"Tch! Such a petty white-haired brat."
Gin rolled his eyes at Tobirama's words.
"Hmph! I'd rather believe in the existence of ghosts than trust a single word from a Uchiha's rotten mouth!"
Tobirama narrowed his eyes, not even trying to hide the disdain on his face. His older brother had been fooled by the Uchiha's flowery lies, which led to his naive thinking in the first place.
"Alright, alright!"
Gin knew this guy wouldn't let them leave easily, so he turned to the people behind him and said,
"You guys go ahead. I'll stay behind to negotiate."
"No way!"
Surprisingly, the first to object was Mito, who was technically still his hostage. She looked up with bright eyes filled with anxiety and guilt.
"Gin! Should I just go kill all of them for you?"
Finally getting her moment to shine, Hikari looked eager for action. Ever since being released from her seal, she hadn't gotten the chance to beat up a Senju yet!
"Calm down, calm down. The world isn't all about killing—there's also diplomacy and favors."
Gin shook his head, rejecting her request for battle. Then, turning to Tobirama, who was still watching and waiting, he said with a cheeky tone,
"Oi, white-haired jailer over there, can I stay behind?"
"...Huh?"
Gin's actions puzzled Tobirama. In his mind, all Uchiha were conniving, untrustworthy rats. Yet this curly-haired Uchiha seemed willing to risk his life for some outsiders.
"You can stay. But prove you're not just a clone."
Cautious as always, Tobirama gave in after a short pause—but not without requesting proof that Gin was his real body.
"No wonder you're you~"
Gin understood Tobirama's caution. Without hesitation, he pulled out a kunai and stabbed himself.
Splurt!
Blood splashed.
"Ah!" x3
The three girls all gasped at once, then shot furious glares at Tobirama.
"???"
Tobirama felt a chill down his spine as he watched Gin stab himself.
"Is this good enough? Want me to stab again?"
Gin said calmly with a gentle smile, showing no concern for the kunai still gushing blood from his body.
Tobirama stared at him, analyzing him from top to bottom, finally letting his gaze settle on Gin's curly hair—so different from other Uchihas. There was a thoughtful gleam in his eyes.
Could it be… this curly-haired trait is somehow linked to personality?
In Tobirama's experience, the Uchiha with spiky or long black hair had all been terrible people. But this curly-haired one... this was only their second meeting, and both times had left an impression.
The first was six years ago, when he and his father ambushed Madara—this guy had taken a punch from the old man to protect his teammate. Everyone knew his father's strength; that was basically suicide.
This time, he "reluctantly" took Mito hostage, but hadn't used her as leverage.
And now, he volunteered to stay as a hostage to protect the Uzumaki, even stabbing himself to prove it.
Looking at the warmth in Gin's eyes despite the blood still dripping from his body, a strange seed unknowingly took root in Tobirama's mind.
"That's enough."
Tobirama's tone was a bit strange, and unknowingly, there was a slight change in how he looked at Gin.
"Alrighty~"
Gin smiled brightly. No need for a fight then. If he accidentally killed the white-haired brat, how would Kin and Gin get their revenge?
"Okay, you all head out."
"No! I'm not leaving you behind!"
Hikari looked anxious, but her eyes kept drifting to Mito in Gin's arms. It was clear she wasn't worried for Gin's safety—more that the red-haired bunhead would take the chance to seduce him.
"Gin-sama!"
Uchiha Chiri, who had been silent, looked genuinely worried. In her mind, Gin had a few tricks up his sleeve, but not many.
"Gin-sama!!" x2
Despite their short time together, Kin and Gin already saw Gin as a mentor. The Hagoromo clan did not raise cowards.
"Come on, trust me. This is nothing."
Seeing their concern warmed Gin's heart, but he smiled confidently and waved it off.
"You guys go ahead. I'll catch up. Did you forget what I pulled off earlier? None of these guys can even handle a single slap from me."
"Mm..."
