Naruto: Divine Reward System

The next day.

After Tatsuya, Naruto, and Sasuke gathered at the agreed spot, they headed to the Ninja Academy together.

They were about to submit their [application form] for the [Chunin Selection Exam]!

However…

When the three arrived at Classroom [301] to submit their forms, they found a large crowd gathered at the scene.

And the sound of a fight filled the air!

Pushing through the crowd, they saw two older Genin standing at the doorway, blocking anyone from entering and submitting their forms.

Bam!

With a loud thud, a boy in a green jumpsuit was sent flying.

Tatsuya immediately recognized him.

It was none other than Rock Lee, a taijutsu prodigy trained by Might Guy and a user of the [Eight Gates] technique!

Seeing him knocked down, the two Genin at the door sneered.

"With that level of skill, you still think you can take the Chunin Exam? I suggest you go home."

"You kids are just wasting your time. This is out of your league."

Tatsuya glanced at them and quickly put the pieces together.

Others might not know who they were, but he did.

These two weren't just any Genin. They were [Kotetsu Hagane] and [Izumo Kamizuki], both Chunin-ranked ninja, commonly referred to as the "Gatekeepers of Konoha."

Simply put, they were here to weed out the weak before the real exam even began.

To make things even trickier, they were using the [Transformation Jutsu] to disguise themselves.

The crowd watched in uneasy silence. Many had already tried to get through—only to be easily beaten down.

Kotetsu and Izumo were experienced Chunin, far beyond the level of an ordinary Genin. The weaker ones didn't stand a chance.

As for why Rock Lee went down so easily? Tatsuya knew he was holding back. There was no way Lee would reveal his full strength this early in the game.

From the sidelines, Tenten watched as Rock Lee struggled to get up. Her eyes narrowed, and she stepped forward, determined.

"Please, let us through."

Her request was met with nothing but a ruthless punch aimed straight at her!

Just as the fist was about to land on Tenten's face, a firm hand shot out and stopped it cold.

The entire room fell silent.

Even Kotetsu, the one who had thrown the punch, looked shocked. Someone had blocked him so effortlessly?

It was Tatsuya who had stepped in.

For some reason, he had always liked Tenten—both her personality and her skills.

It was just a shame that she was still single even in [Boruto].

Tenten turned her head and looked at Tatsuya, momentarily at a loss for words.

Every pair of eyes in the room was now locked onto him—even Neji and Lee looked surprised.

Breaking the silence, Tatsuya's voice rang out, steady and calm.

"Step aside. We're heading to the third floor."

A murmur spread through the crowd.

"Huh? What's he talking about? We're already on the third floor."

"Is he an idiot? Maybe he just wants to play the hero and impress Tenten?"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it. He saved the girl. No need to act all mysterious."

To most of them, Tenten was considered a rare beauty. If it weren't for the fear of Kotetsu and Izumo, someone else would've stepped in already.

But Tatsuya hadn't acted for that reason.

He had two motivations:

First, he didn't want to see Tenten get hit, even if it was just an illusion.

Second, he knew that if they wanted to submit their [application form], they had to get past this obstacle.

Tenten blinked, momentarily stunned.

She stole a glance at Tatsuya and wondered, Did he really step in just to protect me?

Before she could say anything, Kotetsu and Izumo exchanged glances before breaking into small smirks.

"Oh? Looks like we've been found out."

"Not bad, kid."

The crowd looked around in confusion.

Sasuke, standing beside Tatsuya, spoke up.

"We knew from the start. You've been using a genjutsu to trick everyone."

"This isn't the third floor. It's the second."

Naruto nodded, though it was obvious he hadn't realized anything until now.

"If I'm not mistaken, it's the illusion technique [False Surroundings Jutsu]."

As soon as Tatsuya said this, Kotetsu and Izumo's expressions shifted.

They were impressed.

It was one thing to see through a genjutsu, but identifying the exact technique used? That was another level of skill.

Even among Konoha's ninjas, only a few could do that.

The number plate on the door wavered for a moment, then twisted and changed from [301] to [201].

Now, everyone could see the truth.

Realizing they had been deceived, the crowd erupted in shock.

With their cover blown, Kotetsu and Izumo stepped aside, no longer blocking the way.

The second they left, the rest of the applicants wasted no time and rushed toward the real [301] classroom to submit their [application form].

Time was running out!

Meanwhile, Tenten, Lee, and Neji remained where they were, still processing what had just happened.

Tenten's gaze lingered on Tatsuya. Unlike Neji and Sasuke, who relied on their special eyes, Tatsuya had seen through the genjutsu on his own. That alone set him apart.

Without hesitation, she walked up to him.

"Just now… thank you."

"You don't have to thank me," Tatsuya replied casually. "I just did what anyone would do."

Then, he added, "Besides, even if I hadn't stepped in, their attacks wouldn't have actually hurt you. It was all just an illusion."

Tenten blinked in realization. Looking over at Lee, she noticed that the bruises on his face had disappeared—proof that Tatsuya was right.

"Having hidden strength is good," Tatsuya said with a smirk. "But you shouldn't let yourself be pushed around because of it."

With that, he turned and strode off toward the real exam room, leaving Tenten and the others standing there in silent admiration.

