Chapter 198: Chapter 198
After a wave of sighs, everyone grew curious and fell silent, waiting eagerly for the final notification from the chat group. They all wondered. What would be the final score of Naruto's World this time? Last time, its score reached 1500 points and still came in third.
Could the world's power level decline this time? Since the Hokages joined the chat group, no world has ever experienced a decrease in its rating. Every world had consistently shown progress, with scores only moving upward. If Naruto World's score were to drop now, it would be an unprecedented event—something that had never happened before and would be a major concern for all of them.
As everyone speculated, the chat group's notification suddenly sprang up. On the central screen, a score appeared:
[Seventh Hokage Naruto World: World Strength Score: 1,650 points!]
1650!
That was quite a high score! The second-place world, Tobirama's, had 1700 points!
That meant the difference between second and third place was a mere 50 points — an unusually small gap. Typically, rankings between different worlds had gaps of several hundred points. Such a narrow margin, just 50 points, was practically unseen.
It seemed that Naruto's world could have secured second place with just a bit more effort. However, the unfortunate timing of the Otsutsuki attack left it falling short by a mere 50 points. Otherwise, the ranking would have been much more critical.
After seeing the score, Naruto was a little taken aback, then a bit amused. "I didn't expect to be just 50 points away… what a shame!" he muttered.
The narrow gap to second place stung, making him feel a sense of regret for how close they had come. If the difference had been much larger, he might have felt less disappointed.
Others quickly rallied to comfort him. Minato, ever the optimist, said, "It's only fifty points—nothing to be sulk about! You've got a real shot at closing that gap next time." He added with a reassuring smile, "In fact, this is encouraging! A smaller gap means a better chance to catch up to the second Hokage, don't you think?"
Kakashi, always practical, nodded in agreement. "Exactly, Naruto! You've made a significant leap—over 100 points this time. Given the Otsutsuki attack and the moon crisis in your world, that's an impressive achievement."
With everyone's encouragement, Naruto's mood began to lift. He didn't feel as frustrated as before. However, he still reflected on himself. Over the past six months, he hadn't been working hard enough on technology. If he had put in more effort, maybe the improvement would have been more than just 150 points.
He remembered clearly: the last time he joined the meeting, the world power level had reached 1500 points. After half a year, it had only increased by 150 points. This rate of progress felt far too slow compared to Second Hokage.
"If only I had worked harder," Naruto thought to himself, making a firm resolution in his heart. After the meeting ended, he would go home alone, determined to do everything he could to help his world progress and improve his Konoha.
With the top three rankings already decided, all that remained were the rankings from fourth to twelfth place. However, the Hokages present didn't pay much attention to these. After attending many meetings, they understood one thing clearly: the top three positions came with bonuses, while the rest only offered guaranteed rewards.
While the guaranteed rewards weren't bad, there was no element of choice involved. The difference between who placed fourth or fifth seemed relatively unimportant. So, the Hokages were no longer concerned with these lower rankings.
What everyone truly cared about now was when the ranking announcement would end — and when it would be time for the rewards! Receiving those rewards was what mattered most to everyone.
As anticipation grew, the room fell silent. All eyes turned to the screen, waiting for the chat group to reveal the remaining rankings. Soon, the robotic voice of the chat group rang out:
Fourth Place: Uchiha Madara's World
Current Status: Your world has achieved long-standing unification, establishing a stable and controlled peace under your rule.
Achievements: You have embarked on the task of capturing the tailed beasts, a crucial step in consolidating power and strengthening your rule. You have successfully captured two of these formidable beasts.
Shukaku: The One-Tail, known for its immense sand manipulation abilities.
Matabi: The Two-Tail, recognized for its powerful fire techniques.
World Strength Development: Your focused efforts in capturing these tailed beasts have contributed to substantial growth in your world's overall strength.
Final World Strength Score: 1350 points
Uchiha Madara, upon seeing his rating, nodded slightly to himself. Last time, he had achieved 1200 points, and this time, he had seen an improvement of 150 points. Under previous circumstances, this might have been enough to secure a spot in the top three. However, with the competition growing fiercer. Naruto, ever the wild card, and Tobirama's natural talent in research and innovation had always set him apart, and his ability to enhance the world's strength was evident in the scores.
He observed the results with a mix of irritation and determination. The close call only fueled his resolve to bridge the gap and prove his worth.
Despite his growth in points, it hadn't brought him much higher in the rankings. Observing the development of other worlds, Madara began to reflect on his approach. In his view, he hadn't focused enough on the technical aspects while dealing with the tailed beasts. Although capturing the tailed beasts had significantly increased his world's strength, the lack of technological advancement had held him back. And in his era, technology is the fastest way to gain ground.
Understanding this, Madara saw why his ranking had dropped and accepted it as a normal consequence. Just then, the voice of the chat group continued to announce the rankings:
[Fifth Place: Road to Ninja Tsunade's World]
[World strength score: 1210 points!]
[Sixth Place: First Hokage Senju Hashirama's World]
[World strength score: 1110 points!]
[Seventh Place: Fifth Hokage Tsunade's World]
[World strength score: 1000 points!]
Seeing the current ratings, the Hokages felt a sense of satisfaction and relief.
Especially for the Hokages who ranked seventh or higher, there was a significant difference compared to last time. Now, even the seventh place had a World power score of a thousand points. Everyone had easily surpassed the secondary prize pool, which marked an impressive achievement.
It was clear that this was a huge step forward, and the consistent improvement with each ranking gave everyone hope. They were determined to keep striving, believing things could only get better from here.
Just then, the voice of the chat group continued. On the screen, the next set of rankings appeared:
[Eighth Place: Tsukyomi World Sixth Hokage Uchiha Obito's World]
[World power score: 950 points]
[Ninth Place: Sixth Hokage Kakashi's World]
[World power score: 900 points]
Both worlds showed steady progress, with their scores continuing to rise. Although they hadn't reached the thousand-point mark yet, 950 and 900 points were very close. It was likely that by the next meeting, their worlds would break into the thousand-point range, reflecting very rapid advancement with the help of the chat group.
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