Chapter 299: 299. Chapter 296: This Wave of Acquaintance Game

299. Chapter 296: This Wave of Acquaintance Game

On this side, Uchiha Hikari, who met Kinkaku and Ginkaku again, was reminiscing with these two brothers who had changed their appearances.

On the other side, Uchiha Gin took Uchiha Hikari to the most bustling commercial street in the capital of the Land of Waterfalls to find clues.

Although the comprehensive strength of the Land of Waterfalls was not among the Five Great Nations, thanks to its superior geographical location, its economic development was not inferior to other major nations, and it was even more prosperous than the poor and remote Land of Wind.

Uchiha Gin's gaze had been wandering on the streets on both sides, looking like he was looking for something.

"Gin, what exactly are you looking for? Don't you go to investigate the intelligence of the Tailed Beast?"

Uchiha Hikari, who had been strolling along the commercial street with Uchiha Gin, couldn't help but ask.

"Calm down, let's find a place to eat something before doing the mission."

After soothing the girl behind him, Uchiha Gin suddenly caught a glimpse of a shop that was open for business. His dead fish eyes suddenly lit up, and he grabbed Uchiha Hikari and walked in.

"Hei Laoda! Give me a portion of your signature yokan, add honey!"

"Gin..."

There were not many people in the shop. The girl who had just been pulled into a strange shop by Uchiha Gin smelled a thick sweet and greasy smell, and the fragrance of chestnuts floated in the air, making Uchiha Hikari's eyes instantly become dangerous.

"Cough, cough... It's not easy to come out once, so I must taste the local specialties. This yokan is very famous. Zhouxuan-laoge recommended it to me~"

Stared at by the girl's mocking eyes, Uchiha Gin coughed twice in embarrassment, his eyes not daring to look at Uchiha Hikari.

"You, you, don't you know your own physical condition?"

Seeing Uchiha Gin's pitiful look, Uchiha Hikari's heart softened, and her tone became gentle, with a bit of blame.

"I'll just eat one portion. The honey in this shop comes from the Kamizuru clan, a beekeeping family. It's unique in the Ninja World!"

Uchiha Gin, who was relieved, twitched his nose, and a very intoxicated expression appeared on his face, then he explained.

"Oh? Then why did you only order one portion?"

Moved by what Uchiha Gin said, the girl raised her delicate eyebrows, and her tone was unkind.

"Hei Laoda! Add another portion!"

"Hmm? Aren't there only two of us?"

The girl looked up, and the black gas in her eyes flashed away.

"Two portions!"

"Oishii~"

The girl, who didn't know if it was Hikari or Dark, put a piece of yokan covered in sticky honey into her mouth, supported her face, and showed a happy smile. Uchiha Gin, on the side, carefully divided a large piece of yokan into square pieces the size of a fingernail, preparing to make it last.

"Hei Laoda! Give me two portions of your signature red bean yokan, pack it up!"

Just as Uchiha Gin had just thrown a piece of yokan into his mouth, savoring the sweet and greasy taste that refreshed his heart, a tall figure rushed in from the door, shouting in an extremely rough accent.

"Eh?"

Hearing this somewhat familiar voice, Uchiha Gin looked up in confusion. What entered his eyes was a fierce-looking big round face, a hideous giant dragon entrenched on the grassless head, and two small green bean-like eyes exuding a "strangers stay away" aura. It was a look that was not easy to mess with.

"Okay, okay."

Seeing the mountain-bandit-like appearance of the new guest, the boss was really scared. But fortunately, this was the bustling downtown of the capital of the Land of Waterfalls. If someone really wanted to do something bad, the security team would naturally handle it.

"Samon-laodi!"

Not expecting to meet again in a foreign land after a few months, Uchiha Gin sighed at fate, and then excitedly greeted Samon, who was somewhat vigilant.

"Uh... Gin-sensei! Sashiburi~"

Samon's rough face was filled with deep excitement. He just took advantage of his subordinates searching for intelligence to come to this famous dessert shop to buy souvenirs for his two little disciples, not expecting to meet Uchiha Gin here.

"Gin, who is he?"

