Chapter 291: Darkness's Ecstasy: The Tailed Beast Capture Plan Beta Version

With a hostage in hand, Tobirama Senju could only grit his teeth and lower his noble white hair before the curly-haired man in front of him.

Ah, has this one also taken the wrong medicine?

This sudden turn of events made Gin Uchiha suspect that this white-haired man was an impostor, as he had actually learned to speak softly. He secretly activated his super-perception, scanned him up and down, and upon confirming it was indeed Tobirama himself, he immediately relaxed his brows and nodded in satisfaction.

"Heh heh~ In light of your sincere attitude, I will tell you the origin of these dolls."

Casting his gaze past the strange-looking Tobirama Senju, Gin Uchiha pointed to the eight dolls lined up in the display cabinet and began to introduce them.

"These are creatures known as Tailed Beasts. Don't let their cute appearance fool you; their true forms are a hundred feet tall."

As he spoke, Gin Uchiha took a round, chubby doll from the cabinet and continued to say to Tobirama Senju,

"Take this raccoon, for example. Its name is Shukaku, and right now, it should be in prison in the Land of Wind."

"Prison? What do you mean?"

The quick-witted Tobirama Senju, upon hearing Gin Uchiha's introduction, examined the yellowish-brown raccoon held in his hands and, imagining the scene of a hundred-meter-tall Shukaku running rampant, could not help but ask aloud.

"This kind of creature is essentially composed of chakra and can be sealed. As it happens, this unlucky fellow, Shukaku, was sealed away by the people of the Land of Wind."

Pinching the chubby face of the Shukaku doll in his hand, Gin Uchiha patiently explained to Tobirama Senju.

A chakra creature... doesn't that mean it can be utilized!

Tobirama Senju, who had been calculating since he was young, felt a flash of brilliance in his scarlet eyes after hearing Gin Uchiha's explanation, and he immediately began to scheme about the Tailed Beasts in his heart.

Things without owners belong to those capable of taking them.

"However... how do you know such secret intelligence?"

Tobirama Senju, who was thinking about how to utilize the Tailed Beasts, suddenly came to his senses. How could a salted fish like Gin Uchiha know such classified information? He feared it might be fake news.

"I don't have any other hobbies, I just like making friends. It just so happens that I have a close buddy in the Land of Wind, and he told me about this."

Gin Uchiha answered with a straight face, his expression appearing genuine.

"You have friends in the Land of Wind?"

Regarding Gin Uchiha's words, Tobirama Senju expressed ten parts of doubt out of twelve. He did not believe that this guy, who never stepped out of his door, would know people from other countries.

"My homies are all over the world. In the future, no matter which country you go to, as long as you mention my name, you'll definitely be treated well."

"Hmph~"

It's getting more and more outrageous. Just based on you?

"Do you have information on the other Tailed Beasts?"

Since the One-Tail was sealed in the Land of Wind, he would skip it; besides, this one-tailed raccoon didn't look very strong anyway. He then looked at the other Tailed Beasts in the display cabinet and asked.

"I don't know about that, but these Tailed Beasts are massive and have distinct characteristics. As long as you investigate a little, you can find clues."

Although he was puzzled as to why Tobirama Senju was suddenly interested in Tailed Beasts, Gin Uchiha still told him everything he knew and didn't know.

"Are there only these few Tailed Beasts?"

After counting the remaining seven Tailed Beasts, Tobirama Senju turned his head and asked.

"There are nine in total. I'm still missing one here; I haven't collected them all yet."

Shaking his head with regret, Gin Uchiha looked at the empty space behind the Gyuki doll, where a Kurama should have been placed.

"Collect what?"

At this moment, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, having finished their heart-to-heart, were attracted by the conversation between Gin Uchiha and the other man, and they stepped forward to ask what they were discussing.

"Tailed Beasts. I'm currently missing a Nine-Tails to complete the Tailed Beast doll bond."

Gin Uchiha put the Shukaku doll back, answering with a tone of deep regret.

Old Brother Zhouxuan's body is getting worse and worse, and I don't know when my Nine-Tails doll will arrive.

"Nine-Tails? Is it the Nine-Tailed Fox?"

