Chapter 244: Madam, why didn't you say so earlier?

That day...

Kurama finally recalled...

The fear of once being dominated by the Wood Human...

And that shame of being imprisoned in a wooden cage.

"KANA!!!"

The crimson beast opened its mouth filled with sharp teeth. A dark light sphere transmitted a destructive aura, and the target it pointed at was filled with scars.

"Wood Style: Wood Dragon Technique!"

The long-haired man with a steady expression clapped his hands together. Several ferocious Wood Dragons rose from the ground beneath his feet, carrying immense power as they rolled toward the already insane beast.

"Bang!"

Kurama, who was focused on preparing a 2:8 feast, couldn't dodge in time and could only watch as the familiar Wood Dragon wrapped around him. Helpless, he could only spray the Tailed Beast Bomb, which hadn't finished charging, toward the dragon's head that was opening its mouth to bite.

The killing move, containing formidable destructive power, instantly annihilated the Wood Dragon's head. The Tailed Beast Bomb, which hadn't disappeared yet, attacked Senju Hashirama, who was frowning, with unstoppable momentum.

"Can't let my big beetle get hurt, otherwise I won't be able to brag to Madara~"

Senju Hashirama glanced at the Wood Human standing behind him, with that cool beetle still carried on its back.

He then refined chakra again, and a Wood Human of the same specifications rose from the ground. Its mountain-like giant hand grabbed directly at the Tailed Beast Bomb that was shooting over.

"Boom!"

With a thunderous explosion, a sky-filling smoke and dust rose in the field, carrying a faint burnt smell. The towering Wood Human didn't move an inch under the heavy blow, and that Tailed Beast Bomb, carrying terrifying power, was actually annihilated by the Wood Human's bare hands.

"Didn't expect the Tailed Beast to come looking for me on its own. Is it a coincidence?"

Jumping onto the Wood Human's head, Senju Hashirama looked at the Nine-Tails Fox before him, which was emitting a violent aura, and sank into thought.

According to intelligence, this Nine-Tails Fox should have been wandering in the northeast of the Land of Fire for a long time. How could it cross the entire Land of Fire and come to the Land of Waterfalls to cause trouble? It was truly mind-boggling.

"That guy Chomei..."

Seeing his signature skill easily neutralized by Senju Hashirama, Kurama, who had calmed down a bit, couldn't help but start cursing Chomei, who was still unconscious.

That idiot caterpillar, why didn't he say that the human here was a descendant of Asura? Just this Wood Style alone already had a few parts of Asura's flair.

And so, Kurama's heart began to retreat. In his giant beast pupils, a few hints of human-like contemplation appeared.

"As long as the green hills remain, there's no need to worry about firewood." Those idiots who were captured would revive anyway. Why should he care so much? At worst, he just wouldn't go to the chat room to brag anymore, so he wouldn't be criticized by that stinky tanuki.

Saying it and doing it, Kurama, who had the intention to retreat, glanced subconsciously behind him to see if there were any obstacles, then pretended to be insane again. His giant mouth was emitting slow heat, with the posture of fighting Senju Hashirama to the death.

"Is he going to fight to the death?"

Seeing the Nine-Tails Fox in a posture of "you die or I die," Senju Hashirama hurriedly withdrew his wandering thoughts, stared at the other party with eyes like torches, and clapped his hands together lightly, waiting for the trump card the other party hadn't exposed yet.

"ROAR!!!"

Kurama raised his ferocious beast head and exhaled a fishy breath at Senju Hashirama, who was waiting in full battle array, which was so pungent that people couldn't open their eyes. At the same time, a violent aura began to brew in his blood-red maw.

"Wood Style: Wood Golem Technique."

Thinking the other party's killing move was coming and worried that the beetle behind him would be affected, Senju Hashirama held his breath and used the Wood Golem Technique. Countless wooden branches instantly grew from the ground, weaving into a giant mask resembling a ghost god, blocking before him in an attempt to resist Kurama's killing move.

"Uh... why is there no movement?"

Behind the mask, Senju Hashirama, who had waited for half a day, scratched his head in confusion. Just now, looking at Kurama's posture, the killing move he used must have been immensely powerful, so why was it all thunder and no rain?

As he spoke, he quietly poked his head out from behind the mask, wanting to take a peek.