Given Samon's obvious male characteristics, Uchiha Hikari didn't show too much worry, just glanced at Samon lightly and asked softly.

"Samon, a brother of mine, now the second-in-command of the Hidden Sand Village, promising future~"

A simple sentence accurately summarized Samon's life.

"I didn't expect to meet you here. I left in a hurry last time and didn't have time to gather with you. I am very sorry."

Sitting at Uchiha Gin's table, Samon's face showed melancholy. At the time of the Five Kage Summit, because the Hidden Sand Village didn't choose to participate in the bidding for the Tailed Beast, after waiting for the handover of the Tailed Beast in other countries, Reto had already left in a hurry with him.

"Why are you so polite between you and me? As the host last time, I didn't treat you well either. Please don't take it to heart, laodi."

For the honest and loyal Samon, Uchiha Gin really treated him as a friend who could be made, which was much better than that Reto who was full of eyes.

"Is Gin-sensei here for tourism?"

Samon, who sat down, swept over the clothes of Uchiha Gin and the two, finding that they were just ordinary casual clothes, and apart from a wooden sword, they didn't carry any other weapons, so he asked suspiciously.

"Hmm... you could say that~"

Uchiha Gin's heart moved when he heard this, and he didn't tell the real purpose, but instead asked:

"Then what about you, Samon-laodi?"

"I... I'm also here for tourism!"

Samon, who was asked back, had a stiff face, and his eyes were a bit erratic when he answered.

*Samon-laodi, so many years have passed, why is your expression management still so inadequate? It's almost as if you wrote "I'm lying" on your face. *

"Gin, this friend of yours, isn't he a bit unintelligent?"

Uchiha Hikari, who had finished listening to the conversation between the two, lowered her head and elbowed Uchiha Gin beside her, asking in a low voice.

"..."

"Guest! The yokan you packed is ready~"

Just as Uchiha Gin and Samon were reminiscing, the boss, carrying two exquisite gift boxes, walked over, trembling, and placed the packed dessert on the table.

"Whoo~ Gin-sensei, I won't disturb your two-person world with your wife first. If you have time, go to the Hidden Sand Village, and I will treat you well."

Honestly rubbing his big bald head, Samon, who didn't want to continue being a light bulb, picked up the packed yokan and left first.

"Wife... Gin, this friend of yours is quite smart!"

Called by Samon like this, Uchiha Hikari's eyes narrowed into a line with joy, and then she nodded seriously and praised him repeatedly.

*Is this the face? Too realistic~*

"Let's go, it seems that people from other countries have all arrived."

Throwing the last piece of yokan into his mouth, Uchiha Gin, chewing the intoxicating sweetness, thought thoughtfully.

Even the Land of Wind, which was farthest from the Land of Waterfalls, had arrived, so people from other major nations should have arrived long ago.

"If all the guys who came are at this level, it's really boring."

Uchiha Hikari, who stood up following Uchiha Gin, instantly became cold. The previous cute look was swept away, and her pitch-black eyes were filled with deep disdain.

According to Samon's aura, Uchiha Hikari simply deduced the other party's strength, which was just a bit stronger than an elite jonin, and couldn't enter her eyes at all.

This made Uchiha Hikari, who originally had a bit of interest, feel bored.

"Don't underestimate Samon-laodi, he has a field card."

Hearing the girl's words, Uchiha Gin shook his head helplessly. Without the protection of the dragon vein, Samon's strength naturally dropped significantly.

If Samon and Uchiha Hikari fought in Loulan, Uchiha Gin believed that Samon-laodi could at least leave a whole corpse.

Out of the yokan shop, the girl following Uchiha Gin asked again:

"Is the mission starting?"

"Find little Hikari and the others first, then discuss~"

Uchiha Gin actually knew the location of the Seven-Tails long ago. He came out this time just to taste the yokan from the shop just now.

*Tsk tsk tsk~ Sure enough, it was worth the trip! Leave a coordinate later~*

"What are you two brothers doing in the Land of Waterfalls from so far away?"

Uchiha Hikari, who was talking to Kinkaku and Ginkaku, looked at the sophisticated equipment on both of them and asked thoughtfully.

