Chapter 433: Genjutsu Interfering with Reality
"As expected, professional work still needs to be handled by professional people," Masahiko breathed a sigh of relief and muttered.
He had just handed over the 'Chunin Exams Betting Points' operation to the 'Konoha Gambling House'. The two sides had reached an 80/20 profit-sharing agreement.
One part of that was their service fee for the hard work, and another part was because the Konoha Gambling House was semi-affiliated under the banner of the Senju clan. Masahiko had gracefully yielded it as a gesture of friendship...
"I really am generous, Generous Uzumaki!"
Watching the casino staff methodically check, record, and process the wagers of various civilians and ninjas, Masahiko shook his head helplessly.
These people placing bets of 500 Ryo or 1,000 Ryo felt like they were pulling his leg. The Great Ancestor simply didn't have the time to record every single one...
The moment he recalled that Asuma's head alone was worth 30 million Ryo, these small-denomination banknotes of a few hundred Ryo instantly became dull and tasteless. But since the vast majority of people placed small bets, he couldn't just refuse to accept them...
Not far away, a plump, middle-aged man walked briskly up to Masahiko, bowing slightly: "Senior, is it possible to adjust a portion of the odds?"
Masahiko blinked: "Which ones do you want to adjust?"
"Kiba Inuzuka entering the top eight is 1 to 10, Shino Aburame is 1 to 5, and Hinata Hyuga is 1 to 7. The odds for these children from Konoha's powerful clans are a bit too high, and a lot of people are betting on them. If by some chance..."
Masahiko waved his hand: "Change what! We're counting on these to make money; they don't stand a chance."
The plump middle-aged man opposite him was startled, a look of sudden realization washing over his face as he bowed repeatedly: "As expected, you are brilliant!"
Masahiko knit his brows slightly. Did this guy misunderstand that he was planning some under-the-table match-fixing?
He wasn't that kind of person.
However... to a mere casino owner, Masahiko was too lazy to explain himself. It would lower his status.
In Konoha Village, a massive, village-wide gambling craze had begun, causing the level of attention on this Chunin Exam to skyrocket n-fold compared to previous times.
Not many people bet on the winner or runner-up, and not even many bet on the top four. Most people staked their money on predicting the top eight, feeling that this approach was relatively secure.
However, there were also many people who thought they were clever betting on Tenten. Because Tenten was the one Masahiko had set with the lowest payout odds, these people deeply trusted Masahiko's vision... Even the Nara clan had placed a bet of 10 million Ryo on Tenten.
"Shikaku, no matter how slippery and treacherous you are like a ghost, you still have to drink Great Ancestor's footbath water... Uh, it feels like I haven't washed my feet in many years."
If Tenten went into battle carrying the cat, she would indisputably be number one. Without the cat, she would struggle to beat Toneri and Gaara. Although their raw strength was close, her combat genius was a bit lacking...
While some were ecstatic about the creation of this betting venue, there were naturally those who were dissatisfied.
Obito's complaints regarding Konoha's public security and stability were completely ignored by Masahiko. The ninjas from small villages who only had top-eight odds of 1 to 100 were naturally displeased as well, and Masahiko ignored them even more.
As for Naruto and Sasuke's complaints, Masahiko could pay a fraction more attention.
"You're saying... you want me to change your odds to 1 to 1,000?!" Masahiko had a face full of bewilderment.
Naruto nodded repeatedly: "Great Ancestor, I am far stronger than them, so my payout odds must be far higher than theirs to make sense!"
"Idiot," Sasuke sighed softly.
"What did you say! Bastard Sasuke!"
Masahiko let out a sigh: "Naruto, exactly when did you become stupid? Was your head kicked by Kushina..."
Speaking up to this point, Masahiko was suddenly startled. Looking at Naruto's slightly guilty expression, he inhaled a sharp breath of cold air. Kushina was trying to screw him over again...
"Go back and tell your mom! Her great-grandfather is a man with a brain!"
"Oh." Naruto's face slumped: "Great Ancestor, then can you adjust my odds for winning the championship to 1 to 1.9, please?"
