Chapter 04: I Really Don't Have a Single Drop Left...
After the ten-minute break, Naruto's chakra volume had directly increased by a full 3 points!
Moreover, the proficiency of the Chakra Refining Technique itself had also improved, currently reaching 58 points. When cultivating in the future, the efficiency of chakra extraction would also increase significantly.
Having finally endured until class started, Naruto let out a sigh of relief, his body already drenched in sweat.
However, seeing Mizuki-sensei stride into the classroom, only despair remained in Naruto's heart.
"Today we will continue learning Chemistry..."
Naruto: "...Aaaaaahhhhh!"
"Why do ninjas have to learn stuff like Chemistry!"
Although he roared to the heavens in his heart, Naruto helplessly widened his eyes again, forcing himself into a state of total focus...
Fortunately, with the lesson from the previous class, Naruto got into the zone much faster.
But the problem was, his mental strength and endurance were gradually reaching their limits...
If the previous class was purgatory on earth...
This class was absolutely true hell.
However...
To escape the Lightning Release Baptism, Naruto still gave it his all and persevered.
[You have devoted yourself to listening to the class with total focus for the first time. Your mastery of the [Chemistry] course has improved. Proficiency +3. Current Proficiency: 19 points!]
Naruto: "...It only increased by 19 points?"
"It was only 16 points originally?!"
"That's even worse than Physics..."
With such intuitive data, Naruto's status as the "dead last" became increasingly clear to him.
...
Naruto's astonishing transformation finally attracted everyone's attention.
In fact, even as the dead last, Naruto's "presence" in the class was still bursting at the seams.
Both the bottom of the class and the top students are attention-grabbing existences.
Those who lack presence are always the average students scoring sixty points.
Not to mention, Naruto had the special identity of the Demon Fox.
Even though these children didn't know the details, they had been influenced by what they saw and heard, sensing the peculiar attitude of the adults towards Naruto, and were thus subconsciously affected.
However, being distant and cold towards Naruto didn't mean they couldn't see him...
On the contrary, whether it was the original Naruto who was undisciplined, lazy, neglected his duties, and skipped class every day to pull pranks, or the current Naruto who suddenly listened attentively and even seized every moment during breaks to cultivate, he firmly grabbed everyone's eyeballs.
"What is up with that guy Naruto?"
"It seems like he suddenly became a different person?"
"He hasn't been possessed by a monster, has he?"
"Shh, don't talk nonsense. Last time I said something like that, I got scolded by my dad..."
"Did that kid get provoked by something?"
"Could it be that he's heartbroken?!"
"It's possible. He has always liked Sakura, but Sakura only has eyes for Sasuke..."
"Plus with Sakura's rough attitude, it's not surprising he got provoked..."
"So that's it..."
Haruno Sakura naturally noticed Naruto's changes as well.
Listening to everyone's discussions, her brows couldn't help but furrow.
"That guy Naruto, is it really because of me that he..."
"Should I go comfort him?"
"Hmph, forget it. That guy will definitely get the wrong idea. I don't want him to misunderstand and think he has a chance..."
Thinking of this, Haruno Sakura gathered around Uchiha Sasuke again.
However...
The person actually paying the most attention to Naruto was none other than Uchiha Sasuke.
His unsmiling, cold face still showed no fluctuations.
But his heart had long been experiencing ups and downs.
"What the hell is that bastard Naruto doing?"
"Does a mere dead last think he can turn things around?"
"Damn it... I won't lose to a guy like that..."
"I still have to... kill that man!"
"How can I be lazy and slack off here?!"
In Uchiha Sasuke's mind, a figure hidden deep in blood and darkness emerged. As he suddenly looked back in his memories, a pair of crimson Mangekyō Sharingan shot out a ferocious and terrifying light!
His body immediately trembled; he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
"Shut up!"
Uchiha Sasuke finally couldn't endure it anymore and shouted fiercely at Haruno Sakura, Yamanaka Ino, and the group of girls.
"Sasuke-kun..."
Haruno Sakura and the others were startled. Seeing the terrifying expression on his face, they didn't dare to question him and could only retreat resentfully.
"Sakura, what's wrong with Sasuke..."
Yamanaka Ino asked worriedly, her face pale.
"How should I know? And even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you. Don't forget we are love rivals now!"
Yamanaka Ino made a face at her.
"You're definitely going to lose! Billboard Brow!"
"Ino-pig!"
Uchiha Sasuke glared at them with annoyance, and then...
He actually started cultivating immediately as well.
"Eh? Sasuke-kun has started cultivating too!"
"He's clearly a genius, yet he still works so hard?"
"Or could it be, it's because of that guy Naruto..."
"No, that can't be. Sasuke-kun is so amazing, how could he be influenced by a guy like Naruto?"
"Exactly, exactly. The two of them are simply heaven and earth apart!"
Uchiha Sasuke ignored them and immediately immersed himself in his own cultivation.
Hearing the commotion over there, Naruto couldn't help but take an extra look. Seeing Sasuke's actions, his eyes widened in surprise...
"That bastard Sasuke actually started cultivating too?"
"Ha, could it be he saw me working so hard and is afraid I'll catch up to him?!"
"That must be it!"
[Warning, Lightning Release Baptism countdown, 5... 4... 3...]
"Ahhh! You don't need to remind me! If that bastard Sasuke is working this hard, I definitely have to work ten times, no, a hundred times harder than him!"
Naruto immediately entered cultivation mode again.
The two confronted each other from a distance. Although not a word was spoken, the competition was already life-and-death...
For a moment, the entire classroom sensed this inexplicably oppressive yet feverish atmosphere.
It was as if fierce, scorching electric currents were shooting out from Naruto and Sasuke, violently intertwining and clashing...
...
Enduring the eight classes of the day which felt like years, plus every single break.
Naruto finally welcomed the moment school ended.
But he didn't get to rest.
[Detected that the Host is about to go home. The journey is the perfect opportunity to train physical strength. Please return home doing weighted frog leaps!]
Naruto: "...Frog, frog leaps?"
"And weighted frog leaps at that?!"
"Spare me!"
"I really can't do it anymore..."
[Lightning Release Baptism, countdown 5... 4... 3...]
"Ahhh, I'll jump! I'll jump, okay?!"
Naruto had no choice but to stuff his textbooks and practice ninja tools into his school bag, carry it on his back, and with a posture of heroic sacrifice...
He squatted down!
"Hmm?"
Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and all the other teachers and students of the Ninja Academy couldn't help but stare dumbfounded in Naruto's direction...
Wh-What on earth is wrong with that guy?
Has he gone completely mad?
What the hell is he grinding for...
Only Iruka-sensei looked at this scene, revealing an extremely gratified smile.
"Naruto... working hard is good, but don't overdo it..."
On the other side.
Watching Naruto's figure gradually moving away doing weighted frog leaps, in front of a classroom for a grade higher than them, a boy with a bowl cut and thick eyebrows couldn't help but have his eyes shine, and he clenched his fists tightly!
At the same time.
A short-haired girl with white eyes was silently gazing at Naruto's back, clasping her hands together to pray for him.
"Naruto-kun... do, do your best..."