Chapter 308

308. Chapter 305: Uchiha Madara Defects?

Several days had passed since Uchiha Gin finished his mission. During this period, nothing unusual happened, and he could finally enjoy himself thoroughly, curling up at home every day and living the life of a rice weevil that everyone envied.

"Sigh~ I'm so bored! Brat, come dance for me to liven things up."

Lying flat on the sofa in a "Ge You" pose, Uchiha Gin's dull dead-fish eyes glanced at Senju Itama, who was preparing lunch in the kitchen. Looking at the little female brat who was wearing a custom apron, standing on a small stool, humming an unknown tune, and operating with practiced skill, he picked his nose and issued an order in a very annoying way.

"Whoosh~"

Unfortunately, daydreaming is not advisable. A cold glint arrived first, and a sharp kitchen knife flew over with lightning speed, sticking into the wall of the living room right next to Uchiha Gin's nose. The entire blade was embedded into the wall under the blessing of super strength, leaving only the lonely handle.

"Gulp~"

"Don't take it seriously, I was just joking."

Feeling that several hairs on the tip of his nose had been shaved off, the terrified Uchiha Gin swallowed hard and stood up tremblingly.

"You don't go out to work and earn money all day; do you know how expensive rice is now?"

Senju Itama walked out of the kitchen with an angry face. She first glared at Uchiha Gin, who was lying flat, and then walked to the wall, reaching out to pull out the kitchen knife embedded in the wall with ease.

"I'm just waiting for notification~"

It would be better if she didn't mention it. As soon as the word "work" was mentioned, Uchiha Gin was furious. He had given money and even people, but in the end, no work was solved for him. How exactly was Hashirama-prisoner serving as Hokage? If work efficiency kept staying like this, he would have to consider changing people.

"Bang bang bang~"

Just as Uchiha Gin was complaining in his heart, a series of urgent knocks on the door rang out. Confused, he looked at the sky. Who would visit at noon? Could it be a door-to-door salesman?

"Bang bang bang~"

"I still have to cook; you go open it."

Senju Itama, holding the kitchen knife, rolled her eyes at Uchiha Gin, who was unmoved, signaling him to open the door, while she continued her cooking career with her chubby little legs.

So troublesome!

Uchiha Gin stood up helplessly, rubbed his fluffy curly hair, and walked over to open the door while yawning.

Creak~

"Sorry, we don't need deodorant in our house..."

Uchiha Gin, who opened the door, didn't even look at the visitor and waved his hand to drive them away skillfully. It could be seen that there were quite a few door-to-door salesmen recently.

"Cousin Gin, it's me."

The ponytail man standing outside the door looked at Uchiha Gin, who was too lazy to even open his eyes, and stated his identity helplessly.

"Huh? So it's Cousin Fire-Core, long time no see~"

Hearing the familiar voice, Uchiha Gin finally raised his drooping eyelids. Looking at his former colleague, he greeted him very enthusiastically.

"Why did you come empty-handed?"

Scanning left and right, he found that the other party was empty-handed. The enthusiasm that had just ignited subsided by more than half, and the eyelids that had just been propped up returned to their original position.

"Uh... I won't go in. I came today just to notify Cousin Gin to please attend the clan meeting on time tomorrow morning."

Uchiha Fire-Core, who was already used to Uchiha Gin's jumpy personality and accustomed to his hot-and-cold attitude, shook his head, explained the purpose of his trip, then cupped his hands and turned to leave.

"Oh my~ why don't you stay for a simple meal?"

Seeing that Uchiha Fire-Core had walked more than ten meters away, Uchiha Gin finally said politely in a loud voice, as if he had "just woken up from a dream."

"Okay! I just happen to haven't eaten..."

"Clang!"

"..."

Quickly slamming the door to see the guest out, Uchiha Gin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. How many years had it been since a clan meeting was held? He thought this tradition had been abolished.

"I don't know what my cousin wants to do."

Under normal circumstances, a clan meeting of the Uchiha clan could only be initiated by the clan head. Over the years, Uchiha Madara's work focus had been on Konoha, leaving all the affairs of the clan to his younger cousin Izuna. Therefore, the last time a clan meeting was held was before the founding of Konoha.