Hearing Gin Uchiha's words, Hashirama Senju rubbed his chin, pondered for a moment, and his eyes suddenly lit up before he asked.

"Uh, Brother Hashirama, how do you know?"

"Haha, I once heard the elders of my clan say that legend has it there is a disaster beast in the Land of Fire that runs rampant everywhere, known as the Nine-Tailed Fox. It is a hundred feet tall, cruel in nature, eats countless people, and specializes in eating children who don't sleep at night~"

"Stop! What kind of bedtime story is that? Why haven't I heard the elders tell it?"

The more he heard, the more wrong it felt, and Tobirama Senju hurriedly interrupted.

"Because every time you fall asleep the moment your head hits the pillow, you miss the wonderful story time."

Beside them, Hashirama Senju rubbed his head with a look of regret on his face.

Tobirama, this is the childhood you missed!

"Nine-Tailed Fox..."

After confirming the real existence of the Tailed Beasts, a glimmer of light flickered in Tobirama Senju's eyes, and a bold plan began to take shape in his mind.

"Big Cousin, you're missing a Nine-Tails. Do you want me to catch a real one and bring it back for you to keep in the backyard as a pet?"

Seeing that Gin Uchiha really liked the Tailed Beast dolls, Madara Uchiha immediately patted his chest and promised his big cousin.

A mere wild beast; in front of me, an Uchiha, it will still have to bow its head and submit.

"Heh."

Upon hearing this, Gin Uchiha did not respond immediately, but instead looked at his confident big cousin with a teasing expression, leaving the other man confused.

"Big Brother, the news has been delivered, we should go back too."

Tobirama Senju, who already had a new plan in mind, did not want to waste a single moment and immediately grabbed his big brother, preparing to leave.

"Ah? So soon? The tea hasn't even been served yet?"

Hashirama Senju, somewhat reluctant to leave, swept a pleading gaze toward a figure standing outside the door, only to be met with a cold stare, which immediately made him feel dejected.

"Alright..."

"I should go too. Still the same thing: I am determined to win the position of Hokage. Big Cousin, just watch!"

Seeing that Hashirama Senju was leaving, Madara Uchiha no longer had the heart to stay, so he immediately stood up to say goodbye and chased after his Hashirama. Before leaving, he didn't forget to mention his Hokage dream.

"Good luck, I believe in you~"

After everyone had left, Gin Uchiha's home returned to its usual tranquility. Tobirama, dressed in loungewear, finally decided to appear, humming a tune of unknown meaning while methodically cleaning up the traces left by the others.

Judging by his expression, there was no sadness as Gin Uchiha had imagined.

"Not ready to acknowledge each other yet? While the two families are still in their honeymoon period, why don't you go back and return to your roots?"

Looking at the somewhat cheerful Tobirama, Gin Uchiha raised an eyebrow and asked tentatively.

"Shut up!"

"Alright, alright, as long as you're happy~"

Seeing Tobirama, who had been smiling just a moment ago, instantly turn into a furious female beast after he finished asking, looking at him with extreme displeasure, Gin Uchiha immediately raised his hands in surrender.

"Hmph~ What do you want to eat for lunch?"

Tobirama, whose expression had returned to normal, glanced at the cowering Gin Uchiha, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.

"Tobirama, I want to eat fish~"

Today was another leisurely day.

The next day.

"BOOM!!!"

Madara Uchiha was organizing his official business when the office door was pushed open violently, and a hurried figure walked in, holding something similar to a public announcement.

"Izuna, how many times have I told you? You're almost thirty years old, don't be so rash."

In the entire Uchiha clan, there were only two people who dared to push the door open like this. Gin Uchiha was definitely still sleeping at this hour, so it could only be his most beloved younger brother.

"Big Brother, take a look at this. It's a competition that Tobirama Senju came up with."

"What?"

Madara Uchiha frowned upon hearing this; anything involving Tobirama Senju was never up to any good.

"Let me see... 'Tailed Beast Hunting Competition'? What kind of nonsense is this Tobirama Senju pulling?"

Taking the announcement handed over by Izuna, Madara Uchiha saw the large characters written on it at a glance, and then his eyes moved down to see the specific details.

