Chapter 309: 309. Chapter 306: Indra truly won't rest even in death

309. Chapter 306: Indra truly won't rest even in death

After Uchiha Madara finished speaking, he left the venue without looking back, leaving the messy aftermath for Uchiha Gin and Uchiha Izuna to handle.

"Sigh... Little cousin, you go ahead and appease the clan members; I'm going to find Big cousin to have a word."

Not expecting Uchiha Madara to be so decisive, leaving without even a spare explanation, Uchiha Gin stood up helplessly, gave Uchiha Izuna a quick instruction, and hurried away.

In the venue, an inconspicuous clan member, after hearing Uchiha Madara's explosive announcement, had a strange glint in their eyes. They took advantage of the chaos to slip away quietly, heading off to parts unknown.

Walking out of the venue, Uchiha Gin quickly caught up to Uchiha Madara's back. Discovering that his Big cousin was following him, Madara kept his head down, silent and helpless, like a child who had done something wrong and was waiting for punishment.

"Let's go, this isn't the place to talk."

Uchiha Gin, who had been ready to start scolding, sighed slightly in his heart. He pointed toward the backyard, signaling for the other to follow.

Uchiha Gin knew that saying anything now would be of no use. The Uchiha clan was not an impenetrable fortress; he reckoned that what Uchiha Madara had just said had already been reported to the Senju brothers.

"You're leaving to go find the Nine-Tails, right?"

Sitting in the pavilion in the backyard, Uchiha Gin looked up at Uchiha Madara, who had remained silent the whole time, and said slowly.

"Uh... Big cousin, how did you know?"

Uchiha Madara looked up, stunned, and stared at Uchiha Gin, who was holding his forehead and sighing, looking quite confused.

How could I not know? You just asked me about the Tailed Beasts a few days ago, and today you're preparing to run away from the village. If you aren't going to catch the Nine-Tails, I'll cut off my own basket and use it as a snack for the little brat.

"Can a dog-owner not know the habits of their dog?"

"I... sigh..."

The words were crude but true. Uchiha Gin was indeed one of the people in this world who understood him best. Uchiha Madara had no choice but to swallow his pride and accept the statement.

"What a pain. Can't you just properly follow the path I've planned out for you?"

Seeing Uchiha Madara remain silent, Uchiha Gin felt a headache coming on. Everything just required waiting, so why did he have to go and prove himself?

Could it be that Indra's chakra is at work?

Thinking of this, Uchiha Gin suddenly had an epiphany. Indra and Asura had been fighting for generations, and their grudges were growing deeper; they would definitely stir up trouble whenever they had the chance.

It's a good thing my fragments haven't been fully collected yet. Next time I pull a Sasuke, I'll just click it away!

Even if his Big cousin were willing to compromise, the chakra inside him wouldn't agree. He reckoned it was constantly and subtly influencing him to go and challenge the Senju blockhead.

"Big cousin, I know you're doing this for my own good."

Hearing Uchiha Gin's muttering, Uchiha Madara felt deeply moved. He knew that ever since the village was founded, his Big cousin had been racking his brains for his sake to become Hokage, even calculating against that guy Senju Tobirama.

However, whenever the dead of night arrived, a strange obsession would always emerge in Uchiha Madara's heart, constantly telling him that he had to win, that he had to defeat Hashirama fair and square to prove himself.

"If there's something dirty involved, then there's really nothing to be done."

Having figured out why Uchiha Madara could do something so reckless, Uchiha Gin shook his head helplessly. His dull, dead-fish eyes seemed to see through everything, making Uchiha Madara feel a bit strange, and he subconsciously checked his clothes.

I shouldn't have any stains on me, right?

"But leaving without a word is ultimately not the right way to do things. You should at least go and say goodbye to the Senju blockhead~"

"That's not necessary, is it? If things go smoothly, I'll be back in a few days."

Uchiha Madara didn't know how to face Senju Hashirama. After all, the fault was his; he was the one leaving the village first.

"That's not up to you."

Uchiha Gin extended a finger, pointing at a small black dot in the sky, and reminded his Big cousin without even looking up: the person you're thinking of is here.

"Thump!"

