Bonds, Starting to Become Stronger from Naruto and Sakura

"Hmph, I'm not afraid of you..."

"Becoming Hokage is my dream, and I won't give up."

"Sasuke..."

"From today on, we are rivals competing against each other!"

"I will absolutely not lose to you..."

Just as Sasuke was lost in thought, Naruto suddenly locked eyes with him and shouted passionately.

His azure pupils flickered with excitement and indescribable emotional fluctuations...

Finally, besides Iruka-sensei, there was someone else who acknowledged him!

Even if it was just as a rival, Sasuke had not ignored his existence.

Instead, he viewed him as an opponent.

For the Dead Last Naruto, this was even more motivating...

"I am too, Naruto..."

Sasuke suppressed the excitement in his heart and replied earnestly, meeting Naruto's gaze.

Now, he also had a reason why he had to become Hokage!

"Sasuke-kun is so cool..."

"He will definitely be able to defeat Naruto and become Hokage..."

Sakura looked at Sasuke with a shy, flower-like smile, fully endorsing Sasuke's dream.

"Sakura, don't look down on me..."

"To keep my word is my Nindō."

"I will definitely surpass Sasuke and become Hokage..."

Hearing the shout from his Goddess Sakura, Naruto turned his head, clenched his fists, and said indignantly.

Although he knew he wasn't as much of a genius as Sasuke, this was definitely not the time to back down.

"Yo..."

"You three look quite motivated..."

"However, becoming Hokage is not such a simple matter!"

"So, gather at Training Ground 3 at five o'clock tomorrow morning."

"Remember to bring your ninja tools; this is a super difficult test with a failure rate of over 66%..."

"Don't go shouting about wanting to be Hokage only to fail the Genin test."

"Oh, and don't eat breakfast..."

"You'll throw up..."

Watching Sasuke and Naruto staring at each other with sparks flying, Kakashi said with a deep gaze and a teasing tone.

Without waiting for the three of them to react, he turned into White Smoke with a poof and vanished...

At the same time, a System Prompt appeared in Sasuke's mind again:

[Detected Kakashi's malicious advice, triggering 10x D-rank Reward.]

[Task: Eat breakfast tomorrow; Reward: 100,000 Ryo...]

100,000 Ryo!!

Hearing the system reward, a sharp glint flashed in Sasuke's eyes, and he felt inexplicably excited...

Although the initial reward was money, which didn't help with strength, the key was that the task was simple...

Moreover, in the Ninja World, having money meant you could do whatever you wanted...

100,000 Ryo was enough to commission a C-rank Mission!

Even if he used it to buy weapons and equipment, he could buy over three hundred Explosive Tags...

When poor, use tactical infiltration; when rich, use overwhelming firepower.

For Sasuke at his current stage, this was a pretty good trump card.

"Um, Sasuke-kun..."

"Should we eat together and discuss a strategy?"

"I think that way, the chances of us passing the assessment tomorrow might be a little higher..."

Looking at Sasuke's handsome face, Sakura suggested nervously with hearts in her eyes.

This was an excellent opportunity to go on a date with Sasuke, and she wasn't going to miss it!

"Eat together?

Great, great...

Sakura, that arrogant guy Sasuke won't go.

We can just discuss it ourselves..."

Before Sasuke could even speak, Naruto beside him craned his neck and shouted excitedly.

With Sasuke's personality, he definitely wouldn't go...

In other words, he could go on a date alone with Sakura right away!

So exciting...

[Detected Sakura's suggestion, triggered E-rank Reward.

Task: Eat together; Reward: Substitution Technique +1...]

[Detected Naruto's malicious suggestion, triggered 5x D-rank Reward.

Task: Eat together; Reward: 0.1 Kakashi-level Chakra...]

Listening to the system prompts ringing in his ears one after another, Sasuke's eyes narrowed and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly...

Getting stronger, starting from now...

"Then let's go..."

Under Sakura's surprised gaze and Naruto's stunned look, Sasuke turned his head and nodded with a faint smile.

