighed inwardly. He couldn't even get back up? What a shame. I didn't even get to use my coolest, hardest-hitting move: the Flying Armbar.
Since one party was unconscious, there was no way to perform the Seal of Reconciliation. The duel ended abruptly. Naturally, while others were technically allowed to challenge Mai, Asuma served as a grim warning. No one else stepped forward.
The students eventually split off into pairs for their own mediocre sparring sessions.
Jingning took the opportunity to return to the office. He leaned in toward the Third Hokage and asked tentatively, "Lord Hokage, what do you think of Uchiha Mai?"
"Very good."
Hiruzen nodded slowly, offering praise. "Without relying on Kekkei Genkai or Ninjutsu, he used pure intelligence to toy with Asuma. He possesses exceptional combat wisdom—a rare talent indeed."
The physical level Mai had displayed wasn't miles ahead of his peers. What had crushed Asuma was his technique and psychological warfare.
In a shinobi's battle, power is important, but intelligence is vital. It was through intelligence that Shikamaru Nara managed to bury the immortal Hidan.
And Hiruzen Sarutobi, above all else, appreciated a shinobi with a tactical mind.
In the original Chunin Exams, 153 people participated. While Naruto, Lee, Neji, Sasuke, and Gaara performed feats that rivaled Jonin, only one person was promoted to Chunin: Shikamaru Nara. It was proof that when Konoha graded its ninjas, they looked for more than just raw power.
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