Chapter 404: Saving Private Bai Mao

"Despicable Bai Mao!"

The Gin-Kin brothers looked up at the huge fireworks exploding in the sky, instantly furious. If this signal flare brought Uchiha Madara over, they wouldn't have a chance to fight.

"Do you still have any shame? Where is your dignity as a strong person?"

Blue veins bulged on Kin Kaku's forehead. Looking at the smug Senju Tobirama, he gritted his teeth.

"Idiot."

Senju Tobirama, holding the Hard Whirlpool Water Blade, curled his lips, but the solemnity in his eyes did not diminish by half.

Although he had fired the distress signal, he couldn't relax his vigilance. Whether the nearby support could arrive in time was still an unknown. For now, he had to rely on himself.

"Tsk."

The perception he had secretly dispersed was interfered with again. Senju Tobirama clicked his tongue and looked at the surrounding environment obscurely, only to find that the terrain here was extremely unfavorable to him.

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

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

Enemies are especially jealous when they meet. Kin Kaku recalled the inhumane slaughter of the Hagoromo clan by the Senju clan back then, and the anger in his heart was instantly ignited. His large bull eyes were 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?"

"Being a ninja is a profession that walks on the edge of a blade. The day I picked up a kunai, I put life and death out of my mind. Besides..."

Facing Kin Kaku's questioning, Senju Tobirama shook his head expressionlessly. The realization of looking past life and death showed in his eyes, and his gaze slowly fell upon the gnashing Gin-Kin brothers.

"... didn't my father also die in the siege by your Hagoromo clan?"

"Uh..."

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 dead silence.

"When will the cycle of vengeance end? Why don't we shake hands and make peace? Konoha and Cloud Village joining forces will surely unify the Ninja World."

Seeing the Gin-Kin brothers influenced by his words, Senju Tobirama, seeing a chance, immediately used his most proficient "painting a big pie" technique, intending to make these two muscle-heads, who didn't seem very smart, relax their vigilance.

"Big Brother..."

Gin Kaku raised his head from the silence, looking at Kin Kaku, who was frowning and thinking, and spoke with a conflicted expression.

"I think what this Bai Mao said makes some sense. Why don't we turn hostility into friendship and together..."

Kin Kaku loosened his furrowed brows, his expression becoming much softer. He nodded at his younger brother with a complex look in his eyes, but a smile of unknown meaning flashed across the corner of his mouth.

"That sounds great~"

Senju Tobirama showed rare kindness, nodding in agreement with a smile, but in his heart, he was incredibly disdainful.

Hmph~ two blockheaded brutes, still being played around by my few words. Once they relax their vigilance, it will be the time for their brothers to perish.

"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 dissipated their murderous intent, suddenly erupted with dazzling lightning.

The two brothers turned into two bolts of lightning and killed their way to Senju Tobirama in the blink of an eye. Their hand blades, carrying violent lightning, slashed straight down toward his white head.

Things happened too suddenly. Even though Senju Tobirama had been on guard, he couldn't dodge in time and had to raise the short sword in his hand, taking the two brothers' fan-like palms head-on.

"Clang!"

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

The terrifying force made Senju Tobirama's hands sink, and he secretly called out "not good." In a flash of lightning, he chose to twist his body, unloading the irresistible giant force to the side.

"Slap!"

The two 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.

"Phew~ phew~ phew~"

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

"Are you playing with me?"

The Gin-Kin brothers hadn't been bewitched by his words at all; the reason they pretended to hesitate was just to make him relax his vigilance.

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

Kin Kaku, wrapped in Lightning Style chakra, sneered, the mockery in his eyes clear at a glance.

"A ninja 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 he had fired the signal flare. By all rights, his teammates should be arriving soon.

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

"Big Brother, don't let him keep stalling for time, do it!"

Gin Kaku, on the side, rubbed his hands, 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~"

Kin Kaku shook his head with regret and similarly took out a driver from behind him.

