Chapter 197: Wrap, Unexpected Wealth (Two-in-One)

"Ugh!"

Uchiha Izuna looked at the chillingly sharp wooden branch above his head and subconsciously closed his eyes, his mind beginning to play back, like a revolving lantern, the various people and events he had experienced in his short dozen or so years.

The faces of his father, his older brother, his comrades, and many others flashed through his mind, finally focusing on a pile of unspeakable books.

*Sigh*, after I die, what will happen to those secret collections? If they are dug up by others while sorting through my belongings, wouldn't my lifelong reputation be ruined in an instant?

"Cousin!"

Just as Uchiha Izuna was letting his imagination run wild while waiting for death, he discovered that the wooden branch above his head had not yet fallen. At the same time, he heard his older brother's voice of astonishment in his ears. He opened his eyes in confusion, only to see a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.

Unbeknownst to him, Uchiha Gin, who had previously looked dull and sluggish, had regained the luster in his eyes. At this moment, he stood before him like a towering mountain.

He stretched out his hands, desperately holding back the sharp wooden branch in Hashirama Senju's hand. Even though his palms had been pierced by the branch, he did not retreat even an inch. Bright red blood flowed down his elbows, gathering into a small stream at his feet.

"Hey, little cousin, did you see your big cousin's heroic posture?"

Uchiha Gin turned his head slightly, the three tomoe in his scarlet eyes rotating slowly. With a hint of a strained smile, he curled the corners of his mouth and asked in a nonchalant tone.

"Big cousin! Uh, I closed my eyes just now."

Izuna's eyes turned red with emotion, tears swirling in his pitch-black pupils. When he heard Uchiha Gin's words, his brain couldn't keep up with the rhythm for a moment, and after hesitating, he told the truth.

"Tsk! This is one of your big cousin's rare highlight moments, and you actually missed it!"

Uchiha Gin was so angry that smoke was coming out of the top of his head. His little cousin was not being supportive; if he had watched his exquisite performance properly, he might have already awakened his eyes just now.

"Cousin, hurry and run!"

Uchiha Madara, who was tightly bound to the side, witnessed Uchiha Gin's self-sacrificing block. Seeing that his own younger brother was temporarily unharmed, he first breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Uchiha Gin, whose hands were covered in blood, and urged him hurriedly.

Uchiha Gin heard Uchiha Madara's words, raised an eyebrow, and lifted his hand holding the wooden branch with force.

"Snap!"

With a crisp sound, the wooden branch that had grown from Hashirama Senju's hand was snapped off by Uchiha Gin.

Shaking the blood off his palms, Uchiha Gin raised his hands, performed a classic starting stance, stared unblinkingly at the surprised Hashirama Senju, and spoke.

"Heh, what kind of older brother would abandon his younger brother and run away alone?"

"Big cousin, you are no match for him!"

Seeing that Uchiha Gin had no intention of running, both Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna became anxious.

They knew their big cousin's strength very well; even if he had a sudden burst of power now, dealing with the Hashirama Senju before them was like a mayfly shaking a tree—a futile effort.

But at this moment, Uchiha Gin could no longer hear any dissuasion. His dead-fish eyes were full of fighting spirit. He swept his gaze over the Senju brothers, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he slowly spat out a few words.

"Brothers, watch closely, this is your big cousin's youth!"

As his voice fell, an astonishing aura erupted from Uchiha Gin. Blue chakra visibly emerged from his body, causing Hashirama Senju opposite him to tighten his brow and couldn't help but speak.

"I didn't expect that a guy like you would still have this kind of trump card?"

"Come and fight!"

Uchiha Gin stared at Hashirama Senju before him and stretched out a hand in provocation.

"Big talk! Become the nourishment for my Wood Release!"

Hashirama Senju smiled disdainfully, clapped his hands together, and countless wooden branches rose from the ground, sweeping toward Uchiha Gin with great momentum.

"Don't think that only you know this technique."

Uchiha Gin's gaze sharpened. He also used the hand-clapping technique, and wooden branches identical to Hashirama Senju's erupted from the ground, rushing toward the incoming wooden branches.

"Boom!"

The moment the two moving seas of trees collided, a huge sound was produced. Countless branches intertwined, neither giving way to the other, and the scene fell into a stalemate.

