Chapter 307

307. Chapter 304: Uchiha Madara: I'm Definitely Becoming a Tailed Beast Knight

"Family, I'm back alive!"

Due to some unknown reason, the group had been delayed for several days in the capital of the Land of Fire. Finally returning to Konoha, Uchiha Gin, with a gaunt face, leaned against the threshold of the Konoha gate and said with trembling, pale lips.

"Hmph~ You couldn't even last a few rounds. Have you been sneaking around eating junk food outside?"

Uchiha Hikari's rosy-faced voice rang out like a ghost from behind Uchiha Gin, scaring his handsome face deathly pale.

"No, I haven't!"

"Better not have. Hurry up and turn in the mission; we still have to go back and try on new clothes!"

"You guys go back first. I'll go alone."

Desperate to escape the clutches of the devil immediately, Uchiha Gin nodded frantically, waved at the three women, and ran toward the Hokage Building as if he had greased his feet.

"Phew~ I thought I was going to die."

After escaping Uchiha Hikari's sight, Uchiha Gin panted like an ox, his right hand leaning against the wall and his left hand wiping away sweat, feeling fortunate for his narrow escape.

Over the past few days, Uchiha Gin had several times seen his familiar grand-uncle in a daze. Every time he was about to approach, another white-haired old man with an unclear face beside Otsutsuki Hamura would knock him back with a staff.

Hokage Building

"Strange. Wasn't the Hidden Mist Village making quite a fuss a while ago? Why have they suddenly pulled back their defensive lines?"

Senju Tobirama, buried in a pile of documents, held a piece of intelligence that had just been handed to him. His scarlet eyes were full of doubt. Just as he was about to inform his older brother of this suspicious intelligence, he heard a conversation that made his blood boil.

Uchiha Madara, who had come up to report the mission list, was taking the opportunity to seduce Senju Hashirama.

"Hashirama, let's go eat barbecue after work today!"

"But... Toka told me to go home on time."

"Just tell her you're working overtime."

"That doesn't seem right~"

"My treat. After we eat, we can go to the gambling den and play a few rounds."

"Let's get off work now!"

Seeing his older brother being led around by the nose in just a few words, Senju Tobirama stood up with a start, pointed at Uchiha Madara's nose, and began to vent.

"You naturally evil Uchiha hedgehog-head, don't even think about deceiving my brother! Also, when at work, use official titles; don't call him so intimately!"

"Hmph~ Got it, Senju plant."

Uchiha Madara, whose good time had been interrupted, looked displeased. He turned to look at the furious Senju Tobirama, crossed his arms in disdain, and after a cold snort, said sarcastically,

"Call me Secretary Senju!"

"Heh."

"Bang~ Bang~ Bang~"

Just as the two began their daily bickering, a weak knock on the door sounded. Senju Hashirama, who was worrying about how to stop the fight, saw his eyes light up.

"The door isn't locked!"

Creak~

The door to the Hokage's office slowly pushed open, and a figure exuding a decaying aura walked in, swaying. The three of them cast their gazes upon the other's fluffy curly hair, their eyes filled with worry.

"Cousin! What happened to you!"

Seeing that the person who arrived was his cousin whom he hadn't seen for days, Uchiha Madara couldn't care about arguing with Senju Tobirama. He flashed to Uchiha Gin's side, looking at the curly-haired man with dark circles under his eyes and pale lips with a face full of worry.

"Cousin Gin! You weren't injured, were you?"

Senju Hashirama, who was also concerned about Uchiha Gin's safety, jumped over as well, tilting his head to check him up and down.

"You curly-head, did you run into enemies?"

Senju Tobirama also walked over with a deep frown. Sensing Uchiha Gin's depleted and empty body, he felt a trace of doubt amidst his worry.

"Make me a cup of tea first, three spoons of sugar."

Facing the three people's questions, Uchiha Gin didn't answer directly. Instead, he held up three fingers and instructed them.

"Coming right up!"

"Phew~ I'm alive again!"

Sitting on the sofa in the Hokage office's reception room, Uchiha Gin drank the cloyingly sweet tea in one gulp. Only then did his pale complexion recover a bit of vitality. Looking at the three people waiting expectantly, he slowly opened his mouth to speak.