"What's wrong? Is it another deodorant salesman?"

Senju Itama, who was cooking, poked her head out of the kitchen and asked with a confused face.

"No, it's the clan notifying me to have a clan meeting tomorrow."

Lazily returning to the sofa, Uchiha Gin, who was lying flat, answered truthfully.

"Ah! Then what will you wear? You're so fat that you can't fit into your previous clothes anymore!"

Hearing that there was going to be a clan meeting, Senju Itama walked out in surprise, looked Uchiha Gin up and down, and pointed out a cruel reality with a difficult tone.

"I told you not to wash them; I only wore them twice. Now they've shrunk and I can't wear them. What do you say we should do?"

Uchiha Gin, who was poked in the sore spot, immediately turned over and blamed her, not admitting at all that he was fat due to excessive sugar intake.

"Hmph! You are not allowed to eat today. If you starve a bit, you might barely be able to squeeze into them."

Regarding this kind of groundless accusation, Senju Itama ignored it. She snorted with her little nose and deprived Uchiha Gin of his dining qualifications for the day.

"You bitch~ you bitch~"

The next day

"Gurgle~ Gurgle~"

Uchiha Gin, who had been forcibly squeezed into the classic skin of Konoha's founding by Senju Itama, touched his hungry stomach and walked dejectedly on the streets of Konoha.

"I have really suffered a great crime~"

Along the way, Uchiha Gin saw many clan members wearing the same clothes as him. Everyone had an excited look on their faces; it seemed they were all full of anticipation for the clan meeting that hadn't been held for a long time.

"You guys say, why does the clan head want to convene a clan meeting?"

"No need to guess; he must want to reveal the date of the Hokage inauguration to everyone so we can prepare in advance~"

"I think so too. The clan head is conscientious; in terms of emotion and reason, he is the only candidate for the Second Hokage."

"Haha, our Uchiha can finally stand tall in Konoha. Those arrogant Senju should also bow their heads to us!"

Hearing the passionate discussions coming from his ears, Uchiha Gin's brows frowned slightly. It was only the second year of Konoha, and Hashirama-prisoner was in the rising period of his career. Asking him to abdicate and yield the position now was probably not realistic.

If another ten or eight years passed, his cousin could definitely take over from him and become the legitimate Second Hokage, while Hashirama-prisoner could safely retire to the second line, hold a leisurely position like honorary principal, hold his grandchildren, raise dogs, and enjoy family happiness.

"Phew~ he wouldn't want to stage a coup, would he?"

Uchiha Gin, who thought more and more that something was wrong, suddenly had a terrifying thought flash through his mind.

You have to know that every Uchiha who can open the Sharingan is more or less paranoid and extreme, not to mention the Mangekyo.

Could it be because of the usual workplace bullying by the white-hair that his cousin felt resentment? Over time, his mindset had undergone earth-shaking changes, and he was preparing to skip the long wait and take the position of Hokage by force?

"That's not right. My cousin can't beat Hashirama-prisoner; isn't this making a scene?"

But Uchiha Gin quickly extinguished this thought. Although Uchiha Madara was his cousin, he had to admit that his cousin was indeed no match for Senju Hashirama. Even with the Nine-Tails, he couldn't beat the Sage Hashirama who had opened a cheat.

Wait...

Nine-Tails!!!

"Cousin Gin, over here!"

Just as Uchiha Gin's imagination was running wild, a familiar voice rang out not far away. After raising his head, he saw several acquaintances waving enthusiastically in front of the Naka Shrine of the Uchiha clan. The one who had just spoken was Uchiha Jiro, who had joined the Security Force.

"Long time no see~"

Thinking more was useless; it was better to wait and see when the meeting started. So Uchiha Gin gave up thinking and greeted them.

"Cousin Gin, what have you been busy with lately?"

"Cousin Jiro, classified, cannot be said."

