136 Naruto Mobile Game

"Hello everyone, that's right, it's me again—your most familiar and dearest host. Though if it's always me talking, some of you might be getting tired of it, hahaha~"

"YES!!!" xN

Kuroda: ....

Looking at the audience responding in unison, Kuroda's mouth twitched, but he still kept a smile on his face.

"The thrilling Unlimited Class Tournament final is about to begin. Whether you're watching live here or online, I'm sure everyone is eagerly anticipating who the final winner will be. To be honest, so am I."

"Many of those who made it here are top-tier players of our Ninja Mobile Game. I believe they'll bring us some spectacular matches."

"But before that, I've received some news—there will be a ninja announced during the course of the match!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone grew curious.

What kind of ninja would be announced specially during the match? Who had that kind of presence?

But that wasn't the main point. The key point now was that the first match of the Unlimited Class Tournament final was about to start.

"Now then, please look at the big screen."

After speaking, Kuroda turned to look behind him. On the huge screen, the list of participants began scrolling rapidly, and before long it formed a matchup chart.

From start to finish, it was clear and straightforward.

First, the overall bracket was shown once, then it quickly zoomed in, leaving only the two sides of the first match.

[Sasuke Uchiha VS Orochimaru]

Seeing this, Kuroda almost laughed.

He hadn't interfered at all in the matchups—it was truly randomly generated by the system. Looks like even the system understood how to create dramatic effect.

...

Backstage, Sasuke saw that he was up first and felt quite satisfied. Facing everyone's gazes, he calmly stood up and headed out.

Orochimaru, on the other hand, had an uncertain expression. He whispered a few words to Yakushi Kabuto, then stood up and followed behind Sasuke.

One had fought his way through the main tournament; the other was directly seeded as the top-ranked player of the server. Kuroda felt he could already see the outcome of Orochimaru fulfilling his "filial duty."

Even so, the host couldn't show bias, so while the players were entering, he continued speaking.

"The first round of the Unlimited Class Tournament final is a best-of-three. If you have a player you support, feel free to cheer for them as they enter..."

"Uchiha is invincible!!!"

Kuroda's words were drowned out. Several people suddenly jumped up from the audience, shouting at the top of their lungs and startling everyone.

Sasuke walked out from the player tunnel and heard the cheers as well. He glanced over, warmth filling his heart.

Who else could it be but the Uchiha?

To those Uchiha in the Pure Land, Sasuke was a precious lone seed now. If they didn't go all out supporting Sasuke, who else would they support?

"Please, both of you, come over here."

Kuroda guided the players—Sasuke and Orochimaru—to the stage, standing on his left and right.

Looking at the two of them, many in the audience suddenly felt dazed.

One was a handsome twelve-year-old youth; the other was a gloomy old man in his fifties. Whether in the story or in reality, they seemed destined to be entangled together again.

"Player Sasuke, have you thought about saying any harsh words to your opponent?" Kuroda handed the microphone to Sasuke, half-joking.

"No." Sasuke's expression was calm, carrying the unique pride of the Uchiha. "I'm already considering who I'll face in the final battle for the championship."

As soon as he said this, everyone was stunned.

What did that mean? He thought he'd already won? He completely disregarded Orochimaru standing beside him!

Others might not know, but the few Uchiha who had been lucky enough to get live viewing tickets were even more excited, shouting praises nonstop, saying Sasuke spoke well.

The corner of Sasuke's mouth lifted as he nodded slightly toward them.

"Then… what about you, Player Orochimaru?" Kuroda paused, then turned to ask Orochimaru.

"Heroes truly emerge young. As expected of Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru smiled, as if he didn't mind at all.

But the fingernails hidden in his sleeves had already dug into his palm, even drawing blood.

Orochimaru was actually the one most devastated by the development of the game's storyline—he had been devoured by Sasuke, then sealed by Itachi with the Totsuka Blade.

Having dominated the ninja world for many years, he never expected to ultimately fall into the hands of the Uchiha.

Seeing that neither of them intended to say more, Kuroda had them take their seats and prepare for the match.

Sasuke and Orochimaru went to their respective positions, put on their headsets, and completely shut out the outside world.

Rustle, rustle~

At this moment, their avatars appeared on the big screen, with odds written beneath them.

"If you're interested, everyone can invest Gold Coin in the player you support. You might gain something from it." After saying this, Kuroda stepped off the stage.

The audience found it amusing—betting Gold Coin to earn Gold Coin did sound pretty interesting.

Of course, someone was about to get excited again.

"Quick, quick, quick! Put in the Gold Coin—trust me, okay? Guaranteed profit, no loss!"

Tsunade hurriedly urged everyone to place bets.

But Shizune, Nawaki, and the others around her hesitated… did they really dare to trust Tsunade?

"Tsunade, who did you bet on?" Sarutobi asked.

"Orochimaru, of course." Tsunade said matter-of-factly. "No matter what, Orochimaru won't lose to Sasuke, right?"

"Alright." Sarutobi smiled and nodded, then decisively bet all the Gold Coin in his account on Sasuke.

Seeing this, the others admired him deeply—no wonder he'd been Hokage for decades!

Under Tsunade's darkened expression, Shizune and Nawaki looked apologetic, but their hands moved naturally as they placed their Gold Coin on Sasuke as well.

"Hmph! Just you wait!" Tsunade snorted and turned to watch the live broadcast, constantly praying in her heart for Orochimaru to win.

On the big screen, as large amounts of Gold Coin poured in, the odds for Sasuke and Orochimaru began to tilt.

[Sasuke Uchiha: Bet 1 pays 3.26]

[Orochimaru: Bet 1 pays 1.2138]

Hmm, it seemed many people still believed Orochimaru had a higher chance of winning—after all, he was one of the Sannin.

Although Sasuke stirred up storms in the storyline, in reality he was still a young man.

And although Orochimaru was a well-known "fusion player" in the ninja world, no one thought he lacked real strength.

Otherwise, how could he have reached such a rank this season?

"The first match of the Unlimited Class Tournament final, Sasuke Uchiha versus Orochimaru—begin the match..."

"The match is over! Sasuke Uchiha wins!"

A huge 2:0 appeared on the big screen, showing that this was a match with a clear gap in strength.

The audience was stunned. From drafting to ninja selection to the actual battle, Orochimaru had been suppressed by Sasuke from start to finish—what was going on?

Did this guy not wake up today?!

...

Backstage, Yakushi Kabuto showed an unsurprised expression, secretly thinking, good thing, good thing—I bet on Sasuke...

Many people who had bet on Orochimaru burst into tears after the match ended. Not only did they fail to earn Gold Coin, they even lost what they had.

Gold Coin was extremely important in Ninja Mobile Game—this stuff was already pegged to currency on the black market.

"Orochimaru, you gzz!"

"I @%@ l!"

"....!"

"Orochimaru has no skill at all!!"

When Orochimaru took off his headset, what flooded into his ears was wave after wave of insults.

His face turned iron-blue, yet he couldn't lose his temper.

Because he saw that in the crowd, there even seemed to be a First Hokage joining in the denunciation...

According to the rules, after the match ended, both players were supposed to shake hands. But Sasuke didn't even look at Orochimaru—he walked straight off the stage.

Kuroda had no choice but to give Sasuke a technical foul… 

"Ahem, everyone, please take a short break. The matches will be back shortly!"