Chapter 256: Welcome Home

With the addition of Uchiha Gin, the banquet, which had been lifeless and on the verge of turning into a table-flipping brawl, suddenly became relaxed and joyful. Everyone temporarily set aside the grudges in their hearts and began to drink and chat, creating a lively scene.

"Brother Gin!"

"Brother Hashirama~"

Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Gin looked like they had met too late in life. Amidst the clinking of cups, the two slightly tipsy men almost swore brotherhood under the moon on the spot. Fortunately, they were pulled apart by Izuna Uchiha and Tobirama Senju, which curbed the momentum of the founding of the Hidden Leaf Village.

"Is your cousin always like this?"

Supporting the already unsteady Hashirama Senju, a red-eyed Tobirama Senju asked his arch-rival, his eyes filled with deep contemplation.

"Uh, although it's hard to say, my cousin does seem to have always been like this."

Supporting the equally dead-drunk Uchiha Gin, Izuna Uchiha had a look of helplessness in his eyes. Looking at the two brothers of the Senju clan before him, he seemed to have guessed some of the reasons for his eldest cousin's behavior.

"Madara! Keep drinking~"

"Hashirama, you're already drunk."

Ever since Uchiha Gin appeared, Madara Uchiha had been extremely steady, not saying much, just sipping his drink. Watching the swaying Hashirama Senju before him, he sighed slightly and said,

"It's getting late, you two should go to the bridal chamber."

Looking up at the bright moon, the sober Tobirama Senju turned his head and said to the slightly blushing Toka Senju,

"Uh, okay."

Surrounded by everyone's gaze, Toka Senju shyly lowered her head. If one were to ask who was the most popular in the Senju clan, it was naturally the handsome and cheerful Hashirama Senju.

Which girl in the clan hadn't been pining for him for a long time? Now that such a good thing had fallen into her lap, how could she have any thoughts of resistance?

Handing the drunken Hashirama Senju over to Toka Senju and watching the two slowly leave, Tobirama Senju turned around. Coldness emerged in his scarlet eyes as he looked at the three Uchiha members remaining at the table, and he said expressionlessly,

"Once this banquet ends, we will still be enemies."

"Hmph! That goes without saying. I'm still going to beat you until you're looking for your teeth all over the floor!"

Having drunk quite a bit, Izuna, with two rosy flushes on his handsome little face, replied loudly to his arch-rival, his breath reeking of alcohol.

"And you, Uchiha Gin, although I thank you for the wedding gift, my blade will not pause because of it. So you'd better not go to the battlefield and just be a good jailer."

Ignoring Izuna Uchiha, Tobirama Senju fixed his gaze on Uchiha Gin's fluffy curly hair. A faint light flickered in his eyes, and then, frowning, he said slowly,

But the tone lacked some of the harshness from just a moment ago.

Uh... I must be drunk. How could I see a "Favorability +1" prompt popping up above the head of this hateful white-haired guy in my hazy state?

After speaking, Tobirama Senju left without lingering. His fingers curled slightly, and his whole body turned into a streak of golden light, disappearing before Uchiha Gin and the others.

"Ugh... damn it, he let that guy show off. Isn't it just learning one escape technique? What's he showing off for?"

Seeing Tobirama Senju's extremely stylish exit, Izuna Uchiha gritted his teeth and cursed in a low voice.

Flying Thunder God, I want it so badly~

As for Uchiha Gin, after watching the other party disappear, he drooled with envy.

Seeing that the banquet was over, the three Uchiha brothers flashed back to their camp. The few of them, all somewhat tipsy, each found a tent to rest in, and by the time they woke up again, it was the next morning.

Just as the sun was peeking out, two figures arrived together in front of a tent. Izuna Uchiha familiarly lifted the curtain and walked in brazenly, not forgetting to shout,

"Cousin, I'm coming in~"

"Ugh... can you not be so loud? Can't you let me sleep a little longer?"

Startled awake by the familiar voice, Uchiha Gin, who had just been in the middle of a heated sparring session with Lady Yumi in his dream, helplessly opened his dull, dead-fish eyes. Looking at his energetic little cousin, he said poutily,

"Huh? We're going to start fighting daily soon, the camp isn't safe anymore. We're here to send you out."

Seeing Uchiha Gin so lazy, his little cousin pulled him up without a word and explained the reason for the early start.

"That's really intense~"

There was no help for it. Since they had already said so, the groggy Uchiha Gin had to give up the idea of staying in bed. He slowly rolled over, got dressed, and walked out of the tent with his little cousin.

His eldest cousin, Madara Uchiha, had been waiting outside for a long time. After looking Uchiha Gin up and down, he said,

"Cousin, are you planning to stay here for a while and wait for us to return together during the ceasefire, or should we send you out?"

"Phew... I'm done for, I'm done for!"

Yawning widely, Uchiha Gin was about to say something, but upon seeing the sun slowly rising in the sky, his heart tightened, and he then shouted,

"What's done for?"

This left the two Uchiha brothers confused. When drinking yesterday, he was having such a blast; how could he be so panicked after waking up?