"Huh? He ran?"

Not looking was one thing, but looking was another. Kurama, who had been majestic and in a "you die or I die" posture just now, only had nine tails left swaying wantonly on the distant horizon. Looking at that skilled posture of running away, he was definitely a repeat offender.

"Hmph~ I have to say, how did the old man choose me to be the leader? If I didn't have a brain, could I manage so many tails?"

Without any sense of shame, Kurama ran happily on the vast plains. A look of human-like pride appeared on his giant beast head. Recalling that silly and naive human, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Haha, that guy's brain is as stupid as Asura's. So what if he can fight? You need a brain to survive out here~"

"I didn't hear clearly, say it again."

Suddenly, a strange voice intervened. Kurama, who was in the middle of running, hadn't turned his brain around yet. Upon hearing it, he replied casually.

"I said that human is like Asura... Nani, why are you running so fast!"

Kurama, who was speeding, looked in surprise at the Wood Human running beside him. The other party, even while carrying the unconscious Chomei, was still moving as fast as flying.

Two short legs were moving fast, sticking tightly to his side, and the human he had just mocked was standing on the Wood Human's head, looking at him with resentment.

"Stand still!"

Just as Kurama was surprised, Senju Hashirama clapped his hands together. Countless wooden branches grew from the Wood Human, turning into giant wooden hands that grabbed toward Kurama.

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Bloom!"

Caught off guard, Kurama was directly hugged by this move. He opened his mouth to resist, but found that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't exert any strength. He could only watch as a giant hand with the word "Seat" written on it pressed onto his head.

"Bring-Down-the-Hand-of-the-Merciful-One."

The next moment, Kurama felt his eyes go black, and his consciousness seemed to fly back to his childhood. At that time, he was innocent and was a good fox who liked making friends.

"Phew~ Phew~ Phew~"

"Yeah, Nine-Tails capture successful~"

Looking at Kurama lying on the ground, blowing snot bubbles, Senju Hashirama's expression relaxed, revealing a row of white teeth, smiling very brightly.

Counting the Nine-Tails, he now had three Tailed Beasts in hand. The scales of victory had already fallen on his head.

Senju Hashirama, smiling and laughing, manipulated the Wood Human to carry the Nine-Tails and hurried toward the Hidden Leaf Village with great satisfaction.

Sorry, Madara, I won again this time~

Not long after Senju Hashirama left carrying the Nine-Tails, a battered team of people arrived at the battlefield. Looking at the unrecognizable terrain, the gloomy man leading them had eyes filled with horror.

"Leader, should we pursue?"

The gloomy man was the leader of the Land of Waterfalls ninjas. At this moment, he was covered in dust, and blood was still faintly seeping from his body. Upon hearing his subordinate's words, a hint of conflict flashed in his eyes, then he shook his head and ordered.

"Retreat, go back and settle the wounded first."

"Yes."

At this moment, the ninja base of the Land of Waterfalls had already turned into a pile of ruins. All that could be seen were flames that hadn't been extinguished yet, and in his ears were the painful wails of the wounded.

Not long ago, the leader of the Land of Waterfalls ninjas, after witnessing Senju Hashirama take Chomei away in the forbidden area, immediately rushed back to the base with his confidants, preparing to gather manpower to take back the roots of their Land of Waterfalls.

However, before they returned to the base, they heard the sound of explosions from afar, so they immediately accelerated, wanting to see what was going on.

"Who is it, daring to attack us!"

The leader's face was gloomy. Although their Land of Waterfalls' strength was slightly inferior to the other five great countries, they weren't soft persimmons that could be bullied at will.

"Leader, you're finally back! It's the disaster beast, the disaster beast is here!"

Just as they arrived at the base, a ninja with a terrified face greeted them, his voice trembling as he told them the culprit, his eyes filled with fear.

"Nani!"

Upon hearing this, the leader felt great horror in his heart. He had heard of the name of the disaster beast, but how could that kind of unpredictable disaster come to this place where birds don't poop?

"Follow me, I want to see what this disaster beast..."

Although his heart was pounding, the leader of the Land of Waterfalls ninjas knew he couldn't retreat, so he braced himself and called out to the subordinates who still had combat power, wanting to fight the disaster beast to the death.

