Chapter 325: 270. Chapter 270: It Was All Danzo's Doing!

270. Chapter 270: It Was All Danzo's Doing!

"Are they going to start fighting?"

Feeling a sharp, biting aura, the few little ones shrank their necks and looked with some worry at Uchiha Gin, who was at the center of the danger. Although this Uncle Gin liked to swindle children out of their pocket money, he was a good person after all~

"You guys stay here and watch; I'm going to find the Security Force."

Seeing that the situation was about to escalate, Hiruzen Sarutobi gritted his teeth. The other side had two people, and he didn't know if Uchiha Gin could hold his own alone. He steeled himself and instructed his little companions beside him.

"Hiruzen, don't be in such a hurry, Uncle Gin he..."

As the one among the little ones who understood Uchiha Gin the best, there was not a trace of the panic on Uchiha Kagami's face that the others showed. In his impression, this uncle of his had never suffered a loss at the hands of any man.

"Kagami, but..."

"Heh heh~ That old guy Bai Bai Lian, has he already started a conflict with the people of the Hidden Leaf Village so soon? He really isn't steady enough."

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was frowning, not knowing what to do, a few unfamiliar figures appeared behind them. Among them, an old man who was not very tall stroked his gray-white beard and mocked coldly.

The voice appeared very suddenly. The few little ones, who hadn't noticed them at all, felt their hearts tighten instantly. Looking at the strangely composed trio behind them, sweat slowly dampened their backs.

"That guy Hozuki Gengetsu didn't come; is he dead?"

Besides the old man, there was a thin, tall man wrapped in bandages among the three. The little ones could clearly smell the heavy medicinal scent emanating from him.

"Grandpa, are we just going to watch like this?"

The last person was a youth who appeared somewhat timid, but his height was similar to Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others. If not for his mature-looking face, the little ones would have taken him for a peer.

"We aren't the only ones watching."

A flash of cunning crossed the old man's resolute face. He signaled for the others not to act rashly and chose to continue watching from the sidelines.

"Monkey, look at that guy, he looks so ugly~"

Danzo glanced at the youth behind them a few times, poked Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was in the front, and covered his mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

"Danzo, how can you casually judge someone's appearance... Holy crap, so ugly!"

"Ugh~ Yan, let's switch places. I keep feeling like that guy has a weird smell on him."

Covering her little nose in disgust, Koharu Utatane pulled Mitokado Homura beside her and switched places with him, moving away from the silly-looking Onoki.

Uchiha Kagami, however, held a different view from the others.

"Uh, you guys shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Although he's short and ugly, maybe the granddaughter he has in the future will be a fair-skinned, beautiful girl with long legs~"

Onoki, who had heard the little ones' arrangement clearly from behind and whose face was becoming increasingly gloomy, finally couldn't hold back.

"You little brats! Your voices are too loud!"

On the other side of the street, a fierce-looking bald man frowned as he looked in the direction of Uchiha Gin. At that moment, there were already many onlookers there. Having his curiosity piqued, Shamon turned his head and asked the middle-aged man in front of him.

"Lord Retto, it seems like some kind of conflict is happening over there."

"Don't be a busybody, Shamon."

The calm-faced middle-aged man seemed to turn a blind eye to the commotion not far away. With eyes like a hawk, he looked at the Hokage Rock carvings above the Hidden Leaf Village and shook his head thoughtfully.

"Yes."

Having missed out on the gossip, Shamon, feeling a bit regretful, had no choice but to let it go.

"What a wealthy country. Compared to here, the Land of Wind is practically hell."

Withdrawing his gaze from the Hokage Rock, Retto turned to look at the bustling crowd around him, a hint of envy flashing in his eyes.

"You go and gather intelligence on the First Hokage; I'll walk around."

"Uh, okay."

Seeing Retto leave him, and in the direction where the conflict was happening, the dull-witted Shamon couldn't quite wrap his head around it.

Fine, fine, you're going to watch the show without me, right?

"Phew~ Since that's the case, I might as well buy some snacks!"

