Chapter 336: 281. Chapter 279: The Land of Waves is the True Home of the Uchiha

281. Chapter 279: The Land of Waves is the True Home of the Uchiha

At the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Waterfalls

"Heave! Ho! Brothers, put your backs into it, we're almost there."

Hundreds of burly ninja were dragging steel ropes, laboriously transporting three mountain-like giant beasts, while the leader, Ishi, was conversing with a middle-aged man with a sinister expression.

"Many thanks, Lord Ishi. If not for your help, our Land of Waterfalls' divine beast would likely have fallen into the hands of others."

The middle-aged man was none other than the long-unseen leader of the Waterfall Village. At this moment, his face was full of gratitude, and as he looked at the Seven-Tails slumbering behind him, he looked ready to kowtow to Ishi.

"Hmph, hmph~ You must know, I paid a great price to get this Tailed Beast back from Hashirama Senju."

Gently stroking his gray-white beard, Ishi wore a look of slight distress, and the Waterfall Village leader, who was excellent at reading the room, immediately patted his chest and said,

"Lord Ishi, you have put much effort into this matter. We of the Waterfall Village will hand over the money for the divine beast with both hands, and we will also provide a hardship fee for our allies from the Hidden Stone Village who have traveled so far."

"You are thoughtful."

Ishi's eyes lit up, his previously indifferent attitude softening. He then looked up at the three towering Tailed Beasts and said with a sigh,

"Heaven truly favors the Land of Fire to have produced such a genius as Hashirama Senju. The Kekkei Genkai he awakened happens to be able to restrain Tailed Beasts; it is truly enviable."

"Hashirama Senju!"

At the mention of Hashirama Senju, the Waterfall Village leader, who had just been fawning, immediately revealed a murderous look, his entire body radiating a predatory aura.

If it weren't for Hashirama Senju breaking into the forbidden grounds of the Waterfall Village and snatching their divine beast, they wouldn't have had to spend so much money. Every time he thought of this, he felt a stifling anger in his heart, wishing he could grind that robber to dust.

"Do you have a grudge against Hashirama Senju?"

Keenly sensing the killing intent of the person before him, Ishi frowned in confusion.

"To tell you the truth, this divine beast has resided in our Waterfall Village for years; it was only recently snatched away by that fellow Hashirama Senju."

Things had reached this point, so there was nothing left to hide. The Waterfall Village leader immediately recounted the whole story of how Hashirama Senju had forcibly seized the Seven-Tails to Ishi.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, what a robber's behavior! I thought that Hashirama Senju acted with integrity, but I never expected him to be two-faced. I really misjudged him~"

With a sighing expression, Ishi looked with pity at the indignant middle-aged man. The Hidden Stone Village bought Tailed Beasts because they didn't have any before, but you—you're going to redeem yours~

"Sigh~ But Hashirama Senju is stationed in Konoha, and we have been unable to exact this revenge."

Anger is anger, but the Waterfall Village leader was no fool. At this time, Konoha was terrifyingly powerful, and their Waterfall Village could only swallow their broken teeth along with the blood.

Hearing this, Ishi's eyes rolled, and he said casually, seemingly unintentional but actually deliberate,

"Who says Hashirama Senju is always in the village? He promised to help the Land of Wind manage a desert; he should be setting off soon~"

"Really?"

The Waterfall Village leader was overjoyed and immediately asked.

"Could this be fake?"

"Thank you, Lord Ishi!"

"What are you thanking me for? Aren't we allies~"

The anxious Waterfall Village leader bid farewell to Ishi and quickly hurried back to his own camp.

The burly man who was directing the Waterfall ninja to transport the Seven-Tails saw the hurried leader and quickly saluted.

"Lord Leader!"

"Xiong Da, come to my tent; I have something to discuss."

With a slightly darkened expression, the Waterfall Village leader felt this matter should not be publicized and summoned his confidant, Xiong Da, into the tent.

"Lord Leader, what do you need me to do?"

Xiong Da had followed the leader for many years and naturally understood his temperament thoroughly. Being called alone meant there was definitely a very important task, so he carefully raised his head and asked.

"Go and kill Hashirama Senju."

???