"Prisoners, the times have changed~"

"Huh?"

Uchiha Madara and the other two were left bewildered by these inexplicable words. After glancing at each other, they all cast their gazes onto Uchiha Gin's face, waiting for his explanation.

"On this trip to the Land of Waterfalls, we encountered..."

Following that, Uchiha Gin slowly recounted everything he had encountered during this mission to the three of them from start to finish. When he mentioned that Gin Kaku, who had transformed into a Tailed Beast Knight, easily killed the candidate Kage from other ninja villages in seconds, Senju Tobirama couldn't help but interrupt.

"Impossible. A mere remnant of the Hagoromo clan, how could they have such strength?"

Many years ago, Senju Tobirama had led a team to wipe out Gold and Silver, but was stopped halfway by Uchiha Gin. At that time, the Gold and Silver brothers couldn't even catch his eye.

"That's why he went berserk."

Uchiha Gin rolled his eyes and explained.

Senju Tobirama's words were actually not wrong. If Gin Kaku didn't use the power of the Tailed Beast Knight, his strength would be on par with Shamon and the others, while Gold Kaku was slightly stronger. That was why he could take on three and finish off Hozuki Gengetsu and the others, who were not at full strength.

"Berserk? I knew it. How could the power of a Tailed Beast be controlled by humans?"

Upon hearing that Gin Kaku had gone berserk, Senju Tobirama finally breathed a sigh of relief, a flash of relief crossing his eyes.

"Hashirama, tell your brother not to interrupt again. Cousin, hurry and continue~"

Uchiha Madara, who was listening intently, saw Uchiha Gin being interrupted. He nudged Senju Hashirama, who was listening with great interest, beside him with his elbow and complained.

"Tobirama, if you have any questions, ask them after Cousin Gin is finished."

Senju Tobirama, being lectured by his older brother, glared fiercely at the smug Uchiha Madara, crossed his arms, and began to sulk.

Naturally evil Uchiha old man!

With no one to disturb him, Uchiha Gin described the subsequent plot to the three of them in detail. The three, who had never experienced such unbelievable things, were filled with disbelief.

"That prop that can perfectly utilize the power of a Tailed Beast—the Tailed Beast Knight—who exactly made it?"

Senju Hashirama, who had experience in intimate communication with Tailed Beasts, knew deeply what the power of a Tailed Beast meant to ordinary people.

Not to mention anything else, just that endless chakra alone could allow an ordinary ninja to unleash destructive power exceeding the Kage level.

"That mysterious knight who suddenly appeared, who exactly is he?"

Senju Tobirama frowned. Regarding that mysterious person who was handing out belts everywhere, he always felt that the other party had ulterior motives.

"I don't know either. I only know he calls himself Kamen Rider."

As the best observer, Uchiha Gin spread his hands, indicating that this was all he knew.

"That guy said that the use of Tailed Beast Knight power is forbidden during wartime. How did he know a war would happen?"

Compared to the Senju brothers' curiosity about the Tailed Beast Knight, Uchiha Madara's focus was a bit tricky. He rubbed his chin in doubt, turned his head, and asked Senju Hashirama beside him.

"Hahaha, that's right. Didn't we just sign a peace agreement? How could a war happen? Is this guy a bit of a worrywart?"

Reminded by Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama immediately laughed out loud.

Meanwhile, Senju Tobirama, who was on the side, began to think along this angle, a strange brilliance appearing in his eyes.

This mysterious knight seems to be a good person.

Because Senju Tobirama knew deeply that the current peace could not be maintained for long. After the people who signed the agreement passed away, the ambitious people who were eager to make a move were destined to start a war again. At that time, Tailed Beasts would become hot-selling weapons of war, bringing pain to countless innocent civilians.

"That mysterious knight said he couldn't make the transformation cards. Uchiha Gin, can you tell us where you got those Tailed Beast cards?"

Looking at the calm Uchiha Gin, Senju Tobirama suddenly asked. Previously, when selling Tailed Beasts, it was he who took out the Tailed Beast cards from nowhere to introduce the Tailed Beasts' abilities to people from other ninja villages.

"Didn't I say before? I made them myself."

