"Tiger!"
Uchiha Temple lay on the ground, utterly drained, his eyes unfocused, like a dying man experiencing one last rally.
"Temple, it's okay. Get some sleep and you'll be fine."
Uchiha Tiger knew his friend thought very highly of himself. Having lost to the same person twice in a row was clearly hard for him to accept, so Tiger couldn't help trying to console him.
"I can't sleep!"
Uchiha Temple closed his eyes, only to open them again.
He wished Uchiha Hui's punch had been a little harder, enough to knock him out cold so he wouldn't have to face any of this.
"Ho ho ho! Uchiha Temple lost again!"
"And it only took one punch again!"
"Is Hui too strong, or is that kid Temple too weak?"
"Just as I thought, these young brats aren't up to much!"
"..."
The spectators began offering their opinions.
As they looked at the figure standing atop the scattered rocks, a trace of doubt flashed in their eyes, but they still trusted their own judgment more.
It wasn't that Uchiha Hui was too strong. That kid Uchiha Temple was simply too weak!
"Looks like I still have the edge?"
Uchiha Hui collected the orb of light that had dropped onto the ground, then spoke to Uchiha Temple, who was slowly getting to his feet with Uchiha Tiger's support.
It might have been just one punch.
But judging by his practice over the past few days, that punch could have felled even a wild boar. The fact that Temple, as a ninja, could stand back up showed that his constitution was indeed quite good.
As for acting like nothing had happened?
That was clearly beyond him.
After all, not everyone had the recovery powers of the "main character squad."
As he spoke, Uchiha Hui took another look at the "fruits" of his victory.
And this time...
Sure enough, another good item had dropped.
[Earth Release: Tearing Earth Turning Palm (Ninjutsu Card)]
Uchiha Hui chuckled. Sure enough, he had chosen exactly the right path. Just two fights with Uchiha Temple had already earned him an Experience Card and a Ninjutsu Card.
At this rate, becoming the strongest person in the shinobi world didn't seem so far off, did it?
His imagination took flight.
Before long, however, Uchiha Temple's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"I won't admit defeat!"
Uchiha Temple stared at Uchiha Hui as he spoke earnestly.
"Oh?"
Uchiha Hui couldn't help making a sound.
He narrowed his eyes at Temple, seemingly sizing him up, yet also seeming doubtful.
"Don't underestimate me!"
That look clearly got under Uchiha Temple's skin. He wanted to prove to Uchiha Hui that he could still fight, but his swollen cheeks forced him to suck in cold breaths to ease the pain even as he spoke.
"Tomorrow... no, the day after tomorrow, I'll come find you again!"
Uchiha Temple clearly realized that he was in no condition to keep fighting. This wasn't a battlefield where they had to fight to the death. He might as well go home, rest up, and challenge Hui again afterward.
Next time, he would never give Uchiha Hui a chance to get close. He would make sure to get his own back!
With that...
He turned to leave.
"Kid, aren't you forgetting something?"
Uchiha Hui rather liked Uchiha Temple's refusal to give up. His smile had even grown wider in response to that attitude, but when he saw Temple about to leave, he couldn't help reminding him.
Trying to skip out on the bill?!
You won't even pay a thousand ryo? Have you no shame?
Uchiha Temple was annoyed that Uchiha Hui had stopped him. He thought Hui intended to keep "humiliating" him and was about to snap back, but then he realized he had forgotten to pay the wager.
Except...
He searched all his pockets, then turned to his friend Uchiha Tiger with a dark expression.
"Tiger! Lend me a thousand ryo! I'll pay you back when we get home!"
"Huh?!"
Uchiha Tiger sounded puzzled, but he dug out the money in the end.
"Just you wait!"
Uchiha Temple issued another threat, then walked away with Uchiha Tiger.
What a miserable day!
I thought I'd make some money, but I ended up paying instead!
For a moment...
Uchiha Temple felt as though that fellow named Uchiha Hui had anticipated all of this.
Inside the grounds...
Uchiha Hui tucked the thousand ryo into another pocket.
Then...
His gaze swept over the crowd.
He could hear pretty much all the comments around him. Nobody was trying to hide what they said, which was refreshingly open of them.
Soon...
Uchiha Hui's gaze landed on the clansman who had spoken earlier.
"Uchiha Tianshui, do you dare to fight me? Win, and fifty thousand ryo is yours. Lose, and I only want a thousand ryo from you. Pretty good deal, right?"
Clearly...
His "high-profile" sparring with Uchiha Temple had drawn plenty of attention, achieving the result he had originally envisioned.
Now he intended to strike while the iron was hot and keep the momentum going!
As Uchiha Hui issued his invitation...
In his field of vision...
Information about the ninja named Uchiha Tianshui gradually appeared.
-- Name: Uchiha Tianshui Identity: Chunin of the Uchiha Clan, Konohagakure, Land of Fire Reputation: 2,400 points Relationship: Distant --
After fighting Uchiha Temple, Uchiha Hui had set his sights on opponents in the two-thousand range.
Even though his own reputation was currently only a thousand...
Hmm?!
Uchiha Hui noticed that his reputation seemed to have changed.
As he remembered it, he had only been a little over sixteen hundred before.
But now...
-- Reputation: 1,865 points --
It's rising this fast?!
Uchiha Hui was somewhat puzzled by how reputation was calculated.
His strength was certainly worth more than that, and his status wasn't low either. As the Uchiha Clan head's... younger brother, surely that alone should be worth a thousand?
Yet his reputation had initially been just over eight hundred. It had risen afterward, but only to a little over a thousand.
Now, though...
Eighteen hundred reputation was pretty decent.
After all, he had just defeated Uchiha Temple, whose reputation was also around eighteen hundred.
Once Uchiha Tianshui understood Uchiha Hui's proposal, hesitation crossed his face. He didn't immediately agree.
He had watched the entire earlier fight.
Honestly, even he wasn't confident that he could emerge unscathed from Uchiha Temple's ninjutsu. Yet Uchiha Hui had countered it with ease, even fooling Temple with a simple Transformation Technique before ending the fight with one punch.
So...
He had no choice but to reassess Uchiha Hui's strength.
"Looks like you don't dare?! Never mind, then. I'll find someone else."
Uchiha Hui stopped dwelling on reputation. High or low, it was merely a numerical representation of strength and standing. If it was inaccurate, so be it. Noticing Uchiha Tianshui's reaction, he immediately began provoking him.
Sure enough...
Upon hearing Uchiha Hui's words...
Uchiha Tianshui's face instantly flushed red.
He stared at Uchiha Hui.
"Fine, let's fight! But you just fought Temple twice. Can you still keep going? I don't want people saying I won unfairly!"
Uchiha Tianshui was less than three years older than Uchiha Temple.
He was right in the middle of "adolescence."
Naturally, he couldn't stand being looked down on.
"I'm in great shape, so don't worry. If you want to fight, come on?"
A smile slowly curled across Uchiha Hui's lips.
Nothing was more satisfying than getting stronger!
Except, perhaps, getting stronger fast!
And right now...
He had clearly found the "fast" button.
"I hope you can take a few more punches!"
Uchiha Hui raised his fist toward Uchiha Tianshui.
Uchiha Tianshui snorted. "I'm not a weakling like Temple! You're the one who should watch out, senior!"
He deliberately stressed "senior," his tone carrying a hint of provocation.
At that...
Uchiha Hui's smile grew even brighter.
Before you continue