Chapter 363: 307. Chapter 304: Uchiha Madara: I

307. Chapter 304: Uchiha Madara: I'm Definitely Becoming a Tailed Beast Rider

"Family, I've returned alive!"

Due to some unknown reason, the group, having been delayed for several days in the capital of the Land of Fire, finally returned to Konoha. Uchiha Gin, his face gaunt, leaned against the threshold of the Konoha gate and said with trembling, pale lips.

"Hmph~ You couldn't even last a few rounds; have you been secretly eating junk outside?"

Uchiha Guang's voice, sounding like a ghost, rang out from behind Uchiha Gin, her complexion rosy, scaring his handsome face deathly pale.

"No, I haven't!"

"It better be that way. Hurry up and go turn in the mission; we still have to go back and try on new clothes!"

"You guys go back first; I'll go alone."

Desperate to escape the clutches of the devil, Uchiha Gin nodded repeatedly, waved at the three women, and ran toward the Hokage building as if he had greased his feet.

"Phew~ I thought I was going to die."

After escaping Uchiha Guang's line of sight, Uchiha Gin panted like an ox, his right hand against the wall and his left wiping away sweat, feeling fortunate for his survival.

Over the past few days, Uchiha Gin had several times seen his familiar great-granduncle in a daze, but every time he got close, another white-haired old man with an obscured face beside Otsutsuki Hamura would knock him back with a staff.

Hokage Building

"Strange. Wasn't the Hidden Mist Village making quite a scene a while ago? Why have they suddenly pulled back their defensive lines?"

Senju Tobirama, buried in a pile of documents, held a piece of intelligence that had just been submitted, his scarlet eyes filled with confusion. Just as he was about to inform his older brother of this suspicious information, he heard a conversation that made his blood boil.

Uchiha Madara, who had come up to report the mission list, was taking the opportunity to seduce Senju Hashirama.

"Hashirama, let's go eat barbecue after work today!"

"But... Toka instructed me to go home on time."

"Just tell her you're working overtime."

"That doesn't seem right~"

"My treat. We can go play a few rounds at the gambling den after we eat."

"Let's finish work now!"

Seeing his older brother being led around by the nose in just a few words, Senju Tobirama stood up with a start, pointed at Uchiha Madara's nose, and began to vent.

"You naturally evil Uchiha hedgehog-head, don't even think about deceiving my brother! Also, when at work, address each other by your official titles; don't be so intimate!"

"Hmph~ Got it, Senju plant."

Uchiha Madara, having had his fun interrupted, wore a displeased expression. He turned to look at the furious Senju Tobirama, crossed his arms with disdain, and said sarcastically after a cold snort,

"Call me Secretary Senju!"

"Heh."

"Knock~ knock~ knock~"

Just as the two began their daily bickering, a weak knock on the door sounded. Senju Hashirama, who was fretting over how to stop the argument, eyes lit up.

"The door isn't locked!"

Creak~

The door to the Hokage office slowly pushed open, and a figure exuding an aura of decay stumbled in. The three of them fixed their gazes on the person's fluffy curly hair, their eyes filled with worry.

"Big Cousin! What happened to you!"

Seeing that the person who arrived was his Big Cousin whom he hadn't seen in days, Uchiha Madara didn't care about arguing with Senju Tobirama anymore. He flashed to Uchiha Gin's side, looking at the curly-haired man with dark circles under his eyes and pale lips, his face full of concern.

"Big Brother Gin! Are you hurt?"

Senju Hashirama, also concerned for Uchiha Gin's safety, jumped over and tilted his head to look him over.

"You curly-head, did you run into enemies?"

Senju Tobirama also walked over with a furrowed brow. Sensing Uchiha Gin's depleted and empty body, he felt a hint of confusion amidst his worry.

"Brew me a cup of tea first, three spoons of sugar."

Facing the three men's questions, Uchiha Gin didn't answer directly but instead held up three fingers and instructed them.

"Coming right up!"

"Phew~ I've come back to life!"

Sitting on the sofa in the Hokage office's reception area, Uchiha Gin drained the cloyingly sweet tea, his pale complexion finally regaining a bit of vitality. Looking at the three people waiting expectantly, he spoke slowly.