Pouting, Shamon suddenly remembered his disciple waiting at the reception area. A touch of softness appeared in his eyes, and he walked toward another direction of the commercial street.

"Lord A, it's Bai Bai Lian and that disciple of his."

Among the crowd watching the spectacle, a much taller black-skinned man looked up for a long time, then said to the curly-haired black-skinned man beside him.

"This Bai Bai Lian is getting more impulsive as he gets older. I wonder if his disciple can talk him down."

The curly-haired black-skinned man shook his head helplessly.

"Uh, no, the one causing the conflict is his disciple. Bai Bai Lian is over there trying to mediate~"

Uchiha Gin, who was in a standoff with the two from the Land of Water, scratched his face in surprise. He had just been making a joke; he didn't expect the other party to actually have that name.

"Alright, Zura, I got it. Do you still want to drink some milk?"

Looking at the young man who showed signs of going berserk, Uchiha Gin reached out and handed over the strawberry milk.

"I hate strawberry milk the most! And it's not Zura, it's Katsura!"

The young man named Katsura felt the anger in his heart about to erupt. This punchable, dead-eyed curly-haired guy in front of him was challenging his bottom line again and again—not only by teasing his name but also by pulling out his most hated strawberry milk.

You have already invited death upon yourself!

"Uh, then what do you like to eat? My treat. How about soba noodles?"

"!!!"

Hearing the words "soba noodles," the young man was clearly shaken, and the cold aura on his body faded slightly. He looked up, his squinty eyes staring fixedly at Uchiha Gin, as if he were undergoing some internal struggle.

"Your insults toward me cannot be offset by a bowl of soba noodles!"

"Two bowls."

"Lord Bai Bai Lian's status is so noble; how can you insult him so wantonly?"

"Uh, all the soba noodles you can eat. Go ahead and feast."

"Hmph~ Since you are so sincere, then I will..."

After a brief exchange with Uchiha Gin, the young man's expression softened significantly. After glancing at the growing crowd of onlookers, he knew he couldn't continue to fight no matter what. If they really started fighting, it would only make them a laughingstock for the other nations.

Besides, this punchable curly-haired guy had a pretty good attitude about admitting his mistake. He definitely wasn't agreeing to a truce just for a soba noodle set!

"Security Force has arrived! Everyone, hands on your heads!"

Just as Uchiha Gin and the young man were about to reach a reconciliation, a group of figures rushed in. Leading them was a grim-faced hedgehog-head; his shrill howling could be heard from far away.

The young man, interrupted by this voice, immediately frowned, a flash of displeasure crossing his face.

"I told you to stay calm earlier. Now it's getting more and more troublesome."

Bai Bai Lian, beside the young man, looked helpless. There hadn't been anything wrong, but now that it had caused such a scene, everyone knew about it. How was he supposed to hold meetings tomorrow?

"Behave yourselves!"

Uchiha Setsuna, who had just taken over as a Security Force squad leader, rushed over with his subordinates after receiving a report from the public.

Mere foreigners daring to cause trouble in the Hidden Leaf Village? Did they know whose territory this was?

"I am Bai Bai Lian from the Land of Water..."

Bai Bai Lian looked at the scarlet Sharingan in Uchiha Setsuna's eyes, a flash of jealousy crossing his own eight-character eyes.

Uchiha Setsuna had no respect for the disabled when it came to this funny-looking old man, Bai Bai Lian.

"I don't care if you're White Lotus or Black Lotus, put your hands on your head and squat... Uh, uh, uh... Why is it you?"

Just as he was preparing to show off his authority, he suddenly saw the smiling curly-haired man on the side. A chill from the depths of his soul instantly spread throughout his body, and his arrogance vanished.

"Isn't this little Na-na? It's been a while. You actually managed to become a squad leader?"

"Phew... I'm just doing my job. Someone reported that there was a street fight here."

Uchiha Setsuna, whose attitude had changed drastically, looked cautiously at the smiling Uchiha Gin. Even though he was an adult now, every time he saw this man, his backside would ache faintly. The miserable experiences of his childhood were like a needle, firmly stuck deep in his heart.

