Chapter 292: 292. Chapter 290: Senju Itama's Alternative Track

292. Chapter 290: Senju Itama's Alternative Track

Naruto, standing dumbfounded at the edge of the pit, felt his small body tremble subconsciously after hearing Uchiha Gin's voice.

His azure pupils gradually turned into scarlet beast pupils, refracting a light that devoured people. Red chakra, as if materialized, wrapped tightly around the boy's thin body.

Before long, the originally sunny and cheerful Naruto no longer looked human. Two small ears fluttered with the wind on top of his head, and four thin tails swung behind his butt. He squatted at the edge of the pit, his hollow pupils devoid of any humanity, his wide-open mouth showing sharp teeth.

"Ah ah..."

The low roar made Uchiha Gin, who hadn't crawled up yet, frown.

"Watch it, don't let your saliva drip down!"

"ROAR!!!"

The emotionally unstable Four-Tails Naruto seemed to be stimulated by this sentence. He raised his head high, opened his bloody mouth, and a black light ball containing terrifying power was condensing rapidly in the air.

"Tsk! So it's not Naruto, but Kurama~"

Shaking his head regretfully, Uchiha Gin raised a hand, and a light ball that was azure with a hint of light purple appeared in his palm.

Rasengan!

Glancing at the Rasengan in his hand, Uchiha Gin deliberately compressed its volume again. Satisfied, he looked at the bullet-sized spiral bullet and threw it up casually.

"Whoosh~"

Kurama, who was charging up at the edge of the pit, was full of joy. It wasn't in vain that it had tried so many times; it had finally caught the opportunity to beat a "drowning dog."

Just waiting for the Tailed Beast Bomb to finish condensing, it could take revenge and teach this hateful curly-head a lesson.

However, things went contrary to its wishes. Kurama suddenly sensed a strong wind overflowing from below, accompanied by a tearing sound that ripped through space. It only felt a pain in its throat and was surprised to find that its throat was starting to leak air.

"Ah ah?"

The Tailed Beast Bomb that Kurama had worked so hard to condense instantly vanished into smoke. The water-ripple light curtain that appeared in the sky made it look down in confusion.

Only to see Uchiha Gin in the pit not taking it to heart at all, but instead focusing his mind on how to utilize this big pit he had just smashed out.

"This depth, can be used to plant a tree, right?"

Hateful curly-head!

Kurama, who collapsed to the ground, looked desperately at the gradually falling light curtain, and a smear of aggrieved tears flowed slowly from the corner of its eyes.

No matter how much this brat begged it next time, don't even think about letting it help "substitute-train" (grind) again.

"Backyard daily refresh random skill 【Nine-Tails Chakra】, obtained Nine-Tails Chakra Fragment*5"

【Nine-Tails Chakra Fragment (100/100), collect 100 fragments to synthesize complete Nine-Tails Chakra.】

That's enough?

Uchiha Gin, who was testing the soil quality in the pit, raised his head in surprise, just in time to see the light curtain slowly disappearing, and then brought up the system, pointing at the Nine-Tails Chakra he had collected enough of.

"Nine-Tails Chakra synthesis successful, whether to equip."

God knows if this chakra has autonomous consciousness. Uchiha Gin, who had been cautious his whole life, clicked "No" directly.

He didn't want to "live stream" and give out benefits.

Taking the Nine-Tails Chakra out of the system backpack, Uchiha Gin carefully examined the red jelly-like Newtonian fluid in his hand that was emitting a violent aura.

After thinking for a while, his eyes rolled, and he took out the "Ninja World version of the Spirit Ball" Amber Purifying Bottle he carried with him, and threw the wriggling Tailed Beast Chakra into it.

At the same moment Uchiha Gin took out the Nine-Tails Chakra, the big fox sleeping in an unknown corner of the Land of Fire woke up suddenly. Sensing a very familiar aura, Kurama's huge beast pupils were full of confusion.

It clearly hadn't been cut, so why was there such a strong tearing sensation?

"No, no, this Land of Fire can't be stayed in."

Feeling that he and the Land of Fire were "clashing in horoscope," Kurama instantly lost all sleepiness, immediately stepped out with four limbs, and ran toward the Land of Lightning, where it had lived for a period of time.