As the black dot grew larger, Senju Hashirama, dressed in his Hokage robes, descended from the sky, stomping heavily onto the ground and smashing a large crater into the packed earth.

"Madara! Why are you leaving me?"

With a look of panic on his honest and handsome face, after hearing the inside news, Senju Hashirama was burning with anxiety. He took a few leaps from the Hokage building to the Uchiha clan grounds.

"Sorry, Hashirama. I have reasons that I must leave."

Despite his deep reluctance, Uchiha Madara gritted his teeth and insisted. Seeing this, Senju Hashirama took a step forward, opened his arms, and spoke with great sincerity.

"I cannot do without your help! You are the right-hand man of the Hokage, my brother. I hope you can continue to assist me!"

However, facing Senju Hashirama's emotional plea, Uchiha Madara, who had already made up his mind, chose to remain silent.

Seeing this, Senju Hashirama, anxious in his heart, hurriedly added:

"Ten years! No! Five years! Just five years, and then you will be the Second Hokage."

"Hmph! Do you think I would accept your charity? Anything I, Uchiha Madara, want to obtain, I will obtain through my own strength!"

Hearing Senju Hashirama's promise, Uchiha Madara slowly raised his head, a look of disdain on his face. He crossed his arms and looked at the other with a very serious gaze.

"Then why are you leaving the village? This is the ideal land we built together."

"I will return!"

"How long?"

"I don't know."

Originally, hearing Uchiha Madara say he would return, a flash of joy had crossed Senju Hashirama's face, but once he said the time was uncertain, waves of helplessness surged in his heart.

"At least tell me the reason."

"I'm afraid I cannot tell you."

He absolutely could not let Hashirama know about his plan to capture the Nine-Tails; that was his secret weapon.

"Big cousin Gin, please help me persuade him!"

Seeing that his persuasion was fruitless, Senju Hashirama turned his pleading gaze toward Uchiha Gin, who was eating melon on the side.

"My little brother has a stubborn temper; ten Tailed Beasts wouldn't be able to pull him back."

Chewing and swallowing the sunflower seed kernel in his mouth, Uchiha Gin spread his hands, looking helpless.

"But we can't just watch Madara become a rogue ninja who leaves the village without permission!"

Not expecting that even Uchiha Gin's words wouldn't work, Senju Hashirama was truly anxious. Chakra overflowed from his body uncontrollably, and his gaze became sharp.

If talk was useless, then he could only beat Madara until he was crippled.

I will be responsible for taking care of him for the rest of his life!

Driven by the chakra in Senju Hashirama's body, Uchiha Madara's eyes gradually turned scarlet, and the violent fighting spirit in his heart began to rise.

"Senju blockhead, your gaze is dangerous. Stay calm; things haven't reached the point of resorting to force yet."

Sensing the volcanic chakra surging within Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Gin tossed away the sunflower seed shells in his hand and raised a hand to block between the two.

"Big cousin?"

"Big cousin Gin?"

The two looked at Uchiha Gin, who was blocking them, and were both shocked in their hearts, secretly blaming themselves for why they had become so impulsive.

"Can't you just let Big cousin go out and clear his head?"

Uchiha Gin was not intimidated by the momentum erupting from the two, but instead scratched his head as if nothing had happened and asked Senju Hashirama.

"Madara's position as Hokage's assistant is too sensitive. It's not wartime right now, so logically, he shouldn't be leaving his post without permission."

"Logically, that means there's still room to talk~"

"If it were to carry out some kind of secret mission, it wouldn't be impossible to leave the village."

Senju Hashirama thought for a moment and answered truthfully.

"That's it! Big cousin, come over here and tell us if there have been any long-term missions lately."

Uchiha Gin's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly called over Uchiha Madara, who was standing silently on the side. As the supervisor of the mission hall, he certainly knew about mission information.

"Unfortunately, the mission hall doesn't have any such missions."

Uchiha Madara shook his head gently and answered with regret. Such secret missions certainly couldn't be published in the mission hall; they would be issued directly by the Hokage, with single-line contact.

"Whoosh!"

Just as the three were discussing, a blue flash of lightning suddenly streaked behind Senju Hashirama. Senju Tobirama, fully armed, arrived relying on the Flying Thunder God mark engraved on his brother. After landing, he looked up, his scarlet eyes filled with intense joy.

