The corner of Fugaku Uchiha’s mouth twitched.
Naturally, he believed Itachi.
If Itachi said they had competed in kunai throwing, then it must have been a completely fair contest.
But…
160 million ryō…
Just thinking about that number made Fugaku want to faint on the spot.
Heavens!
Why didn’t you just gamble your father away?
Becoming Naruto Uzumaki’s father would still be better than paying 160 million ryō!
Where the hell was he supposed to find that much money?!
The corner of Fugaku’s mouth twitched again as he asked hoarsely, “Itachi, are you certain Naruto Uzumaki didn’t cheat?”
Although he already knew the answer, Fugaku still clung to a one-in-ten-thousand chance that he was wrong.
Itachi shook his head bitterly.
They were doomed!
…
After a long silence, Fugaku sighed and rose heavily to his feet.
“Since it was a fair contest, the Uchiha clan naturally cannot refuse to honor its loss.”
“Let’s go.”
“We’ll sell our family home and see how much money we can raise.”
Itachi raised his head awkwardly and whispered, “Father, our house…
I already lost it in the bet.”
“Cough!
Cough!
Cough!”
Fugaku broke into a violent coughing fit and nearly spat out blood.
Damn it!
You and Sasuke truly are brothers!
One of you gambled away his own older brother.
The other went even further and gambled away the family home!
Where the hell were they supposed to sleep now—the street?!
Fugaku finally lost his patience and glared furiously at Itachi and Sasuke.
“Just how many things did you two lose?”
His face bright red, Itachi whispered, “Everything we lost includes me, 160 million ryō, our family home, Shisui Uchiha’s house, and the Uchiha clan’s Fire Release techniques…”
Fugaku was speechless.
Why didn’t you gamble your mother away too?!
At that moment, Fugaku inexplicably found himself envying his longtime rival, Hiashi Hyūga.
Hiashi might have two daughters, but at least they couldn’t gamble away their older brother and family home, could they?
While the entire Uchiha clan stood dumbfounded, a young man with a Mangekyō Sharingan, a rounded nose, and a short sword strapped to his waist stepped out from the crowd.
“Leave it to me!”
His voice was calm and steady.
Fugaku’s eyes lit up when he saw him.
“Shisui!
When did you return?”
Shisui Uchiha smiled.
“I just got back.
My previous mission has already been completed.”
Fugaku breathed a long sigh of relief.
“It’s good that you’re back.”
If anyone in the Uchiha clan possessed better kunai throwing skills than Itachi, it was undoubtedly Shisui Uchiha.
Now, he possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan—revered as the eyes of a god—and his strength had reached the level of an elite jōnin.
Having him compete against Naruto in kunai throwing was admittedly overkill, but Fugaku had complete confidence in him.
“Good.
Shisui, I’ll leave everything to you.”
For the sake of keeping our family of four off the streets, you must do your best and win back the house, the 160 million ryō, and Itachi.
Wait!
Hold on!
Fugaku froze.
Why had he unconsciously placed Itachi at the very end of that list?
He glanced at the son who had once been his greatest source of pride, and his expression darkened.
This son of his had managed to gamble both his parents out onto the street.
He was less a son and more a walking bankruptcy notice.
Come to think of it…
Itachi genuinely didn’t seem as important as the house or the money.
Itachi swallowed bitterly before saying in a strained voice, “Shisui, don’t go.”
“Naruto Uzumaki is genuinely dangerous.
His kunai throwing skills are more than twice as good as mine.
Even you might not be able to defeat him.”
Shisui laughed and confidently patted his chest.
“He’s just a little kid.
Beating him will be child’s play.”
“Just watch.
One display of my kunai throwing skills, and I’ll blow him away in minutes.”
…
Inside the Hokage’s office, Hiruzen Sarutobi finished reading through a document before leaning back and thumping his aching back.
“I really am getting old.
I’ve only been sitting for a little while, yet my back already aches.
When I was younger, I could sit here all day without feeling a thing.”
With a sigh, Hiruzen retrieved a photograph from a cabinet.
The photograph showed a man with long black hair and a goatee, a cigarette held between his lips.
“Asuma, you should be returning soon, shouldn’t you?”
Suddenly remembering something, Hiruzen returned the photograph to the cabinet and asked with a frown, “Shisui Uchiha was supposed to return from his mission today, wasn’t he?”
Whoosh!
An ANBU shinobi appeared before the desk and knelt on one knee.
“Yes, Lord Hokage.
Shisui Uchiha returned to Konoha an hour ago.”
“Hm?”
Hiruzen frowned, sensing that something was wrong.
“He returned to the village an hour ago, yet he still hasn’t come to report the results of his mission?”
Under normal circumstances, shinobi were required to report to the Hokage’s office immediately after completing a mission.
But Shisui Uchiha…
Hiruzen’s brow furrowed more deeply.
“There has been increasing talk of a coup within the Uchiha clan lately.
Could Shisui Uchiha also be harboring resentment toward Konoha?”
“Could he be planning to participate in the coup?”
“That would be troublesome.
His Mangekyō Sharingan ability, Kotoamatsukami, is reputed to be the strongest genjutsu…”
“…”
The more Hiruzen thought about it, the graver and more nervous he became.
The kneeling ANBU shinobi fell silent. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
He coughed lightly, desperately suppressing his laughter.
“Lord Hokage, I don’t believe that’s the reason…”
Hiruzen paused.
The ANBU shinobi pinched his thigh to keep himself from laughing.
“Well…
Lord Hokage…
Itachi Uchiha gambled away Shisui Uchiha’s house…”
“He has to win it back right now.
Otherwise, he’ll have to sleep on the street tonight…”
Hiruzen was speechless.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
He had considered countless possible explanations for Shisui’s failure to report to the Hokage’s office, but he had never imagined the reason would be so ridiculous.
His house had been gambled away…
Wait.
Who had gambled it away?
Itachi Uchiha?!
Hiruzen fell silent.
If he remembered correctly, Itachi Uchiha was the genius shinobi scheduled to join the ANBU next year.
Had that decision been a little hasty?
Shaking his head, Hiruzen casually said, “Even so, this proves that Shisui Uchiha is too arrogant.”
“Even if his house was gambled away, he could simply stay at the Uchiha clan leader’s home.”
“At the end of the day, he simply doesn’t take me seriously.”
The ANBU shinobi’s grin had nearly reached his ears.
He pinched his thigh until it was covered in bruises, but in the end, he still couldn’t hold back.
“Hahaha!
Lord Hokage!
Hahaha…”
“Lord Hokage, my sincerest apologies, but I genuinely can’t hold it in anymore!
Hahaha…”
“Itachi Uchiha…
Hahaha!
He gambled away his own family’s house too!
Hahaha…”
“If Shisui doesn’t win everything back, all of them will have to sleep on the street!
Hahaha…”
“…”
As he watched the ANBU shinobi laugh so hard that he began snorting like a pig, the corner of Hiruzen’s mouth nearly cramped.
It seemed he really had judged the situation too hastily.
Managing to gamble away his own family home…
Was Itachi Uchiha perhaps not very intelligent?
“Let’s go.”
Hiruzen rose and looked at the ANBU shinobi, who was nearly fainting from laughter.
With a dark expression, he ordered, “Stop laughing and take me there.”
“Hahaha…
Yes, I’ll take you there right—”
“STOP LAUGHING!” Hiruzen roared.
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