Big News! Naruto Beats Up Sakura Haruno! Please Vote!!!

They charged at each other again!

But the scene abruptly cut off at that very moment.

"Huh?!"

Naruto returned to the chaotic dreamscape.

"What just happened?"

[Congratulations, Host, on defeating your opponent for the first time. But don't get complacent. The enemies in your dreams will evolve, and they'll adjust their strategies based on their battles with you. One lucky win doesn't prove anything, so be sure to keep striving and working hard!]

Naruto understood what the system meant, but he still couldn't help cheering.

"Ha... hahaha..."

"I really did beat Sasuke just now!"

"Even though it was in a dream, the sparring felt completely real!"

"You can call it luck if you want, but it still proves that I have a chance of beating Sasuke!"

The system didn't deny it.

[Correct.]

"Good! Then let's keep fighting!"

Naruto's eyes blazed, and he was brimming with fighting spirit, practically boiling over with excitement.

Failure was the mother of success.

That was wrong.

Success was the mother of success.

Once people had a taste of success, even just once, they gained a confidence they'd never had before.

That was exactly what Naruto was like now.

Uchiha Sasuke, who had once seemed impossibly far beyond his reach, untouchable and unattainable, had finally been shown—through Naruto's own efforts—to be someone he might be able to defeat!

Though he acted like he couldn't stand Sasuke, deep down Naruto knew that Sasuke was someone he looked up to.

He was exceptionally talented, gifted beyond compare, and wherever he went, people praised him as a genius!

And Naruto, on the other hand, was widely regarded as a dead-last failure...

He might curse Sasuke out loud, but the person whose recognition he wanted most was actually Uchiha Sasuke.

Naruto also knew very well that there was only one way to earn the respect of someone like Sasuke.

That was to defeat him completely!

Now, Naruto had finally glimpsed a faint light on the horizon...

That night, Naruto kept up his simulated ninja sparring without a break.

Just as the system had said, "Uchiha Sasuke" continued to improve, even coming up with countermeasures based on their previous battle.

Naruto could no longer catch Sasuke off guard with his killing intent and defeat him in a single move.

And when it came to overall technique, Naruto was still completely outmatched.

But at the same time...

Naruto's practical combat experience was improving at a wild pace with every simulated spar...

Had you ever seen Konoha at four in the morning?

Other people didn't know.

But Naruto had seen the sun by two in the morning.

He'd even sweated freely under its rays, pouring his youth into his training.

Sometimes, he got beaten until his face was swollen and his features were twisted.

He suddenly thought of his teacher, Might Guy.

That was right—youth was meant to burn!

Naruto had no idea how long he'd kept his passion burning when the system's alarm suddenly rang in his ear.

[It's six o'clock in the morning. Host, get up immediately and prepare to begin a new day of training!]

Naruto rubbed his eyes sleepily and gazed at the gentle-looking morning sunlight. For a moment, he felt dazed...

"Am I... awake?"

The constant changes of scenery in his dream, which had felt no different from the real world, left Naruto with the hazy sensation of a dream where reality and illusion were impossible to tell apart.

[Host, you are awake. If you're still unable to come to your senses, this system can provide one complimentary Baptism of Lightning Release.]

"...I'm awake!"

Naruto yawned widely, threw off his blanket, and got out of bed. He opened the window and looked at the morning sunlight, finally feeling as though he'd truly returned to the real world.

It was like pulling an all-nighter playing a game—and not just any game, but a one-hundred-percent realistic VR game.

"Right, in last night's dream, I think I beat the crap out of Sasuke!"

"That felt great..."

Naruto suddenly remembered and couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from rising.

[In fact, Host fought Sasuke thirty-seven times in your dreams last night and won only three times. Rather than saying you beat the crap out of Sasuke, it would be more accurate to say Sasuke beat the crap out of you.]

Naruto was rinsing his mouth when he suddenly spat out a mouthful of water.

"Was my record really that awful?!"