The honest and simple little yellow man Jiro had shed his previous impetuousness. At over thirty years old, he had a bit more stability and sophistication, but the subtle lewdness at the corner of his eyes exposed the truth that he was still a glue-sticking enthusiast.

Not forgetting his original intention, worthy of praise~

"Lord Gin, do you know the purpose of today's clan meeting?"

"Even Great Elder Lu Cha doesn't know; how could we idle personnel know~"

The middle-aged man who asked the question was Uchiha Lu Cha, who had been promoted by Uchiha Gin. This jailer, who had been a tool man for him for more than ten years, finally successfully promoted to Great Elder not long ago. He could be said to be a person under two people and above ten thousand in the clan.

"Lord Gin, what elder or not elder? Your words are really humiliating this little person."

Uchiha Lu Cha rubbed his bald head, which had fallen into a Mediterranean style due to day and night toil, and shook his head with a bitter smile.

Mediterranean Elder, very majestic!

"Oh my~ isn't this little Setsuna? Don't always keep a straight face; come and smile for your uncle~"

Passing Uchiha Lu Cha, Uchiha Gin cast his gaze on the guy who was hiding behind the two of them. Looking at Uchiha Setsuna, who had a stiff face, he raised his eyebrows teasingly and greeted him.

"Hmph!"

Even though he was already an adult, as soon as he saw Uchiha Gin's devilish face, Uchiha Setsuna, who was known for his cold pride, subconsciously clamped his legs and moved his gloomy eyes away, not daring to look at him.

Impolite, definitely going to jail in the future.

"Cousin! Why are you still outside? Hurry in; the meeting is about to start~"

Before he could have more small talk with them, Uchiha Izuna walked out from inside. Seeing Uchiha Gin, he hurriedly stepped forward to pull him inside.

"Homies, see you later~"

There was no other way; Uchiha Gin had to wave goodbye to them and follow Uchiha Izuna into the inner hall of the shrine first.

On the way, Uchiha Gin found that his little cousin's expression was a bit wrong, looking burdened with worries, so he asked,

"Little cousin, what kind of scene is my cousin making again?"

Only Uchiha Madara could make him show this expression.

"Sigh~ it's a long story."

Uchiha Izuna, who was walking in front, sighed upon hearing this, turned his head to look at Uchiha Gin, and said,

"It's all Cousin's fault for spoiling my brother too much, making him do whatever he wants."

Ha! Why did he pass the pot to him as soon as he came up?

"What exactly happened?"

Uchiha Gin already had a bad premonition. Could Uchiha Madara, this kid, want to make a big news?

"My brother, he..."

"Cousin! You finally came. Sit behind me later and give me some courage~"

Before Uchiha Izuna could finish speaking, Uchiha Madara's happy voice rang in their ears. His cousin, wearing a brand-new high-collared robe, walked out of the inner hall. Seeing Uchiha Gin, he immediately leaned over.

"It wouldn't be appropriate for me to sit behind you, would it?"

Actually, there was another reason why Uchiha Madara didn't want to hold a clan meeting. Uchiha Tajima, who used to sit behind him, had passed away. Feeling empty behind his back, he was no longer the passionate orator he once was.

"An older brother is like a father; only with you behind me can I feel at ease."

In Uchiha Madara's mind, the only people he could trust to hand his back to were his younger brother Izuna and his cousin Uchiha Gin.

"Alright."

Since his cousin had said so, it would seem a bit distant for Uchiha Gin to decline again. So he didn't act coy and nodded to agree to this matter.

"Izuna, where is the draft I asked you to prepare?"

Having arranged for Uchiha Gin, Uchiha Madara turned to ask Uchiha Izuna, whose face was slightly gloomy.

"Brother, have you really thought it through? This matter is no child's play!"

Uchiha Izuna, who had always been obedient to Uchiha Madara, actually questioned his older brother in an uncharacteristic way.

"Let me be willful once, Izuna."

Facing his younger brother's questioning, Uchiha Madara didn't answer directly. With a look of guilt on his face, he shook his head gently.

"No! How could I write such a speech draft? As a Hokage candidate, the Uchiha clan head leaves his post without authorization? This is defecting from the village!"

