Chapter 246: Uchiha Gin's Oversight

Uchiha Madara, arms crossed, stood proudly atop the hideous head of the Eight-Tails. Looking down at Senju Hashirama, who was leaping toward him, the curve of his lips was impossible to suppress, no matter how hard he tried.

"Hashirama, how many did you catch?"

Madara tilted his head, asking a question he already knew the answer to.

He hadn't tasted this feeling of victory in many years; he had to savor it slowly.

Hashirama wasn't offended by the question. He scratched the back of his head and gave an honest, hearty laugh.

"I only caught three."

In his mind, he had only captured the Five-Tails, the Six-Tails, and the Nine-Tails. As for that large beetle, Hashirama hadn't categorized it as a Tailed Beast.

After all, it didn't have a tail, did it?

"Eh? Three?"

Uchiha Gin, who had arrived at the scene to watch the spectacle, was quietly playing the part of a spectator. Upon hearing Hashirama's words, his hand holding a sunflower seed paused, and a few traces of confusion appeared in his vacant eyes.

He had clearly sensed the presence of four Tailed Beasts behind Hashirama. How had it become three?

"Then, this time, I win!"

Suppressing the joy in his heart, Madara lowered his head and asked the slightly dejected Hashirama in a loud voice.

"I lost."

Hashirama didn't argue. He admitted his defeat gracefully; he had lived his life upright and honorable, never one to stab others in the back.

The crowd that had gathered was shocked by Hashirama's admission. The members of the Ninja Clan Alliance, in particular, began to ponder how to curry favor with the Uchiha clan.

Several pairs of eyes turned simultaneously toward the frowning Uchiha Gin, calculating how to build a connection.

"We've all spent money on their lotteries, so we've essentially paid tribute to the Uchiha clan. They shouldn't make things difficult for us, right?"

Seeing the Uchiha clan about to take flight, the anxious Shimura Kenichi whispered to his friends.

"That's hard to say. Your attitude before, Kenichi, was a bit..."

Sarutobi Sasuke stroked his chin. He had no conflict with Uchiha Gin and even shared a bit of history; at the very least, his Sarutobi clan shouldn't be targeted or suppressed.

"Ah..."

Kenichi felt his heart turn to ash. If he had known the Uchiha clan would soar like this, he wouldn't have been so hostile toward Gin.

Now it was over. His son's backside hadn't even healed yet, and his clan might face total annihilation.

"Our Yamanaka clan owes the Uchiha quite a bit of money, though..."

Compared to the nervous Kenichi, Yamanaka Minako seemed relieved. She patted her ample chest, lowered her head, and cast a secret, lingering glance at Gin's back, her blue-green eyes shimmering with secrets that could not be spoken.

Uchiha Gin, standing in the front row, frowned. Beside him, Uchiha Izuna clenched his fists, his face flushed with excitement. Watching Hashirama bow his head to his older brother, he felt an incomparable sense of relief.

If that white-haired brat Senju Tobirama would also bow his head to him, that feeling would be... *tsk tsk*.

"Big Brother Gin, does this mean the Uchiha have them all?"

An excited Izuna turned to ask the silent Gin.

"Whether they have them all, I don't know, but someone is certainly unhappy."

Knowing things weren't that simple, Gin sighed softly and said to his little brother, who was caught in the whirlpool of power.

Uchiha Madara, standing atop the Eight-Tails, his long black hair dancing in the wind, felt immense satisfaction. The joy of defeating Hashirama far outweighed the excitement of becoming Hokage.

"Madara, when we get back, I'll design the Hokage Rock myself. I'll make sure it's carved beautifully!"

Hashirama, accepting his defeat, leaped onto the Eight-Tails' head and looked at his best friend, genuinely happy for him.

"Hmph... make sure you slim down the face."

Madara was even more satisfied now.

"Wait!"

Just as everything was about to be settled, a blue figure descended like lightning. Senju Tobirama, face solemn, gritted his teeth and shouted at his brother.

"Big Brother! The position of Hokage is a matter of great importance. The outcome is not yet decided; it is far too early to say such things!"

"Eh? But I lost..."

Hashirama said, feeling embarrassed as he looked at his agitated brother.

"That's right, that's right! Three against four—no matter how you look at it, my brother won!"

As a professional "White-Hair-Baiter," Izuna jumped out immediately to chime in.

"Hmph! The competition isn't over yet. There is still one Tailed Beast wandering outside."

Tobirama crossed his arms, glanced disdainfully at Izuna, and announced loudly.

"If Uchiha Madara captures that last beast, his appointment as Hokage will be well-deserved. But if my brother captures it, then we must change the standard for victory."

"That's sophistry!"

Izuna's eyes turned slightly red, and a faint yellow phantom appeared behind him, as if he were about to grab the white-haired brat who was speaking so eloquently.