The Land of Lightning was noisy, but at least no one bothered it. Moreover, the humans there were a bit dark, but they were firm in flesh and had a lot of chewiness when eaten.

Charcoal-grilled "Boss"~

Thinking of the special delicacies of the Land of Lightning, Kurama's saliva instantly flowed down, and the pace under its feet couldn't help but speed up a bit.

In the backyard, Uchiha Gin, who had just arranged a good place for the Nine-Tails Chakra, raised his head and suddenly found another short figure standing in the position where Naruto had just stood.

Just as he was wondering if the system had a bug, he suddenly heard a crisp child's voice that sounded familiar.

"Curly-haired baboon, I said why I haven't seen you for half a day, so you were here digging a pit to bury yourself~"

"Ha???"

Hearing this familiar tone, Uchiha Gin was directly stunned, even forgetting to complain. His two dead-fish eyes stared straight at the person squatting at the edge of the pit, his mouth wide open in surprise, his chin as if dislocated, unable to close.

"Hmph~ If you are willing to kneel down and beg me, perhaps I will give you a hand and pull you up."

The short figure squatting there continued to output, until Uchiha Gin came back to his senses.

After confirming he hadn't seen wrong, Uchiha Gin, with a strange expression, patted the dust off his body and disappeared from the pit in a flash.

The next moment, he was already standing behind the short figure, staring at the two black and white distinct twin tails on the other's head, and asked in a strange tone:

"You... you kid, what are you playing at again? Is the Yin Seal already so proficient?"

"This lady is willing, what does it have to do with you?"

The female-brat version of Senju Itama, squatting on the ground, stood up while grumbling and cursing. He tugged at his ill-fitting clothes, curled his lip, and shot a fierce, glaring look at Uchiha Gin, who had easily escaped the trap.

This familiar scene made Uchiha Gin's dead memories attack him violently.

In a trance, it was as if he had returned to the few years when he had just captured Senju Itama, the relaxed daily life of this "rebellious female brat" who was arguing with him crazily every day.

Looking at the disgusted curl of Senju Itama's lips, Uchiha Gin felt it was all back, it was all back~

Seeing the dazed look in Uchiha Gin's eyes, Senju Itama, who had transformed into the female brat form, flashed a look of pride. She was invincible on this track!

This curly-head was too easy to handle, just by putting on a classic skin, he was bewitched.

"No, looking at your appearance, my hands are itching."

Before Senju Itama could be proud for long, Uchiha Gin in front of her rubbed his hands with a strange expression, looking eager to try, which gave the girl a kind of burning "phantom limb pain" in a certain part.

"What do you want to do?"

Senju Itama immediately stood at attention, distancing herself from Uchiha Gin with a look of vigilance.

"Sigh~"

Staring at the twin tails swinging on Senju Itama's head, Uchiha Gin forcibly suppressed the irritability in his heart and withdrew his hand that was ready to go.

Treating this kid, he couldn't be as casual as before. Back then, he just thought she was a disobedient "little brat," who knew she would become a "real woman" later.

Wasn't it said in the original work that she had a "handle" (male)? It was really the "fixed impression" that killed people.

"Na na, curly-haired baboon, why aren't you talking? Scared?"

Seeing Uchiha Gin put down his hand, Senju Itama instantly became energetic, putting her hands on her hips and raising her head, looking aggressive, almost writing the words "I am a female brat" on her face.

"Slap!"

"Aiyo! What are you doing~"

Unable to hold back after all, Uchiha Gin gave Senju Itama a sharp rap on the head with his knuckles. Looking completely satisfied, he smiled brightly at the brat, who was now squatting and covering his head, and said,

"Sorry, sorry, the old habit of ten years can't be changed for a while, I'll hit you again next time."

"Sob sob sob, I'll bite you to death!!!"

After a while, Uchiha Gin, with a face full of tooth marks, knelt on the ground with his legs together in front of the black-haired, black-eyed girl, waiting for Uchiha Hikari's judgment.

"Gin, you're already at your age, why are you still playing this kind of 'interest role-playing' with that kid?"

Uchiha Hikari, who was sleeping, was woken up by the noisy sounds in the backyard. She poked her head out in confusion and saw a scene that made her roll her eyes.

