"What? Minato, what kind of bet did you make with Chizan?"
As one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya had a serious obsession with the word "bet."
After all, his secret lover Tsunade was an infamous gambling addict.
"Sensei, I..."
Namikaze Minato's face instantly turned red. Clearly, their bet was anything but decent.
"Hahaha, Minato, what was it you said back then? If I really became a student, you'd go confess to Uchiha Fugaku!"
"I'm helping you out here! Hahaha!"
Gekko Chizan laughed heartily as he clapped Minato on the shoulder.
Jiraiya, standing to the side, stared in shock, eyes wide.
He hadn't expected their wager to be this intense. But it was fitting for teenage boys.
Uchiha Fugaku though?
He was the strongest of the younger Uchiha generation—a clear successor as clan head.
What was Gekko Chizan thinking, making Minato confess to him?
"Jiraiya-sama, you might not know this, but Uchiha Fugaku is the strongest of his generation in the Uchiha clan."
"He's totally worthy of Minato!"
Gekko Chizan grinned wickedly.
Namikaze Minato, however, could only smile bitterly. Uchiha Fugaku may have been the strongest of the younger generation, but damn it—he was a guy!
If he really went and confessed, Fugaku would probably chop him in half.
"Chizan, can we change the bet? You know Fugaku and I are on good terms."
"If I go confess to him, he's gonna kill me."
Minato's face was turning dark. He could already imagine Fugaku chasing after him with his Sharingan blazing.
But he'd always been a man of his word—especially when it came to a bet.
"Chizan, come on. Let's change it. How about I give you some of my secret Ninjutsu techniques instead?"
Jiraiya couldn't bear to see his student suffer like this and wanted to help.
But Gekko Chizan had no intention of backing down. All because Minato had told Kushina everything, which got Chizan beaten black and blue for a whole week.
A whole week! His body was so bruised he didn't even dare leave the house.
This grudge had to be avenged, or he'd never feel satisfied.
"Hmph! A real man keeps his word. I'm going to find Fugaku right now!"
With a determined heart, Namikaze Minato took off running into the village.
Gekko Chizan laughed wildly and followed behind, leaving Jiraiya standing alone, disoriented in the wind.
For some reason, he felt like ever since Minato and Chizan started hanging out, Minato had slowly started going off the rails.
...
At this point in time, the Uchiha clan's situation in Konoha hadn't yet deteriorated.
Their compound was still located near the center of the village.
But due to their large numbers, the Uchiha district was slightly further out compared to clans like Gekko's—of which only two members remained.
Soon, Namikaze Minato and Gekko Chizan arrived at the Uchiha compound.
They immediately began searching for Uchiha Fugaku.
After considerable effort, they finally found their target.
The good news—they found Fugaku.
The bad news—he was surrounded by a group of young Uchiha.
Gekko Chizan burst into uncontrollable laughter, while Namikaze Minato was beyond speechless.
"Go on, Minato! Let me witness your courage!"
Gekko Chizan suddenly shoved Minato forward.
Then activated Transparent Release and vanished from sight.
"I'll be watching from the sidelines! Hahaha! Good luck!"
Though his body disappeared, Gekko Chizan's voice still clearly echoed in Minato's ears.
Minato took a deep breath, mustered his courage, and strode forward with firm steps—even Gekko Chizan almost couldn't keep it together.
He really did look like a tragic hero marching off to his doom.
Uchiha Fugaku was actually a few years older than them.
He had risen quickly after graduation and was already a squad captain in the Konoha Military Police.
Within the clan, he had earned considerable prestige.
As for Minato, he was a rising star of the younger generation, with extraordinary talent.
The two had often sparred in private, and over time had built a decent friendship.
This whole bet was entirely Gekko Chizan's doing.
He thought, if Minato's son and Fugaku's son were destined to be rivals...
Then surely their fathers needed some twisted backstory too, right?
Haha... Just imagine introducing himself to Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke one day:
Gekko Chizan: Ahem! I am the witness to your dads' love story.
Hahahaha—he couldn't handle it. Just thinking about it made him want to laugh again.
Hold it in! I have to hold it in!
"Kid, you're seriously evil. That Namikaze Minato's got real talent, and that Uchiha Fugaku isn't bad either."
"And you went and made Minato confess to him—you're deliberately messing with them both."
"Tsk tsk tsk... I have to admit—you've got no shame."
"But I like it!"
"Quick! Get me some bugs. I want to snack while I watch this drama unfold!"
Gekko Chizan laughed, quickly pulling out a jar from his pouch and pressing several bugs to his chest.
As chakra flowed, the insects were sealed and absorbed into his body.
This was how he always fed Chomei.
By slipping the bugs into the sealing array, he could offer them up.
...
Back to Minato.
By now, he was just a few steps away from Uchiha Fugaku.
Fugaku saw his friend and waved.
"Yo, Minato! What brings you to the Uchiha district?"
"Something you need from me?"
The Uchiha youths standing nearby all looked serious when they saw Namikaze Minato.
They were of the same generation—and everyone knew the name of the genius Minato.
"Um... well..."
Minato was hesitating, unsure of how to begin.
Especially knowing that Gekko Chizan was invisibly watching, just waiting to laugh—he felt a headache coming on.
Why had he even agreed to that bastard's bet?
Sighhh... clearly, he was still too naive. He had no one to blame but himself.
"What's the matter, Minato? You're stammering. Just say it."
"If I can help, I absolutely will."
Fugaku still thought Minato was here for help and was actually quite pleased.
To him, being asked for help was a sign of trust.
The Uchiha valued acknowledgment from others. It validated their strength.
"I..."
Minato's throat felt like it was closing up. Then, gritting his teeth, he suddenly shouted:
"Fugaku, I like you!"
Just as the words left his mouth, he felt a push from behind.
Caught off guard, he stumbled forward—
And in the next moment, the blond-haired Minato crashed into Fugaku's arms.
Fugaku: ????? What just happened?
Namikaze Minato: Gekko Chizan! I'm going to kill you!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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