"Lads, the times have changed~"

"Huh?"

Uchiha Madara and the others were completely baffled by this inexplicable statement. After exchanging glances, they all fixed their eyes on Uchiha Gin's face, waiting for his explanation.

"On this trip to the Land of Waterfalls, we encountered..."

Following that, Uchiha Gin slowly recounted everything that had happened during the mission to the three of them from start to finish. When he mentioned how Jinkaku, transformed into a Tailed Beast Rider, easily killed the candidate Kage from other villages in seconds, Senju Tobirama couldn't help but interrupt.

"Impossible. A mere remnant of the Hagoromo clan, how could he have such strength?"

Years ago, Senju Tobirama had led a team to wipe out Kinkaku and Jinkaku, only to be stopped halfway by Uchiha Gin. Back then, the Gold and Silver brothers couldn't even catch his eye.

"That's why he went berserk."

Uchiha Gin rolled his eyes and explained.

Senju Tobirama was actually right; if Jinkaku hadn't used the power of the Tailed Beast Rider, his strength would have been on par with Samon and the others, while Kinkaku was slightly stronger. That was why he could take on three and finish off Hozuki Gengetsu and the others, who were not at full strength.

"Berserk? I knew it. How could the power of a Tailed Beast be controlled by humans?"

Hearing that Jinkaku had gone berserk, Senju Tobirama finally breathed a sigh of relief, a flash of relief in his eyes.

"Hashirama, tell your brother not to interrupt again. Big Cousin, hurry and continue~"

Uchiha Madara, who was listening intently, saw Uchiha Gin being interrupted, so he elbowed Senju Hashirama, who was listening with great interest, and tattled on Tobirama with dissatisfaction.

"Tobirama, if you have any questions, ask them after Big Brother Gin finishes speaking."

Senju Tobirama, being lectured by his older brother, glared fiercely at the smug Uchiha Madara and crossed his arms, sulking.

Naturally evil Uchiha old fogey!

With no one to disturb him, Uchiha Gin described the rest of the story to the three of them in detail. The three, who had never experienced such unbelievable things, were filled with disbelief.

"That item that allows one to perfectly utilize the power of a Tailed Beast—who exactly made it?"

Senju Hashirama, who had experience with intimate exchanges with Tailed Beasts, knew full well what the power of a Tailed Beast meant to an ordinary person.

Not to mention anything else, just that endless supply of chakra alone could allow an ordinary ninja to unleash destructive power surpassing the Kage level.

"Who exactly is that mysterious rider who suddenly appeared?"

Senju Tobirama furrowed his brow; he always felt that the mysterious person handing out belts everywhere had ulterior motives.

"I don't know either, only that he calls himself Brother Decade."

As the best observer, Uchiha Gin spread his hands, indicating that was all he knew.

"That guy said it's forbidden to use the power of the Tailed Beast Rider during wartime. How did he know a war would happen?"

Compared to the Senju brothers' curiosity about the Tailed Beast Rider, Uchiha Madara's focus was a bit tricky. He rubbed his chin in confusion and turned his head to ask Senju Hashirama beside him.

"Hahaha, that's right. We just signed a peace agreement, how could a war happen? Is this guy a bit of a worrywart?"

Reminded by Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama immediately burst into laughter.

Meanwhile, Senju Tobirama, off to the side, began to ponder from this angle, a strange glint appearing in his eyes.

This mysterious rider seemed to be a good person.

Because Senju Tobirama knew deep down that this current peace could not be maintained for long. Once the people who signed the agreement passed away, ambitious people waiting for an opportunity would inevitably start a war again. By then, Tailed Beasts would become hot-commodity weapons of war, bringing pain to countless innocent civilians.

"That mysterious rider said he couldn't make the transformation cards. Uchiha Gin, can you tell us where you got those Tailed Beast cards?"

Looking at the composed Uchiha Gin, Senju Tobirama suddenly asked. Back when he was selling Tailed Beasts, it was he who pulled out Tailed Beast cards from nowhere to introduce the abilities of the Tailed Beasts to people from other villages.

"Didn't I say before? I made them myself."

Finally, the question came. Uchiha Gin, who had been prepared, raised an eyebrow and replied without the slightest panic.

