"Step right up, don't miss out!"
In the bustling streets, a ring of kunai wrapped in wire cordoned off a small space. Nawaki stood with a gong in one hand and a wooden mallet in the other, striking and shouting loudly.
A curious crowd quickly gathered.
In the center, Akira planted a red banner.
On it were written the words:
Genin Battle Arena
"Genin battle? What's this about?"
"Look at those eyes, that's the Hyuga clan."
"What are they trying to pull?"
The onlookers murmured, confused by the scene.
Once the crowd thickened,
"CLANG!" Nawaki struck the gong with force, silencing the chatter.
He looked toward Akira. It was his cue.
"Ahem." Akira cleared his throat and called out, "Ladies and gentlemen, life is tough, and a Hyuga has turned to performance! Due to my unfortunate financial circumstances, I'm hosting a street arena."
He cupped his hands respectfully and continued, "Today, I offer a wager: I'll provide a 50,000-ryō prize pool. Anyone who can defeat me walks away with the full amount."
"Entry fee: 1,000 ryō per match. Only Genin may apply."
This was Akira's latest scheme for making money. Not only could he earn cash, he'd rack up experience too.
Missions required the team leader to take the initiative, and Tsunade clearly had no plans to escort him out of the village anytime soon.
Ninja weren't allowed to take on other civilian jobs either.
So Akira had come up with this public fighting ring.
He had confidence. At the Genin level, there were few who could best him. Anyone strong enough to beat him likely had better things to do than pick a street fight.
As for Chūnin? He knew his limit, for now.
"Is this for real?" someone asked, tempted.
Genin were the most common type of ninja in Konoha, not everyone made it to Chūnin.
Many had been stuck at Genin for years.
"Of course." Akira nodded toward Nawaki.
Reluctantly, Nawaki pulled out a 50,000-ryō promissory note from his pocket.
Who would've thought,
The boss would be the one fighting, but the little brother had to fund the investment.
That was all his allowance.
Still, thinking about Akira's undefeated track record, he decided to support him.
And it had absolutely nothing to do with the 50/50 profit split. Obviously.
Fifty thousand ryō was a fortune to most Genin. It didn't take long before someone stepped over the wire.
A young man with a determined look approached.
Akira spread his arms wide, oozing the air of a seasoned expert.
The young man reached for his ninja pouch.
"Wait a second," Akira suddenly interrupted.
The man stopped, raising a brow. "What, getting cold feet?"
Akira shook his head calmly. "A proper challenge requires proper rules. To prevent serious injuries, the use of ninja tools and ninjutsu is prohibited. This will be a taijutsu-only match."
The man frowned. Everyone knew the Hyuga clan specialized in taijutsu.
But before he could object, Akira added, "Did you really think taking fifty thousand would be that easy?"
The man thought it over. Fair point, if it were that simple, someone would've cleaned him out by now.
And sure, Hyuga were taijutsu specialists, but Akira looked like a fresh graduate. Probably nothing too dangerous.
He withdrew his hand from his pouch and dashed toward Akira.
"Hold it!" Akira raised a hand again.
The man came to a screeching halt, nearly bumping into him. "What now!?"
Akira rolled his Byakugan-enhanced eyes. "You haven't paid. You win, you get nothing."
The man gave an awkward chuckle while Nawaki stepped up, hand extended. "Pay up."
Reluctantly, the man handed over a 1,000-ryō note, placing it in Akira's hand.
Once Nawaki backed away to give them space, the man raised his fists again.
"Wait!" Akira called out yet again.
"Are you serious!?" the man groaned.
Before he could finish his complaint, Akira's palm struck his chest.
"Eight Trigrams: Mountain-Crushing Strike!"
BOOM!
The man flew backward, crashing outside the ring. His eyes rolled up and he passed out cold.
Akira grinned as a system prompt flashed before his eyes.
[EXP: 325]
Stronger than those mountain bandits, at least.
Just two more like that and he'd level up.
Nawaki facepalmed, and the crowd murmured in surprise.
Classic Akira.
Unfazed, Akira called out, "Next!"
Seeing the reluctance in the crowd and their judgmental looks, Akira stood firm and said, "This is called tactical deception. You ever heard of a fair ninja fight?"
"If it's fair and honorable, can you even call it a ninja battle?"
The audience struggled to argue back.
Because... he had a point.
Just then, someone leapt over the corded wire and landed in front of Akira.
"You're just as shameless as ever," the newcomer growled, clad in blue. On his back, the Uchiha clan's fan symbol.
"An Uchiha."
"This'll be good."
Akira groaned. "Shoo, shoo. Go play somewhere else, kid."
"You bastard!!" the boy erupted in fury.
Uchiha Sōsuke hurled 1,000 ryō at Nawaki and charged.
Nawaki sighed, picked the bill off the ground, and shook his head.
He knew this guy. Same year as Akira. Eternal second place.
Always trying to surpass Akira.
Always failing.
Guess he still hadn't given up the dream.
And dreams? Well, dreams were free.
Sōsuke had come in fast, and flew out just as fast, landing at Nawaki's feet, out cold with perfect form.
Akira glanced at the tiny EXP prompt and frowned.
"Still no growth, even after becoming a ninja."
Sōsuke's EXP had long been farmed to exhaustion. Without a significant power-up, he wouldn't yield much more.
"Next."
He scanned the crowd.
This time, hesitation spread.
That guy looked like a seasoned Genin.
The other was a Uchiha.
Both were now sleeping peacefully.
Everyone suddenly remembered they had excellent sleep schedules.
Just as the crowd stalled, a graceful figure stepped into the ring.
"I'll give it a try." The challenger shared the same white eyes as Akira.
Akira's smile deepened.
"Hizashi. You really have time to spare, huh?"
<><>---------------------------------------
200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters
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🚨 TL/N 💥
Hello guys Fanfic recommendation!
Check out my other work:
💥> Naruto: Mind Control (Highly Recommended)
💥> Bleach: Sephiroth Template
If you like smart and strong MC, this fanfic is for you.
It's Peak.
Give it a chance and you won't be disappointed