Chapter 404

"Despicable white-hair!"

The Gin-Kin brothers looked up at the massive fireworks exploding in the sky, and their anger flared instantly; if this signal flare brought Uchiha Madara over, they wouldn't even be able to fight properly.

"Do you have any shame left? Where is your dignity as a powerhouse?"

Veins bulged on Kinkaku's forehead as he looked at the smug-faced Senju Tobirama, his teeth grinding together with a creaking sound.

"Idiot."

Senju Tobirama, holding the Hard Vortex Water Blade, curled his lip, though the solemnity in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

Although he had already fired the distress signal, he could not afford to let his guard down; whether nearby reinforcements could arrive in time remained an unknown, and for now, he still had to rely on himself.

"Tsk."

His stealthily dispersed sensory perception was interfered with once again, and Senju Tobirama gave a soft click of his tongue, his gaze subtly scanning the surrounding environment, only to find that the terrain here was extremely unfavorable for him.

Dry air, a claustrophobic canyon, pursuers behind, and a cliff in front—it was practically a death trap tailored specifically for him.

"Senju Tobirama! Do you know how many years our brothers have waited for this day!?"

Enemies meeting face-to-face are especially prone to jealousy; Kinkaku recalled the inhumane slaughter of the Hagoromo clan by the Senju clan back then, and the rage in his heart was instantly ignited, his massive ox-like eyes nearly spitting fire.

"My father and my clansmen all died at the hands of you two brothers. Now that it has come to this, do you have even a shred of remorse?"

"A ninja is a profession that walks on the edge of a blade. The day I picked up a kunai, I had already cast life and death aside. Besides—"

Facing Kinkaku's interrogation, Senju Tobirama shook his head expressionlessly, the realization of having looked past life and death showing in his eyes, his gaze slowly falling upon the gnashing Gin-Kin brothers.

"—didn't my father also die under the siege of your Hagoromo clan?"

"Uh—"

Upon hearing Senju Tobirama state the cause of his father's death in an extremely calm tone, the Gin-Kin brothers' expressions stiffened, and the scene instantly fell into a cold silence.

"When will the cycle of vengeance end? Why don't we shake hands and make peace? A strong alliance between Konoha and Kumogakure would surely unify the Ninja World."

Seeing the Gin-Kin brothers influenced by his words and sensing an opportunity, Senju Tobirama immediately used his most proficient art of "painting a big cake," intending to make these two seemingly not-so-bright muscleheads lower their guard against him.

"Big brother..."

Ginkaku raised his head from the silence, looking at Kinkaku, who was frowning in thought, and spoke with a conflicted expression.

"I think what this white-hair says makes some sense. Why don't we turn swords into plowshares and together..."

Kinkaku relaxed his tightly furrowed brows, his expression becoming much softer, and he nodded at his younger brother with a complex look in his eyes, though a smile of unknown meaning flashed across the corner of his mouth.

"That sounds great~"

Senju Tobirama revealed a rare look of goodwill and nodded in agreement with a smile, though he felt incomparably disdainful in his heart.

Hmph, two straw-brained brutes, aren't they being spun around by my few words? Once they lower their guard, that will be the moment their brothers meet their end.

"Together... attack!"

Just as Senju Tobirama was waiting for the Gin-Kin brothers to shake hands and make peace with him, the two, who had originally dispersed their killing intent, suddenly erupted with dazzling lightning.

The two brothers transformed into two streaks of lightning, reaching Senju Tobirama in the blink of an eye, their hand-blades carrying violent lightning as they slashed straight toward his white head.

The event happened too suddenly; even though Senju Tobirama had been prepared, he could not dodge in time and had to raise the short sword in his hand, taking the brothers' fan-like hands head-on.

"Clang!"

The collision between flesh palms and the short sword made of chakra metal actually produced the sound of clashing swords.

The terrifying force caused Senju Tobirama's hands to sink, and he secretly cried out that it was bad. In the flash of an eye, he chose to twist his body, unloading the irresistible giant force to the side.

"Snap!"

The brothers' hand-blades followed the direction of the short sword and slashed straight into the rock beside Senju Tobirama, instantly turning the hard rock into powder.

