"You little brat, skipping school again!"
Zhou Cheng felt helpless, yet pleased.
He was afraid people would say he was leading a kid astray, but he also liked having Sasuke break his shield. At least that would make Sasuke a little stronger.
Itachi's face instantly darkened beneath the arena. You little brat, skipping school again instead of going to class!
If their father found out, he'd definitely punish Sasuke harshly.
Shisui's expression wasn't any better. Sometimes, rules were rules.
Tenten couldn't keep skipping the Ninja Academy. The school definitely wouldn't approve, and it'd be a problem if they refused to let Sasuke graduate on time.
Ninja Headbands weren't handed out just like that.
Iruka's eyes widened. So that was why Sasuke hadn't been to school for several days.
His expression turned grim. Skipping class was a bad habit. If the village found out, they might consider making Sasuke wait another year before graduating.
Sigh. Kids really were so immature!
"Hehe, there's nothing worth doing at school. I just wanted to come here!"
Zhou Cheng smiled wryly and shook his head. This was fine, too. If Fugaku thought I'd led Sasuke astray, he might come find me in person. Then I'd have another strong shield-breaker. Wonderful!
"All right, let's get started!"
Sasuke's smile faded. His pupils turned crimson as he activated his Sharingan.
A wave of startled cries rose from beneath the arena. Everyone seeing him here for the first time stared at Sasuke with wide eyes.
"The Sharingan? He's so young, and he's already awakened it?"
"What incredible talent!"
"He'll definitely become a great ninja one day!"
The others looked at them like country bumpkins. How little they knew!
They were already this shocked? Just wait—better be careful with your hearts.
You might drop dead from shock right here!
Sasuke formed Hand Seals and spewed a torrent of flames from his mouth.
The flames gathered into a fireball twice the size of a person and hurtled toward Zhou Cheng.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
This was the jutsu Sasuke had practiced the most, and the one he knew best.
His jutsu drew another wave of startled cries from beneath the arena.
"A Great Fireball Technique that size! That kid has a lot of chakra!"
"Right! He's not much weaker than the ninjas who came before him!"
"He's only seven! His talent is terrifying!"
"It's all thanks to the Chakra Fruit!"
"Otherwise, Sasuke wouldn't have grown so quickly!"
"I hope I get a Chakra Fruit, too—even a tiny one!"
At last, smiles appeared on Itachi and Shisui's faces. Sasuke was even stronger than yesterday. No one would believe it if they heard how fast he was improving!
If he kept growing at this rate, it wouldn't be long before he could graduate early.
Then he wouldn't have to keep skipping school to come to the arena.
Iruka stared, his eyes full of disbelief!
A Great Fireball that size was far beyond the level of an ordinary Genin!
No wonder Sasuke would rather come here than go to school. I'd do the same in his place. His rate of growth is frightening!
A fierce fighting spirit flared in Naruto's eyes. Just you wait, Sasuke!
If I get a Chakra Fruit, too, I can become just like you. Then we'll be evenly matched.
Sakura will look at me differently, too!
His eyes brimmed with longing. He wished he could be the next one called up to the arena.
On the arena, flames engulfed Zhou Cheng. This time, nobody made a fuss. The people before him had already proven that ordinary jutsu were nothing more than a tickle to Zhou Cheng.
The next second, the flames vanished, and Zhou Cheng stood unharmed in the same spot.
Everyone wore an expression that said they'd expected as much. They were used to it by now!
Sasuke shook his head in disappointment. Still not enough!
A number appeared above Zhou Cheng's head: -2345.
[Damage dealt: 2345]
[Shield HP remaining: 9,999,999,984,126]
[Damage rank: Blue]
[Reward obtained: Blue Blind Box]
A wave of startled cries rose from beneath the arena. That damage had already surpassed the damage dealt by Uchiha Tadashi, a Genin. Could Sasuke's chakra already exceed his?
"That talent is astonishing!"
"No, talent matters, of course, but the Chakra Fruit contributed even more!"
"He only started growing this quickly after eating the Chakra Fruit!"
Uchiha Tadashi, who hadn't left, looked livid. He wanted to rip the mouths off everyone saying that.
He also resented having two fewer chances per day than the others. Otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up in the background like this.
Itachi and Shisui both looked satisfied. The stronger Sasuke became, the more capable he'd be of protecting himself.
Iruka stared blankly. He no longer blamed Sasuke for skipping class.
He'd have done the same thing in Sasuke's place.
Compared with strength, everything else could take second place.
If someone showed exceptional talent and grew at an incredible rate, the village would never want to delay their graduation.
Geniuses were popular wherever they went!
Naruto clenched his fists tightly. Damn it!
When would it be my turn?
I can't wait any longer!
Kakashi and Tsunade weren't particularly surprised. They knew that without Zhou Cheng and his Chakra Fruit, Sasuke wouldn't be getting stronger every single day.
Talent was one thing. Turning it into strength required relentless training.
The only thing that surprised them was that the Chakra Fruit, something that seemed to force growth prematurely, had no side effects at all.
The chakra it added was just like what a ninja would gain through years of training.
Even so, neither of them wanted to get a Chakra Fruit. They were only after books and alcohol.
After Obito's death, Kakashi had grown lazier and lazier. Getting stronger no longer mattered to him.
At Tsunade's age and level of skill, she no longer cared about becoming stronger, either. Besides, she had no desire to become Hokage.
On top of that, she had Hemophobia and was no longer suited to the front lines.
Her strength no longer mattered, unless she could make a major breakthrough in Medical Ninjutsu.
On the arena, a Blue Blind Box appeared in Zhou Cheng's hand.
Sasuke eagerly opened the box. Inside lay a gemstone crackling with lightning.
[Thunder Stone x1] [An evolution stone from the Pokemon World, containing tremendous power of the lightning element] [Absorbing it can increase lightning-style chakra affinity by one level] [Critical reward: Thunder Stone x10]
Zhou Cheng's eye twitched. Damn you, system.
Come out here. I promise I won't beat you to death!
I don't have a Lightning Release nature. What the hell am I supposed to do with all these Thunder Stones?
Wait...
Ten Thunder Stones. If I absorb them all, that'll give me level ten affinity.
Could my body awaken a Lightning Release nature?
Yeah, I can try it later!
"Congratulations, Sasuke!"
"This is a Thunder Stone. It contains pure lightning energy. If you can absorb it, you'll increase your affinity for lightning-style chakra!"
"It won't just lower the difficulty of learning Lightning Release Ninjutsu by one rank—for example, from C-rank to D-rank."
"It'll also increase the power of your Lightning Release Ninjutsu by 5%!"
The moment he said this, the whole arena fell silent!
Before you continue