"This man is not simple."

Bai Bai Lian, who had been snapped at by Uchiha Setsuna, looked in surprise at the grim-faced man whose attitude had become extremely humble. Clearly, they looked to be about the same age~

Could this curly-haired guy be a high-ranking official of the Hidden Leaf Village?

As if to verify his guess, Bai Bai Lian kept looking up and down at the lazy-looking Uchiha Gin, but after a long while, he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"He doesn't have any outstanding qualities either."

In Bai Bai Lian's perception, Uchiha Gin's aura was at most around the elite level. Aside from being a bit handsome, everything else about him seemed plain and unremarkable.

If someone with this level of strength could be a high-ranking official in the Hidden Leaf Village, then that Hashirama Senju was probably just a third-rate character.

"Lord Gin, did these two guys bother you? I'll arrest them right now!"

Uchiha Setsuna, not wanting to stay by Uchiha Gin's side for another second, immediately jumped out and pointed at the noses of Bai Bai Lian and the other man.

"Stay calm, little Na-na~ This is my friend."

Uchiha Gin did not abuse his power; instead, he looked at the tense young man and said to Uchiha Setsuna with a smile.

"A friend? But they shouldn't be from our village, right?"

Looking at the clothing of Bai Bai Lian and the other man, Uchiha Setsuna's face was full of disbelief.

"Hey~ My connections are all over the world. It's normal to have one or two foreigners~"

"Then tell me, what is his name?"

Hearing Uchiha Gin start his daily bragging again, Uchiha Setsuna rolled his eyes helplessly, then pointed at the young man, whose face didn't look too good, and asked.

"It's Zura!"

#

"It's not Zura, it's Katsura!"

"Don't think that just because you helped us, I will forgive your rude behavior~"

Watching the back of the Security Force as they walked away, the young man, whose expression had improved slightly, turned and said to Uchiha Gin.

"The soba noodles still stand."

Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow and said.

"Let's do soba next time."

The young man, who already had his excitement written all over his face, saw the predatory gaze of Bai Bai Lian beside him, shook his head with great regret, and then asked Uchiha Gin,

"I am Katsura."

"My name is Uchiha Gin. I have some connections in the Hidden Leaf Village. If anyone gives you trouble, you can mention my name~"

Seeing that the other party had introduced themselves, Uchiha Gin did not act coy and gave his own introduction.

Uchiha Gin, huh.

The two searched their memories and found no information on the name Uchiha Gin; it seemed he was just a slightly well-known member of the Uchiha clan.

"Let's go, Katsura."

Thinking of the meeting tomorrow, Bai Bai Lian urged his disciple to leave quickly.

"See you if fate allows~"

Katsura, feeling a bit sorry about not getting a free meal of soba, bid farewell to Uchiha Gin. In his view, after he and Lord Bai Bai Lian finished this meeting, they might never step foot in the Hidden Leaf Village again in their lives.

"Alright, Wig~"

Seeing through the young man's thoughts, Uchiha Gin smiled and nodded.

"Not a wig! It's Katsura!"

"Let's go, it's a real pity we didn't end up fighting~"

Shi Zai, who had witnessed the whole event, shook his head with some regret.

"You little brats, don't let me run into you on the battlefield, or I'll show you what's what!"

Clenching his fists, Ohnoki cast a hateful glare at the few little ones who had mocked him before leaving.

"Hmph~ Who can't talk big?"

Shimura Danzo stepped out, gave a disdainful cold snort, and retorted.

"I've remembered you, Big Butt!"

After staring at Danzo's face for a long time, Ohnoki fixed his gaze on the pair of shockingly sized buttocks behind him.

"Heh, I, Sarutobi Hiruzen, have never feared anyone in my life!"

"Fine, Sarutobi Hiruzen, is it? You have already invited your own death!"

Firmly engraving the name Sarutobi Hiruzen in his heart, Ohnoki said no more and left with his teacher.