At the mention of Hashirama Senju, Xiong Da only had that sky-covering punch in his mind, and his bones began to ache involuntarily. He immediately knelt down, grabbed the leader's leg, and cried with snot and tears,

"Lord Leader!"

"I have performed meritorious service for the Waterfall Village, I have shed blood for the Waterfall Village~"

"I have an eighty-year-old mother above and seventy-year-old children below! And a big yellow dog waiting to be fed~"

"."

"Enough, enough. With your strength, you'd just be throwing your life away."

Watching Xiong Da's clumsy performance with a dark face, the Waterfall Village leader rubbed his temples with a headache.

"Thank you, Lord Leader!"

Hearing that he didn't have to assassinate Hashirama Senju, Xiong Da scrambled up, his face devoid of the previous sorrow.

"No, I just feel too stifled."

The Waterfall Village was, after all, the officially recognized ninja village of the Land of Waterfalls. Although they didn't qualify to be among the Great Nations, they were considered the best among the rest. The Waterfall Village leader, feeling very unconvinced, asked the surviving Xiong Da with his eyes.

"Me too!"

"Trash!"

Why were there no brave and skilled warriors under his command? They were either sycophantic trash or natural-born rebellious misers.

A miser?

"Xiong Da, how is Kakuzu doing lately?"

"Reporting to the leader, he is still locked in the prison."

Previously, when the Seven-Tails was snatched, Kakuzu was the only person in the Waterfall Village who had been to the Land of Fire. The Waterfall Village leader, without rhyme or reason, insisted that he had dealings with Hashirama Senju from the Land of Fire, and that he must have betrayed the village for money.

In a fit of rage, the Waterfall Village leader ordered him to be thrown into prison.

Later, they searched Kakuzu's residence and found a large amount of money. That terrifying sum was far beyond what an elite captain-level ninja could possess, which further confirmed Kakuzu's suspicion.

But based on the current situation, Hashirama Senju coming to the Land of Waterfalls to capture the Seven-Tails really had nothing to do with Kakuzu. He had indeed wronged the man.

However...

"Go back and release Kakuzu. Tell him to carry out the mission of assassinating Hashirama Senju. Tell him that regardless of success or failure, I will return his confiscated property."

After pondering for a moment, the Waterfall Village leader slowly raised his head.

"But... wasn't Kakuzu's property used to buy the divine beast?"

"Hmph~ If he can succeed, I'll even let him sit in my position. If he fails, do you think he can come back alive?"

The Waterfall Village leader shook his head dismissively. No matter the outcome, the Waterfall Village would not lose.

Konoha

"Big Brother, are you planning to go alone?"

In the Hokage's office, Tobirama Senju, who was organizing the planning schedule, looked at the high-spirited Hashirama Senju and frowned slightly.

Times were different now; Hashirama Senju was the shadow of a village. There was no reason for a Kage to go on a mission alone, especially since this was a critical node in Konoha's construction, and many things required the Hokage's personal approval.

"Then let me accompany Hashirama!"

On the other side, Madara Uchiha, who was skillfully correcting documents, looked up with an eager expression. He had long been tired of the work at hand and just wanted to go out and have some fun.

"No!"

You two go out to enjoy the scenery while throwing all the work to me?

Don't even think about it!

"It's not a combat mission, just planting some trees. I'll be back in a few days."

Sitting on the Hokage's throne, Hashirama Senju stretched and replied with an indifferent face. In his view, this was just a small task; how could there be any threat~

"Bang! Bang! Bang!!!"

Just as the three were chatting, the office door was pounded loudly. Tobirama Senju frowned upon hearing it. Who was the bold person who dared to knock so rudely?

"Open the door! I know you're inside! Give me back my hard-earned money!!!"

However, when a voice that couldn't be more familiar came from outside the door, Tobirama Senju's displeased expression stiffened, and the hand holding the pen tightened.

"Big Cousin, what wind blew you here~"

It was Madara Uchiha who opened the door the moment he heard the voice. Looking at the gloomy-faced Uchiha Gin in front of him, he asked in confusion.

"Hmph!"

Uchiha Gin ignored him. After striding into the office, he locked his gaze on the stiff-faced Tobirama Senju, his fists clenching and creaking.

"You white-haired guy, I thought you had absconded with the money!"

