Sasuke: Nii-san, I Lost You

"Are you feeling alright!?"

That simple sentence nearly made Uchiha Sasuke burst a blood vessel.

Usually, it was Uzumaki Naruto who would provoke him, hoping to get his attention.

Now that he was the one provoking Uzumaki Naruto...

...he actually got that kind of response.

Uchiha Sasuke was furious, his face dark as he said, "What, Uzumaki Naruto, are you scared?"

Uzumaki Naruto ignored Uchiha Sasuke, his gaze full of expectation as he looked at Little Hinata.

Come on.

Hold me like you did yesterday.

Little Hinata's face flushed crimson. She shyly glanced at Uzumaki Naruto and said sweetly, "Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun might need you for something. I'll go rest over there first."

With her face still red, Little Hinata walked absently to a tree and sat down.

Uzumaki Naruto's face darkened even more. He turned, glowering at Uchiha Sasuke. If it weren't for this jerk, he would already be comfortably holding Little Hinata.

"Uchiha Sasuke, you're just jealous, aren't you!?"

Uzumaki Naruto looked at Uchiha Sasuke with a "kind" expression.

How dare you intrude on my and Little Hinata's private moment, Uchiha Sasuke. Today, I'm going to make sure you pay for this.

Uchiha Sasuke's face was beet red from being stifled.

"W-what kind of joke is this!?"

"I'm the top student in the class, how could I be jealous of a Dead Last like you!?"

Uchiha Sasuke was being stubborn, refusing to admit he was jealous of Uzumaki Naruto.

Uzumaki Naruto scoffed, casually waved his hand, and said, "Whatever. I'm not interested in arguing with a kid like you."

"Isn't it stupid to fight over something like this!?"

"If I had the chance, I'd rather read a book. At least that would cultivate my character."

Uchiha Sasuke nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

His eyes were practically spitting fire as he stared at Uzumaki Naruto.

DAMN IT!!!

Why didn't you say that when you were provoking me!?

Hearing his classmates' discussions further infuriated Uchiha Sasuke.

"Isn't Sasuke-kun a bit too petty?"

"Exactly. He's the top student in the class, how can he pick on Uzumaki Naruto?"

"It's too much. I thought he was a good person, but he's actually like this..."

"Naruto-kun is so pitiful..."

"..."

The students in the class whispered among themselves, and the way they looked at Uchiha Sasuke subtly changed.

When they looked at Naruto again, their gaze also shifted. From their initial aversion, a hint of admiration and pity gradually emerged.

Akimichi Choji looked at the surrounding students and couldn't help but say, "It's truly terrifying. Only his appearance changed..."

Nara Shikamaru, chewing on a blade of grass, leaned against a large tree and lazily said, "As long as you become explosively popular once, people will forgive whatever you do."

Uzumaki Naruto just smiled.

He really just wanted a new look, who would have thought he'd become an overnight sensation.

Uchiha Sasuke gnashed his teeth, glaring at Uzumaki Naruto. He clenched his fists and enunciated each word:

"Uzumaki Naruto, what will it take for you to compete with me!?"

A subtle curve appeared on Uzumaki Naruto's lips.

He took the bait!

"How about we bet some Money System?"

Upon hearing Uzumaki Naruto's words, Uchiha Sasuke smiled triumphantly.

"Money System!?"

"What a short-sighted fellow. You're betting against me, a member of the Uchiha Clan, and you're only thinking about Money System!?"

"Hmph, tell me, how much do you want to bet?"

"But let me be clear beforehand, I'm betting the honor of the Uchiha Clan, so I definitely won't back out. But you... do you have the ability to pay up?"

Uchiha Sasuke looked proudly at Uzumaki Naruto.

He was the young patriarch of the Uchiha Clan, with an allowance of over a hundred thousand Ryo every month. If he just sweet-talked Nii-san, he could easily get several million.

Uzumaki Naruto!?

If he remembered correctly, wasn't he an orphan!?

Uzumaki Naruto put on a difficult expression and said, "So... how about ten thousand Ryo!?"

Hearing Naruto's words, Uchiha Sasuke almost burst out laughing.

Ten thousand Ryo!?

Heh, such a pathetic amount. He almost felt bad winning against him.

Uchiha Sasuke walked towards the shooting range, a proud look on his face.

Little Hinata scurried over, her small face flushed.

"Naruto-kun, do you... do you want me to get you some Money?"

Uzumaki Naruto smiled and ruffled Little Hinata's head. "Don't worry, I won't lose. After all, I still have to take care of Little Hinata."

Little Hinata: BANG!!!

Uzumaki Naruto gently placed Little Hinata under a large tree with a smile, then walked straight to the training ground.

Half an hour later.

Uchiha Sasuke knelt on the shooting range, looking utterly dejected.

Gazing at the hundreds of Shuriken and Kunai scattered on the ground, Uchiha Sasuke felt a surreal sense of unreality.

"How could this happen!?"

Twelve times!!!

He... hadn't won even once...

Uzumaki Naruto "kindly" reminded him, "Uchiha Sasuke, so far, you've lost forty million ninety-six thousand Ryo to me."

Uchiha Sasuke shivered, his eyes wide as he stared at Naruto.

"How could it be so much!?"

Forty million ninety-six thousand Ryo—his allowance over ten years combined wouldn't even reach that amount.

Uzumaki Naruto sighed "helplessly." "I warned you, but you didn't listen."

Uchiha Sasuke struggled to look at Iruka.

Iruka nodded sympathetically.

Although the initial bet was only ten thousand, Uzumaki Naruto doubled the bet each subsequent time.

One or two times were fine.

But the numbers grew larger and larger towards the end, especially the twelfth round, where the bet was a staggering twenty million Ryo.

Uchiha Sasuke's eyes reddened, and he gritted his teeth, glaring at Uzumaki Naruto.

"One more round!!!"

"My Uchiha family's Kunai Throwing Technique is renowned throughout the Ninja World! How could I possibly lose to you, Dead Last? I'm going to win it all back this round."

Naruto silently nodded.

With a wave of his hand, three dark Kunai appeared out of thin air in Naruto's palm.

"Whoosh!!!"

The sound of air being cut filled the air.

"Bang bang bang..."

The three Kunai accurately and powerfully struck the distant targets.

Evening.

Uchiha Sasuke stumbled home, looking as if he'd lost his soul.

He arrived at the training ground in his home.

Uchiha Itachi, who was training, paused when he saw Uchiha Sasuke. He quickly put down his weapon and ran towards Uchiha Sasuke.

"Sasuke, what's wrong!?"

Uchiha Sasuke looked at his brother, his voice thick with tears. "Nii-san," he sobbed, "I lost a bet."

Uchiha Itachi breathed a sigh of relief.

He'd thought something serious had happened.

So it was just a lost bet.

"It's fine. If you lose, just win it back. Or was the stake something you really cared about?"

Uchiha Sasuke bit his lower lip, tears still in his voice. "I... I bet you away, Nii-san."

Uchiha Itachi: "..."