"Henshin!" *2

The two brothers transformed in sync. Accompanied by a flash of light, the silver-blue wild tiger and the purple water buffalo knight appeared again.

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

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 handle it with his endless means.

But facing two knights at once, and a combination of the Gin-Kin brothers who cooperated very tacitly, he didn't know if he could hold out.

"What on earth is that guy Uchiha Madara doing?"

Gritting his teeth, Senju Tobirama raised his left hand with the short sword and began to form 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 Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"

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

"Crackle!"

The F6, who were traveling in the heavy rain, were rushing toward the border of the Land of Fire under Uchiha Madara's leadership. Suddenly, a familiar signal flare lit up in the distance to the side. Everyone stopped and stood still to identify it.

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

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

"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 team, so he asked Uchiha Madara in front.

"What a bother."

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

Recalling the two Gin-Kin muscle-heads who were eyeing them covetously, Uchiha Madara understood in his heart.

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

"You guys go support him. This kind of small scene doesn't need me to take action."

After thinking about it, Uchiha Madara directly sent the eager F6. It wouldn't be good not to go in this situation, so he might as well send a few people to make a gesture, so as not to give others a handle.

"Yes!"

The F6 received the mission and immediately straightened 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 were packing their equipment and preparing to set off, Uchiha Madara suddenly called out to Uchiha Kagami, who was about to leave. Under the other party's puzzled gaze, he handed over a card exuding a faint blue glow.

"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."

Looking at the towering Tengu giant on the card, Uchiha Madara said faintly.

"Huh?"

Uchiha Kagami stared with wide, confused eyes, looking completely clueless.

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

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

It was just that having a stronger belt 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?"

Flipping through the card in his hand excitedly, Uchiha Kagami naturally loved 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 power; I will naturally authorize it for you. Just keep it on your person."

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

"Authorization successful."

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

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

After the authorization was completed, Uchiha Madara nodded with satisfaction.

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

"Thank you, Clan Leader."

Having received a life-saving item, Uchiha Kagami was so moved he was about to kowtow to Uchiha Madara, but was stopped by the other party with quick eyes and hands.

"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 hint 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 changed his address.

"Alright, go, be careful."

The few people not far away had been waiting for a long time, so Uchiha Madara didn't continue to exchange 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 it back and asked.

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

Facing his classmates' curious gazes, Uchiha Kagami hesitated and didn't mention the Susanoo card.

After all, no one knew if their journey would be dangerous; it might just be a simple rescue mission.

"Is that so..."

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

"Who do you think is firing the distress signal?"

Koharu Utatane, who was in the middle of the team, suddenly spoke. From her solemn expression, it wasn't hard to see that the girl already had a guess in her heart.

"Phew~ I just hope it isn't Master."

Mitokado Homura beside her exhaled a breath of turbid air, his eyes hidden behind his lenses filled with deep worry.

"No matter who it is, as long as it's someone from Konoha, we cannot abandon them."

Danzo, trailing at the very back of the team, shook his head with a firm gaze.

"Do you guys want 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, breaking the damn silence.

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

"Give me the sunflower seeds!"

The few people exchanged glances, the heaviness just now swept away, and they reached out without hesitation, dividing up Akimichi Torifu's snacks.

"Leave me a bag!"

"Thump!"

Senju Tobirama, wearing blue armor, knelt on one knee in a pathetic state. His scarlet eyes were filled with exhaustion, and the short sword in his hand had long since broken into two pieces, discarded casually to the side.

"Plop~"

"You guy, you really should go to the Hidden Mist Village; you can 'water' even more than the Mizukage."

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

This Bai Mao's Water Style attainments absolutely blew the mustache guy from the Hidden Mist Village out of the water.

"Phew~ phew~"

Senju Tobirama, gasping for breath, looked at the faint scratches on the other 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 bulged high, the Gin-Kin brothers standing not far away sneered disdainfully.

"Water Style again? Don't waste your effort. Our defense can even withstand a One-Finger Piercing... uh?"