"Tobirama, isn't that a bit unfair?"

Hashirama felt embarrassed by his brother's interference, as if he were the one being a sore loser.

"It's fine, I agree!"

Seeming to have victory in his grasp, Madara lowered his head and said to his younger brother, who was looking indignant.

"Ah?"

The crowd was in an uproar. In their eyes, Madara had already won; there was no need to participate in this unfair overtime match.

"Big Brother, the location of the Seven-Tails is written clearly in the intelligence report. You must set off immediately. This time, you must not be careless!"

Tobirama breathed a sigh of relief, feeling there was still room to turn things around. He flashed to Hashirama's side and urged him.

"Big Brother! I've already admitted defeat."

As the strongest man in the Land of Fire, Hashirama had his own pride.

Even if he lost, he wanted to lose gracefully.

To linger on like this—was that the behavior of a real man?

"Big Brother!"

"Stop. Say no more."

Purple chakra erupted from Hashirama, the terrifying pressure causing Tobirama to break into a cold sweat instantly.

The words he had prepared were stuck in his throat, unable to be uttered.

Having used his presence to stop his brother's antics, Hashirama turned to look at Madara, who was calm and composed. His tense face instantly broke into a smile as he explained.

"Madara, I apologize for Tobirama. He's too extreme. I'll educate him properly when we get back."

"No matter. I'm already used to it."

Madara, in high spirits, didn't mind Tobirama's behavior at all. In his eyes, it was nothing more than the barking of a defeated dog.

"Clan Leader Senju is truly a man of high character. Even if he were to become Hokage, no one would have any objections, right?"

The Ninja Clan Alliance, witnessing this, raised their estimation of Hashirama even higher, speaking with genuine admiration.

However, one man remained skeptical.

Uchiha Gin tilted his head, scanning the four cages in the distance. Looking at the four Tailed Beasts sleeping soundly inside, he scratched his head in confusion.

Was Hashirama really throwing the match? How could he claim there was no beast when there was such a massive one right there?

"Madara, do you remember when we were kids, catching beetles in the forest?"

Having let go of his obsession with being Hokage, Hashirama began to chat about the past with Madara.

Tobirama, meanwhile, stood by with a dark face, plotting how to ruin this.

Konoha had been built by their Senju clan, with all their manpower and money.

Now, the Uchiha were going to reap the rewards, and he would never let Madara sit on the Hokage throne so easily.

"Haha, of course I remember. My beetles were always the fiercest!"

Madara's eyes were filled with smiles. No matter when they talked about those green years, he felt immense nostalgia.

"Heh, I caught a super fierce beetle on this trip. I was planning to show it off to you..."

Hashirama scratched his cheek, giving an embarrassed smile.

"How fierce?"

The fact that Hashirama used the word "fierce" piqued Madara's curiosity.

"Childish!"

Tobirama muttered under his breath. In his view, two men in their thirties were still obsessed with insects; handing Konoha over to such people was a recipe for disaster.

"Eh... it's as fierce as a Tailed Beast. As it happens, I'll give it to you as a gift to celebrate you becoming Hokage!"

Not knowing how to describe the large beetle he had brought back from the Land of Waterfalls, Hashirama pointed at the Eight-Tails Madara was riding and said.

"Then what are we waiting for? Take me to see it!"

Men are boys until they die; it was hard for them not to be moved by an insect covered in thick, heavy armor.

"Is this the Tailed Beast you caught?"

Following Hashirama, Madara raised an eyebrow in surprise as he looked at the four massive creatures in the wooden cages.

Madara's method of suppressing Tailed Beasts was simple: just stare at them with the Sharingan, and they were basically captured.

But Hashirama, without powerful genjutsu, had managed to capture so many; it was truly no small feat.

"Sigh... it's mainly because they aren't easy to carry. I had to rush back to cage them one by one. It wasted too much time."

Hashirama shook his head and sighed.

"???"

Upon hearing this, Madara's pupils constricted, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.

He hadn't expected Hashirama's capture process to be so cumbersome. Fortunately, he could control these beasts, or he might have actually lost.

"Look, it's this big beetle. Isn't it handsome?"

Hashirama leaped onto a wooden cage and pointed at the unconscious Chomei beneath his feet, showing it off with a smile.

"Not bad, truly not bad!"

The moment he caught sight of the large beetle, Madara felt a jolt in his heart. The ferocious armor, the sturdy and thick horn, the cold, sharp mandibles—it made his eyes glow with envy.

"Are you sure you want to give it to me?"

"Of course!"

That was the Seven-Tails!

As the only man in the arena who knew the truth, Uchiha Gin stared expressionlessly at Chomei, who was curled into a ball of wings.

He hadn't expected that among the nine Tailed Beasts, the smartest one would be a caterpillar.