Finally asked this question, Uchiha Gin, who had been prepared, raised his eyebrows and replied without any panic.

"Just you?"

Senju Tobirama expressed doubt. With Uchiha Gin's mediocre ability, how could he possibly make props that allow humans to transform?

"Who are you looking down on? I am a famous developer in the Uchiha clan! If you don't believe me, ask my cousin~"

He didn't expect that after so many years, there were still people who treated him like a salted fish.

"Huh? Didn't you buy all those props?"

Uchiha Madara was also bewildered. He only knew that Uchiha Gin would take out some fresh gadgets from time to time, saying they were ordered from Seimei of the Land of Artisans.

"Then have you been to the Land of Artisans?"

"I have. That artisan named Seimei doesn't know you at all."

Uchiha Madara had passed through the Land of Artisans during a mission. With a curious mindset, he found the master ninja tool maker named Seimei. After some "kind and friendly" communication, the other party said he had never heard of Uchiha Gin, and had never made the ninja tools he described.

"Then that's right, because I made them all."

Putting down his teacup and puffing out his chest, Uchiha Gin said very proudly.

"Huh?"

Hearing this for the first time, the three of them rolled their eyes in unison. With Uchiha Gin's character, they would never believe that he would engage in research and development even if they died.

"Sigh, since you don't believe me, I have no choice but to expose this long-sealed past."

Uchiha Gin showed a nostalgic expression, picked up his teacup and took a sip, then looked past the crowd into the void, as if recalling something. After a long while, he shook his head and began to make things up.

"That was a long, long time ago. Young and handsome me, while performing a mission outside, unfortunately fell off a cliff and was saved by a mysterious old man. He saw that I was talented and intelligent, and thinking that his days were numbered, he passed on his life's learning to me. And I didn't disappoint him, learning his R&D skills to perfection..."

"Do you think we look like idiots?"

After listening to Uchiha Gin's nonsense story, as the number one R&D expert of the Senju, Senju Tobirama directly questioned him. This kind of story, I'm afraid only a three-year-old child would believe it.

"I love telling the truth, buddy~"

"I didn't expect Cousin to have such an encounter when he was young. It's truly enviable."

Hashirama, at age three, looked at Uchiha Gin with glowing eyes, his face filled with deep envy.

"Cousin, you... this..."

Uchiha Madara, who couldn't bear to expose his cousin, felt his face turn purple from holding it in. He could only squeeze a few words out from between his teeth, afraid that he would burst out laughing.

"Believe me!"

"Then tell me, what is the name of that mysterious old man?"

"Bandai!"

Uchiha Gin answered with a firm face, and there was no trace of lying to be seen.

"Fine, let's assume what you said is true. Why can the cards you made fit the belts sent by the mysterious person?"

Senju Tobirama, who had a headache, rubbed his swollen temples and didn't delve into Uchiha Gin's R&D ability anymore, instead asking about the belt.

"Actually, the first time I saw the belt, I felt it looked familiar. Teacher Bandai once told me that he previously had a disciple who, because he was obsessed with the crooked path of borrowing power, was expelled from the sect. And what that disciple studied were props similar to the belt."

"In that case, that mysterious knight is very likely Cousin Gin's fellow apprentice."

Senju Hashirama rubbed his chin, transforming into the Konoha detective, and guessed the mysterious knight's identity almost correctly.

"That's what I think too~"

Uchiha Gin immediately went along with the flow and echoed.

"Then why didn't he give the cards for transformation to the people of the Hidden Sand Village?"

"Maybe it's because there's no Tailed Beast chakra. After all, the cards I made before were all made by collecting a little Tailed Beast chakra."

He also wanted to give Shamon a card, but he didn't have the raccoon's chakra on hand. Uchiha Gin had already left enough hints. If the other party really wanted a card, they would naturally come to him for help with Shukaku.

"Tailed Beast Knight, are they really that strong?"

Uchiha Madara, who had been deep in thought on the side, suddenly raised his head and asked Uchiha Gin.

"Very strong. That rogue ninja from the Hidden Waterfall Village, after transforming, directly rubbed the knight transformed by Gin Kaku on the ground. You have to know that he had already killed everyone from the other ninja villages in seconds before."