"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"

Seeing that his first strike failed, Hashirama Senju countered by summoning a ferocious wooden dragon. He stood atop the dragon's head, opened its massive mouth, and crushed it toward the struggling Uchiha Gin.

"Cousin, watch out!"

The two captured brothers watched intently as their usually unreliable big cousin played against Hashirama Senju.

They never dreamed that Uchiha Gin could actually fight the opponent to a standstill, and a glimmer of hope couldn't help but rise in their hearts.

"Hmph! Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"

Uchiha Gin looked up and saw the wooden dragon with its bloody mouth wide open. He did not show any panic, snorted coldly, refined the chakra in his body, and a wooden dragon of the same size rose from the ground, charging toward Hashirama Senju's wooden dragon without the slightest fear.

"Bang!"

With a loud crash, the two giant wooden dragons collided, intertwining and biting each other, looking as if they would fight to the death.

"Interesting. Among the Uchiha clan, besides Madara, there is actually such an interesting guy like you!"

Hashirama Senju, who was too deep into the role, clasped his hands together, his face full of excitement. He stared unblinkingly at Uchiha Gin and shouted loudly.

"Heh."

Uchiha Gin gave a disdainful laugh and did not reply, appearing full of confidence and fearless.

"Cousin..."

Although the two seemed evenly matched, the sharp-eyed Uchiha Madara and Izuna judged from Uchiha Gin's slightly trembling feet and his sweat-soaked back that their big cousin was likely at the end of his rope, and was only gritting his teeth to persist in order to protect them.

"Big brother, stop playing around, just take him out in one go!"

The little white-haired one, who was watching the show with his arms crossed, saw that the timing was right and shouted a reminder.

"Alright."

Hashirama Senju took a few steps back, his gaze turning resolute as he looked at the three people before him and spoke slowly.

"Madara, no one wanted things to turn out this way."

"Hashirama!"

Uchiha Madara, who was wrapped in wooden branches, had nothing left but a hard mouth.

"Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!"

The chubby Arhat giant appeared once again. Uchiha Madara's eyelids twitched as he recalled the fear of being dominated by this big guy.

"Cousin, you should run after all, you are no match for him!"

Looking at the massive Arhat that blotted out the sky, Uchiha Madara finally gave up hope and advised Uchiha Gin.

"Cousin, no matter what difficulties you encounter, don't be afraid, face it with a smile..."

Unexpectedly, even at this point, Uchiha Gin was still lecturing him.

Uchiha Gin's gaze became resolute, green light surged from his clasped hands, and after taking one last look at the Uchiha brothers, he said with conviction.

"The only best way to overcome fear is to face fear. Keep it up!"

"Cousin, don't!"

Watching Uchiha Gin accelerate toward the Arhat giant, the bound Uchiha Izuna shouted with his last bit of strength.

"Mr. Gin, don't!"

In the corner, the girl who was tied up tightly also had eyes full of worry.

A strangely shaped flashlight emerged from his clasped palms. After gripping it, a massive amount of chakra erupted from Uchiha Gin. He raised the flashlight and slowly said three words.

"Ult... aman!"

Blinding green light enveloped Uchiha Gin's body, and immediately after, a large hand rose from the ground amidst bursts of smoke, clutching him in its palm. As the smoke rose, a strangely shaped figure stood between heaven and earth with its hands on its hips.

"This is???"

Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna looked at the cyan-green giant that appeared out of thin air, both of them looking dumbfounded.

Fine, fine, fine, since when did big cousin have this thing? He's not going to let us play with it, is he?

"Shuwatch!"

The cyan-green giant that appeared on the scene struck a strange starting pose, stared straight at Hashirama Senju's Arhat wood man with its egg-sized eyes, and stretched out a hand to make a provocative gesture.

【Ultra Provocation】

"Ah! Get him!"

Seeing the provocative gesture, Hashirama Senju seemed to have had a nerve triggered, urging the Wood Release Arhat giant to charge toward the slender giant.

"Boom!!!"

A giant battle is always accompanied by smoke filling the sky and violent explosions. The two giants fought into a ball in the astonished eyes of everyone.