To disguise itself as a harmless large beetle to try and muddle through—it was truly despicable!

"Big Brother! You went to catch Tailed Beasts, why did you bring back this thing?"

Watching the two chatting away, Tobirama's nose was almost crooked with anger.

During such an important competition, Hashirama had actually wasted time catching this useless thing, causing him to lose the Hokage position—it was a heinous crime!

"Eh... I caught it on the way!"

Sensing his brother's anger, Hashirama shrank his neck and explained aggrievedly.

"Don't make excuses. I shouldn't have trusted you so much!"

Tobirama had previously suggested that he observe the capture process, but Hashirama had sternly refused.

"Really, I swear, I discovered this beetle by accident while I was looking for the Seven-Tails in the Land of Waterfalls."

Raising his finger, Hashirama spoke with certainty.

"And the Seven-Tails?"

"Didn't find it. Maybe it went out to play~"

Although he felt some regret, let bygones be bygones.

"ROAR!!!"

Just as everyone was watching the show, a thunderous roar suddenly erupted from the ground, accompanied by terrifying pressure that shook the hearts of many present. Those with weaker strength even felt dizzy.

"Vile humans, let me go!"

Inside the wooden cage Hashirama had created, a fiery red figure arched its back, opened its ferocious, foul-smelling mouth, and spoke to the crowd with a voice full of hatred.

"Ah! Tailed Beasts can talk?"

Unaffected by the Nine-Tails' pressure, Senju Itama looked curious. She tugged on Uchiha Gin's sleeve and asked.

"The Inuzuka clan's dogs can talk, let alone Tailed Beasts. That's species discrimination!"

Gin rolled his eyes and explained.

He then looked up at the energetic Nine-Tails, a trace of confusion flashing in his dead-fish eyes.

How did the Nine-Tails suddenly wake up?

"ROAR! Shameless humans, let us go!"

"Hiss... where is this? I remember a big wooden man..."

The Five-Tails and Six-Tails also woke up one after another. Seeing they were trapped, they became violent, but fearing the wooden cage's ability to absorb chakra, they could only roar in impotent rage.

Chomei: *I am a caterpillar~*

Chomei also woke up, but compared to the other three jumping beasts, it remained very calm.

Anyway, it hadn't revealed its Tailed Beast identity. It would just pretend to be unconscious and wait for the right moment to run away.

Having formulated a perfect escape plan, Chomei lay there naturally, ignoring the roars of the other three beasts.

"Hashirama, do you need my help?"

Madara, very skilled at handling Tailed Beasts, saw the three beasts wake up and asked arrogantly.

"No need, they can't escape~"

Although confused as to why the beasts had woken up, Hashirama, who had great confidence in his wooden cages, smiled and refused Madara's offer.

"You idiots, wake up!"

The Nine-Tails in the cage, after several tentative contacts, discovered in despair that the wooden cage seemed to naturally restrain them.

As soon as it touched it, it felt weak, and its chakra was being devoured frantically. It could only raise its massive head and stare at the four beasts outside, calling out loudly.

"Nine-Tails, look at their eyes!"

Kokuo was relatively calm. Although it was emitting hot steam, its mind hadn't gone berserk. Looking at the four beasts standing outside, it frowned and reminded the Nine-Tails.

"Damn it, these brothers, even in death they won't let us be!"

The Nine-Tails cursed.

"Hashirama, the feeling of missing one is quite annoying. Why don't we go together and catch the last one?"

Madara, the cold-hearted man, scanned the seven beasts present. As a man with obsessive-compulsive disorder, he felt very uncomfortable missing one.

"I went to the Land of Waterfalls too, but I didn't find that green caterpillar~"

Hashirama sighed, feeling helpless.

"No matter, we can interrogate the Tailed Beasts. They seem to have some kind of connection."

Recalling the aquatic duo he had captured, those two beasts seemed to be talking about something.

In that case, perhaps the Tailed Beasts knew each other.

"Really! That's great, hurry up and ask!"

Hashirama was overjoyed and urged him.

Madara nodded and fixed his gaze on one of the beasts. His eyes narrowed, and a cold, obscure aura suddenly appeared.

"Tsk!"

This uncomfortable aura made Tobirama curl his lip.

Discrimination against red-eyed people starts with the white-haired.

"Where is the remaining Tailed Beast?"

The one being questioned was Isobu, the turtle Senju Itama had been longing for. It stretched out its spike-covered head, its red eyes filled with thought, and replied blankly.

"In the Land of Wind."

"It actually ran to the Land of Wind?"

Not doubting the information, Madara looked at Hashirama and said.

"The Land of Wind... why would it run to such a remote place?"

Hashirama was equally confused.

"Ask again, is there any more detailed information?"

"Where exactly in the Land of Wind is the remaining Tailed Beast?"

"In a temple in the Land of Wind, accompanied by a blue lamp and an ancient Buddha..."