"Just you?"

Senju Tobirama expressed his doubt. With Uchiha Gin being such a scrub, how could he possibly create an item that allows humans to transform?

"Who are you looking down on? I am a famous developer in the Uchiha clan! If you don't believe me, ask my little cousin~"

He hadn't expected that after so many years, people still treated him like a salted fish.

"Huh? Didn't you buy all those gadgets of yours?"

Uchiha Madara was also baffled. He only knew that Uchiha Gin would occasionally pull out some fresh gadgets, claiming they were ordered from Seimei in the Land of Artisans.

"Then have you ever been to the Land of Artisans?"

"I have. That artisan named Seimei doesn't know you at all."

Uchiha Madara had passed through the Land of Artisans during a mission. Out of curiosity, he found the master ninja tool maker named Seimei. After a "friendly and cordial" exchange, the other party stated they had never heard of a person named Uchiha Gin, nor had they ever made the ninja tools he described.

"Then that proves it, because I made them all."

Putting down his teacup and puffing out his chest, Uchiha Gin said very proudly.

"Huh?"

The three, hearing this for the first time, rolled their eyes in unison. With Uchiha Gin's character, they would never believe he was into R&D even if they died.

"Sigh, since you don't believe me, I have no choice but to expose this long-buried past."

Uchiha Gin showed a wistful expression, took a small sip of his tea, and then looked past the crowd into the void, as if recalling something. After a long while, he shook his head and began to make up nonsense.

"That was a long, long time ago. When I was young and handsome, while performing a mission outside, I unfortunately fell off a cliff and was saved by a mysterious old man. Seeing that I was naturally intelligent and thinking his time was short, he passed on all his life's learning to me. And I didn't disappoint, learning his R&D skills to the point of perfection..."

"Do you think we look like idiots?"

After listening to Uchiha Gin's bullshitting story, Senju Tobirama, as the number one R&D expert of the Senju, directly questioned him. A story like this, he feared, only a three-year-old would believe.

"I love telling the truth, buddy~"

"I didn't expect Big Brother Gin to have such an encounter when he was young. It really makes one envious."

Three-year-old Hashirama looked at Uchiha Gin with glowing eyes, his face filled with deep envy.

"Big Cousin, you... this..."

Uchiha Madara, unable to bear exposing his own cousin, held his breath until his face turned nearly purple, only managing to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth for fear of breaking into laughter.

"Believe me, you guys!"

"Then tell me, what is the name of that mysterious old man?"

"Bandai!"

Uchiha Gin answered with a look of certainty, showing no trace of lying.

"Fine, let's assume what you said is true for now, but why is the card you made compatible with the belt sent by the mysterious person?"

Senju Tobirama, feeling a bit of a headache, rubbed his throbbing temples and stopped digging into Uchiha Gin's research and development capabilities, instead asking about the belt.

"Actually, the first time I saw the belt, I felt it looked familiar. Master Bandai once told me that he previously had a disciple who was expelled from the sect for being obsessed with crooked ways of borrowing power, and what that disciple researched were tools similar to the belt."

"In that case, that mysterious knight is very likely a fellow disciple of Brother Gin."

Senju Hashirama stroked his chin, transforming into the Great Detective of Konoha, and guessed the identity of the mysterious knight with near-perfect accuracy.

"That's what I think too~"

Uchiha Gin immediately took the hint and chimed in.

"Then why didn't he give the people from the Hidden Sand Village cards for transformation?"

"Perhaps because they lack Tailed Beast chakra. After all, the cards I made previously were all created by collecting a bit of Tailed Beast chakra."

He also wanted to send a card to the prisoner Shamon, but he lacked the chakra of a raccoon dog on hand. Uchiha Gin had left enough hints; if the other party truly wanted a card, they would naturally come seeking help with Shukaku.

"Are Tailed Beast Knights really that strong?"

Uchiha Madara, who had been deep in thought on the side, suddenly raised his head to ask Uchiha Gin.

"Very strong. That rogue ninja from the Hidden Waterfall Village, after transforming, directly pinned the knight transformed by Ginkaku to the ground and rubbed his face in it. You have to know, he had previously wiped out everyone from the other ninja villages in seconds."

