Chapter 166: Unfamiliar Acquaintances

"Tsk, damn it! Late by a step again."

Just after the Hagoromo clan had finished relocating, a group of people arrived aggressively. Looking at the chaotic traces left all over the ground, the man in the lead couldn't help but click his tongue.

"Captain Koji, the Young Master instructed that if we discover the Hagoromo clan's tracks again, we must report it immediately."

A red-haired man behind the leader spoke up to remind him; they had already lost the trail several times during this period, missing them by just a hair each time.

In the darkness, the leader revealed his true appearance. His skin was scorched black by fire and covered in scars, with one particularly prominent scar at the corner of his eye; his hideous burn marks were exceptionally striking.

"Fine, please go notify our Young Master. The tracks are still fresh; we will continue the pursuit."

He spoke slowly, giving the order to the red-haired man who had just reminded him in a hoarse voice. Immediately after, he waved his hand and led the remaining men to follow the tracks.

"Since you have asked with such sincerity, I shall show mercy and tell you."

At the very rear of the Hagoromo clan's relocation unit, Uchiha Gin was holding forth eloquently.

Beside him, two boys, one gold and one silver, were holding small notebooks, carefully recording the strategy of a certain curly-haired individual, their serious expressions showing they were afraid of misremembering or missing a detail.

"The Art of War says: Heaven's timing, geographical advantages, and human harmony—if you lack these three, even if you win, there will be disaster."

Glancing at the two brothers who were wearing blank expressions, Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow, his handsome face filled with heartache.

"Tsk! Does your Hagoromo clan not teach cultural studies?"

"Huh??"

The two brothers looked at each other in silence, both seeing big question marks in the other's eyes.

"Alright, alright, then I'll explain it to you in simpler terms. Pick up your pens and take notes!"

Uchiha Gin rubbed his hands helplessly, making the two brothers feel guilty; could it be that they were truly illiterate?

"Do you know what kind of ninjutsu Tobirama Senju is best at?"

Hearing this, the two brothers shook their heads in unison.

"Water Style! You want to take revenge on someone without even knowing the most basic intelligence?"

We're writing it down, we're writing it down!

"Think about it, since Tobirama Senju is skilled in Water Style, you must choose to ambush him during the driest time of midsummer. This is Heaven's timing!"

Right, right, summer, dry and lacking water.

"That white-haired guy also has a space ninjutsu that comes and goes like a ghost, moving freely. Therefore, you must choose a relatively enclosed and narrow venue to start the battle. This is geographical advantage."

Got it, got it!

Uchiha Gin narrowed his eyes, harboring no good intentions.

"I just said Tobirama Senju has a ninjutsu that allows him to come and go freely, so you must use people or objects to pin him down so he cannot escape alone. This is human harmony!"

After saying this, Uchiha Gin thought for a moment and added another point: that white-haired guy had too many tricks up his sleeve; you couldn't give him room to think.

"And one more thing, the most important one: when attacking, remember not to make small talk with him. Just charge in together; don't leave him any time to think."

The two brothers, who had written down a long passage of Uchiha Gin's strategy, looked up and stared with suspicious eyes at Uchiha Gin, who was full of bad intentions.

"Is it really that simple?"

"It is that simple. This set of military tactics applies to anyone. If you can't get your revenge, I'll give you a refund."

Uchiha Gin said with absolute certainty.

He had collected a fee from these two kids before the lecture; otherwise, why would he teach so much real, solid material?

Hearing Uchiha Gin's chest-thumping guarantee, the two brothers temporarily set aside their doubts, tucked their little notebooks away, and prepared to study them day and night.

"Huh?"

Just as Uchiha Gin was about to reach into his pocket to pull out the scroll given to him by Kinkaku and Ginkaku to carefully inspect the treasure these two brothers had secretly stuffed into his hands, his always-active, super-strong perception suddenly received feedback.

Hmm, one elite captain and eighteen captains—have they caught up so quickly?

Clearly sensing the immense life force contained within the pursuers, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but feel a trace of doubt. Why were these guys from the Senju clan always able to track the Hagoromo clan so precisely?

"Gin, is someone catching up?"

Uchiha Hikari's perception was not bad either; she noticed it slightly later than Uchiha Gin, and a hint of ruthlessness flashed in the girl's eyes.

Do not be fooled by her gentle and delicate appearance in front of Uchiha Gin and the others; before being sealed, she had served as a "war weapon" for a very long time, and the number of enemies who died by her hand was countless.

Naturally, the girl would not have a kind look for the mortal enemies who had sealed her.

"Shall I go take care of them?"

The girl, who had not tasted blood for a long time, had a hint of scarlet in her eyes, and her flat tone carried a bloodthirsty excitement.

"No need, I'll go meet them."

Uchiha Gin did not want the girl to have too much contact with blood. There was still a dormant dark side within Uchiha Hikari; if she got too excited and the dark personality seized the opportunity, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Mr. Gin, Senior Hikari, what are you talking about?"

Uchiha Chirori, who was weaker in strength, tilted her head and asked, listening to their nonsensical conversation.

"Nothing, just some bugs."

Uchiha Gin laughed it off, signaling for the girl not to overthink it.

