"Figures… leave the technical stuff to the professionals." Akio let out a satisfied breath.
He had just handed over the Chunin Exam betting operation to one of Konoha's gambling houses. They struck a clean 80/20 split.
Ten percent went to the casino for handling logistics, and another ten percent was a courtesy cut after all, the place had ties to the Senju clan. Akio was feeling generous.
"I'm too kind… ridiculously generous."
He watched as the casino staff efficiently recorded bets from both civilians and shinobi, shaking his head.
Five hundred ryo. A thousand ryo.
These tiny bets felt almost insulting.
The "founder" didn't have time to log every little wager personally.
Especially when he remembered that Asuma's bounty alone had been worth thirty million ryo, these pocket-change bets just didn't hit the same. Still, most people weren't exactly rolling in cash, so he couldn't turn them away.
A well-dressed, slightly chubby middle-aged man hurried over and bowed politely.
"Sir, could we adjust some of the odds?"
Akio raised an eyebrow. "Which ones?"
"Inuzuka Kiba, top eight at 10 to 1. Aburame Shino 5 to 1. Hyuga Hinata 7 to 1. These strong clan kids from Konoha… their odds are a bit too high. A lot of people are betting on them. If they actually make it…"
Akio waved him off. "Change nothing. Those are the ones making us money, they don't stand a chance."
The man froze, then his face lit up with sudden understanding. He bowed repeatedly. "Brilliant, sir! Truly brilliant!"
Akio frowned slightly.
Did this guy think he was planning to rig the results?
He wasn't that kind of person.
…Well, explaining himself to a casino manager felt beneath him, so he let it go.
Soon enough, Konoha was swept up in a full-blown betting frenzy.
The Chunin Exams had never attracted this much attention before.
Very few people bet on the champion or runner-up, even betting on the top four felt risky. Most played it safe, placing their money on predictions for the top eight.
Of course, plenty of self-proclaimed "smart bettors" piled their money onto Tenten.
After all, she had the lowest odds set by Akio himself clearly, she was the favorite.
Even the Nara clan dropped ten million ryo on her.
"Heh… no matter how clever you are, you're still playing in my house," Akio muttered smugly, then paused. "Wait… when was the last time I even washed my feet…?"
If Tenten brought her cat into the fight, first place was basically guaranteed. Without it, she might struggle against Toneri or Gaara. Her raw strength was comparable, but her combat instincts lagged a bit.
Naturally, not everyone was happy about the betting system.
Obito complained endlessly about public order, Akio ignored him.
Low-ranked shinobi from smaller villages, stuck with ridiculous 100-to-1 odds just to make the top eight, also grumbled, ignored.
Naruto and Sasuke's complaints, however, earned a bit more attention.
"You want me to change your odds to 1,000 to 1?!" Akio stared at Naruto in disbelief.
Naruto nodded vigorously. "I'm way stronger than those guys! My odds should be way higher too!"
"Idiot," Sasuke muttered.
"What did you say, you jerk?!"
Akio sighed. "Naruto… when exactly did you become this dumb? Did Kushina kick you in the head or—"
He stopped mid-sentence, noticing Naruto's guilty expression.
Akio sucked in a breath.
Oh no… Kushina was going to pin this on him again.
"Go tell your mom, her grandfather is a man with a brain!"
"…Okay." Naruto's shoulders slumped. "Then at least change my champion odds to 1.9 to 1?"
Both he and Sasuke were currently set at 2 to 1. Naruto wasn't asking for much, just better odds than Sasuke.
Sasuke didn't even argue. He was still processing the fact that Naruto had tricked him earlier.
"No changes. Get lost."
Naruto pouted and walked off. Mission failed, he'd definitely get beaten up again at home.
Akio turned. "Sasuke, what about you?"
Sasuke snapped back to attention. "Are Tenten and Gaara really that strong?"
Akio nodded. "They're a notch above you and Naruto, for now. Depends whether Itachi taught you any trump cards. If not… you might even lose to Naruto. He's picked up some new power."
Sasuke frowned, then nodded firmly. "Just watch, I'll surprise you."
With that, he left.
Akio chuckled. The kid still refused to admit it. Did he really think activating a three-tomoe Sharingan could go unnoticed?
"I've been around longer than you've been alive…"
He paused.
"…Wait, what's the saying again?"
June 1st, Year 60—noon.
Akio skimmed through the betting records handed over by the casino manager.
"Over 300 million ryo already… I really want to sweep the board clean." He paused. "Huh? So few bets on Gaara as champion?"
"Most bettors are from Konoha," the manager replied hesitantly. "If you're planning to let him win… that might not go over well."
Akio rolled his eyes. "I'm not rigging anything! Also, why are there so many participants? Three hundred seventy-nine? Where'd they all come from?"
"Over two hundred are from Konoha alone. Normally it wouldn't be this many, but the hype is so big this year that even those who didn't plan to enter decided to try their luck…"
Akio pressed his lips together.
No wonder Obito had been complaining nonstop.
"This won't do. Too many weaklings can cause trouble for the stronger ones. And besides… people die in the Chunin Exams."
After a long pause, he sighed.
He really hadn't planned to interfere with the first stage…
"I'll personally thin the herd."
His figure blurred and vanished. Two seconds later, he appeared in front of the Ninja Academy.
Since the academy was being used as the exam venue, all students had the day off. The first test wouldn't begin until 3 PM, so the building was almost empty.
Akio extended his sensory perception and detected only two "participants" both fake ones.
"Izumo, Kotetsu… instead of guarding the gate, you're pretending to be examinees? Perfect test subjects."
A massive wave of mental energy flooded the entire academy.
Inside
Izumo and Kotetsu were chatting idly when Izumo suddenly froze, pointing at the door behind Kotetsu.
Words appeared out of nowhere:
"To pass, recite 'Open Sesame' three times."
Kotetsu paused, then pushed the door open anyway. "Didn't say anything and still got through. Must be a prank"
"Izumo, watch out!"
Kotetsu froze.
Something slammed into his chest, sending him flying backward. Izumo barely caught him.
"What the hell was that?!"
Inside the doorway, two dark green tentacles rose from the ground. After forcing Kotetsu back, they slowly sank into the floor again.
Outside
Akio grinned.
"As expected… with Yin Release at this level, my genjutsu can actually affect reality now. This is fun… a brand-new toy."
He glanced at the academy.
"Too many participants this time, I'll have to use a wide-range illusion."
A slow smile spread across his face.
"Let's make this interesting… a little game for the kids."
---
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