"Hoo~ hoo~ hoo~"

Taking the opportunity to distance himself from the two brothers, Senju Tobirama looked at his trembling hands, his expression gradually turning gloomy.

"Are you playing me?"

The Gin-Kin brothers had not been bewitched by his words at all; the reason they pretended to be hesitant was merely to make him lower his guard.

"Wasn't it you who played us first?"

Kinkaku, wrapped in Lightning Release chakra, spoke with a sinister grin, the mockery in his eyes plain to see.

"Ninjas must be prepared to kill and be killed. Those who live are destined to carry the will of those who have died."

Hearing this, Senju Tobirama suddenly realized that the Gin-Kin brothers were not as crude as they appeared on the surface.

Frowning, Senju Tobirama calculated the time since he fired the signal flare; logically, his teammates should be arriving soon.

"Damn it, why haven't they come yet?"

"Big brother, don't let him continue to stall for time. Do it!"

Ginkaku, on the side, rubbed his hands together, a cruel smile appearing on his face. Under Senju Tobirama's solemn gaze, he took out a gray driver from the back behind him.

"I originally wanted to play a little longer, but since it's like this, let's send him on his way~"

Kinkaku shook his head with regret and similarly pulled a driver from behind him.

"Henshin!" *2

The two brothers transformed in sync, and accompanied by a flash of brilliant light, the silver-blue Wild Tiger and the purple Water Buffalo Knight appeared on the scene once again.

One held a buzzing chainsaw, the other extended sharp, chilling claws, and they walked toward Senju Tobirama with steps full of oppressive force.

Feeling the terrifying aura emanating from the two knights, Senju Tobirama's heart sank to the bottom. If he were to fight one of them alone, he could still manage with his endless array of methods.

But facing two knights at once, and a Gin-Kin brother combination with such tacit cooperation, he didn't know if he could hold out.

"That guy Uchiha Madara, what exactly is he doing?"

Gritting his teeth, Senju Tobirama raised his short sword with his left hand and began forming seals with his right hand in front of his chest. The dry air suddenly became moist, and a ferocious dragon head condensed behind him, letting out bursts of roars.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"

Sitting and waiting for death was not Senju Tobirama's character; let him test the depth of the Tailed Beast Knights!

"Crackle!"

The F6, who were traveling through the heavy rain, were led by Uchiha Madara toward the border of the Land of Fire. Suddenly, a familiar signal flare lit up in the distance to the side, and everyone stopped their steps, pausing to identify it.

"Hiruzen, that is the distress signal of a Konoha ninja."

Mitokado Homura pushed up his glasses and quickly judged whose hand the signal came from.

"Lord Shadow Assistant, are we going?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen, who worked in the Anbu, also identified the source of the signal flare, but he was not the leader of this squad, so he immediately asked Uchiha Madara in front.

"What a bother."

Uchiha Madara, who was in a hurry to return to see his best friend, expressed great impatience with this sudden situation. His gaze looked toward the thick smoke that had not yet dispersed in the distance, his brows slightly furrowed, but they soon relaxed again.

Recalling those two Gin-Kin muscleheads who were eyeing them like tigers, Uchiha Madara understood instantly.

At this point, besides that bastard Senju Tobirama, who else could possibly fire a signal flare?

"You guys go ahead to support. Such a small scene doesn't require me to take action."

After thinking for a moment, Uchiha Madara directly sent the eager F6. It wouldn't be good not to go in this situation, so it was better to send a few people to make a gesture, lest he be criticized.

"Yes!"

The F6 received the mission and immediately perked up. They were all hot-blooded youths in their prime, and having just witnessed the tense and exciting knight battle, it would be a lie to say their hands weren't itching.

"Kagami, wait a moment."

Just as they had packed their equipment and were ready to set off, Uchiha Madara suddenly called out to Uchiha Kagami, who was about to leave. Under the other's puzzled gaze, he handed over a card emitting a faint blue light.

"Ah~ Clan Leader, what is this?"

Taking the card with a puzzled face, Uchiha Kagami shivered from the cold touch of the card.

"Susanoo Card."

His gaze falling on the towering Tengu giant on the card, Uchiha Madara spoke indifferently.