Uchiha Gin was so angry. He had worked hard to promote the Tailed Beasts and even contributed the driver he had made himself. And what was the result?

So much time had passed, and Uchiha Gin hadn't seen a single cent. He had originally thought it was because Konoha was busy with the accounts, so it was delayed.

However, several planning projects that had been stalled due to lack of funds had already started construction, yet his commission hadn't moved at all.

Today, Uchiha Gin must demand justice for himself!

"Big Brother Gin, have a cup of tea. If there's something to say, sit down and talk it out."

Seeing that the situation was not right, Hashirama Senju hurriedly came out to smooth things over. He stood up to pour a cup of tea for Uchiha Gin, then turned his gaze to his younger brother and asked with a frown,

"Tobirama, what have you done without authorization again?"

"Big Brother, I just..."

"Heh, this white-haired guy embezzled my commission from selling the Tailed Beasts."

He actually wanted to quibble. Uchiha Gin was so angry he almost pulled out his Endless Blade to loosen this white-haired guy's bones.

"Tobirama, this is your fault. That commission is Big Brother Gin's hard-earned income; how could you withhold it?"

Feeling that his younger brother was in the wrong, Hashirama Senju immediately began to reprimand Tobirama Senju.

"You guy, you actually dared to withhold Big Brother's commission. Do you know what Big Brother had to pay to close that deal! That night..."

Madara Uchiha, who was on the side, felt his anger flare up after hearing the ins and outs of the matter. He pointed at Tobirama Senju's nose and began to lash out.

Uchiha Madara still remembers to this day the miserable state Uchiha Gin was in when he returned from the Land of Lightning's encampment on the night he finished selling the Tailed Beasts; for the Hidden Cloud Village to pay the bill so generously, his eldest cousin must have put in a great deal of unknown effort.

"Stop! Eldest cousin, say no more, I only want to collect my payment now."

Hearing Uchiha Madara bring up that night, Uchiha Gin immediately shuddered, promptly scolded his eldest cousin, and turned his gaze toward the silent Tobirama Senju.

"The amount of your payment is too large and requires many procedures; don't be impatient, it will definitely be paid~"

After a long while, Tobirama Senju finally spoke slowly, but anyone could tell these were stalling tactics.

"Don't give me that runaround; if you don't cough up the money today, I'll show you why flowers are so red!"

Uchiha Gin, not believing a word of Tobirama Senju's rhetoric, rolled up his sleeves, ready to teach this white-haired man a lesson.

"Tobirama, just give the money to Big Brother Gin~"

"There's no money left."

"That's right, you take... what? What did you say?"

Hashirama Senju, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, was suddenly stunned, then widened his eyes, looked at his good brother, swallowed with difficulty, and said,

"Are you joking?"

"There really is no money left."

"You white-haired guy, if you're going to lie, at least find a plausible excuse; that's over three hundred billion, and you're telling me it's just gone?"

Uchiha Gin was the first to disbelieve; even if you used three hundred billion to burn as firewood, it would last for several years. It's only been a few days, and you're telling me there's no money?

"It's temporarily gone; once the money arrives in a while, I will pay you immediately."

Tobirama Senju turned his head away unnaturally; he did indeed handle this matter, but he did not intend to embezzle Uchiha Gin's payment.

"What exactly did you do with the money?"

Seeing that the white-haired man didn't seem to be faking it, Uchiha Gin became instantly alert and asked with a frown; had this guy encountered a phone scam?

"Exactly, exactly, Tobirama, there are no outsiders here, so feel free to speak boldly!"

Hashirama Senju also sensed something fishy and immediately urged him.

"I took that money and invested it."

"Snap!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Uchiha Gin crushed the teacup in his hand.

It's over, it's all over!

"What investment? Why don't I know about it?"

Hashirama Senju beside him was also extremely astonished; he had no idea about any investment.

"I originally intended to tell you about this after receiving the returns, but who would have thought this guy would come knocking for debt so quickly."

What a classic case of shifting the blame; are you blaming me for asking for my hard-earned wages?

"Tobirama, you are foolish!"

For such a big matter, his own brother could still sit as steady as Mount Tai; he didn't know whether to praise him or beat him.

"Hoo~ You should first explain the investment."

