Chapter 18: The Unchanging Overall Evaluation

As in the original storyline, Sasuke joined Sakura and Naruto in performing the most basic D-rank missions: chasing lost cats, cleaning up trash, chopping wood, weeding gardens, and the like.

Although these tasks offered no real training value, Sasuke patiently participated without complaint, refraining from doing anything that might draw undue attention.

Already cautious of having caught Hiruzen's notice, Sasuke had no intention of taking risks.

After completing daily missions, he would leave the village to train outside Konoha, avoiding any potential observers.

The time spent traveling to training sites consumed much of his day, and the first few days were spent searching for suitable locations.

This left him with little time for actual ninjutsu training.

In light of this, Sasuke shifted his focus to chakra refinement, dedicating every moment of the night to the task without rest.

During the day, he used downtime during missions to practice one-handed seals.

In just one week, Sasuke managed to increase his chakra reserves by nearly two-thirds, pushing himself to the brink of exhaustion each night.

This relentless effort, combined with Sasuke's natural talent, led to remarkable growth.

Within a few more days, he was on track to double his chakra reserves a feat achieved in just over a week.

Such progress would astonish anyone who knew, as it was unheard of for a ninja to increase their chakra reserves at such a rapid pace.

At the same time, Sasuke's practice with one-handed seals during missions paid off.

[Special Technique: One-Handed Seals (Skilled)]

Reaching a skilled level further improved his speed at forming seals. To Sasuke's surprise, even jutsu requiring seals to activate became slightly more efficient.

At this level, if using two-handed seals, he could now omit about a quarter of the seals while maintaining the same effect.

This reduction in sealing time allowed him to cast jutsu more quickly, a small improvement with significant implications.

In high-level battles, where a single second could decide the outcome, this slight speed advantage gave Sasuke the ability to surprise enemies with lethal precision.

Once Sasuke found an excellent training site outside Konoha, he shifted his focus back to ninjutsu training.

However, for several reasons, he avoided training Chidori for now.

First, Chidori was too conspicuous. If someone discovered him practicing it, explaining would be problematic.

Second, lightning-style techniques consumed a significant amount of chakra, limiting the number of times Sasuke could use them.

For both reasons, Sasuke decided to postpone lightning-style training until his chakra reserves had grown further.

Instead, he focused on refining his fire-style jutsu, prioritizing Fire Dragon Technique.

Among the Uchiha clan's signature C-rank jutsu, Sasuke chose this technique over the fireball jutsu Technique.

After comparing the two, Sasuke noted that while the fireball jutsu Technique had immense power, its slow speed and lack of control made it less practical.

In contrast, Fire Dragon Technique offered superior control and faster attack speed. Though it produced a smaller flame burst, increasing chakra input could expand its range to some degree.

Given his limited chakra reserves, Sasuke decided to specialize in the Fire Dragon Technique for now, balancing efficiency and effectiveness in his training.

If Sasuke continued to improve his mastery of the Fire Dragon Technique, not only would it further reduce chakra consumption, but it would also allow him to release the jutsu faster and increase its power.

With this decision made, Sasuke began focusing intensely on training this technique.

It was during this period that Sasuke's talent became truly evident.

Despite the short training sessions barely reaching an hour per day Sasuke managed to raise the Fire Dragon Technique to the next level within just a few days.

[Fire Release: Fire Dragon Technique (Proficient)]

At this level, Sasuke's skill rivaled that of a jōnin specializing in fire-style techniques.

But Sasuke wasn't satisfied. He was eager to see what the next stage of mastery would bring and even more curious about what it would be like to reach the peak level.

Half a month passed in a flash.

The system task to raise his overall rating to that of a standard genin within one month now had only a few days remaining.

Initially, Sasuke was confident he could complete it, but now he felt frustrated.

"This doesn't make sense!"

"Why hasn't my evaluation changed?"

In over two weeks, Sasuke had doubled his chakra reserves.

He even confirmed through observation that his chakra level now exceeded that of an average chūnin by a significant margin.

In terms of ninjutsu, even his weakest fire-style jutsu had reached the proficiency level of a standard chūnin.

The Fire Dragon Technique he had specialized in had been elevated to a new realm.

[Fire Release: Fire Dragon Technique (Expert)]

At this level, Sasuke's understanding of the jutsu likely surpassed even that of the Hokage.

The progression from Proficient to Mastery equated to an elite jōnin level, while Expert corresponded to kage level.

A kage-level jutsu like this should surely make Sasuke more than strong enough in ninjutsu, right?

Yet, the system's evaluation still read:

[Overall Evaluation: Weak Genin]

Sasuke was baffled. Why?

How could he still be considered a weak genin in this state? What criteria was the system using to assess him?

At this point, Sasuke felt confident he could easily defeat an average jōnin.

As long as he avoided close combat, he could guarantee a clean victory with no injuries.

"Wait a second… My weakness is taijutsu!"

Currently, Sasuke's taijutsu proficiency was only at the skilled level.

"Could it be that I need to improve my taijutsu as well to raise my overall evaluation?"

Although he wasn't sure if this idea was correct, it was worth testing.

But improving his taijutsu would require a sparring partner.

The last time he made significant progress was when he fought Kakashi. Should he ask Kakashi for another sparring session?

Given Kakashi's personality, he would likely decline. Moreover, if Sasuke performed too well, it might draw Hiruzen's attention again.

"No, I can't rely on Kakashi!"

"But Konoha has another taijutsu master…"

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