Chapter 308: How to Pluck Tailed Beast Fur?

Looking down at the mission request form placed before him, Uchiha Gin rubbed his temples with a headache. When Tobirama Senju had pulled out a scroll just now, he had thought the other party was here to deliver a dungeon appointment letter.

But once Uchiha Gin excitedly flipped it open, the content inside immediately made his vision go dark and his hands and feet turn cold.

"Are you sure you didn't grab the wrong one?"

This mission was simply absurd to the extreme. To have a rookie like him execute such a high-risk mission—was it because they thought his health bar was too thick?

"Don't tear it, this is the mission."

Sipping the tea in his hand that cost more than gold, Tobirama Senju narrowed his eyes with an expression of enjoyment on his face. Watching Uchiha Gin flip the mission scroll back and forth, a rare smile appeared on his face before he spoke up.

"No, did Brother Hashirama take the wrong medicine? Can I ride a Wood Golem, or can I pilot a Gundam? You want me to manage the Tailed Beasts?"

Uchiha Gin's face was full of conflict. He tossed the crumpled scroll aside and sprawled out on the leather sofa like a couch potato, complaining with a face ashen with despair.

"Am I qualified?"

"You are not."

Hearing Tobirama Senju's candid evaluation, Uchiha Gin wasn't annoyed. As long as he could continue to maintain this current lifestyle of maximum relaxation, he didn't care what this short-lived white-haired man said; his skin was thick anyway.

"That settles it then. You guys should look for someone else. I think the eldest cousin is quite good. He is rigorous in his affairs and serious and responsible in his work. He is absolutely the only candidate for this mission."

Feeling he had escaped a disaster, Uchiha Gin smilingly propped himself up and recommended to the calm and composed Tobirama Senju before him.

"Oh~ Uchiha Madara?"

Tobirama Senju raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of mockery.

"As the saying goes, one should not avoid relatives when recommending talent."

"That saying about not avoiding relatives is well-put. I didn't realize you had some ink in your belly, you guy."

Nodding in agreement, Tobirama Senju's gaze turned somewhat strange, making Uchiha Gin's hair stand on end.

"What, is there a problem?"

Sensing something was wrong, Uchiha Gin frowned and asked.

"It really is a case of not avoiding relatives. Have you forgotten? The intermediary who introduced this mission is Uchiha Madara. It was he who ultimately recommended you to execute this mission."

With an inexplicable smile on his face, Tobirama Senju reluctantly put down the now bland and tasteless tea, then looked up and betrayed Uchiha Madara without hesitation.

"Huh?"

The eldest cousin?

I haven't treated you poorly all these years, raising you with such effort, and this is how you repay me?

Uchiha Gin, feeling great hatred in his heart, bluntly said that the New Year's money he gave out had been fed to a dog; Uchiha Madara was just an ungrateful wolf.

Run, he must run. Fortunately, he had left himself a path on the sea; at worst, he would go over and defect to his old uncle.

"Don't get excited yet. This mission has designated two teammates for you. The fact that you can become the person in charge of this mission is entirely thanks to your teammates~"

Watching Uchiha Gin's truly spectacular facial expressions, Tobirama Senju gave a mocking laugh and said.

"Don't, I'd rather not have that luck."

Shaking his head, Uchiha Gin, who already had some guesses in his heart, glanced at Uchiha Hikari quietly drinking tea beside him and sighed inwardly.

As expected, it couldn't be hidden. The Senju brothers' methods were truly remarkable; with just a few words, they had swindled the eldest cousin so thoroughly he didn't even know what hit him.

"How about it? The reward for this mission is very generous. Are you really not tempted?"

Finding that Uchiha Gin's emotions were gradually stabilizing and the expression on his face had returned to his usual salted-fish state, he marveled at the speed with which this guy adjusted his mindset, then asked.

"Hmph~ Do you think I'm someone who lacks money?"

Uchiha Gin gave a disdainful laugh upon hearing this. Was he the type of person to bow for a mere few pieces of silver?

In his eyes, the least valuable thing was money itself.

"Then why did you scam so much money from the Ninja Clan Alliance?"

Rolling his eyes, Tobirama Senju directly pierced through Uchiha Gin's disguise.

"Tsk~ Can these be the same? I don't like money, but I like scamming money."

Spreading his hands, Uchiha Gin indicated that this was not the same thing at all; he simply enjoyed the thrill of scamming money.

"Does this conflict? This doesn't conflict~"

"Good fellow, you actually admit to scamming money?"

Not expecting Uchiha Gin to admit it so readily, Tobirama Senju was caught off guard.

"It's a matter of mutual willingness, how can you call it scamming? At most, it's just predatory monetization~"

Picking his nose, Uchiha Gin retorted righteously.

"You guy, you really are a piece of work! How can you keep picking on the same target?"

Tobirama Senju felt a surge of frustration, his eye twitching uncontrollably.

A few days ago, people from the Ninja Clan Alliance had specifically come to find the two brothers to complain for a long time, tearfully accusing the lottery prop designed by Uchiha Gin of having too many tricks.

