Chapter 422: The Senju Clan, perished!

"Don't stare at me like that, you're making me nervous."

Being stared at intensely by the glowing eyes of Uchiha Gin and Senju Itama, Uchiha Madara, who was just about to perform Wood Release, subconsciously shrank his neck.

"Fine, fine, fine, we won't look at you, just hurry up."

Uchiha Gin grabbed the curious black-and-white head beside him and, despite Senju Itama's extremely reluctant expression, forcibly twisted it to the side.

"It's just Wood Release, it's not like you've never seen it before, why are you craning your neck like that~"

"Hoo."

With one less field of vision focused on him, Uchiha Madara's nervous mood eased slightly. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and pressed his hands together, guiding that warm power within his body to emerge.

Accompanied by the familiar green glow of Uchiha Gin, a sprout containing dense life force slowly grew from Uchiha Madara's palm.

"How about it, Big Cousin, is this Wood Release?"

Holding up the small sapling, Uchiha Madara showed off his newly awakened ability to Uchiha Gin with a smug face. This was the first time he had exposed this technique in front of others.

"Uh."

After confirming it was indeed Wood Release, Uchiha Gin's gaze suddenly became strange.

"Let me see too!"

Senju Itama finally broke free from Uchiha Gin's mischievous hand and looked excitedly at the sprout in Uchiha Madara's palm. Her beautiful eyes were filled with shock, and her heart was full of an inexplicable sense of absurdity.

"How is this possible!"

Wood Release, as the exclusive secret technique of Senju Hashirama, hadn't even been awakened by her, his own younger sister. How could it appear in the completely unrelated Uchiha clan?

"Why is it impossible?"

In order to prove the value of his Wood Release to Senju Itama, Uchiha Madara refined his chakra again, converting it into the power of Wood Release. His entire body was instantly enveloped in a green glow, and fresh, vibrant sprouts immediately grew from various parts of his body.

"Isn't this a Kekkei Genkai that only the Senju clan can awaken?"

Senju Itama's small face fell, and she spoke up to refute him with great indignation. But halfway through her sentence, her gaze involuntarily fell on Uchiha Gin, who was picking his nose to the side, and her voice gradually grew quieter.

That's right, there were three people present: two Uchihas and one Senju.

So, may I ask,

who is the true Wood Release family?

Looking down at her own fair, tender hands, Senju Itama felt as if she were mourning her parents. Among everyone present, she was the only Senju who couldn't use the Senju clan's Wood Release.

"Alright, alright, stop showing off."

Patting Senju Itama, who had fallen into an emo state, Uchiha Gin turned his head to look at his Big Cousin, who had begun to turn into a vegetable, and shook his head helplessly.

"How long have you been awakened?"

"Uh, last week."

Uchiha Madara, who had stopped growing, replied after thinking for a moment.

"Last week?"

Uchiha Gin was stunned upon hearing this.

"You kid really are a genius. You've learned to skillfully use the power of Wood Release in just one week~"

Logically speaking, when suddenly awakening Wood Release, without the guidance of someone experienced, the awakener needs a long time to learn how to use this power.

It can only be said that he is worthy of being Uchiha Madara, to be able to learn it without a teacher.

"Hehe... it's nothing really~"

Rarely hearing praise from Uchiha Gin, Uchiha Madara revealed a faint smile on his face, and then explained why he could skillfully use the power of Wood Release.

"I don't have that kind of ability, I have to thank Haxi Lama."

"I used the excuse of the village collecting forbidden techniques to have Haxi Lama write a Wood Release secret manual, recording all his Wood Release secret techniques in it."

"Ha?"

Looking at his smug Big Cousin, Uchiha Gin almost spat out the tea in his mouth. Wiping away the water stains from the corner of his mouth, his expression was very complex.

"Sigh... I don't remember raising you to be such an adult."

To obtain a Wood Release manual, he actually deceived his best friend. He would rather not have such a younger brother.

"I had no choice either. After awakening Wood Release last week, I came to find you the first chance I got."

Uchiha Madara's expression fell. On the night he awakened, he had once come to knock on Uchiha Gin's door, wanting to share this earth-shattering secret with his good Big Brother. As a result, he didn't even see the other person's shadow before being kicked dozens of meters away.

"Ah? Did I? Why don't I know about that?"