"Huh?"

Uchiha Kagami widened his eyes in confusion, looking completely clueless.

"This card is condensed from my Susanoo power. It can save your life at a critical moment."

This card that Uchiha Madara gave to Uchiha Kagami was something he had rubbed out through the driver after transforming. After loading, it could summon Susanoo heavy armor.

It was just that he had a stronger belt, which saved him the process of swiping the card, so this card became a decoration, usually left in the card box to gather dust.

"Uh... how do I use this?"

Excitingly flipping through the card in his hand, Uchiha Kagami naturally couldn't put down this new toy, but without a driver, he didn't know how to use the power of this card.

"I am the master of Susanoo's power; naturally, I will authorize it for you. Just keep it on your person."

As he spoke, Uchiha Madara raised his hand and tapped lightly on the Susanoo card. Following the sound of an electronic tone—

"Authorization successful."

Cool energy swept across his fingertips, and Uchiha Kagami widened his eyes in surprise. He found that he suddenly had a feeling of blood connection with the card in his hand.

"That's it. Can you feel it?"

Uchiha Madara, having finished the authorization, nodded with satisfaction.

Unlike cards like the Tailed Beast cards that had self-awareness, the Susanoo card Uchiha Madara gave to Uchiha Kagami only contained pure Susanoo power. As the master of this power, he could designate the user.

"Thank you, Clan Leader."

Having obtained a life-saving prop, Uchiha Kagami was moved beyond words. Just as he was about to kowtow to Uchiha Madara, he was stopped by the other's quick-handed intervention.

"Don't call me Clan Leader in private anymore. Speaking of which, you can be considered my cousin."

A rare softness appeared on his stern face. Uchiha Madara looked at Uchiha Kagami's fluffy curly hair, and his voice carried a bit of warmth.

Uchiha Gin had usually instructed him to take good care of his nephew Uchiha Kagami. Although he didn't say it, he had always kept this matter in his heart and would help out at critical moments.

"Thank you... Cousin~"

Since Uchiha Madara had said so, it would be impolite for Uchiha Kagami to continue being distant, so he immediately changed his address.

"Alright, go. Be careful."

The few people in the distance had been waiting for a long time, so Uchiha Madara stopped exchanging pleasantries with Uchiha Kagami.

"Yes!"

"Kagami, what did the Shadow Assistant tell you?"

The F6 ran together on the rugged mountain road. Sarutobi Hiruzen had a belly full of curiosity, and in the end, he couldn't hold back and asked out loud.

"Nothing, Cousin... Clan Leader just gave me a small task."

Facing his classmates' curious gazes, Uchiha Kagami hesitated for a moment and did not mention the Susanoo card.

After all, no one knew if their journey would be dangerous; what if it was just a simple rescue mission?

"Is that so..."

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned slightly. He always felt that Uchiha Kagami was not telling the truth, but he didn't probe further. After all, that was the family business of their Uchiha clan, and it wouldn't be appropriate for them to ask, or it would be a bit abrupt.

"You guys say, who exactly is firing the distress signal?"

Utatane Koharu, who was in the center of the team, suddenly spoke. From her solemn expression, it was not hard to see that the young girl already had a guess in her heart.

"Hoo~ I just hope it's not the teacher."

Mitokado Homura beside her let out a turbid breath, his eyes hidden under his lenses filled with deep worry.

"No matter who it is, as long as they are from Konoha, we cannot abandon them."

Danzo, who was trailing at the back of the team, shook his head with a firm look in his eyes.

"Do you guys want to eat some snacks? I have some snacks I just bought from the Snow King~"

Just as the atmosphere of the team became solemn, Akimichi Torifu, holding several bags of snacks, spoke up and broke this damn silence.

"Uh... give me a bag of fries~"

"Give me the melon seeds!"

The few people looked at each other, and the heaviness from just a moment ago was swept away. They reached out without hesitation and divided up Akimichi Torifu's snacks.

"Leave me a bag!"

"Thud!"

Senju Tobirama, wearing blue armor, knelt on one knee in a sorry state, his scarlet eyes revealing exhaustion. The short sword in his hand had long since broken into two pieces and was discarded casually to the side.

