Chapter 300: The First Konoha Pokémon Master Tournament

Uchiha Gin, who had felt from the start that this matter would not go so smoothly, looked at the smug Tobirama Senju and rubbed his bald chin as if in thought.

The current situation had turned into a 4v4, and the outcome suddenly became unpredictable.

"Snap. What else is there to compare? Are we comparing who has more tails?"

Cracking melon seeds, Itama Senju let his ignorant gaze wander back and forth between his eldest brother and Madara Uchiha, showing not a hint of worry, but instead turning his head to ask Uchiha Gin with great interest.

"Hand them over~ You guy, you aren't worried at all that your eldest brother might lose his power~"

Because his own melon seeds were finished, Uchiha Gin unceremoniously snatched the remaining few seeds back from Itama Senju's fair, tender little hand, and without minding the slight, glistening saliva on them, tossed them straight into his mouth.

"Ah! Hmph~ It doesn't matter who becomes Hokage. I think your cousin is actually not bad, aside from his foul face~"

Pouting her face into a bun, Itama Senju glared fiercely at the thieving Uchiha Gin, then shook her head, put on an indifferent expression, and answered very casually.

"Sigh~ If only everyone were as simple-minded as you~"

Uchiha Gin casually patted Itama Senju's head. This habitual action caused the young girl, who was already nearly 1.7 meters tall, to stiffen, her expression becoming very strange; she wanted to lash out but said nothing more.

"Sasuke, the Senju clan leader still has a chance; we don't necessarily have to look at the expression of that hateful curly-hair!"

Kenichi Shimura, who had just been acting like he was mourning his parents, instantly revived at full health upon seeing that Hashirama Senju still had a chance, and excitedly crowded over to Sasuke Sarutobi's side to say with agitation.

"Don't be in a rush, just watch and see."

Sasuke Sarutobi analyzed it calmly. In his view, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were both founders of Konoha, and no matter which of the two was elected, it wouldn't have much impact on their Sarutobi clan.

"Gin, what do you think they will compare next?"

The black-haired girl looked at the several Tailed Beasts on the scene with great interest; Hikari Uchiha had developed a keen interest in these creatures composed of chakra aggregates.

They look like they would be very easy to control~

Asked, Uchiha Gin stretched his stiff body and replied offhandedly,

"Most likely they'll have a fight; after all, the two haven't sparred in a long time. But it's also possible they'll really compare the number of tails."

Having stood for a long time and feeling his legs sore, Uchiha Gin immediately pulled several folding stools out of his backpack, distributed them to the women around him, and then, looking at the ninja clan alliance sitting in a circle, waved the remaining stools in his hand.

"Need one? 1,000 ryo each~"

"1,000 ryo? Why don't you go rob someone!"

Kenichi Shimura jumped out immediately, gnashing his teeth as he accused him.

For this kind of crappy little stool, he would think even 100 ryo was expensive.

"No thanks, we aren't tired yet."

Reaching out to pull on his agitated friend, Sasuke Sarutobi gave an apologetic smile and waved his hand at Uchiha Gin.

"Sigh~ Alright then."

Although he hadn't managed to sell his Wood Style stools, Uchiha Gin didn't feel discouraged.

Gold will always shine; he believed that his meticulously crafted stools would one day be a bestseller worldwide.

Above the wooden cage, Hashirama Senju, learning that he still had a chance to continue the competition, beamed with a radiant smile, which drew a sidelong glance from Madara Uchiha nearby.

"Haha, Madara, I'm back~"

"Hmph~ Doesn't matter. I'll just defeat you again, and make you lose with complete conviction."

Quickly retracting his gaze, Madara Uchiha crossed his arms, gave a haughty huff, and declared to the eager Hashirama Senju.

Then he turned his head and looked at the smug-faced Tobirama Senju, asking coldly,

"Tobirama Senju, don't keep us in suspense. What are we comparing? Say it quickly!"

Tobirama Senju, being questioned, did not answer immediately, but instead took the opportunity to size up the several Tailed Beasts on the scene. His scarlet eyes were filled with schemes, his thin lips curled slightly, and he shouted loudly,

"Since the number of Tailed Beasts you two have is the same, then, we shall compare the number of tails—"

"Boo~~~"

Before Tobirama Senju could finish, a chorus of mocking boos erupted on the field. Everyone below had an "as expected" expression on their faces.

