Chapter 299: Uchiha Gin's Oversight

Uchiha Madara, arms crossed over his chest, stood proudly atop the hideous head of the Eight-Tails. Watching Hashirama Senju fly toward him, the curve of his mouth, no matter how hard he tried, could not be suppressed.

"Hashirama, how many did you catch?"

Uchiha Madara tilted his head up, asking a question he already knew the answer to.

He had not tasted this feeling of victory for many years; he had to savor it slowly this time.

Hashirama Senju, being asked, was not annoyed. He rubbed the back of his head and gave a simple, honest smile.

"I only caught three."

In his view, he had merely captured the Five-Tails, Six-Tails, and Nine-Tails. As for that large beetle, Hashirama Senju had not categorized it among the Tailed Beasts.

After all, it didn't have a tail, did it?

"Huh? Three?"

Uchiha Gin, who had rushed to the scene to watch the excitement, had been quietly playing the role of a bystander. Upon hearing Hashirama Senju's words, his hand holding the melon seeds paused, and a few traces of doubt emerged in his dull eyes.

He had clearly sensed the aura of four Tailed Beasts behind Hashirama Senju; how did it become three?

"Then, this time, I won, right!"

Suppressing the joy in his heart, Uchiha Madara lowered his head, looked at the slightly dejected Hashirama Senju before him, and asked loudly.

"I lost."

Without refuting, Hashirama Senju generously admitted his failure. He had acted upright and honorable his whole life, daring to act and daring to take responsibility, never stabbing anyone in the back.

The crowd that had rushed to the scene was shocked upon hearing Hashirama Senju's words, especially the members of the ninja clan alliance, who had already begun to ponder how to build a good relationship with the Uchiha clan.

Several pairs of eyes quietly and simultaneously looked toward the frowning Uchiha Gin, calculating in their hearts how to curry favor.

"We all 'paid to win,' which counts as indirectly offering tribute to the Uchiha clan; they shouldn't make things difficult for us, right?"

Seeing that the Uchiha clan was about to gain power, Kenichi Shimura, feeling somewhat uneasy, couldn't help but whisper to his friends.

"That's hard to say. Your attitude before, Kenichi, was a bit..."

Sasuke Sarutobi stroked his chin. He had no conflict with Uchiha Gin, and could even say they had some rapport. At the very least, their Sarutobi clan shouldn't be suppressed or made difficult for.

"Ah~"

Kenichi Shimura's heart turned to ash. If he had known the Uchiha clan would take off, he wouldn't have made things so tense with Uchiha Gin.

Now it was a fine mess; his own son's backside hadn't even healed yet, and the family might face total destruction.

"Our Yamanaka clan owes the Uchiha quite a bit of money~"

Compared to the nervous Kenichi Shimura, Minako Yamanaka seemed to have let out a sigh of relief. She patted her full chest, lowered her head, and secretly glanced at Uchiha Gin's back with her blue-green eyes. As the light flickered, she seemed to hide many unspeakable secrets.

Uchiha Gin, standing in the first row, frowned deeply. Beside him, Izuna Uchiha had a flushed face and clenched his fists tightly. Watching Hashirama Senju bow his head to his older brother, he felt incredibly refreshed.

If that white-haired Tobirama Senju also bowed his head to me, that feeling... tsk tsk tsk~

"Big cousin, does our Uchiha clan have it all now!"

The incredibly excited Izuna Uchiha turned to ask the silent Uchiha Gin beside him.

"Whether we have it all, I don't know, but it's true that someone is unhappy."

Knowing that things were not that simple, Uchiha Gin sighed slightly and said softly to his little cousin, who was caught in a power struggle.

Uchiha Madara, standing atop Gyuki's head, his long black hair moving without wind, had already attained great satisfaction at this moment. The joy of defeating Hashirama Senju was far greater than the excitement of taking office as Hokage.

"Madara, after we go back, I will personally help you design the Hokage Rock. I will definitely carve it beautifully for you~"

Hashirama Senju, feeling he had failed, leaped onto Gyuki's head. Looking at his best friend before him, he was genuinely happy for him from the bottom of his heart.

"Hmph hmph~ Remember to slim down the face."

Now Uchiha Madara was even more satisfied.

"Wait!"

Just as everything was about to settle, a blue figure descended like lightning. Tobirama Senju, with a grave expression, gritted his teeth and shouted to his older brother.