"Danzo, damn you!"

As the incident ended, the crowd of onlookers slowly dispersed. Lie Dou and two other burly men mixed in the crowd shared the same thoughts as Shi Zai earlier, expressing regret at not seeing a conflict break out.

"I was hoping that old guy Bai Bai Lian could probe the Hidden Leaf's bottom line, but I didn't expect it to fizzle out like this."

Lie Dou shook his head and left in disappointment.

"Lord A, shall we continue strolling?"

"Stroll, why not? I heard there's a very famous barbecue place in the Hidden Leaf, let's go try it!"

And so, the ravenous burly men rushed to check in at a popular internet-famous barbecue restaurant.

After the commotion, Uchiha Gin found the little ones. Looking at the somewhat worried-looking Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo, who had dark circles under his eyes, he asked in surprise,

"Who did little Tuan-Tuan fight with?"

He didn't even end up fighting the duo from the Land of Water~

"I did it."

Shaking his aching fist, Sarutobi Hiruzen put on an angry expression, looking at Danzo as if he wanted to swallow him whole.

"Well fought! Remember to keep it up~"

Uchiha Gin clapped in approval, suggesting that Sarutobi Hiruzen could keep this custom going.

If Danzo got beaten, he definitely deserved it.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Shimura Danzo merely glared at Uchiha Gin and did not retort.

"Let's go, time to eat barbecue~"

"Yay!"

Uchiha Uchiha Da Lang's Barbecue Restaurant

"Clatter~"

"Welcome~ Uh... it's Gin. Long time no see~"

Bringing the little ones to open the door of Uchiha Da Lang's barbecue restaurant, the mature woman calculating accounts at the counter looked up with a smile. Upon seeing that the visitor was Uchiha Gin, her formulaic smile turned into a familiar one.

"Uchiha Yazi, are there still seats?"

Patting the dog head of Sarutobi Hiruzen beside him, Uchiha Gin smiled and greeted her.

"If you're here, there's definitely space!"

It's great when an acquaintance runs the shop~

"Whatever you want to eat, just order it. Today, your Master is treating~"

Sitting in the private room, Uchiha Gin smiled and pushed the menu to the little ones.

"Monkey, order this! This one is expensive!"

Shimura Danzo, who only wanted to ruthlessly fleece him, pointed at the most expensive ingredient on the menu without even looking at the name, shouting for Sarutobi Hiruzen to order it.

"Let me see, what is 'Bull Treasure'?"

Reaching the limits of his knowledge, Sarutobi Hiruzen scratched his head in confusion.

"Don't worry about it, just order the expensive ones, you can't go wrong!"

Little Danzo's eyes were full of glee. In his view, since this item was so expensive, it must be some rare ingredient, and he was determined to eat his fill!

"Alright, if it doesn't taste good, you're finishing it all by yourself~"

"Hmph~ Just don't fight me for it!"

After a secret conspiracy among the little ones, the ordered menu was pushed over. Uchiha Gin, sipping tea, didn't even glance at it before handing it to Uchiha Uchiha Yazi.

"Uh, Gin, are you sure about ordering this much?"

Uchiha Uchiha Yazi, having received the menu, looked up after seeing the ordered items with a colorful expression, asking in a teasing tone.

"Much? It's fine, these little brats have good appetites, I was even worried it wouldn't be enough~"

Uchiha Gin, whose mind was elsewhere, did not suspect anything and answered with a smile.

"Alright..."

Since Uchiha Gin had said so, Uchiha Uchiha Yazi stopped asking and walked toward the kitchen with the menu.

"Uchiha Da Lang, this is the order from Gin and the others."

Handing the menu to her husband, Uchiha Uchiha Yazi's expression remained just as colorful.

"What's with that look? Let me see..."

Uchiha Uchiha Da Lang, who was preparing ingredients, received the menu Uchiha Gin had ordered with great confusion after seeing his wife's strange expression. The next moment, his expression became just as colorful as Uchiha Uchiha Yazi's.

