With Uchiha Gin joining the banquet, what had been a tense and almost table-flipping affair quickly turned lively and relaxed. The guests momentarily let go of their grudges, raising their cups and laughing in a rare scene of harmony.
"Gin-aniki!"
"Hashirama-kōdai~!"
Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Gin acted like long-lost brothers finally reunited. As they drank and clinked glasses, the two, now slightly tipsy, nearly performed a brotherhood ceremony under the moonlight—if not for Izuna and Tobirama dragging them apart just in time to prevent Konoha from being accidentally founded on the spot.
"Has your cousin… always been like this?"
Supporting a clearly unsteady Hashirama, Tobirama asked his longtime rival with slightly teary eyes and a deep frown of contemplation.
"Uhh… hard to say it, but yeah. He's always been like that."
Izuna, who was also holding up a completely drunk Gin, answered with some helplessness in his voice. Gazing at the Senju brothers, he seemed to finally piece together why his cousin had behaved this way tonight.
"Madara~ come drink!"
"Hashirama, you're already drunk."
Since Gin's arrival, Madara had remained calm and composed. He said little and sipped quietly, occasionally glancing at the swaying Hashirama before letting out a sigh.
"It's getting late. You should go consummate your marriage."
Looking up at the white moon, Tobirama turned to the blushing bride Tōka and said,
"Umm… alright."
Surrounded by the crowd's teasing eyes, Tōka lowered her head shyly. Among all the Senju men, Hashirama was undoubtedly the most popular—handsome, sunny, and strong. Every girl had once crushed on him, and now that fate had chosen her, how could she possibly resist?
Tobirama handed off the wobbly Hashirama to Tōka, and the two slowly walked off together. Once they were gone, Tobirama turned to the three remaining Uchiha at the table, eyes glowing red with cold intensity.
"Once this banquet ends, we're enemies again."
"Hmph! Of course! I'm still gonna beat you until you're picking up your teeth!"
Izuna, cheeks flushed from wine, shouted back at his nemesis with his usual arrogant flair.
"And you, Uchiha Gin—thanks for the wedding gift, but my blade won't hesitate because of that. You better stay off the battlefield and focus on your little prison job."
Gin didn't even glance at Izuna. His gaze locked onto Tobirama's fluffy white hair, brow furrowed with thought, and he slowly spoke—
His tone, however, was no longer as hard-edged as before.
Huh… I must be drunk. Did I just hallucinate a "Favorability +1" pop-up over that annoying white-haired guy's head?
Without another word, Tobirama formed a hand sign, and his body dissolved into golden light, vanishing from their sight.
"Tch… showoff. Just learned a getaway jutsu and he's already flexing it."
Izuna grumbled, biting his lip. "Flying Thunder God, huh… I want it so bad~"
Gin, staring at the spot where Tobirama vanished, was practically drooling.
After the banquet, the three Uchiha brothers flashed back to their camp, each slightly drunk. They found their tents and slept until the next morning.
As the sun rose, two figures approached Gin's tent. Izuna barged right in without hesitation.
"Cousin, I'm coming in~!"
"Ugh, can you not yell? Five more minutes, please…"
Jolted from his sweet dream about training with Lady Eimi, Gin opened his dead-fish eyes with a groan, glaring at his hyper little cousin.
"Huh? Battle could break out any minute. The camp's not safe. We're here to escort you out."
Izuna yanked Gin up without a hint of mercy and explained.
"Sigh… so intense, huh~"
Resigned, Gin got dressed and followed Izuna outside. Madara was already waiting.
"Cousin, do you plan to stay here for a while and return during the ceasefire, or should we send you back now?"
"Crap, crap, crap—!"
Just as Gin was about to respond, he looked up at the rising sun and panicked.
"What's wrong?"
The two brothers were caught off guard. Last night, Gin had been living his best life. Now he looked like he was facing doomsday.
"I told Hikari and the others I'd be back by yesterday! That was the final deadline! I'm toast—completely toast!"
Gin tugged at his curls in distress. He knew just how stubborn Hikari was—she took promises very seriously!
"Oh, that? Don't worry, I sent a messenger back last night."
Thankfully, Madara had taken care of it. Even in his exhausted state, he remembered to report Gin's status back to the clan.
"Big cousin, what would I do without you~"
Gin's relief was palpable. Smiling again, he slapped Madara's shoulder and beamed.
"How about I give you some cool gear to help you handle that 'Hashirama-bro' of yours?"
"Hmph! I, Uchiha Madara, stand tall on my own. I've never needed any external help!"
Madara scoffed. He knew his cousin had all kinds of bizarre ninja tools—custom-made in the Land of Artisans. Izuna's current outfit was from Gin. But Madara himself believed in his own strength. To him, tools were unnecessary.
Heh~ Let's see you say that later.
Gin didn't mind the rejection. He knew Madara well—he only used the fan because it symbolized the Uchiha clan. This was the same guy who would one day toss around Six Paths tools like junk.
"I'll hang onto it then. Let me know if you ever change your mind~"
"I won't!"
Madara folded his arms, full of pride. With the Mangekyō Sharingan in his eyes, what could any tool possibly add?
"…Your eyesight's gotten worse, hasn't it?"
Gin stared at Madara for a while and asked bluntly.
"…"
"A little. But it's fine."
Madara rubbed his eyes and answered hesitantly.
"When we get back, let me give you a proper check-up."
Gin nodded seriously. He had to look after his cousin. The guy spammed Susanoo like a toy—always flexing on the Senju with his full mech. It was overkill, a total waste of ocular power.
After breakfast with his cousins, Gin figured he'd stirred up enough trouble at the front. Best to slip away before things got complicated.
"I've still got a mission. I'll leave first. Let's catch up during the ceasefire~"
Madara and Izuna escorted him to a safe route. At the edge of the zone, Gin waved them off.
"I'll take it from here."
"Okay, cousin~"
"…Mm."
Once Gin's figure disappeared down the path, Madara finally spoke up.
"Izuna, did you sense how our cousin appeared yesterday?"
"Huh? No, why? Didn't you?"
Izuna was confused. He'd been too busy locking lips with Tobirama to notice anything else.
"I didn't either… I just have this feeling he's hiding something from us."
Madara frowned. He had sharp perception in all directions—but yesterday, Gin had popped up behind them without a trace.
"Eh~ you're overthinking it. Maybe he's just got low presence."
Izuna cheerfully made up a believable excuse.
"…Hope that's all it is."
With battle looming, Madara didn't linger on the thought. His top priority now was crushing Hashirama completely—make him kneel in defeat!
Hmph! Go ahead and get married in secret. I'll train while you slack off and crush you later!
"Phew~ finally alone."
Once their chakra signals faded into the distance, Gin's body lit up with an azure-blue glow. His eyes turned into Rinnegan, and he soared into the sky toward the Uchiha compound.
Soon, the massive walls of the clan's territory came into view.
To avoid suspicion, he landed a kilometer out and walked the rest of the way.
By the time he reached the gate, all traces of his chakra had faded. The guards didn't suspect a thing. Even better, one of the sentries was an old acquaintance—
"Gin-dono!"
Uchiha Tiedan greeted the familiar curly-haired figure with a salute. The two had known each other for over a decade, and the old rumors no longer held any sway.
To Tiedan, Gin might be quirky, but he was definitely a good man.
"Well, if it isn't Tiedan! How's Cuihua doing lately?"
"Heh, eating and sleeping like a champ!"
"Then I'm heading in, yeah?"
Gin waved his hand casually.
"Welcome home."
(End of Chapter)
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