Naruto Episode 042 The Best Battle is all right, Damn it!!

The episode begins with an argument between Ino and Sakura which ignites a heated battle. Sakura begins her assault with a replication technique that doesn’t seem to worry Ino; however the technique is only a distraction for the real attack. Her two clones quickly disappear, distracting Ino, as Sakura lands a hit on her. It is then revealed by Kakshi that Sakura is much better at controlling Chakra than any of the other rookies in Konoha, even Sasuke.

Both girls seem to be equal with one another: catching each other’s punches and deflecting the other’s kunai, lasting up to 10 minutes. Even Ino is surprised by Sakura’s improvement; but, Ino’s fury from Sakura’s comments continues to grow to the level that even Ino cuts her hair.

Ino, then, decides to use her Mind Transferring technique, as Sakura notices. But, that technique has its own fatal flaw that makes it a double-edged sword: if the user misses, then their body will be vulnerable for at least a couple minutes. Due to its great flaw, it was only used when Shikamaru held their enemy still with his shadow techniques, but now, Ino decides to use it, and it seems to miss; however, Ino’s secret plan reveals itself. The seal for her technique was only a fake; she had actually just used it as a cover for her Chakra string she made out of her hair that she had just cut, stopping Sakura in her tracks. This now allows Ino to not miss with her technique, and she hits her target.

Ino, now, has definitely taken over Sakura’s mind, making her give up the match; however, Sakura begins fighting back mentally after being woken up by Naruto’s yelling. Sakura’s mental strength is more than Ino had first anticipated; Sakura pushes Ino out of her mind, sending Ino back to her own body.

Even the teachers are amazed that Sakura’s inner fighting spirit had more strength than Ino’s technique. Kakshi then says that Sakura and Naruto are alike in that way; they both hate to lose.

At that moment, both girls give it all they have in their last attacks. They knock each other over with tremendous force, but they also end up with a double KO, resulting in them both losing. It turns out that they both do not need medical attention, but just rest, for now. It is at this moment that Kakshi-sensei is happy that he entered his group in these Exams.

Now, the next match is announced between Tenten, of Konoha, and Temari, of the Sand. Both girls seem prepared for their match as they enter the arena.