Chapter 570: Whose Robber Is So Hopeless?

"Oh my~ You've come too? Sit down and have a bite with us."

Looking at the few pretty figures before him, Uchiha Gin's sudden flare of anger instantly dissolved; he instead piled on a smile, beckoning them to take their seats and generously declaring that he would foot the bill.

"Don't be shy, eat your fill. My treat today~"

"Big Cousin, this banquet is being paid for by the clan."

Uchiha Izuna, standing to the side, couldn't help but whisper a reminder, only to be met with a cold glare from Uchiha Gin.

"You talk too much. There isn't enough room here; go to that table over there."

Pointing at the table where the children were sitting, Uchiha Gin ignored the other's protest and forcibly kicked him out of the group.

Forced by someone's tyrannical power, Uchiha Izuna, despite being the Deputy Clan Head, had no choice but to leave his seat in frustration to make room for the three women.

"Gin, how many times have I told you to watch your sugar intake? Why won't you listen?"

Once Uchiha Izuna had left, Uchiha Hikari sat down beside Uchiha Gin with a cold face, carrying the half-finished plate of eight-treasure rice, and slammed it onto the table with a clatter.

"Do you still think you're eighteen?"

"Didn't you keep praising me for being eighteen when we were in bed?"

Women are truly fickle; just last night, she said I was as vigorous as an eighteen-year-old.

"Ugh."

Uchiha Hikari was momentarily speechless at these words, and only after sensing two strange gazes did she coquettishly pat Uchiha Gin on the shoulder and say in a sweet, delicate voice,

"Lady Eimi and little Chiri are still here; what nonsense are you spouting?"

Uchiha Eimi, who had also taken a seat, revealed a knowing smile at these words. The corners of her mouth curled into a charming arc, and as she rested her chin on one hand, her slightly narrowed peach-blossom eyes were filled with teasing.

Uchiha Chiri, sitting beside her, felt a sour emotion rise in her heart. Watching the two acting so inseparable, the expression on her face couldn't help but dim a little.

But the young girl was sensitive and good at enduring; she quickly adjusted herself, her gaze shifting to Uchiha Izuna's somewhat weary back as she curiously asked,

"Mr. Gin, Lord Izuna seems to have something on his mind."

"Once a person loses their goal, it's very easy to fall into decadence."

Uchiha Gin wasn't blind to his little cousin's tortuous mental journey; he, too, had once had a target he wanted to deal with.

It was a pity that after so many years, that pitch-black fellow had never shown his face again, which left Uchiha Gin, who had developed his "divine gear" and was ready to wreak havoc, quite disappointed.

It was from that time on that he began a life of drowning his sorrows in sugar, eventually evolving into a little sugar-man.

Black Zetsu: If you want to eat, eat; don't dump every pot of filth on my head.

"Where is that fellow?"

Having said that, Uchiha Gin scanned the area but didn't spot a certain black-and-white figure, so he curiously asked Uchiha Hikari beside him.

"Her? She went where she was supposed to go."

Uchiha Hikari, who was picking up vegetables for Uchiha Gin, paused, her tone carrying a hint of inexplicable meaning.

"You couldn't possibly expect her to come and eat at this banquet, could you?"

"That's true."

Uchiha Gin nodded. If he really let Senju Itama come to eat at this banquet celebrating the grand funeral of Senju Tobirama, that would truly be too cruel and heartless.

But before Uchiha Gin could finish his lament, Uchiha Hikari held her chopsticks and flipped over a greasy pork knuckle on the table, as if remembering something.

"However, she said that although she couldn't make it to the banquet, she kept instructing me to remember to pack some for her. For example, this soy-braised pork knuckle—she specifically asked for a pair to be packed."

"..."

She isn't even afraid of it being too greasy.

Konoha Martyr's Cemetery.

The grand funeral had already ended, but the line of people waiting to offer flowers stretched out of sight, and the feeling of sorrow continued to grow and spread.

"Gurgle~"

At the end of the crowd, Senju Itama, wrapping her voluptuous body in a black cloak, frowned and rubbed her shriveled little belly, beginning to regret not finishing the banquet before coming.

As for her dead second brother,

Dead is dead; sadness can't fill a stomach.

Finally, after a long wait, it was Senju Itama's turn to offer flowers. Senju Toka, standing by the tombstone, recognized at a glance that the person who had arrived was her own younger sister. A sense of relief welled up in her heart, mixed with a trace of guilt.

Itama, Second Brother... no, she should be called Second Sister now.

Second Sister has failed you; I promised you so many things, but in the end, I didn't accomplish a single one.