Only to see Senju Itama, who had switched to a ten-year-old state, opening her bloody little mouth and biting Uchiha Gin's head tightly, not moving no matter how he struggled.

That scene was as bloody as it was ambiguous, directly angering the girl's sleepiness away. She jumped out of the window, drove a Gundam to persuade the fight, and handled it very well, one in each hand.

"Ha? She transformed herself, what does it have to do with me?"

Hearing this "unjust accusation," Uchiha Gin shouted injustice, pointing at Senju Itama, who was curled up on the sofa, and retorted loudly.

"Look at my face, I'm the victim, okay? Why can she sit while I have to kneel?"

Pointing at the bite marks on his face, with wet saliva still not wiped clean, while the culprit was sitting on the sofa safely, Uchiha Gin, feeling he had received unfair treatment, expressed his dissatisfaction in court.

"Is what he said true?"

Uchiha Hikari frowned, turned her gaze to Senju Itama. The girl, who felt locked by the gaze, had her small face, which was leaning against the top of the Isobu doll's head, turn slightly pale. After her eyes drifted for a moment, she replied:

"He said 'small is also cute'~"

"Senju Itama, I'm going to..."

Uchiha Gin was almost angered to the point of passing out upon hearing this. He had just complained that this kid wasn't as obedient and cute as before, how did it become key evidence?

"Silence! Did you say such a thing or not?"

"I said it."

He had indeed said this sentence, Uchiha Gin could only pinch his nose and admit it.

"Very good, it's a pervert, no need for trial, just cut it off~"

Uchiha Dark, who didn't know when she had switched personalities, tilted her head, looked at Uchiha Gin, who had confessed and accepted punishment, with a grim smile, the kitchen knife behind her grinding with a clanging sound.

"Clear-soup Great Master (Honorable Judge), I am wronged~"

Uchiha Gin broke out in a cold sweat and nodded like a garlic-pounding machine.

"No need for questioning!"

"Aiyo, my old waist~"

Uchiha Gin, who had been tortured by the upright girl, dragged his "pineapple-pineapple-da" (broken) body, paced on the main road of Konoha, stroking his aching lower back, sighing and shaking his head.

The bustling crowd on the roadside was filled with a happy atmosphere. At the village gate, travelers in various clothes were queuing up to register to enter, stopping to appreciate the brand-new Konoha, full of emotion.

"If only it could stay peaceful like this forever~"

Thanks to the peace agreement initiated by Konoha, there had been no news about war recently. It seemed other countries were busy studying Tailed Beasts and had no mind to start a war.

Without regional wars, the trade routes ushered in unprecedented prosperity. Travelers and merchants from major countries poured into the Land of Fire, bringing local specialties while also taking back Konoha's novel gadgets to make a fortune.

Consequently, the number of missions from caravans surged, and Konoha's ninjas finally had work to do, at least not worrying about their livelihood.

Uchiha Gin strolled along, and unknowingly, walked to a huge building adjacent to the Hokage building. Looking at the ninjas frequently entering and exiting from inside, he probably already had a guess in his heart.

"Uh? Isn't this Gin-san? Why are you strolling here? Are you here to do a mission?"

Yamanaka Minako, who had just walked out of the mission hall, saw Uchiha Gin standing in front of the gate with a face full of emotion at a glance, and greeted him out of curiosity.

"Oh~ I'm just strolling, but you, you actually come to take missions."

Meeting an acquaintance on the road, Uchiha Gin immediately straightened his back. He couldn't let others see that his

"Heh heh, even the ninja dogs of the Yamanaka clan have taken on sheep-herding missions; how can we just sit still?"

Yamanaka Minako's face carried a hint of complexity. Her hand, clutching the mission sheet, tightened slightly. Looking at the culprit who had caused her family's financial crisis, she ultimately chose to bury her curses deep in her heart and explained with a forced, awkward smile,

"Tsk tsk tsk, don't work too hard. If you have any difficulties, feel free to come find me tonight; I'll help you resolve your worries."

Shaking his head with a sigh, Uchiha Gin let his gaze fall upon Yamanaka Minako's curvaceous waist and extended the invitation with utmost sincerity.

