Chapter 382: 382. Chapter 374: There is no circle the Snow King cannot squeeze into

382. Chapter 374: There is no circle the Snow King cannot squeeze into

The Gin-Jin brothers, having retracted their Lightning Armor, looked at Uchiha Madara with surprise upon hearing his words, which didn't seem feigned, and then at the Leaf Village forehead protector he wore. They exchanged a glance.

Could he also be a poor soul who had once been screwed over by that detestable white-haired Tobirama Senju?

"That would truly be—"

"Hold your horses! Little Gin, stay away from this guy!"

Just as Kinkaku was about to thank the stranger Uchiha Madara, the Eight-Tails, who had been lurking in their sea of consciousness, immediately shouted a warning.

"Old Eight, what's wrong? Is there a problem with him?"

Kinkaku frowned and asked the sweating Gyuki.

"The problem is huge. Take my advice: don't you dare get involved with him."

The memory of being beaten to a pulp by Uchiha Madara in the sea years ago was still vivid; Gyuki would rather die than have anything to do with this guy.

Besides, that guy Kurama had once complained that Uchiha Madara's body contained Indra's conscious chakra. Gyuki couldn't avoid that temperamental disaster fast enough.

"But..."

"No 'buts.' If you don't leave, I'm taking over the controls!"

"Fine, fine, I'll listen to you~"

After a brief exchange with Gyuki in his consciousness, Kinkaku came back to his senses. Seeing the impatience gradually appearing on Uchiha Madara's face, he shook his head and spoke.

"Thank you for your kindness, but this is a personal grudge between our brothers and Tobirama Senju. We have no intention of involving innocent people."

Kinkaku's words were neither humble nor pushy, and there was nothing wrong with them. Uchiha Madara looked at the Gin-Jin brothers with slight surprise after hearing this.

He hadn't expected these two fierce-looking guys to be such rare, upright individuals.

"I think they look down on you~"

Kurama, huddled in a corner of Uchiha Madara's sea of consciousness, jumped out to stir up trouble upon seeing the Gin-Jin brothers dare to refuse Uchiha Madara. Its narrow eyes were full of calculation.

It was time to avenge the grudge of my severed manhood!

Kurama's action was undoubtedly an attempt to borrow a knife to kill, perfectly demonstrating the phrase "fox borrowing the tiger's might."

"Shut up! Did I tell you to speak?"

"Wuwuwu..."

"You two must be the Gin-Jin brothers of the Cloud Village. Your conduct is quite different from the legends. I hope you won't disappoint me in your actions."

Since the other party had refused his kindness, Uchiha Madara didn't lower his status to force help. Instead, he scrutinized the muscular pair with a cold gaze, speaking with a hint of implication in his tone.

"Release!"

With that, Uchiha Madara raised one hand, and the massive Susanoo Tengu began to dissipate. After the three landed steadily, Kinkaku and Ginkaku distanced themselves from him and began to scan their surroundings.

After landing, Uchiha Madara opened his scarlet eyes, his gaze sweeping over the knights who were standing by in full battle readiness. Finally, he looked up, a bewitching pattern flashing across his eyes, his cold and obscure ocular power ready to be unleashed.

"I hate the feeling of being looked down upon."

"Onoki, let's go down."

Mu, floating in mid-air, keenly sensed that he was being enveloped by an invisible force. He frowned slightly beneath his bandages. Now was not the time to clash with Uchiha Madara, so he spoke to his slightly trembling disciple beside him.

"Patter~"

After the master and disciple landed on the ground, Uchiha Madara changed the pattern in his eyes back to the basic three tomoe, but the thick deterrent force he radiated still hung over everyone's hearts.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6?... 8."

In front of the invincible Sharingan, no Tailed Beast chakra could hide. After counting them one by one, Uchiha Madara discovered that one knight was missing.

"Did that bounty hunter not come?"

"Impossible, right? How could that money-grubbing guy miss a setup like this?"

"Perhaps he's still on the way?"