"Brother! Uchiha Madara has rebelled, right? As expected of the naturally evil Uchiha old man, I will personally..."

However, before he could finish speaking, he saw three pairs of eyes filled with mockery staring straight at him, forcing him to swallow the rest of his words.

"Ahem... So, he hasn't left yet?"

Awkwardly retracting the short blade in his hand, Senju Tobirama coughed a few times and hid behind his brother.

"You hateful white-hair, I'm just leaving for a while. What do you mean by 'rebelled'?"

Having already guessed that Senju Tobirama would make a big deal out of him leaving the village without permission, and not expecting that he would be labeled with an unprovoked charge of treason before he had even left, Uchiha Madara was so angry his eyes turned red, and he wished he could give this guy a slash.

"You left your post without permission. If that's not an attempt to rebel, then what is it?"

With his brother as his backing, Senju Tobirama became much tougher.

"I!"

Unable to reveal the matter of capturing the Nine-Tails, Uchiha Madara could only show a look of wanting to speak but stopping, which only deepened Senju Tobirama's suspicion.

"Brother, look, he has nothing to say. Why don't you take him down, send him to prison, and put him on trial another day!"

"Alright, Tobirama, stop messing around. Madara really has something to do and needs to go out for a trip."

Reaching out to press down his brother, who was barking uselessly, Senju Hashirama explained to him with a helpless face.

"If there's really something to do, then report it. After all, I, this village branch secretary, am not that unreasonable. As long as the reason is appropriate, I will approve it~"

Hearing his brother's words, Senju Tobirama, who felt a bit of regret in his heart, put on the airs of a village branch secretary, looking official, which made people's fists itch.

"Hmph~"

Senju Tobirama's attitude was clearly asking him to beg. Uchiha Madara wouldn't fall for that. If you want to use unspoken rules on me, go ask your Hokage-sama!

"Oho~ Then there's nothing to talk about. Remember to be at work on time tomorrow!"

Seeing that Uchiha Madara refused to lower his head and beg him, Senju Tobirama spread his hands and then instructed the other not to be late tomorrow.

"Brother, I have a plan here regarding Tailed Beast Knights. Take a look. If it's feasible, I'll go and recruit suitable candidates."

Ignoring Uchiha Madara, who was so angry his face was red and his neck thick, Senju Tobirama pulled a document from his bosom and handed it to Senju Hashirama, who looked troubled.

"Sigh... I'm not in the mood right now. I'll read it when I get back."

Senju Hashirama had no heart to deal with government affairs right now; coaxing his old lover was the top priority.

"Oh? Let me see~"

Uchiha Gin, on the side, raised an eyebrow as soon as he heard the words "Tailed Beast Knights" and very naturally took the document from Senju Tobirama's hand.

"Ah! Go ahead and look."

Not expecting the confidential document to be intercepted halfway, Senju Tobirama, who was about to flare up, saw that the person who snatched the document was Uchiha Gin, and the vigilance in his eyes slowly dissipated, nodding helplessly.

"Uh... Isn't this just meeting a pillow when you're sleepy!"

Flipping through the document Senju Tobirama handed over, a trace of a smile gradually appeared on Uchiha Gin's face. He then looked up at Uchiha Madara, who was tense, and said:

"Big cousin, your mission has arrived~"

"Huh?"

"It's this. I didn't expect this white-hair to do something good for once~"

"You curly-hair, what kind of inexplicable things are you saying?"

Uchiha Gin's words left everyone confused.

"Aren't you lacking someone to help you patrol the four countries to see if they are complying with the peace agreement, and incidentally investigate intelligence on Tailed Beast Knights in secret?"

"Hmm."

"For this kind of mission, doesn't it need someone who has a strong sense of belonging to Konoha and is also powerful and intimidating to execute it?"

"Hmm, hmm."

"Look at Big cousin, how is he? Isn't he the best candidate~"

"Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm?"

Following Uchiha Gin's words, Senju Tobirama, who had been nodding continuously, froze in place when he heard Uchiha Gin recommend Uchiha Madara to execute the mission. He twisted his stiff neck, and for a moment, he was speechless.

"Let me see!"

