Chapter 335

335. Chapter 330: Hashirama Wins Money, The Fated Duel

"Ah? Who has such guts?"

Uchiha Kagami, who had his dog head ruffled for no reason, raised his head in confusion, his little face filled with innocence.

"Uncle doesn't remember raising you to be such a dishonest little kid. Did you make bad friends and learn bad habits from someone?"

Uchiha Gin, heartbroken, immediately increased his strength, his large hand mercilessly ravaging the little curly hair.

Danzo: You might as well just report my ninja ID!

"No? I don't know anything!"

Uchiha Kagami, wrongly accused, puffed up his little face to refute. This righteous expression made Uchiha Gin start to doubt himself. The stolen goods had clearly been recovered, yet this kid was still so stubborn. Could there really be some hidden story?

"Uncle Gin, what exactly did you lose?"

Seeing Uchiha Gin fall into thought, Uchiha Kagami gathered his courage to break free from the large hand, then asked cautiously.

"Sigh~ my blanket. I lost two at once, causing me not to have a good night's sleep for this period."

Pinned in the boudoir by Little Guang and forced to eat hot dogs for three days, Uchiha Gin was directly devastated, his mind running a lantern for three whole days, almost going to have a heart-to-heart talk with the ancestors.

"Blanket? Is it the one hanging in the yard?"

Uchiha Kagami hammered his little hand upon hearing this, a look of sudden realization on his face.

"Didn't you say you didn't know anything? Hurry up and confess!"

Supporting his slightly sore waist, Uchiha Gin questioned him through gritted teeth.

Good kid, your wings have hardened. You dare to be so righteous while stealing; I really don't know who you learned this bad habit from.

"I'm wronged, Uncle Gin. Those two blankets were given to me by Sister Guang, telling me not to catch a cold while camping."

Seeing this situation, Uchiha Kagami immediately raised his little hands, shouting that he was wronged.

"Eh..."

Learning the truth, Uchiha Gin rubbed his forehead helplessly.

Guarding against everything, it's hard to guard against a thief in the house. How could Little Guang be so careless, not telling him about this in advance? Otherwise, he wouldn't have been unable to sleep at night...

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Uchiha Gin, as if he had been enlightened.

Hold on!

Something's wrong, something is definitely one hundred percent wrong!

It is known that Little Guang knew he couldn't sleep without his familiar blanket, but she still gave the only two blankets to Kagami-zai, who was going on a long trip. Then her behavior...

Was it intentional, or accidental, or...

No, Uchiha Gin didn't even dare to continue thinking.

Swallowing hard, Uchiha Gin suddenly felt a chill down his spine. As expected of a woman with two hearts, she doesn't strike unless she has to, and her schemes are truly terrifying.

No wonder the pillow on his bed that night was in Uchiha Guang's hands. She must have just gone to raid his room, but ended up empty-handed, only to discover the Flying Thunder God mark on the pillow, so she chose to wait for the rabbit.

"Sigh! How can one person fight two people~"

"Uncle Gin? Are you alright?"

Looking at the suddenly decadent Uchiha Gin, Kagami-zai elbowed his generous uncle with some worry.

"It's nothing, Uncle wrongly accused you. Is your New Year's money spent? Take this first, don't save it, otherwise, you won't be able to suppress it~"

Uchiha Gin, feeling guilty, fumbled around his waist pack for a while, took out a storage scroll, and without even looking, tossed it to Uchiha Kagami.

"But it's not New Year's yet?"

Scrambling to catch the storage scroll, Uchiha Kagami's eyes carried an unreadable look.

If it weren't for the New Year's money given by Uncle Gin, they might not have been able to return this time. Once he makes it big in the future, he must treat this good uncle well.

"Our family has the conditions; even if we celebrate New Year every day, it's not too much."

Uchiha Gin shook his head, signaling Kagami-zai to accept it. Anyway, it was a refund for minors confiscated from Kakuzu, which could be considered returning to the original owner.

"Thank you, Uncle! Your nephew wishes you an early Happy New Year, wishing you have such days every year and such mornings every year~"

Seeing Uchiha Gin so insistent, Uchiha Kagami, who was already short of money, didn't act coy anymore. He accepted the huge sum that was rightfully his with a smile and kowtowed heavily to his good uncle.