With a big shot like Uchiha Madara holding the field, the tense atmosphere among the knights eased slightly. The individuals formed their own groups, speculating about what Kakuzu, who had yet to arrive, was doing.

"Forget it, just a guy who hides his head and shows his tail."

Uchiha Madara had met Kakuzu once and had some understanding of his strength, so he didn't take the guy who scammed children out of their pocket money seriously.

"I heard there is a magnificent stage. Are you ready to dance?"

Turning his gaze toward the location marked on the invitation, Uchiha Madara left a single sentence before leaping away, disappearing from everyone's sight.

The few knights left behind looked at the departing Uchiha Madara, their brows locked tight as if frozen. An overpowered enemy had appeared; their trip was likely to be more ominous than auspicious.

Unless...

The four groups, all having the same thought, exchanged glances simultaneously. But if they wanted to cooperate, they couldn't bring themselves to say it.

The Knight Battle was not a war in the true sense, but an ultimate test of every knight's capacity and will. Each of them was a proud son of their respective country, and since becoming famous, they all possessed their own unique pride.

"Hmph~ Bandage man, don't run away from the battle later."

The first to speak was Hozuki Gengetsu. He glared at the contemplative Mu, dropped a harsh threat, and left with the silent Gui.

"Don't show that cowardly expression, Onoki!"

Mu, still thinking about countermeasures for Uchiha Madara, was pulled back to reality by his old rival's voice. He turned to look at Onoki, whose face was tense and who was trembling all over, and scolded him sternly.

Immersed in the terrifying shadow of Uchiha Madara, Onoki gave a violent start. Recalling the Stone Will his grandfather had often taught him while alive, he braced himself and shouted back.

"Yes!"

"Very good, very spirited!"

Mu nodded with satisfaction. The master and disciple lifted their feet off the ground and soon disappeared into the horizon.

"Big brother, let's go too."

"Ginkaku, did you memorize Tobirama Senju's scent?"

"I did. As long as he appears within my perception range, I can lock onto him immediately."

The Two-Tails' superb perception was top-tier even among Tailed Beasts. Ginkaku had perfectly inherited this attribute. The moment he met Tobirama Senju earlier, he had carved the other party's chakra scent into his heart.

"Well done!"

Because the two knew who the mastermind behind this competition was, the Gin-Jin brothers didn't have much desire for victory. In their view, there was nothing more important than finding Tobirama Senju for revenge.

"Phew..."

After the Gin-Jin brothers left, Samon, who remained, let out a deep, turbid breath. The opponents appearing were stronger than the last; could he really win?

"Teacher, cheer up! You are the trump card!"

Chiyo, behind Samon, seemed to feel the decadence radiating from her teacher and immediately stood up to support him.

"Thank you, Chiyo."

Hearing her encouragement, Samon was deeply moved, and at the same time, he cheered himself up in his heart.

Samon, you are not fighting alone!

In a forest not far from the border of the Land of Rain, Kakuzu, feeling uncomfortable everywhere, slowly and leisurely leaped between thick tree branches. His increasingly emerald-green eyes revealed deep helplessness.

As the only freelance knight, Kakuzu didn't want to get involved in this so-called Knight Battle at all. Fighting those lunatics was simply the most thankless task. With this time, he might as well go catch a few wanted criminals.

He was worth millions every minute; spending time to participate in the competition meant losing hundreds of millions directly.

"Stop complaining. You know that guy's methods. Be careful he doesn't kick you into a card with one foot."

The Seven-Tails began to counsel Kakuzu in his consciousness. It didn't want to participate either, but Uchiha Gin's deterrent power was too strong; it had to come even if it meant biting the bullet.

"Sigh~ I'm a loner, how can I compete with those guys? Can't I just point and go on stage?"

Kakuzu still had self-awareness. He knew that every knight was no simple character. Although he was a veteran knight, the waves of the Yangtze River push the waves ahead; those guys were no less capable than him when it came to missions, and their strength was naturally not bad.

"Creak~"

"Who's there?"

Just as Kakuzu was sighing, the sound of footsteps suddenly ringing out not far behind him instantly alerted him. His hands subconsciously reached toward his waist.

