With the familiar notification sound from the chat group, the long-awaited ranking was finally revealed.
[Third Place: Kakashi, the Sixth Hokage!]
[Opponents Defeated: Two Cursed Spirits, One Jujutsu Sorcerer!]
[Total Points Earned: 300,000!]
As soon as the announcement appeared, Kakashi's visible eye curved into an amused smile.
"Well, this is a surprise," he chuckled, folding his arms. "Third place, huh? I wasn't expecting to rank this high… but I'll take it."
He couldn't help but feel excited. A top-three placement meant solid rewards; knowing the chat group, they wouldn't be anything to scoff at.
The other members of the chat group exchanged glances around him, some admiring him, others envying him.
Tobirama grunted, crossing his arms. "Hmph. I underestimated you, Kakashi. You've actually pulled it off. Guess I owe you some respect… not that you'll hear me admit it again."
Minato nodded approvingly, his expression warm but with a hint of competitive edge. "Well done, Kakashi. I always knew you had potential, but third place? Impressive. I'll let you have this one… for now."
Naruto, arms crossed and a smirk on his face, raised an eyebrow. "Heh, Kakashi-sensei's always got a few tricks up his sleeve. But third place, huh? Not bad at all. Guess I'll have to step up my game next time!"
Tsunade, who had been quietly observing, muttered under her breath, barely hiding her surprise. "Damn, Kakashi actually made it into the top three… Guess I should've put some money on that."
Hashirama laughed boisterously, slapping Kakashi on the back. "I knew you'd do well! Third place is no easy accomplishment, though I can't help but wonder if it's because you finally started listening to me." He winked, clearly teasing.
But not everyone was as gracious. Some of the others in the group weren't exactly thrilled about Kakashi's ranking.
Obito chuckled, though it sounded more like a sigh. "Lucky bastard. I thought I had a shot, but nope—guess only one person can take the top. You always did have a knack for beating the odds, huh?"
Tobirama clicked his tongue, his eyes narrowing. "Tch. Well, that's just how it is. The top ranks are always a bloodbath… but I guess you're lucky it was just you in the bloodbath this time."
Despite the grumbling, the respect for Kakashi's achievement was clear. The competition had been fierce, and everyone knew he'd earned his spot.
Meanwhile, Kakashi was deep in thought, mentally calculating his current points.
"Let's see…" He leaned back slightly, running the numbers in his head.
Even before securing third place, he had already accumulated many points from previous missions. He had even spent some of them earlier to exchange for a high-tier Devil Fruit—an expensive investment that had nearly drained his points at the time.
But now?
With this latest reward, his total would easily exceed one million points.
That meant only one thing—he could finally afford a game-changing prize.
The realization sent a thrill through him.
"Heh… time to visit the store." His voice was tinged with anticipation.
Without wasting another second, Kakashi pulled up the chat group's prize catalog, eager to see what awaited him.
After all, this was his chance to take his strength to the next level—and he wasn't about to let it slip through his fingers.
At that moment, the chat group's system began displaying the detailed breakdown of Sixth Hokage Kakashi's earnings.
[Curse Spirits Defeated: 2 — 100,000 Points Each]
[Conjurer Defeated: 1 — 100,000 Points]
[Total Points Earned: 300,000!]
As soon as the numbers appeared, the group members nodded in understanding.
"Three enemies defeated, 300,000 points earned… Seems about right," Minato commented, nodding thoughtfully, though with a touch of surprise.
Kakashi's opponents had been two cursed spirits and one conjurer, so the point distribution made sense. But as the group continued to scrutinize the numbers, a realization struck them.
"Wait a minute…" Hashirama murmured, scratching his head in confusion. "The points for cursed spirits and sorcerers are the same?"
Indeed, whether the defeated enemy was a cursed spirit or a human sorcerer, the reward remained at 100,000 points each.
"Well, that's unexpected," Tsunade added, narrowing her eyes. "I always thought sorcerers and cursed spirits had a bigger difference in strength."
