Chapter 285: The Yamanaka Clan's Bizarre Demands

In the dark backstage, Soichiro Yamanaka, who had been on pins and needles the whole time, suddenly saw a blinding white light flash before his eyes. As the door opened, Uchiha Gin walked in carrying a basket of clothes. After offering a warm greeting, he placed the clothes in front of him.

"Brother Soichiro, I've brought your clothes. Hurry up and try them on to see if they fit~"

"Thank you!"

Although he was puzzled as to why the other party had brought such a large basket of clothes, Soichiro Yamanaka, having been left to dry out for half a day, could not afford to ask more questions. He immediately picked up a piece and prepared to put it on, but before it touched his body, he noticed the strange style of the garment in his hand and froze on the spot.

"Did you take the wrong ones? Are these female prisoner uniforms?"

Soichiro Yamanaka looked at the bright pink lingerie in his hand, his face turning beet red. He felt a mouthful of old blood surge into his throat, nearly spitting it out. Trembling, he clutched the undergarment tighter, a strange look in his eyes, yet he questioned righteously,

"Nothing I can do, your clan's juniors have terrible luck. The pool kept pulling the wrong items. Just make do with these, Brother, find a set that's close enough~"

Uchiha Gin, standing beside the basket, spread his hands helplessly and gave Soichiro Yamanaka an "I can't help you" expression.

"What do you mean 'terrible luck'? I don't know what you're talking about~"

Soichiro Yamanaka, whose mind was already on the basket of colorful clothes, did not delve deeper. Instead, he rummaged through the basket with a hint of excitement, his aged eyes revealing a luster that did not belong to his years.

"Ahem, ahem, let's go with this set, it'll barely cover me."

After carefully selecting for a long while, Soichiro Yamanaka, with a calm expression, took a set of clothes that were relatively normal and walked alone to a corner to start changing.

"Brother Soichiro, you haven't taken the underwear yet!"

Seeing that the other party had only taken one set of clothes and hadn't picked any undergarments, Uchiha Gin thought the man had developed senility and spoke up to remind him.

"Nonsense! We older generation of ninja advocate for frugality. Underwear and such, they can be worn or not!"

Soichiro Yamanaka, who had already put on his clothes at lightning speed, walked out of the corner with a serious face. He looked at Uchiha Gin with such deep sorrow and indignation that it left him feeling baffled.

"Alright, alright, hurry up and go out. Your Yamanaka clan members are probably already impatient~"

Uchiha Gin, who had always been sharp-eyed, caught a glimpse of a striking bright pink flash at the small of Soichiro Yamanaka's back from the corner of his eye. While shocked, he couldn't help but feel a sense of reverence for the older generation of ninja clans.

"Wait, where is Ichino?"

Having just taken a step, Soichiro Yamanaka suddenly remembered his other clansman and hurriedly asked.

"You mean Brother Ichino? His clothes are still being pulled; it'll probably take a while. You go out first!"

Still clueless, Soichiro Yamanaka felt that Uchiha Gin wouldn't harm him, so he didn't ask further and followed him out of the backstage.

"It's quite lively!"

Before even stepping out the door, Soichiro Yamanaka heard the tidal wave of cheering outside and couldn't help but exclaim.

"Hehe, these are all spectators here to cheer for your Yamanaka clan. Let's go, Brother Soichiro!"

Uchiha Gin smiled and waved his hand, signaling for the other party to follow.

"Hmph, although this old man has been in prison for many years, the ninja world still has legends of me, Soichiro Yamanaka!"

The deafening human voices in his ears gave Soichiro Yamanaka great confidence. He immediately pulled up his slightly loose pants and walked out with a swagger.

"Ah! Why is he wearing that set? Where's the hot bikini?"

"It infuriates this old man! Give me back my 36D leopard print!"

"The rice-eating old man?"

With the appearance of Soichiro Yamanaka, the scene under the stage instantly spiraled out of control. The curious spectators stretched their necks long, wanting to see what those avant-garde fashions looked like when worn, but they only saw a shriveled old man appearing in ordinary clothes, and they couldn't help but protest loudly.

"Come out for me!"

Soichiro Yamanaka, who had prepared for an interview, didn't expect that the audience wouldn't offer flowers or applause upon his appearance. He felt a bit disappointed, so he shook his head sheepishly, swallowed his prepared speech, and turned to search for his clansmen. However, a sudden roar nearby caught his attention.