"Sorry, I'm very busy."

As a married woman who strictly adhered to traditional virtues, Yamanaka Minako refused without a second thought. She had heard rumors of Uchiha Gin's reputation, especially the gossip about his "mother-and-daughter bowl" antics, which were common fodder for the neighborhood aunties.

"That's truly a pity."

Not expecting such a decisive refusal, Uchiha Gin scratched his head in embarrassment. He truly meant nothing else by it; he simply couldn't bear to see a married woman suffer and wanted to help out if he had the ability—it was just a gesture of goodwill.

"Gin-san, the mission is heavy. I must be going now; you continue your stroll."

Not wanting to have any more entanglements with Uchiha Gin, Yamanaka Minako hurried away, hugging the wall, giving Uchiha Gin no chance to continue the conversation.

"Geez, I'm not going to eat anyone. Why are they acting like they're defending against me like they would against James?"

Watching Yamanaka Minako's disappearing back, Uchiha Gin curled his lip. Since he had nothing better to do anyway, he decided to take a stroll through the mission hall.

Upon entering the mission hall, Uchiha Gin raised his eyebrows in surprise. From the outside, there were so many ninjas coming and going, but the interior of the hall was eerily quiet. It lacked the bustling atmosphere he had imagined, with only the sound of extremely brief, whispered conversations.

The ninjas wearing Leaf headbands were all efficient; after selecting their missions, they quickly took the mission scrolls from the staff and left without looking back.

Among these ninjas were white-haired old men and children around ten years old. The staff treated everyone equally, without any discrimination based on age.

"Finally got this mission!"

A boy no older than ten, clutching the scroll in his hand with excitement, cheered in a low voice with a flushed face. Judging by his voice, which was trembling with excitement, it wasn't hard to guess that he had been looking forward to this mission for a long time.

"Hey~ young man, what kind of mission did you take?"

Seeing the boy so excited, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but be a little curious. Could it be a hidden mission to save the world?

"Who are you? You aren't trying to steal my mission, are you?"

The boy, still in the midst of his excitement, was startled by the question from behind him. He jumped, nearly dropping the mission scroll to the ground. He turned his head, looking warily at the confused Uchiha Gin, and hugged the scroll tightly to his chest, terrified it would be snatched away.

"No, I'm just passing by."

Seeing the boy's extreme defensiveness, Uchiha Gin immediately put on a warm smile and spread his hands to show he was just a passerby.

After scrutinizing Uchiha Gin for a moment, the boy realized he wasn't wearing a headband and must be an ordinary person there to post a mission. He slowly lowered his guard, looked left and right to ensure no one was around, and revealed a smile that didn't match his age, blinking awkwardly.

"Heh heh, I've been camping out for a long time to get this mission~"

As he spoke, the boy carefully unfolded a corner of the scroll in his hand, revealing the mission name.

【Women's Bathhouse Guard】

Damn! There's such a good thing?

Uchiha Gin's eyes lit up immediately, and he couldn't wait to see the specific details of the mission, but the boy quickly folded the scroll back up, his face full of smugness.

"Ahem... young brother, I wonder what the pay is for this mission."

A somewhat disappointed Uchiha Gin coughed twice and asked in a feigned, casual manner.

"Not bad, 1,000 ryo a day, for five days total."

The boy didn't hide it, his mouth grinning from ear to ear.

"I'll give you ten thousand; how about you transfer this mission to me?"

Uchiha Gin blocked the boy's path nonchalantly, attempting to use the power of money to make him submit.

"..."

"Don't misunderstand, I just want to experience what it's like to work as a guard."

Seeing the boy's sour expression, Uchiha Gin immediately stood straight and explained with a serious face.

"No way!"

The boy was, at the very least, from a clan family. Although not a prestigious one, he was well-fed and clothed, and he certainly wouldn't give up this hard-won opportunity for a little pocket change.

"Tsk, you little brat, what's your name? I'm going to report you to your parents!"

Not expecting the boy to be so unappreciative, a frustrated Uchiha Gin had no choice but to bring out his trump card to make the brat submit to his might.

"Bleh, bleh, bleh! I'm not giving this mission to you!"