"Huh? Tailed Beasts can become monks too?"

Hashirama and Madara were both stunned. What kind of temple was so powerful that it could even reform a Tailed Beast?

"Shut up! You stupid turtle!"

The Nine-Tails in the cage, hearing the exchange between the humans, cursed in anger, its yellow eyes filled with hatred.

Although that stupid tanuki had a foul mouth, it was still one of their own; how could it betray a homie!

"Noisy beast, after we catch the Seven-Tails, we'll arrange for you properly~"

The interrogation was interrupted by the Nine-Tails. Madara, in a bad mood, turned his head, his red eyes filled with coldness, staring fearlessly into the beast's eyes, and coldly sentenced them to a miserable fate.

"When the time comes, I'll chain all eight of you up and make you guard dogs for Konoha!"

"Damn human! Eat my..."

Hearing the outrageous statement from the human with the Indra aura, the Nine-Tails was so angry it felt like it was ascending to heaven. Its fiery red fur stood on end, and a black ball of light began to condense in its mouth.

"Wait... you just said, catch the Seven-Tails?"

However, during the long charging process, it realized something. The Tailed Beast Bomb at its mouth slowly dissipated, and the fox sat quietly in the cage. After scanning its surroundings with confused eyes, it fixed its gaze on Chomei, who was still pretending to be dead, and asked in confusion.

"Hmph... that's right, only the Seven-Tails, that green caterpillar, is left~"

Below the stage.

"Smack!"

"Eh? Gin-sensei, why are you slapping your forehead?"

Uchiha Izumi, who was examining the Tailed Beasts, saw Gin suddenly slap his forehead and asked in confusion.

"It's nothing. I just overlooked a small matter."

Gin sighed deeply, shook his numb palm, and looked at the large beetle still pretending to be dead, his heart suddenly clear.

When he sold the Tailed Beast intelligence to the two contestants, he seemed to have forgotten to describe the appearance of the beasts.

As a result, both of them had used the Tailed Beast dolls in their display cases as references, working hard to capture the beasts.

The others were fine; they looked the same from childhood to adulthood, with basically no changes.

However, only the Seven-Tails, that caterpillar, had undergone a earth-shattering transformation in appearance.

In its juvenile form, the Seven-Tails was a green caterpillar, but when it grew to its complete form, its seven tails would merge into one, and the other six would become insect wings.

A complete makeover—it was no wonder Hashirama hadn't recognized it.

"Green caterpillar?"

In the arena, upon hearing Madara's words, the three conscious Tailed Beasts looked toward Chomei, who was still pretending to be dead. Gin could see the mocking looks in their eyes from hundreds of meters away.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Chomei, who was "unconscious," coughed a few times.

*Brothers, don't sell me out... *

"Human, how do you plan to deal with that... bug?"

As the smartest Tailed Beast, the Nine-Tails, having guessed Chomei's thoughts, raised its massive head and asked the two men standing on the Seven-Tails' cage.

"Why should I tell you?"

Madara, hearing a mere beast dare to question him, immediately wore a cold face.

"Hmph... if you tell me, I'll tell you the exact location of the Seven-Tails."

Suppressing the anger in its heart, the Nine-Tails gritted its teeth and said.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Chomei started coughing again, its painful moans trying to evoke sympathy from the other beasts.

"Is this beetle sick?"

Listening to the painful moans from the beetle beneath his feet, Hashirama scratched the back of his head and asked uncertainly.

He knew that when he found this beetle, it was in a cocoon state. Had his rough behavior of forcibly dragging it out damaged its vitality, causing this large beetle to be half-dead?

"Doesn't matter, if it's sick, just throw it away."

Looking at the troubled Hashirama, Madara waved his hand generously, indicating he didn't care.

"Throw it away? Human, that guy is the Seven-Tails! Don't look at it like this; before, it was just a green caterpillar!"

Madara's casual remark instantly triggered a reaction from the Nine-Tails. It stretched out its sharp claws, cold light shimmering at its fingertips, pointed at Chomei, who was still pretending to be dead, and exposed the truth loudly.

"Nani?"

"They can testify too!"

The Nine-Tails looked at the Five-Tails and Six-Tails beside it and said.

"That's right, that guy is the Seven-Tails! Such behavior of abandoning one's own kind is truly a disgrace to the Tailed Beasts!"

The Five-Tails and Six-Tails nodded repeatedly. If we're going down, we're going down together; why should you get away with it?

Chomei: *I curse your ancestors! *

"Hahaha..."

Some were happy, some were sad at this news. Tobirama, upon hearing the Nine-Tails' revelation, flashed to the top of the wooden cage and, after looking around, announced with a laugh.

"Since both contestants have the same number of Tailed Beasts, let's move on to the next round..."

(End of Chapter)