"Plop~"

"You guy, you should really go to the Hidden Mist Village; you're even better at 'watering' than the Mizukage."

Stepping on the accumulated water that covered their ankles, the Gin-Kin brothers looked at the ground that had changed from dry sand and stone to a swamp of accumulated water, and couldn't help but click their tongues in secret.

This white-hair's Water Release attainments absolutely crushed that little mustache from the Hidden Mist Village.

"Hoo~ hoo~"

Senju Tobirama, panting heavily, looked at the faint scratches on the two's armor, and a sense of despair couldn't help but arise in his heart. His sword skills, which he was so proud of, couldn't even break the defense of these two guys.

"Since it's like this, then..."

If sword skills couldn't break it, then he would use his strongest attack move. Senju Tobirama quickly formed seals, and rich water-attribute chakra condensed in his mouth.

As his cheeks puffed up high, the Gin-Kin brothers standing not far from him smiled in disdain.

"Water Release again? Don't waste your effort. Our defense can even withstand a single piercing hand... uh?"

They had already taken quite a few Water Release attacks head-on, and it couldn't hurt them in the slightest, but soon, they felt a hint of something bad from the Water Release Senju Tobirama was brewing.

It was too late for the Gin-Kin brothers to dodge. A small water pillar containing terrifying destructive power had already erupted from Senju Tobirama's mouth, cutting toward the two at a speed invisible to the naked eye.

【Water Release: Water Severing Wave】

"Whoosh~"

The Water Severing Wave, which could easily cut through diamond, swept across. The Gin-Kin brothers hurriedly reached out to protect their vital points. The erupting water pillar cut into their armor, making a harsh cracking sound.

"Crack~ crack~"

The knight's indestructible armor actually began to develop cracks under the baptism of the Water Severing Wave. Seeing this, Senju Tobirama immediately increased the power.

The sharp water blade soon cut through the heavy knight armor, and a dazzling spray of blood erupted from the two's waists.

"Ah!"

The Gin-Kin brothers let out a painful cry, a ruthless look flashing in their eyes. Kinkaku endured the pain and threw the chainsaw in his hand. The saw blade, carrying a roaring sound, rotated at high speed, and it looked like it was about to land on Senju Tobirama's head.

"Swish!"

To dodge this fatal blow, Senju Tobirama had no choice but to dodge the chainsaw. The Water Severing Wave in his mouth naturally stalled. After landing not far away, he looked at the Gin-Kin brothers clutching their waists, his eyes full of disappointment.

Give him a few more seconds, and he could have cut these two guys in half at the waist.

"Cough, cough, cough... as expected of the legendary man who signed a contract with the ocean. Water Release is indeed not to be underestimated."

Wiping away the blood seeping from his faceplate, there was no longer any contempt in Kinkaku's eyes. It turned out that Senju Tobirama had just thrown a bunch of fancy Water Release attacks just to pave the way for this killer move.

Just as they were speaking, bright red chakra spread from the wounds on their waists. In just a few breaths, the bleeding wounds had recovered as before, and the damaged armor was also repairing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Knights are indeed troublesome."

Witnessing the terrifying recovery power of the two, Senju Tobirama's brows locked tightly.

Before the Knight Battle began, he had never looked squarely at the emerging profession of Knight. The only thing that could make him pay a little attention was the Tailed Beast sealed within them.

But after a Knight Battle, he suddenly developed a great interest in the Knight system. Coupled with his personal experience now, especially after the flesh-to-flesh combat, his impression became even deeper.

Small workshops really do use fierce materials; the Knight system is simply a work far beyond its era.

"This move should be your last trump card, right?"

The Gin-Kin brothers, recovered as before, revealed a fierce look. The way they looked at Senju Tobirama was like looking at a shivering little lamb.

"Hmph~ guess."

Senju Tobirama was not stupid enough to spill his bottom line to the enemy. After a cold snort of bravado, the exhaustion in his eyes grew thicker. His means were running out, and if reinforcements couldn't arrive, he might really lose his life here.

"Stop, don't act rashly yet. Kagami, I'm counting on you."