"Brother! The position of Hokage is a matter of great importance. The outcome is not yet decided; it is still too early to say these things!"

"Uh... but I lost~"

Looking at his brother, who was somewhat agitated, Hashirama Senju said embarrassedly.

"That's right, that's right. Three against four, no matter how you look at it, my brother won~"

As a professional white-hair-baiting machine, Izuna Uchiha jumped out at the first opportunity and loudly echoed.

"Hmph! The competition is not over yet; there is still one Tailed Beast left outside."

Tobirama Senju crossed his arms over his chest, glanced at Izuna Uchiha with contempt, and then announced loudly.

"If Uchiha Madara catches that Tailed Beast, his taking office as Hokage will be well-deserved. But if my brother takes it, then we must change the standard of victory."

"You are arguing for the sake of arguing!"

Izuna Uchiha's eyes were slightly red, and a bright yellow phantom faintly appeared behind him, as if he would grab that eloquent white-haired man the next moment.

"Tobirama, this isn't very good, is it?"

With his brother stirring things up like this, Hashirama Senju couldn't keep a straight face; it seemed as if he were the one who couldn't afford to lose.

"It's fine, I agree!"

As if victory were already in his grasp, Uchiha Madara lowered his head, looked at the indignant brother, and spoke up.

"Ah?"

The crowd was in an uproar. In their view, Uchiha Madara had already won; there was absolutely no need to participate in this unfair overtime match.

"Brother, the location of the Seven-Tails is clearly written in the intelligence. You must set off quickly; this time, you must not take it lightly!"

Tobirama Senju felt a sense of relief in his heart, feeling that there was still room for maneuver in this matter. He flashed to the side of the silent Hashirama Senju and urged him.

"Tobirama! I have already conceded."

As the strongest man in the Land of Fire, Hashirama Senju had his own pride.

Even if he lost, he wanted to lose beautifully.

To cling to life in such a way, is that what a real man would do?

"Brother!"

"Stop, don't say another word."

Purple chakra erupted from Hashirama Senju's body. The terrifying pressure produced made the anxious Tobirama Senju break into a cold sweat instantly.

The words he had prepared were stuck in his throat, unable to be spat out no matter what.

Having stopped his brother's antics with his aura, Hashirama Senju turned his head to look at the calm Uchiha Madara. His tense face instantly relaxed, and he then explained.

"Madara, I apologize to you on Tobirama's behalf. He is too extreme; I will educate him well when I go back."

"No matter, I'm already used to it~"

The happy Uchiha Madara did not mind Tobirama Senju's behavior at all. In his view, that was nothing more than the barking of a dog with a broken spine.

"Clan Leader Senju is truly a man of high integrity. Even if he were to serve as Hokage, no one would have any objections, right?"

The ninja clan alliance, having witnessed all this below, raised their evaluation of Hashirama Senju once again and said with sincere admiration.

However, there was one man who remained skeptical of all this.

Uchiha Gin tilted his head, swept his gaze toward the four cages in the distance, and looked at the four Tailed Beasts sleeping soundly inside. He scratched his head, feeling somewhat puzzled.

This Hashirama Senju is really throwing the match, isn't he? Such a large Tailed Beast, and he insists there isn't one?

"Madara, do you remember when we were kids, catching beetles in the forest?"

Having let go of his obsession with the Hokage, Hashirama Senju began to chat about daily life with Uchiha Madara.

Beside them, Tobirama Senju had a dark, angry face, calculating in his heart how to ruin this matter.

Konoha was built by their Senju clan, who had been busy running around, contributing both people and money.

Now, it was actually going to be snatched by the hateful Uchiha. He would absolutely not let Uchiha Madara sit on the Hokage's throne so easily.

"Haha, of course I remember. Every time, the beetle I caught was the most ferocious~"

Uchiha Madara's eyes held a smile. No matter when he talked about those green years, he missed them immensely.

"Hehe, when I went out this time, I happened to catch a super ferocious beetle. I was originally thinking of showing it off in front of you~"

Hashirama Senju scratched his face and revealed an embarrassed smile.

"How ferocious?"

To be able to make Hashirama describe it as "ferocious," this really piqued Uchiha Madara's curiosity.

"Childish!"

Tobirama Senju muttered to himself. In his view, two adults in their thirties were still obsessed with insects; handing Konoha over to such people was likely doomed.

