Chapter 54 — Target the Top Five, Life Alchemy

Lee's slip of the tongue let Tenten learn about the Main God and the reincarnators ahead of time.

Thin-skinned Lee could not bring himself to lie again, and awkwardly explained his situation.

Sasuke and Sakura chimed in to help explain the concepts of "exchange," "Main God," and "reincarnator."

Wang Xu watched coldly from the sidelines, letting it all happen.

He had never forbidden reincarnators from leaking such information to others, so naturally he would not punish Lee for it.

To punish without first teaching is cruelty.

Wang Chenzhou had learned that self-satisfying method of spiritual victory.

Besides, he did not care about the exposure of certain inconsequential information.

"Hmm... so all of you are reincarnators."

Tenten looked at her four teammates with quiet resentment, feeling like a background extra in a group of protagonists.

What girl has no dreams of her own?

To her, reward points and the Main God's exchange list could grant almost every wish she had...

After learning that the other four teammates were all reincarnators, her resentment only deepened.

Especially since Sakura had just blurted out that on the Main God's exchange list, whitening, skin rejuvenation, pore tightening, plus facial refinement and body optimization, all together cost only a dozen or so reward points.

Wang Xu shot Sakura a cold glance. "You actually spent reward points on something like that."

Sakura immediately clutched her head and crouched in defense. "I was wrong! Instructor, I'm sorry!"

Sasuke and Naruto both wore expressions that said "I don't know her."

Tenten had envy, jealousy, and resentment practically carved into her face.

Damn it!

Why was she the only one who wasn't one?

"It's not like you have no chance at all."

Wang Huai'an's voice suddenly rang out.

To Tenten, those words were like the Gospel.

"Five months."

"I will observe you continuously for five months. If you show sufficiently outstanding qualities during this time, I will recommend you to His Eminence the Main God."

Wang Yanzhou spoke flatly. "I've already advanced the reward points to buy the slot myself. Whether you can earn it is up to you."

"Ah! Thank you, Teacher!" Tenten bowed earnestly.

"You'd better prepare yourself mentally first. If you're like a certain someone and treat reward points as beauty products, you'll never pass my test."

Sakura felt a chill run through her as Wang Xu's peripheral gaze swept over her.

She hastily lowered her head, hands clasped together before her belly, toes pressed together, the very picture of obedience.

Tenten hugged her gun case tightly, full of confidence in herself. "Mm! Please rest assured!"

Teacher Guy had once praised her long-range attacks as "never missing," and Neji had said behind her back that "Tenten's projectiles could never fly astray."

At the very least, she would never let down the weapon in her hands.

Beside her, Sasuke looked at the XE98A infinite-ammo anti-materiel sniper rifle in Tenten's hands and could not help gritting his teeth, his heart full of mixed feelings.

(This isn't fair...)

Back then, they had gone through such a terrifying assessment just to qualify for the team...

Whenever he recalled the stench that had filled the classroom from Naruto and the horrifying explosion Sakura had triggered, Sasuke's heart still quailed.

Why could these two newcomers join directly without any assessment, and even get gifts?

Setting aside that baffling, incomprehensible storybook of Lee's for the moment—Tenten had done nothing at all. On what grounds did she deserve to receive such a divine weapon?!

The words reached Sasuke's lips, but Naruto beat him to it. "Teacher! Why don't Lee and Tenten have to take the entry assessment?"

Wang Xu gave him a meaningful look. "Because they're strong."

"Tch! I've already mastered the Rasengan—they're definitely no match for me!" Naruto muttered under his breath.

"Oh? It seems you're quite confident?"

With a flick of one hand, Wang Xu produced five wooden sticks of varying lengths between his fingers, his tone teasing. "Internal team competition is good for mutual understanding and for deepening bonds. How about this... we draw lots to decide the matchups. Shortest against longest; whoever draws the middle length gets a bye."

The five genin had no objections and stepped forward one after another to draw.

The results came out quickly: Naruto versus Lee. Sakura versus Tenten.

Seeing this outcome, Sasuke's pupils contracted slightly, and his breathing grew heavy.

After exchanging for that 【Talent】 called "Super High Lucky Voyager," which granted passive luck and the ability to sense far-off fortune, probability had lost all meaning for him.

Drawing the bye proved one thing...

Right now, he was the weakest member of Team 7!

But no matter what, this time, in the Chunin Exam, he absolutely had to fight for a spot in the top five!

Not to show off for those hypocritical Leaf villagers—he held no recognition for the Leaf whatsoever. Whether the new Leaf or the old Leaf, in the end they were all the same people.

Those... utterly hypocritical bastards!

After Naruto's true identity was exposed, the Leaf villagers had displayed pity and compassion.

But that posture only made Sasuke more sickened!

What is pity? It is setting rules to help others because one hopes to be helped oneself.

What is compassion? It is extending a hand because one fears being treated that way oneself.

The virtue buried deep in the Will of Fire—the truth is the world's greatest and ugliest collusion of interests.

As the reincarnation of Indra's chakra, Sasuke's mind was dark, and he never hesitated to judge the Leaf's people by the worst possible motives.

He would seize a top-five spot—not for the Leaf's sake, but simply because it was the task Wang Xu had assigned.

That was all.

...

Half an hour later, the results of the new Team 7's internal matches were out.

The floating courtyard had been smashed to pieces, dust filling the air, smoke rolling everywhere.

Sakura, exhausted and in tattered clothes, lay on the ground playing dead and conceding.

Naruto was black and blue, his whole body beaten so badly he looked a size larger.

Looking at the two of them, Wang Xu suppressed a laugh. "All right, don't be discouraged. You did your best."

Thick-skinned Naruto did not catch anything odd in that; he only felt that there was not a single spot on his body that did not hurt.

Sakura, however, felt miserable.

Wang Huai'an's words gave her a strange feeling.

It was like scoring 59 on a written exam and having the teacher, instead of scolding you, say, "With your intelligence, scoring this much is already quite good."

That was not comforting at all!

What do you do when your instructor is two-faced and sharp-tongued?

Sakura: Of course you forgive him anyway!

What else could she do? Shamelessly sidle up and flatter him by saying his mockery had hit just the right note?

Wang Xu's mind turned like lightning, and he cast a Particle Reforge on the two injured fighters.

The swelling on Naruto's body and face rapidly subsided, and the pain faded with it.

Sakura's depleted stamina was replenished as well, and even her torn clothes returned to their original state.

With a clench of his fist, the cracked floating courtyard was restored to its former condition.

"Train hard, improve yourselves, and hone your ability to work as a team. At the Chunin Exam, if you don't make the top five, then go die once!"

In Wang Xu's calm, indifferent words seemed to lurk an endless sea of blood.

Even thick-skinned Lee and Naruto felt their mouths go dry and their fingertips turn cold.

He was not joking!

...

Why was the target set at the top five, and not first place?

Not to mention the cheating duo of the newly formed Akatsuki, the candidates sent this time by the four great nations of Wind, Earth, Water, and Lightning were all off-the-charts existences.