Naruto's Main Quest

Choji Akimichi wore a radiant smile after winning his match; the moment he stepped off the stage, he tore open a bag of potato chips to replenish the energy he had just expended.

The final pairing was Uchiha Sasuke versus Naruto Uzumaki.

The atmosphere on the sidelines was instantly ignited.

"Sasuke-kun, go for it!"

"Sasuke-kun, you're the best!"

As soon as Sasuke stepped into the arena, the girls gathered at the edge of the field clutched their hands to their chests, their eyes shining brilliantly as they erupted into a synchronized cheer.

"He's just too popular." Choji Akimichi was so envious he even forgot to eat his chips.

"Tch." Tsume Inuzuka felt a bit indignant, feeling he was no worse than Sasuke.

Shikamaru Nara, meanwhile, felt fortunate that he hadn't grown up looking like Sasuke; otherwise, dealing with this group of girls every single day would be enough to give him a headache.

Naruto-kun... do your best, Hyuga Hinata whispered quietly to herself from a corner.

Uchiha Sasuke frowned slightly.

Too noisy.

He thought this silently, though his face remained expressionless; he simply kept his hands in his pockets, his gaze drifting coolly ahead.

In sharp contrast to the heated scene on that side, the other side was desolate.

Naruto Uzumaki stood there with his hands on his hips and his chest puffed out, trying his best to look as if he were just as popular.

But the reality was that the space around him was empty; no one was cheering for him, and not a single person spared him a second glance.

He looked at the boy opposite him, surrounded like stars around the moon, and seeing that nonchalant, hands-in-pockets demeanor, a fire of frustration flared up in his heart.

Naruto pointed a finger at him and shouted loudly, "Uchiha Sasuke, I'm definitely going to beat you today and steal all your popularity!"

Sasuke didn't even lift an eyelid.

He had already heard that line from Naruto more times than he could count.

Naruto gritted his teeth, clearly dissatisfied that he hadn't received a response.

"The match begins," Qiushui said calmly.

Naruto reached for the ninja tool pouch at his waist; he wanted to strike first and show everyone, including Uchiha Sasuke, just how capable he was.

However, the next second, his movements froze.

The buckle of his ninja tool pouch was somehow tied tight; he tugged at it hard, but it wouldn't open. He tugged again, but it still wouldn't budge.

He grew anxious and yanked at it with all his might.

Clatter—

Kunai and shuriken scattered all over the floor, making a crisp and embarrassing clattering sound.

The sidelines went silent for a moment, then erupted into unmasked laughter.

"Hahaha, Naruto, you can't even hold onto your shuriken, how are you going to fight? Just give up already!"

"Exactly! You're a dead last, how could you possibly be a match for Sasuke? Stop wasting our time!"

Those voices were harsh and sharp, piercing mercilessly into Naruto's ears.

Fortunately, Naruto was already used to it; a flash of embarrassment crossed his face, but it was quickly overtaken by stubbornness.

He lifted his head and looked at Sasuke across from him.

His opponent was still standing in the same spot with his hands in his pockets, not taking the opportunity to launch any attacks, his expression not even flickering.

It felt as if he hadn't been taken seriously at all.

Naruto grew even more dissatisfied.

"Ah—!"

He let out a roar, clenched his fist, and charged straight forward.

There was no strategy, no technique, only a reckless, headlong momentum.

It looked imposing, but in reality, it was full of openings.

Sasuke still didn't move.

He stood right where he was, hands in his pockets, watching as Naruto charged closer step by step.

Five meters, three meters, one meter.

Just as Naruto was about to collide with him, Sasuke finally moved.

His speed was astonishing, leaving only an afterimage behind, and in the next moment—

"Ah, ow, ow, ow!"

Naruto's scream echoed throughout the training hall.

He lay face-down on the ground with his arms pinned behind his back, held firmly by Sasuke's knee, while a chill touched his neck; it was a kunai, pressed against his skin and held perfectly steady.

The outcome was decided.

Naruto Uzumaki struggled to rise, refusing to accept this, unwilling to give in; he hadn't finished yet.

When he turned his head and met Sasuke's eyes, all his struggling ceased.

They were hollow eyes.

There was no mockery, no contempt, none of the strange looks others gave him, and not even the smugness a victor should possess.

Naruto did not know how to describe that gaze; he opened his mouth, but the words died on his lips, and he could say nothing at all.

[Talent Cultivation Complete]

[Comprehensive Evaluation: B]

[Reward Obtained: Wind Style: Gale Palm (Beginner)]

Qiushui looked at the reward he had received, a thoughtful expression on his face. The evaluation this time was a B, and the proficiency of the reward had dropped several levels compared to before, sitting at only the beginner level.

He quickly realized it was because this class was practical training; he had stood on the sidelines the entire time and had not imparted any knowledge points as he had in previous lessons.

Qiushui decided that in future practical classes, he would offer suggestions regarding their shortcomings after each pair finished their sparring, hoping that this would improve his evaluation.

Immediately after, a massive amount of memory regarding the Wind Style: Gale Palm ninjutsu flooded his mind.

Wind Style: Gale Palm was a C-rank ninjutsu developed by Jiraiya, and the person most adept at using it was Boruto Uzumaki.

Its effect was to concentrate chakra in the palm to form a high-density air vortex, then release it in one go to create a shockwave. It could serve as a long-range projectile attack, condense wind pressure on the palm to strengthen the impact of taijutsu, or act as a propellant to assist in jumping or movement.

Qiushui remembered that Naruto's chakra nature seemed to be wind, so he could teach him this ninjutsu later on.

Furthermore, this ninjutsu had lower requirements for chakra control than others, and with the blessing of the Talent Aura, he believed Naruto should be able to learn it in a short amount of time.

The only drawback was that the system did not provide wind-attribute chakra; although it could still be used, there was a significant gap compared to performing it with actual wind-attribute chakra.

A message appeared before Qiushui.

[Main Quest: The Path to Cultivating High-Quality Talent Naruto Uzumaki]

[Quest Requirement: Ensure Naruto Uzumaki's grades reach the top fifteen in the end-of-month exam]

[Quest Reward: Distributed after a comprehensive assessment based on quest completion]

Qiushui looked at the quest before him, an expression of surprise on his face.

He had not expected that binding a talent could actually trigger additional cultivation quests.

Qiushui had originally intended to cultivate Naruto well, but now he would have to be even more diligent.

"I just don't know if unbonded talents can trigger such quests; it would be even more perfect if they could," Qiushui muttered to himself.

He looked toward the distance, where Naruto was standing in a corner looking completely dejected, and walked over.

"Teacher Qiushui," Naruto said, lifting his head when he heard the footsteps.