After the national power demonstration session concludes, everyone is waiting eagerly for the next phase: the score reveal.
Curiosity fills the air. Tobirama's world, in second place, has always sparked interest. How many points will it rack up this time?
In everyone's hearts, the curiosity is palpable. The number one spot belongs to Ryan's World, which has now surpassed 3000 points, a score that's undeniably the highest ever.
But what about second place? How high will Tobirama's world score be?
Whether it's Tobirama himself or the other members, there's only one thought on their minds: hope. They hope that second place will score higher than expected, at least not too far behind number one. The gap between first and second should not be too exaggerated. After all, the first-place score is already astronomical.
The second-place score will undoubtedly belong to someone else within the group, with 860 points currently holding the highest score. But if their scores are significantly lower than Tobirama's, it can only mean one thing: the rest of the world is falling further behind. The gap is growing, and it's becoming more and more exaggerated.
Then, at that moment, the voice of the chat group echoes in their ears. The screen flashes with the national strength evaluation of the world.
[Second Hokage Tobirama's world progress has been displayed.]
[The final world strength score is: 2500 points!]
2500 points!
This score exceeded everyone's expectations were incredibly high. This isn't just high; it's shocking.
Everyone remembers the score from the last meeting. It was around 2000 points. But after only three months, Tobirama's world has surged to 2500 points! This is proof enough that, like Ryan's world, Tobirama's world is developing at a rapid pace. The magnitude of progress in both worlds is almost identical.
If Ryan's world hadn't been so far ahead to begin with, there's a good chance Tobirama's world would have caught up by now!
At this realization, everyone present is left in awe.
If this score had been revealed at the previous meeting, it would have easily secured the number one spot. In just three months, Tobirama's world has improved by an impressive 500 points. The progress is as extraordinary as that of Ryan's world. It can only be said that Tobirama has worked tirelessly to achieve this. His pace of development has left the other Hokages in admiration.
Madara chuckled, the sound low and filled with disdain. "Impressive, sure. But I've seen this play before. The higher you rise, the harder you fall. Let's see how long his 'progress' lasts before reality knocks him down."
Tobirama shot Madara a sharp glance, his expression as cold and calculated as ever. "Progress isn't some fluke, Madara. It's the result of hard work and strategy. If they fail, that's their problem, not mine."
Obito leaned back, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Hard work, huh? You can say whatever you want, but Konoha's 'perfect planning' crumbled because Tobirama from my world couldn't handle his hatred for Uchiha, and later, his own students' weakness let the village almost fall apart."
Tobirama stiffened, a flash of irritation crossing his face. "You Uchiha… always too quick to blame others for your own failures. My framework was never the problem. The issue was my brother's damn pacifism. If he didn't insist on planting flowers and hugging the enemy, maybe Konoha wouldn't have fallen apart in the first place."
Madara leaned in, nodding in agreement. "He's right. Hashirama's endless peace talks, holding hands with the enemy like he's some kind of saint, are what led to Konoha's weaknesses. After all the blood he spilled, he still can't see that you need strength to protect what's yours."
Hashirama's expression soured, and he muttered under his breath. "I've always believed peace was worth fighting for. Better than endless war."
Hashirama's expression soured, and he muttered under his breath. "I've always believed peace was worth fighting for. Better than endless war."
Tobirama shot back, his voice dripping with irritation. "Better than war? Brother, you're so blinded by that 'ideal' that you can't see the cost. You've slain more enemies than you've planted trees. You think that'll save Konoha when the real battles come?"
Obito snickered from the corner. "Peace? When the world's filled with broken heroes? You're living in a dream, first Hokage. Power is what makes a village strong. And when the war comes, your flowers won't stop a thing."
Hashirama sighed deeply, his gaze dropping to the ground, the weight of their words pressing down on him. "Maybe… maybe you're right. Maybe I've been too naïve."
The room hummed with the familiar banter between the Senju and Uchiha. Tobirama's technological advancements stood unrivaled, his progress in development unmatched. The other Hokages could only watch from a distance, especially the Uchiha, who, despite their formidable strength, found themselves envious of his speed. Each one knowing they couldn't quite match his pace in this domain.
Second place has confirmed something: the worlds of Ryan and Tobirama are in a league of their own. They're far ahead of everyone else, and the gap is widening. The others will find it increasingly difficult to follow in their footsteps.
During previous selections, everyone has already realized this truth. These two worlds are so advanced that, after each evaluation, their scores will only continue to rise, more and more exaggerated with each passing day. If the others don't push themselves harder, their gap will only grow wider.
This isn't just speculation. It's a straightforward truth about the pace of development.
Everyone knows that once a world begins to develop, its growth can accelerate rapidly.
Take Tobirama's world, for example.
Look at it now. It seems like every time, it's always second place. But it wasn't always like this.
Just two or three meetings ago, Tobirama's world wasn't even close to cracking the top three. The top spots were almost exclusively dominated by stronger worlds like Hashirama's and Uchiha Madara's. However, this world underwent a sudden leap and, in a single step, rose to second place. Since then, it has steadily held its position among the top two for a long time.
This shift demonstrates something: Tobirama's world has the potential to develop rapidly, and it shows everyone that with the right strategy and direction, a world can undergo massive growth in a short period.
This has sparked deep reflection in many others. They're asking themselves: What's wrong with my world? How can I make mine develop more rapidly?
As for Tobirama, he remains as calm and composed as ever. His expression betrays no surprise. He doesn't wear his emotions on his sleeve, but inside, he's pleased. After all the hard work, reaching second place feels like a well-deserved payoff.
Still, there's a hint of regret. Despite the three months of intense effort, he wasn't able to accelerate his world's development enough to catch up with Ryan's world. This, perhaps, is his only regret.
Tobirama has been putting in so much work lately, not just as a Hokage, but also poring over vast amounts of paperwork and performing his own research to speed up technological advancements. Even when danger loomed, he took matters into his own hands, dealing with enemies directly.
Though the last three months were relatively peaceful with no significant threats, Tobirama knows all too well that danger could strike at any moment. The previous clues of enemy movements only reinforce this. He's aware that he might not be able to handle a major threat alone, and he can't afford to let his world fall behind.
With that in mind, Tobirama places all his hopes on the reward for second place this time. He hopes the prize will be something that will suit him perfectly, something that will dramatically enhance his strength. If not that, perhaps something that will speed up his research and technological development even further. Progress and challenges are essential for strengthening oneself, and he's determined to see his world continue to grow.
In the end, the ranking is determined by how quickly a world develops. The stronger the world, the higher the score it gets. That's the rule everyone follows, and it's a rule Tobirama respects.
At this moment, he's looking forward to the reward.
"Preferably something like the Kokugan," he thinks. "If I have that, I could move things between worlds with ease in the future, gathering more knowledge and raw materials from different worlds!"
...
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