Thanks to Gin's auction-lottery event, the previously tense atmosphere of the village began to lighten. The newcomers who had recently moved into the village started to shed their uneasiness, growing more curious and blending into the community without even realizing it.
"Hmph! So that's Senju Hashirama? He looks like a big dumb idiot. And that so-called giant wooden avatar you mentioned? It's only a few meters tall! What a ridiculous exaggeration."
Amidst the lively crowd, two figures stood apart, exuding a cold aura that kept others at bay. One was a young man with unusual white eyes, filled with disdain. He had just witnessed Hashirama's mini version of the wooden golem technique and concluded, after a brief moment of mental gymnastics, that the Senju had clearly bought into their own hype. In his mind, that mere few-meter-tall wooden avatar had been blown out of proportion to dozens of meters.
"Shhh, Young Master! Mind your words! Walls have ears!"
The man at his side, a branch family member of the Hyūga clan named Suke, nervously looked around and warned the young master in a hushed tone.
"You branch family people… Useless even outside. You can't even get basic intel right."
But Hyūga Ten'yō, the proud young master of the clan, ignored the warning and instead cast a scornful glance at Suke, full of blame.
"Please don't—"
Though Suke had never fought the Senju or Uchiha directly, his years on the battlefield and intel from other clans had given him a good sense of Hashirama's true strength. He had seen the fear in other clans' eyes when speaking of the man.
Interrupting his retainer's final plea, Ten'yō snorted, "Stop your yapping. I, Hyūga Ten'yō, don't need a branch family to tell me what to do. After I defeat the Uchiha, I'll go challenge Hashirama next."
With his cold white eyes full of pride, he stared at the Senju trio nearby.
"Ugh… why does my back feel cold all of a sudden? Hashirama-aniki, do you feel like you're being watched?"
Gin, who had been joking around with the Senju brothers, suddenly furrowed his brows and looked around.
"Huh, now that you mention it… yeah, maybe it's a bit chilly. Did I underdress today?"
Hashirama scratched his head with a laugh, while Tobirama, beside him, looked confused.
"I don't feel anything."
"Eh, maybe your back's coded differently—get used to it."
Gin patted Tobirama's shoulder sympathetically, his tone tinged with pity.
"???"
Tobirama didn't get it… but he definitely felt mocked.
"Come visit home often!"
Gin called out emotionally to the alliance prisoners as they departed. His tone was so sincere it made onlookers turn their heads.
"Let's go!"
Hearing the devil calling again, the broke prisoners ran off without looking back, terrified that he'd pull out more cursed pay-to-win items.
"Homesick… perfectly understandable~"
Smacking his lips, Gin turned to Uchiha Jirō. "Did you finish tallying everything?"
"All done. Revenue was 2.8 billion ryō. But 2.6 billion of that is credit…"
Jirō held up the ledger, his face flushed with excitement. He had never seen so much money in his life.
"Wait, so we only got 200 million in hand?"
Where others would be thrilled, Gin frowned slightly in disappointment.
"Well, yeah..."
Jirō couldn't tell if Gin was joking or genuinely displeased.
"It's fine. They probably don't have much cash left anyway. Let the brothers in the jail split the 200 million. If it's not enough, I'll cover it."
Gin suddenly remembered all the property rentals the alliance members had taken out lately and understood their financial constraints.
"More than enough!"
Jirō's eyes lit up. He rushed off to distribute the money.
"I really am such a good guy."
Holding the stack of IOUs signed by the alliance clans, Gin sighed with admiration for himself. If sold on the black market, each of those guys was worth over 35 million ryō. And yet, he let them go with just an IOU? Truly the kindest Uchiha.
"Gin-aniki, it's about time. Let's go."
Hashirama gave him a complicated look, watching Gin tuck away a thick stack of contracts.
"Alright, remember—it's fifty-fifty~"
Gin tossed off his suit jacket, revealing a combat outfit underneath, tied a black wooden sword to his waist, and casually waved his hand. Time to make more money.
Of course, the Senju had their own motives too. Their new clan compound was built in a prime spot of Konoha, nestled by mountains and water. As they stepped into the majestic district, Gin nodded in approval—but something felt missing.