"Shenjun! You hurry up... Sword-senpai!"

Hearing a female voice that was both gentle and energetic, Kakuzu frowned. He felt like he had heard this voice somewhere before.

"Zhenzi, you ran too fast~"

Another panting male voice followed closely behind. As the two figures appeared, Kakuzu slowly withdrew his large hand from his waist.

"Why are you here?"

Kakuzu looked suspiciously at the plainly dressed couple before him. He remembered that these two had gone into hiding and become nameless town heroes, hadn't they?

"Sword-senpai, long time no see. I only came after receiving the invitation."

Zhenzi, with a serene face, wore a friendly smile. As she spoke, she fished a gold-rimmed envelope out of her bag.

"So that's how it is."

Seeing the invitation, Kakuzu suddenly realized. It turned out that Emperor Rider hadn't just invited the Tailed Beast knights.

"Since you are also here to participate in the competition, why don't we form an alliance? It counts as having someone to look out for each other."

Kakuzu, who was worried about being a loner, looked at the very gullible Zhenzi, his eyes rolling, and issued a team-up invitation with a straight face.

"Okay!"

"Wait!"

Zhenzi agreed without thinking, but Seeing Shenhuo, who was following her, jumped out immediately.

"Ordinary people shouldn't interfere in conversations between us knights."

Kakuzu frowned slightly. This guy couldn't stop ruining things. Just because of him, he had lost 35 million.

"I always feel like you have some ulterior motives."

"Shenjun, Sword-senpai isn't that kind of person, right?"

Seeing her husband doubt Kakuzu's character, Zhenzi immediately spoke up to refute. But then she remembered the other party's act of claiming a mission years ago, and she suddenly became hesitant.

"That kind of person? What kind of person? I, Kakuzu, have dominated the Ninja World for so many years. What do I rely on? I rely on the two words: integrity!"

He hadn't expected that he, the dignified Hunter Knight Sword, would be looked down upon by these country bumpkins. Kakuzu was instantly furious.

"Then may I ask, Sword-senpai, what is your wish after winning?"

Zhenzi bit her lip, a faint light flickering in her eyes. Looking at the enraged Kakuzu, she asked softly.

"Wish?"

The topic had turned a bit fast. Kakuzu didn't recover for a moment. After a brief moment of confusion, he replied with a faint look of bewilderment in his eyes.

"My wish is, probably... money?"

"If I can pay enough money, can Sword-senpai give the wish opportunity to me?"

"Huh?"

This statement left Kakuzu speechless. His oily green eyes landed on Zhenzi's face, which was full of pleading.

"The price to hire me is very expensive."

"No problem! As long as I can save my child, I am willing to pay any amount of money!"

Kakuzu's words were a disguised agreement to Zhenzi's request. She happily wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, her hands stroking her slightly protruding lower abdomen, her whole body radiating the glow of motherhood.

Children, huh...

Some things don't need to be explained in detail; smart people can guess the reason. Kakuzu happened to be that kind of person.

Without asking further, Kakuzu turned his head, his voice hoarse but reassuring.

"Let's go, time is running out."

As the last two knights stepped into the Land of Rain, Uchiha Gin, who was working hard to decorate the stage, looked up with a feeling.

"Finally all here. I thought the prison would abstain~"

Boom~

After installing the stone plaque engraved with "The First Knight Battle" at the entrance of the stage, Uchiha Gin, in his Rinnegan mode, patted his hands. Looking at the competition venue he had carefully arranged, he nodded with satisfaction.

This stage, which was a 1:10 replica of the Cell Games, was spacious enough to accommodate ten knights competing on the same stage.

"Have they arrived?"

Sensing a rapidly approaching aura not far away, Uchiha Gin, standing on the stage, narrowed his eyes, his blue-green pupils turning scarlet again.

With the appearance of the pyramid triangle pattern in one eye, the void above Uchiha Gin's head was torn open, and the driver incarnated by Kaguya Wangliang fell out.

Skillfully catching the driver, Uchiha Gin pressed it to his waist and shouted softly.