Still, he could accept it. He was only just getting started...

If he could beat Sasuke once, he could definitely do it a second time.

At that thought, Naruto suddenly took out a pen and paper. In large, messy, ugly handwriting, he boldly wrote four characters: "Beat Sasuke."

He stuck the note in the most conspicuous spot, right beneath the note that said "Become Hokage."

Naruto clapped his hands and nodded with satisfaction.

"Great! Today's another day full of fighting spirit!"

"Work hard! Keep it up!"

"Become Hokage, beat Sasuke!"

Just as Naruto was getting used to preparing to walk on his hands...

[The Host's various parameters have improved. Your body can withstand much greater strain, and ordinary handstand walking can no longer meet your training needs. Please begin training by walking on one hand while carrying weights! And...]

[While training your body, complete your academic studies as well!]

Naruto froze mid-handstand.

Then a hysterical, anguished scream echoed across the whole of Konoha.

"What?!"

Chapter 26: Big News! Naruto Beats Up Sakura Haruno! Please Vote!!!

"Th-this can't be right!"

Naruto was on the verge of tears. He'd finally started getting used to his current training schedule, and now the system was piling on even more!

"W-weighted one-handed handstand walking, and I have to study at the same time?!"

[Host, begin training immediately or face a Baptism of Lightning Release.]

[Warning. Countdown: 5...]

"Ahhh! I'll do it, all right?!"

Naruto could only return to his room and take out two training barbells. He got into a handstand, then tossed one of the barbells upward with one hand and carefully caught it with the soles of both feet.

At once, it felt like Mount Tai had come crashing down on him.

Pfft—

Naruto blew out a breath like a toad, nearly gasping for air.

Fortunately, his desperate training over the past few days hadn't been for nothing.

His incredible stamina and astonishing endurance were enough to help him withstand the pressure.

But walking on one hand while carrying weights was a different matter entirely...

Naruto gritted his teeth and braced one hand against the floor, slowly lifting the other.

His whole body immediately began wobbling, threatening to topple over at any moment...

This demanded more than just stamina. It also tested his sense of balance.

Naruto was drenched in sweat in an instant, but this was only the beginning...

He managed to open a textbook on Ninja Insights with his raised hand.

"'Ninja songs, ninja signals: when large groups of enemies become agitated, that's the best time to infiltrate...'"

"Ah... ah!"

Thud—

Naruto couldn't multitask and finally toppled headfirst onto the floor.

With a miserable look on his face, he sat back on his heels.

"Ahhh! There's no way I can do this!"

[Host, begin training immediately or you will face a Baptism of Lightning Release.]

[Warning. Countdown: 5...]

"...All right, big bro."

Naruto struggled back into a handstand. Following the same steps as before, he tossed up the barbell, caught it with his feet, then lifted one hand and picked up the textbook from the floor, beginning another attempt.

"...A quiet place is not necessarily a hiding place. The most important thing for a ninja is to seize the right moment..."

"Ah—"

Bang—

This time, he got so absorbed in reciting the text that he lost his coordination, and one of the barbells suddenly dropped to the floor.

But he didn't complain to the system again (since it was pointless).

He quickly gritted his teeth and tossed the barbell back up, then picked up the textbook and resumed reciting.

"Oh, right. I still have my traits..."

Naruto's eyes suddenly lit up.

[Stamina Monster] trait activated!

In an instant, his already extraordinary stamina increased by another large margin!

The crushing pressure that had been too much for him to bear seemed to ease somewhat...

"Wow, it really works!"

However, [Stamina Monster] only boosted his stamina, not his coordination. Walking on one hand while carrying weights was still no easy feat.

[Knowledge Absorption] trait activated!

Naruto instantly entered a state of total concentration. The words in the textbook flowed into his mind like water soaking into a sponge...

But...

Thud—

Naruto fell to the floor again, even getting a huge bump on his head.

He rubbed the back of his head and hissed as he drew in a sharp breath.