Just a short distance from Senju Tobirama and the Gin-Kin brothers, six figures landed quietly. Sarutobi Hiruzen, acting as the temporary captain, signaled for the others to mask their aura, and then nodded toward Uchiha Kagami behind him.

"Leave it to me."

Uchiha Kagami directly activated his Sharingan, and the six tomoe emitting mysterious auras rotated slowly, taking in the situation on the field at a glance.

"Bad, it's the teacher. He is being besieged by the Gin-Kin brothers of the Hidden Cloud Village."

Uchiha Kagami's face changed drastically, and he immediately relayed the scene he saw to the few people present. Hearing this, everyone's hearts sank, and their expressions became extremely ugly.

The few of them had already witnessed the power of the Two-Tails Knight and the Eight-Tails Knight not long ago. If they were to go up, they probably wouldn't be enough to fill the gaps in the two brothers' teeth.

"It's actually the Gin-Kin brothers. Kagami, you go notify the Shadow Assistant, we'll go stall for time."

The situation was extremely critical. Sarutobi Hiruzen made a prompt decision and arranged the tactics in just five seconds. Everyone had no objections and began to organize their bottom-of-the-box ninja tools to make a desperate fight.

"No! How can I abandon you!"

Uchiha Kagami shook his head. Having experienced Uchiha Gin's ideological and moral education since childhood, he simply couldn't do the act of abandoning his teammates and running away.

"This is an order! Even with you, we can't win."

Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was counting explosive tags, frowned, but looking at Uchiha Kagami's resolute expression, he couldn't help but feel incomparably relieved in his heart.

"The situation is urgent now; it's too late to find the Clan Leader."

In Uchiha Kagami's field of vision, Senju Tobirama had already been forced into a desperate situation by the Gin-Kin brothers, and it looked like he was about to suffer extreme humiliation.

"Uh... then at least we have to arrange a tactic."

Sarutobi Hiruzen gritted his teeth; fighting without a plan is a taboo for soldiers.

"Wait, Koharu will poison the air first. We'll act after taking the antidote. Torifu and Danzo will go attract aggro, Hiruzen and Homura will harass from a distance, and Koharu will take the opportunity to heal the teacher."

Without waiting for Sarutobi Hiruzen to think about tactics, Uchiha Kagami poured out a set of simple and unadorned tactics like beans from a jar, arranging everyone clearly.

"And you?"

After listening, everyone's eyes fell on Uchiha Kagami in unison.

"Me? I'll go steal their butts~"

"Hehehe, white-hair, don't struggle anymore. Just obediently accept our humiliation~"

Forcing the exhausted Senju Tobirama into a dead end, the Gin-Kin brothers licked their lips, their eyes revealing a light of unknown meaning, making people involuntarily clench their butt cheeks.

"A scholar can be killed but not humiliated!"

Senju Tobirama, sighing that his life was over, quietly reached into the ninja tool bag behind him with one hand, pinching the few remaining explosive tags, a ruthless look flashing in his eyes.

For now, the only move he had left was the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, but this technique had huge power, and as the caster, he would very likely be drawn into the explosion and perish with the enemy.

"It's a pity that the move paired with the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags technique hasn't been fully developed yet."

Taking a deep breath, Senju Tobirama's eyes became incomparably firm. Looking back on his life, he had witnessed the changes in the Ninja World over these decades.

But if there was one biggest regret, it might be not seeing his younger sister get married.

Itama, if that curly-hair dares to bully you, just go to your second brother's grave and say something, and see if I don't clean him up~

"What do you want to do?"

Seeing Senju Tobirama take out a few plain-looking explosive tags, the Gin-Kin brothers stopped their approach and asked with puzzled faces.

"I invite you to watch some fireworks."

"Fireworks? You're actually a pretty good guy."

Senju Tobirama forced himself to stand up and flicked the explosive tags in his hand. Before they landed on the Gin-Kin brothers, he began to form seals.

"Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags... cough, cough, cough!"

As a result, when he formed the last seal, he was forcibly interrupted by some irresistible force.

Senju Tobirama puzzledly refined the chakra in his body, only to find that the speed of its flow in his meridians was like a turtle crawling.

"No way, you guys are too cautious, right? Poisoning even in a sure-win situation?" (End of chapter)