"Is that... Minako?"

Soichiro Yamanaka looked hesitantly at the beautiful woman not far away who was acting like a madwoman. From her fine features, he could vaguely see the shadow of an old acquaintance, so he carefully asked,

"I sacrifice the love life of the second half of my life, Minako Yamanaka, come out for me!!!"

Before Uchiha Gin could speak, Minako Yamanaka, who was already like a trapped beast, gritted her teeth with red eyes and swore, looking exactly like someone who couldn't pull a card.

"Hahaha, it flashed, it flashed!!!"

Just as Uchiha Gin was about to preach that luck cannot change fate, he didn't expect a golden light to actually flash on the card-pulling screen. He hadn't expected a response.

"Congratulations on obtaining: Plain Men's Top *1."

"... en more pulls!"

Minako Yamanaka, clearly very dissatisfied with this result, waved her hand, indicating to continue.

"Stop it, Minako, you already owe over a billion!"

Compared to the red-eyed Minako Yamanaka, Sasuke Uchiha, as a bystander, was much more sober. Looking at his friend who had already lost her head, he tried to persuade her earnestly.

"No! I haven't pulled the Ultimate Edition yet, how can I stop!"

Minako Yamanaka, who had fallen into a trance, had a determination now that ten cows couldn't pull back. Her beautiful eyes stared fixedly at the smiling girl on the screen, wishing she could tear her face apart.

"Minako, what on earth are you doing!"

Soichiro Yamanaka was still wondering how this junior he had met in his childhood had become so insane, but upon hearing about the billion-dollar debt she had incurred, he was shocked and hurriedly spoke up.

"Don't stop me! I want to top up... Grandpa Soichiro?"

Suddenly hearing a strange and aged voice, Minako Yamanaka didn't even lift her head and waved her hand impatiently, preparing to continue pulling. However, after inadvertently glancing at the speaker, her head instantly cleared. She looked at the elderly but well-fed Soichiro Yamanaka and was too surprised to speak.

"Minako..."

Reunited with his clanswoman, Soichiro Yamanaka's eyes filled with tears. A thousand thoughts were in his heart, and all kinds of worries were about to be vented, but he saw Minako Yamanaka opposite him stretch out her small hand and say,

"Grandpa Soichiro, give me money!"

"Pfft!!!"

In the end, Uchiha Gin, who really couldn't watch anymore, worried that Brother Soichiro, who had just been released from prison, would return to the afterlife in the next moment, so he stopped Minako Yamanaka's act of bankrupting herself and returned the prizes she had pulled, along with a bewildered Ichino Yamanaka, to the other party.

"Since you are the first customer, consider it a buy-one-get-one-free. Keep the things you pulled safe, count them, and see if anything is missing."

Looking at Soichiro Yamanaka, who was breathing more than he was exhaling, Uchiha Gin finally softened his heart. After all, there was no Uchiha more kind-hearted than him. He immediately waved his hand, had his subordinates bring over the prizes Minako Yamanaka had pulled, and handed over the prize list.

"No need, I have a good memory. I remember clearly what I pulled every time."

Minako Yamanaka, who had regained her composure, had deep astonishment in her blue eyes. Even now, she couldn't figure out why she, who was known for being calm, had been driven to such a state by a mere card-pulling game.

"Let me see: bikini, leopard print, school swimsuit, health care uniform, Balenciaga, bear underwear..."

Squatting on the ground, Minako Yamanaka counted her spoils like she was counting family treasures. After all, she had spent such a huge sum of money. These strange clothes in front of her did indeed look like they were worth something. If she sold them to the nobles of the Land of Fire, she should be able to recoup quite a bit.

"... ait! A pair of Hello Kitty pink underwear is missing!"

After counting carefully several times, Minako Yamanaka stood up with an unhappy face, looked at Uchiha Gin, the host, and questioned him loudly.

"Uh... impossible, absolutely impossible. Why don't you look again~"

He didn't expect things to be missing, which left Uchiha Gin confused. He had shipped according to the list; there was absolutely no error in the middle. Even if it were a sock, he wouldn't short the other party.

"Ahem, ahem... Minako, isn't it just a pair of bright pink underwear? Perhaps it's stuck in some clothes. This old man is feeling a bit dizzy now, hurry and send me back to rest!"

