Loot Drops Again, Blue Light Cluster

On the open ground, Ryusuke and Sasuke Uchiha stood two meters apart, facing each other.

Iruka stood between them and called out, "Both sides, form the Opposition Seal."

At his words, Ryusuke and Sasuke Uchiha each raised the index and middle fingers of their right hands.

Iruka stepped back a few paces, lifted the whistle hanging from his chest, and said, "The first one to fall loses. Begin!"

Beep—

As the whistle sounded, Ryusuke and Sasuke Uchiha lowered their hands and charged at each other.

Once they closed in, Sasuke Uchiha raised his right hand and threw a straight punch.

Ryusuke shifted aside to evade it, reaching up to grab Sasuke Uchiha's arm and throw him over his shoulder.

However, Sasuke Uchiha seemed to have anticipated this. He had not put his full strength into the attack. The moment his fist shot out, his left shoulder had already tensed. With a shake, he retracted his right arm, then crouched and borrowed the momentum to sweep Ryusuke's legs, intending to knock him to the ground and end the fight.

The next second, a scene appeared that left Sasuke Uchiha dumbfounded and made Iruka and everyone present widen their eyes.

Sasuke Uchiha's carefully calculated leg sweep did not instantly take down Ryusuke as he had expected. Instead, it swept through empty air.

Ryusuke, who had been standing before him, vanished into thin air with a swoosh.

Then, Sasuke Uchiha felt a pair of hands seize the fabric at his shoulders and hurl his entire body forward.

Because of the leg sweep, Sasuke Uchiha was facing the ground at that moment.

The tremendous force sent him flying, and he crashed face-first into the ground as though he had tripped on flat land.

Seeing this, Iruka did not immediately announce the result. Instead, he stared at Ryusuke in shock and said incredulously, "The Body Flicker Technique?!"

"Wh... what just happened?"

"Did Ryusuke suddenly disappear, then suddenly reappear?"

"That was the Body Flicker Technique. It's a technique only upperclassmen know. I've seen my brother use it."

"I've seen my dad use it too."

"So... so amazing!"

The exclamations reached Sasuke Uchiha's ears.

Having been thrown in a rather embarrassing manner, he immediately got up, looked at Ryusuke, and said unwillingly, "Again!"

"Beep—"

Iruka blew the whistle and shouted, "The battle is over. The winner is Ryusuke!"

Whoosh—

Almost the instant Iruka finished speaking, a blue light suddenly flashed from Sasuke Uchiha's body.

Then, a blue beam flew out of Sasuke Uchiha and landed on the ground beside him, forming a floating Blue Light Cluster.

Ryusuke's eyes immediately lit up at the sight, and then he fell into thought.

Whether it was Naruto or Sasuke Uchiha, they had only dropped equipment after being thrown to the ground by him.

He had neither subdued them nor knocked them unconscious or killed them.

Iruka had merely announced the battle result.

This sort of judgment was somewhat like time running out in certain fighting games.

No matter how the opponent lost, would the game system's equipment-drop function activate as long as they were defeated?

"Damn it!"

While Ryusuke was thinking, Sasuke Uchiha muttered unwillingly.

But since his clan had not yet been massacred, Sasuke Uchiha had not become extreme, nor did he care so much about victory, defeat, or clan honor.

So, at Iruka's reminder, he walked over to Ryusuke and extended his index and middle fingers.

"Thank you for your guidance!"

Coming back to his senses, Ryusuke formed the Seal of Reconciliation with Sasuke Uchiha, then returned to the group.

Just like during the minor test half a year ago, Ryusuke watched the following matches with little focus, clearly lost in thought.

Only after the Taijutsu matches ended did Ryusuke sort out his thoughts, come back to himself, and rise.

As he headed toward the Survival Exercise testing grounds, Ryusuke wore a mask-like smile while dealing with the enthusiastic male and female classmates. At the same time, he summoned the Virtual Panel that only he could see and checked the Blue Light Cluster that had been automatically collected into the Space Backpack.

Space Backpack: Yin Attribute (Blue)

Ryusuke could not help but freeze when he saw the information displayed by the Blue Light Cluster.

Yin Attribute? Could even chakra attributes be dropped?

There were seven chakra attributes in total: Yin, Yang, Wind, Fire, Water, Earth, and Lightning.

Stores specializing in ninja tools sold test paper capable of detecting chakra attributes.

However, this test paper could only detect Wind, Fire, Water, Earth, and Lightning. Yin and Yang were hidden attributes.

Wind, Fire, Water, Earth, and Lightning could be possessed innately or acquired through training.

Only Yin and Yang could be obtained solely through birth, unless one's body underwent some sort of change.

Ryusuke had tested his own chakra attributes. He had two: Water and Earth.

As for Yin and Yang, Ryusuke did not know whether he had possessed them before awakening the game system, and the Virtual Panel did not display them either.

But after awakening the game system and merging with Asura's chakra, Ryusuke was certain that he had gained the Yang Attribute.

And now, Sasuke Uchiha had dropped the Yin Attribute.

Once he fused with it, Ryusuke would have four chakra attributes: Yin, Yang, Water, and Earth.

At that thought, Ryusuke's mood instantly brightened.

After tapping the Virtual Panel and fusing the Blue Light Cluster, Ryusuke murmured inwardly, Gold and blue... I wonder how many colors these light clusters come in.

But compared to the rank divisions of the light clusters, Ryusuke was now more curious about the drop mechanism.

After thinking things through just now, Ryusuke had realized why he had only dropped equipment twice over the past half year.

It was because of the difference in "victory."

There were many kinds of victories in games: time running out in a PvP match, defeating the opponent, best two out of three, and so on...

There were also monster kills, clearing through certain mechanics, and more...

Different victories produced different ratings, and the drop rates and rewards varied as well.

The reason Ryusuke had only dropped two items after so long was probably because of his rating.

This kind of victory was too easy, which was why the drop rate was so low.

Of course, that was only Ryusuke's guess.

For now, he had no way to verify it.

After all, he could not exactly beat a classmate unconscious or kill them, could he?

If he did that, his ninja career would end before it even began.

To prove this guess, he could only wait until after graduation.

Looking at Sasuke Uchiha ahead of him, Ryusuke suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and a bold idea arose in his mind.

But the next second, he dismissed the overly crazy idea.

What am I thinking?

Could a nobody who wasn't even a genin participate in the Uchiha Clan Massacre orchestrated by Konoha's higher-ups?

Even Ryusuke was startled by his own thought.

After changing his fate, he seemed to have become a little too swollen with confidence. That would not do.

In this Shinobi World full of hidden manipulators, he had to proceed steadily until he became strong enough to fear no one.

Thus, Ryusuke calmed himself and prepared for the final examination.