As if hearing this news for the first time, Uchiha Gin blinked in confusion.

"I was the one who kicked him. Who told this kid to come at the wrong time."

Suddenly, a lazy female voice sounded above everyone's heads. Uchiha Guang, sleepy-eyed, leaned on the second-floor railing, her tone filled with faint indignation.

Kicking him was light; the fact that he dared to disturb her and A-Gin's intimate time—not locking Uchiha Madara directly into Tsukuyomi to enjoy extreme humiliation—was only because she considered him a younger brother.

"Cough, cough, cough... let's just let this matter pass."

Uchiha Gin's expression tightened, and he coughed a few times, waving his hand to brush the matter aside.

"It's just a mere Wood Release, is there any need to be so secretive about it?"

Uchiha Guang walked down the stairs gracefully and sat down naturally beside Uchiha Gin. Looking up and down at Uchiha Madara, who had transformed into a little green man, she wrinkled her small, delicate nose in disdain.

In her eyes, no Wood Human or Arhat could compare to a single strand of Susanoo. As for the so-called strongest field card, Deep Forest Emergence, it was nothing more than a single Amaterasu for her.

"Xiao Guang, don't dampen Big Cousin's enthusiasm. He finally managed to pull off some fancy tricks. It's almost New Year's, just let him be happy for a while."

Facing Uchiha Guang's undisguised disdain, Uchiha Gin had to step in to smooth things over.

"I'm doing this for his own good. Instead of spending time researching this, he'd be better off training his eyes."

Xiao Guang shook her head disapprovingly. Starting from her identity as a sister-in-law, she offered some pertinent suggestions to her brother-in-law.

"Eyes... I almost forgot about that. Big Cousin, after you awakened Wood Release, did you have any discomfort in your eyes?"

If Uchiha Guang hadn't reminded him, Uchiha Gin would have almost forgotten about the Rinnegan. Now that Uchiha Madara had awakened Wood Release, it meant he already possessed the power of all things in nature. Wouldn't his eyes soon welcome a brand-new version of an upgrade?

"Discomfort? Not only is there no discomfort, but my state is surprisingly good."

Uchiha Madara shook his head. After awakening Wood Release, he had also worried about whether his other abilities would be affected. However, the feedback from his Sharingan made him feel much more at ease.

Facing the Wood Release energy with maxed-out Yang Release attributes, the Sharingan not only didn't reject it, but became increasingly stable. Two completely different energies were slowly reaching a certain balance within his body.

Uchiha Madara had a premonition that once these two energies completely reached a balance, his strength would definitely rise to another level.

Sure enough, it still needed the precipitation of time.

With his super-strong perception sweeping over Uchiha Madara's body, Uchiha Gin nodded noncommittally.

He could clearly perceive that the Wood Release power that had just awakened in his Big Cousin's body was growing at a speed visible to the naked eye, but compared to the spiritual power of the Sharingan, it was still somewhat lacking.

If there were a progress bar, Uchiha Madara's current Rinnegan progress was probably only around five percent.

"You kid, shouldn't you be very busy lately?"

Uchiha Gin suddenly remembered that in a while, it would be the Konoha election. How did Uchiha Madara, this designated Second Hokage, have time to research Wood Release? Shouldn't he be focusing entirely on his career?

"Hi, Big Cousin, whenever this is mentioned, I get a belly full of fire."

Uchiha Madara, whose expression had been quite relaxed, suddenly became extremely foul-smelling.

"That white-haired guy said the election is imminent and told me to avoid suspicion, so I haven't participated in the village's major or minor affairs for a long time."

Some time ago, Uchiha Madara, as the Hokage's assistant, was preparing to start checking the accounts since the village was founded, but he was pushed aside by Senju Tobirama with various excuses, and in the end, he was even forcibly given a long vacation.

"Hehe."

Uchiha Gin smiled without saying a word. How could he not know the little schemes in Senju Tobirama's heart? Recently, that white-haired guy probably hasn't been able to sleep.

"Big Cousin, then I'll go back and continue training. Please take care of Haxi Lama's matter."

Having chatted about what needed to be chatted about, Uchiha Madara stood up to take his leave. Uchiha Gin waved his hand, signaling him to rest assured.

"Regarding the physical problems of Hashirama in the dungeon, I will think of a way. If there is any news, I will definitely notify you the first chance I get."