That handsome face and smile made Sakura's eyes turn into hearts once again...

He, he agreed...

Sasuke-kun actually agreed to her date! So happy...

"Ramen, ramen, I want to eat Ichiraku Ramen..."

Seeing this, Naruto hung his head and clamored indignantly.

But while feeling unhappy, a trace of a bond he had never felt before rose in the bottom of his heart...

Is this, what they call being comrades...

On the other side,

Hokage's Office.

"Become the Hokage!!

Sasuke, this child, his mindset is growing quite healthily...

It seems my previous worries were unnecessary..."

Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Sasuke on the crystal ball and let out a sigh of relief.

In this way, he could at least account for things to Itachi...

"Those three guys...

Well, I'm suddenly looking forward to tomorrow's test a little..."

Beside him, Kakashi watched the backs of Sasuke and the others heading to dinner, his eyes flickering.

They seemed to have already grasped a bit of team spirit!

"Kakashi...

I let you serve as the instructor for Team 7, you should know why...

Whether it's Sasuke's Sharingan or that guy inside Naruto.

Both are precious assets of Konoha...

Only you have the ability to guide the training of Sasuke's Sharingan.

And at the same time, protect Naruto from any accidents!

So, I hope you will go easy on them during tomorrow's test..."

Hearing that Kakashi had developed a bit of interest, Hiruzen Sarutobi adjusted his Hokage hat and said in a deep voice.

If they failed tomorrow's assessment, he would have a headache!

There was no one more suitable than Kakashi to be the mentor of Team 7...

"That depends on their performance tomorrow..."

A flash of light crossed Kakashi's eyes as he spoke ambiguously, not giving a clear answer.

This made the corners of Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth twitch, and two black lines rose on his forehead...

This guy Kakashi, does he still have to be that strict...

However, Kakashi's strictness was not a bad thing for Naruto and Sasuke!

Ichiraku Ramen

"Then, it's decided...

Naruto, Sakura, remember to act together tomorrow."

After finishing his meal, Sasuke set down his bowl and chopsticks, offered a faint smile, and stood up to leave.

He didn't give either of them a chance to ask him to stay!

The meal was over, and it was time to collect his rewards...

[Mission completed, reward obtained: Substitution Technique...]

[Mission completed, reward obtained: 0.1 units of Chakra...]

As soon as he stepped out the door, two system prompts rang in Sasuke's ears.

Almost at the same time, the Chakra within Sasuke's body began to grow wildly...

In less than a single breath, his total Chakra volume increased by nearly fifty percent.

Meanwhile, Sakura's Substitution Technique was instilled into his mind like a sudden enlightenment...

Sasuke had originally thought the Substitution Technique reward was useless, as he already knew this basic ninjutsu.

However, after receiving the reward, Sasuke's eyes lit up...

The system-rewarded Substitution Technique from Sakura actually stacked with and optimized his own.

It turned the five-seal Substitution Technique into a ninjutsu that could be activated with only three seals.

This wasn't as simple as one plus one equals two...

Immediately, a thought stirred in Sasuke's mind.

He silently summoned his attribute panel...

Host: Sasuke Uchiha

Age: 12

Strength: Elite Genin

Identity: Konoha Genin (Indra Chakra Reincarnation)

Affinity: Fire, Lightning

Kekkei Genkai: One-Tomoe Sharingan (Latent)

Chakra: 0.3 units

Taijutsu: Uchiha Throwing Technique (D-rank), Shurikenjutsu (D-rank)

Ninjutsu: Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques (E-rank), Escape Technique (E-rank), Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique (C-rank)

Looking at the simple and clear attribute panel, two black lines couldn't help but rise on Sasuke's forehead...

This strength was just too pathetic...

It was one thing that his Sharingan was only a One-Tomoe, but it was also in a latent, unactivated state?

The most important thing for a ninja, his Chakra, was a pitiful 0.3 units...

And that was even after the increase from the rewards...

It was truly a miserable sight...