Chapter 131: The White-Haired Brother

"Tch! What a petty Bai Mao."

Uchiha Gin rolled his eyes in silence upon hearing Tobirama Senju's words.

"Hmph! I'd rather believe in ghosts than trust that foul mouth of an Uchiha!"

Tobirama Senju narrowed his eyes, making no effort to hide his disgust; his older brother had been deceived by the Uchiha's sweet talk, which was why he held such naive ideas.

"Fine, fine, fine!"

Knowing this brat wouldn't easily let them leave, Uchiha Gin turned his head and said to the group behind him,

"You all go first; I'll stay behind to negotiate."

"No!"

The first to object was actually Mito Uzumaki, who was being held hostage. She raised her head, revealing bright eyes filled with nervousness and apology.

"Gin! Shall I go and kill them all?"

Finally having a chance to show her worth, Uchiha Guang, standing to the side, was eager to try; she hadn't beaten up any Senju since being unsealed!

"Calm down, calm down. The world isn't just about killing; it's also about human relationships and social sophistication."

Uchiha Gin shook his head, rejecting the young girl's request to join the fray, then turned his gaze toward the waiting Tobirama Senju and said with a flippant tone,

"Hey, hey, white-haired brother over there, is it alright if I stay behind?"

"Huh?"

Uchiha Gin's behavior left Tobirama Senju somewhat perplexed; in his impression, the entire Uchiha clan consisted of despicable, shameless, and sycophantic people.

Yet, to his surprise, this curly-haired Uchiha before him, who looked so punchable, was actually willing to put himself in danger for an unrelated outsider.

"Fine, but you must prove you aren't a shadow clone."

Known for his caution, Tobirama Senju pondered briefly and agreed to Uchiha Gin's request, though he insisted that Uchiha Gin prove he was the original body and not a clone.

"As expected of you~"

Understanding Tobirama Senju's concerns, Uchiha Gin immediately pulled out a kunai and stabbed himself with it.

"Pfft! ~"

Fresh blood splattered.

"Ah!" *3

The three women present shrieked and immediately turned their angry gazes toward the white-haired man.

"???"

Tobirama Senju, who was intently watching Uchiha Gin's self-mutilation, felt a chill down his back.

"Is this enough? Or should I stab myself again?"

Uchiha Gin appeared lighthearted, offering a warm smile to those around him, completely ignoring the kunai still embedded in his body and oozing blood, even asking Tobirama Senju if he needed another strike.

Startled by this display, Tobirama Senju observed Uchiha Gin carefully from head to toe several times, finally fixing his gaze on Uchiha Gin's hairstyle, which was so different from other Uchiha, his eyes full of contemplation.

Could it be that the dominant gene of curly hair is an important factor in the quality of an Uchiha's character?

In Tobirama Senju's view, the hedgehog-haired and straight-haired Uchiha he had encountered were not good people, but this curly-haired Uchiha, though he had only met him twice, had left a different impression on him.

The first time was six years ago, when he and his father ambushed Madara Uchiha; this curly-haired man had actually used his body to block his father's charged strike—"Iron Fist Unrivaled"—to protect his teammate. Everyone in the Warring States period knew his father's reputation; such an act was nothing short of suicide.

This time, when they met, the other party had "helped" by kidnapping that stupid woman from the Uzumaki clan, but he hadn't used her to threaten them in return.

To cover for the unrelated Hagoromo clan, he had actually chosen to stay behind as a hostage and had even stabbed himself just to prove his sincerity.

Looking at the warm and gentle expression beneath Uchiha Gin's curly hair, and the wound still oozing blood, Tobirama Senju planted a strange seed in a part of his mind he wasn't even aware of.

"That's enough!"

Tobirama Senju's tone was somewhat strange; without realizing it, his gaze toward Uchiha Gin had changed slightly.

"Alrighty~"

Uchiha Gin smiled happily; it seemed there was no need to fight. Otherwise, if he accidentally elbowed this white-haired man to death, how would those two little brothers, Kinkaku and Ginkaku, get their revenge?

"Alright, you all go first."

"No! How can I leave you behind alone!"

Although Uchiha Guang's face showed anxiety, her eyes were darting toward Mito Uzumaki in Uchiha Gin's arms.

It was clear she wasn't worried about Uchiha Gin's safety; she was more afraid that if she left first, that red-haired bun-head would take the opportunity to feed Gin a love potion.

"Mr. Gin!"

Uchiha Zhili, who had been silent for a long time, looked at Uchiha Gin with genuine worry. In her impression, her teacher might have some tricks up his sleeve, but not many.

"Mr. Gin!!" *2

They hadn't known him long, but the two brothers already viewed Uchiha Gin as a mentor; their Hagoromo clan were no cowards.

"Oh, trust me, alright? This is just a small scene, a piece of cake."

Uchiha Gin looked at the worried expressions of the people before him, a hint of emotion flashing in his heart. But knowing he was in no danger, he smiled, shook his head, and said confidently,

"You go first, I'll be right behind you. Did you forget that move I used earlier? These people aren't even worth a single slap from me."

"Hmm~"

It was all Uchiha Gin's fault for making the atmosphere so tense that they had forgotten about the mysterious, solemn giant Uchiha Gin had summoned during the giant battle. Thinking of that power, the group felt a sense of relief and waved goodbye.

"Gin~ remember to be quick, I'll be waiting for you for dinner."

