As soon as the words left Naruto's mouth, Sasuke's expression darkened.
"You took the wrong medicine!?"
A simple sentence, yet it nearly gave Sasuke internal injuries from sheer frustration.
In the past, it had always been Naruto who provoked him, trying to get his attention. Now, Sasuke had actually taken the initiative to challenge Naruto, and what did he get in response?
A dismissive remark.
Sasuke's face twitched in anger. "What? Uzumaki Naruto, don't tell me you're scared?"
Naruto, however, barely spared him a glance. His attention was focused elsewhere—specifically, on Hinata.
'Come on, little Hinata. Just like yesterday, run into my arms!'
Hinata, already blushing furiously, peeked at Naruto, then quickly looked away. With a shy voice, she murmured, "N-Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun seems to need something from you. I'll… I'll go rest over there."
And just like that, she shuffled away, leaving Naruto standing there, his outstretched arms useless.
Naruto's expression darkened further. He turned his gaze toward Sasuke, eyes filled with annoyance.
"You're jealous, aren't you?" he asked, a "kind" smile appearing on his face.
Sasuke's face turned even redder. "W-what?! Don't be ridiculous!" he snapped. "I'm the top student in the class! Why would I be jealous of you, the dead last!?"
Naruto smirked. "Oh? Then why are you picking a fight with me right now?"
Sasuke stiffened. The students around them began whispering.
"Is Sasuke-kun being a little petty?"
"I know, right? He's the best in class, and yet he's trying to bully Naruto like this?"
"I used to think Sasuke was cool, but now… He seems kind of insecure."
"Poor Naruto-kun…"
The shift in the students' attitudes was subtle, but it was happening. Their once instinctive disgust toward Naruto was gradually turning into appreciation—and even pity.
Meanwhile, Choji leaned closer to Shikamaru and whispered, "This is crazy. He just changed his clothes, and now everything's different."
Shikamaru, chewing on a blade of grass, sighed lazily. "Popularity's a weird thing. Once people like you, you can do anything and they'll forgive you."
Naruto, of course, heard all of this. He simply smiled.
'All I did was change my look. Who knew it would make this much of a difference?'
Sasuke clenched his fists. His pride was being chipped away with every passing second.
"Uzumaki Naruto," he gritted out, "are you going to accept my challenge or not?"
Naruto's smirk widened.
Hooked.
"Fine," he said. "But how about we make a bet?"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Money?" He scoffed. "How foolish. You think the Uchiha clan concerns itself with mere pocket change?" He crossed his arms arrogantly. "Hmph. How much do you want to bet?"
Naruto put on a hesitant look. "Uh… how about ten thousand ryo?"
Sasuke almost burst out laughing. That's it?!
Ten thousand ryo was nothing to him. As the Uchiha clan's young heir, he received over a hundred thousand ryo in allowance each month. If he pestered Itachi a little, he could get millions.
He turned and strode toward the training field with confidence.
At that moment, a small figure rushed over.
"N-Naruto-kun," Hinata stammered, her face red, "do… do you need money? I-I can give you some!"
Naruto chuckled, patting her head gently. "Don't worry, little Hinata. I won't lose. After all, I have to earn enough to take care of you."
Hinata froze.
Then—bam!
She fainted on the spot.
Naruto smiled, carefully moving her under the shade of a tree before following Sasuke to the training ground.
Thirty minutes later…
Sasuke knelt on the ground, staring blankly at the dozens of kunai and shuriken scattered before him. His eyes were unfocused. His mind was blank.
'How… How did this happen?'
He had lost.
Not just once.
Not twice.
But twelve times in a row.
Naruto "kindly" reminded him, "Sasuke, so far, you owe me a total of… forty-nine million, six hundred thousand ryo."
Sasuke shuddered, snapping out of his daze. He turned to Iruka, desperate.
"How the hell did it get that high?!" he demanded.
Iruka sighed. "The starting bet was ten thousand ryo. But Naruto set a rule—every round, the bet doubles. You kept agreeing to it…"
Sasuke's face turned deathly pale.
The first few rounds were manageable. But by the twelfth round, the bet had skyrocketed past twenty million ryo.
He clenched his fists. "One more round!" he growled.
He refused to accept this.
"The Uchiha clan is famous for its shuriken techniques!" Sasuke shouted. "There's no way I should lose to you! I'll win everything back!"
Naruto nodded. "Alright."
He lazily flipped his palm, and three kunai suddenly appeared in his grip.
Whoosh!
The kunai tore through the air.
Thud, thud, thud!
Each one struck the bullseye dead center.
Sasuke was silent.
Naruto clapped him on the shoulder. "Well, that makes it forty-nine million, six hundred and eighty thousand ryo now."
Sasuke staggered backward, his soul seemingly leaving his body.
That evening.
Sasuke trudged home like a ghost.
When he reached the Uchiha compound, he barely noticed his surroundings. His feet carried him automatically to the training grounds, where a lone figure stood in the dim light.
"Itachi!"
Hearing his younger brother's voice, Itachi turned. He had been practicing with kunai, but as soon as he saw Sasuke's dazed expression, he hurried over.
"Sasuke, what's wrong?"
Sasuke bit his lip, hesitating for a moment. Then, in a small, broken voice, he admitted:
"Nii-san… I lost a bet."
Itachi blinked. Then he sighed in relief. "Ah. Is that all?" He placed a reassuring hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "It's alright. A loss is just an opportunity to improve. You can always win it back next time. What was the bet?"
Sasuke's face crumpled.
"I… I bet you."
Silence.
Itachi stared at him.
Sasuke stared at the ground.
A cool breeze passed through the training field.
"...You what?" Itachi asked, his voice dangerously calm.
Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut. "I bet you, okay?! And I lost!"
Itachi took a deep breath.
For the first time in years, the prodigy of the Uchiha clan felt like rubbing his temples in exhaustion.
Naruto.
What exactly have you done to my little brother?