Chapter 357

357. Chapter 350: The last person who said that has already been bent.

"What did you say to Hikari?"

Uchiha Gin, lagging at the very back of the team, looked at Uchiha Hikari, who was a bit dejected, and asked Hyuga Tsukuyomi, who had just slowed her pace to walk side-by-side with him.

"Just told her some adult things."

"Huh?"

Uchiha Gin scratched his head, speechless. Even if his sister-in-law was magically transformed into the soft and cute Hinata, her core was still that cold and arrogant queen.

"Is it really okay for you to stay down here for so long?"

As the clan leader of the Otsutsuki clan, her work should be very heavy. Suddenly taking a long vacation for herself, wouldn't things be in chaos up there?

"Are you worried about me?"

"Uh... doesn't your Otsutsuki clan dislike staying on the ground for too long?"

Choked by the sister-in-law's sudden out-of-character remark, Uchiha Gin froze for a moment and quickly changed the subject.

"Yes, because I don't like it."

Hyuga Tsukuyomi nodded gently.

"Then why are you still..."

"Because I suddenly like it again."

"Alright, as long as you're happy~"

As soon as these words were spoken, Uchiha Gin felt the aura around him suddenly become extremely cold. Hyuga Tsukuyomi turned her head away without a word, and the atmosphere between the two dropped to freezing point instantly.

Did I say something wrong?

Sure enough, a woman's mind can never be fathomed.

Uchiha Gin scratched his face in confusion. He wasn't some love expert; dealing with women was what he was least good at.

"We're about to reach the territory of the Land of Wind!"

Not long after the cold silence, the Chiyo siblings leading the way suddenly announced.

"Clack~"

Seeing that they had reached the edge of the forest, Uchiha Gin and the others stopped, reached out to shield their eyes from the glaring sun, and their gazes narrowed slightly.

"Is this the desert?"

Hyuga Tsukuyomi, who hadn't spoken for a long time, finally put down her cold mask, looking at the boundless yellow sand before her, her white eyes filled with curiosity.

The climate inside the moon was like spring all year round. She had only seen this kind of harsh environment in books.

"Not bad, right? There are still many fun places down here. When there's a chance, I'll take you to soak in hot springs, go skiing..."

Seeing that his sister-in-law had finally returned to normal, in order not to let her continue to sulk inexplicably, Uchiha Gin immediately patted his chest and promised.

"Oh? Very practiced. Who else have you said this kind of thing to?"

Hearing Uchiha Gin rattle off a long list, Hyuga Tsukuyomi turned her head, her face wearing a thoughtful expression.

"Ah, this..."

Not expecting his sister-in-law's perspective to be so tricky, Uchiha Gin's gaze unconsciously drifted toward Uchiha Hikari, who was not far ahead.

"Hmph~"

Hyuga Tsukuyomi snorted coldly, showing an "as expected" expression, then turned her head away again, entering sulking mode.

No, sister-in-law, your character has collapsed~

"Uncle Gin, at the current speed, we can reach Sunagakure tonight. What do you think?"

After simply confirming the current location of the squad, Chiyo, who had already regarded Uchiha Gin as the leader of this squad, trotted over to report the situation.

"Then let's continue on our way. I don't want to sleep in the desert."

Uchiha Gin nodded.

"Okay!"

Hearing this, Chiyo immediately found her brother, who was resting on the spot, and gave him a solid kick, telling him to get up and continue the journey.

And so, the five of them, taking advantage of the fact that the sun hadn't set yet, increased their speed and raced across the boundless desert, finally arriving at Sunagakure just before the sunset fell below the horizon.

"Sunagakure looks so poor~"

Uchiha Hikari, who had been emo the whole way, finally found her soul, looked up at the slightly shabby village before her, and gave a very pertinent evaluation.

"Sigh~"

Although he was mentally prepared, seeing the desolate state of Sunagakure, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but sigh.

No wonder Sunagakure in the original work always loved to stir up trouble. It turns out that those who are barefoot aren't afraid of those who wear shoes~

"Wuwuwu, finally back~"

Ebizo, whose two feet were about to be scrapped, was crying and howling. The poor young man thought he was one of the members with the best physical strength in the entire team, but until he reached home, he realized he was the weakest one.

Excluding his sister Chiyo, the one man and two women from Konoha had run for a whole day without stopping, yet they still looked calm and relaxed, not even sweating a drop.

