Chapter 600: Uchiha Gin: I Have People Under Me, Two of Them!

"Hand seals? Grandpa Gin, what are you talking about?"

Jiraiya, sitting in the row in front of Uchiha Gin, heard the other muttering to himself and turned his head, asking in confusion.

"Nothing. Though, Grandpa here wants to give you a piece of advice: don't play with hand seals."

Gently shaking his head, Uchiha Gin fixed his gaze on Jiraiya's still-childish little face and warned him earnestly.

"Huh? Aren't ninjas supposed to use hand seals?"

A question from the young Roulette Dog.

"You deserve your lack of intelligence."

Uchiha Gin glared at Jiraiya, feeling as if iron could not be turned into steel.

Spin, spin, spin—do you think you're a Russian roulette wheel?

Do you even have any damage output to be spinning?

Recalling the miserable experience of being dominated by the Roulette Dog all night, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but feel his fists itching.

Thump!

"Ouch, what are you doing?"

"Doing your damn hand seals!"

"Why do you only hit me every time?"

Jiraiya, sporting a rising bump on his head, asked with tears in the corners of his eyes.

"You just feel better to beat up."

Sweeping his gaze over the group of shivering brats, Uchiha Gin, feeling refreshed, gave his answer with a straight face.

"Aren't you just bullying an honest person?"

"No seat~"

"Curly-haired baboon, stop bullying the kid for a second. What should we do now?"

Beside him, the worried Senju Itama tugged at Uchiha Gin's sleeve, at a loss. His own grandniece had destroyed the village's supreme treasure; the Senju clan probably couldn't pay for it even if they sold themselves.

"What to do? How would I know?"

"Don't you know how to make Tailed Beast cards?"

"Just because I can make them doesn't mean I have to fix them. I promised back then that I wouldn't provide after-sales service."

"Then what do we do?!"

Glancing at the anxious Senju Itama, Uchiha Gin shook his head slightly and spoke to reassure him.

"Don't worry, though. Tailed Beast cards aren't that easy to destroy."

The sealing jutsu he placed on the Tailed Beast cards wasn't just for show; never mind splitting it in two, even if it were torn into pieces, it could be restored.

Inside the exam hall, unlike the heated atmosphere from just a moment ago, the silence was now suffocating. Senju Hizama stood frozen in place, holding the Flying Thunder God kunai, staring at the Nine-Tails card she had split in two, her brain crashing on the spot.

"Oh ho, you're in big trouble now~" *2

Uzumaki Mito and Uchiha Hikari, each holding half a Nine-Tails card, raised their hands in perfect sync and pointed at the bewildered Senju Hizama.

"No, how is that possible? I only touched it lightly."

Regaining her senses, Senju Hizama threw away the weapon in her hand and began to quibble, her brilliant ruby-like eyes full of confusion.

Are Tailed Beast cards really that fragile?

"So many people are watching, don't even think about denying it."

Uchiha Hikari held up her half of the Nine-Tails card and said righteously; she had no affection at all for this spoiler who ruined her one-on-one.

"I... I have glue here."

Feeling the scorching gazes around her, Senju Hizama, known for her calmness, couldn't help but panic. She scrambled to fish a bottle of glue out of the ninja tool pouch on her back.

As a researcher, carrying a bottle of glue around is perfectly reasonable, right?

"."

"Are you an idiot?"

Selectively forgetting what she had said earlier, Uchiha Hikari was almost angered into laughter by Senju Hizama's actions.

"Damn it!"

Senju Hizama, who prided herself on being the smartest person in the ninja world, couldn't bear such humiliation—and the fact that the other party was an Uchiha made it even harder for her to accept.

"Wait a minute, you two. This card is strange."

Just as the two women were at daggers drawn, Uzumaki Mito, holding the other half of the Nine-Tails card, suddenly spoke up to stop their impending fight.

Looking at the complex incantations emerging on the surface of the half-card, her beautiful brown eyes held a trace of astonishment.

It's actually a trigger-type sealing jutsu. What an exquisite technique.

In the VIP viewing room, the F6 were still in a state of shock. Sarutobi Hiruzen, the first to recover, moved away from Danzo without a trace, stood up with wide, angry eyes, and said:

"Danzo, you've caused a huge disaster this time."

"Huh?"

"I told you long ago that the selection process had to be handled with the utmost caution. How are you going to answer to the elders and fellow villagers now?"

"Monkey, you..."

Watching his childhood friend cut ties with him at light speed, Danzo, who had just emerged from his shock, nearly fainted. He immediately raised a trembling finger.

"Hiruzen, now is not the time to shift the blame."

Uchiha Kagami stepped forward. Compared to infighting, he was more concerned with how to solve the problem; after all, the Nine-Tails card was destroyed in full view of everyone, and the news would soon spread throughout the entire ninja world.

Those with ulterior motives lurking in the shadows would definitely seize the opportunity, and Konoha would very likely be dragged into the flames of war.