The boy didn't take Uchiha Gin's threat seriously at all; instead, he made a series of faces at him and, catching him off guard, ducked and slipped away.

"Tsk! The local brats are getting more and more impolite; they don't know how to respect their elders at all."

Uchiha Gin, having regretfully missed out on an important mission, scratched his curly hair and sighed repeatedly.

"Eh? Big Cousin, why are you here?"

Uchiha Madara, who had appeared from nowhere, was now standing behind Uchiha Gin, holding a stack of mission lists. His cold eyes were filled with confusion.

He knew his cousin's lazy nature all too well; he would never come to accept a mission.

"Big Cousin, are you the one in charge here?"

Uchiha Madara's appearance seemed to light the way forward for Uchiha Gin. He grabbed his cousin's shoulders excitedly and asked.

"I suppose so. Hashirama asked me to help him organize the mission lists, so I'm in charge of this mission hall for the time being."

Not understanding Uchiha Gin's intentions, Uchiha Madara frowned and replied.

"Quick! Let me see the list. I must teach that brat a lesson; he actually dared to bare his teeth at me!"

Uchiha Gin's heart couldn't be called large; it was so small it was invisible to the naked eye. Upon learning his cousin was in charge of missions, he immediately started flipping through the mission list.

"Hey! Don't mess it up, I just finished organizing it!"

Watching Uchiha Gin flip through the mission list, an exhausted Uchiha Madara felt his eyes go dark.

"Hmph! Found you!"

Finally, through Uchiha Gin's tireless efforts, he found the brat's mission. His eyes swept over the four large characters 【Women's Bathhouse Guard】 and finally landed on the name of the person who accepted the mission.

Maruboshi Kosuke?

Studying the name on the mission list, Uchiha Gin suddenly felt it looked familiar, but he just couldn't remember where he had seen it.

Perhaps he's just a side character with a name.

Not delving any deeper, Uchiha Gin memorized the name, planning to find an opportunity later to settle today's score.

"Oops, sorry, I'll help you organize it~"

Casually shoving the mission list back, Uchiha Gin apologized without a hint of sincerity. Uchiha Madara, who was busy reorganizing, felt his fists itching and wished he could land a couple of punches on those hateful, dead-fish eyes.

"Phew~ Big Cousin, if you're fine, just stay at home. Don't go out strolling and causing trouble for others."

Forcibly suppressing the urge to hammer someone, Uchiha Madara, having finished organizing the list alone, suggested with a livid face.

"I don't like hearing you say that. What do you mean by causing trouble?"

Having been backstabbed by his cousin, Uchiha Gin was immediately unhappy. I raised you with such painstaking effort, and now that your wings have hardened, you're starting to look down on me?

"Big Cousin, that's not what I meant. I've been under a lot of pressure lately, please bear with me."

Seeing that Uchiha Gin was genuinely angry, Uchiha Madara felt a chill in his heart. Power truly makes one lose their way; how could he speak so recklessly to his Big Cousin? It was truly an act of a bastard. He immediately apologized with a look of shame.

"It's fine. I know your current situation is a bit awkward, but don't worry. The white-haired guy is no longer a threat to you. There is only one obstacle left on your path to becoming Hokage."

Since you've apologized, I'll forgive you. Who else would, if not your own Big Cousin~

"Obstacle?"

"That's right. The only obstacle left now is Senju Hashirama. Once you can make him submit, you'll successfully succeed as the Second Hokage~"

Uchiha Gin felt his words were flawless. When his cousin could take the position of Hokage depended entirely on when Senju Hashirama stepped down. As long as Uchiha Madara did his work well, succeeding early shouldn't be a problem.

Uchiha Madara, holding the mission list, lowered his head in silence after hearing Uchiha Gin's words, wondering what he was thinking. After a long while, he squeezed out a sentence,

"It's difficult. My capacity is still far behind."

Subtext: My strength is still a notch below Senju Hashirama's.

Not expecting his cousin to have learned nothing of social etiquette after being in the workplace for so many years, Uchiha Gin, wanting to help, had to offer a bit of advice.

"It doesn't matter. Human effort can achieve anything. If it really doesn't work, just prepare a grand gift for Hashirama—the kind that will make him submit thoroughly!" (End of chapter)