As long as it wasn't embezzling his own payment, Uchiha Gin could accept it, so he shook the tea off his hands and asked Tobirama Senju,

"It's the Land of Waves; they are forming a shipping company recently and asked me if I wanted to buy shares..."

Because of Uchiha Gin's top sales performance earlier, Tobirama Senju had been holding a grudge in his heart; with his unyielding personality, how could he easily bow his head and admit defeat to that detestable curly-haired man?

He wanted to make big money; he wanted to let his big brother see who the man best at making money in Konoha really was!

It just so happened that Tobirama Senju encountered a big shot from the Land of Waves, and the other party "inadvertently" revealed some insider information about making a fortune.

After reviewing the other party's detailed plan, he made a prompt decision and misappropriated the public funds from the Tailed Beast sales, investing it all into the shipping company the Land of Waves was about to establish.

The other party promised him that he would receive the first dividend soon, and this amount would be just enough to pay Uchiha Gin's fee.

"You said the Land of Waves?"

"That's right!"

With the dividend day approaching, Tobirama Senju, feeling secure, straightened his back.

Although that big shot from the Land of Waves left under a pretext, he had left a Flying Thunder God mark on him; if the other party dared to cheat him, they would definitely have no good fruit to eat.

"Uh..."

"Nonsense, I think you're just making excuses; hurry up and hand over the eldest cousin's payment!"

Uchiha Madara didn't believe Tobirama Senju's story at all; after all, the Tailed Beast payment included a portion of his own shipping fee, which was meant to balance the books for the eldest cousin.

If Uchiha Gin didn't get his payment, Uchiha Madara would have to pay out of his own pocket to slowly make up for the previous Tailed Beast intelligence fees and the construction costs of this Hokage building.

"Fine, then I'll give you a few more days; I hope what you said is true."

However, to everyone's surprise, Uchiha Gin actually relented; he looked at the confident Tobirama Senju with a very complex expression and did not pursue the matter further.

"You guys go ahead and get busy; I remembered I have soup simmering at home."

After standing up, Uchiha Gin casually found an excuse to bid everyone farewell; his movements were so fast that the three people present couldn't help but look at each other.

"Tobirama, then I'm leaving?"

Seeing that Tobirama Senju was somewhat distracted, Hashirama Senju took the opportunity to ask.

"Go ahead, be careful yourself."

Anyway, Hashirama Senju had the Flying Thunder God mark he left behind on him; if anything really happened, Tobirama Senju could arrive in an instant.

"Then I will also..."

"Don't even think about it! Stay and work with me!"

After leaving the Hokage building, Uchiha Gin ducked into an empty corner, and with a flash of golden light, he vanished from the spot instantly.

Land of Waves

In recent years, under the governance of the new Daimyo, the Land of Waves has radiated with vibrant vitality; the people live in peace and work in contentment, and the economy has developed vigorously.

They have even expanded their already famous construction industry to every corner of the ninja world; basically, every country has construction companies established by the Land of Waves.

Regarding the suddenly parachuted Daimyo, the civilians of the Land of Waves all praised him; while bringing them a prosperous life, the Ghost Troop belonging to the Daimyo's mansion slaughtered the pirates and bandits who had long harassed the coastal residents, returning peace to the residents of the Land of Waves.

Located in the very center of the newly built capital of the Land of Waves, the incomparably luxurious Daimyo's mansion was not filled with the singing and dancing one might imagine, but was instead a scene of solemnity and quiet.

With a flash of dazzling golden light, Uchiha Gin, who was just in Konoha, had now arrived in the Land of Waves, which faces the Land of Fire across the sea.

A patrol squad noticed the anomaly and rushed over with their red eyes glowing, but upon seeing who it was, the guards who had just been showing murderous intent immediately put on respectful expressions.

"Greetings, Lord Gin!"

"Is Uncle here?"

The guards of the Daimyo's mansion were all Uchiha clansmen who had faked their deaths to escape; for Uchiha Gin, returning to the Land of Waves was just like returning to his own home~

"Lord Daimyo is currently meeting with someone."

The Uchiha clan guards dared not hide anything and reported truthfully; the reverence in their eyes did not seem fake.

"Is it one of our own?"

"Yes."