"He actually wants to determine the candidate for Hokage based on the number of Tailed Beasts captured? This is too..."

The more Madara Uchiha read, the brighter the light in his eyes became, and he clicked his tongue in wonder.

"Exactly, it's too rash..."

Izuna shook his head, sneering at Tobirama Senju's plan.

"Too fair!"

"Huh?"

"This Tobirama Senju has rarely done something good. Now, my position as Hokage is as good as secured~"

At the same time, every ninja clan in Konoha received this announcement, and for a while, there was wailing everywhere.

"Sasuke! This Tobirama Senju is clearly playing us for fools!"

Kenichi Shimura, flushed with anger, slammed the announcement in his hand in front of his best friend and said indignantly.

"Tailed Beasts are notoriously fierce beasts. They are terrifying existences that can kill dozens of ninjas in a single blow; they are simply not creatures that humans can contend with."

"What do you all think?"

Sasuke Sarutobi, who also knew the fierce reputation of the Tailed Beasts, ignored his boisterous friend and instead turned his head to ask the three people sitting opposite him.

"Hahaha, I wonder if Tailed Beast meat tastes good?"

The round Shinji Akimichi patted his big belly and smiled with squinted eyes.

"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. The announcement says that Tailed Beasts are suspected to be chakra aggregates and do not have real flesh and blood."

The pineapple-haired man sitting in the middle carefully read the announcement in his hand, trying to analyze more information.

"Can we just give up? The Yamanaka clan has no interest in being Hokage; we just want to make money now."

As the only woman present, Minako Yamanaka had dark circles under her eyes on her pretty face, looking as if she hadn't slept well; she seemed rather uninterested in the discussion about the Tailed Beasts surrounding everyone.

After all, she still owed hundreds of millions, and with millions in interest alone every day, how could she possibly sleep!

"I understand now; this is the Senju clan trying to make us retreat in the face of difficulties."

After analyzing for a long time, the pineapple-haired man raised his head and looked at their backbone, Hiruzen Sarutobi, with the expression of a know-it-all.

"I think so too."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in agreement, then turned to look at the people around him and said loudly,

"The Senju are currently powerful, so it is better for us to bide our time and build up our strength. One day, it will be our ninja clan's turn to sit in the seat of Hokage!"

As he spoke, a firm light flickered in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes; he believed that in the near future, his Sarutobi clan would certainly be able to produce a Hokage to lead the village.

"Hmph~ That's for sure!"

Kenichi Shimura, full of ambition, was the first to stand up and respond to the call; he believed that among his descendants, there would definitely be a Hokage.

"Hahaha, as long as our Akimichi clan has good food to eat, it doesn't matter who becomes Hokage~"

"Hokage, huh."

A light of wisdom flickered in the pineapple-haired man's eyes; as a member of the Nara clan, he had always believed that force was by no means the primary element of a leader, and that the mind was the most important thing.

"Make money, make money, make money..."

The scene shifted to a quiet and antique courtyard, where an old man with Byakugan and a weathered face held a notice, wondering about something in his eyes. After a long while, he raised his head, looked at the respectful young man below, and spoke slowly,

"Tianyao, what do you think?"

"Father, if we use the strength of the entire clan, our Hyuga clan has a great chance of capturing a Tailed Beast, but to do it with the strength of one person alone is simply a fantasy."

Facing his father, the usually arrogant Hyuga Tianyao was as obedient as a sheep at this moment, bowing his head with only respect in his words.

"Sigh, Hashirama Senju is trying to make us retreat in the face of difficulties~"

The old man with Byakugan had a look of twilight in his eyes; nearing seventy, he had long since lost the disdain of his youth. Now he considered too many things, and these worldly affairs had become shackles, just like the caged bird on the heads of the branch family.

As for their main family, were they not also caged birds unable to spread their wings?

"Then we..."

Hyuga Tianyao carefully raised his head, looked at his sighing father, and asked,

"Our Hyuga clan will give up competing for the position of Hokage. You should also stop going to see that Uchiha lately; now is the time to choose a side, don't give the Senju clan any handle against us."