"Henshin!"

"Dong!"

Uchiha Madara, descending from the sky, landed steadily on a huge, abrupt island in the middle of an inland lake. His cold, scarlet eyes were immediately attracted by the familiar figure sitting on a square stone pillar protruding from the center of the island.

"Sashipuri~ I thought you wouldn't come to participate."

After special processing, the voice coming from under Uchiha Gin's mask had turned into a slightly teasing middle-aged male voice, the kind that sounded very punchable.

"Cut the crap. Can you cure illnesses?"

If it weren't for Hashirama Senju suddenly falling into a coma and being diagnosed with not much time left, Uchiha Madara wouldn't have come to participate in such a low-profile competition.

"Hehe, as long as there is still one breath left, I can save them."

Actually, Uchiha Gin was being a bit conservative, but fearing that Uchiha Madara would think he was bragging, he forcibly weakened himself.

"If you dare to lie to me, I will kill your whole family!"

Tsk! What's wrong with the cousin now? He talks about killing whole families at every turn. Doesn't he know the Ninja World is only this big? If you flip through the names of famous people, they might all be one family.

"Da!"

"Da! Da!..."

In the gap between Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Gin's exchange, several more figures landed on the stage. They first curiously looked at the spacious and tidy island in the lake, then looked at the blue-red knight sitting cross-legged on the square stone pillar with tense expressions.

Emperor Rider, the most mysterious among the knights and the creator of all Tailed Beast knights, was no different from a creator in their eyes.

Even the usually irritable Tailed Beasts became extremely well-behaved in front of Uchiha Gin, burying their heads in silence, fearing that this guy would set his sights on them.

"Sorry, we are late~"

Just as the atmosphere was a bit stiff, three late-arriving figures attracted everyone's attention. Kakuzu, wearing a cloak, landed first, followed by a pair of middle-aged men and women they were very unfamiliar with.

"I didn't expect that Hunter Knight Sword, as a lone wolf, would also find a helper. However..."

Hozuki Gengetsu, a natural chatterbox, couldn't hold back when he saw Kakuzu appear. He stood out and mocked him, his eyes falling on the plain-looking man and woman, his disdain visible to the naked eye.

"Hmph~"

Kakuzu didn't fear Hozuki Gengetsu. The two had met occasionally during missions and had clashed a few times, but because each had their own concerns, no winner was decided, so their relationship wasn't very good.

It should be said that Kakuzu didn't have a good relationship with any of the Tailed Beast knights present. After all, they were business competitors; it was impossible to greet each other with a smile.

"Clap~ Clap~ Clap~"

Just as Hozuki Gengetsu and Kakuzu were at daggers drawn, Uchiha Gin, sitting in the center, clapped his hands lightly and jumped off the stone pier. His magenta compound eyes revealed a faint deterrent force, instantly making both of them shut up.

"Since everyone is here, I will announce the competition rules."

All the knights held their breath and listened attentively.

"This Knight Battle, also known as the Desire Grand Prix, uses a battle royale mode. Teaming up is not encouraged, but not prohibited either. Everyone relies on their own ability."

Uchiha Gin knew that even if he stipulated individual battles, these knights would definitely team up privately, so he simply lifted the restrictions and let them form cliques. Anyway, under the temptation of the prize, the temporarily formed teams would eventually fall apart.

"How is one considered eliminated?"

Mu, who was more meticulous, raised his hand and asked.

"A knight is eliminated when they are forced to de-transform. Of course, if you are unfortunately killed, you can only blame your own bad luck~"

"Um, I'd like to ask, is the prize real?"

Silent Zhenzi, in the suspicious eyes of everyone, walked up to Uchiha Gin, bit her lip, and asked.

"Who exactly is that woman?"

She wasn't even a knight, yet she asked such a question. What was her background? The confused group turned their eyes to Kakuzu, who had come with her.

"Information fee: 35 million ryo."

"Get lost!"

Kakuzu's attitude was clearly that he didn't want to tell them and was playing with them. But the group actually wronged Kakuzu; he just wanted to take this opportunity to get back the bounty he had lost years ago.