The undisguised contempt made even the notoriously cold Tobirama Senju feel his face burning.

There was no help for it; to ensure his eldest brother won steadily, he had chosen to discard even his face.

This battle, no matter what, had to be won!

"Tobirama Senju, I'm working the early shift, can you have some shame?"

Little cousin Izuna was trembling with rage, his black eyes instantly dyed scarlet, as he spewed flowery language at Tobirama Senju above.

"Hey hey hey, can you not be so boring? Put on some kind of show at least~"

Uchiha Gin, on the side, also shook his hands, loudly accusing the organizers of being extremely perfunctory; this epic battle was too anticlimactic and really not worth the price of admission.

"Exactly, exactly!"

Itama Senju immediately followed suit, waving her little fists, her eyes filled with a threat that Tobirama Senju could understand.

"Uh, this..."

Tobirama Senju, who had already been happily popping champagne in his heart, hadn't expected his little schemes to be perfectly seen through by the discerning eyes of the crowd, especially after seeing his sister's gaze, his heart skipped a beat.

And so, Tobirama Senju began to review things in his mind.

Now that the members of the ninja clan alliance were all present, if he really judged the winner by the number of tails, it would indeed be unjustifiable, and the result would naturally be hard to convince anyone.

Then, what method should he use to decide the winner?

"Tobirama, I also think it's unfair."

With a rare look of seriousness on his face, Hashirama Senju shook his head at his biased younger brother and voiced his rejection of the tail competition.

"Eldest Brother, I..."

Tobirama Senju felt bitter inside; in order to help his eldest brother ascend to the position of Hokage, he had racked his brains, and now that the situation had turned into this, it was something he hadn't anticipated.

"Roar~ Chomei! You brat, just wait, I'll be the first to slice you up when I get out!"

Just as Tobirama Senju was in a dilemma, he suddenly heard the Nine-Tails roaring from the wooden cage below. The voice, filled with a tyrannical aura, made the surrounding Tailed Beasts cower.

Especially that big beetle that had deceived everyone; it shrank into the corner of the wooden cage, not daring to lift its head, fearing that any extra movement would provoke the Nine-Tails' dissatisfaction.

Huh~ This Nine-Tailed Fox captured by Eldest Brother can make the other Tailed Beasts retreat three times over just with its aura; it seems it must be the boss of the Tailed Beasts, no doubt about it!

Thinking of this, Tobirama Senju, who had been in a bind, suddenly had his eyes light up. He straightened the back that had been bent by his eldest brother, scanned the crowd with a solemn expression, raised one hand high, and announced loudly,

"I, Tobirama Senju, have come here for only three things: fairness! Fairness! And still TM fairness!"

"How can such a sloppy thing as comparing the number of tails decide the position of Hokage?"

"Oh~"

Hearing this, everyone simultaneously wore an expression of disbelief.

This Tobirama Senju's speed at changing his face far surpassed Chuan Zi.

"Could it be that we're really going to have a tense and exciting 1v1 man-to-man battle?"

Uchiha Gin, who was watching the show, raised his head, looked at Tobirama Senju, who was holding forth above, raised an eyebrow, and guessed.

"Are they going to fight?"

"That doesn't seem right, does it? Using force to decide the leader's position sets a bad precedent."

"Hi, I thought the village would be different, I didn't expect it would still be decided by whoever can fight~"

The people below were talking all at once, and for a time, all kinds of guesses came one after another, making Hashirama Senju, with his superhuman senses, turn dark in the face. His gaze toward his younger brother became increasingly unkind, and blue veins bulged on his forehead, with a faint tendency to go berserk.

Tobirama Senju had promised him before that he would never use force against any member of the village. Now, it was fine, he was actually making him fight Madara; it seemed this brat was in need of a lesson lately.

"Ahem ahem, don't guess blindly. When did I say I was going to use force to decide the winner?"

Locked in by his eldest brother's gaze, Tobirama Senju immediately broke into a cold sweat. Fearing that he would be sanctioned by Hashirama Senju's iron fist in the next second, he hurriedly shouted to stop the escalating rumors.

"Really?"

Everyone present expressed their disbelief, and pair after pair of mocking eyes made Tobirama Senju sweat profusely.

"The next battle will not require the two contestants to participate directly."