"KANA~"

However, before he could even see the appearance of the disaster beast, he was hit in the face by a dark gray Tailed Beast Bomb. Fortunately, he had drunk quite a bit of Hero's Water before, and in an instant, violent chakra surged through the meridians in his body.

"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall,"

The leader's face sank, and he clapped his hands onto the ground. A stone wall suddenly protruded. The heavy Earth Flow Wall gave him a sense of security.

"Don't be afraid, it's just a beast with a larger body and a bit of chakra. It's completely insufficient to..."

"BOOM!!!"

Just as he waved his hand to mobilize, that stone wall, which looked full of security, didn't curb the pace of the Tailed Beast Bomb. It was melted by the high temperature the moment it made contact, and everyone was directly exposed to the aftermath of the Tailed Beast Bomb. The scorching heat hit them.

"NO!!!"

"Hiccup~ Is Chomei gone?"

Kurama, who didn't care about the lives of humans, threw a few small Tailed Beast Bombs at the ninja base of the Land of Waterfalls. Sniffing the aura of Chomei moving away, he shook his giant beast head, didn't even look at the ninjas present, and chased in the direction Senju Hashirama had left.

Afterward, the one man and one beast that met on a narrow road had the battle mentioned at the beginning of this chapter.

Hidden Leaf.

"Ha~ Hasn't Big Cousin come back yet?"

On the bustling street, a curly-haired man with a handsome face but empty eyes yawned loudly, then used his annoying dead fish eyes to look around at the bustling crowd, incidentally complaining about Uchiha Madara, who had been away for several days without a word.

"Sure enough, older ones know how to cherish people~"

Having just escaped from Uchiha Aunt Yongmei's gentle embrace, Uchiha Gin felt refreshed. This experience, which was completely different from that of a green teenage girl, couldn't help but make him savor it. The fragrance remaining at the corners of his mouth made him float in reverie.

He only hated that there were only seven days in a week. How could he manage it all~

"Eh~ Curly-haired baboon, why are you here?"

Just as Uchiha Gin was savoring the lingering fragrance at the corners of his mouth, a crisp voice interrupted his reverie.

Listening to the familiar tone, he subconsciously rolled his eyes, then turned his head lazily, looked at Senju Ban-jian, who had a look of surprise, and Uchiha Uchiha Zhili, who was thoughtful beside her, curled his lips, and replied.

"Did you open this street? Why can't I come?"

Although that was the case, this bustling commercial street Uchiha Gin was currently on happened to be the work of craftsmen from the Land of Waves. According to property rights, this street belonged to his private property.

"Didn't you say you weren't going out during the day today?"

Not in a hurry to bicker with Uchiha Gin, Senju Ban-jian frowned her delicate eyebrows, tilted her head, and asked. She always felt that the curly-haired guy before her was acting suspiciously and hiding something from her.

"Ha~ I just felt there would be excitement today, can't I come out early?"

Stared at by the girl's suspicious gaze, Uchiha Gin, who felt a bit guilty, yawned unnaturally and found a reason casually.

Just then, Uchiha Uchiha Zhili stepped forward, her cold, beautiful eyes examining Uchiha Gin, who was dressed appropriately, and finally landed on the corner of his mouth, asking slowly.

"Mr. Gin, have you eaten?"

Relying on a ninja's keen sense of smell, Uchiha Uchiha Zhili smelled a strange scent on Uchiha Gin, and she always felt she had smelled this scent somewhere before.

"Ate, ate, ate until I was full~"

Worried that the two girls would see through the clues, Uchiha Gin immediately started to laugh and joke, his eyes narrowing, smacking his lips as if savoring the delicacy he had just tasted.

"Mr. Gin!"

Just as Uchiha Gin was accepting the two girls' interrogation, a pleasant voice came from behind him. Turning around in confusion, he saw a group of debtors, among whom the leading man was looking at him with joy.

"Isn't this Sasuke? How is Brother Takinosuke doing~"

Seeing someone come out to relieve him, Uchiha Gin, who was afraid of being exposed, immediately laughed and greeted him.

"Thanks to you, Teacher's body is very sturdy, and he even has the energy to guide Hiruzen recently."

Mentioning his mentor, Sarutobi Sasuke's gratitude grew even stronger, and he hurriedly replied.