"It's real~"

"Thank you!"

Zhenzi could feel the sincerity in Uchiha Gin's tone, and a smile appeared on her tense face once again. Uchiha Madara, who had been witnessing everything in silence, looked at her with a hint of playfulness.

This woman actually came too.

"Hmph~"

However, Uchiha Madara didn't fear this suddenly appearing hidden opponent. Possessing the strongest Tailed Beast, he was the true "SupasaiQ" rider.

On the water not far from the island, seven figures stood quietly, peeping at the situation on the island from afar.

"Kagami, can you see clearly?"

Tobirama Senju, with a somewhat pale face, stood in the middle of the team. There were several visible cracks on the chest of his blue armor. Although he had used the Flying Thunder God Technique to run away in time, he had still been injured by the Gin-Jin brothers' fist wind, and his internal organs were in extreme pain.

"Besides the Tailed Beast knights, there are a few ordinary people."

Uchiha Kagami, with red eyes, turned his head. He had just used the Sharingan's superb vision to scout the situation on the island, even counting how many bricks there were.

"Ordinary people? Teacher, does that mean we can go up too?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen raised his eyebrows in surprise upon hearing this. If ordinary people could participate, then Uchiha Madara, who had a seven-person logistics team, would surely win.

"Wait a little longer, watch the changes."

Facing his disciple's suggestion, Tobirama Senju was also a bit tempted. After all, they had strength in numbers. But thinking of those two muscular men with monstrous hatred, he felt he couldn't be too rash, so he ordered the group to wait in place.

"Excuse me, can we stay and help too?"

Seeing Uchiha Gin finish introducing the competition rules, Chiyo, who couldn't hold back, hurriedly raised her small hand, her beautiful eyes full of tension.

"Oh? If it's as cheerleaders, it's not impossible to stay."

Uchiha Gin turned his head and looked at his niece, whom he hadn't seen for several years. A faint smile rose at the corner of his mouth under the mask. It's been a few years, and the cleavage has become even deeper~

"That means we can!"

Chiyo's eyes lit up. Although her strength was slightly inferior to the knights, she had many puppets and could use human-sea tactics to win opportunities for Samon.

"You're overthinking it. There is a special viewing area over there, complete with snacks and drinks. Go over there and watch the show obediently~"

Facing his eager niece, Uchiha Gin waved one hand. Chiyo felt she was suddenly enveloped by an invisible force, and her body floated up involuntarily.

"Ahhh~"

Chiyo, who had never experienced this, danced in the air in surprise. Uchiha Gin wasn't polite and threw her directly onto the viewing area that had been prepared in advance.

"Dong!"

"Ouch~"

Holding her sore butt, Chiyo climbed up with a bitter face. Looking at her teacher alone not far away, she could only silently choose to continue helping by cheering.

"You love me~ I love you~"

"Mixue Bingcheng is sweet and sweet~"

"Huh?"

Before she could worry about Samon fighting alone, what Chiyo faced next was the choice of novel snacks.

"Uh... is it this expensive?"

Looking at the abrupt small cart in the viewing area, Chiyo's eyebrows twitched. The prices of the goods on this cart were really too excessive!

【Magic Tower Crispy Cone: 200 Ryo】

【Iced Lemonade: 600 Ryo】

【Taro Boba Milk Tea: 800 Ryo】

Facing Chiyo's soul-searching question, the white snowman pushing the cart revealed an honest smile.

"Fine~"

Facing such a cute big white snowman, Chiyo gritted her teeth, fished out a 1000-ryo banknote from her small purse, and handed it to the adorable Snow King reluctantly.

Hopefully, she could get reimbursed after going back.

"Give me a cup of lemonade and two crispy cones, thank you~"

The smiling Snow King took the money and pulled out a huge megaphone from behind. In Chiyo's puzzled eyes, it played a huge sound that could be heard by the whole audience.

"Congratulations to the young lady for fully paying for the first cup of lemonade of the summer!"

Huh? No wonder it sells so expensively~ (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 383 =====