Sasuke and Naruto followed close behind.

For some reason, their steps now seemed to match his, almost as if they were little brothers trailing behind a big brother.

Watching them disappear, Neji finally broke the silence.

"Tenten, do you… know that guy?"

Tenten shook her head in response to Neji's curiosity.

"Never seen him before."

"This is strange. Is he a newcomer?" Neji murmured. Rock Lee added, "It's possible. All three of them are unfamiliar faces."

"But the one leading them… he seems strong."

"Yeah."

Neji nodded in agreement. "If nothing else, he'll be a tough opponent."

"And that guy in blue behind him isn't bad either. Looks like this year's rookies are better than expected."

Neji was obviously referring to Sasuke, his instincts as a prodigy recognizing a kindred spirit.

Because Sasuke carried the same air of confidence as him.

As for Tenten, her gaze lingered on Tatsuya.

She couldn't help it—the scene from earlier was still fresh in her mind!

"It's getting late. Let's go," Neji said, breaking her thoughts.

With that, the three of them walked off.

Once the crowd had dispersed, Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki, who had been observing from the shadows, exchanged glances.

"Looks like this year's candidates are pretty strong," Izumo remarked.

"Yeah."

Kotetsu nodded, then smirked. "Especially the one who stepped in earlier. I wonder how far he'll go. I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too."

Their voices faded as the two vanished into thin air.

—

At the same time…

Tatsuya, Naruto, and Sasuke made their way through the second-floor hallway when they ran into Sakura. The moment she spotted Sasuke, her heart skipped a beat.

It had been nearly a month since she last saw him!

But as she took in Tatsuya walking beside him, an unsettling feeling crept into her heart.

She recalled what happened yesterday.

At that moment, Tatsuya had looked… really cool.

Sakura had always liked Sasuke, but it was an unrequited love. They weren't in the same class, and with time, distance had begun to dull her emotions.

Unless Sasuke showed her some kind of affection…

Otherwise, it was only natural that those feelings would fade.

As Sasuke passed by, Sakura quickly called out, "Sasuke! Long time no see!"

"Mm."

Sasuke barely gave her a nod.

Right now, he had no time for distractions. He had yet to sever his ties to the past, and until he did, he wouldn't waste his energy on something as trivial as romance.

The only reason he was following Tatsuya was because he knew Tatsuya was stronger than him—and he could help him master his [Sharingan].

That was his priority.

Seeing Sasuke's cold response, Sakura's heart sank.

She had gotten used to it, though. It had been like this for years at the Academy.

The pain of unrequited love.

However, before she could dwell on it, a loud voice rang out from behind them.

"Hey! Are you Sakura?"

Sakura blinked in surprise as Rock Lee suddenly stepped in front of her.

Neji and Tenten watched in silent astonishment as Lee completely ignored the three boys and made a beeline for Sakura.

Without hesitation, he stood tall and declared with unwavering confidence:

"My name is Rock Lee! Please go out with me!"

"I swear to protect you with my life!"

Silence.

Sakura stood frozen, completely caught off guard.

Then, after a long pause, she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind:

"Absolutely not!"

"Your eyebrows are way too thick!"

Lee visibly deflated at her blunt rejection. Even Neji and Tenten let out a quiet sigh.

"…What if I shaved them?"

"That's still a no!"

Rejected once more, Lee clenched his fists in frustration. "At least give me a reason!"

"Because I already like someone else!"

As she said this, Sakura's eyes drifted toward Sasuke, hoping Lee would take the hint and back off.

Unfortunately, her plan backfired spectacularly.

Lee's expression brightened with newfound determination. "Then let's have a match!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "You want to fight me?"

"Yes! I want to test my strength against the so-called genius of the Uchiha clan!"

"So, you already know who I am," Sasuke said coolly.

Lee didn't deny it. He had overheard Sakura say Sasuke's name earlier.

And in Konoha, there was only one Sasuke.

The last Uchiha.

Before Sasuke could respond, Naruto suddenly stepped forward.

"Leave this guy to me! I'll take him down in seconds!"

Lee blinked in surprise. "Huh?"

Naruto was already cracking his knuckles, looking eager for a fight.

First, Lee's confession to Sakura had seriously irritated him—he liked Sakura too!

Second, he was sure that if he defeated Lee, Sakura would finally see him in a new light!

Third, he was sick and tired of Sasuke getting all the attention. People always focused on him, treating Naruto like he was invisible. He was done with that!

With all these thoughts piled up, Naruto had no choice but to step in and prove himself.

Meanwhile, Tatsuya leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching the scene unfold with mild amusement.

Fights like these were rare—how could he not enjoy the show?

However, Lee didn't even glance at Naruto. His focus remained on Sasuke.

There was no helping it.

Sakura liked Sasuke, not Naruto.

And Sasuke was known as the strongest rookie at the Academy, which only made Lee even more eager to challenge him.

Lee took his stance. "Excuse me!"

"I will challenge Uchiha Sasuke!"

Naruto's eye twitched.

He exploded. "Why does everyone always focus on Sasuke?! This is ridiculous!"

Without another word, Naruto lunged at Lee, throwing a punch straight at him.

He was going to prove himself.

He was going to show everyone that he was just as strong as Sasuke—if not stronger!

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