"Hey, kid. Your name is Uchiha Temple, right?"
Uchiha Hui blocked the path, looking down at a figure who appeared to be only fifteen or sixteen. His tone carried a touch of that distinctive Uchiha attitude.
Uchiha Temple looked up in confusion.
But soon enough.
He recognized the man speaking to him.
Uchiha Hui.
The clan leader's younger brother. According to the elders in his family, this man was a complete "lunatic" who had made outrageous boasts at clan meetings several times, drawing opposition from plenty of clansmen.
As for his strength!
He seemed to be a Chunin who would never get promoted!
He had awakened his Sharingan quite some time ago, but it had never evolved again.
"What do you want?!"
Uchiha Temple asked in confusion.
He had barely interacted with Uchiha Hui. They had only seen each other at clan meetings and had never even exchanged a word.
So he had absolutely no idea why the man had approached him.
"Let's have a match!"
Uchiha Hui extended a hand and beckoned, his expression tinged with anticipation.
"You're nuts!"
Uchiha Temple couldn't help rolling his eyes.
Although he was only a Chunin, his strength was on an entirely different level from Uchiha Hui's former strength. He was a "genius" who had awakened his Sharingan at thirteen and now had two tomoe, with the three-tomoe stage already faintly within his reach.
Fight Uchiha Hui?
That would only lower his standing!
Besides, Uchiha Hui's status was far from ordinary. Even though plenty of clansmen disliked him, no one ever gave him trouble, and sometimes they even went out of their way to avoid him. Temple would have to have nothing better to do to fight him.
They were all Uchiha.
Better to keep things friendly!
"Here's fifty thousand ryo."
Uchiha Hui seemed to have anticipated this reaction. He blocked Uchiha Temple's path again and pulled all his savings from inside his clothes. The thick wad of banknotes in his hand stirred an inexplicable excitement. "If you beat me, this money is yours!"
Uchiha Temple glanced at the banknotes, then at Uchiha Hui.
No wonder his family called this man a "lunatic."
Wasn't he practically giving money away?
He even insisted on fighting first before handing it over. It was almost enough to make Temple cry.
Was there really nothing wrong with this man's head?!
He didn't answer immediately.
Uchiha Temple's expression held a trace of suspicion.
Fifty thousand ryo.
That was a considerable sum for a Chunin, enough for several all-you-could-eat barbecue meals and comparable to the pay for a top-tier D-rank mission.
With ordinary spending, it could even support an average family for a week or longer...
"I'm not joking. You can even get other people to witness it. As long as you beat me, this money is yours!"
Uchiha Hui spoke again, hoping to put the young man named Uchiha Temple at ease.
He wasn't setting up some kind of scam.
At that, Uchiha Temple was clearly tempted, but he restrained his excitement and asked, "Just a spar?"
"Just a spar!"
Uchiha Hui nodded and displayed the banknotes again, seemingly "tempting" the hesitant clansman before him. "You only need to beat me, and this money is yours. If you lose, you don't have to pay anything. At most, you'll waste a little time!"
"How could I possibly lose..."
Uchiha Temple was clearly displeased by that last part.
Seeing this.
The corners of Uchiha Hui's mouth curled up slightly in delight.
Looks like the fish has taken the bait!
After sparring with Uchiha Fugaku again that day, Uchiha Hui had come up with the idea of quickly farming rewards. Over the next few days, he had approached quite a few clansmen he had known before.
But every single one had refused.
Some thought he was too weak, some didn't want to waste their time, and some simply had no interest in him and found even talking to him a bother.
And so.
Uchiha Hui had changed his strategy.
-- Name: Uchiha Temple Identity: Chunin of the Uchiha Clan, Konohagakure, Land of Fire Reputation: 1,801 points Relationship: Distant --
Uchiha Hui didn't just grab anyone at random when looking for a sparring partner. First, he had to find someone whose strength wasn't too far from his own. Second, their relationship had to be better than "Dislike."
Otherwise, not only might he fail to beat them, but they might also use the spar as an excuse to give him a beating—or simply refuse to fight him.
Clearly.
The young Chunin named Uchiha Temple before him was a very suitable choice for his current level.
Eighteen hundred reputation.
He certainly had Chunin-level strength, neither too weak nor too strong.
This was the first match!
He would find someone to test the waters and see whether it would be an easy stomp!
If it was.
Then, sorry, but I'll be picking my opponents off the menu!
Uchiha Hui had always felt that "reputation" was somewhat misleading. Take himself, for instance. According to Uchiha Fugaku's assessment, he could probably put up a fight even against an Elite Chunin. But his reputation?
It was still lower than Uchiha Temple's. Even after several days of training, it had only just passed sixteen hundred.
"Where are we sparring?"
In the end, Uchiha Temple surrendered to the temptation of that enormous sum of fifty thousand ryo. He stared at Uchiha Hui, his eyes saying, Hurry up. I can't wait to take the money home.
"Let's use the training ground behind us. Plenty of clansmen are training there, so they can witness our match!"
Uchiha Hui stuffed the money back into his pocket, then pointed toward the large training ground nearby.
"No problem!"
Now Uchiha Temple was even less worried that Uchiha Hui might refuse to acknowledge his loss.
With so many people present, surely Uchiha Hui, the clan leader's younger brother, wouldn't want people gossiping about him?
At that thought.
Uchiha Temple quickened his pace considerably.
After the attack on the village, even the Konoha Military Police Force he belonged to had ceased operations. Naturally, that meant he had lost his extra income and could only live on his savings from past missions and duty shifts.
And now, just when he needed help, it had fallen right into his lap.
What a good man!
The Uchiha Third Training Ground.
This was where the Uchiha Clan's ninja trained every day.
It had suffered varying degrees of damage on the night of the Nine-Tails attack, but fortunately, it was still usable for ordinary training.
Under the eyes of several clansmen.
Two figures took their places in the center.
This piqued the interest of the clansmen at the training ground.
"Temple! What are you two doing?"
A ninja around Temple's age called out.
As he spoke.
His gaze shifted toward Uchiha Hui. He noticed that the man was clearly older than them, yet appeared to be preparing to spar with Uchiha Temple.
"Just sparring."
Uchiha Temple put on a casual air, but then couldn't resist licking his lips. "Except, if I win, he'll give me fifty thousand ryo!"
"H-how much?!"
The ninja named Uchiha Tiger cried out in shock.
His voice naturally drew more attention. Once the others learned that the stakes were actually "fifty thousand ryo," their faces filled with envy.
"But can you beat him? He looks quite a bit older than us."
Uchiha Tiger spoke again, casting a meaningful glance at Uchiha Hui.
"I've got nothing to lose anyway. Besides, I won't lose!"
Uchiha Temple looked confident as he clapped his friend Uchiha Tiger on the shoulder. "That's Uchiha Hui. Don't tell me you don't recognize him?"
With that.
Ignoring the conversations still going on around him.
Uchiha Temple walked over to stand opposite Uchiha Hui, who was already ready.
"Seal of Confrontation!"
The two assumed their stances in unison.
The training ground quickly fell silent, as though no one wanted to disturb the two men about to fight.
But faintly.
Uchiha Hui heard the voice of the ninja who had spoken to Uchiha Temple earlier. "So he's Uchiha Hui! But he looks... like he's not weak at all!"
Before you continue