Because both were Wood Release creations, their ability to absorb chakra canceled each other out like a tug-of-war. The two huge guys could only use the most primitive hand-to-hand combat, trading punches and kicks, and for a time, wood chips flew everywhere.

"Can cousin do it?"

Uchiha Izuna, who was staring intently at the two giants fighting fiercely, said worriedly.

"Believe in cousin, don't forget, he is still an Uchiha."

Uchiha Madara spoke to comfort him, his eyes also drawn to the battle. Such a giant battle was a huge shock to him, once making him doubt whether his usual battles were just child's play.

"That's right, big cousin still has the Sharingan!"

Thinking of the pupil technique that the Uchiha clan was proud of, Uchiha Izuna couldn't help but gain a bit more confidence.

"Boom!"

The two giants were now locked in a stalemate with their fists clenched together.

"Hey, hey, hey, that's about enough, right?"

Hashirama Senju, standing on the Arhat's head, communicated with Uchiha Gin opposite him in his mind with a strange expression.

"Tsk! I just couldn't hold back for a second, who told you to start a giant battle? Who could resist that?"

Uchiha Gin muttered in his heart; no boy could refuse the temptation of a giant battle.

【Ninja Art: Mind-Reading Technique】

This was one of the more useless skills Uchiha Gin had brushed up on in the backyard, but it was quite effective for encrypting conversations so that others wouldn't be able to read their lips.

"Hurry up! I really don't want to keep playing the white-haired one~"

Tobirama Senju has joined the chat group.

"Cough, cough, cough. Everyone performed quite well. There were no NG takes, especially you, Hashirama. Although you added your own lines without permission, the performance was very smooth and natural, shaping the character's personality vividly. It deserves encouragement!"

Uchiha Gin (Director), who had been watching from the sidelines, also joined the chat group and began to summarize before the wrap-up.

"What about me? What about me!"

Tobirama Senju tagged the Director in the group and asked very excitedly.

"Uh, as for Tobirama, your style was as stable as always. There were no mistakes, but there were no highlights either. The performance was standard and by the book. Remember to add more of your own understanding next time, so your acting range can be broader."

"Heh, then I don't even need to—"

Uchiha Gin sent a smiley face in the group, preparing to brag about himself, but was interrupted by Uchiha Gin (Director).

"As the male lead, you only appeared after the story was more than halfway through. You clearly could have interacted with the Four-Head combo at the start to grab everyone's attention. Good~, you didn't even do that kind of explosive point. Later, when Uchiha Zhi spoke, you clearly could have used your eyes to break character, but you continued to play dead, indifferent."

"That's called Method Acting, Director. Do you understand? My hollow, dull eyes—didn't they convey the despair of a character who has been ravaged and humiliated?"

Hearing his exquisite acting skills questioned by the Director, Uchiha Gin was immediately displeased and retorted.

"Ha? Method acting? That was pure 'lying corpse' acting. This is the only time. Next time, get as far away as you can. I don't want to see a guy like you who lacks the spirit of an actor!"

"…%￥@#@￥#@~*&"

Uchiha Gin cursed as he exited the temporarily formed cast chat group and blocked the Director by the way.

The scene returns to the battlefield.

The two Wood Release giants remained in a stalemate, and the debris rubbed off from their palms fell all over the ground.

Hashirama Senju, with a profound gaze, suddenly gave Uchiha Gin opposite him a subtle look. The main body, having immediately received the message, felt a sense of certainty in his heart.

Everyone present watched the two giants wrestling nervously, sweat from their palms dripping onto the ground.

Suddenly, they discovered that Uchiha Gin had jumped out from the circular protrusion on the chest of the lean giant and swung his fist straight at Hashirama Senju's main body. The giant behind him began to fall apart as he left.

"Ha! I said my strategy was correct!"

Seeing Uchiha Gin go straight for Hashirama Senju, Uchiha Madara couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Take this, a Great Genjutsu!"

Flying in the air, Uchiha Gin, fearing that those around him wouldn't hear, used all his might and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Big Cousin! Charge!"

Hearing Uchiha Gin's shout, the several Uchihas present felt a sense of empathy, watching the figure rising with cold and obscure pupil power with excitement, hoping he could use the power of the clan to defeat the arrogant Hashirama Senju.