Just as Uchiha Gin and Minako Yamanaka were confronting each other, Soichiro Yamanaka, who was being supported by someone nearby, suddenly spoke up tremblingly to urge them.

"Fine, I'll look for it carefully when I go back. Hurry and send Elder Soichiro back to rest!"

Seeing that Soichiro Yamanaka looked like he was about to die, Minako Yamanaka stopped dwelling on the missing pair of underwear and immediately greeted her clansmen to rush toward the place where they were stationed.

Tsk tsk tsk, Brother Soichiro, I didn't expect you to have such a little hobby~

Watching the backs of the Yamanaka clan as they left, Uchiha Gin's eyes shifted. The bright pink flash at the small of the hunched Soichiro Yamanaka's back made him unable to help but sigh in his heart that one should not judge a book by its cover.

"So next, who wants to redeem someone?"

Having sent off the first customer and made a small profit of one billion, Uchiha Gin turned his gaze toward the nervous members of the Ninja Clan Alliance with a smile, his mouth curling into a whisper like a demon.

"Let's discuss, can we pay the original price?"

Having witnessed the fate of the Yamanaka clan, Sasuke Uchiha felt panicked, but as the leader of the Ninja Clan Alliance, he gritted his teeth and stood out to negotiate with Uchiha Gin.

"Hehe, how can that be? We agreed on 2 million, so it's 2 million. There's no reason to raise the price."

He didn't expect the other party to back down, but that wouldn't do. If he didn't make a fortune, how could he justify the card-pulling machine he had worked all night to build? He waved his hand and righteously rejected the other party's unreasonable request.

"Then can we choose not to pull the lottery and just pay 2 million to redeem the person?"

Kenichi Shimura, who was beside Sasuke Uchiha, frowned after hearing Uchiha Gin's refusal, thought for a moment, and asked.

"Of course you can, we don't force consumption."

Facing the question from the Ninja Clan Alliance, Uchiha Gin shook his head immediately, indicating that this was a humanized free game and there was absolutely no option for forced consumption.

"Good, I'll pay now, hurry and release Uncle Jin'er!"

Seeing the Uchiha clan's obvious money-grabbing project, Kenichi Shimura, who considered himself the reincarnation of Wolong, immediately threw out 2 million to welcome Jin'er Shimura home. The other members of the Ninja Clan Alliance were also excited, inwardly mocking Minako Yamanaka for being such a big sucker.

"However, before that, I have some good things for you all to observe~"

Uchiha Gin didn't even bother to look at the 2 million thrown over by Kenichi Shimura. He reached into the bag behind him and pulled out a stack of envelopes marked with the clan emblems of the Ninja Clan Alliance members. He handed these sealed envelopes one by one to the confused members of the Ninja Clan Alliance, the smile on his handsome face impossible to hide.

"Hmph~ playing mystery, I want to see what kind of tricks you, this hateful curly-hair, are up to!"

Not expecting that the wallet he threw out would be ignored by the other party, Kenichi Shimura, feeling a bit resentful, immediately tore open the envelope in his hand, muttering under his breath.

"Ah!"

"Nani!"

"This..."

Holding the same doubts, the other ninja clan members also opened the envelopes in their hands. The crowd, who had originally been in different moods, all wore the same shocked expressions after seeing the photos inside the envelopes.

"Mr. Divine Physician, isn't this a bit..."

Quickly stuffing the photo in his hand into his bosom, Sasuke Uchiha looked at Uchiha Gin, who had a teasing expression, and said with a frown.

"Do you all think that our Uchiha clan is inhumane?"

Without answering the other party's question, Uchiha Gin instead asked the crowd.

"Definitely! You even stripped Uncle Jin'er... Shinji, why are you covering my mouth?"

Kenichi Shimura, who had been holding back his anger, was the first to attack, but halfway through his sentence, a large, fan-like hand tightly covered his mouth, almost making the guy pass out.

"Mr. Gin, thank you!"

Compared to the somewhat rude Kenichi Shimura, Shinji Akimichi, the head of the Akimichi clan, unexpectedly offered his thanks. Looking at his sincere expression, it definitely didn't seem fake.

"Hoo~ Shinji, why are you thanking this detestable curly-head?"

"Kenichi, look at the photos carefully again, look at the condition of our elders."

