144 Naruto Mobile Game

Until the ninja on the big screen disappeared and the view returned to the player-versus interface, Yakushi Kabuto's expression did not change in the slightest.

Orochimaru glanced at the expressionless Kabuto. Under the indoor lights, those glasses of his seemed to reflect a bit of glare.

"An okay ninja. Some production value, sure, but that's about it, right? I thought it was High-Class Recruitment." Kurotsuchi complained.

Ōnoki immediately shot Kurotsuchi a glare, telling her not to speak casually here. Kurotsuchi stuck out her tongue, turned her head, and shut her mouth.

Someone present cast a brief glance this way. Seeing the aged Ōnoki sitting silently, they quickly withdrew their gaze.

The backstage area was still filled with a strange atmosphere.

But that was normal. Some people had won, some had lost. Expecting them to show a good attitude toward those who beat them was impossible.

On Konoha's side, several people discussed in low voices.

"Have you all looked into the opponents in the winner's bracket?"

"Pain: Deva Path, Yakushi Kabuto, Uchiha Itachi, Kitsuchi, Chōjūrō… all of them are extremely strong."

"But we can't let our guard down against the loser's bracket either. They're all tough opponents, and that guy is still there too."

"It doesn't matter. I won't lose."

"Such confidence, Sasuke. But if things keep going like this, sooner or later you'll run into your brother."

"I'm stronger than him."

"Yeah, everyone's strong. But we're not weaker than them either, are we."

The last words came from Shikaku. Kakashi, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Minato exchanged glances and all smiled with confidence.

Aside from Naruto, who still hadn't returned, and Shikaku, who had lost a match, the other four were all in the winner's bracket.

To have made it this far, who among them wasn't an expert?

More than forty people had entered the finals. After two rounds, only a dozen or so remained in the winner's bracket.

The Ninja Mobile Game had already launched a corresponding betting feature, because Kuroda had noticed that many people were enthusiastic about it.

Right now, the odds for those in the winner's bracket were the lowest.

"Hm? Sasuke, you spent all your Gold Coin? What did you buy?" Shikamaru suddenly caught a glimpse of Sasuke's phone screen beside him.

"I put it all on myself," Sasuke said flatly.

Shikamaru: ...

Contestants could also place bets. If you could bet on others, naturally you could bet on yourself. In the end, it was simply that Kuroda wasn't afraid of them fixing matches.

"Speaking of which, the rewards don't seem to have been announced yet?" At the commentator's desk, Kuroda took a sip of water, pondering whether to modify the Unlimited Class Tournament rewards.

Forget it. Let the matches go on first.

"Welcome back. This is the Unlimited Class Tournament finals. I'm your commentator, Kuroda."

"After two rounds of fierce competition, these dozen-plus contestants have stood out, and the third round of the winner's bracket is about to begin."

"Everyone, please look at the big screen!"

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—

On the big screen, those dozen names flashed rapidly, lining up neatly one row after another.

[Uchiha Sasuke]VS[Uchiha Itachi]

[Namikaze Minato]VS[A]

[Chōjūrō]VS[Nara Shikamaru]

[Kurotsuchi]VS[Darui]

[Hatake Kakashi]VS[Yakushi Kabuto]

[Deva Path]VS[Terumī Mei]

These were all the current matchups in the winner's bracket. As for the others—Ōnoki, Rasa, and the like—they had fallen in the first and second rounds respectively.

As always, those who remained either had strength, or had luck.

"Come on, place your bets, place your bets!"

At a certain casino on a certain street, business was still open today. Unlike usual, however, they were betting on the outcomes of the Unlimited Class Tournament.

This was something the casino couldn't manipulate like other games. It was entirely a contest of luck and insight.

Luck was easy to understand. Insight meant that bettors had to judge which side was more likely to win based on past Unlimited Class matches and experience.

Many people spoke animatedly, voicing their opinions. The casino had become lively like never before.

For the casino owners, it was pain and joy at the same time.

The joy was the crowd and the customers. The pain was that they weren't betting money, but Gold Coin. The casino couldn't take any of it—meaning they were basically providing a place for people to hype things up for free.

"Zabuza-sama, who do you think will win in the end? What they're saying all sounds pretty reasonable."

Blending in with the gamblers, Haku—his delicate features deliberately concealed with makeup—held a drink in both hands, listening closely to the analyses around them.

"I don't know. Forget it, let's just support someone at random. I'll bet on that Kakashi guy," Zabuza said, then refilled his cup with alcohol.

These two were living pretty comfortably.

After all, no matter how harsh the ninja world was, an elite jōnin and a rare bloodline ninja were never going to starve.

...

The third round of the Unlimited Class Tournament finals began. Each contestant prepared themselves, then entered the arena one by one.

At this moment, in the contestant passage.

Sasuke and Itachi walked forward side by side. The brothers stared straight ahead toward the exit. It was as if neither had anything to say, with only the upcoming match in their eyes.

"Sasuke, you've awakened the Mangekyō, haven't you? Then the matters between us can be settled after the match."

The one who spoke first was actually Itachi. Sasuke stopped in his tracks and immediately understood what Itachi meant.

Sasuke slightly turned his head and looked at Itachi.

This man, whose every secret had already been laid bare, was still as calm as ever at this very moment.

The Uchiha clan's annihilation was not that simple. And Itachi was not exactly as he had told Sasuke back then—that he left Sasuke alive purely out of love, though it wasn't only that either.

Itachi had hoped that one day Sasuke would kill him. Yes—he sincerely hoped that someone bearing the Uchiha name could kill this man whose hands were stained with the blood of his own clan, this embodiment of sin.

That person was undoubtedly Sasuke, the most suitable one.

Though his thoughts surged endlessly, reality passed in but an instant.

Sasuke closed his eyes and pondered briefly, then suddenly opened those Mangekyō eyes, even more intricate than Itachi's.

"Itachi, you immersed yourself in playing the role of the good older brother, while bewitching me into becoming a avenger."

"You arranged everything for me, smugly thinking it was for my own good. In truth, it was nothing but your own self-satisfaction."

"That's right! You were willing to die by my hand—dying as an Uchiha criminal was just self-comfort!"

"You think that washes everything away? You're wrong. The evil of the Uchiha will never be erased, because you left me behind."

"I won't thank you. No one will thank you. Just like Uchiha Madara, who was defeated in his struggle against the First Hokage—you're all losers."

"Only I can do it. Truly bear everything of the Uchiha… I will become Hokage!"

Sasuke's tone was exceptionally fierce and powerful. The Mangekyō that symbolized its owner's emotions flared along with it, radiating an unprecedented, dazzling brilliance.

Itachi was stunned. Even when his plans had been exposed by the Ninja Mobile Game, he had never felt his heart nearly stop like this.

But now—whether on a whim or long premeditated—Sasuke's words shook him deeply.

At last, he had this face-to-face opportunity. Standing before his younger brother who shared the same blood, this elder brother had to admit one thing.

He, Uchiha Itachi, had lost to Sasuke!

A smile finally appeared on Itachi's normally placid face—like release, like letting go.

And there was also a trace of something no one else could catch, something only Sasuke, who possessed the same ocular power, could see—

Fighting intent!!

"Then, before we truly decide the victor between us, let me first test you…"