Uchiha Sasuke's throat felt dry as he swallowed hard, his sharp eyes locked onto the scene before him. His fingers clenched unconsciously as an overwhelming sense of disbelief washed over him. Five hundred million ryo. An astronomical sum—gone in the blink of an eye. His mind struggled to process what had just happened.
"Shouta… that was your ability, wasn't it?" he asked, his voice unusually hoarse.
Shouta Kazuki merely nodded, his expression calm yet tinged with an unmistakable sense of excitement. "Yeah. This is what I was talking about. The money isn't disappearing for nothing—this is just the beginning. With this, I'll become stronger... much stronger."
A cold shiver ran down Sasuke's spine. Even though he had seen many powerful abilities before, this was different. Seeing it with his own eyes was nothing like just hearing about it. Five hundred million ryo… To an ordinary person, that was an unfathomable amount of money, something that could last multiple lifetimes. Yet, in a matter of moments, it had vanished like dust in the wind.
If Sasuke was shocked, then Uzumaki Naruto was outright petrified. He stood frozen in place, his wide blue eyes darting between Shouta and the now-empty chest. His hands trembled slightly as he tried to wrap his head around the absurdity of the situation.
"H-Hold on…" Naruto stammered. "That was… five hundred million… Five hundred MILLION! Are you telling me it just poof—gone? Just like that?!" His voice was filled with pure horror.
Compared to Sasuke, Naruto's reaction was even more exaggerated. After all, Sasuke still had plenty of money left. Even after handing over that fortune, he had kept tens of millions for daily expenses. But Naruto? He was used to scraping by on whatever tiny allowance the Third Hokage gave him. A thousand ryo a month. That was it. That was all he had ever known.
And now? He had just witnessed wealth beyond his wildest imagination disappear in an instant.
If it were him, that kind of money would've lasted him forever!
Naruto stood there, his mind spiraling into chaos, before Sasuke suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out a banknote. Without hesitation, he tossed it at Naruto, who fumbled to catch it.
"Here. Just spend it already," Sasuke said nonchalantly.
Naruto blinked. He looked down at the note. His hands trembled. His brain almost short-circuited.
"A-A MILLION RYO?!" he shrieked, staring at the banknote as if it were the most sacred artifact in the world. "F-For me?! You're actually giving me this?!"
Sasuke crossed his arms and huffed. "Of course I am. You look like you've never seen money before. It's embarrassing."
Naruto's lips trembled. His emotions were a mess. "B-But this is too much, isn't it?"
Sasuke scoffed. "It's just a million. Take it already."
For a moment, Naruto simply stared at Sasuke as if he were the most generous god to ever exist. His blue eyes sparkled with admiration. "Sasuke… Sasuke..."
Shouta, watching from the side, felt something strange in the air. He narrowed his eyes slightly.
Wait a minute.
Why did this feel… oddly romantic?
The way Naruto was looking at Sasuke right now… the way Sasuke casually handed him money like some rich and overbearing CEO spoiling his crush…
Is it just me, or is the air thick with an inexplicable "gay" energy?
Shouta blinked.
Nah, I must be imagining it.
Naruto clutched the money to his chest as if it were the most precious thing in the world, his cheeks slightly flushed. "Sasuke… t-thank you…"
Sasuke's brow twitched. "Don't say my name like that, you idiot."
"Hmph! What, are you expecting me to call you 'big brother' or something?" Naruto teased.
"Ugh. Never mind. Just forget I gave it to you," Sasuke grumbled.
"Hah! Too late! It's already in my frog wallet!" Naruto declared triumphantly, tucking the bill away.
The two immediately descended into their usual bickering, shouting each other's names back and forth like children.
Shouta sighed, shaking his head. "Man, you guys really are something else…"
—
That night, as everyone returned home, Shouta found himself deep in thought. He had done it. 500 million taels invested. Five golden summons secured. The power he was about to gain… it was overwhelming just thinking about it.
But before he could dwell on it for long, a familiar voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Hey, kid."
Shouta's steps paused. He immediately recognized that voice—it was none other than Uchiha Madara.
This was the second time today that the legendary ghost had called out to him.
With a small smirk, Shouta focused his chakra, allowing their connection to solidify. "What is it, Madara?"
There was a brief silence before Madara finally spoke again.
"Are you really not from the Uchiha Clan?"
Shouta blinked. That was a strange question.
"I've told you before, haven't I? My surname is Kazuki, not Uchiha."
Madara hummed, clearly unsatisfied with that answer. "I don't know why, but there's something… strange about you. Something familiar. I feel like I should know you… as if we're connected somehow." He paused before adding, "The same goes for that brat—Uchiha Sasuke."
Shouta raised an eyebrow. So, he's sensing the remnants of Indra's chakra? That made sense. Both Sasuke and Madara were reincarnations of Indra, so naturally, they had some deep-rooted connection.
"And that other brat… Uzumaki Naruto," Madara continued. "There's something weird about him, too. The moment I sensed his chakra, I got this annoying feeling… just like when I used to deal with that idiot Senju Hashirama." His voice lowered. "Tell me… is that kid a descendant of Hashirama?"
Shouta rolled his eyes. "Madara, you're overthinking things. Sasuke is Sasuke, Naruto is Naruto, and I am me. No need to drag ancient grudges into this."
Madara clicked his tongue but didn't push the subject further. Instead, his tone suddenly shifted, becoming more eager.
"Enough about that. Kid—show me your summoning ability."
Shouta smirked. "Oh? Getting impatient, are we?"
Madara scoffed. "Hmph! Don't be ridiculous. I don't care about your technique." There was a pause. "I just want to see if you can summon that idiot Hashirama."
Shouta burst into laughter. "So you do care!"
"Of course not!" Madara barked, though his voice betrayed him. "I couldn't care less about that buffoon!"
Shouta chuckled. "Right. Suuure you don't."
Madara growled. "Shut up and do it already!"
Shouta smirked, feeling his blood pump with excitement. Well, if he wants to see it so badly…
Then maybe it was time to make his first real golden summon.