Uchiha Izuna's face turned cold, and he said in a voice that was almost a roar.

"Huh?"

Uchiha Gin, who was eating melon, heard his little cousin's words and was so scared that his melon seeds fell all over the floor. Looking at his cousin who showed a bitter face, he raised his hand tremblingly.

"Did I hear that right? Cousin, you want to defect?"

How did it go around and return to the original plot? Cousin, I have already paved the way for you. If you walk it steadily, you will definitely achieve fame. Why can't you think it through and want to defect from the village?

Did you awaken some defection system behind my back, kid?

"Cousin, don't listen to his nonsense. I'm just leaving the village for a period of time, a few days at the shortest, a few months at the longest."

"Leaving the village? Do you know what your current status is?"

As a legitimate Hokage candidate, even if he went missing for a day, he might be labeled a rogue ninja by a certain white-hair, not to mention an indefinite date. Wouldn't that be used by Senju Tobirama to make a big fuss?

"I know, but I want to win once."

Uchiha Madara, who knew the severity of the situation, nodded with a gloomy face. He was being watched by that guy Senju Tobirama every day at work. If he went to the bathroom for more than five minutes, the other party would come to knock on the door and urge him, not to mention suddenly disappearing for several days.

"You, you, is a momentary victory really that important? Whoever laughs last is the winner!"

Facing the stubborn Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Gin was almost angered into fainting. He had racked his brains to help him clear the biggest stumbling block on the road to Hokage.

Now it's good; he doesn't cherish the victory fruit delivered to his mouth and insists on picking it himself. When he falls and eats shit, both human and rights are lost, I'll see who you go to cry to.

"I understand the truth, but I just want to win once with my own strength!"

The paranoid character of the Uchiha clan was fully revealed at this moment. No matter how much Uchiha Gin said, he only recognized the dead truth and wanted to defeat Senju Hashirama to prove himself, and even ten Tailed Beasts couldn't pull him back.

"Then it would be fine if you report to Hashirama-prisoner~"

"I just want to give him a surprise!"

Didn't Uchiha Gin say before that he wanted to give Hashirama a surprise? So Uchiha Madara didn't want Senju Hashirama to know that the reason he left was to catch the Nine-Tails back to Konoha to guard the house.

"But if you do this, you might miss the position of Hokage."

"As long as I win against Hashirama, the position of Hokage will still be mine!"

Clenching his fists confidently, Uchiha Madara had a posture of being determined to win.

"But..."

"Clan Head! It's time for the meeting~"

Just as Uchiha Gin was organizing his language, preparing to move with emotion and reason, an Uchiha clan member knocked on the door of the inner hall and said respectfully.

"I know."

Uchiha Madara replied in a deep voice, turned his head to look at his brothers, and walked out without looking back.

"Cousin! You must think of a way!"

Uchiha Izuna was anxious. If Uchiha Madara really left his post without authorization, he would definitely be labeled a rogue ninja by his rival.

"Don't be anxious."

With his brows tightly locked, Uchiha Gin comforted his little cousin helplessly.

Hokage candidate was a very sensitive position, equivalent to the Crown Prince in ancient times, with not much real power and having to be careful everywhere, fearing being caught by someone.

"Sigh~ forget it, let's go to the meeting first and see what my cousin is prepared to say."

Inside the shrine hall

Uchiha clan members dressed in uniform sat cross-legged, waiting for the start of the meeting with very serious expressions. As Uchiha Madara pushed the door and entered, everyone's face revealed fanatical worship.

Uchiha Gin and Uchiha Izuna followed closely behind. Uchiha Madara glanced at the two without making any extra expression and sat directly beside the stone tablet that was being worshipped.

"Let's go, don't reject his face."

Uchiha Gin and Uchiha Izuna looked at each other. He walked over first and, in the surprised eyes of the clan members, sat behind Uchiha Madara, while his little cousin sat beside him.

"Do you know why I suddenly convened a clan meeting today?"