"Doing miss..."

Kinkaku, who was straight-talking, was about to pour out the purpose of this trip, but Ginkaku on the side gave his big brother an elbow and preempted him:

"We're just passing by for supplies, and we'll be leaving in a while."

Ginkaku answered with nose and eyes, not looking like he was lying.

But for some reason, Uchiha Hikari perceived a familiar aura from Ginkaku, but just couldn't remember where she had met it.

"Uh... yeah, yeah, we're just here for supplies!"

Reminded by his younger brother's eyes, Kinkaku, who came back to his senses, nodded busily, and the black laborers behind him also nodded one after another.

This unnatural look, falling into the eyes of the careful Uchiha Hikari, seemed a bit like trying to cover up, and she instantly guessed the little thoughts of the other party clearly.

"Since that's the case, I won't continue to disturb you. I still have to find Gin-sensei."

Knowing it in her heart, Uchiha Hikari just wanted to pass this intelligence to Uchiha Gin as soon as possible, and then pulled Senju Bankan on the side and said goodbye to Kinkaku and Ginkaku.

"Hmm, remember to say hello to Gin-sensei for us, and tell him that we two brothers didn't lose face for him!"

Kinkaku also knew that it was not the time to reminisce, and it was not convenient to say more when on a mission, so he gave Uchiha Hikari an instruction with a look of respect, and then disappeared at the street

"Is the curly-haired baboon really that powerful?"

Just now, while the two sides were reminiscing, Senju Itama had been keeping his little ears pricked to listen carefully. The look of flattery displayed by Kinkaku and Ginkaku did not seem fake, especially when they mentioned that Uchiha Gin had actually saved the two brothers from his own second brother's hands; he had almost dropped his jaw in shock.

"Mr. Gin is actually very humble."

Having witnessed that First Generation Wood Human that rivaled a Tailed Beast, Uchiha Hikari nodded slightly.

However, the young girl still couldn't understand why her teacher had been hiding his strength all this time. Clearly possessing power not inferior to the clan head, he insisted on working as a low-level prison guard; it was truly baffling.

"Little Hikari!"

Just as the girl was letting her imagination run wild, Uchiha Gin's surprised voice came from not far behind her. She turned around to see her teacher walking quickly toward them with Uchiha Hikari.

Uchiha Gin, having reached Uchiha Hikari, nodded at his disciple, then let his gaze fall on Senju Itama behind her. Without the slightest hesitation, his angry iron fist descended directly.

"Thud!"

"You stinky brat! Who told you to run around?"

"Ouch~ you—"

"Shut up, don't make chicken noises again!"

After fiercely disciplining the disobedient Senju Itama, Uchiha Gin finally vented some of his anger. He turned to look at the complex-looking Uchiha Hikari and blinked in confusion.

"Little Hikari, did something happen?"

"Mr. Gin, I just ran into some acquaintances."

"Acquaintances?"

Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. His acquaintances indeed spanned the Ninja World, but there weren't many who Uchiha Hikari would also recognize.

"Those two children from the Hagoromo clan, do you remember them?"

"Oh~"

So it was the two 'prison brothers' Kinkaku and Ginkaku. It seemed they were undoubtedly the ones sent by the Cloud Village to find the Seven-Tails.

"Mr. Gin, aren't you surprised?"

Seeing that Uchiha Gin did not show much surprise, Uchiha Hikari was very puzzled.

"What's there to be surprised about? We just ran into an acquaintance too."

"You ran into one too?"

"Yeah, they probably all came for this mission. Don't get into a conflict with them for now; wait for an opportunity~"

Now that mission squads from the Five Great Nations were gathered in the Land of Waterfalls, everyone had the same goal. Since the Seven-Tails hadn't appeared yet, only a fool would start a conflict with people from other countries.

"Boom!!!"

However, the development of events was always unexpected. Just as Uchiha Gin was settling the girls and telling them not to clash with ninjas from other countries, a huge explosion suddenly rang out on the street not far away, followed immediately by a thick aura of chakra rushing toward them.

"No way, there really is a fool?"

Uchiha Gin, having been slapped in the face, complained with a toothache-like expression. Without hesitation, he took the girls over to watch the spectacle.

