*Chapter 168: Flying Thunder God Technique, Second Stage!*

*Half an Hour Later*

Sasuke arrived at the front gate of the Ninja Academy, the meeting spot that Team Seven had agreed upon yesterday.

“Sasuke, you’re so late!”

Sakura stood nervously at the entrance, waving timidly at Sasuke. Naruto stood next to her.

However...

The two didn’t seem to be getting along as well as expected.

“Kakashi-sensei isn’t here yet, is he?”

Sasuke glanced at Sakura, then at Naruto, but saw no sign of Kakashi.

“Kakashi-sensei is probably running late again!” Naruto complained.

“Hmm.”

Sasuke nodded in agreement. Kakashi was always like this. Even when he could be on time, he’d deliberately show up late.

“Let’s wait a little longer.”

Sasuke stood beside Naruto and Sakura, maintaining his cool and aloof demeanor.

“Sasuke, what kind of mission do you think we’ll have today?”

Naruto stared at Sasuke curiously, his voice tinged with anticipation.

“Yeah, Sasuke, you always seem to know everything. What do you think the mission will be?”

Sakura chimed in, her wide eyes filled with curiosity.

“Probably something like catching a cat,” Sasuke said nonchalantly. He really had no idea. Back when he’d watched the anime, he never paid attention to these minor details.

“Oh.”

“Ugh.”

Naruto and Sakura both groaned. Clearly, neither of them was thrilled with his answer.

Just the thought of such a mundane mission sounded dull.

*Boom!*

At that moment, with a sharp sound of air displacement, Kakashi suddenly appeared.

“Sorry to keep you waiting!”

Kakashi smiled faintly. His mask concealed most of his face, but his crescent-shaped eyes revealed his amusement.

“Kakashi-sensei, what’s the deal with you? Why are you always late?”

Naruto, hands on his hips, scolded Kakashi indignantly.

Sakura’s eyes widened in disbelief—how could a student dare to scold their teacher?

But she didn’t know...

Naruto’s view of Kakashi had changed.

In Naruto’s eyes, Kakashi wasn’t just his teacher—he was also his father’s student.

How could his father have trained such a tardy disciple? Naruto couldn’t wrap his head around it.

“Ahem...”

Kakashi cleared his throat lightly, avoiding Naruto’s question. Or rather, he outright ignored it.

“Today marks our first mission as Team Seven. I’m going to explain the full process of undertaking a mission.”

Kakashi’s tone became serious.

Immediately, the three members of Team Seven straightened up, their expressions growing attentive.

“Missions in the village are assigned by Lord Hokage.”

“For us to take on a mission, there are two ways to proceed!”

“First, you can proactively apply for a mission at the Hokage’s office. It’s best to do this as a team, but in cases of personnel shortages or other exceptional circumstances, individuals may apply for missions alone.”

“Second, you can wait for the Hokage to assign a mission directly.”

“There’s a key difference between the two!”

“Let me explain.”

“The first type, proactive missions, are usually requests made by paying clients. Completing these missions earns revenue for the village, and we receive a portion of that payment as our compensation. This is our primary source of income.”

“The second type, passive missions, are assignments issued directly by the Hokage and are typically village-oriented tasks. These usually don’t offer rewards or come with minimal compensation.”

Kakashi explained the nature of missions thoroughly, and the three members of Team Seven nodded along.

For Sasuke, this information was particularly enlightening.

In the past, he’d never paid much attention to these intricacies while watching the anime.

Now, everything was becoming clearer. Kakashi’s explanation was both concise and detailed.

“For example, Uchiha Sasuke,” Kakashi suddenly said, turning everyone’s attention to Sasuke.

Naruto and Sakura immediately looked at Sasuke, their curiosity piqued.

*+10*

Out of nowhere, a numerical indicator appeared before Sasuke, increasing his system points by a small amount.

“After Sasuke graduated early, he was assigned a mission by Lord Hokage to head to the border. This was an urgent village task and didn’t come with any payment.”

Kakashi used Sasuke as an example.

“Wow!”

“Amazing!”

Naruto and Sakura exclaimed simultaneously, their eyes sparkling with admiration.

As newcomers who hadn’t yet undertaken any missions, they were both awed and eager to experience their first task.

*+20*

Another numerical jump appeared before Sasuke.

