A Bet

Perhaps he had complete confidence in the Youth Sustenance Pills he had made himself, or perhaps the black pellets genuinely tasted good. Might Guy ate them one after another, and before long, he had cleaned out an entire basketful of black pills.

After finishing them, Might Guy immediately stood up, gave Zhang Miao a thumbs-up, and struck a victory pose.

At the same time, the system prompt sounded in Zhang Miao's mind.

"Ding—Congratulations, Host, on defeating Might Guy in an official match. You have obtained Five-Star Jonin Might Guy Ninja Fragments x10!"

Hearing the system prompt, Zhang Miao raised an eyebrow and muttered softly.

"Trying to tough it out is useless. Three... two... one... down!"

The moment Zhang Miao finished speaking, Might Guy, who had been holding his victory pose, suddenly turned green in the face. Then, with a thud, he collapsed to the ground, white foam spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Seeing this, Zhang Miao shook his head helplessly.

"Acorn Guy, you lost again!"

With that, Zhang Miao turned to leave. But before he could take two steps, someone grabbed the hem of his pants.

When he looked back, he saw that Might Guy's eyes were filled with tears, though he bit his lip tightly to keep himself from crying. Then, with great difficulty, he forced out a sentence.

"My name isn't Acorn Guy! I'm Might Guy!"

Seeing the grievance and faint despair on Might Guy's face, Zhang Miao began to reflect. Had he gone a little too far?

After thinking about it for a while, Zhang Miao realized that he really had gone too far, so he silently apologized to Might Guy in his heart.

Sorry, Emperor Kai. I only did this to collect your Ninja Fragments. I've made you suffer. I'm really sorry!

After apologizing inwardly, Zhang Miao nodded at Might Guy, who was lying on the ground.

"Fine. I've decided we won't compete in eating next time. Let's switch it up. If you can walk around Konoha on your hands for one full lap without falling or stopping midway, then you win. When that happens, I'll acknowledge you as Konoha's noble Azure Beast—Might Guy!"

"Really?"

Hearing Zhang Miao's words, Might Guy's eyes lit up again. Afraid that Zhang Miao would change his mind, he hurriedly nodded.

"Okay! It's a deal! If I can't do it, I'll do one thousand one-handed push-ups!"

Owl did not know that this was Might Guy's way of imposing a restriction on himself, so he wore a speechless expression upon hearing that.

"This guy has to be an idiot!"

In Owl's eyes, walking around Konoha on one's hands for a full lap without falling or stopping was something not even the Anbu could accomplish, let alone a Chunin like Guy.

Owl felt that Zhang Miao was clearly making things difficult for Might Guy, yet this blockhead had agreed without hesitation. And judging by the excited look on his face, it was as though he had gained some enormous advantage.

If that wasn't stupid, what was?

Naturally, Zhang Miao had no idea what Owl was thinking. After making the agreement with Might Guy, he turned around, took Naruto from Owl's arms, and jerked his chin toward Owl.

"Owl, take him to the hospital. I promise I'll stay here properly!"

Owl knew Zhang Miao's temperament. As long as Zhang Miao personally promised something, he would never go back on his word. Besides, Leaf Village Hospital was nearby, so Owl immediately nodded, picked up Might Guy, and vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.

After Owl disappeared, Might Guy's voice drifted over from afar.

"Ryunosuke, thank you..."

Hearing Might Guy thank him, Zhang Miao, holding Naruto, wore an expression somewhere between laughter and tears.

"He still thanks me after getting tricked. This guy is beyond saving!" With that, Zhang Miao carried Naruto back inside.

What Zhang Miao did not know was that the real reason Might Guy thanked him was because Zhang Miao had given him hope—a hope of victory.

After the competitions of the past few days, Might Guy had come to deeply understand that if they were competing solely in appetite, he would probably never beat Zhang Miao in his lifetime. Yet Zhang Miao refused to compete with him in anything else, which left Might Guy in despair.

Most importantly, as Konoha's proud Azure Beast, Might Guy was unwilling to bully a child, so he could only endure defeat after defeat!

But now, Zhang Miao had taken the initiative to suggest a different form of competition, and it was even in taijutsu, the thing Might Guy was best at. Might Guy felt as though this had been tailor-made for him!

Wasn't it just running around Konoha once on his hands? Even if he failed at first, as long as he worked hard, he would definitely be able to do it!

When that time came, he would finally shake off names like "Acorn Brother" and "Acorn Guy," then become a respected ninja once more—Konoha's proud Azure Beast, Might Guy!

Thinking of this, Might Guy's blood began to boil!

"Ryunosuke, thank you. I'll definitely do it, I definitely will... blegh..."

Owl: "..."

After taking Might Duy to Leaf Village Hospital, Owl returned directly. The moment he arrived at the door, he saw Zhang Miao sitting barefoot outside, a short twig clamped between his lips.

Seeing this, Owl walked over and sat down beside Zhang Miao, then casually asked him a question.

"Your little brother fell asleep?"

"Yeah! But I'd still rather you call him by his name. His name is Naruto Uzumaki!"

At that, Zhang Miao let out a long sigh.

"Sigh... Actually, I know that all of you, including Uncle Cat Face and Sister Nightingale, dislike him. You all see him as the Demon Fox. I don't blame you for that. I only hope you'll give him a chance to prove himself, at least... forget it. Never mind!"

Seeing Zhang Miao abruptly cut himself off as though he did not want to continue discussing the subject, Owl was taken aback for a moment, then fell silent as well.

After a long while, Owl finally asked Zhang Miao, "That Chunin from today—do you think he can do it?"

Zhang Miao knew Owl was talking about Might Guy, so he turned and smiled at him.

"You think I'm deliberately making things difficult for him, right? Then, want to make a bet?"

"A bet? Between you and me?"

Owl clearly had not expected Zhang Miao to say that, and surprise immediately appeared on his face. Seeing his astonished expression, Zhang Miao smiled again and nodded.

"That's right, just you and me. If you win, I can personally ask Third Elder to assign you a different mission, so you won't have to guard Naruto and me all day. But if I win, you treat Guy and me to a meal at Q's BBQ. How about it?"

"This..."

When Owl heard that he would no longer have to stand guard here if he won, he was immediately tempted.

But when he thought of Q's BBQ's high prices and Zhang Miao's appetite, Owl felt that if he lost, he would bleed heavily.

Should I agree or not?

Owl hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he figured that no one could possibly run around Konoha on their hands for a full lap. And even if someone could, there was no way a mere Chunin could do it!

Thinking that, Owl nodded at Zhang Miao.

"Fine, I'll take the bet!"