Gin's antics had been so distracting, they'd forgotten about the majestic giant he summoned earlier. Thinking of that power eased their minds, and they waved goodbye.
"Gin~ Come quickly, I'll wait for you for dinner."
Hikari clung to Gin's arms, pressing her flat chest against him in a desperate attempt to charm him.
???
…Effect was minimal.
"Gin-sama, don't hang around this kind of woman too long."
Chiri thought maybe Gin and Mito were innocent, but still threw shade before leaving.
"Gin-sama, thank you!"
Kin and Gin were overwhelmed with gratitude. They'd repay this kindness once they grew stronger.
After saying their farewells, the group rushed to catch up with the Hagoromo survivors.
"You sure you don't want to bandage that?"
Before Gin could say anything, Tobirama surprisingly asked. The white-haired brat looked conflicted, his red eyes wavering.
"Nah, I've eaten too much beef lately. Letting some blood out helps cool down."
Gin was startled that Tobirama said something like that. Alarm bells rang—was this guy trying to poison the bandages?
"But you're losing way too much blood."
Tobirama gave him a strange look.
"Huh? Crap!"
Only now did Gin realize—he'd stabbed an artery. Blood was spraying in a perfect arc mid-air.
He quickly pulled out the kunai and pretended to use Shōsen Jutsu (Mystical Palm Technique) to heal, while secretly hoping his body didn't regenerate too fast before the blood hit the ground.
"Ooh~"
Seeing Gin use this uncommon medical ninjutsu, Tobirama raised an eyebrow.
"You know medical ninjutsu?"
"Just a little~"
Gin modestly replied as his wound closed up.
"In the Uchiha clan, are there many people with hair like yours?"
Just as things were quieting down, Tobirama broke the silence with a weird question.
"Not really. I haven't seen anyone else with this hairstyle."
Gin had met nearly every Uchiha in recent years, and none had curls like his.
Just as I thought.
Tobirama's eyes gleamed with realization.
"Gin-sama, how do you plan to get out of here?"
Mito, still resting in his arms, asked softly. She was enjoying the comfort, but concern lingered.
"Huh? Didn't we agree I could leave once the Hagoromo clan escaped?"
Gin was confused. Wasn't that the deal?
"Ugh, you actually believed that? That white-haired guy is the infamous Uchiha slayer. I've never heard of a Uchiha surviving after meeting him."
"Achoo!"
Tobirama's reputation took a hit.
"Damn, I forgot about that!"
Gin slapped his forehead. Remembering Tobirama's personality, staying behind did seem like a bad idea. Still, he decided to ask,
"Oi, white-haired jailer, the Hagoromo are probably out of Fire Country now. Can I leave?"
"Let go of that dumb girl, and you can go right now."
Unexpectedly, Tobirama didn't make things difficult. He had clearly developed a unique impression of curly-haired Uchihas.
"Eh?" x2
Gin and Mito exchanged glances, both clearly suspicious.
It's a trap!
The same thought popped into their heads.
"Hehe, kids and women are slower. I'll wait a bit longer."
Gin made up an excuse and continued holding onto Mito.
"Did this guy pull this move before?"
He leaned into Mito's ear and whispered.
"Ah~ never heard of it. Maybe it's a new trick."
The warm breath against her ear made the sensitive Mito nearly go limp.
"You really want to be clan head?"
Gin glanced at her smooth forehead. That signature diamond mark hadn't appeared yet—she hadn't reached her peak.
"I have a reason I must become clan leader."
Mito's eyes were filled with determination. That position would be hers, no matter what!
Seeing that, Gin reached into his system inventory and began searching.
"This? No, too violent."
He skipped over a massive golden blade etched with runes.
"This? Meh, I'm not low on chakra."
He tossed aside a mana-boosting charm.
"Ooh! This one'll work!"
Finally finding an item he'd never used, he recalled its effect—yes, this should help.
He handed the item discreetly to the slightly weakened red-haired girl in his arms.
"Mito, I think you'll be fine. With your strength, being clan head is a piece of cake!"
(End of Chapter)
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