Though he hadn’t anticipated being brought up as an example, it was true he hadn’t received any payment for that mission—and he hadn’t planned to ask for any.

“If I had quietly completed the mission, even if the Third Hokage didn’t pay me, I would have made a point to demand system points,” Sasuke thought, a sly grin forming in his mind.

Kakashi continued explaining.

“Missions are categorized into four levels based on difficulty: A, B, C, and D.”

“Each level has strict requirements.”

“Generally speaking...”

“A-rank missions are for Jonin.”

“B-rank missions are for Chunin or experienced teams.”

“C-rank missions are for Chunin or Genin with some experience.”

“D-rank missions are for newly graduated Genin.”

“For you three, as new Genin, your first mission will be a D-rank task supervised by me.”

“Figures,” Sasuke muttered indifferently, showing no interest.

*+10*

Another system point boost popped up, acknowledging his cool demeanor.

“Sasuke, I know your abilities surpass those of a typical Genin, but as part of a team, you’ll need to work with Naruto and Sakura to complete D-rank missions,” Kakashi said, his voice softening.

“I understand,” Sasuke replied, resigning himself to the situation. Though D-rank missions weren’t exciting, he was eager to gather more system points.

---

*Swoosh! Swoosh!*

Naruto and Sakura followed closely behind Sasuke.

One wore an expression of complete ease, while the other appeared particularly tense.

The trio darted swiftly through the forest.

They were drawing closer to the tiger.

“It’s just ahead,” Sasuke said.

He suddenly stopped on a tree branch, standing there firmly.

Instantly, Sakura halted beside him.

Looking ahead, she immediately spotted a massive tiger, easily over three meters long.

The beast was tearing into a deer with its sharp teeth. The deer was half-eaten, blood dripping everywhere.

“As expected, it’s just a big cat!”

However—

Naruto didn’t stop at all.

Instead, he charged forward at full speed, heading straight for the tiger.

“It’s just a bit big, that’s all!”

Naruto landed on the ground, forming hand signs. Instantly, a crowd of Narutos appeared around him.

*Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!*

Naruto unleashed one of the two signature techniques that defined his ninja journey.

Hundreds of Narutos surrounded the tiger.

The original Naruto stepped forward, pointing his thumb at himself.

“Let me handle this stupid cat!”

With that, he led his army of clones toward the tiger.

From the tree branch, Sakura was stunned, unsure of what to do.

She had planned to stop and discuss their strategy with Naruto.

But Naruto had charged straight in!

“Sasuke, what do we do now? Could Naruto be in danger?” Sakura asked anxiously. It was too late for her to intervene.

“Don’t worry.”

Sasuke looked calmly at the crowd of Narutos, exuding confidence. “I’m here.”

*+30*

The system recognized Sasuke’s statement as an act of showing off, awarding him points.

“Alright!”

Hearing Sasuke’s reassurance, Sakura immediately felt at ease.

With Sasuke around, there was nothing to fear.

Sakura focused her attention on Naruto, unknowingly becoming an observer in this mission.

*“Roar!”*

The tiger let out an angry growl.

Its piercing gaze scanned the numerous Narutos, seeing them as enemies trying to steal its meal.

It dragged the half-eaten deer to the base of a tree, arched its back, and bared its sharp teeth in a menacing stance.

“Charge!”

Naruto had no battle plan. He led his clones in a reckless charge, ready to punch and kick the tiger.

*“Roar!”*

The tiger roared again, swiping its powerful paws at the charging clones.

*Bam! Bam! Bam!*

The tiger swatted the clones away like a game of whack-a-mole.

Within seconds, all of Naruto’s clones were gone, and the tiger remained unharmed.

“I won’t lose to a big cat like you!”

Naruto formed hand signs again, preparing to use the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu a second time.

But just as he was about to cast the jutsu—

The tiger lunged at him, its gaping jaws aiming to bite off his head.

“Naruto!”

Sakura screamed in terror, her voice full of worry. The danger felt all too real.

Naruto was terrified too.

The tiger’s enormous maw was inches away, and under the pressure of the beast’s ferocity, his body refused to cooperate.

He couldn’t move, couldn’t control his trembling, and couldn’t even muster his chakra.

The situation was dire.

“What should I do?”