"Mr. Gin, I'd like to ask about the menu in your dungeon. Uncle Shinji has had a poor appetite recently~"

Akimichi Shinji, behind Sarutobi Sasuke, leaned over with a smile. After his uncle was redeemed and brought home, he showed a lack of appetite for the food in the clan, sighing from time to time about how the food in the dungeon was this or that, which made him feel worried while also giving birth to curiosity.

One had to know that the Akimichi clan was well-versed in the way of food. Being able to make Akimichi Shinji, a great gourmet, miss it day and night, the food in the dungeon must be top-notch.

"Easy, easy. If the dungeon hadn't closed, I'd have invited you to stay for a few days to experience it properly~"

Uchiha Gin nodded with some surprise, not expecting there to be someone who liked eating prison food.

"... I'll send the interest to you at the end of this month."

Compared to the familiarity of the previous few, Yamanaka Minako seemed more reserved, even a bit fearful. She lowered her head, looking at a loss, pinching her fingertips that were tense to the point of straightening, and squeezed out a sentence from between her teeth with great embarrassment.

"No problem, no problem. If you're tight on cash, you can apply for an extension and renew it for a few more years, interest remains the same~"

Compared to the other clans, the Yamanaka clan had suffered a lot. They didn't know when they would be able to pay back the money they owed.

According to the usury contract, Yamanaka Ino, one of the future twelve guardians, would probably also become his debtor, to be manipulated by him~

"Tsk~"

Suddenly, a very subtle "tsk" sound sounded very harsh amidst the harmonious conversation. Hearing this sound, Uchiha Gin raised his eyebrows and looked toward the owner of this sound.

"Why look at me? What the Shimura clan owes you won't be a cent less. Don't think about using such despicable means to hold us hostage."

For some reason, Shimura Kenichi always felt that the curly-haired guy before him was very unpleasant. Even though he owed him hundreds of millions, he couldn't make a fake gesture of flattery.

"Oh~ How is Brother Jin Er doing?"

Uchiha Gin didn't take Shimura Kenichi's childish behavior to heart. This kid was the same as his son, mainly stubborn. Moreover, he had a secret that could hold him for a lifetime. This Shimura kid wasn't someone he could manipulate at will.

"Hmph~ You'll be disappointed, Second Uncle is doing great!"

"Then is your mother happy?"

"Happy, of course... You curly-haired guy, what do you mean by asking that?"

How did it get to his mother while talking? Although his mother was the happiest after his second uncle was redeemed, what did that have to do with you, this curly-haired guy?

"Nothing, just asking casually~"

It seems Brother Jin Er has rekindled his old flame. This Shimura Kenichi might become the next head of the Shimura clan~

Uchiha Gin had inquired about the detailed situation of the ninja clans from the side. The situation of the Shimura clan was extremely special. The current head was Shimura Kenichi's cheap father.

But he didn't have the idea of letting Shimura Kenichi become the next head, instead valuing the younger son he had with his concubine more.

Now that Brother Jin Er had made a strong comeback, his strength not only hadn't weakened during his years in the dungeon but had even made quite a breakthrough. After returning, he quickly hooked up with his old lover. Then, pushing his own son to the position of head would be a sure thing.

"Having a good father is really good~"

Sigh... no matter what era it is, it's an era of relying on fathers.

Uchiha Gin couldn't help but feel a bit envious of Shimura Kenichi, who was about to get something for nothing. Why didn't he have such good luck? He could only rely on his own hands to create a beautiful life~

"Mr. Gin, you don't seem to be too worried?"

Seeing Uchiha Gin's calm expression, Sarutobi Sasuke couldn't help but ask.

"Ha? Worried about what?"

Suddenly asked by Sarutobi Sasuke, Uchiha Gin was a bit confused. Could it be that his little secret had been exposed? No, that shouldn't be, he had always covered it up very well!

"The position of Hokage. The leader of the Uchiha clan is your younger brother, right?"

So it was about this. Uchiha Gin couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, then put on a thoughtful posture and replied slowly.

"The position of Hokage should be held by the capable. We Uchiha clan also have dreams~"

"Then according to you, we clans who abstained are salted fish without dreams?"

Shimura Kenichi jumped out to find fault immediately. In his view, Uchiha Gin was mocking them secretly.