Uchiha Gin didn't add any water to these words. Kakuzu, who had received the approval of Chomei, could unleash power exceeding that of a perfect Jinchuriki in the future.

"Brother, it's too dangerous!"

Having said that, Senju Tobirama, who was naturally more cautious than the average person, said with a cold face. As an extremely unstable force, the Tailed Beast Knight would likely pose a threat to Konoha in the future. If one day his brother was gone, Konoha would have no way to deal with a flexible Tailed Beast Knight.

"Is it? I think Tailed Beasts are still easy to deal with."

Hearing words that sounded familiar, Senju Hashirama turned his head in confusion, just wanting to say that Tailed Beasts were no big deal and that his Wood Human could easily handle them, but then he saw Senju Tobirama's expression, which was gloomy and scary, and immediately changed his tone.

"Go and catch the Nine-Tails back!"

Konoha really needed a Tailed Beast to guard the house. Senju Tobirama, with a clear mind, directly issued an order to his older brother, demanding that he catch the released Nine-Tails back.

"Ah! I swore a poisonous oath to the Nine-Tails. How can I be a person who breaks his word?"

"Then I will gather manpower to surround and capture the Nine-Tails!"

Senju Tobirama was determined to get the Nine-Tails.

The Nine-Tails had helped him ascend to the position of Hokage, so how could he kill the donkey after it had served its purpose? Senju Hashirama's eyes rolled, and he showed a difficult expression.

"Tobirama, the Nine-Tails is different from other Tailed Beasts. Its strength is too powerful. Even if it were me, I wouldn't be sure of taking it down. Acting rashly will only increase casualties. You must think twice~"

Nine-Tails, I can only help you this much.

"Heh~"

Uchiha Gin indicated that Hashirama had also learned to be bad.

But the speaker was unintentional, and the listener was intentional. After listening to Senju Hashirama's words, Uchiha Madara's eyes seemed to ignite a flame, and his hot gaze was filled with a desire for victory.

"Phew... Since that's the case, let's first find the Nine-Tails' tracks, and by the way, investigate the Tailed Beast Knights of other villages to see if they are really as strong as this curly-head said."

Empty words have no proof. Although Senju Tobirama didn't have any prejudice against Uchiha Gin, it was difficult to determine the danger level of the Tailed Beast Knight based on his words alone.

"If you say that, don't you believe me? The four of us saw it clearly. The Tailed Beast Knight killed those three groups of people in seconds with a wave of his hand."

He didn't expect this white-haired guy to dare to question him. Uchiha Gin was immediately furious.

"Four? Aren't you a three-man team?"

Senju Tobirama blinked in confusion. He remembered that Uchiha Gin had taken two Mangekyo to do the mission. How did it become four people again?

"Uh... there was a kid who snuck up and forced a team-up."

Recalling Senju Banka who suddenly popped up, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but roll his eyes. He even paid for an extra person's travel and shopping expenses for this, costing millions~

"Who?"

"Who else could it be? The one in my house."

"!!!"

Uchiha Gin, who was muddledly sent out of the gate by the Senju brothers, scratched his fluffy curly hair in confusion. Why didn't they even mention the mission report?

"Oh! I forgot to ask about the dungeon!"

After walking a few steps, Uchiha Gin suddenly slapped his forehead and said with some annoyance.

"Cousin! Wait for me~"

Just then, Uchiha Madara, who had just come out with Uchiha Gin, followed quickly.

"It's not off work yet, is it? Being late and leaving early is not something a good employee should do."

Glancing at Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Gin, who was in a bad mood, said casually.

"I'm not an employee."

Uchiha Madara, whose face stiffened, retorted stubbornly. He was the man who was going to be Hokage, the biggest decision-maker in the village.

"That's true. This building is all yours. You can get off work whenever you want~"

Uchiha Gin, who misunderstood, nodded seriously. Looking back at the towering Hokage Building, the thick sarcasm in his tone made Uchiha Madara wish he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"Don't make fun of me anymore, Cousin. I have something I want to ask you."

"Oh? What is it?"

Looking at Uchiha Madara's complex expression, Uchiha Gin had an answer in his heart. Could this kid have believed the nonsense Hashirama used to shirk responsibility?

