"Sasuke, were you waiting here specifically for me?"
Seeing Uchiha Sasuke, Ino Yamanaka immediately 'abandoned' her two companions, came to his side, and casually held onto his arm.
Uchiha Sasuke had long since grown accustomed to Ino's enthusiasm.
There was nothing he could do; Uchiha Sasuke was simply too handsome.
Little girls at this age are mostly looks-obsessed, and they couldn't resist Uchiha Sasuke's unparalleled appearance.
Of course, not every goddess is looks-obsessed; at least Hyuga Hinata wasn't.
If Uzumaki Naruto bothered to dress up, his looks would probably be acceptable too.
But since Uzumaki Naruto currently struggled even to afford food, he naturally wasn't interested in things like fashion and grooming.
*Cough* *cough*, I've strayed too far!
"Is that weird shop the secret to how you all got stronger?"
Uchiha Sasuke didn't beat around the bush at all; he spoke directly and asked his question.
"That's right, Sasuke. If you want to get stronger, you can go try it too."
Nara Shikamaru had never really gotten along with Uchiha Sasuke and didn't want to answer his question.
But while he remained silent, Ino, standing beside him, answered without hesitation.
Hearing Ino's straightforward answer, Uchiha Sasuke was slightly surprised.
In the Ninja world, strength is everything. Any secret that allows people to become stronger is hidden away by Families, afraid of others finding out.
Even the Ninja Academy only teaches students the most basic Three Body Technique.
Civilian students who want to obtain Advanced Ninjutsu must exchange them for contributions or sell themselves to other Ninja Families.
Without special opportunities, they would just be cannon fodder on the battlefield.
Even Geniuses who graduate early do so because of their own Family background.
For example, Uchiha Itachi's backing, the Uchiha Clan.
Even Kakashi Hatake has the inherited Hatake Sword Style.
Minato Namikaze was a civilian Genius, right?
If he hadn't met Jiraiya, do you think he could have become the Hokage?
Saying all this is really just to illustrate one principle.
It is impossible to obtain these secret methods or secrets for becoming stronger without paying some price.
Therefore, Uchiha Sasuke was very surprised when he heard Ino speak so openly about it.
"What exactly is inside there?"
Uchiha Sasuke's desire to become stronger never changed, but even in his eagerness, he didn't become reckless.
It must be said that when he wasn't facing Uchiha Itachi, his own Ninja quality was quite high.
"It's actually just a place to play games. We got stronger just by playing."
"Got stronger just by playing?"
Hearing Ino say this, Uchiha Sasuke immediately showed an expression that screamed, 'Are you messing with me?' His cool image instantly collapsed.
"Don't be skeptical, Sasuke."
Seeing Uchiha Sasuke's displeasure, Nara Shikamaru also dropped his lazy demeanor and said seriously, "Ino isn't wrong. That place is amazing, and the way to get stronger is just by playing games."
Uchiha Sasuke didn't entirely trust what Ino said, but he believed Nara Shikamaru, who possessed a super high IQ, about seventy to eighty percent.
"If that's the case, then you must have paid a heavy price."
In Uchiha Sasuke's view, for Ino to go from being evenly matched with Sakura Haruno to being able to completely crush her, she must have paid some price.
And since Ino had become so strong, Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji, who were with her, must have also become stronger.
"The price, huh..."
When the price was mentioned, not just Nara Shikamaru and Ino, but even the usually quiet Akimichi Choji showed a strange expression.
"You're not wrong... I really did pay a serious price."
The price of 10,000 Ryo per hour of use directly wiped out all three of their allowance money.
It was only because the parents of the three held high positions within their Families, leveraging their influence, that the three of them could secure the money within the Family.
Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to afford the usage fee alone.
Moreover, since they needed money to play games, and as the intelligence lead of the squad, the method for acquiring money naturally fell to Nara Shikamaru.
This resulted in a significant reduction in his daily rest time.
This could also be considered paying a serious price, right?
Hmm, probably.
Hearing Nara Shikamaru's reply, Uchiha Sasuke's expression grew solemn.
He made up his mind: as long as he could get stronger, he would spare nothing, even sacrificing his body to the devil.
However, just as he nodded, pulled away from Ino, and took heavy steps toward the internet cafe, Nara Shikamaru spoke again.
"However, if it's you, this price shouldn't mean much, after all, the Uchiha Family left behind quite a bit of wealth."
Uchiha Sasuke, who had just passed Nara Shikamaru, stiffened. He mechanically turned his head and asked with a deadpan expression, "Are you saying the price is actually money?"
"That's right."
The three nodded definitively.
"In other words, as long as I have money, I can get stronger?"
"Exactly, exactly."
The three nodded again.
"Do I look like an idiot to you?"
Pointing to his incredibly handsome face, Uchiha Sasuke roared in anger, "I'm not an idiot like Uzumaki Naruto!"
After speaking, Uchiha Sasuke unexpectedly launched an attack on Nara Shikamaru, who was closest, throwing a punch.
If it were the old Nara Shikamaru, he probably would have been hit by Uchiha Sasuke's sneak attack.
But now... Nara Shikamaru executed a quick backward jump, dodging Uchiha Sasuke's attack and creating distance, then he raised his middle finger at him.
It was the Zhongchong Sword of the Six Meridian Divine Sword.
Each meridian of the Six Meridian Divine Sword has distinct characteristics.
Right thumb: Shaoshang Sword.
Characteristic: The sword path is powerful, possessing the momentum of shattering stones and summoning great storms.
Right index finger: Shangyang Sword.
Characteristic: Clever, agile, and elusive.
Right middle finger: Zhongchong Sword.
Characteristic: Wide and sweeping, with majestic Aura.
Right ring finger: Guanchong Sword.
Characteristic: Triumphs through clumsy stagnation and ancient simplicity.
Right pinky finger: Shaochong Sword.
Characteristic: Light, agile, and swift.
Left pinky finger: Shaoze Sword.
Characteristic: Appearing and disappearing suddenly, with subtle changes.
Nara Shikamaru didn't want to kill Uchiha Sasuke, but he didn't want to let him off easily either, so using the majestic Zhongchong Sword was the perfect choice.
This was definitely not Nara Shikamaru trying to insult Uchiha Sasuke, definitely not.
"Don't run."
Facing Nara Shikamaru's agile dodge, Uchiha Sasuke's eyes lit up.
Uchiha Sasuke naturally knew what kind of person his opponent was.
He hadn't expected that in just a few days, even this lazy bum could avoid his sneak attack.
Judging others by himself, if he knew of such a fast way to get stronger, he definitely wouldn't tell anyone so easily.
The more he thought about it, the more Uchiha Sasuke felt these three were messing with him.
Therefore, although he found it strange that Nara Shikamaru didn't counterattack but instead flipped him off, it didn't stop him from continuing his offense.
It was at this moment that Nara Shikamaru's middle finger leveled out, and a white light suddenly emitted from the finger aimed at Uchiha Sasuke.
With a "biu" sound, the light on his middle finger shot toward Uchiha Sasuke's left arm at extreme speed.
Facing such an attack, Uchiha Sasuke didn't react in time and was hit directly.
He felt as if he had been fiercely punched by a fist; the pain that threatened to shatter his bones made him scream out immediately.
"Ah~"
He fell to the ground, knocked flat!