Senju Hashirama, seeing this, took the plan from Uchiha Gin's hand and read it carefully. After a while, his face was full of joy, and he handed the plan to Uchiha Madara, who looked confused.

"This is..."

Uchiha Madara, who had taken it in a daze, looked at the plan in his hand, and a smile also slightly curled at the corner of his mouth.

This white-hair really did me a big favor this time.

It turned out that after Senju Tobirama learned the intelligence about Tailed Beast Knights from Uchiha Gin, he didn't sleep well all night. The next day, taking advantage of the absence of others, he secretly contacted his sister and asked her out to inquire about what happened during the mission.

Unexpectedly, in Senju Itama's words, the power of Tailed Beast Knights was further exaggerated—"a thousand strikes in an instant," "crow sitting on a plane"—making him feel heavier and heavier.

Bidding farewell to his shrunken sister, Senju Tobirama went back and immediately started writing, listing Tailed Beast Knights as an S-level threat, and then started writing a plan. The general content was that Konoha would send a powerful secret team to secretly visit and patrol the four major countries to see if they were complying with the peace agreement, and on the other hand, secretly collect intelligence on Tailed Beast Knights.

"Hmph~ Don't bother recruiting any team. For this kind of mission, I alone am enough."

Because Uchiha Madara had other plans, he didn't want to team up with others.

"Tobirama, I think Madara is very suitable, and he is the Hokage's assistant. His loyalty is absolutely reliable!"

At this moment, Senju Tobirama, who had calmed down, frowned slightly. When he was writing the plan, he was already thinking about suitable candidates, but after a circle, he found that there were not many reliable people in Konoha, and most of their strength was not up to standard, so he hurriedly sought Senju Hashirama for discussion.

Now, after Uchiha Gin's reminder, he also realized that he had ignored the Uchiha clan. Before, he hadn't put Uchiha Madara on the candidate list at all.

After all, in Senju Tobirama's view, Uchiha Madara, who was obsessed with the position of Hokage, would definitely not accept a long-term business trip.

"Are you willing to go?"

"Helping Hashirama solve problems is the duty of my Hokage assistant!"

At this moment, Uchiha Madara behaved like a dutiful five-good employee, leaving Senju Tobirama unable to find any fault.

"You have to think clearly. This is a secret mission. As the executor, you will leave quietly and are destined to bear many slanders in the village until you return after completing the mission, and then we can clear your name."

Senju Tobirama, who felt uncomfortable in his heart, clearly explained the pros and cons of the mission to Uchiha Madara.

"You are now the Hokage's assistant. There is no need to gamble your future for a mission."

Although Senju Tobirama had deep prejudices against Uchiha Madara, so far, the Uchiha clan had not only not held Konoha back or caused trouble for the village's development, but had also brought many positive and active effects to Konoha's development.

Perhaps he had been looking at Uchiha Madara through colored glasses before; this guy wasn't as annoying as he had imagined.

"Dead white-hair, who are you looking down on!"

Feeling looked down upon, Uchiha Madara's gaze instantly became sharp. Monstrous pupil power overflowed, and the cold, obscure pressure made Senju Tobirama feel a palpitation.

I didn't misjudge him; he really is a naturally evil Uchiha old man!

"Hmph! Since you are looking for death yourself, then I won't stop you. This mission is handed over to you."

Senju Tobirama was instantly choked. He had kindly persuaded him a few words, but he didn't expect Uchiha Madara to be ungrateful. Then let him go alone; it would be best if he died outside. That way, the position of the Second Hokage would be our Senju clan's again!

Finally, under the witness of several people, Senju Hashirama personally wrote the mission order. Because it was confidential, Senju Tobirama, the initiator of the mission on the side, couldn't help but repeatedly warn:

"The fewer people who know about this mission, the better. Except for the four of us present, it must not be leaked to a fifth person."

"Big cousin, now you can go with peace of mind. Remember to write letters~"

Looking at the mission order handed over by Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Gin smiled and nudged Uchiha Madara beside him.

"No! Accepting this mission is equivalent to turning your back on the light and merging into the darkness. Except for the Hokage, you cannot have any contact with anyone else."

Hearing Uchiha Gin's words, Senju Tobirama warned again, his serious expression not looking like a pretense.