"If I become a Tailed Beast Knight, can I defeat Hashirama?"

Sure enough, Uchiha Madara, this kid, wouldn't give up. He always wanted to get the upper hand over Senju Hashirama, and now he had actually set his sights on the Tailed Beast Knight.

"You could win..."

Uchiha Gin, who was just about to say "you can't win, just wait for death," suddenly thought of something, and then answered with a strange expression.

"Really?"

Uchiha Madara's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he hurriedly asked for confirmation.

"Guaranteed~"

That's right, as long as his cousin becomes a Ten-Tails Knight, beating a vegetable wouldn't be a piece of cake~

"Thanks, Cousin!"

Having received a satisfactory answer, Uchiha Madara left in a hurry. He didn't know what he was going to do next. Uchiha Gin only hoped he wouldn't do anything stupid. After all, his uncle had instructed him to take good care of the two brothers.

"As long as I become a Tailed Beast Knight, I can beat Hashirama!"

Walking on the road, Uchiha Madara trembled with excitement at the thought of being able to make Senju Hashirama bow his head and beg for mercy.

Before long, he returned to the Uchiha clan grounds and went straight to the Naka Shrine, which he hadn't visited in a long time. Only this place could calm Uchiha Madara's heart slightly. He then sat cross-legged in front of the clan's ancestral stone tablet and began to meditate.

At this moment, Uchiha Madara was actually very conflicted. On one hand, he felt that the position of Hokage belonged to him and that he didn't need to use the power of a Tailed Beast Knight to realize his dream of many years. On the other hand, he really wanted to win against Senju Hashirama once. The two thoughts clashed in his mind, leaving him in a state of chaos.

Just as Uchiha Madara was meditating, a black charcoal head slowly emerged from the darkness in the corner of the shrine. Black Zetsu, who had been squatting here for a long time, looked in surprise at Uchiha Madara, who had his eyes closed and a conflicted expression.

"He still knows how to come back. I thought this generation's Indra reincarnate had given up~"

This Uchiha Madara, even after reading the stone tablet he had tampered with, didn't have the urge to purify the ninja world. This made Black Zetsu feel a bit disappointed, and he almost wanted to give up on this generation's Indra reincarnate.

Can't move him, just can't move him~

"Looking at his appearance, he must have been stimulated by Asura's reincarnate again. This is a good opportunity!"

Mistaking Uchiha Madara's resentment toward Senju Hashirama, Black Zetsu, who felt he could take action to stir up trouble, had countless scripts pop up in his head.

"Tailed Beast Knight, I'm definitely becoming one!"

Just as Black Zetsu was tailoring a script for Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Madara, who was meditating, suddenly stood up, a determined brilliance erupting from his eyes. He raised one hand and shouted in an extremely serious tone.

"Huh?"

Tailed Beast Knight? What the hell is that?

Black Zetsu, whose inspiration was shattered by Uchiha Madara's words, was instantly bewildered. He knew what a Tailed Beast was, but adding the word "Knight" made his brain stall.

Am I out of date?

Black Zetsu, who fell into self-doubt, frowned. During this period, because of Uchiha Madara's behavior of giving up, he didn't have the mood to continue laying out his plans, just wanting to wait for a certain curly-head to be buried so he could go to his grave and take a dump.

Although he didn't know what it felt like to take a dump~

"Phew~"

Uchiha Madara, who had made up his mind, took a deep breath, and the determination in his eyes slowly turned into helplessness. After the impulsive decision, he felt a bit at a loss.

As the current patriarch of the Uchiha clan, although he was a qualified hands-off manager who didn't usually manage clan affairs and threw all the work to Izuna, in the final analysis, Uchiha Madara was still the legitimate patriarch and the totem in the hearts of every Uchiha clan member.

Now was his assessment period as a Hokage candidate. Every clan member was convinced that the Uchiha would produce a second Hokage, and Uchiha Madara was their pride.

If at this critical juncture, Uchiha Madara, for the sake of personal desire to win, quietly went out to find the Nine-Tails, how could he face those clan members who were already celebrating?

"Sigh... it seems like it's been a long time since we held a clan meeting." (End of chapter)