On the other side, Senju Tohma also recognized Senju Itama and immediately stepped forward, gently patting her shoulder to show comfort.

"Please accept my condolences."

Senju Itama shook her head gently, her voice very soft, as if talking to herself.

After crouching down to place the white flower in her hand on the grave, Senju Itama cast her gaze toward the white-haired woman holding her second brother's portrait.

"So you are Senju Toka?"

She found the other person somewhat familiar, and after thinking about it, she recalled that the two of them had once crossed paths at a lingerie shop.

"..."

Senju Toka nodded without speaking. Senju Itama curiously sized up this cheap niece of hers and found that she was indeed her second brother's seed without a doubt.

Not to mention the same gloomy temperament, just looking at the eyebrows and eyes, one couldn't even say they were similar—they were exactly the same.

"Are you going to stay and sit for a while later?"

The observant Senju Tohma noticed that Senju Itama kept sizing up Senju Toka, so she whispered an invitation for them to gather after it was over, taking the opportunity to clear up their identities so they could communicate and look out for each other in the future.

Senju Toka, with her superior senses, naturally heard their conversation, and a strange emotion immediately filled her eyes.

She was currently considering whether she should tell her few remaining relatives the truth about her sex change.

"Uh..."

When Senju Itama heard her sister-in-law's invitation, she didn't agree immediately, instead showing a bit of hesitation.

"That..."

"Is there something important?"

"Sorry, I have to go home to eat soy-braised pork knuckle. Let's gather when I have time~"

"Snap!"

As soon as the words fell, a crisp sound of glass shattering rang in Senju Itama's ears. She turned her head in confusion, only to see that the portrait bearing her second brother's likeness was covered in dense spiderwebs.

And the culprit behind all this was none other than Senju Toka, who was holding the portrait. The young girl's fair, delicate hands had veins popping out, and her face was so gloomy it looked like it was about to drip water, leaving Senju Itama feeling completely baffled.

"Are you alright? If you're tired, take a rest."

"No, no, I'm fine."

Senju Toka almost ground her teeth to pieces. Looking at her worried younger sister, she took a deep breath and suppressed her endless rage into the depths of her heart.

I'm actually not as good as a soy-braised pork knuckle?

Don't let me find out whose house made it, or I'll poke holes in their pot!

"You must take care of your health. If I have time, I will pay a visit."

Seeing the line behind her getting longer and longer, Senju Itama didn't stay to delay the funeral. Carrying a longing for the soy-braised pork knuckle in her heart, she turned and left, not taking a single cloud with her.

The two ends of the village were filled with completely different atmospheres. While the Senju clan was still immersed in grief, the banquet on the Uchiha side had already dispersed. Uchiha Gin, full of food and drink, walked along with the three women.

"Mr. Gin, we shall take our leave here."

The group arrived at a fork in the road, chatting and laughing. Uchiha Chiri, lamenting that the journey was too short, politely bid farewell to her mentor.

"Little Chiri, be careful on your way."

Because his hands were full with two bags of packed food, Uchiha Gin had no choice but to nod in response.

"Goodbye, Senior Hikari."

"See you tomorrow~"

"Little Chiri, bye-bye~" ┏(＾0＾)┛

"Mother, tomor—"

Uchiha Chiri's voice stopped abruptly. A flash of red light flickered in her eyes, and a pair of cherry-pink hands reached out from thin air, grabbing Uchiha Eimi, who had mixed into Uchiha Gin's group at some point.

"Come back here!"

"No way!"

"Sorry, Mother has caused you trouble."

Bowing somewhat embarrassedly, Uchiha Chiri disappeared at the other end of the street with her indignant mother.

"Lady Eimi is still as energetic as ever."

Watching the charming back of the young matron thoughtfully, Uchiha Hikari suddenly turned her head and asked,

"Don't you think so, Gin?"

"Cough, cough, cough... Lady Eimi and I are just..."

"Alright, alright, I've heard this line so much I've developed calluses; my eyes aren't blind."

Rolling her eyes at Uchiha Gin, who was trying to muddle through, Uchiha Hikari interrupted his pale explanation.

"I'm using it tonight."

"You're the boss; whatever you say goes."

What else could Uchiha Gin do? He was just a heartless Ruyi Golden Cudgel.

When the two returned home, they were greeted by Senju Itama, who had been waiting for a long time. Seeing the delicacies Uchiha Gin was carrying, she immediately snatched them away.

"Yay! It's soy-braised pork knuckle!"

She couldn't wait to put the long-awaited delicacy on the dining table and began to wolf it down.

"Nom~ nom~"

"Mmm, delicious!"

"Eat slowly, don't choke yourself to death."