Slap in the face or not, eating melon (watching the show) was very important.

The site of the explosion was not far from Uchiha Gin and the others. In just a few breaths, he led them to the roof at the scene, eyes wide, wanting to see who was so brave.

"You little white-bearded runt, you actually dare to ambush me!"

Just as he stretched his neck to watch the show, a frantic voice came from the thick smoke. The slightly familiar tone made Uchiha Gin raise an eyebrow.

"Hahaha, how did you end up looking like this ghost? But to be fair, you're actually much easier on the eyes than before, Bandage Man~"

Another sharp voice rang out. Uchiha Gin and the others shifted their gaze to see a flamboyant brown-haired man with a mustache, looking triumphant as he shook his hands; it was clear he was the culprit behind the explosion.

"Ninjas are fighting, go notify the security team!"

The civilians in the capital of the Land of Waterfalls, after a brief moment of stupor, scattered and fled, shouting that they were going to seek the protection of the security team.

"Hozuki Gengetsu, this is a residential area, you actually dare to make a move?"

Mu, wrapped entirely in bandages, retreated a few steps to put distance between himself and Hozuki Gengetsu. Looking at the destroyed street, he questioned coldly.

"My aim has always been very good. My attack just now didn't hurt a single civilian."

Seemingly very confident in his own attack, Hozuki Gengetsu straightened his exaggerated mustache and laughed very arrogantly.

"Damn it!"

Mu, having been ambushed for no reason, was very annoyed. He immediately drew the two great swords from his back and charged at the triumphant Hozuki Gengetsu.

Old enemies were especially hostile upon meeting. Hozuki Gengetsu didn't dodge either, his eyes filled with madness as he quickly raised both hands in the shape of a pistol.

"Water Gun Technique!"

Uchiha Gin, on the roof, watched with a headache as the rich water-attribute chakra condensed at Hozuki Gengetsu's fingertips. Having been addicted to a certain mobile game in his past life, he had been tortured by this mustache-man's move more than once.

He saw Hozuki Gengetsu's eyes narrow. The next second, countless liquid bullets like bullets shot out, pouring toward the approaching Mu.

"Bang bang bang!!!"

Because the distance was too close and he couldn't dodge, Mu held his two beloved swords in front of his chest to defend against the dense water bullets. A pitter-patter sound of collisions rang out instantly.

"Hahahaha... die!"

Seeing Mu struggling to parry, the Water Gun in Hozuki Gengetsu's hands fired even faster, his only thought being to shoot the guy in front of him into a sieve.

"Eh?"

Just as Hozuki Gengetsu was enjoying the shooting, he suddenly sensed something was wrong. The strength of this Mu in front of him seemed to be greatly discounted compared to before.

In the past, the opponent would definitely have had a way to deal with this, instead of sitting still and waiting for death, being passively beaten.

"Not good!"

While Hozuki Gengetsu was puzzled, a dazzling glimmer suddenly appeared behind him. His heart chilled, and he immediately reacted, his whole body instantly turning into a pool of liquid and falling to the ground.

Hydrification Technique~

"Boom!"

The next moment, a white light shot out, hitting exactly where Hozuki Gengetsu had been standing. Fortunately, he reacted in time and used the Hydrification Technique to dodge this fatal blow.

"Phew~ phew~ truly as slippery as a loach."

The people watching the show only then discovered that there were two Mus in the field. One of them had just been blocking Hozuki Gengetsu's Water Gun.

And the other had somehow circled behind Hozuki Gengetsu, hands raised in front of him, panting and complaining.

The white light that had just emitted a terrifying aura was exactly what this Mu had fired.

"Shadow Clone Technique? No, this is definitely not the Shadow Clone Technique!"

Hozuki Gengetsu, having turned into liquid, took advantage of Mu having just finished releasing the Particle Style to quickly move to a safe zone. He slowly condensed into human form, his browless forehead furrowed into a 'chuan' shape, and he said with uncertainty.

"Hmph!"

Mu naturally wouldn't make the ninjutsu he used public. This Fission Technique was his newly learned trump card.

