Chapter 130: Hostage-taking: Practice Makes Perfect

"Tsk, pathetic! How have you fallen so far after all these years, Tobirama?"

Uchiha Gin looked at the familiar face that had arrived late, raising an eyebrow and speaking without a hint of politeness.

"How is your melon-headed big brother doing?"

"Who are you?"

Senju Tobirama, who had been drawn in by the aura around Uchiha Guang, suddenly heard someone greeting him. He turned his gaze toward the stranger,

"You... you're still alive?"

He hadn't recognized the man at first, but as his eyes lingered on that distinct, curly hair, Tobirama's buried memories were violently awakened.

This curly-haired guy who looked so punchable—wasn't he the Uchiha who had been killed by his father's punch?

"Impossible! With your strength, how could you have survived a full-power blow from my old man?"

Seeing Uchiha Gin alive and well, Tobirama's first reaction was that he had fallen under a genjutsu. He tried to circulate his chakra to dispel it, but found no effect, causing him to frown deeply.

"You little white-haired brat, can't you wish me well for once?"

Uchiha Gin protested upon hearing that the boy thought he should have been dead.

"Hmph! Having barely clung to life, you shouldn't have appeared before me again."

Having finally confirmed that Uchiha Gin was somehow alive, Tobirama crossed his arms, looking down at the group with an arrogant, disdainful attitude that made people's hands itch to strike him.

"Ah! I can't take it anymore! Gin, can I beat this arrogant prick to death?"

Uchiha Guang, who had been nearly amused by Tobirama's words, couldn't help but speak up; this white-haired brat was truly too punchable.

"Uh... I want to, too."

Uchiha Gin silently added his vote.

Although Gin and Guang appeared calm, Uzumaki Mito, caught in the middle, was growing anxious.

Behind Tobirama were over a hundred elites—a force capable of easily wiping out a mid-sized clan. How could Gin and the girl remain so composed?

*It's all my fault for bringing Gin-sensei here. If not for my rash meeting, they wouldn't have been exposed. *

At this thought, a flash of resolve crossed Mito's eyes. She grabbed Gin's hand—which hadn't yet been retracted—and pulled it toward her own neck, pressing herself into his chest. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she shouted in a trembling voice,

"Senju Tobirama, save me!"

After shouting, she turned her head, pressed her face against Gin's broad, sturdy chest, and whispered only for him to hear,

"Quick, take me hostage! Don't let the Senju clan capture me!"

*??? *

Uchiha Gin and Uchiha Guang were both stunned.

Gin, in particular, felt a sense of déjà vu. After all these years, the scene felt so familiar. Shouldn't he be pulling out a kunai right now, wearing a cruel expression, and letting out a "Heh heh heh" laugh?

"Despicable Uchiha!"

Tobirama realized he had been a step too late; the foolish woman had been taken hostage. He could only glare, unable to act for fear of harming her.

"Actually, you don't have to do this."

Uchiha Gin said helplessly to Mito, who was huddled in his arms. *Girl, you're saving Tobirama's life right now! *

"I'm sorry, Gin-sensei. I led the Senju here. I truly didn't know you were the one covering the retreat of the Hagoromo survivors."

Pressed tightly against Gin, inhaling the unique, rich scent of the man, Mito felt a bit dizzy and swallowed hard, her voice filled with self-reproach.

"Weren't you supposed to have returned to the Land of Whirlpools? Why are you here?"

Gin understood her explanation—she hadn't done it on purpose—but he was curious. Mito should have been by Hashirama's side, building their relationship, not here.

"Hmph! My father actually wanted me to enter a political marriage with the Senju clan, to marry that Senju Hashirama."

Recalling her father's arrangements, Mito pouted, secretly pinching the soft flesh at Gin's waist with her other hand. She asked with a strange tone, eyes lowered,

"Do you think I should marry him?"

"Anything against a woman's will is definitely wrong!"

Gin straightened his face and spoke righteously.

"Exactly! Gin-sensei really speaks to my heart."

Hearing Gin's words, Mito's eyes lit up. Finally, someone supported her thoughts, and her heart felt sweet.

"That's why I want to accumulate merit and become the next head of the Uzumaki clan! Then I can do what I want."

The girl clenched her fist and whispered her little secret to the man behind her.

*Uh... that's a bold idea, but I like it. *

"You! Stop sticking so close!" X2

Just as the two were whispering intimately, two voices rang out across the battlefield. Though the voices were different, the content was identical.

Uchiha Guang: *??? *

Senju Tobirama: *??? *

Somehow, Kinkaku and Ginkaku had snuck onto the battlefield and appeared behind Gin.

"Gin-sensei! Is that guy... Senju Tobirama?"

Kinkaku, the older brother, stared at the white-haired man with boundless hatred, gritting his teeth.