"So full, so full~"

After a bout of gluttony, the F6 held their round bellies and walked out of Uchiha Da Lang Barbecue Restaurant with Uchiha Gin.

"Gin, next time I'll prepare something good for you. After I drank it, Uchiha Yazi kept saying she couldn't take it~"

Uchiha Uchiha Da Lang, busy at work, greeted them and looked at Uchiha Gin, who was holding his waist, with a very teasing tone.

"That sounds great, I'll come tomorrow!"

Uchiha Gin's eyes lit up upon hearing this. As expected of a good buddy, he understands me well.

"Uchiha Da Lang! What nonsense are you spouting again?"

Before the two foul-smelling middle-aged men could continue their exchange, a fair little hand reached out from behind Uchiha Uchiha Da Lang, grabbed his ear, and Uchiha Uchiha Yazi said through gritted teeth,

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch~"

Uchiha Da Lang Shamon Laodi, have a safe journey!

Bidding farewell to the increasingly loving Uchiha Uchiha Da Lang couple, Uchiha Gin took the little ones for a walk in the village. As the sky grew dark, he sent the little ones home one by one, then strolled toward his own home alone.

Uchiha Gin's house was in a relatively remote part of Konoha. After walking for a while, the people gradually disappeared. On the quiet path, only his figure paced slowly, his shadow behind him stretched infinitely by the bright moonlight.

"Click~"

Suddenly, Uchiha Gin, who was yawning, stopped his steps. A flash of sharpness flickered in his lazy dead fish eyes, then he turned his head, looked at the jungle with shadows not far away, and spoke slowly,

"You're back?"

"Click! Click~"

As his voice fell, a slender figure walked slowly out of the shadows. The cold moonlight shone on the figure's face, revealing Uchiha Madara's stern face.

"Eldest cousin, I missed you to death!"

Looking at the eldest cousin who loved him most, Uchiha Madara smiled, his iceberg-like expression melting like spring snow.

"Pfft, pfft, pfft! You kid, are you hoping I die so you can inherit my billions in assets?"

Uchiha Gin looked at the slightly excited Uchiha Madara and rolled his eyes in frustration. This kid's speech was becoming less and less pleasant to hear.

"Slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue~"

Making a harmless joke, Uchiha Madara walked up to Uchiha Gin carrying a briefcase, his eyes filled with joy at the reunion, but more so with gratitude and a hint of confusion.

"I thought you were going to play for another two years. Why are you back so soon?"

Looking at Uchiha Madara, who was much more composed than before and had lost quite a bit of weight, Uchiha Gin scratched his curly hair and asked in confusion.

"My mission is already complete, there's no need to waste time outside. But this..."

Uchiha Madara shook his head, then held the briefcase in his hand up to Uchiha Gin and asked,

"Eldest cousin, what exactly are you?"

"Since you... pfft!"

Almost falling into his eldest cousin's trap, Uchiha Gin, who pulled back just in time, raised his eyebrows and replied,

"What's the matter? Did you go out for a trip and forget your ancestors? Did you forget who I am?"

"That's not what I meant. Where did you get this thing?"

Not engaging in banter with Uchiha Gin, Uchiha Madara reached out and opened the briefcase, which contained a gray box and two small props with handles.

"You're asking about this! This is an inheritance I inherited from Master Bandai. It should be a trial version of the transformation device made by that senior brother before."

Uchiha Gin, who had already thought of an excuse, began to talk nonsense very smoothly. His impeccable answer made Uchiha Madara very convinced.

"Then what are these two things?"

Uchiha Madara nodded, considering Uchiha Gin's answer as truth, then pointed to the two small props in the box.

Uchiha Madara recognized the gray box; it was the transformation device commonly used by Tailed Beast Knights. But he didn't know what these two small props were for. Even after he successfully transformed, he still hadn't figured out what these two things did.

"These are buckles."

Taking a look at the little gadgets he had cobbled together, Uchiha Gin answered seriously.

"Buckles?"

"You can understand them as upgrade props for the Knight System. These two are blank buckles. You can inject other powers into them, and after transforming, they can be added to the knight, making the power go a step further."