Awe the Senju, raise the prestige of our clan!

"Big Brother, be careful! Quickly look away!"

The little white-haired Tobirama Senju added his own lines from below. It seems the Director's words from earlier worked; this guy is also a talent worth molding.

Hearing his brother's warning, Hashirama Senju did not hesitate to lock his gaze on Uchiha Gin's lower body, while simultaneously charging up his fists, preparing to give this hard-won target a taste of his monstrous strength.

"Where are you looking?"

Just as Hashirama Senju was preparing to punch Uchiha Gin, who was about to land in front of him, a flippant voice rang in his ear, making his hair stand on end instantly.

"Thump!!!"

Before he could even turn his head halfway, a fist wrapped in monstrous strength smashed directly into his honest and handsome face, instantly distorting his features.

"Yes!"

Watching Uchiha Gin's feint, Uchiha Izuna shouted in excitement.

"Ah?!"

Uchiha Madara watched the two on top of the wooden figure with some worry; both sides were his kin!

"Thud~"

As Hashirama Senju was knocked down by Uchiha Gin's punch, the "Uchiha Gin" still in freefall in the air turned into a piece of withered wood and fell to the ground.

And Hashirama Senju, who had been smashed in the face by the monstrous strength, was like a cannonball, hitting the open ground in the distance at an extremely fast speed, kicking up clouds of dust.

As the dust settled, Hashirama Senju lay on his side in the crater in the same posture as Yamcha, unconscious, his life or death unknown.

"Hoo~ hoo~ hoo~"

Uchiha Gin knelt on one knee on top of the Arhat wooden figure, panting heavily, but his eyes were filled with uncontrollable excitement.

It's done! It can wrap up immediately!

"Rumble~"

The Arhat giant under his feet began to collapse slowly following its master's defeat. Uchiha Gin, barely straightening up, jumped off the giant and landed beside the unconscious Hashirama Senju, his eyes flashing with an inexplicable light.

"Big Cousin is awesome! Hurry up and kill that guy!"

Watching Uchiha Gin standing until the end, Uchiha Izuna could not suppress the joy in his heart and shouted at him.

Big Cousin, you're the best!

"Cousin, wait..."

Meanwhile, Uchiha Madara was caught in a dilemma; he wanted to speak but didn't know where to start.

Someone wants to kill you, and you're still showing mercy? Don't be so naive!

Uchiha Gin's gaze rippled as he looked at the fallen Hashirama Senju. He drew the decorative long sword from his back, preparing to wrap up this guy's role.

"Haha!"

Watching the long sword glinting with cold light, Uchiha Izuna couldn't help but laugh out loud, his curved mouth unable to be suppressed any longer.

"Mr. Gin actually won!"

In the corner, Uchiha Zhi's beautiful eyes were filled with deep astonishment. Seeing Uchiha Gin safe and sound, she couldn't help but feel relieved.

Wait, why is Hashirama Senju already lying on the ground, yet the restraints on her body haven't been lifted?

Of the three people bound by Wood Release, Izuna was excitedly watching the execution and had long forgotten who had caused the restraints, while Uchiha Madara was having an internal struggle in his mind and had also forgotten the wooden branches tightly wrapped around him.

"Mr. Gin, be careful!"

The young girl disregarded the thorny restraints on her body. Even though she was bleeding from the wooden branches, she still stubbornly straightened up and used all her might to shout at Uchiha Gin, who was raising his sword.

"Ha? What is little Zhi saying?"

Uchiha Gin knew clearly, but he still turned his head with a look of confusion.

The next scene made the few who were originally happy feel as if their burning hearts had fallen into an ice cellar.

"Ssh~"

Hearing a dull sound, Uchiha Gin only felt a pain in his chest. He looked down in confusion, only to see a sharp blade protruding from his chest. The glaring cold light made him unable to open his eyes.

"Thud~"

A puff of smoke rose, and the Hashirama Senju lying in the crater before him turned into a piece of withered wood.

"Wah~"

Fresh blood gushed from Uchiha Gin's mouth. He tilted his head slightly to see the somewhat disheveled Hashirama Senju behind him, holding the long sword against his back, his eyes tightly closed, showing no emotion.