After Uchiha Madara left, Senju Itama, who was tidying up the tea set, suddenly spoke up.

"Curly-haired baboon, can Big Brother's body really recover as before?"

She knew Uchiha Gin's ability. If Senju Hashirama could recover, he would have recovered long ago, and it wouldn't have dragged on until now.

"I have an idea, but I don't know if it will work."

Uchiha Gin nodded in response, but he didn't have much confidence in his heart. After all, he didn't know where to get something like Asura's chakra, so he could only consider other substitutes first.

Like Tailed Beast chakra or something.

"If there's anything I can help with, just say the word."

With excited light flashing in her beautiful eyes, Senju Itama took a step forward, her hot, delicate body almost pressed against Uchiha Gin, looking at him with eyes like torches.

"Too close."

Before the ambiguous atmosphere could rise, Uchiha Guang's cold voice sounded first.

Feeling the chill coming from behind, Uchiha Gin's expression straightened, and he forcibly pushed away the Q-bouncy body pressed against him.

"Little brat, you're not like you used to be, mind your manners."

Senju Itama was no longer that little flat-chested girl. No matter how much she pressed against him before, Uchiha Gin wouldn't have any improper thoughts. Unlike the 36D she had now, he simply couldn't handle it; a slight carelessness and he would make a mistake.

"Hmph~"

Senju Itama pouted, glared fiercely at Uchiha Guang, and left with the tea set.

"Playing tricks in front of me, you're not good enough yet!"

Looking with disdain at the swaying figure of Senju Itama, a flash of envy crossed Uchiha Hikari's eyes, but remembering her own status, her face was filled with smugness.

"I'm going out for a while, don't bother making my lunch."

The situation in the village was a bit complicated now. Since he was idle anyway, Uchiha Gin prepared to take the opportunity to bottom-fish. After telling the two women in the house, he went out swaying.

When he walked to a quiet place, Uchiha Gin closed his eyes and expanded his perception. He quickly locked onto his Flying Thunder God mark, and with a flash of golden light, his entire person disappeared from the spot.

Land of Waves.

The current Daimyo of the Land of Waves, Uchiha Tajima, who was nearly eighty years old, was still working diligently.

"Whoosh~"

A barely perceptible golden light shone in the main hall. Uchiha Tajima looked up with a feeling. Seeing that it was the familiar glow, the scarlet that had just lit up in his eyes quietly faded.

"Old Uncle, I'm wishing you an early Happy New Year, may you live to be a hundred~"

Uchiha Gin, who was in Konoha a moment ago, was now standing in the Land of Waves, thousands of miles away. He bowed to Uchiha Tajima, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, and reached out his hand with a fawning face.

"Give me the red envelope!"

Uchiha Tajima shook his head in annoyance and took a red envelope out of the drawer and threw it over. Uchiha Gin caught it, opened the red envelope in front of his Old Uncle, and began counting the money happily.

"Old Uncle is generous~"

Although this money wasn't much in Uchiha Gin's eyes, he was very happy as long as the sentiment was there.

"Is there something you need?"

"Isn't it just that I missed you~"

"Stop it. The number of times you've come to the Land of Waves over the years doesn't even compare to a fraction of your trips to the Land of Whirlpools."

Unmercifully exposing Uchiha Gin's true face, Uchiha Tajima curled his lips in disdain.

"Cough, cough, cough... wasn't that to inspect the work? With you here in the Land of Waves, Old Uncle, I am naturally one hundred thousand percent at ease."

Uchiha Gin's face flushed slightly, and he coughed a few times to cover up his embarrassment.

"Hehe, inspecting work in the boudoir of the Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools?"

"Oh my~ Old Uncle, I have serious business to discuss with you this time, regarding the Senju clan."

Seeing that the matter was exposed, Uchiha Gin hurriedly changed the subject. When Uchiha Tajima heard the word "Senju," his attention was instantly attracted.

"Speak quickly."

"The Senju clan, perished!"

"Ha?"

Amidst Uchiha Tajima's confused expression, Uchiha Gin recounted the changes currently happening to the Senju clan from beginning to end.

"You mean, the second son of Butsuma is selling off the Senju clan's assets at a low price to fill the investment hole from back then?"