"No, no, no. I personally believe that the wind and water take turns. Your clans will definitely have the opportunity to reach the position of Hokage in the future~"

For Shimura Kenichi's groundless accusation, Uchiha Gin just smiled. He spread his hands, revealed a sincere expression, and encouraged the members of the ninja alliance before him.

"I'll take your word for it, it definitely will."

Sarutobi Sasuke felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing this. Uchiha Gin was such a generous and benevolent person. If he weren't trapped by his strength, he would definitely be qualified to be Hokage and lead everyone toward prosperity and strength.

If Uchiha Gin heard Sarutobi Sasuke's inner voice, he would probably take out his black, hard wooden blade and crack this guy's head open to see if he was missing a string.

Who curses someone to be Hokage?

"However, I heard that Senju Hashirama has already captured two Tailed Beasts. The Uchiha Clan Leader's chances of winning are afraid to be..."

Looking around to ensure there were no suspicious people, Sarutobi Sasuke leaned over and whispered the inside information he had obtained to Uchiha Gin.

"Nani~ He's already caught two? Tsk tsk tsk, Big Cousin is in danger~"

Uchiha Gin "frowned" upon hearing this, his tone filled with worry as he said.

But in his heart, he rolled his eyes. The commotion of two Tailed Beasts was so big that Uchiha Gin could sense it from over a dozen streets away. He didn't even need to look to guess which two Tailed Beasts Senju Hashirama had captured.

One was full of steam and like a pressure cooker; he didn't need to guess to know it was the Five-Tails Kokuo.

And the other one emitting a sour smell must be the Six-Tails Saiken, that slug, no doubt.

However, Wood Style is truly the nemesis of Tailed Beasts. To be able to take down the Five-Tails and Six-Tails so quickly...

Big Cousin, you have to work harder~

We aren't fighting for the position of Hokage, but we have to fight for face. This competition is one of the few opportunities you have to beat Senju Hashirama.

"Mr. Gin, although the Uchiha Clan Leader might not be able to be Hokage this time, next time, if the Uchiha clan still has ideas, our Sarutobi clan will definitely support you with all our strength."

Seeing the worry that wouldn't fade from Uchiha Gin's brows, Sarutobi Sasuke couldn't help but comfort him. In his view, the position of the First Hokage of the Hidden Leaf would likely be taken by Senju Hashirama.

But there were still the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth generations!

Their ninja alliance had an unstable foundation. They didn't need to think about the position of the Second Hokage for now, so it was better to do a favor and support the Uchiha clan to power, which could be considered as building a good relationship in advance.

"Ha?"

This was something Uchiha Gin never expected. He had clearly offended the ninja alliance to the point of no return, right?

It would be good if you didn't rebel against us by then, and you still want to support the Uchiha to be Hokage?

"Our Yamanaka clan is also willing..."

The second one to follow up unexpectedly was the silent Yamanaka Minako. She forced herself to perk up, looked directly into Uchiha Gin's eyes with her blue-green beautiful eyes, and said with an unnatural tone.

"Hmm?" *2

Senju Ban-jian and Uchiha Uchiha Zhili, who were eating melons on the side, suddenly had their alarm bells ringing. Their originally curious gazes suddenly became profound, staring straight at Yamanaka Minako, who had an unnatural tone. Two diametrically opposed auras emerged from their bodies, and the threat was self-evident.

"I didn't mean anything else! I just wanted to ask, if the Uchiha become Hokage, can the interest for our Yamanaka clan be calculated with a few fewer points?"

Suddenly locked by two terrifying auras, Yamanaka Minako, who was staring at Uchiha Gin and about to continue speaking, instantly broke into a cold sweat, her heartbeat accelerating to the point of almost exploding. Having never encountered such pressure before, she hurriedly explained the reason why she did this.

"Phew~"

The next moment, feeling the disappearance of the gaze, Yamanaka Minako finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then, with lingering fear, she looked at the two beautiful women standing beside Uchiha Gin and swallowed hard with difficulty.

Worried about being targeted by these two women who were emitting terrifying auras, Yamanaka Minako had to play her trump card to try and dispel the other party's concerns.

"I am a married woman, my child is almost old enough to buy soy sauce~"

"Hey~ Yamanaka Madam, why didn't you say so earlier? You also wouldn't want..."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 245 =====