"Snap!"

Uchiha Gin casually picked up the two buckles and jammed them onto the gray driver. With a snap, the two seemingly unrelated things actually fit together perfectly.

"Use it like this, understand now?"

"Naruhodo!"

After Uchiha Gin's personal demonstration, Uchiha Madara finally realized. It turned out that these two ninja tools he hadn't seen before were reinforcement props specially made for him by his eldest cousin.

"Eldest cousin, thank you!"

Uchiha Madara immediately revealed a look of gratitude. This was a cheat that no other knight had. Sure enough, having a tech-savvy big brother is great!

"We're buddies, why are you being so polite with me?"

Not expecting Uchiha Madara to be so polite now, which wasn't a good habit, Uchiha Gin still preferred the previous evil and wild eldest cousin who wore everything on his face and was very easy to understand.

Victory is certain!

Uchiha Madara nodded first, then looked down at the two blank buckles in his hand, burning with fighting spirit. With these reinforcement props, he was more confident that he could defeat Hashirama.

"Since you're back, why don't you hurry and find Hashirama Shamon Laodi to report your work, and by the way, clear your name? Some little guys in the clan are almost turning the sky upside down."

Seeing Uchiha Madara in such a disheveled state, Uchiha Gin didn't need to guess to know that he had just arrived. Logically, his eldest cousin should have gone to find his best friend to reminisce first, rather than coming to thank him, this old helper.

Ever since Uchiha Madara left the village without authorization, Senju Hashirama, the village head, hadn't issued any response, which made the Uchiha clan, unaware of the truth, mistakenly believe that their clan leader had been persecuted by the village's high-level officials and had no choice but to leave the village. As for why he said such cruel words when leaving, it was all to distance himself from the clan to protect them.

This strange misunderstanding, as Uchiha Madara's time away grew longer, showed a trend of becoming increasingly intense. There was even a group of passionate young people secretly planning to overthrow Senju Hashirama's rule and welcome Uchiha Madara's royal return.

"I know, but please allow me to be willful one more time. Once I defeat Hashirama, I will apologize to everyone properly."

Uchiha Madara's face twitched upon hearing this. He also knew this news, from a handwritten letter by Senju Tobirama. He didn't even need to guess to imagine the annoying look of that hateful white-haired guy when writing the letter.

Haha, your Uchiha clan has long been infiltrated by me like a sieve. I know all the gossip, are you angry?

Senju Tobirama's methods were truly terrifying, even the solid Uchiha clan had his secret sentries.

Angered, Uchiha Madara decided that after returning, he would conduct a major purge within the clan, vowing to ferret out the traitors who defected to the Senju and sold their ancestors for glory.

"Alright, alright, remember not to play too hard; it won't be good if you hurt the harmony."

Regarding Uchiha Madara's stubbornness, Uchiha Gin had deep insights. He didn't intend to dissuade him, just reminding him not to risk his life and to stop when it's enough.

"Hehehe, that's for sure~"

In the Warring States period before Konoha was established, Uchiha Madara never really had the heart to kill Senju Hashirama. Even if his father "died tragically" by accident, he had his own grievances, only targeting the white-haired guy.

Not to mention now that they had entered peace and everyone had joined hands to build an ideal village called Konoha, Uchiha Madara was even less likely to fight Senju Hashirama to the death. At most, he would beat him until he couldn't take care of himself, and then offer himself to take care of him for a lifetime~

Uchiha Gin looked at his eldest cousin, who was eager to try, and sighed deeply in his heart.

"This is the last time. Remember to find a job when you come back."

Uchiha Madara, at his age, how could he still be like a child? It was only because he had such a thoughtful eldest cousin helping him that he hadn't been abandoned by everyone long ago.

"Got it, see you later!"

Since he had figured out the function of the props, Uchiha Madara didn't linger. He now wanted to find Hashirama to challenge him, letting the First Hokage taste the iron fist of the Second Hokage.

"Tsk~ I thought he had matured a bit just now, but I didn't expect him to be so rash."

Watching his eldest cousin's departing back, Uchiha Gin shook his head and turned to walk toward his home.