He had thought that the position of Hokage would go to the capable, but he hadn't expected Tobirama Senju to pull such a stunt, clearly intending to make these ninja clans retreat in the face of difficulties so that his brother could take the position.

Who in the Land of Fire didn't know the prestige of Hashirama Senju? With his strength, if he were well-prepared, he could surely capture a Tailed Beast, right?

"Uh, Mr. Gin is a good person with noble character. With his personality, he will definitely not get involved in political disputes."

Hearing his father's words, Hyuga Tianyao protested for once; as Uchiha Gin, who had once guided his secondary growth, he had always maintained great respect for him.

"Things are unpredictable. Who told him to have the surname Uchiha? From today on, you will stay in the ancestral hall for a period of time and study the secret techniques left by our ancestors."

He hadn't expected that his usually obedient son would have a day of rebellion. A flash of surprise crossed the old man's calm eyes, not expecting that Uchiha's personal charm was so terrifying, and he immediately made the arrangements.

"... es."

To put it nicely, it was going to the ancestral hall to study; to put it bluntly, it was house arrest. It seemed that Hyuga Tianyao would be locked up for a long time; at least until the position of Hokage was determined, he wouldn't be coming out.

"Tobirama, what exactly are you trying to do with this notice?"

In the temporary office of the Senju clan, Hashirama Senju looked at the stack of "Voluntary Waiver Agreements" in front of him with a headache. He had originally intended to mobilize all the ninja clans in Konoha to participate in the Hokage selection to find some scapegoats for Madara Uchiha, so that even if he lost, he would save some face. He hadn't expected to be backstabbed by his own younger brother; a "Tailed Beast Hunting Competition" notice had made those ninja clans surrender at the start.

"Withdrawing from the competition is within reason, but I have my considerations."

Facing his brother's accusation, Tobirama Senju was somewhat satisfied with his results, then nodded and explained,

"Big Brother, the plan I formulated is not without reason. After I came back yesterday, I specifically looked through ancient books and integrated the information on Tailed Beasts, discovering that this kind of creature is not only terrifying in destructive power but also an immortal existence."

As he spoke, Tobirama Senju placed a stack of organized data in front of his brother, signaling him to read it.

"Tailed Beasts... can actually be used as weapons of war?"

Hashirama Senju opened the data in confusion, his expression gradually changing from relaxed to anxious. Looking at the previous records of Tailed Beasts, he frowned and asked,

"That's right. As a collection of chakra, Tailed Beasts can be sealed and controlled. If used properly, they can be released inside the enemy's territory, and then the seal can be broken. The crazed Tailed Beast will destroy everything living in front of it, never stopping until death."

Nodding, Tobirama Senju explained the methods people had used to utilize Tailed Beasts before; although it was a one-time use, the lethality could not be underestimated.

"This creature is too dangerous."

Thinking of a Tailed Beast being released into the Hidden Leaf Village by someone with ulterior motives, Hashirama Senju's heart tightened. The destructive power of a Tailed Beast against ordinary people was no joke. In a place as small as Konoha, the Tailed Beast would destroy it just by rolling around. With his thoughts clear, he immediately listed the Tailed Beasts as the number one disaster.

"Therefore, we must firmly hold the Tailed Beasts in our hands to prevent petty people from causing harm to Konoha."

Seeing that his brother had developed a fear of Tailed Beasts, Tobirama Senju immediately struck while the iron was hot and stated his ultimate goal.

Using the guise of competing for the Hokage position to collect Tailed Beasts—in the end, the Hokage would be their own, and the Tailed Beasts would also be their own. This was a brilliant plan to kill two birds with one stone.

"Tobirama, you're right!"

As long as it concerned the safety of Konoha, Hashirama Senju seemed like a different person. His entire aura stagnated, and a tyrannical pressure emanated from his body, making Tobirama Senju feel a sense of suffocation.

"There is no time to lose, when do we set off?"

"Don't be in a hurry yet. Wait until the ninja clans have all handed in their waiver agreements, then you can set off. You should look at the Tailed Beast data first."

Tobirama Senju held down the impatient Hashirama Senju. There were still individual ninja clans that hadn't submitted their waiver agreements. Only after everyone had given up could his brother set off in a justified manner.