Uchiha Gin did not water down these words. Kakuzu, having gained the approval of Chomei, could unleash power surpassing that of a perfect jinchuriki of the future.

"Big Brother, it's too dangerous!"

Having said that, Senju Tobirama, who was naturally more cautious than the average person, spoke with a cold face. As an extremely unstable force, Tailed Beast Knights could very likely pose a threat to Konoha in the future. If one day Big Brother were gone, Konoha would have no way to deal with agile Tailed Beast Knights.

"Is it? I feel like Tailed Beasts are actually quite easy to get along with."

Hearing words that sounded familiar, Senju Hashirama turned his head in a daze, just about to say that Tailed Beasts were no big deal and that he could easily handle them with his wood style, but upon seeing Senju Tobirama's terrifyingly gloomy expression, he immediately changed his tune.

"Go and catch the Nine-Tails back!"

Konoha indeed needed a Tailed Beast to guard the house. With his thoughts cleared, Senju Tobirama issued an order directly to his big brother, demanding he capture the released Nine-Tails.

"Ah! But I made a solemn vow to the Nine-Tails; how can I be a person who goes back on his word?"

"Then I will gather men to surround and capture the Nine-Tails!"

Senju Tobirama was determined to have the Nine-Tails.

The Nine-Tails had helped him ascend to the position of Hokage; how could he kill the donkey the moment it left the mill? Senju Hashirama's eyes darted around, and he revealed a troubled expression.

"Tobirama, the Nine-Tails is different from other Tailed Beasts. Its strength is too great; even I am not confident in taking it down. Acting rashly will only increase casualties. You must think thrice before acting~"

Nine-Tails, I can only help you this much.

"Heh~"

Uchiha Gin noted that the prisoner Hashirama had also learned to be bad.

But the speaker was unintentional, while the listener was attentive. After hearing Senju Hashirama's words, a flame seemed to ignite in Uchiha Madara's eyes, and his burning gaze was filled with a longing for victory.

"Hmph, since that's the case, let's first find the tracks of the Nine-Tails, and incidentally investigate the Tailed Beast Knights of other villages to see if they are truly as strong as this curly-haired guy says."

Empty words carry no weight. Although Senju Tobirama did not have any prejudice against Uchiha Gin, it was difficult to determine the danger level of Tailed Beast Knights based solely on his words.

"If you say it like that, you don't believe me, do you? The four of us saw clearly that the Tailed Beast Knight wiped out those three groups of people with a wave of his hand."

Not expecting this white-haired guy to dare question him, Uchiha Gin was immediately incensed.

"Four? Weren't you a three-man squad?"

Senju Tobirama blinked in confusion. He remembered Uchiha Gin taking two Mangekyo users on the mission; how did it become four people?

"Uh, there was a brat who snuck along and forced a team-up."

Recalling the sudden appearance of Senju Itama, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but roll his eyes. He had even paid extra for one person's travel and shopping expenses—a whole million!

"Who?"

"Who else could it be? The one from my house."

"!!!"

Uchiha Gin, having been sent out the gate in a daze by the Senju brothers, scratched his fluffy curly hair in confusion. Why didn't they even mention the mission report?

"Oh! I forgot to ask about the dungeon!"

After walking a few steps, Uchiha Gin suddenly slapped his forehead and said with some annoyance.

"Big Cousin! Wait for me~"

Just then, Uchiha Madara, who had just come out with Uchiha Gin, hurried to catch up.

"It's not time to get off work yet, is it? Being late and leaving early is not what a good employee should do."

Glancing at Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Gin, who was in a bad mood, said casually.

"I'm not an employee."

Uchiha Madara's face stiffened, and he retorted stubbornly. He was the man who was going to be Hokage, the person in charge of the village.

"That's true. This building is yours; you can get off work whenever you want~"

Misunderstanding, Uchiha Gin nodded solemnly. Looking back at the towering Hokage Building, the thick mockery in his tone made Uchiha Madara wish he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"Stop making fun of me, Big Cousin. I have something I want to ask you."

"Oh? What is it?"

Looking at Uchiha Madara's complex expression, Uchiha Gin vaguely had the answer in his heart. Could this kid have believed the nonsense Senju Hashirama used to brush him off?