Uchiha Guang grabbed Uchiha Gin's arm with both hands, futilely pushing her meager cleavage together, attempting to use a charm technique.

???

The effect was mediocre.

"Mr. Gin, don't spend too much time with that kind of woman."

He had thought Uchiha Zhili hadn't misunderstood his innocent relationship with Mito Uzumaki, but he didn't expect her to throw shade at him before leaving.

"Mr. Gin, thank you!"

Kinkaku and Ginkaku were filled with gratitude; they couldn't repay Uchiha Gin's kindness, so they could only do so after they rose to power.

After saying goodbye, the group flashed away to catch up with the Hagoromo clan's team.

"Are you sure you don't want to bandage that?"

Watching them leave, before Uchiha Gin could say anything, Tobirama Senju spoke up first. The detestable white-haired man now had a conflicted expression, his scarlet eyes darting around.

"It's fine, I've been eating too much beef lately, so bleeding a little is just right to cool off my temper."

Surprised that Tobirama Senju would actually say something like that, alarm bells rang in Uchiha Gin's head. Was this white-haired man trying to poison the bandages?

"But, haven't you bled a bit too much?"

Tobirama Senju's tone was strange, and his gaze toward Uchiha Gin held a hint of inexplicable meaning.

"Huh? Holy crap!"

Reminded by the other party, Uchiha Gin realized that the spot he had stabbed seemed to be an artery; blood was spurting out like a fountain, tracing a perfect arc in the air.

Terrified, he quickly pulled out the kunai, extended a hand with a pale green glow, and pretended to use the Mystical Palm Technique to treat the wound, while actually fearing that his abnormal constitution would heal the wound before the blood even hit the ground.

"Huh~"

Seeing that Uchiha Gin actually knew the Mystical Palm Technique, a rare medical ninjutsu, Tobirama Senju couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"You know medical ninjutsu?"

"I know a little, I know a little."

Uchiha Gin's wound recovered as if it had never been there. After dispelling the Mystical Palm Technique, he said modestly to Tobirama Senju.

"In the Uchiha clan, are there many people with your hairstyle?"

Just as the two were about to fall into silence, Tobirama Senju broke the deadlock first. The question he asked left Uchiha Gin scratching his head.

"I don't think so; at least I've never seen anyone with the same hairstyle as me."

This was true; over the past few years, Uchiha Gin had recognized everyone in the clan, big and small, but he had never encountered another curly-haired Uchiha like himself, though he didn't know if there would be any in the future.

As expected.

Getting the answer, a flash of understanding crossed Tobirama Senju's eyes.

"Mr. Gin, how do you plan to escape?"

Seeing time pass second by second, Mito Uzumaki in Uchiha Gin's arms, though reluctant to leave this comfortable chest, raised her head and asked in a low voice.

"Huh? Didn't we agree that once the Hagoromo clan finished relocating, I could leave?"

Uchiha Gin asked strangely; wasn't that what they had agreed upon?

"Oh! You actually believed that? That white-haired man is a notorious Uchiha-killer; I've never heard of any Uchiha who met him and lived to see the next day's sun."

"Achoo!"

Tobirama Senju's reputation suffered.

"How did I forget that!"

Uchiha Gin slapped his forehead, recalling Tobirama Senju's personality; staying behind was indeed dangerous. But still holding onto a glimmer of hope, he called out to Tobirama Senju not far away,

"White-haired brother, the Hagoromo clan should have already left the Land of Fire. When can I go?"

"Release that stupid woman, and you can leave now."

Having already formed his own unique insight into the curly-haired Uchiha Gin, Tobirama Senju didn't make things difficult as he had imagined.

"Huh?" *2

Uchiha Gin and Mito Uzumaki heard this, looked at each other, and saw the shock in each other's eyes.

It's a trap!

This thought popped into both their heads simultaneously.

"Hehe, women and children walk slowly, I'll wait a bit longer."

Uchiha Gin made an excuse and continued to hold Mito Uzumaki hostage.

"Has this brat played this trick before?"

Uchiha Gin leaned into Mito Uzumaki's ear and asked quietly.

"Ah~ I haven't heard of it; maybe it's a new trick."

Blown by Uchiha Gin's warm breath on her earlobe, the naturally sensitive Mito Uzumaki almost went limp.

"Do you really want to be the clan head?"

Uchiha Gin's eyes swept over the young girl's smooth forehead; the diamond-shaped mark from his memory hadn't appeared yet, meaning the girl's strength hadn't reached its peak.

"I have a reason why I must be the clan head."

Asked this, Mito Uzumaki's eyes were full of fighting spirit; she had to take this position of clan head!

Hearing the girl's firm answer, Uchiha Gin thought for a moment, stuffed his other hand into his system bag, and began to search carefully.

"This? No, no~ too violent."

He skipped over the golden giant blade engraved with inscriptions.

"This! Also useless~ I'm not really short on mana."

He picked up the Blue Buff charm, the same one as Guang's, thought about it, and put it back down.

"Huh! This one works!"

Finally seeing one he had never taken out before, he recalled its effect; it should be useful.

After some selection, Uchiha Gin took something out of his backpack and quietly stuffed it to the red-haired girl who was somewhat limp in his arms.

"Mito, I think you'll have no problem. With your strength, the position of clan head is yours for the taking!"

(End of chapter)