Thunder Stone from the Pokemon World

"You brat, skipping class again!"

Zhou Cheng felt both helpless and delighted. He feared others would accuse him of being a bad influence on the child, yet he enjoyed Sasuke coming to break his shield; that way, he could at least make Sasuke a little stronger.

Itachi's face turned deathly pale beneath the arena. That brat, skipping school again! If Father finds out, he'll definitely punish him severely.

Shisui's expression wasn't any better; sometimes, rules were rules. If he skipped the Ninja Academy every day, the school would certainly disapprove, and it would be troublesome if they didn't 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 days. His expression darkened; skipping class was a terrible habit. If the village found out, they might consider making Sasuke delay his graduation by a year. Sigh, children are just so immature!

"Hehe, there's nothing worth going to school for; I just want to come here!"

Zhou Cheng shook his head with a wry smile. This is fine, too. Let Fugaku think I'm the one leading Sasuke astray so he comes to find me himself. That way, I'll have another strong person to break my shield. How delightful!

"Alright, let's begin!"

Sasuke wiped the smile from his face, his pupils turning scarlet as he activated his Sharingan. Gasps erupted from beneath the arena, and those who were here for the first time stared at Sasuke with wide eyes.

"The Sharingan? How old is he? He's already awakened it?"

"What a talent! Incredible!"

"He'll surely be a great ninja in the future!"

The others looked at them with the expressions of people watching country bumpkins—so easily shocked! If they were this stunned now, they'd better watch their hearts later. Don't go dropping dead here!

Sasuke formed hand seals, exhaling a massive amount of flame. The fire converged into a fireball the size of two men, hurtling toward Zhou Cheng.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

This was the ninjutsu Sasuke practiced most and knew best. His technique drew another round of exclamations from the crowd.

"A Great Fireball Technique of this size! This kid's chakra reserves are quite impressive!"

"True, he's not much worse than the ninjas who went before him!"

"He's only seven! His talent is truly terrifying!"

"It's all thanks to the Chakra Fruit!"

"Otherwise, Sasuke wouldn't have grown so rapidly!"

"The Chakra Fruit... I hope I can pull one, even if it's just a miniature one!"

Itachi and Shisui finally wore smiles; Sasuke was stronger than he had been yesterday. No one would believe such a rate of growth if they were told! As long as he could maintain this pace, it wouldn't be long before he could graduate from the academy early. Only then would he not have to skip school every day to come to the arena.

Iruka's eyes were wide with disbelief. A Great Fireball of this magnitude far exceeded that of an average Genin! No wonder Sasuke would rather come here than go to school. If it were me, I'd do the same. This growth speed is truly frightening!

Naruto's eyes burned with intense fighting spirit. Wait for me, Sasuke! As long as I can pull a Chakra Fruit, I can be just like you. Then, I'll be able to stand right alongside you. Sakura will look at me with admiration, too! He gazed at the stage with extreme longing, wishing he were the next one up.

On the arena, the flames swallowed Zhou Cheng. This time, no one made a fuss; those who had gone before had already proven that ordinary ninjutsu was nothing more than a tickle to Zhou Cheng. The next second, the flames vanished, and Zhou Cheng stood in place, completely unharmed. Everyone wore expressions of "as expected"—they were already used to it!

Sasuke shook his head in disappointment. Still not enough!

A set of numbers floated above Zhou Cheng's head: -2345.

[Damage Dealt: 2345]
[Shield Remaining HP: 9,999,999,984,126]

[Damage Level: Blue]

[Reward Obtained: Blue Blind Box]

Gasps erupted from beneath the arena. Such damage output already surpassed what Uchiha Tadashi, a Genin, could achieve. Could it be that Sasuke's chakra reserves had already eclipsed his own?

"This talent is truly shocking!"

"No, talent is important, but the Chakra Fruit deserves more credit!"

"He only grew this rapidly after eating the Chakra Fruit!"

Uchiha Tadashi, who had not yet left, turned livid; he wished he could tear the mouths off those who spoke such words.

He also hated that he had missed out on the two daily opportunities others had; otherwise, he wouldn't be reduced to a mere background prop like this.

Itachi and Shisui both wore expressions of satisfaction. The stronger Sasuke became, the more capable he would be of protecting himself.

Iruka stared blankly, lost in thought. He no longer blamed Sasuke for skipping class.

If he were in Sasuke's shoes, he would have done the exact same thing.

Compared to raw strength, everything else could take a backseat.

If one could demonstrate immense talent and rapid growth, the village would never want to delay their graduation.

Geniuses were welcomed everywhere!

Naruto clenched his fists tightly. Damn it!

When will it be my turn?

I can't wait any longer!

Kakashi and Tsunade were not particularly shocked. They knew that without Zhou Cheng and his Chakra Fruit, Sasuke could not have grown stronger every single day.

Talent was one thing, but converting it into actual strength required tireless, relentless training.

The only thing that surprised them was that a shortcut like the Chakra Fruit had absolutely no side effects.

The amount of chakra it increased felt exactly as if the ninja had cultivated it themselves over many years.

Yet, even so, neither of them was eager to pull a Chakra Fruit; their hearts were set on books and sake.

Kakashi had become increasingly lethargic after Obito's death, and increasing his strength was no longer important to him.

At Tsunade's age and level of power, she no longer prioritized strength, and she had no desire to be Hokage.

Furthermore, her hemophobia made her unsuitable for the front lines.

The level of her strength no longer mattered to her, unless it involved a major breakthrough in medical ninjutsu.

On the arena, a Blue Blind Box appeared in Zhou Cheng's hand.

Sasuke opened the box impatiently, revealing a jade stone shimmering with lightning.

[Thunder Stone x1]

[An evolution stone from the Pokemon World, containing immense lightning-type power.]

[Absorbing it increases lightning-style chakra affinity by one level.]

[Host obtained a critical hit reward: Thunder Stone x10.]

Zhou Cheng's eye twitched. System, you sister.

Come out here, I promise I won't beat you to death!

My body doesn't have a lightning-style affinity; what the hell am I supposed to do with so many Thunder Stones!

Wait...

Ten Thunder Stones—if I absorb them all, that's 10 levels of affinity.

Could my body unlock a lightning-style affinity?

Hmm, I can try it later.

"Congratulations, Sasuke!"

"This is a Thunder Stone. It contains pure lightning-type energy. As long as you can absorb it, you can increase your affinity for lightning-style chakra!"

"Not only will it lower the difficulty of learning lightning-style ninjutsu by one level—for example, turning a C-rank into a D-rank—"

"It will also increase the power of your lightning-style ninjutsu by 5%!"

As these words fell, the entire arena fell silent!