Just then, the half-cards in the hands of Uzumaki Mito and the other girl erupted with waves of heat. Bright red Nine-Tails chakra overflowed like foam, and a violent aura instantly swept through the entire exam hall. The timid spectators had already begun to flee, and the scene fell into chaos.

"Hoo... Kagami is right. Danzo, I won't hold you responsible for now. Hurry up and contact the Sealing Squad; the Nine-Tails might be about to break free."

Glaring at the fuming but silent Danzo, Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a long sigh, his worry undisguised. Now that the Nine-Tails card was destroyed, the first thing that irritable beast, trapped for so many years, would do upon coming out was surely to seek revenge on Konoha.

Without Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, whether they could suppress the enraged Nine-Tails was a difficult problem right before his eyes.

"Hiruzen, Lord Izuna hasn't left the village yet. Why don't we..."

Looking at his solemn best friend, Kagami felt a stir in his heart and offered a suggestion.

"Wait a moment. If we can't solve it, it won't be too late to ask Lord Izuna to intervene."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face brightened at these words, but thinking of his current status, he gritted his teeth and refused.

"But there are so many villagers here. What if the Nine-Tails goes on a rampage?"

Uchiha Kagami frowned. He knew that Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to handle the current crisis himself due to his pride, but that shouldn't be a gamble with the lives and property of the villagers.

"Kagami, I am the Hokage."

Taking a fierce puff from the unlit pipe in his hand, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up with a heavy expression.

"Fine, Hiruzen. I hope this is the last time you act so willful."

Taking a deep look at the best friend who now felt like a stranger, Uchiha Kagami slowly closed his black eyes.

When he opened them again, a bewitching pattern never before seen by those present leaped into his eyes. The voice of Uchiha Kagami, having activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, carried a hint of coldness.

"I will be watching you the whole time."

"Kagami, you..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's hand holding the pipe paused, his widened eyes full of astonishment. Beside him, Danzo clenched his fists tightly, the envy hidden deep in his eyes not appearing fake.

"Hiruzen, Kagami, look!"

Suddenly, Akimichi Torifu's loud voice pulled the two men, who were stuck in a standoff, back to reality.

"What happened? Is the Nine-Tails out?"

Both men's expressions tightened at these words, and they hurried forward to check, only to be shocked beyond belief by the inconceivable scene unfolding in the hall.

They saw that the surface of the Nine-Tails card, which had just been cut in two by Senju Hizama, was flashing with an obscure light. Dense, complex incantations surged from the torn wound, pulling the violently overflowing chakra back into the card.

"That is... the Four Symbols Seal!"

Danzo widened his eyes in surprise. Although he hadn't studied sealing jutsu, it didn't prevent him from recognizing this bizarre technique.

"We're saved!"

The moment he saw the sealing jutsu, Danzo felt a sense of relief. Rather than delving into the origin of the sealing jutsu on the Tailed Beast card, he was more concerned with whether this crisis could be resolved.

After all, this directly affected his future career, and from Sarutobi Hiruzen's decisive cutting performance just now, it was clear that he was very likely to end up as the scapegoat.

"Wait! It's not over yet, the Nine-Tails card is starting to repair itself!"

Just as everyone was breathing a sigh of relief, the loud-voiced Akimichi Torifu called out again, his round face full of disbelief, looking as surprised as if he had seen a ghost.

"Huh?"

The few who had just sat down stood up on the spot and crowded to the window to peek. Sure enough, they saw the magical changes occurring to the Tailed Beast cards in the hands of Uzumaki Mito and Uchiha Hikari.

"Is this a blessing in disguise?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen, with a strange expression, turned to look at Danzo and said in an inexplicable tone.

"Danzo, your workload is going to increase again."

"Can I refuse?"

Looking at the two identical Nine-Tails cards, Danzo replied with a stiff expression.

"I am the Hokage."

"You will regret this!"

Inside the hall, Uchiha Hikari flipped through the self-repaired Nine-Tails card in her hand in confusion. When the Eight Trigrams Seal appeared just now, she had almost been scared into throwing it away.

Fortunately, she realized in time that the sealing jutsu only targeted Tailed Beast chakra, so she continued to hold onto her trophy with peace of mind.

"How is this possible? This isn't scientific!"

Having witnessed the entire process of the Tailed Beast card self-repairing, Senju Hizuma fell into deep self-doubt; as a ninja who championed science, she could not understand how one Nine-Tails had turned into two.

The source chakra of a Tailed Beast is a unique existence; even if one collects the chakra that leaks from a Tailed Beast, without the source chakra, it is impossible to cultivate it into a new Tailed Beast.

"Eight Four-Symbols Seals on each?"

On the other side, Uzumaki Mito, who was holding the brand-new Nine-Tails card to study it, fell into deep thought as she looked at the Tailed Beast card in her hand, which only had eight Four-Symbols Seals left.

Where did the remaining two go?

Inside the space of the Tailed Beast card, the Nine-Tails, which had clearly shrunk by a circle, looked at its own undamaged body in confusion.

