“What’s gotten into you?”
Those few simple words nearly made Sasuke Uchiha choke hard enough to suffer internal injuries.
Previously, Naruto had always been the one provoking him, desperately hoping to attract his attention.
Now Sasuke had taken the initiative to challenge Naruto, yet…
That was the only response he received.
Humiliated and furious, Sasuke darkened his expression.
“What’s wrong, Naruto Uzumaki?
Are you afraid?”
Naruto completely ignored him and looked expectantly toward Hinata.
Come on.
Let me hold you like I did yesterday.
Hinata glanced shyly at Naruto, her face bright red.
“Naruto, Sasuke might need to speak with you.
I’ll go rest over there.”
Still blushing and somewhat dazed, Hinata walked beneath a tree and sat down.
Naruto’s expression darkened further.
He turned and glared at Sasuke.
If this bastard hadn’t interfered, Naruto would already be comfortably holding Hinata in his arms.
“Sasuke Uchiha, you’re jealous, aren’t you?”
Naruto gave Sasuke a “friendly” smile.
Sasuke had dared intrude upon his private moment with Hinata.
Naruto was going to fleece him for everything he was worth.
Sasuke’s face turned crimson.
“Wh-What kind of joke is that?”
“I’m the top student in our class!
Why would I be jealous of a loser like you?”
Too stubborn to admit the truth, Sasuke categorically refused to acknowledge that he was jealous of Naruto.
Naruto scoffed and casually waved one hand.
“Whatever.
I’m not interested in squabbling with a little kid like you.”
“Wouldn’t fighting over something this stupid be ridiculous?”
“I would rather spend that time reading.
At least then I could cultivate my mind and improve my character.”
Sasuke nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
He glared at Naruto with eyes that seemed ready to erupt in flames.
Damn it!
Why hadn’t Naruto said that whenever he was the one issuing challenges?
Hearing the surrounding students whisper made Sasuke even angrier.
“Isn’t Sasuke being a little too petty?”
“Exactly.
He’s the top student in our class.
How can he bully Naruto?”
“This is too much.
I thought he was a good person, but apparently I was wrong…”
“Poor Naruto…”
“…”
The students whispered among themselves, and the way they looked at Sasuke subtly changed.
When they turned toward Naruto again, their expressions also differed from before.
Chōji stared at his classmates and couldn’t resist commenting, “That’s terrifying.
Only Naruto’s appearance changed…”
Leaning lazily against a tree with a blade of grass between his lips, Shikamaru replied, “Once someone becomes wildly popular, people will forgive almost anything they do.”
Naruto merely smiled.
He had genuinely only intended to change his appearance.
Who could have imagined that he would become popular overnight?
Sasuke glared at him through gritted teeth.
Clenching his fists, he enunciated every word:
“Naruto Uzumaki, what will it take for you to compete against me?”
A subtle smile appeared on Naruto’s lips.
He had taken the bait!
“How about we wager some money?”
Sasuke smiled smugly upon hearing Naruto’s proposal.
“Money?”
“You intend to gamble against a member of the Uchiha clan, yet money is the only thing you can think of?
How ignorant.”
“Hmph.
Tell me—how much do you want to wager?”
“But understand this beforehand: I’m staking the honor of the Uchiha clan, so I will never refuse to honor the wager.”
“But you…”
“Do you actually possess enough money to pay if you lose?”
Sasuke looked at Naruto arrogantly.
He was the young heir of the Uchiha clan and received more than one hundred thousand ryō in allowance every month.
If he acted spoiled in front of his older brother, obtaining several million ryō would be effortless.
As for Naruto Uzumaki…
If Sasuke remembered correctly, Naruto was an orphan.
Naruto pretended to look troubled.
“Then… how about ten thousand ryō?”
Sasuke nearly burst out laughing.
Ten thousand ryō?
What a pitiful amount.
He almost felt embarrassed taking so little from Naruto.
With a smug expression, Sasuke walked toward the target range.
Hinata hurried over with her cheeks flushed red.
“Naruto, do you… do you need me to give you some money?”
Naruto smiled and rubbed her head.
“Don’t worry.
I won’t lose.”
“After all, I still need to support you, Hinata.”
Poof!
White steam erupted from Hinata’s head as she fainted from embarrassment.
Naruto smiled, gently placed her beneath the tree, and walked directly toward the training field.
Half an hour later, Sasuke knelt dispiritedly at the target range.
Hundreds of shuriken and kunai lay scattered across the ground.
Sasuke stared at them in a daze, overwhelmed by a profound sense of unreality.
Twelve rounds!
He hadn’t won even once!
Naruto “kindly” reminded him:
“Sasuke Uchiha, as of this moment, you have lost a total of forty million nine hundred and sixty thousand ryō to me.”
Sasuke’s entire body trembled.
His eyes widened as he stared at Naruto.
“How could it possibly be that much?”
Forty million nine hundred and sixty thousand ryō!
Even ten years of his allowance combined wouldn’t amount to that much!
Naruto sighed “helplessly.”
“I warned you, but you refused to listen.”
Sasuke laboriously turned toward Iruka.
Iruka nodded sympathetically.
The initial wager had only been ten thousand ryō, but Naruto doubled the amount for the second round.
The first few wagers hadn’t been particularly significant.
However, the numbers grew increasingly terrifying with every subsequent round.
The wager for the twelfth round alone had exceeded twenty million ryō.
Sasuke’s eyes turned red.
He glared at Naruto through gritted teeth.
“One more round!”
“The Uchiha clan’s kunai-throwing techniques are renowned throughout the shinobi world!
How could I possibly lose to a loser like you?”
“I’ll win everything back with this round!”
Naruto silently nodded.
He swept his hand through the air, and three pitch-black kunai materialized in his palm.
Whoosh!
The sound of displaced air rang out.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
The three kunai struck the distant target with perfect accuracy and tremendous force.
That evening, Sasuke stumbled home like a person who had lost his soul.
He entered the family training ground.
Itachi Uchiha, who had been training, froze when he saw Sasuke.
He hurriedly put down his weapon and ran over.
“Sasuke, what happened?”
Sasuke looked aggrievedly at his older brother, his voice trembling on the verge of tears.
“Big Brother, I made a bet with someone… and lost.”
Itachi sighed inwardly with relief.
He had thought that something serious had happened.
Apparently, Sasuke had merely lost a bet.
“It’s all right.
If you lost, you can simply win next time.”
“Or did you wager something especially important to you?”
Sasuke bit his lower lip and answered tearfully:
“I-I gambled you away, Big Brother.”
Itachi fell silent.