"Quickly go report to Lord Kazekage, Lord Chiyo is back!"

The guards at the entrance of Sunagakure, seeing the Chiyo siblings, immediately notified the guards inside the city.

"Uncle Gin, please wait a moment. We can go in after verifying our identities."

Chiyo, who was still waiting outside for inspection, worried that Uchiha Gin would be dissatisfied, said cautiously.

"Lord Chiyo, what did you call him?"

The guard who was performing the routine inspection, hearing Chiyo's address, widened his eyes instantly.

"Don't ask what you shouldn't. Hurry up and verify."

Don't look at how Chiyo acted like a big milk jug in front of Uchiha Gin; in Sunagakure, she was the ruthless queen everyone feared. With her puppet technique, she had beaten all the young talents into submission, becoming the strongest of the new generation in the village.

"It's fine, we're already here, I don't care about this little while~"

Uchiha Gin didn't mind. Anyway, he had plenty of time, so much that he couldn't use it all up.

"Hahaha! Mr. Gin, you're finally here!"

Just as Uchiha Gin was boredly sizing up the wall skin of Sunagakure's outer wall, a familiar laughter rang out not far away.

"Uh..."

Samon Laodi's speed was quite fast, but this entrance, wasn't it a bit too flashy?

He saw a yellow sand wall rising into the sky from Sunagakure. The laughter just now came from within it. Relying on his bug-level perception, Uchiha Gin found the big bald head coming on the sand in the blink of an eye.

Magnet Release, huh...

It seems Samon Laodi's research wasn't without results.

"Gin, what kind of technique is that?"

Uchiha Hikari was also shocked by this gorgeous opening, tugging on Uchiha Gin's sleeve and asking, her black eyes filled with the words "I want that."

Uchiha Gin was just about to say something, but found his other sleeve being tugged a few times. He turned his head in confusion, only to see his expressionless sister-in-law.

"You?"

Her pure white eyes met Uchiha Gin's. Hyuga Tsukuyomi nodded imperceptibly. It seems his sister-in-law was also very curious about Magnet Release.

"Boom!"

The aggressive sand wall covered them. Just before it was about to smash down, all the sand seemed to be frozen, stagnating in mid-air.

"Mr. Gin is indeed not an ordinary person."

Samon, on the sand wall, looked at Uchiha Gin, who remained calm. The admiration on his face grew even more. If it were an ordinary person who saw his Sand Tsunami technique, they would have probably run away long ago. How could they have the calm and composed demeanor of Mr. Gin?

"Is this how you Sunagakure people greet others?"

Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow and shouted at Samon, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.

"Mr. Gin, don't blame me. I just wanted to show you my secret technique."

Samon, on the sand wall, leaped down. The yellow sand in the sky collapsed accordingly. After landing on the ground, his honest big face carried a hint of embarrassment, and he asked for forgiveness from Uchiha Gin.

"Teacher! How can you treat guests like this!"

Before Uchiha Gin could speak, Chiyo jumped out from the side. Unable to see her good uncle suffer a grievance, her onion-like fingers were almost poking the top of Samon's shiny bald head.

"Hehe, little Chiyo, my relationship with Mr. Gin is much better than you imagine~"

For his beloved disciple, Samon was very indulgent and doting, so he didn't take Chiyo's rebellious behavior to heart, instead smiling and pointing at Uchiha Gin, who was rolling his eyes wildly.

"Samon Laodi, long time no see."

"Teacher, do you really know Uncle Gin?"

"Uncle? That's right, it's understandable for you to call him Uncle. After all, your father and him..."

Samon, who was greeting Uchiha Gin, was suddenly surprised to hear his disciple call the other party Uncle. After a moment of surprise, he quickly figured out the reason.

"Mr. Gin, if it wasn't for the fact that I had no other choice, I wouldn't have been embarrassed to open my mouth."

"You're treating me like an outsider, aren't you? With the relationship between us brothers, there's no need to say these things. If you have any difficulties in the future, just Q me directly."

Looking at the bald, burly man rubbing his hands in embarrassment, Uchiha Gin pretended to be annoyed and curled his lips.

"Isn't this because I'm afraid of troubling you?"

"Then why do you want to trouble me now?"

"Sigh, this is a long story. Let's go in, sit down, and talk slowly."

Seeing that Uchiha Gin wasn't really angry, Samon waved his hand, and the guards at the door immediately opened the gate.

"Who are these two?"