"What's going on? Wasn't I split in two by the Death God?"

Just a moment ago, the Nine-Tails, locked by the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, had ultimately failed to escape the judgment of the Death God.

Like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, it had been hung on the Death God's cross and sliced cleanly in two by a sharp little knife; the bone-deep pain had nearly caused the Nine-Tails to disintegrate on the spot.

However, the vitality of a Tailed Beast is excessively tenacious; even if split in two, as long as the source chakra does not dissipate, it can still be repaired.

After checking itself over, the Nine-Tails discovered that its body was unharmed, and a look of smugness immediately appeared on its face.

"Hmph hmph~ This master has great fortune and a long life; how could a mere Death God—huh?"

It seems the Death God in the old man's stories isn't that powerful after all; its massive source chakra hasn't... why has it shrunk?

"Where did my chakra go?"

The Nine-Tails looked at its source chakra, which had shrunk by half, and fell into deep thought.

If it remembered correctly, a minute ago, there was a full, large mass here.

The same scene was also happening inside another Tailed Beast card; Nine-Tails No. 2, whose fur color was slightly different from the previous Nine-Tails, also looked at its own shrunken source chakra and fell into deep thought.

"Is this a ghost?" *2

It—no, now it was they—the two Nine-Tails seemed to have truly seen a ghost just now.

In the spectator stands, Senju Itama looked at the restored Nine-Tails card, and the worry in his heart was swept away.

Now the maternal family won't have to pay compensation, right?

"Curly-haired baboon!!! You were actually right!"

In her excitement, she gave Uchiha Gin, who was silent beside her, a hard pat, but she didn't get the response she imagined, so she blinked in confusion.

"Hey? What's wrong with you?"

Senju Itama leaned over and was surprised to find that Uchiha Gin's eyes were tightly shut; if not for the imperceptible breathing at his nose and mouth, the young girl would have thought the curly-haired one before her had passed away.

Reaching out to poke Uchiha Gin's arm, the young girl discovered that the other party seemed to have had his soul leave his body, as he had no reaction to anything in the outside world.

Seeing this situation, a flash of brilliance crossed the young girl's eyes, and her movements became bold.

"Honestly, sleeping everywhere, aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"

Humming with dissatisfaction, the tsundere Senju Itama very naturally placed Uchiha Gin's head onto her own plump, fleshy thighs, and incidentally stroked his fluffy curly hair.

It feels so good!

"Itama, what's wrong with Mr. Gin?"

Uchiha Jiri, who had been a step too slow, hated herself for her hesitation; she could only suppress the disappointment in her heart and asked, pretending to be nonchalant.

"I don't know, maybe he stayed up late last night and didn't rest well?"

Looking down at Uchiha Gin's sleeping profile, Senju Itama's small face turned slightly red; she pretended to be calm and shook her head, but her hands did not stop, and the already soft curly hair was fluffed up even more by her.

Seeing this scene, Uchiha Jiri could finally no longer suppress the restlessness in her heart; after struggling for a moment, she leaned over, her voice as low as a mosquito's.

"Itama, let me stroke it for a while later."

"No."

Sorry, Sister Jiri, this kind of opportunity is rare in a hundred years.

"I want to!"

Opportunities are never given by others; one must act when it is time to act.

Uchiha Gin, the person involved, did not know that his body was suffering the ravages of the two women's insubordination.

At this moment, he was standing in a strange space, surrounded by darkness.

"Where did this bring me? Is this still in the country?"

Uchiha Gin scratched his head in confusion; he had clearly been watching the Nine-Tails card undergo asexual reproduction and mitosis just a moment ago, so how did he end up in this strange, ghostly place in the blink of an eye?

"Ding—"

Suddenly, a pale yellow light lit up all around; Uchiha Gin subconsciously looked down to check, only to discover that what he was stepping on was not the ground, but a calm lake that could reflect his image.

"Long time no see, excellent descendant."

A strange yet familiar voice rang in Uchiha Gin's ears; he turned his head following the sound and saw an old man floating on the lake surface, who was squinting his pure white eyes and looking at him with full appreciation.

"So it's you, old man. Long time no see; were you satisfied with the roasted chicken I burned for you last time?"

Facing the long-unseen ancestor Hamura, Uchiha Gin immediately put away the vigilance in his heart and greeted him with a smile.

"Satisfied! But could you burn a few more next time? Don't look at me like that, it's not for me, it's for—"

"Ahem ahem ahem."

Bearing Uchiha Gin's teasing gaze, Otsutsuki Hamura had just wanted to explain, but before he could finish, he was interrupted by a strange coughing sound that suddenly rang out from the depths of the space.

Hearing this highly warning cough, Otsutsuki Hamura's expression tightened, and the topic was instantly pulled back to the right track.

"Ahem... hurry up and pay respects to your great-granduncle; if he hadn't dealt with the Death God for you, you brat would have already gone to report to the Underworld."