Uchiha Tajima's face revealed a strange expression. He still had a good evaluation of Senju Tobirama. Although he was the son of a mortal enemy, he had some ability, and his brain was much stronger than that kid Izuna's.

Who would have thought that he would actually flip his car over such a matter and drag the entire clan into the water.

"That's right, Old Uncle, now is the perfect opportunity to bottom-fish. As long as we take down the Senju's assets, won't Konoha be under our control from now on~"

Uchiha Gin rubbed his hands like a fly, looking like a dog-headed military advisor.

"Won't there be a trap?"

Uchiha Tajima, who had always been cautious and suspicious, was a bit uneasy. He worried that this was a trick by the Senju clan, just to ferret out the lawless elements coveting Konoha.

"It's fine, you can find a few wealthy merchants from the Land of Waves to go and purchase them, or just register a shell company."

Regarding Uchiha Tajima's worry, Uchiha Gin expressed his understanding, but the current situation was indeed as he thought.

Senju Tobirama had stumbled badly on the economic issue. If he didn't solve it, he was destined to be nailed to Konoha's pillar of shame, stinking for ten thousand years.

"Good, I'll arrange it right away."

"Good, then I'll go notify the other partners~"

Seeing Uchiha Tajima nod, Uchiha Gin didn't intend to stay for a second. He raised his finger and disappeared from the spot.

"This brat..."

Uchiha Tajima, who knew where Uchiha Gin was going, shook his head lightly, but there was no blame on his face; instead, it was full of thick teasing.

Through perception, he found the landmark of the Land of Whirlpools. As soon as Uchiha Gin landed, he felt a burst of fragrant wind. Before he could speak, his mouth was blocked by two pieces of softness, and he couldn't speak a word, mumbling.

"Ah? Mmm-mmm-mmm."

The next moment, his coat, which had been in service for two and a half days, turned into fragments filling the sky. Uchiha Gin's tiger eyes were filled with tears, and like a weak duckweed in the rain, he was mercilessly pressed down by an unstoppable giant force.

"You owe seven times this month."

Hearing the familiar whisper, Uchiha Gin only felt a deep chill pouring down from his forehead.

"Heroine, please show mercy!"

【404 words omitted here~】

"Strawberry flavor is not bad, but remember to bring apple flavor next time."

After a tense and exciting sparring session, Uzumaki Mito, with a rosy complexion, leaned against the pillow, contentedly tasting the spoils of war harvested from Uchiha Gin.

A lollipop exuding a sweet scent.

And beside her, Uchiha Gin, who had turned into a dried-up human, raised his head tremblingly. There was not a trace of desire in his gray eyes, only a longing for survival.

"Mi-Mito, did you ask for two more times just now?"

"Oh? You were actually counting?"

Uzumaki Mito lowered her beautiful eyes, her pretty face full of awkwardness. Reaching out to stroke Uchiha Gin's curly hair, the smile at the corner of her mouth could no longer be suppressed.

"You seem quite energetic, shall we go a few more times?"

"Aba~ Aba~"

Hearing this, Uchiha Gin immediately started playing dumb. In front of such things, men are always the weaker group.

Before long, relying on his own robust physique, Uchiha Gin recovered quite a bit of energy and spirit, then stood up holding his waist.

Seeing this, Uzumaki Mito entangled herself again, her snow-white lotus-root arms tightly encircling Uchiha Gin's body, her full little mouth pouting, saying quite aggrievedly,

"You haven't come to see me lately!"

"Don't talk nonsense, I clearly just came last week!"

"That was three days ago! I don't want to leave you for even a moment~"

Uzumaki Mito, who was pressing against Uchiha Gin, had a cunning light flashing in her half-squinted eyes.

She knew clearly that compared to that Uchiha Guang, she lacked the advantage of being on home turf, so she could only win by frequency.

"Be good, I came this time because I have good news to tell you."

"Daijoubu, as long as you, A-Gin, still remember me, that is good news for me."

Her fair, tender fingers drew circles on Uchiha Gin's chest. Uzumaki Mito's expression was extremely well-behaved, completely different from the terrifying appearance just now.

"I'm not joking, it's serious business."

Uchiha Gin shook his head and recounted the changes in the Senju clan again. The more Uzumaki Mito listened, the brighter her eyes became. She was just worrying about not having a chance to enter Uchiha Gin's home turf; wasn't this just like a sleepy person meeting a pillow?