"Uh... just as ferocious as a Tailed Beast. It just so happens, I'll take it as a gift to congratulate you on becoming Hokage!"

Not knowing how to describe the large beetle he caught from the Land of Waterfalls, Hashirama Senju had to point to the Eight-Tails under Uchiha Madara's crotch and then spoke.

"Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and take me to see it~"

Men are boys until they die; it was hard for them not to be moved by that kind of insect covered in thick armor.

"This is the Tailed Beast you caught?"

Uchiha Madara, following Hashirama Senju, looked at the giant creatures in the four cages and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Uchiha Madara's method of restraining Tailed Beasts was very simple; he just needed to glare with his Sharingan, and he would basically have them.

But this guy Hashirama Senju, without powerful genjutsu, was actually able to catch so many Tailed Beasts; it really wasn't easy.

"Sigh~ It's mainly that it's inconvenient to carry. Every time I catch one, I have to rush back to lock it up; it's too much of a waste of time."

Shaking his head, Hashirama Senju sighed.

"???"

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Madara's pupils shrank, and he couldn't help but feel a bit of relief in his heart.

He hadn't expected Hashirama Senju's capture process to be so cumbersome. Fortunately, he could control these Tailed Beasts, otherwise, he might have really lost to him.

"Look, it's this big beetle, isn't it handsome!"

Hashirama Senju leaped up, jumped onto a wooden cage, pointed at the unconscious Chomei beneath his feet, and laughed as he showed it off.

"Not bad, really not bad!"

The moment he caught a glimpse of the big beetle, Madara Uchiha felt a shock in his heart; the ferocious armor, the sturdy and thick horn, and the chilling mouthparts made his eyes shine, and he was so envious he could burst.

"Are you sure you want to give it to me?"

"It's a deal~"

That damn thing was the Seven-Tails!

As the only man in the entire arena who knew the truth, Gin Uchiha stared expressionlessly at the Seven-Tails Chomei, who had curled its wings into a ball.

Unexpectedly, among the nine Tailed Beasts, the smartest one turned out to be a caterpillar.

To actually disguise itself as a harmless big beetle and try to muddle through, it was truly despicable!

"Big Brother! I let you go catch the Tailed Beast, why did you bring back this thing?"

Watching the two of them chatting away, Tobirama Senju's nose was almost crooked with anger.

During such an important competition, Hashirama Senju actually wasted time catching this useless thing, causing him to lose the position of Hokage; it was truly a heinous crime!

"Uh, this was caught on the way!"

Sensing his brother's anger, Hashirama Senju shrank his neck and explained aggrievedly.

"Don't quibble, I shouldn't have trusted you so much!"

Previously, Tobirama Senju had suggested letting him observe the capture process, but Hashirama Senju had sternly refused.

"Really, I swear, I discovered this beetle by accident when I was looking for the Seven-Tails in the Land of Waterfall."

Raising his finger, Hashirama Senju spoke with certainty.

"Then where is the Seven-Tails?"

"Didn't find it, maybe it went out to play~"

Although there were some regrets, let the past be the past~

"ROAR!!!"

Just as everyone was watching the show, suddenly, a thunderclap erupted on the flat ground; the huge roar, accompanied by terrifying pressure, caused many people present to tremble in their hearts, and those with weaker strength even felt dizzy.

"Damnable humans, let me go!"

Inside the wooden cage created by Hashirama Senju, a fiery red figure arched its back, opened its ferocious mouth emitting a foul stench, and spoke in human language to the crowd, its voice full of resentment.

"Ah! Tailed Beasts can talk?"

Unaffected by the Nine-Tails' pressure, Itama Senju showed curiosity, tugged on the sleeve of Gin Uchiha beside him, and asked.

"Even the dogs of the Inuzuka clan can talk, let alone Tailed Beasts; this is racial discrimination!"

Gin Uchiha, who had been tugged, rolled his eyes and spoke to clear up the confusion.

Then he looked up at the spirited Nine-Tails, a flash of doubt crossing his dead-fish eyes.

Why did the Nine-Tails wake up suddenly?

"ROAR! Shameless humans, let us go!"

"Hiss~ where is this? I remember a big wooden man..."

The Five-Tails and Six-Tails also woke up one after another; seeing they were trapped, they instantly became irritable, but fearing the wooden cage's ability to absorb chakra, they could only bark impotently there.

