Three minutes later...
Naruto and Sasuke stared at each other, neither saying a word.
Then, looking at the big [Defeat] on their screens, they fell into deep thought.
They had thought their opponents would be about as strong as the AI in the story levels.
They had assumed they were naturally talented and that's why they were so good.
But they never expected to lose. And to lose so badly.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they got completely stomped.
At this point, Sasuke and Naruto watched as Kakashi sneakily pulled out another stack of money from his Ninja Pouch.
"Manager, I'd like to top up."
The term 'top up' was something Yuto had mentioned to Kakashi a few times. He also explained what it meant.
Now, Kakashi used it quite naturally.
"Coming right up~"
Yuto smiled brightly.
Although Zabuza had been added to the game in a high-profile manner, coincidentally, players couldn't save up much gold coin at the moment.
Trying to recruit Zabuza was nothing but a pipe dream!
So... the only way to get him was to spend real money!
"Alright, alright. By the way, next time you can click here to scan. Once it scans the cash, it'll automatically top up."
Yuto had already enabled the auto-top-up feature. The system only charged 1 resource point per day for it, which was even cheaper than providing automatic charging and internet access. It was a real bargain.
So Yuto decided to be a bit more 'generous' and specifically lowered Zabuza's drop rate.
Not for any other reason than to make players realize how unlucky they were.
After Kakashi understood, he pulled out the last 53,205 ryo he had on him.
Yuto, being kind-hearted, thought it over and decided to stick with the 1 ryo = 1 gold coin exchange rate. After all, 10 ryo = 1 gold coin would hinder the game's development.
Although Ninjas were the target audience for this game, the main players would undoubtedly be the civilians, who outnumbered Ninjas by hundreds of times.
Even though the in-game prices were still relatively high, it was mainly to make things harder for the Ninjas, helping Yuto get through this tough startup phase.
If there was a chance later, he'd lower the prices... Well, if there was a chance...
Yuto noticed Kakashi giving him a strange look. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination.
'Logically, Kakashi, being a second-generation entrepreneur... shouldn't be short on money, right?'
'Between his father and himself, they must've completed at least seventy or eighty S-rank missions, if not over a hundred.'
Although Yuto wasn't sure how much an S-Rank mission paid, it couldn't be low. Otherwise, Asuma's bounty on the black market wouldn't have been so high.
So, as Kakashi finished the transaction, the newbies all felt a bit puzzled.
'What was this about? Did using this scientific ninja tool require payment?'
"Um... Kakashi-sensei, why did you give the boss money? Do we have to pay to use this scientific ninja tool?"
Naruto blurted out the question in his mind.
That was just like him.
As a result, before Kakashi could even respond, Yuto suddenly thought.
'Right, should I start charging them for using the phone?'
But on second thought, he decided against it.
Although he was a bit short on money at the moment, it wasn't worth nickel-and-diming them over this.
Yuto had also considered charging for electricity and internet access but ultimately decided against it.
The main reason was that there were still too few users. He'd have to wait until there were more before considering it.
---
Kakashi explained, "No, not at all. I spent money to draw a new Ninja."
"Eh? A new Ninja? Who is it? Who is it?"
Naruto was eager. Even though he had just been completely crushed by the same team composition, the thought of a new Ninja made him feel like he might win the next match. He just refused to admit he was bad.
Kakashi smiled. "It's Zabuza. He's been added to the game as a new Ninja."
Upon hearing this, Sasuke, who was about to start a match, also paused.
'Momochi Zabuza?'
Sasuke didn't dare to underestimate this Ninja. In fact, he felt a hint of respect for him.
Although he believed Zabuza still wouldn't stand a chance against Itachi, Zabuza was still far stronger than Sasuke was now!
If he could reach Zabuza's level and train for a few more years... he might just be able to kill Itachi!
'But... why was Zabuza also added to this ridiculous phone game?'
The thought of Zabuza being lumped together with Naruto and Sakura made Sasuke feel uneasy.
Even though in reality, he was the one teamed up with Naruto and Sakura.
"Eh? Is Uncle Zabuza that powerful? He can actually be in this phone game like me!"
Zabuza was quite speechless. He didn't feel comfortable interrupting Team Kakashi's conversation, as the relationship between them wasn't at that level yet.
At best, they were slightly more than strangers.
After all, none of the others were as naturally outgoing as Naruto.
But after hearing Naruto say something like that…
'Is he saying that 'being in the same phone game as him' means impressive?'
'Who did this kid think he was? Just because he was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, he could act all high and mighty.'
'Well, now that I think about it...'
But Zabuza still felt a bit unbalanced. Although it was a small thing, in this context, it gave him a strange feeling.
Fortunately, Kakashi explained at this time: "Heh... in here, you're C-Rank, while Zabuza is A-Rank."
"It's like the mission system Sandaime-sama explained to you."
"C-Rank is usually a Genin, while A-Rank is typically for Jonin. That's my guess, at least."
Kakashi expressed his thoughts.
Although it wasn't exactly as he described, it was close enough.
The ratings were based on popularity and actual strength.
However, even if a Ninja was popular, if their strength didn't match their rank, players would definitely call it out.
"Wow! That's amazing! Then why aren't you in here, Kakashi-sensei?"
Hearing Naruto's question, Kakashi didn't feel annoyed. Instead, he continued to explain: "Actually, I am in the game... and I'm also A-Rank."
"Incredible! So cool! Kakashi-sensei is on the same level as Uncle Zabuza!"
Hearing Kakashi's words, Zabuza couldn't help but smile.
Saying Kakashi was as strong as him wasn't far off, but there were still differences. At the very least, Zabuza admitted he wasn't quite on Kakashi's level yet.
However, when Zabuza heard that Kakashi was also in the game and ranked the same as him, Zabuza felt a sense of satisfaction.
'This thing... aside from the story, there seemed to be other interesting aspects to it.'
Zabuza silently noted this in his mind. He now had a rough idea of why he had been ambushed by Konoha's Anbu.
It was all because of this game! From what he heard from Kakashi, the storyline had already started before they even reached the Land of Waves!