"Leave it to me!"

Uzumaki Mito immediately patted her chest to guarantee it, and after finishing, she burrowed into Uchiha Gin's arms, greedily absorbing his body temperature.

"Then I'll leave it to you."

Reaching out to touch Uzumaki Mito's soft red hair, Uchiha Gin's eyes were full of tenderness.

"When everything is done, I will definitely come to marry you."

"Mm."

Uzumaki Mito, who was nestled in Uchiha Gin's arms like a little cat, trembled slightly upon hearing this, and then gave a low "mm" like a mosquito.

In the following period, Konoha suddenly had a group of mysterious people. They wantonly purchased the fields and properties sold by the Senju clan, catching some of the great families watching the wind direction off guard.

"Sasuke, do you think these people are shills?"

The former Ninja Clan Alliance began to secretly hold small meetings again. Led by Sarutobi Sasuke, several people sat around in a secret room. Shimura Kenichi, who was broad and fat, spoke first, his greasy face full of suspicion.

"A bit like it, but not sure."

Compared to the lean Sarutobi Sasuke of his youth, he was now frowning deeply. After thinking for a while, he turned his gaze to the pineapple-head beside him. For this kind of brain-work, it was better to leave it to the Nara clan.

"I don't think so, because there's no need."

Feeling Sarutobi Sasuke's gaze, the middle-aged man of the Nara clan shook his head.

"The handling fee for listing for sale is not low. Going back and forth like this, the Senju clan will lose quite a bit. If it were just to ferret out those with ulterior motives, there would be no need for such a big fuss."

"Then why did the Senju clan suddenly sell off their ancestral property? It can't be really like the rumors say, because the First Hokage is a gambler and owes a huge gambling debt outside, so he had to sell fields and land to make up for it."

The only woman present spoke slowly, her blue-green eyes full of confusion.

Yamanaka Minako, in her fifties, had lost the style of her youth, but she was still quite charming. It was estimated that she would be very popular with certain "old lady" enthusiasts.

"Clan Leader, are we really not participating in this?"

In the low-key and luxurious Hyuga residence, Hyuga Xiang Tianyao, who had already taken office as the Hyuga Clan Leader, faced the inquiry from his subordinate. He opened his pure white eyes expressionlessly, and a faint pressure dissipated. The subordinate who spoke immediately broke into a cold sweat.

"It is this subordinate who spoke too much, please punish me, Clan Leader."

"Does the Uchiha have any movements?"

Hyuga Xiang Tianyao didn't pay attention to the subordinate who was nodding like a garlic-pounding pestle, and instead asked the others present.

"Reporting to the Clan Leader, the Uchiha clan has no unusual movements, nor have they sent anyone to purchase the Senju ancestral property."

"Since that's the case, whether it's true or false, we won't participate in this matter."

Regarding the Senju clan's sudden sale of ancestral property, there were two voices in Konoha.

One of them was that the Hokage and the village secretary were using assets as bait to conduct a wave of fishing law enforcement, just to test whether the ninja clans were loyal.

The above point of view was something the ninja clans made up in their heads during their small meetings.

The second was the debt theory circulating in the streets.

According to an unknown person, the Konoha First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, once threw money around in the Land of Fire to participate in dice-throwing activities, but because his luck was too bad, he owed a gambling debt that could be called terrifying.

For the sake of the Clan Leader's reputation, the Senju clan tearfully sold off their ancestral property, just to preserve the First Hokage's lifelong reputation.

However, compared to the second, less reliable gossip, most people believed more in the first conspiracy theory, so the ninja clans with the strength to buy chose to wait and see.

As a result, this inaction caused the assets sold by the Senju clan to depreciate more and more, which instead benefited the relatives from the Land of Waves and the Land of Whirlpools later on.

Looking at the high-quality and inexpensive real estate, the two parties waved their hands and divided the Senju's ancestral property into two. Everyone was all about making money in harmony.

"Thump!"

In the Hokage's office, Senju Tobirama, with a ferocious face, looked at the sales list in his hand, his heart dripping with blood.

"It's much less than I expected."

Senju Tobirama was also puzzled. He had clearly spread the gossip about his Big Brother owing money. How could those wealthy ninja clans still hold back? Unless someone was making trouble in the middle.

"I know! It must be the Uchiha!" (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 423 =====