The Powerful Won't Stay Powerful Forever, and the Weak Won't Stay Weak Forever

Watanabe: "..."

He really wanted to say, Fight the ghost head-on!

He was now absolutely certain that if he dared to try taking Tsunade's full-force punch, he would die on the spot.

After all, what use were all the extra vitality and defense the system gave him if his body got blown apart?

But he'd already made a big show of talking tough, and even gained a bunch of fangirls because of it. Wouldn't it be humiliating to back out now?

Watanabe only gave the question of whether it would be humiliating a moment's thought before making his choice.

"Ptooey!"

Watanabe tensed up, forcing the abundant vitality within him to surge, then suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Watanabe!"

Osaka Rukawa and the others cried out in alarm. Even Tsunade's expression changed dramatically.

Although Tsunade had sent Watanabe flying all over the place, making the fight look terrifying, he hadn't bled until now. He couldn't have spat blood unless he'd suffered serious internal injuries.

"My injuries are a little severe." Watanabe wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and spoke to Tsunade calmly. "If we get the chance, let's continue our sparring another day."

With that, he didn't wait for Tsunade to respond. He simply left the ring.

"???"

"..."

The whole arena was silent for a while before everyone finally reacted.

"Watanabe, are you all right? Should we take you to the infirmary?"

"Obviously he's not all right! Didn't you see him spit up blood?"

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

The girls swarmed around him, fussing over him with concern.

Before, Watanabe had been an inconspicuous dead-last in class, and hardly anyone paid him any attention. But his spar with Tsunade had made him famous overnight. The girls suddenly realized their class had such a hidden gem: not only was he sunny and handsome, he was also so strong-willed and determined. His personal charm was off the charts.

[Receiving concern: Sense of security -4, Panic +3, Fear +2...]

Watanabe wanted to curse.

Karma Reversal was a double-edged sword, with both advantages and drawbacks. He would've preferred it if everyone kept mocking and ridiculing him.

Watching Watanabe surrounded by all those girls, Jiraiya was green with envy. If getting beaten half to death by Tsunade could earn him such popularity with girls, he'd gladly let Tsunade pound him every day.

"There's 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 and placed a hand on his shoulder. At the same time, a hazy green glow bloomed at her fingertips, and a surge of Yang Release Chakra entered Watanabe's body to heal his injuries.

[Receiving treatment: Vitality -9, Constitution -1, Health -2, Pain +8...]

"!!"

Watanabe jolted in alarm. It felt as if Tsunade wasn't using Medical Ninjutsu on him but stabbing him with a knife. Agonizing pain tore through his body.

"No need to treat me. I'll be fine after I rest!"

Watanabe hurriedly pulled Tsunade's little hand away.

Without thinking, he gave it a squeeze. It was warm and soft, as if it had no bones. He had no idea how she could produce so much force.

"My Medical Ninjutsu is very good. It can speed up your recovery," Tsunade insisted earnestly.

"Really, there's no need to trouble yourself!"

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

Watanabe decided he would make sure to stay away from medical ninja from now on. They were his natural enemies.

Afraid Tsunade might try to treat him again, Watanabe stopped talking to her and turned to leave.

"Watanabe."

The girls called after him, but he didn't look back, as if he were fleeing in a panic.

"That guy!"

Tsunade bit her lower lip, feeling a little annoyed.

I beat you up that badly. What's wrong with treating you afterward?

And it's perfectly normal for classmates to show concern for each other. The other boys all try to get close to me and curry favor with me, but you're in such a hurry to distance yourself. Am I that scary-looking?

Even as Tsunade felt annoyed, she could tell that Watanabe was different from everyone else, that there was something special about him. So besides feeling sympathy and respect for him, she also grew more curious about him.

Osaka Rukawa, standing nearby, hesitated. It was class time, after all. Was Watanabe really going to skip class without even saying a word to him?

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

Watanabe was an orphan. Given the circumstances of his upbringing, it was only natural for him to be a little withdrawn. He was probably going somewhere deserted to lick his wounds in private.

It was rather pitiful when you thought about it.

Osaka Rukawa quickly jotted down an honest account of Watanabe's spar with Tsunade, emphasizing his resilience and courage in continuing to fight despite repeated defeats.

"I hope this account helps you make a stronger impression on Lord Hokage. It'll do you a lot of good if Lord Hokage takes notice of you."

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

After leaving the Ninja Academy, Watanabe went straight home without stopping anywhere.

Although Konoha was nominally called a village, it actually covered more land than an ordinary small country and had a population of several hundred thousand. The streets were bustling with people.

Watanabe's home was far from the commercial center, in a corner of Konoha. But the area wasn't remote, since most ordinary civilians lived there too. It was even more crowded than the central district, which was occupied by the great clans.

The class system in the Naruto World was actually very rigid. The great clans monopolized nearly all the village's resources. A few lucky civilians could grow rich through business backed by the clans, but most survived by farming or doing hard labor. Becoming a ninja could greatly improve one's living conditions: they could make a living by taking missions, which paid well and were respectable work, though the risks were much higher.

Watanabe's original plan had been to become a ninja and make a living by taking missions. After all, working for someone else was exhausting. Never mind the grueling nine-to-nine, six days a week; if he ran into a heartless boss, he might work for a whole month only to end up owing that boss thirty thousand ryo.

But things were different now. Watanabe had found a completely new path to strength. If he became powerful, would he still need to worry about making a living?

Though, at the moment, he really was so broke he could barely afford to eat.

"Are princes and generals born to their stations? The powerful won't stay powerful forever, and the weak won't stay weak forever."

He opened his status panel, and a row of light appeared:

[Host: Watanabe

Chakra: 20

Spirit: 18

Vitality: 155

Defense: 38

Charm: 9

Constitution: 4

Stamina: 3]

Compared with before he fought Tsunade, his Chakra score hadn't changed, but his vitality and defense had more than doubled. He'd also gained several new stats, such as charm and constitution.

Watanabe did feel that his body was much stronger now, as if he had more energy than he knew what to do with. Of course, he still wasn't anywhere near Tsunade's level.

After thinking for a moment, Watanabe put all his strength into punching himself hard in the stomach.

"Get stronger!"

[Receiving attack: Vitality +0.002, Defense +0.001, Pain -0.008...]

"??"

Watanabe was dumbfounded.

When Tsunade hit him, each punch added twenty or thirty points of vitality. But when he hit himself, his vitality only increased by three decimal places?