Fortunately, during the last great war, Hozuki Gengetsu's Steaming Danger Tyranny was not yet proficient enough and hadn't damaged Mu's meridians, so he could rely on his precise chakra manipulation ability to barely use a half-power Particle Style while using the Fission Technique.

"Again!"

Hozuki Gengetsu, who couldn't stand Mu's arrogant appearance, jumped in anger and raised his hands, preparing to give this brat a big one. Rich water-attribute chakra condensed in the air, and damp mist slowly shrouded the entire street.

"All of you stop! This is the capital of the Land of Waterfalls. You foreign ninjas, are you despising the dignity of the Daimyo?"

Just as the battle was about to escalate, a violent shout came from the street corner. A team wearing exquisite armor arrived at the scene in the blink of an eye. This group of people all wore black masks, and the eye areas were covered by ink-colored crystals, making it impossible to see their pupils.

"It's the Kiheitai! These ninjas are in for a rough time~"

The civilians hiding in the houses, seeing the team that had arrived at the scene, all had joyful expressions and poked their heads out to watch the show.

"You aren't Waterfall ninjas?"

Mu, having dispelled the Fission Technique, landed to one side. Looking at the suddenly appearing strange team, he was a bit confused. Logically, the security of the capital should be the responsibility of the local ninja village, but this team emitting a cold aura was definitely not the trash from the Waterfall Village.

"Rock Village guy, don't ask what you shouldn't ask. Now I'll give you two choices: squat down with your head covered, or be beaten down by us."

The leader of the Kiheitai didn't answer Mu's question, but instead slowly drew the sword at his waist and issued an ultimatum in a cold tone.

"Playing god."

Mu, as the second-in-command of the Rock Village, wouldn't choose to compromise. He saw him wave his hand, and several stones rose from the ground, shooting toward the Kiheitai. He wanted to teach this arrogant guy a lesson.

"Actually dare to resist?"

The leader of the Kiheitai wasn't panicked; instead, he seemed eager to try. He saw him raise a hand and form seals at high speed. Uchiha Gin, who was watching the show, saw the seals this person was forming, and his eyes couldn't help but twitch.

You guys, how much do you like using the Mercy Technique?

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A huge fireball erupted from the mouth of the Kiheitai leader. The scorching aura instantly melted the stones Mu had shot over into sand. The flames then, with unstoppable momentum, shrouded the somewhat stunned Mu.

No, I was just testing you, and you're playing for real?

Based on this terrifying Great Fireball Technique, Mu was 100% certain that this mysterious leader in front of him was not inferior to him in strength.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

Mu, having no time to dodge, had to use the Earth Wall technique to block the flames. Fortunately, the opponent had no murderous intent, so the flames were quickly absorbed by the Earth Wall.

"Who exactly are you people?"

Mu, already having faint thoughts of retreating, couldn't help but ask.

"Kiheitai, surrender!"

The leader brandished a flashy sword style and slashed at Mu. Mu, forced into a corner, had to raise his two swords to respond.

"Gin, why does this person's sword style look a bit familiar?"

"Mr. Gin, isn't this the Uchiha Style Sword Technique?"

"Cough cough... you guys must have seen wrong. How could outsiders know our Uchiha sword technique? It's probably a knock-off, getting only the form but not the essence~"

Facing the two girls' questions, Uchiha Gin laughed it off, though he couldn't help but grumble in his heart.

No, these guys don't know how to hide it at all. When I go back, I must have a good talk with my uncle and have their instructor improve the teaching syllabus.

"Good sword style!"

After exchanging a few moves with this mysterious leader, a hint of excitement appeared in Mu's eyes.

On the roof, Uchiha Gin, who was watching the Kiheitai and Mu hacking at each other, snatched the small bag from Senju Itama's side. Under her murderous gaze, he took out the little sweet water inside and savored a sip beautifully.

Below, Mu used the impact of the clash to retreat a few steps. Looking straight at the mysterious leader, his bandage-covered face showed visible sincerity as he slowly asked.

"Are you interested in joining the Rock Village? Staying in a backwater place like the Land of Waterfalls is truly burying your talent~"

"Pfft!!!" (End of chapter)