Having finally struggled free from his good friend's large hand, Shimura Kenichi asked indignantly, never expecting to receive such an inexplicable remark from Akimichi Shinji in return.

"Uh, nothing, they look quite normal."

Since his good friend had already said so, Shimura Kenichi suppressed his embarrassment and carefully browsed through the photos in his hand, but after a long while, he still couldn't see anything amiss.

"Normal is exactly what's most abnormal. Have you ever seen a prisoner who, after being tortured for decades, could still maintain such a healthy state?"

Akimichi Shinji looked at the man in the photo with a warm smile; the food-loving Akimichi clan members, being able to smile so happily in prison and having such firm, toned flesh, must have been treated exceptionally well.

"Huh! It does seem like they've grown quite plump."

The people present, upon hearing Akimichi Shinji's reminder, all picked up the photos to look again, confirming that their elders didn't seem to be suffering in prison, but rather living in retirement.

Each one of them had a protruding little belly, and their skin was smooth and supple to an unbelievable degree; compared to the noble lords of the Land of Fire, they were not inferior in the slightest.

"I'm sorry, we misunderstood you~"

Having guessed the general situation, Sarutobi Sasuke spoke to Uchiha Gin with great embarrassment, the apology in his eyes clearly visible; the surrounding members of the Ninja Clan Alliance, who had previously been quite critical, now wore looks of deep gratitude on their faces.

"So, are you still going to draw?"

The effect of the photos was unexpectedly good. He had originally intended to use the nude photos for a wave of extortion, not expecting some sort of beautiful misunderstanding to arise, but as long as it didn't affect him earning severance pay for the brothers in prison, it was fine.

"Draw! I'll go first. Uncle Shinji has a large build, so he must draw more!"

Akimichi Shinji, standing to the side, was the first to step forward, pulling out his wallet and respectfully handing it to Uchiha Gin.

"Alrighty~ I just love a 'whale' like you who pays willingly!"

Weighing the heavy money bag in his hand, Uchiha Gin smiled very brightly.

"Today is another day full of hope~"

"Tobirama, is money really this easy to earn?"

Watching the members of the Ninja Clan Alliance throwing money around on the stage, Hashirama Senju's worldview was shattered. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open; after being stunned for a long time, he finally remembered how to speak, then nudged his younger brother who was deep in thought beside him and asked.

"Hoo~ This curly-head is already so rich, yet he still uses such methods. Doesn't he worry about walking the night path?"

Equally shocked, Tobirama Senju let out a deep, heavy breath, his scarlet eyes filled with deep wariness. This guy Uchiha Gin must be crazy; he had offended all the ninja clans just after the village was built.

"What are you two saying? Do you want to come up and play a few rounds too?"

Uchiha Gin, happily counting his money, strolled over to the Senju brothers. He had originally wanted to ask about the negotiations accompanying them today, but seeing their "hopeful" gazes, he immediately extended an invitation.

"No, no, no, our Senju clan cannot withstand such tossing."

Even the thick-skinned Hashirama Senju could see the bottomless trap behind the sweet-smiling girl on the screen, so he immediately waved his hands, indicating he was just watching.

"Tsk! That's a real pity."

A flash of disappointment crossed Uchiha Gin's face for failing to earn a bit more extra money, but he quickly adjusted his mindset and asked the strange-looking Tobirama Senju.

"I heard from Izuna that there's some sort of negotiation I'm supposed to attend. About when is it?"

"The Uchiha clan actually let you go?"

Tobirama Senju looked at Uchiha Gin, who had no sense of crisis, with a sympathetic expression. He was just thinking about whether to warn this curly-head not to walk through small alleys at night, but upon hearing his question, his expression became even stranger.

"I'll just be on the sidelines eating melon seeds; you guys can chat happily."

Hearing the astonishment in Tobirama Senju's tone, Uchiha Gin scratched his curly hair. It shouldn't be that repulsive, right? He was, after all, a highly respected elder in the Uchiha clan.

"Do you know who we are negotiating with today?"

"Anyone is fine. I'll just watch and not say a word."

He figured it was just another ninja clan wanting to join Konoha; it had nothing to do with him unless they could drop gold coins.

"It's the Hyuga clan. They came this time specifically naming that they want to spar with the Uchiha clan."

Looking at Uchiha Gin, who had an 'I don't care' expression, Tobirama Senju, whose heart finally softened, spoke up to warn him.