Naruto panicked.

“First mission, and I’ve already screwed up...” Sasuke muttered softly, a trace of exasperation in his voice.

He had thought Naruto might handle the tiger with his Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu.

But it turned out even a hundred Narutos couldn’t take down this tiger.

In an instant, Sasuke reached into his ninja pouch and pulled out two Flying Raijin kunai.

He swiftly threw one into a nearby tree trunk.

*Swoosh!*

Sasuke vanished.

The next moment, he appeared beside Naruto, facing the lunging tiger.

Grabbing Naruto’s arm with his left hand, Sasuke threw the second kunai at the tiger with his right.

*Swoosh!*

In a flash, Sasuke and Naruto disappeared together.

*Buzz!*

Sakura barely had time to process what happened. Sasuke had appeared, rescued Naruto, and returned him safely.

“Sa...”

Sakura started to thank Sasuke but noticed he was already gone.

Turning her head, she heard the crackling of electricity.

*“Chidori!”*

Sasuke held the kunai embedded in the tiger’s back. Electricity crackled in his right hand, illuminating his surroundings.

“Flying Thunder God, Second Step.”

With a calm voice, Sasuke mimicked the elegant moves of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.

In one fluid motion, Sasuke flipped mid-air, thrusting his electrified hand into the tiger’s back.

*Squelch!*

The tiger let out a pained roar as blood sprayed everywhere, collapsing in agony.

*Swoosh!*

Sasuke reappeared on the tree branch, retrieving his kunai from the trunk.

The tiger was dead.

The battle had ended so quickly that Naruto and Sakura could barely follow what had happened.

*+50*

Sasuke’s system awarded more points, recognizing his flashy moves as showing off again.

“Whew!”

Naruto and Sakura took a deep breath, both deeply impressed.

At that moment, they realized how strong Sasuke was and how far behind they were.

Sakura gazed at Sasuke, her admiration growing even stronger.

---

---

They had just truly realized.

The strength Sasuke possessed!

And the massive gap between them and Sasuke!

Sakura gazed deeply at Sasuke, the admiration in her eyes growing even stronger.

What a quick man!  

No wonder he was able to snatch the bell from Kakashi-sensei!  

Amazing!  

Absolutely incredible!  

Boom!  

At that moment—

Kakashi appeared right on the branch where the three of them stood, accompanied by a sonic boom.

"Sasuke, you did well."

Kakashi praised Sasuke with no hesitation. His tone and expression were full of admiration, leaving no room for doubt.

"Naruto, you were too reckless earlier. Even if Sasuke was in the scouting role, you should have coordinated all your actions with Sakura."

After addressing Naruto, Kakashi turned his gaze toward Sakura.

"Sakura, your reaction was too slow. The moment Naruto rushed out, you should have realized he was in danger. You are teammates. No matter the situation, never abandon your comrades!"

Having said this, Kakashi finally shifted his attention back to Sasuke.

"This time, special praise goes to Sasuke. You didn't rigidly stick to the rules I set and instead saved Naruto immediately when there was a problem. Very well done!"

Kakashi gave Sasuke a thumbs-up.

When Sasuke used the Flying Thunder God Technique to save Naruto earlier, it reminded Kakashi of when Minato-sensei had saved him in the past.

In this moment, Kakashi saw the budding sense of camaraderie he had hoped to instill.

This was exactly what he wanted to see!

*+60*

The numbers before Sasuke's eyes flickered again; Kakashi had just given him another chance to show off.

"Remember this."

"Those who break the rules are scum."

"But."

"Those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum!"

Kakashi repeated this mantra like an old recording device.

"Yes!"

The three immediately responded in unison.

"Today's task is over. Rest well and reflect on what happened during the mission. Tomorrow, we'll take on a new task!"

With these words, Kakashi vanished.

He hadn't immediately assigned Team 7 another mission, understanding that this was their first mission and they needed time to process and think.

After Kakashi left—

The three stood silently on the branch, none of them saying a word.

After a while, Naruto finally recovered from his earlier scare and looked up at Sasuke.

"Sasuke, thank you. If not for you, I might have died."

Naruto spoke with lingering fear, realizing how reckless he had been.

He shouldn't have overestimated himself earlier!

That tiger's strength was too overwhelming!