"I actually got stabbed in the back..."

"Sorry, my dream has yet to be realized; I cannot fall here."

Before going offline, Hashirama Senju did not forget to add lines for himself according to his character setting.

Uchiha Gin slowly fell to the ground, the blood flowing from his chest spreading slowly like a poignant oil painting, filled with the sorrow of the curtain falling.

"Boom!!!"

After a brief silence on the battlefield, three waves of chakra suddenly soared into the sky, mixed with cold and obscure pupil power, making the few people present feel chilled to the bone.

"Heh, Big Cousin, stop joking, get up quickly."

The first to speak was Uchiha Izuna, who had his head lowered. One could only hear him laugh a few times in a hoarse voice. He slowly raised his head and muttered to Uchiha Gin's corpse, hoping the other party would just say a few cocky lines and get back up, like they usually did when playing duel games.

Two trails of blood tears flowed down Uchiha Izuna's cheeks. His once pitch-black pupils had now turned scarlet, and a bewitching, eerie pattern slowly rotated within them. Following his words, cold power condensed behind him, as if it were about to burst forth at any moment.

"Ha! Shi! Ra! Ma!"

Uchiha Madara, however, stared unblinkingly at Hashirama Senju, whose hands were covered in Uchiha Gin's blood, not even blinking once even though his eyes were smeared with blood. Now, his heart was filled with endless regret.

If only he had been a little stronger, Uchiha Gin wouldn't have died. He had just sworn to protect his brother well, yet in the blink of an eye, they were separated by life and death.

A deep sense of powerlessness filled his heart with remorse. The three tomoe in his eyes, as his emotions intensified, slowly transformed into the same bewitching and eerie pattern.

"Fake, it's all fake."

In the corner, the young girl was bleeding all over from the thorns, her long purple hair soaked with sweat. Her beautiful eyes were now hollow and dull. Looking at the silent Uchiha Gin in the distance, she couldn't stop muttering to herself.

As the emptiness in the girl's heart amplified, her eyes were stained scarlet, and three immature tomoe spun rapidly. When the emotions in her heart reached their peak, the shackles in her bloodline were quietly broken.

Two trails of blood tears flowed down slowly, the three tomoe disappeared, turning into a scarlet clover, mixed with a few strands of mysterious aura within the coldness.

Uchiha Gin, who was lying on the ground faking death, secretly opened one eye and sensed the state of the few people on the field.

When he saw that his little apprentice had actually opened the Mangekyo as well, the surprise in his heart was beyond measure.

What is this? Buy two get one free, an unexpected windfall?

"Calling Director! Calling Director! It's time to wrap up!"

Uchiha Gin, switching back to the chat group, first removed the Director from his blacklist and then shouted in the group: if you don't come to wrap this up, the situation is going to get out of control.

Look, the little cousin is about to pilot a Gundam, and little Zhi seems to be about to use some weird skill. Hurry up and send someone!

"Received, received!"

The Director, who had been watching the show from afar, nudged Uchiha Tajima beside him and said,

"Uncle, it's done!"

"Mm, I sensed it, but why are there three? Did you open yours too?"

Uchiha Tajima, who could only see the general picture, stood up and asked in confusion.

The huge battle just now was so blood-boiling; wanting to observe it carefully, he hadn't been paying attention and opened his Mangekyo, which caused his vision to decline a bit, making him unable to see the scene that happened later clearly.

"I really didn't open it; it was little Zhi who opened hers."

Uchiha Gin waved his hands repeatedly, indicating that he didn't touch that kind of thing.

"Yo, it seems your little apprentice is quite attentive to you~"

Tian Dao gave a teasing smile and nudged Uchiha Gin with his elbow, the sense of unease in his eyes plain to see.

"Stop spouting nonsense. My relationship with little Zhili is perfectly innocent, and furthermore, I had a deep, platonic friendship with her mother; how could I commit any act of impropriety!"

Alright, the Warring States arc is about to end (presumably).

There are still a few plot holes left to fill, and I also want to go up to the moon to take a look~

So, do you all want the founding of the Hidden Leaf Village, or should we play around in the Warring States period a bit longer~

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(End of chapter)