They had already taken quite a few Water Style attacks just now, and it couldn't hurt them at all. But soon, they felt a hint of something bad from the Water Style Senju Tobirama was brewing.

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

【Water Style: Water Severing Wave】

"Swish~"

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

"Crackle~ crackle~"

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 stream of blood spurted out from the two's waists.

"Ah!"

The Gin-Kin brothers let out a painful cry, a ruthless look flashing in their eyes. Kin Kaku endured the pain and threw the chainsaw in his hand. The saw teeth, accompanied by a roar, rotated rapidly, and it looked like it was about to land on Senju Tobirama's head.

"Swish!"

To dodge this fatal blow, Senju Tobirama had to dodge the chainsaw. The Water Severing Wave in his mouth naturally stopped. 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 man who legendarily signed a contract with the ocean, Water Style is indeed not to be underestimated."

Wiping away the blood seeping from his face mask, there was no more contempt in Kin Kaku's eyes. It turned out that Senju Tobirama had thrown a bunch of flashy Water Style attacks just to pave the way for this killing move.

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

"Knights, they really are troublesome."

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

Before the Knight Battle started, he had never looked at the emerging profession of Knight squarely. The only things that could make him pay a little attention were the Tailed Beasts sealed within them.

But after a Knight Battle, he suddenly developed a great interest in the Knight system. Plus, after experiencing it personally now, especially after flesh-to-flesh combat, his impression became even deeper.

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

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

The recovered Gin-Kin brothers revealed murderous intent, looking at Senju Tobirama as if looking at a shivering little lamb.

"Hmph~ guess."

Senju Tobirama wasn't stupid enough to spill his bottom line to the enemy. After snorting in a bluffing manner, the exhaustion in his eyes became even heavier. His means were running out; if support didn't arrive, he might really lose his life here.

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

Not far from Senju Tobirama and the Gin-Kin brothers, six figures landed quietly. Sarutobi Hiruzen, acting as the temporary captain, signaled for the others to cover their aura, then nodded at Uchiha Kagami behind him.

"Leave it to me."

Uchiha Kagami directly activated his Sharingan. Six tomoe exuding mysterious aura rotated slowly, taking in the situation on the field at a glance.

"Not good, it's Master. 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 heart sank, and their complexions became extremely ugly.

The power of the Two-Tails Knight and the Eight-Tails Knight was something they had seen with their own eyes not long ago. If they went up, they probably wouldn't be enough to fill the gaps between the two brothers' teeth.

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

The situation was extremely critical. Sarutobi Hiruzen made a prompt decision and arranged the tactics in just five seconds. The others had no objections and began to sort out their hidden ninja tools, preparing for a desperate fight.

"No! How can I abandon you!"

Uchiha Kagami shook his head. Having experienced Uchiha Gin's ideological and moral education since he was a child, 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 felt incomparably comforted 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 should arrange a tactic."

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

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

Before Sarutobi Hiruzen could think of a tactic, Uchiha Kagami poured out a set of simple and unadorned tactics, arranging everyone clearly.

"And you?"

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

"Me? I'm going to sneak up on their butts~"

"Heh heh heh... Bai Mao, stop struggling, obediently accept our humiliation~"

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

"A gentleman can be killed but not humiliated!"

Senju Tobirama, sighing that his life was over, quietly reached into the ninja tool pouch behind him. Gripping the few remaining explosive tags, a ruthless look flashed in his eyes.

For now, he only had the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags technique left. But the power of this technique was huge, and as the caster, he would likely be drawn into the explosion, ending up perishing with the enemy.

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

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

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

Itama, if that curly-haired guy 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, their faces full of doubt.

"Please watch a fireworks show."

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

Senju Tobirama stood up with effort. He threw the explosive tags in his hand, and 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 abruptly interrupted by some irresistible force.

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

"No, you guys are too cautious, right? Using poison even in a winning game?" (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 405 =====