Chapter 60: Power Rankings in the Empire

Chapter 60: Power Rankings in the Empire

"Granny Tsunade, you're already amazing, but Tang is even more formidable! Martial arts are just on another level! If you also learned martial arts, you definitely wouldn't be any weaker than Tang!"

Naruto consoled her.

"That's right! Lady Tsunade is one of the legendary Sannin! If she learned martial arts, she definitely wouldn't lose to Tang!" Sakura added.

"You bunch of brats... I'm not at the point where I need comforting from you."

Tsunade chuckled and shook her head.

She turned her attention back to the cheerful-looking Imperial Lee and the stoic Imperial Neji, a broad smile still on her face:

"In this battle, I admit my defeat wholeheartedly.

Tang, you are truly formidable."

"Ahahaha! I'm not that strong, really! There are plenty of people in the Empire who are much stronger than me! Hahaha... Lady Tsunade, you flatter me!"

Imperial Lee's face reddened from the praise, and he scratched the back of his head, his mouth stretching wide in a hearty laugh.

"Tch! You should just stop grinning like an idiot before your face freezes like that,"

Imperial Neji remarked dryly, observing Imperial Lee's goofy expression.

"Indeed, his strength is a bit exaggerated. The power of that punch was easily comparable to a Tailed Beast Ball...

Are there really many experts like Tang in the Empire? Kiba, Shino, how do your strengths compare to his?"

Shikamaru seized the opportunity to gather some intelligence.

As soon as he asked this question, the others perked up, eager to hear the answer.

"If I recall the era of the shinobi villages,

the power levels were generally categorized as genin, chunin, special jounin, jounin, and elite jounin, right?"

Instead of directly answering the question, Imperial Neji countered with a question of his own.

"That's correct," Tsunade nodded. "And typically, the kage is chosen from among the elite jounin."

"However, those who can become kage are the cream of the crop among elite jounin, already far surpassing their peers,"

Shikamaru added.

"That's why the power levels weren't very clear-cut.

In the Empire, each level is clearly defined.

Generally, there are two paths: the ninja path and the martial artist path.

Since you haven't come across martial artists yet, I'll focus on the ninja path.

It is divided into genin, chunin, jounin, elite jounin, kage, super kage, and Rikudo levels.

And within each level are further subdivisions: lower, middle, upper, and peak."

Imperial Neji's expression was solemn as he explained.

"So, the special jounin rank was removed, and three new levels were added: kage, super kage, and Rikudo?

Could you explain to us the power that each of these levels represents?"

Tsunade asked.

"Kiba, since you just witnessed his exchange with Lady Tsunade,

what do you think her power level is? Could you share your insights? It would help us understand the grading system better."

Shikamaru turned to Kiba, and the others leaned in, listening intently.

"The Hokage-sama?"

Imperial Neji murmured, appraising Tsunade. After a moment of contemplation, he continued,

"Well... if I had to place her, I'd say she's at the middle level of the kage rank."

"Middle kage level, huh? Then what about Tang? What's his power level?"

Tsunade asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah! Yeah! What level is he? Super kage? Or Rikudo?" Naruto asked curiously.

"My peak state is barely at the lower level of super kage! I still have a long way to go before reaching Rikudo!"

Imperial Lee scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Super kage? And only the lower level? Not Rikudo?"

Tsunade was taken aback, a mix of surprise and awe washing over her.

"If that's not the power of a Rikudo, then how terrifyingly strong are those who have attained that level? Are the people from the Empire in another world truly that formidable, or are they just master storytellers and liars?" Tsunade wondered, her heart refusing to accept this truth.

"The standard for the lower level of Super Kage is the Nine-Tails! Only those with power comparable to the Nine-Tails can be considered Super Kage. While Tang is indeed very strong, most of his abilities are temporary boosts or burst-type attacks. If he were to fight the Nine-Tails, he might be able to hold his ground for a short while, but in a prolonged battle, he would eventually lose. So, he barely scrapes by as a lower Super Kage."

Imperial Neji explained.

"The Nine-Tails... that calamity-level monster that all of Konoha couldn't handle and had to rely on the Fourth Hokage to seal away. Is it truly only at the lower Super Kage level?" Shikamaru mumbled, his chest rising and falling as he processed this shocking information.

This was the strongest of the nine tailed beasts, a weapon of mass destruction in times of war! And yet, Little Lee from another world could rival such a monster? He was unbelievably strong!

But the most crucial question remained: if the Nine-Tails was only at the lower Super Kage level, how strong were those above it?

"Wow... so Tang is already that formidable?" Sakura whispered.

She recalled the time when Naruto unleashed the power of his tailed beast and fought Orochimaru. Back then, if she remembered correctly, Naruto had only used four tails...

Even with that limited power, he was able to rival Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin. If all nine tails of the Nine-Tails were unleashed, how incredible would its strength be?

However, when she thought about the punch that the other world's Little Lee had just delivered, it somehow made everything seem normal in comparison.

"Indeed, he's very strong! So, what about you, Neji? What's your power level?" Naruto asked, a mixture of shock and curiosity in his voice.

"You're quite the curious bunch, aren't you?" Imperial Neji countered.

"Hehehe! Well, you guys are so mysterious! You never mentioned any of this to me before!" Naruto laughed.

"It's not like you can't know. I'm not as strong as Tang; I'm only at the peak of the Kage level," Imperial Neji replied.

"Peak Kage level? So, you're much stronger than Granny Tsunade? That's amazing!" Naruto exclaimed.

"You little brat! You're happy that someone else is stronger than me?" Tsunade shouted, her veins popping out on her forehead.

The next moment, Naruto's head was greeted by a punch from Tsunade's delicate-looking fist.

Bang!

"Ouch!" Naruto cried out, holding his head in pain. "Granny Tsunade, why did you hit me? I was just surprised by how strong Neji is, that's all."

"Hmph! Brat!" Tsunade grumbled, turning her head away.

"Tang is truly remarkable," Sakura sighed. "In our world, among our peers, only Neji has become a Jonin."

"Ahahaha... Neji is also very strong. Although his maximum combat power is one level lower than mine, he's by no means weak! After all, I have to use all my abilities to temporarily reach the lower Super Kage level. Neji, on the other hand, is almost always at the peak of the Kage level." Imperial Lee explained with a hearty laugh.

"Then, what about Naruto? What level is he at now?" Shikamaru asked.

"Having mastered the basic six styles and the Wind Nature Transformation, and even combining them perfectly, he can be considered at the lower Jonin level," Imperial Neji answered after a moment's thought.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end