"If I become a Tailed Beast Knight, can I defeat Haxi-lama?"

Sure enough, this kid Uchiha Madara was still harboring evil intentions, always wanting to get the upper hand over Senju Hashirama, and now he had actually set his sights on becoming a Tailed Beast Knight.

"Winning is possible..."

Uchiha Gin, who was just about to say "you can't win, just wait to die," suddenly thought of something, and then answered with a strange expression.

"Really?"

Uchiha Madara's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he hurriedly asked for confirmation.

"Guaranteed~"

That's right, as long as his little cousin became a Ten-Tails Knight, beating a vegetable would be a piece of cake~

"Thank you, Big Cousin!"

Having received a satisfactory answer, Uchiha Madara left in a hurry. Not knowing what he was going to do next, Uchiha Gin only hoped he wouldn't do anything stupid; after all, his uncle had entrusted him to take good care of the two brothers.

"As long as I become a Tailed Beast Knight, I can win against Haxi-lama!"

Walking on the road, Uchiha Madara trembled with excitement at the thought of making Senju Hashirama bow his head and beg for mercy.

Before long, he returned to the Uchiha clan grounds and went straight to the Naka Shrine, which he hadn't visited in a long time. Only this place could calm Uchiha Madara's heart slightly, so he sat cross-legged in front of the ancestral stone tablet and began to meditate.

At this moment, Uchiha Madara was actually very conflicted. On one hand, he felt that the position of Hokage belonged to him and that he didn't need to rely on the power of a Tailed Beast Knight to realize his dream of many years. On the other hand, he really wanted to win against Senju Hashirama once. The two thoughts clashed in his mind, leaving him in a state of mental turmoil.

Just as Uchiha Madara was meditating, a black charcoal head slowly emerged from the darkness in the corner of the shrine. Black Zetsu, who had been lurking here for a long time, looked in surprise at Uchiha Madara, who had his eyes closed and a conflicted expression on his face.

"He actually knows how to come back. I thought this generation's Indra reincarnate had given up~"

This Uchiha Madara, even after seeing the stone tablet he had tampered with, hadn't developed the urge to purify the ninja world, which made Black Zetsu inevitably disappointed. He had almost wanted to give up on this generation's Indra reincarnate.

Can't carry him, just can't carry him~

"Looking at his appearance, he must have been provoked by the Asura reincarnate again. This is a good opportunity!"

Mistakenly believing that Uchiha Madara harbored resentment toward Senju Hashirama and feeling that he could take action to stir up trouble, countless scripts instantly popped into Black Zetsu's head.

"Tailed Beast Knight, I am determined to become one!"

Just as Black Zetsu was tailoring a script for Uchiha Madara, the meditating Uchiha Madara suddenly stood up, a resolute gleam bursting from his eyes. He raised one hand and shouted in an extremely serious tone.

"Huh?"

Tailed Beast Knight? What the hell is that?

Black Zetsu, whose inspiration was shattered by Uchiha Madara's words, was instantly dumbfounded. He knew what a Tailed Beast was, but adding the word "Knight" caused his brain to stall.

Could it be that I'm outdated?

Falling into self-doubt, Black Zetsu frowned. During this period, because of Uchiha Madara's behavior of giving up, he hadn't been in the mood to continue his layout, only waiting for a certain curly-haired guy to be buried so he could go poop on his grave.

Although he didn't know what it felt like to poop~

"Hoo~"

Having made up his mind, Uchiha Madara took a deep breath, and the resolution in his eyes slowly turned into helplessness. After the impulsive decision, he felt a bit at a loss.

As the current head of the Uchiha clan, although he was a qualified "hands-off" leader who didn't usually manage clan affairs and threw all the work to Izuna, ultimately, Uchiha Madara was still the legitimate head and the totem in the hearts of every Uchiha clansman.

Now was the assessment period for his candidacy as Hokage. Every clansman was convinced that the Uchiha would produce the second Hokage, and Uchiha Madara was their pride.

If at this critical juncture, Uchiha Madara were to leave quietly to find the Nine-Tails for the sake of personal competitiveness, how could he face those clansmen who were already celebrating his victory?

"Sigh, it seems it's been a long time since we held a clan meeting." (End of chapter)