Feeling the burning gazes of the clan members, Uchiha Madara felt a bit heavy in his heart, and the words that were already on his lips turned into a rhetorical question.

"It must be that the Clan Head is about to succeed to the position of Hokage and wants to tell everyone this good news in advance!"

An older clan member raised his hand and said excitedly.

"That's right!"

"Long live the Clan Head! Long live the Uchiha!"

This answer instantly ignited the entire meeting. Many clan members who had followed Uchiha Madara for many years raised their hands one after another, showing fanatical expressions and shouting long live.

Seeing this scene, Uchiha Madara's heart became even heavier. He also knew that these clan members who had followed him for many years were all longing to see a Hokage from the Uchiha in Konoha in their lifetime.

But because he had repeatedly lost to Hashirama, he lost the position of First Hokage, making these clan members unable to lift their heads in front of the Senju clan.

"Clan Head, just report a date. At that time, we will go to the Hokage Rock to perform fireworks for the whole village, letting them know who is the most gorgeous clan in Konoha. Those bumpkin Senju can't catch up to our art even if they whip their horses."

The clan members under the stage had already begun to discuss the performance items of the fireworks festival with great interest.

"The gorgeousness of my Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique has been affirmed by the old clan head. At that time, let me take the lead for everyone!"

An old man with white hair and in his twilight years stood up tremblingly, opened his toothless mouth, and recommended himself with full energy.

"My Explosive Fire Dance has been cultivated to great success; at that time, I must make everyone surprised!"

"My Great Fireball..."

"Go aside, what kind of excitement is the Great Fireball joining?"

For a time, the scene was even hotter than before, which made Uchiha Madara, who was prepared to say his news of leaving the village, a bit difficult to speak. He then cast his gaze on Izuna beside him, wanting him to help him.

"Hmph~"

Uchiha Izuna didn't pay attention to his older brother. He wanted to see if Uchiha Madara could bear to pour cold water on these enthusiastic clan members.

"Cousin..."

Uchiha Madara, who failed to ask for help, had to turn his gaze to Uchiha Gin behind him, the pleading look in his eyes visible to the naked eye.

"Forget it, forget it, if you want to say it, just say it."

If this energy was held in his heart and had nowhere to vent, Uchiha Madara would sooner or later be suffocated into illness. It was better to let him vent it out. If he really left later, he wouldn't have too much burden.

He had to wipe his cousin's ass again; he was truly a born life of toil~

"Quiet!"

After listening to Uchiha Gin's words, Uchiha Madara felt as if he had eaten a reassurance pill. He then put on a serious expression and said loudly to the messy venue.

The venue, which was just lively, was instantly silent. All the clan members looked forward to hearing what Uchiha Madara was going to announce.

"The position of Hokage, I am determined to win, but our Uchiha clan, how can we eat food that is given in charity?"

"Clan Head, what do you mean by that?"

The clan members, who were just excited, were instantly filled with doubts. Looking at Uchiha Madara, who had a majestic expression, they asked cautiously.

"I am prepared to leave Konoha for a period of time to search for new power."

Without concealment, Uchiha Madara still made his thoughts public, which was met with the dumbfoundedness of all the clan members present.

"Slap!"

Uchiha Izuna, who was beside him, slapped his forehead helplessly. He didn't expect his brother to be so stubborn. Facing the clan members who were full of anticipation, he could still cruelly announce the news of his departure.

"What?"

"The Clan Head wants to leave Konoha?"

"Clearly we just have to wait, why leave?"

"Did the Senju brothers give you small shoes to wear? If so, please blink!"

After a brief silence, there was a wave of questioning from the clan members. Uchiha Madara silently closed his eyes and did not answer.

"Clan Head, are you going to give up the position of Hokage candidate?"

A clan member stood up, his tone filled with deep disappointment. In his view, leaving Konoha was equivalent to giving up the position of Hokage candidate.

"That's right. My goal has never been a small candidate position."

Slowly opening his eyes, Uchiha Madara's eyes were dyed scarlet at some point. He looked coldly at the clan members under the stage and said,

"I am not asking for your consent; I am just notifying you." (End of chapter)