"Tsk tsk tsk, is Gin already this weak? He actually ordered a whole page of 'guns and ammo'."

"Sigh, who's to say? But you can't blame him, with so many little girls around him~"

"Uchiha Yazi, go get the deer-penis wine treasured in our cellar!"

In the private room, as plates of uniquely shaped ingredients were served, Uchiha Gin's face grew darker and darker, and his gaze toward the little ones became complicated.

"You ordered for so long, and this is all you ordered?"

Sensing that Uchiha Gin's tone was a bit strange, the little ones nodded hurriedly.

"Is it too much? Master~"

Thinking Uchiha Gin was blaming them for ordering too much, Sarutobi Hiruzen said timidly.

"That's not it, I just want to ask, who ordered the food?"

"It was Danzo's doing!"

The little ones hurriedly pointed out the culprit. Betrayed by his dearest friends, Shimura Danzo was so angry his eyes turned red.

"Monkey, you'll regret this!"

"You little brat, if you dare leave me even one 'gun or bullet', I'll make your front side grow big too!"

Recalling Uchiha Uchiha Yazi's teasing gaze from earlier, Uchiha Gin stared coldly at the culprit who had damaged his reputation.

"Hmph, eat it then!"

Not knowing he had committed a grave disaster, Shimura Danzo immediately used his chopsticks to pick up a uniquely shaped ingredient from the grill and stuffed it into his mouth in one bite.

"Oishii~"

"Really? Let me try too~"

The other little ones, seeing Shimura Danzo eating with such relish, couldn't help but feel tempted. Unable to resist the hunger in their bellies, they all reached their chopsticks toward the grill.

"Oishii! Oishii!"

Watching the innocent little ones eating the 'Big D', Uchiha Gin suddenly felt regretful that he hadn't brought a camera; otherwise, just with this footage, he could live off it in the Hidden Leaf for a lifetime.

"Eat slowly, we'll order more if it's not enough~"

Uchiha Gin, whose anger had mostly dissipated, poured himself a glass of the wine Uchiha Uchiha Yazi had just brought. He took a small sip, found it quite potent, and then began to drink deeply.

"Boss! Give us all your signature dishes!"

Just as Uchiha Gin was drinking alone, a rough voice suddenly came from outside the private room. Judging by the accent, the owner of the voice was not from the Land of Fire.

"Sorry guests, there are no seats left~"

Uchiha Uchiha Yazi's voice rang out. It was currently mealtime, and Uchiha Da Lang's shop was already packed; not to mention private rooms, there wasn't even a seat in the main hall, and many people were even sharing tables.

"Lord A, should we try another place?"

The two men in black robes smelled the alluring aroma of meat in the air and could not help but feel their appetites whetted, but seeing the shop packed with people, they could not help but feel a bit disappointed; even so, they did not choose to use any forceful means.

"What a pity, it can only be this way~"

The curly-haired man in black robes, addressed as Lord Ai, swallowed his saliva and nodded with some regret; his schedule was so tight that he reckoned he was fated to miss out on this barbecue.

"Yako, our table is still empty, let these two guests share the table with us~"

Just then, Uchiha Gin pulled open the private room door and beamed a smile at the two somewhat familiar men in black robes.

"It's him!"

The men in black robes, who had also witnessed the commotion involving Bai Bai Lian and the other, could not help but be surprised the moment they saw Uchiha Gin, sighing at how small the world was.

"Since that is the case, we shall respectfully accept your offer~"

Caution is never a mistake; the First Raikage, feeling somewhat guarded in his heart, imperceptibly exchanged a glance with the man in black robes behind him, then put on a simple, honest smile and walked over.

"At a glance, I can tell you aren't locals; do you need me to give you some recommendations?"

The two men in black robes sat into the private room and saw the few little ones inside struggling with strange ingredients; the vigilance in their hearts slowly dissipated, and upon hearing Uchiha Gin's kind inquiry, both of them simultaneously revealed simple, honest smiles and spoke up.

"No need for the trouble, just bring us two more portions of whatever you ordered~" (End of chapter)