"Seems like they're pretty evenly matched, at least when it comes to points," Naruto said with a grin. "Makes sense, right? But I didn't expect it to be this even."
"Huh… so they are on the same level," Tobirama grunted, looking mildly impressed. "Not exactly what I expected."
With that revelation sinking in, the focus shifted back to the rankings. The Hokages in the group could only sigh in resignation.
"Well, that's that," Obito muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Can't say I'm shocked. Just another day, right?"
"Third place, huh? That's gotta sting," Kakashi teased, his visible eye crinkling with amusement. "But don't worry, I'm sure you'll all get another chance. Maybe next time, I'll be generous and let one of you take the spot."
"Let me guess, Kakashi," Naruto said, rolling his eyes. "You already have the prize catalog open, don't you?"
"Hey, no one's stopping me from shopping," Kakashi shrugged, a mischievous grin forming on his face.
"Geez, every time…" Tsunade sighed. "Well, guess there's no point complaining. At least someone's happy."
"Damn, what a letdown," Hashirama said, laughing boisterously despite the situation. "Maybe we should throw in a celebratory feast. Who's with me?"
"Tch," Obito clicked his tongue, sarcastically. "Feast sounds nice. I'll take the prize I earned next time, thanks."
Despite the disappointment, there was an unspoken understanding in the air. There would be another chance. Always another chance. And for now, that would have to be enough.
There was always next time.
Whether it was in the next mission across worlds or the next major challenge set by the system, one thing was certain—they would be ready.
And next time, they wouldn't settle for just watching from the sidelines.
Just as the group was deep in conversation, the voice of the chat group rang out once more.
[Reward for Third Place!]
[Bonus Points: 300,000!]
The reward for third place had been revealed. Like the first and second-place winners, third place was also awarded points, but the amount was different. First place earned a massive 1 million points, second place received 500,000, and third place... 300,000.
Kakashi, upon seeing his reward, couldn't help but feel pleased. Sure, it wasn't as high as the rewards for first and second, which seemed much more generous. But when you thought about it—his points were exactly 300,000. In other words, this reward had effectively doubled his haul!
Not bad at all, right?
As the Sixth Hokage, Kakashi wasn't dissatisfied with his prize in the slightest. He was quite content.
The others, upon seeing the reward, had no complaints either. To them, it seemed fair and reasonable. After all, third place meant fewer points, and that was just the way it was. It wasn't excessive, but it wasn't too little either.
With the top three rewards announced, everyone was now just waiting for what would come next. The remaining Hokages had prepared themselves, knowing that the final rankings were almost set in stone. After all, they were placed somewhere between fourth and twelfth, so no extra rewards would be handed out.
With that, the focus shifted to the rankings. Everyone accepted the outcome without much fuss—this was just the way things worked.
And there was something everyone could agree on: the reason many had failed to make it into the top three wasn't a lack of strength. No, it was simply bad luck. They'd encountered far more formidable enemies than they'd anticipated, and those extra challenges made it almost impossible to rack up the points needed to secure a top position.
It was just the way it went sometimes.
At that moment, the voice of the chat group meeting rang out once more, announcing the next set of rankings.
[4th Place: Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato]
[5th Place: Seventh Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto]
[6th Place: Sixth Hokage, Uchiha Sasuke]
[7th Place: Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama]
[8th Place: First Hokage, Senju Hashirama]
[9th Place: Ninja Road Tsunade]
[10th Place: Fifth Hokage, Tsunade]
[11th Place: Sixth Hokage, Hatake Kakashi]
[12th Place: Tsukyomi world Uchiha Obito]
Tsunade (Main Timeline) stared at the list, then at her counterpart, then back at the list. "Wait. So not only did I not place higher… but this version of me ranked above me?!"
Ninja Road Tsunade smirked. "Guess I'm just the better version, huh?"
Tsunade scowled. "Oh, you wanna go, Princess?"
