62Gambling addict collapsesAI Model: gemini-3.0-flashChapter 62: Gamblers Collapse
Noon.
Outside the examination hall.
The crowd was surging, and the entire stadium was packed to the point where not a drop of water could trickle through.
As a grand annual event, the Chunin Examsattracted nearly half of the Konoha Villageresidents, as well as spectators from various countries.
The sounds of hawking, discussion, and cheering intertwined.
But more than that, it was the whispers of the gamblers.
"Buddy, I went all-in on Uzumaki Naruto. Once I make this big score, I'm going back to my hometown to get married."
"...Is your brain broken? Uzumaki Naruto? I remember his opponent is Hyuga Neji, that once-in-a-century Genius of the Hyuga Clan?"
"Don't shout if you don't know! I have insider information; you don't understand Uzumaki Naruto's true strength at all."
"Exactly! Don't you see the odds? One to one. If it weren't for big money being bet on Uzumaki Naruto, do you think these would be the odds?"
...Soon, the focus of the argument escalated from the match between Naruto and Neji to a contest between Konoha and the Hidden Sand Village.
"I'm a Konoha man, and I believe in the will of fire, but I believe even more in the quality of the Sand Trio!"
"Right, right, especially that red-haired kid, Gaara. The odds for him have been crushed to the floor."
"That guy isn't even human, right? I heard he didn't shed a single drop of blood in the preliminaries, and his opponent was carried out on a stretcher."
"Heh, I'm afraid Konoha is going to have its spotlight stolen by other villages this year!"
As soon as those words were spoken, someone immediately became unhappy.
"Bullshit! Konoha is the home turf!"
"Don't forget, besides those three Sand ninja, the other five are all Genin from our Konoha!"
Some hesitated.
Some wavered.
Others had already begun to quietly change their bets.
Kurenai Yuhi and Team Guy walked through the crowd, shaking their heads helplessly.
Arriving at the stadium and finding their seats, they found Kiba, Hinata, and Shino had already been waiting for a long time.
Having not seen her for a month, Kiba shed tears of excitement upon seeing the teacher he had been longing for.
"Teacher Kurenai! It's all because I was too useless and failed to protect you. You must have suffered a lot this past month!!!"
Kurenai Yuhi paused in her tracks and twitched her lips.
To be honest, aside from the danger she encountered that one night, she had spent this past month quite leisurely and comfortably.
Every day she spent the daytime helping HinataCultivate and the evenings researching cooking.
Ever since Team Guy arrived, even the task of buying groceries was handed over to Rock Lee.
Unknowingly, she had grown accustomed to this kind of life, and a faint thought of retiring had even begun to sprout.
"Don't you worry! This past month, Neji and I stayed in the same ward. I saw all of his training with my own eyes!"
Kiba said excitedly, "I believe Neji will definitely give that bastard a good thrashing, avenge me, and vent this grievance for you!"
Hearing this, Might Guy and Tenten looked at each other.
"Oh no, I forgot to notify Neji!"
"Teacher Guy, you need to hurry and persuade Nejito forfeit, or he'll be killed by Naruto!!!"
Hinata looked around but did not see Naruto's figure.
"Teacher Kurenai, Naruto-kun... has he not come back yet?"
Kurenai Yuhi shook her head gently.
"He hadn't come home as of this morning."
Hinata's fingers tightened slightly.
"However..." Kurenai Yuhi reassured her, "he said he would definitely be back today."
Just then.
A tsunami-like cheer erupted from the spectator stands.
"Look! It's Hokage-sama!"
Under everyone's gaze, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly entered the arena.
Beside him, the Fourth Kazekage, wearing a veil, also took his seat.
"Hokage-sama!"
"Kazekage-sama!"
The stands instantly boiled over, and as the two Kage-level figures took their seats, the matches officially began.
In the center of the arena.
The original examiner Gekkō Hayate was unable to attend due to an accident, and was replaced by Shiranui Genma, who was chewing on a toothpick.
Hyuga Neji had already taken his position.