While others weren't paying attention, Uchiha Gin formed a hand seal, and a wooden branch quietly extended from behind him, landing on the ground and transforming into an Uchiha Gin.

【Wood Style: Wood Clone Jutsu】

This technique was also something Uchiha Gin had farmed from the model worker Yamato. For a while, Yamato would always spawn in his backyard; that NPC would see him and excitedly run over while forming hand seals, leaving him baffled.

But thanks to him, he had also farmed quite a few Wood Style ninjutsu.

The real Uchiha Gin deliberately slowed his pace, gave Uchiha Hikari a reassuring look, let the Wood Clone take his place, and then quietly merged into the darkness behind him.

Having left the team, Uchiha Gin flashed to the path the others were bound to take. He closed his eyes and opened them again, switching to his mutated Byakugan, which glowed with a blue light. His vision became instantly unobstructed, passing through layers of trees to clearly observe the aggressive group.

Leading them was a man with severe burns on his body. With his face unrecognizable, Uchiha Gin couldn't tell who he was, only feeling that his aura was slightly familiar.

Following behind the man were all black-haired members of the Senju clan. However, what made Uchiha Gin curious was that there were no sensory ninja among them—they were all combatants. So, how exactly were they finding the Hagoromo clan so accurately?

Harboring this question, Uchiha Gin deactivated his Byakugan, his pair of pitch-black eyes emitting a faint glimmer. He chose to wait right there for them to come to him and provide the answer.

"Damn it, that guy from the Uzumaki clan is gone. We're almost unable to find the Hagoromo clan's location anymore."

Senju Koji discovered that the traces left by the Hagoromo clan were becoming fewer and fewer. Since their group had no sensory-type ninja, if they kept chasing like this, they would definitely lose them.

"Captain! There seems to be someone lying ahead."

Just as Senju Koji was in a predicament, his clansmen behind him discovered that on the road not far ahead, someone was leisurely lying on a lounge chair, cracking melon seeds.

"Stop! Watch out for traps!"

The alert Senju Koji immediately stopped, preventing his clansmen from advancing further, and turned to look around, trying to find any surrounding ambushes.

"Spread out and search for any ambushes."

After a while, the empty-handed Senju Koji furrowed his bald brow. Having been burned beyond recognition years ago, he was now completely hairless. He asked the clansmen who were slowly gathering back,

"Did you find anything?"

"No!" x18

"Nope~" x1

Huh? Why was there a different answer?

The entire Senju clan looked in unison at the voice that didn't fit in, watching as the person scratched his head in embarrassment. His fluffy, curly hair looked so out of place among the surrounding black-haired Senju clan members.

"Ouch, what a headache."

Uchiha Gin, who thought he had successfully infiltrated, scratched his head in embarrassment. He hadn't expected to be discovered the moment he infiltrated; these Senju clan members were truly too cunning.

"You guy? Are you..."

The Senju clan members present all drew their weapons, watching the alien who had mixed in among them with vigilance.

Senju Koji, who was in the lead, was about to say something, but when he saw the fluffy curly hair and the lazy, salted-fish expression of the newcomer, he exclaimed in surprise,

"Careful! This guy is an Uchiha!"

"Tsk! My eyes aren't even red? How did you figure out I'm an Uchiha?"

For this mission, Uchiha Gin had specifically chosen not to wear the clothing of the Uchiha clan, but instead wore casual clothes; this was also the reason why the Hagoromo clan's sentries hadn't recognized them immediately.

He hadn't expected the other party to recognize him as an Uchiha at a glance, which made Uchiha Gin feel a trace of curiosity.

You have to know that after he transmigrated, he had basically been soaking in the dungeon and hadn't gone out on any missions. How could this Senju clan guy know him? Could it be that...

"Sigh, as expected, excellent people are the focus wherever they go. Although I am not in the world of martial arts, the world of martial arts has always had my legend."

Uchiha Gin shyly brushed the bangs on his forehead and flashed a smile he thought was handsome at the Senju clan members before him.

"Tell me! Has my reputation already reached the Senju clan?"

"This guy, he's so punchable!"

Someone said, and the rest of the people began to echo.

No, who is he, brother?

Eighteen Senju clansmen locked their gazes in unison on the man in the lead, hoping he would give them a satisfactory answer.

"Where is Uchiha Fenghuo!!!"

Senju Koji was burning with rage at this moment. The eyes he fixed on Uchiha Gin were filled with bright red bloodshot veins, and his pair of scarred fists were clenched until they creaked. He squeezed a sentence out from between his teeth.

?

Captain Fenghuo? That's ancient history from how many years ago? Why is someone bringing up old business after so long?

Uchiha Gin looked strangely at the Senju clan member who was acting a bit crazy before him. Looking closely, he found him more and more familiar, and he hesitated as he spoke,

"Are you..."

"That's right! I am..."

"Who are you? Who can recognize you when you're burned into this ghost of a look?"

You've been burned into a Deadpool, how the hell am I supposed to recognize you!

"Pfft!!!"

Senju Koji, who had assumed the other party recognized him, felt his blood surge upon hearing the words spoken by Uchiha Gin in such an insufferable tone; then, feeling a sweetness in his throat, he could not hold back and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Hey, hey, hey, Referee, look, I haven't even made a move yet, and he's already collapsed!"

(End of this chapter)