"Has the One-Tail already been sealed?"

"Yes, in the Land of Wind."

"Uh, then we must be careful about the Land of Wind. Should I go and give them a warning?"

"Not for now. You should catch the others first; when the time comes, they will be the ones who are afraid to act."

Hashirama Senju, who was reading the data, discovered that the first Tailed Beast had already been captured and immediately asked anxiously. Upon learning that it was sealed by the Land of Wind, a strange look flashed in his eyes, and he asked Tobirama if he should intimidate them, but was refused.

After a while, Tobirama Senju, who had been receiving the waiver agreements one after another, looked better and better. After checking the list for a long time, his expression turned sour again, which puzzled Hashirama Senju, who was reading the data.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Good news, all the ninja clans have given up."

Tobirama Senju said slowly, looking at the document in his hand with displeasure.

"Does that mean there is also bad news?"

"That's right. That guy Madara Uchiha is asking when the competition will start..."

"Haha, I knew Madara wouldn't give up~"

Hashirama Senju, who had thought he would have to fight alone, had a smile on his face. He knew his best friend would not retreat in the face of difficulties.

"Hmph~ Big Brother, you cannot go easy this time. This concerns the future of Konoha; you must not be careless."

Worried that his brother would be blinded by his feelings, Tobirama Senju began to give him a strong warning.

"Relax, relax, I can still distinguish such things."

Hashirama Senju, in a great mood, waved his hand with a smile in his eyes.

"However, Tobirama, why are the pictures of these Tailed Beasts so cute?"

Hashirama Senju, picking up the data again, looked at the Tailed Beasts, each one cuter than the last, and asked in confusion.

"Cough, cough, cough... After all, time was tight. This is the appearance of the Tailed Beasts I drew based on the Tailed Beast dolls in Uchiha Gin's house. It should be more or less accurate."

Tobirama Senju pointed at the cute Tailed Beasts on the data with a strange expression and guaranteed it with certainty.

"So that's how it is~"

On the other side, Uchiha Gin looked at Madara Uchiha, who was hugging his Tailed Beast doll, with a headache, and couldn't help but complain.

"Cousin, you don't have to take the doll to find them. The Tailed Beasts all have such distinctive features; they should be easy to identify."

"Uh, that's true. It's my fault for being reckless."

Madara Uchiha, who was preparing to run away with the doll, turned his head and replied somewhat embarrassedly after being stopped by a short-haired girl with a displeased expression.

"Besides, how is this any different from a headless fly? The ninja world is so big, you aren't going to search it inch by inch, are you?"

Looking at his excited cousin, Uchiha Gin held his forehead and reminded him.

"How is that possible? I'm not an idiot..."

Hearing this, Madara Uchiha was startled, then dodged his eyes and said stubbornly.

He had originally planned to activate his Susanoo to fly into the sky and patrol the ninja world.

"I know you well enough. Here, take this to find Cat-chan; she will help you collect information about the location of the Tailed Beasts~"

Understanding his cousin's reckless nature, Uchiha Gin shook his head, fumbled in his backpack for a long time, took out a golden cat coin, and threw it into Madara Uchiha's hand.

"This is?"

Looking at the gold coin in his hand, Madara Uchiha raised his eyebrows. While rubbing it, he found words on the back, so he flipped it over and found a big "Candy" character written on it, and asked in confusion.

"I have some friendship with Cat-chan from the Empty Realm. If you take my token over there, she will help you."

"The Empty Realm... that is the supplier that specifically provides weapons for the Uchiha clan. Since when did they start acting as information brokers?"

As the clan leader of the Uchiha clan, Madara Uchiha knew something about the place called the Empty Realm. In his impression, the other party was just a simple weapon dealer.

"You see, this is the importance of information~"

Shaking his finger at the bewildered Madara Uchiha, Uchiha Gin said mysteriously.

"The person in charge of the Empty Realm now is a total cat person. Not long ago, they started keeping ninja cats. You know, cats have a very wide circle of friends~"

This will be on the group in a few days, everyone is welcome to join the discussion then~

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(End of this chapter)