"I promised Hikari and the others a return time before I went on the mission. Yesterday was the deadline. It's over, it's all over~"

Uchiha Gin pulled his hair in annoyance. He knew Hikari Uchiha's stubbornness well; she took promises very seriously!

"Oh, that. Don't worry, I already ordered my subordinates to go back and report last night."

It must be said that his eldest cousin was meticulous. Even while dragging his exhausted body last night, he didn't forget to send news of Uchiha Gin back to the clan.

"Eldest cousin, what would I do without you~"

Uchiha Gin felt a weight lift from his heart, as if a thousand-pound burden had been removed. A smile returned to his face as he patted Madara Uchiha's shoulder, his affection showing.

"How about I give you a few treasures too? I guarantee you'll have Brother Hashirama wrapped around your finger~"

"Hmph! I, Madara Uchiha, have lived my life upright and honorable. When have I ever relied on external objects!"

Facing Uchiha Gin's good intentions, Madara Uchiha gave a disdainful smile. He naturally knew that his cousin had many strange ninja tools, which he claimed were custom-made from the Land of Artisans.

The two pieces Izuna was wearing were gifts from Uchiha Gin. In Madara Uchiha's view, relying on external forces was a crooked path; only one's own strength was the real deal.

Hmph~ I hope you don't say "it's so good" in the future!

Seeing his good intentions rejected, Uchiha Gin wasn't annoyed. He knew his eldest cousin's character well; he had always looked down on external objects.

Even the war fan was only used reluctantly because it was a symbol of the Uchiha clan. One must know that in the future, his eldest cousin would be a ruthless man who tossed the Six Paths ninja tools around casually.

"Then I'll keep them for you. Tell me when you need them~"

"Heh, I will absolutely not use them!"

Madara Uchiha crossed his arms, his eyes full of arrogance. His Mangekyo was enough; what ninja tools? In the eyes of these divine eyes, they were all fleeting clouds.

"Eldest cousin, has your eyesight been declining?"

Staring at Madara Uchiha for a long time, Uchiha Gin asked with a frown,

"..."

"It has indeed declined a little, but it has no impact."

Subconsciously rubbing his eye sockets, Madara Uchiha opened his eyes and said with a hint of hesitation in his tone,

"When we go back, I'll give you a proper check-up."

Uchiha Gin nodded and instructed his somewhat stubborn eldest cousin,

One must know that this kid activated his Susanoo like it was a game, performing "Gundam" shows for the Senju clan in every battle. It was truly using an anti-aircraft gun to swat a mosquito, wasting pupil power for nothing.

After chatting, he had a simple meal with his two cousins. Uchiha Gin felt that staying on the front line was too conspicuous, so he immediately proposed returning to the clan territory.

"I still have a mission to attend to, so I won't stay any longer. Let's gather again during the ceasefire~"

After being escorted to a safe route by Madara Uchiha and Izuna, Uchiha Gin waved his hand, signaling that he could handle the rest of the way himself.

"Okay, cousin~"

"Hmm."

After Uchiha Gin's figure drifted further and further away, Madara Uchiha slowly spoke,

"Izuna, did you perceive how our cousin appeared yesterday?"

"Uh, no. Big brother, didn't you perceive it?"

Izuna was confused by this sudden question. He had been busy bickering with that guy Tobirama Senju at the time and hadn't noticed how Uchiha Gin appeared.

"Neither did I. But I always feel that our cousin is hiding something from us."

Recalling the scene of Uchiha Gin's appearance yesterday, Madara Uchiha frowned. Except for behind his back, his perception of other directions was very sharp, but even so, he hadn't discovered when his cousin had appeared at their side.

"Hey~ you're overthinking it. Maybe it's just that our cousin's presence is too low."

The baffled Izuna Uchiha immediately found a reasonable excuse for his dear cousin.

"I hope so."

With the war approaching, Madara Uchiha stopped thinking about this unimportant issue. The top priority now was to completely crush Hashirama and make that guy bow down to him.

Hmph~ letting you get married in secret, just watch me train hard while you're slacking off and work you to death!

"Phew~ finally gone."

Sensing that the auras of his two cousins had moved far away, Uchiha Gin, walking on the road back, suddenly had a layer of cyan-blue cloak rise up on his body. His eyes also turned into the familiar Rinne-Sharingan, and his whole body skillfully floated up and accelerated as he flew toward the Uchiha clan territory.

Before long, the towering city walls of the clan territory appeared before him. In order not to be exposed, Uchiha Gin landed one kilometer away from the clan territory and switched to walking.

By the time Uchiha Gin arrived at the clan gate, the residual pressure on his body had dissipated, so he did not alert the guards. Moreover, the person on duty today was someone he knew.

"Lord Gin!"

Seeing the curly-haired man strolling over, Iron Egg Uchiha hurriedly greeted him. Counting it up, the two had known each other for twelve years. The rumors from the past had long since collapsed on their own in his heart.

In the eyes of Iron Egg Uchiha, although Uchiha Gin was a bit flighty, he was definitely a good person.

"Isn't this Iron Egg? How is Cuihua doing lately?"

"Hehe, she can eat and sleep well~"

"Then I'll go in?"

Uchiha Gin waved his hand and asked.

"Welcome home."

(End of chapter)