At first, Tobirama Senju thought the other party wanted to appeal the huge lottery fees spent when redeeming people earlier. He didn't expect the transaction records they pulled out to be from recent consumption.

As one pile of silver after another was poured into Uchiha Gin's lottery prop, they, who had been full of dreams of getting rich, found that the winning probability was becoming increasingly outrageous; the ten-pulls only gave them underwear.

They had wanted to rely on the pity system to turn things around, but didn't expect the pity gift box to be updated from the previous summer limited edition to a winter exclusive. The deep green military coats in the gift boxes left them unable to cry or complain.

"I declare in advance, our lottery system is absolutely fair. There is no behavior of secretly changing the drop rates."

Uchiha Gin, who knew about this, scratched his head innocently. He swore that he absolutely had not secretly changed Seria's drop rates.

Those ninja clans might just be truly unlucky~

"We won't settle accounts for that matter yet. If you can handle this mission beautifully, my brother and I will let bygones be bygones and help you suppress the complaints from the Ninja Clan Alliance."

Hmph~ Whether it was changed or not, only you, Uchiha Gin, know.

Tobirama Senju, having calmed down, had a faint glimmer in his eyes. Looking at the innocent-looking Uchiha Gin, he did not continue to pursue the matter.

However, scamming money from these ninja clans could also indirectly increase their enthusiasm for work, and the completion rate of Konoha missions would also increase significantly as a result.

"So, my mission is to supervise Hikari and Chiri, and manage the Tailed Beasts?"

Since the other party had mentioned Hikari, then the other teammate in the mission was 99% likely to be Uchiha Chiri, who was also a Mangekyo user.

As for why it wasn't the little cousin?

Just based on the little cousin's years of friendship with Tobirama Senju, the moment he started controlling the Tailed Beasts, Uchiha Izuna would ride a Tailed Beast and tear the roof off this white-haired man's house.

"That's right. My brother is currently busy with government affairs and truly cannot spare the focus to suppress the Tailed Beasts with Wood Release, so we must entrust the Uchiha clan to manage them on our behalf."

There was nothing wrong with saying it like that. In the current Konoha, besides Hashirama Senju, the only ones who could suppress the Tailed Beasts were the Uchiha.

If it were in the original timeline, Hashirama Senju would have had another choice, which was to rely on the assistance of his wife's family and use the Uzumaki clan's sealing jutsu to keep the Tailed Beasts obedient.

Now that the Uzumaki clan was gone, the only person Hashirama Senju could count on was Uchiha Madara.

Uh... come to think of it, it didn't seem any different from the original timeline; it was all relying on his wife.

Pass it on, the God of Ninja is living off his wife~

"I knew it! When Brother Hashirama was giving that speech, his dark circles were so heavy. So it was because of the Tailed Beasts!"

Rubbing his chin, Uchiha Gin recalled the heavy dark circles under Hashirama Senju's eyes when he and the eldest cousin were watching the Hokage inauguration speech on top of the Hokage Rock that day.

At the time, he had thought it was caused by Hashirama Senju's debauchery, and he had fiercely condemned (envied) him for a while.

"Since there are no other questions, let the mission begin today~"

Seeing that Uchiha Gin no longer had any intention of resisting, Tobirama Senju crossed his arms and said with an "I believe in you" expression.

"Hold your horses~"

"What is it now?"

Tobirama Senju, who was about to stand up, looked directly at Uchiha Gin with some impatience.

"Why must it be Mangekyo? Can't Three-Tomoe also control Tailed Beasts?"

Uchiha Gin really couldn't figure out why the eldest cousin would expose the Uchiha clan's long-hidden trump card for this mission.

You have to know, even during the decisive battle, the old uncle didn't choose to let Hikari take action. Otherwise, the Hidden Leaf Village might have been renamed Fan Village, and the Hokage might not be called Hokage, but Wood-kage.

"Although Three-Tomoe can barely manage, Mangekyo is more cost-effective~"

Tobirama Senju shook his head and explained.

Tobirama Senju, who had studied the Sharingan deeply, knew well that the ocular power of Three-Tomoe could only barely control one Tailed Beast at a time, and the duration wouldn't be very long; it was simply not as stable and effortless as a Mangekyo user.

"It's fine, we have plenty of Three-Tomoe users, we can take shifts."

"No need, too many people will only make it easier for mistakes to happen."

Tobirama Senju gave a rare, earnest explanation. Although his words were watertight, Uchiha Gin always felt there was some trickery involved.

Just as he was frowning and thinking, Tobirama Senju opposite him had an inexplicable look flash in his eyes. Looking at the curly hair on Uchiha Gin's head, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

Letting ordinary Uchiha manage Tailed Beasts would be equivalent to letting the Monkey King guard the Peach Garden.

For those guys with extreme ideologies, it was already good enough that they hadn't been driven into a corner; for them to covet the Tailed Beasts was simply wishful thinking.

"Hikari, what do you think?"

Although this mission was assigned to Uchiha Gin, he still turned his head and asked for his teammate's opinion.

"If you aren't interested, I'll decline it."

"No need. I've encountered a bottleneck in my training recently, and I happen to be lacking a few sturdy and durable sparring partners."

