Itachi and Shisui exchanged a glance. They had been watching from the sidelines for a while.
They had also seen the others open their Blind Boxes, and the boxes really did contain various rewards.
They were just all ordinary items.
Besides, in their minds, the Sharingan's Kekkei Genkai was the most powerful.
They didn't believe a box could contain a reward more powerful than the Sharingan.
Itachi jumped onto the Arena. "I'll give it a try!"
Looking at the boy before him, worn thin as he was squeezed between his clan and the village, Zhou Cheng felt a pang of sympathy.
"Remember, don't hold back. The more damage you deal, the better the reward!"
If Itachi could pull an Eternal Mangekyo right off the bat, the whole story could end right there!
Itachi nodded, his expression solemn.
What if he went all out and accidentally killed him?
Itachi formed Hand Seals, then spat out a flurry of flames like phoenix flower seeds, scattering them in every direction.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Zhou Cheng naturally didn't dodge, letting every flame hit him!
-1103.
Seeing the number above his head, Zhou Cheng felt a little helpless!
Itachi hadn't gone all out!
He was still afraid he might kill me!
[Damage dealt: 1103 points.] [Shield HP remaining: 9,999,999,997,475] [Damage level: Green.] [Reward obtained: Green Blind Box.]
Seeing Zhou Cheng swallowed by the flames, Itachi had already begun to regret it.
He was just an ordinary person. Could I have killed him?
But the next second, the flames vanished, and Zhou Cheng stood there unharmed.
Itachi's pupils contracted sharply. Impossible!
He really wasn't hurt at all!
Even his clothes hadn't caught fire!
Zhou Cheng took out a Green Blind Box and tossed it to Itachi. First Green Blind Box—come on, give me something good!
"You dealt more than 1,000 points of damage to me, which qualifies you for a reward one level higher!"
Itachi caught the Blind Box. It wasn't white!
"Big brother, open it!"
Sasuke clenched his fists, eager to see what was inside.
Itachi had always doted on his little brother, and an idea struck him: he could let Sasuke open the Blind Box for him.
"Zhou Cheng, can someone else open my Blind Box?"
He had already begun addressing Zhou Cheng differently!
Zhou Cheng smiled and shook his head. Dream on!
"Every Blind Box is unique. Only its owner can open it!"
"If you hand it to someone else, it'll turn into an incredibly hard box—not even the strongest Ninjutsu will open it!"
"But in your own hands, it's as fragile as paper!"
Itachi nodded, gave Sasuke an apologetic look, and opened the Blind Box himself.
Inside lay a jade card, faintly wreathed in flames.
[Fire Style Chakra Affinity Upgrade Card!] [Using it will raise your Fire Style chakra affinity by one level, improve the quality of your Fire Style chakra, and reduce the difficulty of learning Fire Release Ninjutsu.] [Critical reward bonus obtained: maximum Fire Style chakra affinity!] [The difficulty of learning Fire Release Ninjutsu is reduced by 100%. The speed and power of Fire Release Ninjutsu are increased by 100%.]
Zhou Cheng's eyes lit up. Finally, something decent!
Time to take off!
Itachi took out the Jade Card in confusion and looked at Zhou Cheng, hoping he would explain.
"This Jade Card can improve your Fire Style chakra affinity."
"In other words, learning a C-rank Ninjutsu will be as difficult as learning a D-rank one!"
"Besides, it can increase the power of your Fire Release Ninjutsu by 5%!"
Everyone sucked in a sharp breath!
It reduced the difficulty of learning Ninjutsu and increased the power of Fire Release Ninjutsu!
This card was an incredibly precious treasure!
"Big brother, use it! You just have to crush it!"
Sasuke couldn't wait and shared what he'd learned from experience!
Shisui was delighted too, genuinely happy for his friend!
Itachi crushed the Jade Card. Red energy swirled around him, then sank into his body.