Watching Itama Senju's exaggerated way of eating, Uchiha Gin poked her puffed-out cheeks with a look of disdain.

"I'll bite you to death!"

Having her meal interrupted, Itama Senju turned her head to bite at the hand Uchiha Gin was using to tease her, but he dodged it nimbly; in her anger, she pouted and offered a blessing,

"I'll still be alive long after you're dead."

"If only that were true."

Uchiha Gin scratched his head, pondered the secret relationship between himself and the brat before him, and immediately took it as a heartfelt blessing.

"Inexplicable."

Looking Uchiha Gin up and down as he wore a face full of melancholy, Itama Senju wondered if he had taken the wrong medicine.

After clattering through two large pork knuckles, Itama Senju, who had appeared lighthearted until now, showed a look of gravity for the first time.

"Curly-haired baboon, who caused the death of Second Brother?"

After wiping the grease from the corners of her mouth, she turned to ask Uchiha Gin, who was lost in thought.

"Huh?"

Looking at Itama Senju, whose gravity was laced with killing intent, Uchiha Gin felt troubled and did not know how to answer.

Should he tell her that her second brother was actually faking his death, and his true form was the super-downgraded Hizhen Senju?

If he really said that, even if people didn't take him for a madman, this empty-headed idiot brat before him might treat him like a fool.

"Tobirama Senju was killed by the same group that captured your eldest brother."

After much deliberation, Uchiha Gin chose to tell the truth, blaming the death of Tobirama Senju entirely on Jigen.

A clone's life is still a life!

"Damn it!"

The young girl's fist, imbued with monstrous strength, slammed heavily onto the table, splitting the table made of Wood Release in two, which made Uchiha Gin's eyelids twitch as he watched.

How is this brat getting stronger and stronger?

"Don't be too sad; the dead cannot return to life. We must look forward and cherish those before us."

Worried that Itama Senju would be overcome with grief and affect her lifespan, Uchiha Gin immediately spoke up to comfort her, but was met with a strange look from her.

"What are you mumbling about?"

"Huh?"

"What I'm heartbroken about is my private stash; I lent it all to Second Brother before, and now it's truly a bad debt."

So that was why Itama Senju was so angry.

Wait!

Private stash!

"How much did you lend him?"

Uchiha Gin asked with a frown.

"I lent him all the money I've saved over these years, over thirty billion!"

This was all money Itama Senju had scraped together from her own pocket money, and now it had all gone down the drain; she couldn't exactly go and demand payment from a widow and orphan, could she?

"Thirty billion! You spendthrift woman!"

Although Uchiha Gin didn't like money, he only disliked the gold bricks that came too easily to him; such effortless wealth gave him not a shred of a sense of accomplishment.

Only rewards obtained through effort (scamming people) made him feel comfortable and at ease when using them.

"What else can I do? I can't make a daughter pay her father's debts, can I?"

Itama Senju spread her small hands; after all, she wasn't a demon, so she would just consider that money a contribution to the clan.

"Leave it to me; transfer the debt to me, and I will find a way."

But how could Uchiha Gin just let it go like this? No one should ever think of scamming even a single tael from his hands.

"Don't do anything reckless; they are a widow and orphan, and life isn't easy for them."

"Rest assured, I'm just going over to help them fetch water."

Uchiha Gin waved his hand, solemnly declaring that he was a decent person who could absolutely withstand the test.

However, Itama Senju's skeptical gaze did not cease, and Uchiha Gin's expression turned stern in annoyance.

"It seems you are quite good at saving money; from today on, your pocket money is halved."

"Ah? No way~"

Midnight.

The sorrow of the day's funeral lingered into the late night; the cold evening breeze swept through the somewhat desolate Senju clan grounds, making the doorplate of 002 Dongdajie rattle loudly.

Suddenly, three figures flashed out of the darkness. After confirming the door number was correct, they exchanged glances, and one tall, thin figure waved a hand; the three of them flashed into the courtyard.

"Eh? So late, and people are still visiting?"

Just after the three disappeared, Uchiha Gin appeared at the corner of the wall, full of curiosity. He had originally come to collect the debt, only to see from afar that others had beaten him to it.

"Ah?"

"Ah~"

"Ah!!!"

Before he could guess the identities of the few, he heard three distinct screams from inside the courtyard: one of confusion, one of secret pleasure, and the last one, which sounded somewhat familiar, filled with terror.

Uchiha Gin's expression immediately froze. Could it be that someone was desperate enough to break in and rob the white-haired one?

Oh no, the criminals are in danger!

Bang, bang, bang—

"Open the door, I'm the police!" (End of chapter)