Straightening himself, Tobirama Senju fixed his gaze on the massive Tailed Beasts and spoke slowly.

"Nani? What does that mean?"

This sentence left everyone present confused, and they all issued soul-searching questions.

"Tobirama, if we don't make a move, then what are we comparing? Skipping stones?"

"No!"

As soon as skipping stones was mentioned, Madara Uchiha, who had stood straight his whole life, finally bent over.

"No, the next battle will be conducted by the Tailed Beasts captured by the two contestants."

Shaking his head, Tobirama Senju pointed his hands at the four Tailed Beasts captured by both sides, then announced the content of this competition in a deep voice.

"Huh?" *N

As soon as the words fell, everyone and every beast present let out a heavy sound of confusion.

"Roar!!! Damn humans, we are not your toys!"

After a brief moment of bewilderment, the Nine-Tails was the first to wake up, opening its blood-red maw and roaring at Tobirama Senju above its head.

"Roar!!"

"Hiss~"

"Swish~"

The five, six, and seven-tails also stood up, responding simultaneously, each letting out angry roars. For a time, steam, acid mist, and blinding scales shot into the sky, making the onlookers feel a tightness in their chests.

Feeling the power generated by the Tailed Beasts' rage, Sasuke Sarutobi, still having lingering fears, patted his chest, his eyes losing some of their ease and gaining a touch of gravity.

"Almost forgot, Tailed Beasts are known as beasts of disaster."

Previously, watching these Tailed Beasts being easily controlled by Madara Uchiha and casually imprisoned by Hashirama Senju had made them almost forget the fierce reputation of the Tailed Beasts, treating them as little pets to be molded at will.

"My god, isn't this just the first Konoha Pokémon Master Tournament?"

Regarding the power released by the Tailed Beasts, Uchiha Gin only felt a breeze on his face; it didn't stir a ripple in his heart, and instead, he looked curiously at the enraged Tailed Beasts, beginning to imagine the scene of the competition.

Uchiha Madara: Jeni. Isobu, use Rocket Headbutt!

Hashirama Senju: Bido. Chomei, fly up and use Mega Cannon!

Holy crap, the imagery is here, it's getting fired up!

"Hurry up and start, I really want to watch it~"

Unable to suppress the restlessness in his heart, Uchiha Gin jumped up from his folding stool, held up a megaphone he had pulled out from who knows where, and urged loudly,

"Seems like it could be quite interesting~"

Beside him, Itama Senju let his gaze travel back and forth between the many Tailed Beasts, then, just like Uchiha Gin, his eyes lit up and he waved his little fists, shouting,

"Everyone wants to watch, you guys hurry up~"

Phew~ almost exposed myself!

Fortunately, Uchiha Gin was immersed in the fantasy of a Pokémon and Digimon battle royale and didn't notice the young girl's slip of the tongue.

"Indeed, this kind of competition is much more interesting than a real-life battle."

Sitting gracefully on a folding stool, Uchiha Chiri expressed her thoughts with a hint of novelty in her eyes,

"Big Brother! Go for it~"

Uchiha Izuna pulled a cheering flag from who knows where, with the words "Uchiha Will Win" written on it.

He took off his shirt, revealing his sturdy upper body, stood in front of the crowd, and waved the flag in his hand with great vigor.

"Hmph~ I have no objections."

Although he was somewhat disappointed that he couldn't face Hashirama Senju directly, Uchiha Madara still nodded, agreeing to this method of competition.

Glancing at the incredibly sturdy Gyuki beneath his feet, Uchiha Madara was full of confidence at this moment; with such a fierce Tailed Beast, he would surely blast Hashirama's motley crew into dust.

"Then I agree too, but..."

Seeing that his opponent had no objections, Hashirama Senju had no choice but to nod in agreement, then he lowered his head and looked at the four Tailed Beasts in the wooden cage who were twelve-tenths resistant, and he began to worry.

Hashirama Senju was not like Uchiha Madara, who could use the Sharingan for mental hypnosis to make the Tailed Beasts obedient.

When he captured the Tailed Beasts, he used Wood Style to perform physical hypnosis; now that these Tailed Beasts he had trapped had already awakened, how could they possibly fight for him?

"Do you need me to help you?"

Sensing Hashirama Senju's current predicament, Uchiha Madara "thoughtfully" offered assistance.