Beside him, Ginkaku also glared coldly at Tobirama, wishing he could skin him alive.

"That's right. He's the murderer who hunted down the Hagoromo and brought your clan to the brink of extinction."

Gin fanned the flames, though he spoke the truth—Tobirama had led the assault on the Hagoromo territory and commanded the hunting squads.

"Want revenge?"

Gin raised an eyebrow, whispering a devilish temptation.

"Ugh..."

Kinkaku's fists clenched, his aura rising as if he were about to explode. Just as Gin thought he would charge at the white-haired man, Kinkaku loosened his grip, letting blood drip from the wounds his nails had made in his palms.

"We are no match for him right now."

If this were the old Kinkaku, he would have charged in to die.

But after his humiliating defeat by Uchiha Governance yesterday and Gin's guidance along the way, his muscle-bound brain had started to learn how to think.

He hadn't fully mastered the clan's treasures; he was no match for Tobirama, who was several years his senior. Charging in now would only lead to his brother's death and the failure of their clan's vengeance.

"Do you need my help? It's a bit expensive, but..."

Gin sighed as he watched Kinkaku thinking. *Damn this war, teaching a muscle-head how to think. *

"Thank you, Gin-sensei. You've already helped us enough. If possible, please let us take our revenge with our own hands."

Having made up his mind, Kinkaku looked up, his face—which looked like a melon-seller's—showing a rare look of pleading.

"Fine then..."

*Fine, fine, I'll leave the kill to you. Who told me I like playing support anyway! *

Though he hadn't spent much time with the brothers, Gin could tell they weren't bad kids. After all, anyone who could take down the white-haired brat couldn't be all bad.

*It's definitely not because they kill the white-haired brat in the future that I'm looking at them differently... *

Surveying the situation, Gin thought for a moment and formed a plan.

"Hey, you white-haired brat over there!"

Gin suddenly shouted.

"Huh? Calling me?"

Tobirama, who had been deep in thought, was stunned.

"Who else? You're the only white-haired one here."

"It's a low-key, luxurious silver-gray!"

The white-haired brat was furious.

"Shall we make a deal?"

Gin proposed a trade.

"Not a chance! I have nothing to say to an evil Uchiha."

Tobirama rejected the trade and spat on the ground.

"Heh heh heh, you wouldn't want anything to happen to your future sister-in-law, would you?"

*No choice, have to put on the classic skin again. *

"Tsk! Truly an evil Uchiha. Say what you have to say!"

Tobirama gritted his teeth and clicked 'Confirm'.

"Heh, much better when you're cooperative."

*This white-haired brat's personality is just like my cousin's—all bark and no bite. *

"I was hired for a mission, so let's give each other some face. Take a step back: you let the Hagoromo women and children go, and I'll release your future sister-in-law. How about that? Ah!"

Gin stated his demands. When he mentioned "future sister-in-law," Mito pinched his waist hard, causing him to cry out.

"Impossible! The Hagoromo clan must be completely erased from the Land of Fire!"

For the clan that had killed his father, Tobirama—whose heart was smaller than most—could not let them go.

"Oh come on~ There's only a handful of them left. Can't you leave them a way out?"

Gin's eyes shifted, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Even a dog won't walk out of here alive!"

Tobirama was resolute; the Hagoromo had to be annihilated.

"How about this: this kid is the future head of the Hagoromo clan. He can decide the clan's fate."

Gin gestured toward Kinkaku, ruthlessly selling the kid out.

"What do you mean?"

Tobirama was confused, not knowing what kind of medicine this Uchiha was selling in his gourd.

"I'll act as the mediator. Kinkaku, can you guarantee that the Hagoromo clan will leave the Land of Fire forever and never return?"

Gin asked Kinkaku, cutting straight to the point.

"Uh?"

Kinkaku was stunned. Weren't they already planning to leave for the Land of Lightning?

But seeing Gin's secret wink, he understood the intent. He straightened his face, raised a hand in an oath, and shouted,

"I, Kinkaku, swear in the name of the Six Paths Ancestor: the Hagoromo clan shall leave the Land of Fire and never return. Should we break this oath, our clan shall suffer the ancestor's punishment and be trapped in the Yellow Springs forever!"

*Not bad for a clan head's son; he's got the hang of it. *

"How about it? Are you satisfied?"

Gin turned to the silent Tobirama.

Tobirama was conflicted. He hadn't expected the Hagoromo, who had lived in the Land of Fire for a thousand years, to choose to leave. It caught him off guard.

After much thought, the young Tobirama made his decision. He looked over Kinkaku and Ginkaku, finally fixing his gaze on the eloquent Uchiha Gin,

"I can let the Hagoromo go, but I don't trust you Uchiha."

*Tsk, prejudice is like a mountain! *

(End of Chapter)