High-Level Doesn't Always Stay High, Low-Level Doesn't Always Stay Low

Watanabe: "..."

He really wanted to say, Who wants to fight you head-on!

He was now absolutely certain that if he dared to test Tsunade's full-power attack, he would die on the spot.

After all, his body was already smashed to pieces; what was the use of the system giving him more Blood Essence and Defense?

But he had already boasted, and even attracted a group of fangirls because of it. If he backed out now, wouldn't that be embarrassing?

Regarding the issue of embarrassment, Watanabe only thought about it for a moment before quickly making a decision.

"Pfft!"

Watanabe strained to hold back the surging Blood Essence within him and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Watanabe!"

Osaka Rukawa and the others exclaimed in unison, and even Tsunade's expression changed drastically.

Although Watanabe had been sent flying by Tsunade earlier, looking terrifying, he hadn't seen any blood. If it wasn't for severe internal injuries, it would be impossible to spit blood.

"My injuries are a bit serious," Watanabe said calmly to Tsunade as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, "If there's a chance in the future, we can continue today's spar."

After speaking, he didn't wait for Tsunade's reaction and left the stage.

"???"

"..."

The entire venue fell silent for a while before everyone reacted.

"Watanabe, are you okay? Do you want me to take you to the infirmary?"

"Nonsense, didn't you see him spitting blood? Of course he's not okay!"

"Come on, Watanabe, I'll take you to the infirmary."

The girls swarmed around, showing their concern and asking Watanabe how he was.

Before, Watanabe was just an unremarkable underachiever in class, and hardly anyone paid attention to him. However, today's spar with Tsunade made him famous. The girls suddenly realized that they had such a treasure boy in their class, not only handsome and sunny, but also with such a tenacious and firm will. His personal Charm was simply immense.

[Received Concern: Sense of Security -4, Flustered +3, Fear +2...]

Watanabe wanted to curse.

The reversal of cause and effect was a double-edged sword, with both advantages and disadvantages. He would rather people still mocked and ridiculed him.

Looking at Watanabe surrounded by a bevy of beauties, Jiraiya, not far away, was extremely envious. If being beaten half to death by Tsunade could earn him such good popularity with girls, he would be willing to be thrashed by Tsunade every day.

"No need to go to the infirmary, I know Medical Ninjutsu," Tsunade's voice rang out.

Everyone made way for her. Tsunade walked up to Watanabe, placed a hand on his shoulder, and a faint green light bloomed at her fingertips. A stream of Yang-attribute Chakra was injected into Watanabe's body, healing his injuries.

[Received Healing: Blood Essence -9, Physique -1, Health -2, Pain +8...]

"!!"

Watanabe was instantly startled. He felt as if Tsunade wasn't using Medical Ninjutsu on him, but stabbing him with a knife. A tearing pain spread through his body.

"No need for treatment, I'll recover with rest!"

Watanabe quickly pulled away Tsunade's hand.

He subconsciously squeezed it. It was warm and soft, as if it had no bones, and he couldn't understand how it could exert such force.

"My Medical Ninjutsu is very powerful, it can speed up your recovery," Tsunade emphasized seriously.

"I really don't need to trouble you!"

Is that healing? You're trying to kill me!

Watanabe decided that he must stay away from Medical Ninjas in the future; they were simply his nemesis.

Fearing that Tsunade would insist on treating him again, Watanabe stopped arguing with her and turned to leave.

"Watanabe."

The girls called out to him, but Watanabe didn't look back, as if he were fleeing in panic.

"This guy!"

Tsunade bit her lower lip, somewhat annoyed.

I beat you up like that, what's wrong with giving you some treatment?

Besides, it was normal for classmates to care about each other. Other boys were always trying to get close to me or please me, but you're rushing to distance yourself from me. Am I that scary?

While annoyed, Tsunade clearly felt that Watanabe was different from others, very special. Thus, in addition to sympathy and recognition, she became more curious about Watanabe.

Osaka Rukawa, standing nearby, hesitated to speak. He knew it was class time, and Watanabe was skipping class without even saying goodbye to him.

After thinking about it, he ultimately didn't say anything.

Watanabe was an orphan, and his personality was naturally a bit reclusive due to his upbringing. It was normal for him to want to find a quiet place to lick his wounds.

He felt quite pitiful.

Osaka Rukawa quickly scribbled a few lines, accurately recording the sparring match between Watanabe and Tsunade. He especially praised Watanabe's tenacious spirit and bravery in his repeated attempts despite failures.

"I hope this record will make a better impression on the Hokage, and being valued by the Hokage will greatly benefit you."

Osaka Rukawa thought to himself, then arranged for his students to continue their practical sparring.

After leaving the ninja academy, Watanabe went straight home without stopping anywhere.

Although Konoha was nominally a village, its actual land area was larger than that of a small country, with a population of hundreds of thousands. The streets were bustling and prosperous.

Watanabe's home was far from the commercial center, located in a corner of Konoha. However, it wasn't remote because ordinary civilians also lived in this area, and the foot traffic was even denser than in the central areas occupied by noble clans.

The hierarchical system in the Hokage world was actually very strict. Noble clans almost monopolized all the resources in the village. A small portion of lucky commoners could get rich by doing business with the backing of noble clans, while most relied on farming and manual labor for a living. If they became ninjas, their living conditions could be greatly improved. They could make a living by taking on missions; the rewards were not only generous but also respectable, though the risk factor was relatively high.

Watanabe's original plan was to become a ninja and make a living by taking on missions in the future. After all, working for others was too difficult. Not to mention the 996 work schedule, if he encountered an unscrupulous boss, he might even owe the boss thirty thousand Ryo after working for a month.

But now it was different. Watanabe had found a brand new path to become stronger. As long as his strength grew, would he still need to worry about making a living?

Although Watanabe was currently so poor that he could barely afford to eat.

Did royalty and nobility have a different lineage? The higher-ups wouldn't always be the higher-ups, and the lower-ups wouldn't always be the lower-ups.

He opened his status panel, and a row of light screens popped up:

[Host: Watanabe
Chakra: 20
Spirit: 18
Blood Essence: 155
Defense: 38
Charm: 9
Physique: 4
Stamina: 3]

Compared to before his fight with Tsunade, except for the Chakra value which remained unchanged, his Blood Essence and Defense had more than doubled. He also had new stats like Charm and Physique.

Watanabe did feel that his body was very strong now, as if he had endless strength, though of course, not to Tsunade's level.

After thinking for a moment, Watanabe focused all his strength on himself and punched his stomach hard.

"Become stronger!"

[Received Attack: Blood Essence +0.002, Defense +0.001, Pain -0.008...]

"???"

Watanabe was stunned.

When Tsunade hit him, one punch increased his Blood Essence by twenty to thirty points. He hit himself, and his Blood Essence only increased to the third decimal place?