Although it was a bit strenuous to control eight Tailed Beasts at once, who told him he was the future Hokage? He could endure a little hardship~

"Uh~ no need, give me a moment, I'll 'communicate' with these Tailed Beasts, you go do some warm-ups first!"

If he really let Uchiha Madara control his ones too, then there would be no point in competing.

1v9?

"Fine, let me know when you're ready."

Since the Second Hokage was so unappreciative, Uchiha Madara, who already considered himself the First Hokage, could only shake his head regretfully, then proceeded to control the four obedient Tailed Beasts and walked toward the depths of the forest.

After watching Uchiha Madara walk away, a frowning Hashirama Senju looked at the snarling Nine-Tails in the wooden cage at his feet and began to try to communicate with it.

"Hello, my name is Hashirama Senju. Although it's a bit presumptuous, I would like to ask, can you help me fight a battle?"

Hashirama Senju lowered his posture, basically using a negotiating tone to talk to the few Tailed Beasts about the competition.

"Dream on! Damn human, we Tailed Beasts, even if we die, will never be used by you!"

Kurama, who had been backstabbed by humans countless times, immediately bared its teeth, indicating that it was the Wang Jingze of the Tailed Beast world and would never compromise with humans by even half a step.

"That's right, that's right~"

"Death is better than that!"

"Sigh~ finally finished molting, hadn't even taken off yet, and now I have to be reborn again?"

The other Tailed Beasts also formed a united front, showing great resistance, looking like dead pigs that aren't afraid of boiling water.

Anyway, they could be resurrected after death; these Tailed Beasts were fearless, quietly waiting for death to arrive~

"Ah, this..."

Not expecting the Tailed Beasts' attitude to be so firm, Hashirama Senju didn't know what to do, so he turned his pleading gaze toward Tobirama Senju, who was deep in thought.

"Hmm, you Tailed Beasts, do you use the number of tails to measure strength?"

Tobirama Senju, who had been devising strategies for Hashirama Senju, slowly raised his head and asked the Tailed Beasts at his feet in a cold voice.

"Hmph hmph~ That's right, we Tailed Beasts, the more tails we have, the stronger we are!"

This question really hit the mark for the Nine-Tails; its huge mouth couldn't stop curling upward, it held its fox head high, and its words were full of pride.

"Uh... I guess so~"

Chomei looked at the seven tails behind its butt, its tone lacking a bit of confidence and filled with hesitation.

It seemed like it hadn't won many fights in the past~

"That's right, that's right! The fewer the tails, the weaker the strength!"

Once tails were mentioned, Saiken got excited; as the Six-Tails, it had always felt that those with fewer tails than it were all trash!

"Cough, cough, cough."

As the one with the fewest tails among the four beasts, Kokuo indicated it did not want to join the conversation.

"Five-Tails, is your throat inflamed? What are you coughing for!"

The Nine-Tails, which was feeling smug, saw that Kokuo was not responding to its statement, and its eyes became sharp; its threatening beast pupils made the Five-Tails' hair stand on end.

"Cough... Chomei! Your scales powder choked me!"

Tailed Beasts also understand the principle that you pick the softest persimmon to squeeze~

"Since you have so many tails, are you afraid of losing to those few Tailed Beasts?"

The despicable white-haired one used a provocation tactic on the simple-minded Tailed Beasts!

"Roar! How is that possible? Just based on those pieces of trash, even if they come at me together, they are no match for this great one!"

Simple provocation tactics were extremely effective on beasts.

"Then why aren't you fighting?"

Tobirama Senju pressed the attack, launching a soul-searching question, attempting to find the Tailed Beasts' psychological weaknesses and gradually break through their psychological defenses.

"Hmph~ mere humans, dreaming of controlling us. Death is better than that; once we are resurrected, prepare to accept our revenge!"

The pride of the Tailed Beasts meant that the Nine-Tails had never considered bowing before anyone other than the Sage of Six Paths' family.

It rolled its yellow beast pupils, staring fixedly at the Senju brothers, as if it wanted to carve their appearances into its heart to take revenge on them in the future.

"Phew~ you dare! Believe it or not, I'll slaughter you every time I see you!"

Not expecting the Nine-Tails' desire for revenge to be so strong, Hashirama Senju, worried about Konoha suffering retaliation, wore a dark face and threatened coldly.

