Chapter 214. Rigged!

Chapter 214. Rigged!

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"…"

This guy… why is he so hard to deal with?

Obito narrowed his eyes, watching as Nono simply smiled and nodded no matter what he said. His gaze shifted slightly, and the dark aura behind him seemed to grow heavier.

"Director Nono, how did you meet Brother Yuto?"

[Just wait until I give that bastard a big "gift" before he goes bankrupt. How dare he threaten me!]

"Oh, you mean that?" Nono smiled sweetly at Obito, seemingly unaffected by the heavy atmosphere around her. She casually played a tile, her eyes turning misty as if recalling the past. "Back then, I was also a child at the orphanage. Later on… the orphanage ran out of funds, so I went out to find work… and that's when I met Yuto."

After that statement—

The three of them froze, falling into a brief silence.

After a moment—

"That's… it?"

"That's it!"

"Just like that?"

"Just like that!"

"…"

That's way too plain!

Obito was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

Meanwhile, Nono continued to smile calmly as she played her tiles, seemingly oblivious to the strange atmosphere. Her tone grew even more relaxed. "Yuto really helped me a lot back then," she said while claiming a tile Obito discarded.

Her voice became increasingly soft. "If it weren't for him, perhaps… I wouldn't be who I am today. Over the years, I've really been grateful to him."

That day—

She was targeted by the Root organization, lost and confused about life, when Yuto stayed by her side and kept her from falling into darkness.

Nono smiled gently. "So, I'm really thankful to him!"

After those words—

Suzune and Kana were both briefly stunned, a nostalgic glint flashing in their eyes.

If it weren't for him, perhaps I wouldn't be who I am today either!

Suddenly—

As if realizing something, they both raised their eyes and squinted at Obito sitting across from them.

[This kid… is definitely trying to stir up trouble!]

"…"

Oh shit!

Did they figure it out?

Obito forced a laugh, his body trembling slightly as he carefully played his tile. The dark aura behind him seemed to fade as a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

This is terrifying!

But—

He was Uchiha Obito!

There's no way he'd give up that easily!

So—

He quickly adjusted his tone, sighed with feigned emotion, and shook his head. "Brother Yuto sure is popular with the ladies! But…"

Before he could finish—

"Two of Characters!" Kana smiled warmly, her eyes narrowing as she stared at Obito. "I heard Yuto-sama wants to adopt you as his son?"

"…"

"Pung!" Suzune smiled softly and nodded. "Yes! Yuto really likes Obito. He even said he wants to give him the chance to inherit his fortune."

"…"

"Is that so?" Nono looked surprised, then said with relief, "Good thing Kabuto didn't agree to it. Otherwise, wouldn't that be quite dangerous?"

"…"

Sweat began to bead on Obito's forehead as he watched the three women chatting casually about him as if he weren't even there.

That strange atmosphere…

Sure enough—

Women will only affect the speed of my ninjutsu!

Damn it!

He was so close to succeeding—how did things turn so suddenly?

But he was Uchiha Obito!

There's no way he'd give up now.

If that's how they want to play…

Then it's time to show them his ultimate move!

Obito took a deep breath, his eyes sharpening. His aura shifted, losing its previous silly demeanor and becoming sharp and dangerous.

He slammed his hand on the table.

The air instantly froze.

Bang!

Everyone immediately sensed the sudden shift in tension.

Even his buddies, who had been cheering him on from afar, became serious.

"Looks like Obito is about to get serious." Shiranui Genma removed the senbon from his mouth and said seriously, "He was probably holding back out of respect for Boss Yuto."

"That's right! I heard those three women are all close to Boss Yuto."

"Damn, so envious…" Ebisu muttered, but after noticing everyone staring at him, he quickly changed his tone. "I mean… isn't he a bit fickle?"

"Not much you can do about it," Genma shrugged. "I heard Yuto was recently granted a noble title by the Land of Fire. No need to be jealous."

"I'm not jealous!" Ebisu adjusted his sunglasses. "Do you see my expression? That's deep disapproval."

After a brief pause, he added, "By the way, how exactly does one become a noble?"

"…"

This guy…

The group shook their heads helplessly and turned their attention back to Genma.

"So… does Obito really plan to get serious now?"

"Obito-sama is truly worthy of being Obito-sama!" Asuma sighed. "I didn't expect him to be so loyal and righteous!"

Uncle is very pleased!

From now on, we'll be friends with each other. He'll call me Uncle Asuma, and I'll call him Obito-sama.

Shiranui Genma nodded approvingly and used his senbon to pick his teeth. "Yeah… This round… is about to end."

However—

Just as the words left his mouth—

"Uchiha Obito… is out!"

"???"

…

Let's die together!

Come on!

Die together!

How dare he threaten him?

Obito didn't hesitate—he pushed his tiles forward without following that bastard's instructions, a sly glint of wisdom flashing at the corner of his mouth.

He stared at the three stunned faces before him.

Without hesitation, he stood up after pushing his tiles forward.

Next…

Let's see how you three handle this!

Hmph!

If they kept playing, they'd definitely start fighting each other.

At that moment—

Obito seemed to understand why that bastard had let him win.

Too bad—

He wasn't going to play along!

Let that bastard be furious!

Screw it, I'm not playing anymore!

He shook his hair back, turned, and left amidst a chorus of boos and cries of "Rigged!" And when he lifted his head and caught a glimpse of that bastard's dumbfounded expression, his face became even more arrogant.

Satisfying!

Sooner or later, he'd make that bastard bankrupt!

Even his steps became exaggeratedly wide, swaggering as he walked.

Meanwhile, Yuto—

He was utterly confused.

What the hell was that?

What just happened?

Did he really figure out my plan?

He looked down and saw the three girls sitting silently, staring at each other. His heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to make a dramatic gesture and throw to a commercial break—

Suddenly—

"Uzumaki Kana—Out!"

"Hyuga Suzune—Out!"

"The winner is Yakushi Nono!" the host's excited voice rang out. "Let's give a big round of applause for this year's Mahjong God!"

"???"

Yuto froze, looking at the three girls smiling at each other as if nothing unusual had happened.

The three of them… were still getting along?

No!

Their relationship even seemed… better?

Suddenly, Yuto seemed to understand something…

He glanced toward Obito, who had also stopped walking and was looking toward the game table. Yuto smiled in relief.

[Even though I don't know what happened, it must have been thanks to this kid.]

This kid always talks about making me go bankrupt, but deep down… he's really looking out for his dad!

No wonder he walked off with that "nobody knows me" swagger! He probably wants his dad's praise!

It's just like coming home with a perfect test score and acting too cool to care!

What a good kid!

...

However—

At that moment, Obito… had something in his heart that he didn't know whether he should say or not.

What the hell?!

What was that?!

They just surrendered?!

What about the conflict between them?!

It's over?! Just like that?!

Obito gritted his teeth and shouted angrily, "Rigged! I want to report it! This game was rigged!"

…

Meanwhile—

After Obito's sudden surrender and the crowd's admiration of his loyalty, Asuma's eyes turned blank. He slumped back in his wheelchair, his eyes dead and lifeless.

His dream…

Gone!

Suddenly—

A cheerful voice sounded behind him. "[The Most Handsome Man of Konoha]?"

"?!"

Asuma sat up straight immediately, whipping his head around. Behind him stood a woman with green-orange hair tied into a bun, wearing a tight black dress that showed off her elegant curves and smooth back.

He froze for a moment. Then, keeping a straight face, he shook his head seriously and said, "You've got the wrong person. I'm [The Grass of Konoha]."

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