Chapter 129: Collecting Winnings
As soon as the announcement came that the exams had ended, the crowd began to disperse. Only a few people who'd bet on Kaito headed toward the prize collection area.
Kaito also Body Flickered to that area to avoid getting caught in a long line.
He thought he'd be first, but he was wrong—someone had arrived before him.
Kaito's eye twitched slightly. "Hello, Sensei."
Renjiro smiled. "Hello, Kaito. Congratulations on winning."
Kaito nodded, thinking, What a dedicated teacher!
Renjiro asked, "Do you want to go first?"
Kaito shook his head. "No, Sensei, you go ahead."
At the same time, he thought, Let me see how much money you made!
Renjiro smiled, clearly guessing Kaito's thoughts, then walked toward the counter.
The betting clerk looked at the teacher-student duo. Just then, two ANBU operatives appeared in a flicker.
Renjiro ignored them and placed thirty gold certificates on the table, each engraved with Kaito's name. One gold certificate represented a bet of one million ryo!
Kaito's eyes widened at the sight! He thought, He's loaded! I should've asked him for a reward instead of the Hokage! Wait—let me get my cut first!
The betting clerk was equally shocked! Thirty gold certificates meant they needed to pay out 120 million ryo!
He stared at Renjiro in surprise, who simply maintained his pleasant smile.
However, the clerk felt as if he were looking at a demon!
The clerk thought desperately, The total bets we received for this match were only 110 million ryo. Just paying him will put us 10 million in the hole!
He wondered if there was any way to avoid paying this money. But he shook his head, thinking, Konoha will destroy us. They might even shut down Gato Company's entire operation! We have no choice!
He gritted his teeth and paid Renjiro the full 120 million ryo!
Anyone hosting gambling operations was required to hold an additional 150 million ryo to cover potential losses. So they could still technically afford this payout.
Renjiro smiled slightly and sealed the briefcase full of money into a storage scroll.
Kaito watched his teacher meticulously check all the money and seal it away. He thought, Do all Senju clan members love gambling this much?
Kaito sighed and stepped forward. For some reason, the joy of winning money suddenly diminished greatly!
He placed six silver certificates on the table.
The betting clerk gave a bitter smile. He now understood that both of them had known exactly how strong Kaito was! The decision to host gambling for this event had been a catastrophic mistake!
The clerk paid Kaito 2.4 million ryo. Kaito verified the amount and sealed it away.
By this time, several other people had arrived. They were surprised to discover that Kaito had actually bet on himself. Some were impressed by his confidence.
Renjiro smiled, pleased that his student had also made money. He placed his hand on Kaito's shoulder. "There's going to be quite a show now. This will be interesting."
Kaito immediately looked at the two ANBU operatives. One of them stepped forward and placed twenty gold certificates on the table!
The betting clerk's face turned ashen! He cursed internally, Almost half the bets were on him? Damn Konoha!
He trembled with suppressed rage. However, the ANBU operative showed no reaction whatsoever.
The clerk gritted his teeth and handed over 80 million ryo!
Kaito watched with wide eyes. He looked at the second ANBU operative, thinking, No way!
The second ANBU stepped forward and placed another twenty gold certificates on the table! The clerk was shocked by Konoha's shamelessness!
Kaito was equally dumbfounded.
What the hell? I knew Hiruzen was ruthless, but this is ridiculous!
The clerk began thinking frantically, Over 70 million ryo in bets were placed on him! Why weren't we informed? What was the registration clerk doing?
He immediately started mentally cursing the registration staff.
Unfortunately for that registration clerk, he'd been subjected to a subtle genjutsu by ANBU, causing him to forget to report those massive bets.
The betting clerk gritted his teeth. "We don't have enough funds on hand to pay you right now."
The ANBU operative looked him directly in the eyes. "How much time do you need to arrange it?"
The clerk clenched his jaw tighter. "We need seven days."
The ANBU operative nodded. "Very well. Settle everyone else's winnings first, then arrange my payment. You are not permitted to leave Konoha until you've paid me the full 80 million ryo."
The clerk nodded, his face pale. He was well aware of the consequences of attempting to flee.
The other winners began redeeming their tickets.
Renjiro looked at Kaito. "Come with me."
Kaito and Renjiro began walking toward the medical room where Hodaka and Mieko were recovering.
Renjiro asked, "What do you think about what just happened?"
Kaito said flatly, "The older people get, the greedier they become."
Upon hearing this, Renjiro nearly stumbled.
Before he could reply, Kaito sighed and muttered, "I wonder if the Hokage could arrange a few dozen wind chakra crystals for me with the money he bet on me."
After speaking, he stared pointedly at Renjiro, reminding him that he'd also won a fortune!
Renjiro ignored his words and meaningful gaze, asking instead, "Did you notice anything else?"
Kaito replied, "Did they offend the Hokage somehow?"
Renjiro nodded. "Gato Company is involved in numerous illegal activities, and many ordinary people suffer because of it. This move is meant to strike at them and remind them to follow the rules."
Kaito thought for a moment, nodded, and mused aloud, "That makes sense. Not only did Gato Company lose money, but Konoha also made a substantial profit. However, from another perspective, Gato Company has been exploiting civilians for years, and Konoha just took that money from Gato Company. So indirectly, Konoha profited from civilian exploitation."
"The real losers are still ordinary people. To make up for this loss, Gato Company will just exploit more civilians, and eventually some other powerful force will take that money from them. No wonder a scoundrel like him can spread his influence so easily without getting killed. Powerful nations simply don't care about these things. After all, they also benefit from his illegal activities."
"Sigh. No matter which world, it's always the weak and helpless who suffer most."
Renjiro noticed Kaito's sudden contemplative silence. He didn't know what was going through his student's mind.
Suddenly, Kaito had a realization. "Sensei, if I had lost, would you all have obediently handed all that money over to Gato Company?"
Renjiro looked at Kaito, and Kaito looked back at his teacher. Renjiro didn't answer—he just smiled.
Kaito broke out in a cold sweat seeing that smile! He thought, These people are the absolute worst! If I ever make a move against Hiruzen or Konoha in the future, I need to be extremely careful not to reveal my identity! Who knows what schemes they'd come up with to make me suffer massive losses.
They arrived silently at the arena's medical room to check on Mieko and Hodaka.
Mieko had multiple lacerations, and Hodaka had mild burns covering most of his body. Both also suffered from weakness due to chakra exhaustion.
Although they'd recovered somewhat, the doctors still advised them to stay in the hospital for observation for a few days.
Renjiro told them about the Hokage's reward, but neither seemed particularly excited by it.
Finally, Renjiro advised them to rest and left with Kaito, allowing them time with their families.
After leaving, Kaito looked up at the sky, feeling somewhat reflective. The Chunin Exams are finally over. Soon I'll become a chunin. Six years of effort—from a nobody to chunin rank. Now, how long will it take to reach S-rank from here?
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