His Byakugan was activated, veins bulging slightly, as he entered a combat-ready state ahead of time.
After a month of hard training, he had upgraded the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms he had realized to the Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms.
The current Neji was confident that he was the strongest Genin.
Although he didn't know what despicable means Naruto had used to ambush him during the last exam,
This time, he would not give the opponent any more chances for a fluke.
Time passed minute by minute.
On the side of the contestants' tunnel, there was still no sign of anyone appearing.
Low-voiced discussions began to spread.
"What's going on? Where is Uzumaki Naruto?"
"He wouldn't be afraid to come, would he?"
On one side of the stands.
Hyuga Hanabi crossed her arms, swinging her small legs, with a somewhat smug look at the corner of her mouth.
"Father."
She tilted her head toward Hyuga Hiashi beside her and whispered, "It seems that Dead Last is scared of Neji-niisan and doesn't dare to show up."
Hanabi had no good feelings toward this blond guy who had led her sister astray.
Hyuga Hiashi remained silent, his gaze falling on Neji in the center of the arena, then slowly shifting toward the empty tunnel.
That night, when Hinata was sent back to the Hyuga Clan, he had deeply appreciated Naruto's strength.
Because of this, he had the confidence to bet fifty million Ryo on Naruto's victory.
Where was he?
He wouldn't be screwing him over, would he?
Hyuga Hiashi took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
Don't panic.
Be greedy when others are fearful, and fearful when others are greedy.
Because of this, he should double down now!
Hyuga Hiashi reached out and summoned a servant, whispering quietly in his ear: "Go, add another hundred million Ryo for me."
The servant was stunned and instinctively confirmed: "Clan Chief... still betting on Uzumaki Naruto?"
Hyuga Hiashi's expression remained unchanged as he gave a faint nod... On the other side of the stands.
Gaara also frowned.
"...He's scared."
"Huh? You mean that Uzumaki Naruto is scared of Hyuga Neji?"
Hearing his younger brother suddenly speak, Kankuro was somewhat confused.
"That's not right; I think Uzumaki Naruto is stronger than Hyuga Neji. After all, we saw it with our own eyes in the preliminaries..."
Gaara shook his head.
"No, I mean Uzumaki Naruto is afraid of being killed by me if he comes, so he doesn't dare to show up."
Kankuro: "..."
Regarding the ambush at the Konoha Hospital that day, Gaara was still brooding over it.
Temari, on the other hand, felt a somewhat inexplicable melancholy.
Today was the day of the plan.
Was that Blond-haired Youth really not going to show up?
Would she still have a chance to see him?
...The noise in the stands was no longer a whisper, but had gradually spiraled into out-of-control boos and complaints.
"Are they going to fight or not!"
"What is this? Stalling for time?"
"If he's going to forfeit, just say so. Don't waste my time!"
Shiranui Genma looked down and checked his pocket watch once again.
Then he turned sideways and cast his gaze upward.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was as dark as water as he whispered to the Anbu behind him: "Is there still no news of Naruto?"
"Reporting to Hokage-sama, the Tracking Squadhas not yet sent back any intelligence, and no target has been spotted at any of Konoha's sentry posts."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart grew increasingly uneasy.
"Wait five more minutes."
Thus, these five minutes became the most agonizing period of silence in the history of Konoha's Chunin Exams.
In the stands, the corner of Hyuga Hiashi's eye twitched slightly.
The servant had just returned and told him that the hundred million Ryo had all been invested through the Underground Bank.
If Naruto forfeited, the Hyuga Clan's liquid assets of over a hundred million would vanish in an instant.
"That damn brat..."
However, no miracle occurred.
The second hand ruthlessly stepped over the final mark of the five minutes.
Shiranui Genma sighed and put away his pocket watch.
He strode to the center of the arena, suddenly raised his right hand, and his voice spread throughout the venue via an Amplification Technique:
"Since Uzumaki Naruto failed to enter the arena within the specified time, it is considered an automatic forfeiture!"
"The winner of this match is—Hyuga Neji!"