"Wait… if they fight, who am I supposed to support?"
Hashirama tapped his chin, deep in thought. "On one hand, Tsunade is my granddaughter." He nodded toward the original. "But on the other hand… is this Tsunade." He pointed at her Ninja Road counterpart.
Tobirama gave him a flat look. "Brilliant deduction, brother."
Hashirama ignored him and continued his internal struggle. "If I cheer for one, the other will be mad at me. But if I cheer for both, does that mean I'm just picking neither?" He gasped dramatically. "What if they both end up mad at me?!"
Minato chuckled. "Sounds like you're stuck between a rock and a hard place, Lord First."
Sasuke scoffed. "More like stuck between two fists."
Naruto, already sporting a developing bruise from Tsunade's earlier punch, nodded sagely. "Trust me, Hashirama-jiji, you do not want to make either of them mad. I'd start running now."
Tsunade (Main Timeline) cracked her knuckles. "Well, Gramps? Who are you backing?"
Ninja Road Tsunade smirked. "Yeah, Hashirama, whose side are you on?"
Hashirama paled. "U-Uh…" He turned to Tobirama, pleading with his eyes. "Help me!"
Tobirama simply sipped his tea. "No."
Hashirama whimpered. "This is the hardest battle I've ever faced."
Meanwhile, Obito leaned over to Kakashi. "You know, I almost feel bad for him."
Kakashi shrugged. "Meh. He had it coming."
Kakashi rubbed his temple. "You know, I was already struggling to deal with the Tsunade of my world. There are two here, and I am still placed below both of them. This is the worst timeline."
Obito, sitting at the bottom of the list, chuckled. "At least you're not last. Let me enjoy my suffering in peace."
Naruto, meanwhile, was grinning ear to ear. "Maybe I should introduce one of you to Ero-Sanin—"
WHAM!
Naruto was swiftly introduced to Tsunade's fist. Both Tsunades'.
Minato winced. "Oof. Double the Tsunade means double the punches."
Sasuke shook his head. "You should've seen that one coming, dobe."
Tobirama crossed his arms. "Regardless of rankings, the real takeaway here is that I placed higher than both of you." He looked at Hashirama and Tsunade smugly.
Hashirama blinked. "Wait, you did? Hey! That's not fair!"
Tobirama smirked. "Justice."
Ninja Road Tsunade raised a brow. "Wait a second… Oji-san is ahead of me?"
Tobirama nodded. "That's correct."
She scoffed. "I call rigged."
Tobirama simply smirked, while Hashirama whined dramatically in the background.
Kakashi sighed, looking at his rank. "Well, at least I beat Obito."
Obito deadpanned. "And yet I'm still taller than you."
Kakashi clicked his tongue. "Low blow."
Hashirama, now sulking, grumbled. "Next time, I'm aiming for at least the top five. This is unacceptable!"
Tsunade cracked her knuckles. "Forget top five. I want the top three. And next time, I'm gonna beat her first." She pointed at her alternate self.
Ninja Road Tsunade smirked. "Bring it on, old me."
As the Hokages bickered, the chat group system admin took a deep breath and prepared for the inevitable chaos that would follow.
The rankings of the Twelve Hokages were now complete. With the rewards session drawing to a close, it seemed like everything was wrapping up.
Following past experiences, it was clear that this was the final stretch. Soon, everyone would be preparing to return to their worlds. But this time, things were different.
No one was in a rush. Instead, they all turned their attention to Ryan.
They hadn't forgotten the special nature of Ryan's reward. Unlike the others, his prize consisted of two things. The first was a substantial amount of bonus points. But the second... was far more intriguing.
Ryan had been granted a unique opportunity: the chance to return to the world of spells and battles, and the freedom to come and go as he pleased.
This reward piqued everyone's curiosity. Why was his reward so special? What kind of benefits could he gain from returning to that world? The others couldn't help but wonder what lay in store for Ryan.
---
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