Sasuke Dropped Gold Coins (Seeking Follow-ups)

Although Uchiha Sasuke was already the third cultivation target he had locked onto, the original plan was to slowly grind for favorability after the exam ended; he hadn't expected it to happen just as the exam began.

Could it be that because I stepped in to intercept Naruto's attack, he has developed a sense of recognition toward me?

Qiushui gave it a second thought and felt that things surely couldn't be that simple.

While saving Sasuke would certainly earn him gratitude, the more critical factor was likely the overwhelming strength Naruto displayed in this battle, which shattered Sasuke's habitual pride. Sasuke knew full well that Naruto's current state was entirely due to him.

Qiushui didn't dwell on it further and clicked "Yes" without hesitation.

He secretly hoped in his heart; when he bound Naruto, he had triggered the Otsutsuki bloodline, and from Hinata, he had obtained the Byakugan. If he could extract the Sharingan from Sasuke this time, it would truly be a massive windfall.

[SSS-rank high-quality talent Uchiha Sasuke successfully bound. Current cultivation relationship level: Level 1]

[Obtained binding reward: Two-Tomoe Sharingan]

[Detected that the player's high-quality talent cultivation list is full; adding one slot]

The next second, a violent burning sensation surged from deep within Qiushui's eye sockets, as if his eyeballs were being seared by flames. Qiushui instinctively closed his eyes, but perhaps because he had already fused with the Otsutsuki bloodline, the pain came fiercely but dissipated quickly, lasting no more than a few breaths.

He slowly opened his eyes. Externally, there was no change, but as he looked around, every subtle movement within his field of vision was infinitely magnified. His brain involuntarily began to analyze the trajectories of those movements, giving rise to a strange, lingering impulse that he could replicate them.

Qiushui felt a surge of joy; he hadn't expected the system to directly gift him a pair of Two-Tomoe Sharingan. He praised it once more as truly being a Conscience System.

Compared to the basic One-Tomoe, the capabilities of the Two-Tomoe Sharingan had leaped significantly.

First, dynamic vision was greatly enhanced. It was no longer just about seeing the opponent's movements clearly; it was about capturing high-speed moving objects, and even predicting attack trajectories the instant before the opponent struck by observing the most minute muscle tremors. At the same time, it could vaguely perceive the flow of chakra—though not as precise as the Byakugan, it could roughly distinguish whether the opponent was about to launch taijutsu or ninjutsu.

Second, it possessed the preliminary ability to cast genjutsu. By simply making eye contact, he could inject his own chakra into the opponent's nervous system to interfere with their perception. While far from being as inescapable and powerful as Tsukuyomi, it was enough to cause the opponent to experience a momentary trance or visual distortion, sufficient to create a killing blow in actual combat.

Third, and most crucially, the Two-Tomoe Sharingan officially unlocked the ability to copy ninjutsu.

A weight lifted from Qiushui's heart. Previously, he had been worrying about how to display the various ninjutsu abilities rewarded by the system without arousing suspicion. After all, ninjutsu wasn't something you could just learn whenever you wanted. Ordinary ninja either had to accumulate contributions from missions to exchange for them, hope their team-leading jonin was in a good mood to bestow one, or get lucky enough to loot a suitable scroll from a corpse during battle.

Now, this problem was solved. He was born with blue eyes; if anyone asked where he got his ninjutsu, he would only need to say he had awakened a Kekkei Genkai. Although this excuse was rough, it was flawless.

The ninja world was full of bizarre occurrences, and all sorts of strange Kekkei Genkai emerged one after another. Furthermore, Danzo's Root had not contributed during the Nine-Tails disaster, and later, after privately hiding Yamato who had successfully undergone Wood Release transplantation, the Root was no longer as glorious as before. Danzo no longer held the status of being "above one person and below ten thousand," and Orochimaru had defected years ago after his human experiments were exposed, so there was no need to worry about being snatched for experiments. Konoha was currently in need of talent, so even if Sarutobi Hiruzen heard of this, he would likely only feel gratified that the village had gained another talented individual.

"No need to be so polite; this is what a teacher should do." A gentle smile appeared on Qiushui's face as he nodded at Sasuke, then he announced aloud: "The first match, Naruto Uzumaki wins."

As his voice fell, the surroundings remained deathly silent.

The watching students seemed unable to recover from the incredible battle that had just taken place. They stood frozen in place, expressions dazed, their gazes shifting between Naruto and Sasuke, struggling to digest the scene.

Before the match, almost everyone had concluded that this fight had no suspense. Even when Naruto used the Shadow Clone Technique, few believed he would win.

But the result had slapped everyone in the face.

Naruto Uzumaki hadn't just used the Shadow Clone Technique; he had simultaneously controlled over a dozen clones to launch equally fierce attacks, directly beating Sasuke until he had no power to fight back. If the teacher hadn't intervened in time, Sasuke's defeat would not have been so simple.

"Sasuke-kun, are you okay!" Sakura Haruno was the first to react, sprinting to Sasuke's side, her face full of heartache and worry.

She couldn't believe her eyes. That Sasuke, who had always been so dazzling and powerful, had actually lost to a guy like Naruto.

Ino Yamanaka hesitated for a moment before following, though she couldn't tell if it was just her imagination, she felt that Sasuke didn't look as handsome as he used to.

However, Uchiha Sasuke seemed not to hear their voices; his gaze crossed the crowd and landed directly on Naruto.

"Naruto, have some chips." Choji Akimichi rarely offered a whole bag of his prized potato chips so generously.

"Naruto..." Shikamaru Nara walked over lazily with his hands in his pockets, though his tone betrayed genuine surprise, "We haven't been together for just a month, when did you become this strong?"

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata Hyuga stood on the periphery of the crowd, her fingers twisting together unconsciously. She wanted to go up and congratulate him too, but looking at Naruto, who was surrounded by everyone with a smile on his face, the introverted girl thought for a moment and decided to stand silently in place.

Naruto Uzumaki felt as if he were floating, his mouth stretched almost to his ears.

To be recognized by everyone, praised by his peers, and treated differently—such a moment had actually arrived for him.

He knew that all of this was because of Teacher Qiushui.

It was he who sacrificed his own time every day, training and guiding him tirelessly, which led to today's victory.

If it were in the past, Uchiha Sasuke wouldn't even look at him, let alone use ninjutsu to fight him.

A message popped up in front of Qiushui once again.

[High-quality talent Naruto Uzumaki's favorability toward you has increased]