Chomei: I am a caterpillar~

Also waking up was the Seven-Tails Chomei, but compared to the other three jumping Tailed Beasts, it appeared very calm.

Anyway, it hadn't exposed its identity as a Tailed Beast; it would pretend to be unconscious first, then wait for the right opportunity to run away.

After formulating a perfect escape plan in its heart, Chomei lay there very naturally, turning a blind eye to the roars of the three Tailed Beasts beside it.

"Hashirama, do you need me to help you?"

Very adept at handling Tailed Beasts, Madara Uchiha saw the three Tailed Beasts in the wooden cage wake up, lifted his head, and asked very smugly.

"No need, they can't escape~"

Although puzzled as to why the Tailed Beasts woke up, Hashirama Senju, who had great confidence in his wooden cage, smiled and refused Madara Uchiha's kindness.

"You idiots, wake up!"

The Nine-Tails in the cage, after several tentative contacts, discovered in despair that the wooden cage holding it seemed to naturally restrain them.

As soon as it touched it, it felt weak all over, and its chakra was crazily devoured; it could only lift its huge beast head, stare fixedly at the four Tailed Beasts outside that appeared free, and call out loudly.

"Nine-Tails, look at their eyes!"

Kokuo was relatively calm; although it was emitting scorching steam, its thinking had not gone berserk. Looking at the four Tailed Beasts standing blankly outside, it frowned and reminded the Nine-Tails.

"Damn it, these two brothers, they don't even rest in peace after death!"

The Nine-Tails, having also noticed, cursed under its breath.

"Hashirama, the feeling of missing one is quite unpleasant; why don't we go together and catch the one that didn't get caught as well?"

The stern Madara Uchiha scanned the seven Tailed Beasts present with his scarlet eyes; as a man with obsessive-compulsive disorder, he always felt uncomfortable if one was missing, so he proposed.

"I was thinking the same thing, but I went to the Land of Waterfall too and didn't find that green caterpillar~"

Hashirama Senju, holding the same thought, spread his hands helplessly and said with regret.

"It's fine, we can interrogate the Tailed Beasts; they seem to have some kind of connection between them."

Recalling the aquatic duo he had caught in one go, those two Tailed Beasts seemed to be talking about something at the time.

Looking at it this way, perhaps the Tailed Beasts knew each other.

"Really! That would be great, ask them quickly~"

Hashirama Senju was overjoyed upon hearing this and hurriedly urged him.

Madara Uchiha nodded, then cast his gaze on a Tailed Beast beside him, his eyes narrowing, and a cold, obscure aura suddenly appeared.

"Tsk!"

This uncomfortable aura made Tobirama Senju, who was on the side, curl his lips.

Discriminating against the red-eye disease starts with the white-haired.

"Where is the remaining Tailed Beast?"

The one being asked was precisely Isobu, the turtle that Itama Senju was thinking about; it stretched out its thorn-covered head, its scarlet eyes carrying a hint of contemplation, and then replied blankly.

"In the Land of Wind."

"It actually ran to the Land of Wind?"

Not doubting that the information was fake, Madara Uchiha looked at Hashirama Senju in confusion and said.

"The Land of Wind, how could it run to such a remote place?"

Hashirama Senju was equally confused.

"Ask again if there is more detailed information."

"Where exactly in the Land of Wind is the remaining Tailed Beast?"

"In a temple in the Land of Wind, accompanied by a green lamp and an ancient Buddha~"

"Huh? Tailed Beasts can become monks too?"

Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were both dumbfounded; what kind of temple was so awesome that it could even reform a Tailed Beast?

"Shut up! You stupid turtle!"

The Nine-Tails in the wooden cage, upon hearing the exchange between the few humans in front of it, was so angry it cursed; its yellow beast pupils were full of resentment.

Although that stupid raccoon had a stinky mouth, it was still a member of their Tailed Beasts; how could it betray a homie!

"Noisy beast, after we catch the Seven-Tails, we'll arrange for you properly~"

The interrogation being interrupted by the Nine-Tails, Madara Uchiha, with an unhappy expression, turned his head, his scarlet eyes carrying a chill, stared fearlessly into the other's beast pupils, and then coldly pronounced the miserable fate of the Tailed Beasts.

"At that time, we'll chain all eight of you up and use you as guard dogs for Konoha!"

"Damn humans! Eat my..."