"I naturally know. Before the mission is completed, I will not have any contact with anyone else."

Although he said so, the entanglement in Uchiha Madara's eyes was still keenly captured by Senju Tobirama, the monster with many eyes. He frowned slightly and said slowly:

"I'll give you three more days to consider. If you don't want to do this mission, we allow you to give it up."

"..."

This time, Uchiha Madara didn't retort with hard words, but lowered his head in silence, not knowing what he was considering.

"Let's go, Brother. It seems your Hokage assistant is going to rest for a few days, and you won't be able to slack off at work~"

Leaving three days, it should be enough for Uchiha Madara to consider. Senju Tobirama stood up and said to Senju Hashirama beside him.

"Uh... Alright. Madara, think slowly. I'll go get busy first. If you have any difficulties, just tell me."

After speaking, Senju Tobirama placed his hand on Senju Hashirama, who had a worried look, and accompanied by a blue light, the two brothers disappeared from the spot.

"Big cousin, you held this clan meeting too early~"

After the Senju brothers left, Uchiha Gin smacked his lips, patted Uchiha Madara, who was in silence, with great emotion.

"Yeah..."

Uchiha Madara also regretted it a bit. How could his brain have short-circuited and told the clan members about his leaving? Now, even if he accepted the mission and left reasonably, in the eyes of the clan members who didn't know the truth, he had become a selfish clan leader.

"The boat will naturally straighten when it reaches the bridge. Let's eat first~"

Without continuing to be a hindsight expert, Uchiha Gin stood up first and walked toward the gate of the backyard. Uchiha Madara sighed slightly in his heart and then followed. He was hungry too.

"What are we eating for lunch? Ramen?"

"I don't have much of an appetite. Just eat something casual."

"Then ramen. Wait for me to call Izuna too~"

The two brothers chatted about what to eat for lunch and reached out to push open the heavy gate.

"Creak~"

However, the scene outside the gate made Uchiha Madara, who was already in a low mood, feel his heart drop to the bottom.

I saw that the corridor outside the gate was filled with densely packed Uchiha clan members. Little cousin stood on the side, shaking his head and sighing helplessly. It could be seen that this matter was not initiated by him.

The clan members waiting on the ground saw the gate open and instantly pressed their foreheads to the ground in unison, shouting in a voice that was almost a roar:

"Please, Clan Leader, do not leave!"

The sound was deafening, and the deep emotion contained within it made Uchiha Madara unable to breathe. Looking down at the familiar faces one by one, he was shaken in his heart for a moment.

"Clan Leader! If you want to leave, take us with you!"

I don't know who shouted in the crowd, and it instantly won the echo of everyone.

"Without the Clan Leader, there would be no Uchiha. We want to advance and retreat with the Clan Leader!"

Not expecting that a single word of his could win the support of so many clan members, these clan members would rather give up this hard-won peace than follow him. If Uchiha Madara said he wasn't moved, that would definitely be a lie.

"Quiet!"

Uchiha Madara, who had won the recognition of the clan members, already had a decision in his heart at this moment. He could not fail the expectations of the clan members for him. He wanted to become a Tailed Beast Knight, he wanted to defeat Hashirama fair and square, and he wanted to make everyone in Konoha recognize his name as Hokage with conviction.

"Clan Leader! We..."

"Quiet! Does my word as Clan Leader no longer count?"

Hearing the noisy shouting of the clan members in his ears, Uchiha Madara shouted.

Intimidated by Uchiha Madara's momentum, these clan members obediently closed their mouths.

Uchiha Madara nodded with satisfaction, and a terrifying scarlet color gradually appeared in his eyes. His cold gaze swept over the group of clan members who had expectant looks on their faces.

"Taking you burdens with me will only delay my plan. Don't follow; you will die."

In the Nine-Tails' recipe, braised Indra descendants are a delicacy that ranks above charcoal-grilled Lao Da.

"Slap!"

Uchiha Gin, who had heard the whole thing on the side, slapped his forehead speechlessly, his dead-fish eyes filled with deep helplessness. If you don't know how to speak, just shut up.

"I must give Big cousin a copy of 'The Art of Language' when I get back, so he can learn how to speak like a human!" (End of chapter)