However, what Uchiha Gin didn't know was that shortly after the two brothers parted, a pitch-black figure quietly attached itself to Uchiha Madara's shadow, following him as he slowly disappeared into the dark night.

"Woooo, Tobirama has learned to be bad, actually picking the expensive ones to order."

On the street, Senju Hashirama held his empty purse and wept bitterly. He never expected that Senju Tobirama, who always thought of him, would order the most expensive set meal in one go when eating barbecue, squandering his remaining small treasury.

"Thank you for the treat, big brother. I'm going back to work overtime!"

Senju Tobirama, the culprit, had no interest in being nagged by his big brother after eating his fill. He used Flying Thunder God to return to the office and continued his overtime work.

"Sigh~ you bastard! You bastard!"

Watching Senju Tobirama, who was greasing the soles of his feet, Senju Hashirama couldn't help but beat his chest and stamp his feet, sighing that he had met the wrong person.

"My hands are so itchy, how about..."

Although it was late, it was the golden time for gamblers to appear. Senju Hashirama hadn't shaken the dice for several days. With his hands itching, his eyes rolled, and he suddenly remembered he had a relative in Konoha, and that relative's family was well-off, completely able to help him out.

"Once I win, I'll pay Itama back double!"

After a bout of self-persuasion, Senju Hashirama walked toward Uchiha Gin's house. He decided to lower his face to borrow money from his little sister and secretly made up his mind that once he won, he would pay it back double.

"Eh? This aura..."

But he hadn't walked a few steps when he suddenly discovered a figure walking from the direction of Uchiha Gin's house. The movements were very familiar, so Senju Hashirama subconsciously opened his perception, and the result made him stand frozen in place instantly.

This familiar smell, it's Madara!

"Is this fate?"

Uchiha Madara, who had just finished chatting with Uchiha Gin, also discovered the equally familiar figure. Without the slightest hesitation, he activated his Sharingan, seeing Senju Hashirama's handsome face clearly, and couldn't help but sigh.

The two, having confirmed each other's identities, walked slowly together. Uchiha Madara looked at his best friend he hadn't seen for a long time, his eyes filled with joy, but more so with fighting spirit.

Senju Hashirama was the same, but besides joy, there was a visible longing and demand, which made Uchiha Madara's heart tighten, subconsciously clenching his gluteal cleft.

"Hashirama, what does that look mean? I'm not the man you can get just because you want to."

Uchiha Madara crossed his arms, looking at Senju Hashirama, who was showing longing, with a very firm gaze, but he was secretly happy in his heart.

"Madara! Can you..."

Senju Hashirama licked his dry lips, looking like he wanted to say something but stopped.

"Hmph! If you beg me, I might just agree to you~"

"Please, Madara, lend me 100,000 ryo to win it back!"

"Huh?"

Just as he was sleepy, a pillow came. Senju Hashirama, walking in front, smiled and counted the stack of banknotes he had just borrowed from Uchiha Madara.

Uchiha Madara, following behind him, had a dark face, his expression as foul as could be.

"Madara, you came back at the right time. Once I win, I'll pay you back with interest!"

The double joy of his best friend's return and the harvest of gambling money made Senju Hashirama feel he was back in the game. Pointing at the gambling den operating not far away, he looked like he was about to kill.

"Hehe, if you can win money, I don't even need to be Hokage."

Not expecting the two who had reunited after a long time to come to the gambling den to send money, Uchiha Madara, who was angry but still honestly following, looked at the confident Senju Hashirama and set a flag with disdain.

Sure enough, Senju Hashirama, entering the gambling den, lost 100,000 down to 10,000 at a speed visible to the naked eye. Clutching the remaining few banknotes, he glanced at Uchiha Madara, who was teasing him from behind, gritted his teeth, and bet all the remaining money on three sixes.

"Place your bets!"

The dealer pressed the dice cup onto the gambling table. All the gamblers present bet their money on Big or Small, not even looking at the leopard.

Bet against Hashirama, and you'll definitely have a villa by the sea.

"Three, two, one, open!"

"What the hell!"

As the dice cup was lifted by the dealer, everyone present simultaneously let out a cry of shock, turning into machines of profanity, greeting the dealer's family tree.