Hearing the speech from this human exuding the aura of Indra, which was like turning the world upside down, the Nine-Tails was so angry it was beside itself; its fiery red fur stood on end, and a black light ball began to brew in its mouth.

"Wait... you just said, catch the Seven-Tails?"

However, during the long charging time, it realized what was said; the Tailed Beast Bomb at its mouth slowly dissipated, and the whole fox instantly quieted down, straightened up and sat in the cage, scanned the surroundings with confused beast pupils, then its gaze landed on Chomei, who was playing dead, smacked its lips, and asked in confusion.

"Hmph~ that's right, we're just missing that green caterpillar, the Seven-Tails~"

Off the field.

"Slap!"

"Uh? Mr. Gin, why are you slapping your own forehead?"

Chiri Uchiha, who was examining the Tailed Beasts, saw Gin Uchiha suddenly slap his forehead and remain silent, so she leaned over in confusion and asked in a low voice.

"It's nothing, I overlooked a small matter."

Sighing deeply, Gin Uchiha shook his slightly numb palm helplessly, looked at the big beetle playing dead, and suddenly understood in his heart.

When he sold the information on the Tailed Beasts to the two contestants, he seemed to have forgotten to describe the appearance of the Tailed Beasts on it.

So much so that these two were using the Tailed Beast dolls in their home display cabinets as references, working hard to catch the Tailed Beasts.

The others were fine; they looked the same from childhood to adulthood, basically with no changes.

However, only the Seven-Tails, that caterpillar, had undergone a earth-shaking transformation in appearance.

The larval Seven-Tails was a green caterpillar, but when it grew into its complete form, its seven tails would turn into one, and the other six would become insect wings.

Such a rebirth-like makeover, one couldn't blame Hashirama Senju for not recognizing it.

"Green caterpillar?"

On the field, after hearing Madara Uchiha's words, the three conscious Tailed Beasts subconsciously turned their gazes toward Chomei, who was playing dead; Gin Uchiha could see the mocking look in their eyes from hundreds of meters away.

"Cough, cough, cough."

Chomei, who was "unconscious," feigned a few coughs.

Brothers, don't sell me out~

"Humans, how do you intend to deal with that... bug?"

As the smartest Tailed Beast, the Nine-Tails, having guessed Chomei's intentions with near-perfect accuracy, lifted its massive beast head and asked the two people standing on the Seven-Tails' wooden cage.

"Why should I tell you?"

Hearing a mere beast dare to question him, Madara Uchiha immediately wore a cold expression.

"Hmph~ If you tell me, I will tell you the exact location of the Seven-Tails."

Suppressing the anger in its heart, the Nine-Tails gritted its teeth and spoke.

"Cough, cough, cough."

Chomei started coughing again, its painful whimpers an attempt to stir up sympathy from the other Tailed Beasts.

"Is this beetle sick?"

Listening to the whimpers coming from the beetle beneath his feet, Hashirama Senju scratched the back of his head and spoke with uncertainty.

You see, when he discovered this beetle, it was still in a cocoon state; he wondered if his rough behavior of forcibly dragging it out had damaged its vitality, resulting in this half-dead appearance of the large beetle.

"It doesn't matter, if it's sick, just throw it away."

Looking at the troubled Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha waved his hand generously, indicating he didn't care.

"Throw it away? Human, that guy is the Seven-Tails! Don't look at it like this now; before, it was just a green caterpillar!"

Unexpectedly, Madara Uchiha's unintentional remark instantly provoked a reaction from the Nine-Tails. It extended its sharp claws in a human-like gesture, the tips glowing with a cold light, and pointed at Chomei, who was still playing dead, loudly exposing the truth.

"Nani?"

"They can also testify!"

The Nine-Tails looked at the Five-Tails and Six-Tails beside it and spoke.

"That's right, that guy is the Seven-Tails! Such behavior that loses face for us beasts is truly a disgrace to the Tailed Beasts!"

The Five-Tails and Six-Tails nodded repeatedly; if we are going down, we are going down together—why should you be the only one to escape unscathed?

Chomei: I curse your entire family!

"Hahaha~"

Regarding this news, some were happy while others were worried. The moment Tobirama Senju heard the Nine-Tails' revelation, he used the Flying Thunder God Jutsu to appear on top of the wooden cage, looked around at everyone, and announced with a loud laugh:

"Since the number of Tailed Beasts for both sides is the same, we shall proceed to the next round."

(End of chapter)