If it weren't for Itama, I wouldn't care if you lived or died!

"Huh? Are those 'White Eye' disease patients bored out of their minds?"

This really made Uchiha Gin lose his composure. It turned out that the thing he had agreed to was actually quite troublesome!

"They want to verify who exactly is the number one ocular jutsu clan in the Land of Fire."

"Fine, I'll go knock on the shrine door today, drag my eldest cousin out, and let those 'White Eye' disease patients see what 'dimensional strike' means."

Uchiha Gin didn't care to fight for a hollow title like 'number one'; it couldn't be eaten as food. He immediately set off, preparing to invite Madara Uchiha out to let the frogs in the well of the Hyuga clan witness what a 'Gundam' was.

"No, no, no, it's just a spar, there's no need to call Madara!"

Upon hearing that Uchiha Gin was going to invite Madara out of seclusion, Hashirama Senju immediately broke into a cold sweat, grabbing the other's sleeve and explaining repeatedly, the worry in his eyes growing intense.

If Madara were allowed to come out, the Hyuga clan would likely disappear from the Land of Fire.

"No, Brother Hashirama, you'd agree to such a boring thing? Don't you know what level our Uchiha clan is at?"

Uchiha Gin, who had been forcibly detained, furrowed his brows, his face filled with deep confusion. He really couldn't understand why Hashirama Senju would agree to such an outrageous request.

"Oh, there are very complex reasons for this, I can't explain it clearly in a short while~"

Facing Uchiha Gin's questioning, Hashirama Senju's gaze became somewhat evasive, dodging and not daring to look him in the eye.

"There's nothing to hide. The Hyuga clan promised that after joining, they would donate a large sum of funds to be used for the construction of Konoha, and the prerequisite for joining was to clash with the Uchiha clan, who are also an ocular jutsu clan."

Since his big brother didn't want to be the bad guy, he, Tobirama Senju, would do it, and he immediately explained the reason to Uchiha Gin.

"Brother Hashirama, I didn't expect that for the sake of a mere sum of funds, you would sell out the Uchiha clan, who are like beloved friends and family, to the Hyuga. It's truly chilling, it must—"

Uchiha Gin wore an expression of heartbreak, trembling as he pointed at Hashirama Senju, who was bowing his head in silence, his tone filled with deep sadness.

"I'm sorry, Brother Gin, I will go and reject their request right now—"

"—must be split fifty-fifty with us!"

"Huh?"

The Senju brothers were both dumbfounded, staring at the teasing Uchiha Gin, unable to process what had happened for a long while.

"Don't you understand? Fifty percent of the funds promised by the Hyuga clan must be split with our Uchiha clan."

Uchiha Gin held up five fingers, indicating this was the lowest price; if it went any lower, there would be nothing to talk about.

"You guy, do you not even have the most basic sense of honor?"

Tobirama Senju, stifled with anger, wished he could stab this detestable curly-head.

"I am fighting for the honor of the clan! There is no Uchiha with more sense of honor than me. If you say one more word, I'm raising the price!"

To be questioned about his sense of honor by the white-haired guy in front of him, Uchiha Gin was immediately displeased. He patted his chest with a thudding sound, his words sounding absolutely certain.

"You curly-head who only cares about money, where is your sense of honor?"

Tobirama Senju was so angry he nearly fainted. If not for Hashirama Senju holding him back, he would definitely have let this curly-head know why flowers are red.

"What 'only cares about money'? I call this being helpful to others!"

Facing the baseless slander, Uchiha Gin immediately filed an appeal.

"Hmph~ What about those ninja clans you scammed?"

With a cold snort, a displeased Tobirama Senju pointed at the ninja clan members not far away who had finished their lottery, and questioned him.

"Hey, believe it or not, they'll still thank me after they're done drawing."

Turning his head to look at his 'good buddies' who were wearing gorgeous attire and had regained their freedom, Uchiha Gin nodded with satisfaction, then raised his eyebrows and said to Tobirama Senju, who was clearly unconvinced.

"Heh, they probably wish you were dead!"

Tobirama Senju, arms crossed, had disbelief written all over his eyes. Upon catching a glimpse of Sarutobi Sasuke walking over slowly, the corners of his mouth curled up, and he couldn't help but mock him.

"Mr. Gin, on behalf of the members of the Ninja Clan Alliance, I thank you for your great kindness!"

(End of chapter)