Uchiha Hikari, not knowing which personality was in control, tilted her head upon hearing Uchiha Gin's words, revealed a faint smile, and responded.

"Uh... as long as you don't have any objections."

Looking at Uchiha Hikari's smile, which carried a dark aura, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but sympathize with those Tailed Beasts.

"Chiri should have no problem either~"

Recalling how Uchiha Chiri had pestered him for a long time after the Tailed Beast tournament, constantly asking about the Tailed Beasts, it was clear that his little apprentice had a great interest in them.

Then this mission would be a perfect opportunity for her to have close contact with the Tailed Beasts and properly understand their structure.

"Fine, I accept this mission!"

Thinking of this, Uchiha Gin steeled his heart, put away the scroll on the table, and signaled that he had accepted this mess.

Who else but him could be the most loving Uchiha~

"Alright then, once you are prepared, come find me."

The result was within his expectations; Tobirama Senju, who thought he understood the character of the curly-haired Uchiha, was not surprised by Uchiha Gin's choice.

After all, compared to those straight-haired Uchiha, the Uchiha Gin before him was more trustworthy in character and quality.

Since the mission had been conveyed, Tobirama Senju had no reason to stay any longer; he took one last lingering look at the empty teacup, for even if the tea was delicious, he had to return to work.

If Uchiha Madara were to take advantage of his absence to deceive his elder brother, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Wait... seeing how much you love this tea, just... ah? You've already packed it up?"

Seeing that Tobirama Senju was clearly coveting his tea leaves, Uchiha Gin was not a stingy person.

Even if he didn't like this white-haired man, the other party was, after all, the master of little Mirror, so a mere two pounds of tea leaves could be considered a gift for accepting a student.

However, before he could finish speaking, he saw Itama Senju running over with a large box of tea leaves in his arms, looking as if he were presenting a treasure as he handed the tea to Uchiha Gin.

"You really are becoming more and more perceptive~"

With a strange expression, Uchiha Gin took the tea leaves, looked at the smug-looking Itama Senju, rolled his eyes, and said.

I'm withered~ Tobirama Senju, you have a good sister; even if you didn't recognize her, she is still thinking of you like this.

"... Thank you."

With complex emotions, Tobirama Senju calmly accepted the gift, and looking at his sister winking at him from behind Uchiha Gin, he sighed that there is nothing better in the world than a sister~

"That... if this mission ends, the job at the Konoha dungeon..."

Watching Tobirama Senju, who had accepted his bribe, Uchiha Gin could not help but bring up the old matter again, his eyes filled with a hint of expectation.

He truly loved working too much~

"We shall discuss it later!"

Once Tobirama Senju's slightly desolate back faded into the distance, Uchiha Gin slowly slumped back onto the sofa, looking at the scroll in his hand with a dazed gaze, calculating in his heart how to fleece the Tailed Beasts.

According to the timeline, this mission of his should not last very long.

Once the first Five Kage Summit concludes, the Tailed Beasts held by Konoha will be sold to the other four great nations to deter one another and achieve relative peace.

Tsk~ the only thing to fleece from the Tailed Beasts is their chakra, but collecting that chakra is a bit difficult.

As for becoming a jinchuriki, Uchiha Gin had never considered it; he exercised so much at night, why give those Tailed Beasts free benefits?

"... How should I store it?"

Uchiha Gin, feeling a bit of a headache, tapped his head with the scroll and muttered to himself in a low voice.

"Store what? What did you buy again? There are plenty of bottles and jars at home; just find any jar and toss it in~"

Itama Senju, who was cleaning up Tobirama Senju's teacup, twitched his ears and answered casually without even raising his head.

After speaking, she looked at the empty bottom of the cup, speechless, sighing in her heart that her brother's life was too difficult, to the point that he even ate the tea dregs.

"Uh... a jar? You fellow, you really are a clever little ghost~"

Uchiha Gin, who had been feeling melancholy, instantly brightened up upon hearing Itama Senju's casual remark. He praised the young girl who was lamenting her brother's hard life, then performed a sparrow-like flip and walked toward the center of the hall.

"Huh?"

Itama Senju stood up holding the teacup, looking in bewilderment at Uchiha Gin, who had jumped up on the spot; had this curly-haired baboon had another episode?

In three steps, Uchiha Gin reached the center of the hall, looking at the clay-colored jar that had been gathering dust for a long time, his expression filled with emotion.

"I knew it, how could I not use the hook I buried~"

Reaching out to pat the dust off the Amber Purifying Bottle, a faint light swirled in Uchiha Gin's eyes; this Sage of Six Paths tool had the ability to seal anyone who responded to it.

In the future, the Allied Shinobi Forces relied on this thing to seal the Tailed Beast-transformed Kinkaku.

One must know that the Reanimated Kinkaku at that time was in a state of Nine-Tails transformation, and its strength was no less than that of a jinchuriki with the same number of tails.

Yet, even with such terrifying strength, it was still easily taken down by this unassuming kimchi jar.

"Such a big jar, it shouldn't be a problem to hold some Tailed Beast chakra~"

(End of chapter)