Both he and Sasuke were at 1 to 2. Naruto's demand wasn't high; he just wanted to edge out Sasuke...
Sasuke didn't even voice an objection to this. He was still immersed in the fact that he had been tricked by Naruto earlier, feeling a bit demoralized.
"No adjustments, get lost!"
Naruto curled his lip, turned around, and left. Since the task wasn't completed, he would get thrashed again when he went home...
"Sasuke, is there something on your mind?"
Sasuke snapped out of his daze: "Great Ancestor, are the previous class's top graduate Tenten and the Sand Village's Gaara really that strong?"
Masahiko nodded: "They are indeed a small tier stronger than you and Naruto. It all depends on whether Itachi taught you a trump card. If he didn't, you might not even be able to beat Naruto. He has obtained a new power."
Sasuke frowned and nodded: "Just you wait and see, I'll give you a massive surprise!"
With that, Sasuke also turned and left.
Masahiko laughed and shook his head. This child still refused to accept reality, thinking that because he had unlocked the three-tomoe Sharingan, he could hide things from him. The old ancestor had eaten more salt than the kid had walked roads...
"Uh? How was that saying supposed to go again?"
June 1, Konoha Year 60, noon.
Masahiko casually cross-checked the accounts handed over by the casino owner: "Over 300 million Ryo has already been wagered? I really want to sweep the entire board... Eh? The number of people betting on Gaara to win is this low?"
"After all, most of the people placing bets are from Konoha. Are you planning to let him win the championship? That wouldn't be very good, right..." the casino owner said hesitantly.
Masahiko rolled his eyes, realizing he couldn't get by without explaining: "The Great Ancestor is not the type of person to do under-the-table operations! Also, why is the number of exam candidates this high? Three hundred and seventy-nine, where did they all come from?"
"Just from our Konoha alone, over two hundred genin are participating. Originally there weren't this many, but because the attention on this Chunin Exam is too high, many who originally didn't want to participate decided to come and try their luck..."
Masahiko pursed his lips, no wonder Obito had complained to him so many times: "This won't do. Having too many weaklings can cause trouble for the real experts. Moreover... people can actually die in the Chunin Exams!"
Pondering for a long while, Masahiko sighed and shook his head. Originally, he hadn't wanted to meddle in the first exam... truly, he hadn't.
"I'll go eliminate a batch of them myself!"
His figure blurred and disappeared. Two seconds later, Masahiko appeared in front of Konoha's Ninja Academy building.
Since the Ninja Academy was serving as the venue for the Chunin Exams, all regular students had the day off today. The first exam was at three in the afternoon, more than two hours from now, so the academy was virtually empty.
Masahiko slightly activated his sensory abilities and only 'saw' two candidates, both of whom were fake candidates.
"Izumo, Kotetsu, these two aren't guarding the main gates but came here pretending to be candidates... Perfect, I'll use you two to test my current level of Genjutsu!"
A surging, turbulent wave of spiritual energy instantly enveloped the entire Ninja Academy.
Inside the academy.
Izumo and Kotetsu were casually chatting and passing the time, waiting for the candidates to arrive. Izumo suddenly showed an expression of surprise, extending his hand to point at the door behind Kotetsu.
A line of black text rapidly manifested: If you wish to pass through this door, you must silently recite 'Open Sesame' three times.
Kotetsu paused, then pushed the door open to walk in: "I didn't recite it and I still got in, whose prank is this..."
"Kotetsu, watch out!" Izumo shouted.
Kotetsu was startled. His chest instantly received a violent impact, sending him flying backward through the air. Izumo hurriedly caught him.
"What on earth is that?"
Inside the doorway, two dark-green tentacles extended from the ground. As if satisfied that Kotetsu had retreated behind the door, they slowly melted back into the floor.
Outside the building.
Masahiko had a face full of grins: "As expected, after my Yin attribute reached level ten, my Genjutsu can actually interfere with reality. This is truly interesting, I have a new toy now..."
"It's a pity there are too many candidates for this exam, so I can only use a large-scale spiritual Genjutsu. Mmm... let's play a game, children."
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