Only then did Samon remember the two women following the other party, as he had been busy catching up with Uchiha Gin.

"Girlfriend, Uchiha Hikari."

"Sister-in-law, Hyuga Tsukuyomi."

The two women looked at each other and introduced themselves separately. But Yueji, didn't you refuse to admit your identity as sister-in-law before? Why are you answering so quickly now?

"Uh... Mr. Gin, your circle is a bit messy."

"It's fine, it's fine~"

Following Samon, Uchiha Gin and his group soon arrived at Sunagakure's reception hall. Food prepared in advance had already been laid out on the table.

"You've been on the road for a day, eat something first!"

The hungry group didn't stand on ceremony and started eating.

"Mmm... this fruit is so sweet!"

Uchiha Hikari, who ate a piece of green melon, instantly had her eyes light up.

"Sweet? Let me taste it!"

Although the land of the Land of Wind was barren, the large temperature difference between day and night meant the fruit produced was sweet one by one.

"That's a melon produced in Loulan."

Samon looked at them with a smile and explained the origin.

"Loulan? Is your hometown doing well?"

"Thanks to the blessing of Lord First Hokage, Loulan is now the largest oasis in the Land of Wind."

More than a decade ago, Senju Hashirama personally cast the Deep Forest Bloom in Loulan, covering the barren soil of the Land of Wind with a touch of green semi-permanently.

As for why it's called semi-permanent...

The trees catalyzed by Wood Release can indeed grow vigorously in the short term, but after a long time, they will still wither. However, the reason why the trees in Loulan can remain evergreen is all thanks to the chakra leaking from the Dragon Vein. If the Dragon Vein disappears, Loulan might return to desolation overnight.

Hope the Dragon Vein is okay~

"Burp~ Thanks for the hospitality!"

Uchiha Gin, who had filled his stomach with high-sugar fruit, patted his bulging belly with great satisfaction.

For him, this was simply a state banquet!

"I'm glad Mr. Gin is satisfied."

Seeing that Uchiha Gin didn't dislike the simplicity of Sunagakure's meals, Samon was deeply moved. You must know that the food on their table, if placed in the Land of Fire, might not even be as rich as the dishes in a small restaurant.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

"Mr. Gin, you should know about the matter of the Tailed Beast Knights, right?"

Returning to the topic, Samon shed the smile on his face, sat upright, and his expression was very serious.

"Hmm, the Knight of Konoha is my foolish younger brother."

The fact that Uchiha Madara became a Tailed Beast Knight was naturally not a secret. In the few years after successfully changing jobs, his cousin, in order to boost his KDA, frantically executed high-difficulty missions, opening a prosperous era called "Great Internal Involution."

When the knights of other countries saw this, they thought, "This won't do, we must also involute," and one after another, they increased the efficiency of executing missions.

Of course, this did not include the Land of Wind.

This was also one of the reasons why Sunagakure was still so poor. High-paying missions were all snatched up by Tailed Beast Knights, and these small fries could only pick up some leftovers.

The strongest knight, Geats, huh...

Samon smiled bitterly upon hearing this. The Tailed Beast Knight of the Land of Fire was the most prestigious existence in the knight circle, nicknamed "Geats," meaning the strongest, highest, and most ultimate fox knight, who once had the proud record of taking on three at once.

"Mr. Gin, you also know the current situation. If a country doesn't have a knight, it will be looked down upon by other countries."

Because they were secretly mocked by the daimyo of other major countries during the daimyo gathering, the daimyo of the Land of Wind gave a death order to Sunagakure after returning to the country: if they couldn't produce a knight, he would withdraw his funding!

"I understand, I understand. Isn't that why I came here this time, to help you fulfill your dream~"

Uchiha Gin remembered very clearly that when Senju Hashirama submitted Uchiha Madara's name to the daimyo of the Land of Fire, that old guy jumped up with excitement, almost appointing his cousin as the Hokage himself on the spot.

After all, the record of the Nine-Tails Knight was verifiable, making the daimyo of the Land of Fire, who had always cared about face, feel very honored, and he could hold his head high in front of his other brothers.

"Then... I'll leave the matter of Shukaku to you!"

"Don't be in a hurry. Tell me first, what step have you reached?"

Although he learned the general situation from the letter, Uchiha Gin still wanted to understand the current situation of Shukaku in detail. After all, he came to Sunagakure to help as a developer (toy merchant).

"Sigh... if it comes out one more time, the teapot sealing Shukaku might be scrapped."