The cold light in his eyes made the Tailed Beasts dodge their gazes, and their voices lowered.

Being stared at like that by Hashirama Senju, the Nine-Tails suddenly had a sense of déjà vu, and then subconsciously tucked its nine tails between its legs.

A thousand years ago, it had just killed a group of humans who tried to control it, and the Ashura who suddenly appeared had stared at it just like that.

Afterward, a towering Great Buddha appeared and plucked its tails bald; that was a feeling it never wanted to experience a second time in its life.

"Uh... how about you let us go, and from now on, we won't step foot in the Land of Fire again~"

Worried about the recurrence of the encounter from a thousand years ago—such humiliation was even more shameful than death; if other Tailed Beasts found out, its "boss" persona would never be established again—it lowered its head and replied in a negotiating tone.

"No! If we let you go, wouldn't my big brother's position as Hokage be handed over to someone else!"

Not expecting these Tailed Beasts to want a free ride, Tobirama Senju was the first to refuse, then he exchanged a subtle look with Hashirama Senju and said with a darkened face.

It was already generous not to ask them for a ransom, yet they actually wanted to be released for free—dream on!

"Then we might as well just stay locked up, we won't starve to death anyway~"

Seeing no hope for freedom, the Nine-Tails began to choose to give up; as long as chakra existed, its lifespan was infinite. As long as it outlived this human with the aura of Ashura, they could regain their freedom.

A human's lifespan was only a few decades; in the eyes of the Tailed Beasts, it was just a snap of the fingers.

"Hmph! Do you think I'll let you stay in here peacefully?"

Looking at the uncooperative Tailed Beasts, Tobirama Senju narrowed his eyes, his brain full of devious operations.

He had recently been researching several forbidden jutsus; using them on people didn't align with his big brother's values, but Tailed Beasts were such rare materials—not using them for experiments would be a waste of heaven's gifts.

He had plenty of ways to make them wish they were dead.

"Hiss... you guy, your gaze is a bit dangerous."

The Nine-Tails had a special ability to perceive good and evil. When Tobirama Senju was planning how to dissect the Tailed Beasts in his mind, it suddenly felt a chill down its spine. Looking at the white-haired human exuding tangible malice, it swallowed hard and spoke up.

"I'll give you one last chance to consider: participate in the competition, or participate in the experiment."

The gloomy-faced Tobirama Senju crossed his arms and stared at the Tailed Beasts. Although there were no tomoe in his scarlet eyes, it gave the Tailed Beasts a sense of horror as if they were facing Indra.

"Cough, cough, cough... it's not like it can't be discussed~"

After intense ideological struggle, the Nine-Tails chose to compromise; this white-haired human in front of them was simply too evil.

They dared not imagine what kind of inhumane torture they would suffer if they fell into his hands.

"Haha, as long as it can be discussed, that's fine. Tobirama, don't scare them~"

The brothers cooperated perfectly; after Tobirama Senju finished playing the bad cop, Hashirama Senju smiled and came out to smooth things over.

With a face full of smiles, he looked down at the now-obedient Tailed Beasts and said slowly,

"How about this: if you win the competition, I promise to let you go, how about that?"

If, as the Tailed Beasts said, strength was calculated by the number of tails, then he held the five, six, seven, and nine trump cards—he would surely crush Madara into nothing.

"For real!"

Hearing that they could regain their freedom, the Nine-Tails instantly perked up, its two huge beast pupils staring fixedly at Hashirama Senju, confirming repeatedly.

Toward this human who could easily manipulate it, the Nine-Tails still held a bit of fear in its heart; that was the trauma carved deep into its soul from a thousand years ago.

"It's a deal~"

Hashirama Senju patted his chest in assurance,

Of course, the release is based on the premise that the Tailed Beasts win the match; if they lose, it doesn't count~

Looking at the righteous expression of the human before them, the few Tailed Beasts felt reassured; their long-standing arrogance meant they did not consider the possibility of losing at all.

Immediately, the four Tailed Beasts raised their massive heads in unison, locking their gazes onto the four giant figures standing dumbfounded not far away, their eyes filled with surging battle intent.

As their gazes met, the battle began!

"Tatakae, we can't wait to engage in a brilliant and thrilling duel! Yattaze~"

(End of this chapter)