"Naruto, whether I stepped in or not, you wouldn't have died. Kakashi-sensei was here; there's no way you’d die on a D-rank mission."

Sasuke shook his head slightly.

"However..."

"You were indeed too impulsive earlier. Be more careful next time!"

Sasuke added a remark.

"I understand!"

Naruto nodded firmly, having already learned his lesson from his earlier mistake.

"Naruto, this was only a D-rank mission. We might face even greater dangers in the future, so don’t be so reckless again!"

Sakura said gently, concern still evident on her face.

The earlier scene had shaken her.

She still hadn’t fully recovered, and her legs were a little weak.

"I won’t!"

Naruto promised again with determination.

Even Sasuke hadn’t expected such an incident to occur during their first mission.

It served as a wake-up call for everyone.

Gurgle...  

Suddenly—

Naruto's stomach protested loudly, making his cheeks flush with embarrassment as he scratched his head.

"Heh-heh-heh..."

Naruto laughed awkwardly. After the fright had passed, hunger began to take over.

"Alright, since the mission is complete and we’re done for the day, I’ll treat you guys to ramen."

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, then at Sakura, his tone tinged with a hint of inquiry.

"Yay!"

Naruto jumped up excitedly. Only after landing did he realize they were still on a tree branch.

And so—

He lost his balance.

Naruto swayed back and forth before falling off the branch.

Thud!  

Naruto landed heavily on the ground, leaving a noticeable indentation in the dirt.

"Pfft..."

Sakura couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter. Realizing it might not be appropriate, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, who was now sprawled in the dirt.

He didn’t know what to say.

Should I give him a thumbs-up?  

As expected of the ninja with the greatest propensity for accidents—Naruto could make anything happen.

"Let’s head down."

Sasuke turned to Sakura, leapt down from the tree, and landed gracefully.

Just as he landed—

*Ding-dong!*

An electronic voice echoed in his mind.

"Lottery feature is now available..."

"Limited time: 48 hours."

"Since the host has accumulated over 10,000 system points, the 100-draw feature is unlocked. A guaranteed [SSS Prize] will be awarded for every 100 draws."

*Ding-dong!*

The final notification marked the end of the system prompt.

Sasuke’s feet touched the ground, and he fell into deep thought.  

100 draws!  

That’s insane!  

10,000 system points for just one SSS Prize? Is the probability rigged or what?  

Sasuke recalled how mobile games usually had a guaranteed prize after 5 or 10 draws.

But this system?

It was outrageously stingy!

Could he really pull 100 times without landing an SSS Prize otherwise?

"Sasuke, I want three bowls—no, five bowls! Anything less won’t make up for the trauma I’ve endured!"

Naruto’s voice snapped Sasuke out of his thoughts.

"Eat as much as you want."

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, then at Sakura.

"Let’s go!"

With that, Sasuke began walking out of the forest, heading toward the Ichiraku Ramen shop.

As he walked, he kept debating internally.

Should I go for the 100-draw?  

He had enough points, but spending 10,000 all at once felt like a huge gamble.

If luck wasn’t on his side, wouldn’t it be a complete waste?

Sasuke knew all too well the peril of lotteries—small bets were fun, but big bets could be disastrous.

Better think it through.  

Sasuke shook his head. He had a budget for draws, but nothing close to 10,000 points.

If it were just a 10-draw, he wouldn’t hesitate.

...

Half an hour later—

Team 7, led by Sasuke, arrived at Ichiraku Ramen.

As they entered—

They spotted familiar faces.

Sitting in a row were three members of Team 8: Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyuga.

The three of them also noticed Team 7 entering.

At that moment—

Hinata, who had been eating, turned her head at the sound. Her eyes first landed on Sasuke but quickly darted to Naruto.

Swish!  

Hinata's face instantly turned red, and she became visibly flustered.

Clatter!  

Hinata’s chopsticks slipped from her fingers, hitting the ground with a crisp sound.

Swish!  

Her face turned an even deeper shade of red.

Sakura, standing nearby, noticed Hinata’s reaction. From her perspective, it was clear—Hinata must have been shy because of Sasuke.

Another one!  

Sakura pressed her lips together, her competitive instincts kicking in. She hadn’t paid much attention to Hinata before, but now she added her to the list of potential rivals.

---