Samon let out a long sigh, his face filled with deep embarrassment.

"Huh?"

Uchiha Gin instantly put on a dead-fish eye, staring straight at Samon. How many times have you let that big raccoon slip out?

"Don't look at me like that. The research hasn't been without progress. The secret technique just now was developed when I was studying Shukaku's chakra."

"Amazing, amazing~"

"Hehe, Magnet Release is a pleasant surprise, but the research on transformation props has never made progress."

"Magnet Release? Is it a Kekkei Genkai?"

As Uchiha Gin threw out the question, Uchiha Hikari and Hyuga Tsukuyomi on the side pricked up their ears at the same time.

"Although I'm not sure, it should be about right."

Because he was the first person to awaken Magnet Release, Samon wasn't sure if this counted as a Kekkei Genkai. He had previously taught the operation method of Magnet Release to several disciples, but none of them could comprehend it. He could only wait until his child was born to verify whether it was a Kekkei Genkai.

After hearing Samon's words, the two women who had just been listening intently instantly lost interest. Things like Kekkei Genkai, just like their eyes, were inherited through bloodlines and couldn't be forced.

"Congratulations, congratulations. The Tailed Beast that other countries have spent so much effort researching for so long hasn't developed a Kekkei Genkai, yet it was accidentally created by you. If Shihe, that old guy, heard this, he would be so angry he'd jump out of his coffin."

When selling Tailed Beasts back then, Uchiha Gin used the selling point of developing Kekkei Genkai to frantically raise prices and pit them hard.

As a result, so many years have passed, and the countries that bought Tailed Beasts back then have had their development of Kekkei Genkai stagnate, while Sunagakure, which didn't have a Tailed Beast Knight, took the lead.

"Sigh... things in the world are impermanent. Compared to Kekkei Genkai, I want to become a knight more."

Becoming a Tailed Beast Knight had become Samon's heart disease over the years. Among the few people back then, he was the only one who hadn't become a knight. Now, even if it was just to win a breath, he had to fulfill his knight dream.

"Don't worry, leave it to me!"

Just for this obsession of Samon Laodi, Uchiha Gin had to help him fulfill his dream.

"It's late today, you guys rest well first."

Uchiha Gin and his group came from afar, so how could Samon be embarrassed to let the other party work overtime? So he arranged a few guest rooms, let them rest well, and wait until tomorrow to go to Shukaku's place to carry out the work.

Midnight.

Uchiha Gin, lying on a strange bed, had his old habit of being unfamiliar with the bed act up again. After tossing and turning for a while, he fumbled in his bag and took out his travel bedding.

"Good thing I brought it!"

After laying it out, Uchiha Gin suddenly felt thirsty. The dry climate of the Land of Wind made the water in his body lose frantically, so he fumbled around the room and only found a pot of clear water that looked bland and tasteless, with the four small characters "Nongfu Spring" marked on it.

"Even dogs wouldn't drink this!"

Curling his lips, Uchiha Gin decided to go ask Hikari. Don't shut-in girls have the habit of drinking beverages? So she should have brought a few bottles of sweet water when she went out.

Bang bang bang~

"Gin, I knew you would come to find me. Don't worry, I can definitely do *** too!"

"Good night, sweet dreams, goodbye!"

In this situation, he could only escape.

Uchiha Gin, who had finally escaped, had only taken two steps when he saw Hyuga Tsukuyomi sitting by the window in the corridor at the corner. He saw her lowering her head and nodding, examining the things in her hand, not knowing what she was thinking about.

"Eh? You haven't slept yet?"

Uchiha Gin's voice interrupted Hyuga Tsukuyomi's thinking. She raised her head, and her white eyes carried an inexplicable meaning.

"You haven't slept either."

"Hi~ Thirsty, came out to find some sweet water with flavor to drink."

"Did you find it?"

Hyuga Tsukuyomi raised an eyebrow, her peripheral vision glancing at the secret ice black tea in her hand, a struggle flashing by.

"This is the Land of Wind. Oil is easier to find than water, let alone sweet water. Forget it, forget it~"

Seeing Uchiha Gin's disappointed face, the Byakugan girl, in a fit of pique, raised the sleepy ice black tea in her hand, her cold face carrying a hint of provocation.

"I have some here, but do you dare to drink it?"

"Just kidding, I'm super brave, okay? I'm super good at drinking!" (End of chapter)