Since he was meeting with clansmen, there was nothing to hide; Uchiha Gin immediately strode toward the place where his uncle was working.

Before leaving, Uchiha Gin seemed to remember something, looked at the patrol squad, and asked,

"Do you miss home?"

"Isn't this home?"

"Fair enough~"

Uchiha Gin's heart suddenly relaxed; he didn't ask any more questions and turned to leave.

Yes, for these clansmen, the Land of Waves was the true home of the Uchiha clan, a home where they could make their own decisions and didn't need to look at others' faces.

In the Daimyo's reception room, Uchiha Tajima, whom he hadn't seen for years, didn't look as old as imagined; instead, he had become much rounder.

If it weren't for someone very close, it would be hard to recognize that this kind-looking fat old man was the former Uchiha clan leader who once dominated the era.

"Lord Daimyo, that's how this money came about."

Sitting in front of Uchiha Tajima was a gorgeously dressed Uchiha clansman, holding a scroll in both hands and speaking respectfully to him.

"When there are no outsiders, just call me Clan Leader."

This clansman was one of the first batch of Uchiha brought by Uchiha Tajima; because of his outstanding professional ability, he was granted an official position and had recently been traveling in the Land of Fire as a representative of the Land of Waves.

"You mean, you swindled this money from that brat Tobirama Senju?"

Uchiha Tajima didn't quite believe it; Butsuma Senju's second son had been smart since he was a child, so how could he do such a stupid thing?

Little did he know, it was all because the reputation of the Land of Waves had improved in recent years, and many countries had made a lot of money by cooperating with the Land of Waves to set up construction companies, which was why Tobirama Senju was so certain that this investment would make money.

After all, you can't count on ninjas to build ninja villages, right? You have to have professionals for that~

"Yes, I just revealed to him that the Land of Waves was about to establish a shipping company, and he impatiently handed the money to me."

The clansman smiled very happily; as a member of the Uchiha clan, could there be anything more satisfying than scamming the Senju out of their money?

"Did you expose your identity?"

"No matter, when the time comes, Lord Clan Leader just needs to say there is no such person; Konoha's current construction still relies on the Land of Waves, so Tobirama Senju definitely wouldn't dare to take action against the Land of Waves."

The clansman, who had long since thought of a strategy, was not afraid of Tobirama Senju coming to confront him.

"You think of that guy too simply; as long as he doesn't see the dividends, you'll wake up in the middle of the night to find a white-haired man in your bed~"

Just as Uchiha Tajima and the other were communicating, a frivolous voice cut in; the two subconsciously looked in the direction the voice came from.

They saw Uchiha Gin sitting in the reception room's tea area, skillfully brewing tea for himself.

His uncle, who had transformed into Tajima Akimichi, stood up with a smile and appeared beside Uchiha Gin in a flash; it seemed that the change in his physique did not affect his skills as a ninja at all.

"Gin! Do you still remember this uncle of yours? I thought you would only go to the Land of Whirlpools~"

Looking at his eldest nephew, whose appearance hadn't changed, Uchiha Tajima teased in a mocking tone.

Lifting the steaming teacup, he drank it in one gulp; the scalding tea had already been cooled by Uchiha Gin using Ice Style before it reached his mouth, so he only felt refreshed as he drank it.

"Phew~ Good tea, it's just missing three spoonfuls of sugar, which is really hard to deal with~"

Smacking his lips, he turned his head to look at his round uncle; Uchiha Gin scratched his head, as the details regarding his overnight stay at the Land of Whirlpools daimyo's mansion were of a colorful nature, so he did not want to talk much about it, and immediately cast his gaze upon that clansman who had swindled the money.

The very moment Uchiha Gin entered the room, he sensed that on this clansman's body, there was a Flying Thunder God mark left behind by that guy Tobirama Senju.

He was indeed a cunning fellow; if he did not see a share of the profits, this clansman's fate, if not exactly miserable, would at least result in him dying without a complete corpse.

Moreover, given Tobirama Senju's personality, he might even follow the trail to uncover the inside story of the Land of Waves.

Fortunately, Uchiha Gin knew about this matter, so there was still a chance for a remedy; looking at the scroll the clansman held in his hands, he said with a sigh,

"You kid are quite brave, daring to swindle even my money?" (End of chapter)