Itachi's body trembled slightly, and his eyes flew wide open!
He immediately formed Hand Seals. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
A mass of flames burst from his mouth, forming a fireball five meters in diameter!
"Whoa!"
The crowd erupted again at the sight of the Great Fireball Technique!
"That's the Great Fireball Technique?"
"No way!"
"As expected of a genius who awakened his Sharingan at eight!"
There was an unmistakable excitement in Itachi's eyes. Its power really had increased by 5%!
"It really can increase the power of Fire Release!"
The moment he said that, the whole arena fell silent!
That Jade Card really could increase the power of Fire Release Ninjutsu?
Good heavens, a ninja's chakra reserves were linked to the power of their Ninjutsu.
With that card, you'd have a 5% advantage over your opponent while using the same amount of chakra!
You could use the same amount of chakra as your enemy, yet make your Ninjutsu 5% more powerful. Don't underestimate that small 5%—in battle, it could be the deciding factor in victory!
"I'm so jealous!"
"When will I ever get a Green Blind Box reward?"
"Jealousy won't get you anywhere. Instead of envying others, train hard, increase your damage points, and earn better rewards!"
Sasuke bounced around, cheering for his big brother. He secretly resolved to train hard, too!
Shisui was also itching to give it a try. Seeing Itachi's reward, he couldn't help envying him, but he didn't feel even a hint of jealousy.
Zhou Cheng smiled faintly. They were already this excited over a Green reward?
Would they go crazy if someone dealt Gold-level damage?
"Everyone gets two chances a day. You still have one left today!"
Itachi nodded firmly and looked at Zhou Cheng in a new light.
He must have been pretending to be weak to catch them off guard!
Itachi hadn't used the full power of his Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, but even so, no Genin could take a direct hit without dodging and walk away unharmed!
That could only mean Zhou Cheng's true strength was definitely at least Jonin-level!
Itachi quietly considered the possibilities. Too many people had already tested things out, and Ninja Tools couldn't truly hurt him.
Those numbers weren't the damage he'd actually taken!
Otherwise, there was no way he could still stand there, chatting and laughing!
Judging from what had happened to Sasuke and himself, Ninjutsu couldn't truly hurt him either.
That left one thing to try: Genjutsu!
Itachi's eyes turned crimson, and the Three Tomoe spun within them.
"Genjutsu: Will-o'-the-Wisp!"
The scene before Zhou Cheng shifted. He found himself in another world!
He narrowed his eyes. Was this a world of illusion?
Then flames roared to life at the soles of his feet, spreading up his legs and over his body.
[Psychic attack detected. Mental damage transferred to shield!] -1999. [Damage dealt: 1999 points.] [Shield HP remaining: 9,999,999,995,476] [Damage level: Green.] [Reward obtained: Green Blind Box.]
Zhou Cheng found himself back on the Arena. The flames on his body had vanished.
He watched the number float above his head and let out a bitter sigh!
He'd been so close—just a little more, and it would've reached the Blue damage level!
What a shame!
Seeing Zhou Cheng still standing there unharmed, Itachi's eyes widened in disbelief!
Even Genjutsu was useless?
If only he'd gone all out!
His strength really was terrifying!
A Green Blind Box appeared in Zhou Cheng's hand. He tossed it to Itachi.
"What a shame. You were just a little short of earning a reward one level above Green!"
"Your holding back is an insult to me!"
"I hope you come back tomorrow. Don't disappoint me next time!"
Itachi froze for a moment. Had he disappointed him?
Was he a masochist?
He really was asking to be killed!
Then he opened the Green Blind Box in his hand.
A piece of paper lay inside, covered in writing.
[Letter from the Future!] [The Uchiha Clan Massacre. Shisui dead. Itachi and Sasuke turn against each other!]
Then the words on the paper vanished, replaced by a series of images.
Boom!
The sentence exploded in Itachi's mind like a thunderclap!
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