Second round, Senju Hashirama didn't hesitate, betting the hundreds of thousands he just won on three sixes again. The gamblers around him instantly turned red-eyed, gritting their teeth and continuing to bet on Big or Small.

"Three, two, one, open!"

【666】

"Madara! I told you I could win it back!"

Walking out of the gambling den, Senju Hashirama, the only winner tonight, held the fruits of his all-in and showed off proudly to the dumbfounded Uchiha Madara.

"Impossible, this isn't real, this is genjutsu!"

Even if Senju Hashirama smashed the banknotes into his face, Uchiha Madara still had an expression of disbelief. You have to know, ever since Senju Hashirama became obsessed with dice, he had lost ten out of ten times, without a single win.

Known in Konoha as the man who never wins at the gambling den, the super big fat sheep.

"Hmph! This is my true strength. Before, I was just letting them win, and they actually took it seriously~"

Senju Hashirama, smug in his success, smiled and counted a large stack of banknotes, handing them to Uchiha Madara.

"Here, this is the money I borrowed from you before. Now we're even~"

"Hmm..."

Uchiha Madara took the somewhat unfamiliar banknotes with a complex expression and nodded lightly.

"By the way, Madara, when did you come back? Why didn't you tell me in advance? Tobirama even thought you defected!"

Putting away the remaining gambling funds into his small treasury, Senju Hashirama finally remembered the important business and asked.

"Came back today, busy on the road, no time to contact you guys."

"Since you're back, that means the mission is complete. You've really worked hard, Madara!"

Thinking Uchiha Madara had brought him good luck, Senju Hashirama held his hand very enthusiastically.

"That's right, the Nine-Tails has been captured."

Although Uchiha Madara's secret mission had many details, in the final analysis, the most important thing was bringing the Nine-Tails back to Konoha.

"Where's the Nine-Tails? Is it outside the village?"

Regarding Uchiha Madara's capture of the Tailed Beast, Senju Hashirama wasn't worried. It was just a wild beast with a slightly larger body and slightly more chakra. Madara could take it down with a glare.

"No, it's right here..."

Shaking his head at Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara reached into his bosom and pulled out a silver-shimmering card.

"Madara, where did you get the Tailed Beast card?"

Sensing the scorching aura radiating from the card, Senju Hashirama's smile froze on his face, and his expression became serious.

Madara actually sealed the Nine-Tails into a Tailed Beast card. If the Nine-Tails broke the seal, it would cause irreparable losses to the village.

"I met that mysterious knight, and this Tailed Beast card was given to me by him."

Without hiding anything from his best friend, Uchiha Madara recounted the ins and outs of how he obtained the Tailed Beast card.

"Hoo... it won't run out, will it?"

Senju Hashirama, who trusted his best friend unconditionally, didn't continue to ask about the origin of the card, but instead worried about whether the Nine-Tails would break free.

In Senju Hashirama's eyes, the Nine-Tails was still quite troublesome. He needed to open the Wood Golem to take it down quickly. That kind of commotion would mess up the village he had painstakingly built through loans, and he would have to borrow money to repair it again.

Tobirama, when will your investment projects become profitable? Big brother can't hold on anymore!

"Hmph~ who are you looking down on? It's just the Nine-Tails, it'll be refined in an instant!"

Putting the card into his bosom, Uchiha Madara curled his lips and grumbled.

"That's good! Tobirama is still working overtime, hurry up and take the Tailed Beast card to him for research. He's been nagging about it for a long time."

After a long sigh of relief, Senju Hashirama stepped forward familiarly, urging him while patting Uchiha Madara's shoulder, but was blocked by him with a wave of his hand.

The fighting spirit in his heart could no longer be suppressed. The Indra chakra carved deep into his soul prompted Uchiha Madara to reveal scarlet eyes, with three mysterious Tomoe slowly rotating within them.

"Not so fast, Hashirama, let's have a long-overdue battle!"

"Huh?"

Seemingly sensing Uchiha Madara's determination, Senju Hashirama, after a brief moment of bewilderment, saw his expression gradually become serious. Thick blue-purple chakra also involuntarily emerged from his body, his eyes instantly sharp.

"Tatakai!" (End of chapter)