NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 038: The Battle for Ranking!
Chapter 038: The Battle for Ranking!
"Baku: Danzo, I think 60th place isn't bad!"
"Danzo: Hmph, you unambitious creature, satisfied with mere 60th place? Remember, once you receive the reward, transfer it to me!"
"Baku: Sure!"
"Fourth Raikage: Danzo, that's a bit shameless of you. Although the summoning beast can transfer rewards, demanding it outright is too much!"
"Mei Terumi: I've heard of Konoha's Danzo being shameless before, so I'm not surprised at all!"
"Third Tsuchikage: As expected of Danzo, even when asking for rewards, you have to announce it in the chatroom. Afraid no one would know about your shamelessness?"
"Danzo: Heh, stop mocking me. Do you mean to tell me you don't want your summoning beast's reward? I don't believe it!"
"Killer Bee: I don't want it!"
"Fourth Raikage: Danzo, you just got slapped in the face!"
"Danzo: A bunch of hypocrites!"
"Hanzō of the Salamander: When it comes to being sinister and hypocritical, no one can surpass you, Danzo!"
"Nagato: Hanzō, you're not much better, you hypocrite."
"Danzo: And the members of the Akatsuki have the audacity to call me out?"
Unbeknownst to everyone, the ranking had reached the 50th place on the Pet Ranking list.
"Pet Ranking, 50th place: Shima, Owner: Jiraiya"
"Jiraiya: Shima is only ranked 50th?"
"Fukasaku: Old woman, you only ranked 50th. Not too great, huh?"
"Shima: You old geezer, do you think you'd rank much higher? Watch, you'll probably be next!"
"Manda: Haha, the frogs of Mount Myōboku are nothing special, ranking so low. We serpents of Ryūchi Cave are far superior!"
"Gamakichi: Manda, you dare mock the frogs of Mount Myōboku? Come on, let's have a duel."
"Manda: A duel? Fine by me, do you think I'm afraid of you?"
"Gamakichi: Manda, I've had enough of you. Next time we meet, I'll cut you into three pieces!"
"Manda: Haha, I'll just swallow you whole!"
...
At Mount Myōboku.
"Shima and Fukasaku's low rankings are understandable. After all, they are Sage Toads, skilled in Senjutsu but not specialized in combat. Their battle capabilities aren't strong."
The Great Toad Sage murmured to himself.
Besides him, the most powerful combatant at Mount Myōboku should be the giant toad Gamiwasu, whose enormous size is second only to that of Katsuyu. Even Jiraiya can only summon a part of its body due to its size, but it's not very well-known because it sleeps most of the time, sometimes for decades.
Soon, the 49th place on the Pet Ranking was revealed, and it was indeed Fukasaku, ranked just one spot above Shima.
"Shima: Hahaha, old geezer, how does it feel to rank only one place higher than me?"
"Fukasaku: cough cough"
As the rankings continued, various summoning beasts owned by past leaders of the great ninja villages began to appear, each one with significant fame, though they have become rare in recent times.
Before anyone realized, the ranking had reached the 30th place.
"Pet Ranking, 30th place: Gamabunta, Owners: Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze, Naruto Uzumaki"
It's common for a summoning beast to have more than one master, and Gamabunta is one such case. Multiple people can summon him, so technically, he has multiple masters. If Gamabunta chooses, he can transfer his reward to any one of them.
"Manda: Haha, Gamabunta, you're ranked 30th. I bet my rank is higher than yours. Any comments?"
"Gamabunta: This ranking must be wrong. How can I be below you? And that slug, Katsuyu, should be weaker than me, right?"
"Manda: Gamabunta, are you an idiot? Katsuyu is a clone of the Katsuyu Sage. Can you compare yourself to the Katsuyu Sage?"
"Gamabunta: Uh, fine, I may not be as strong as the Katsuyu Sage, but ranking lower than you? I don't accept it!"
"Manda: Don't accept it? This is the ranking from the Golden List. Whether you accept it or not, you're still weaker! This ranking proves it!"
"Gamabunta: Just you wait, next time I'll definitely rank above you."
"Orochimaru: Haha, Manda, you're doing well. You're stronger than Jiraiya's big toad, making me proud!"
"Jiraiya: Orochimaru, you only have Manda. I can summon multiple Toad Sages from Mount Myōboku."
"Orochimaru: But none of them are stronger than my Manda!"
Shortly after, the Ryūchi Cave's Blue Snake appeared on the list, ranking 29th.
After Blue Snake, it was finally Manda's turn.
"Pet Ranking, 28th place: Manda, Owner: Orochimaru"
"Gamabunta: Not that much higher, only 28th place. Our strengths are about the same!"
"Manda: Higher is higher!"
"Orochimaru: My Manda only ranks 28th? Just how strong are the pets ranked above?"
"Hashirama Senju: There are countless summoning beasts in the Ninja World. With Manda's performance last time, ranking 28th is already quite high!"
"Orochimaru: As far as I know, First Hokage-sama didn't have any particularly strong summoning beasts, right?"
"Hashirama Senju: Haha, those little creatures are of no help to me. Even the Nine-Tails can be held with one hand, why would I need a summoning beast? Orochimaru, are you challenging me?"
"Orochimaru: First Hokage-sama, I wouldn't dare. I'm just stating the facts."
Next, the 27th place was revealed.
"Pet Ranking, 27th place: Giant Clam, Owner: Gengetsu Hōzuki"
"Second Mizukage: Haha, my Giant Clam made it onto the list! The ranking isn't bad!"
"Second Tsuchikage: Second Mizukage's Giant Clam is indeed quite powerful, capable of casting large-scale illusions. It gave me a lot of trouble back in the day."
"Second Mizukage: Of course, it's strong. I used it to kill you back then! If it weren't for your final attack hitting me, I wouldn't have died!"
"Second Tsuchikage: Nonsense! I killed you first, and then I died!"
"Second Mizukage: You're full of crap. Do you really think you could have killed me first?"
While the Second Mizukage and the Second Tsuchikage were arguing, the 26th place on the Pet Ranking was revealed.
This time, it was Hanzo's summoning beast, the Salamander!