"What do you think? Not bad, right?" Hashirama grinned proudly.
"Not bad at all. Elegant and tasteful. Just…"
"What is it, Gin-aniki? Feel free to suggest improvements!"
"It's just lacking entertainment."
Gin scanned the streets with a calculating look.
"Entertainment?"
Hashirama was confused.
"Yeah, you know. Booze, pretty girls, karaoke, dice games. If you keep everyone on edge all the time, even top ninjas will snap."
Back in the war era, there wasn't much to do. But now that Konoha was founded, why shouldn't people enjoy themselves?
"Dice games?"
Hashirama's curiosity was piqued.
"I'll teach you sometime. I'm the legendary gambling god of the ninja world!"
Gin popped a chocolate into his mouth and smiled smugly.
"You better not corrupt my brother!"
Tobirama's red eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"Oh, come on. Just harmless fun."
"Hmph. I've got my eye on you."
Tobirama crossed his arms, glaring.
"Alright, alright. We're all family here. Don't ruin the mood~"
Hashirama chuckled and pulled both of them into a bear hug.
"Hah?! Who's family with this curly-haired clown?!"
Tobirama looked utterly confused.
"Right right! We're family! I'll even gift Hashirama a jade dice set soon!"
Gin caught himself just in time and leaned into the "family" narrative, remembering his cousin still in closed-door training.
"…Fine. Got it."
Tobirama turned away, hiding a trace of bitterness in his eyes.
"That's more like it! Let's go. The Hyūga are probably getting impatient~"
"Why'd the Hyūga come so late anyway?"
Gin asked as they strolled down the Senju corridor.
"Too far."
Tobirama grunted coldly. He still resented Gin for stealing away their lovely cabbage (a.k.a. someone he liked).
Turns out, the Hyūga lived in isolation in the northeast corner of the Land of Fire. They rarely communicated with outsiders.
"You guys never hit them during your conquest?"
Gin frowned.
"We tried, but they always spotted us early and ran."
Hashirama had wanted to test their Byakugan but got tired after a few failed attempts.
"Well, being a turtle isn't all bad. At least it saves you from extermination~"
"But be careful, Gin-aniki. The Hyūga's taijutsu is weird. It can hurt you without leaving marks."
"I'll be fine~"
They finally arrived at a training ground, where two white-robed figures stood waiting.
"This how the Senju treat guests? Make us wait so long?"
Ten'yō sneered at them as they entered.
"You should've been more careful back then, Hashirama-aniki."
Gin whispered.
"Next time, I swear!"
"Apologies for the delay."
"No worries. We just got here too."
Hyūga Suke stepped in to smooth things over.
"And you are?"
"I'm Hyūg—"
"He's just a servant. I'm Hyūga Ten'yō, heir to the main branch. Is this guy the Uchiha rep?"
He glared at Gin, comparing him to the auction host.
"Yes. This is Uchiha Gin, current clan head."
"Ha! That's the clan head?"
You better thank your ancestors for that stone tablet, boy. Otherwise, your future bride might've just been reassigned.
"…His cousin."
"Hmph. Like brother, like brother. So much for the Uchiha."
"Can I kill him now, Hashirama-aniki?"
"You can insult my brother, but not me!"
"Let it go. Just get him and the money inside first."
Hashirama grabbed Gin before he acted.
"Fine, I am the kindest Uchiha after all~"
"This is Uchiha Gin. Respected and strong. I'll let you judge for yourselves."
Hashirama hesitated when it came to Gin's strength. Even he had no idea what Gin was truly capable of.
"You better not try to fool me with some random clown. Or I'll tell my father to renegotiate everything."
Ten'yō locked eyes with Gin.
"Word is, your clan can copy techniques?"
"Basic stuff~"
"Can you copy our Hyūga secret techniques?"
"Not sure. We usually ignore simple stuff~"
"You—! Fine! Let's begin!"
Flustered, Ten'yō lunged forward—but Suke stopped him.
"You think I'd lose?!"
"It's your father's order. Confirm with him if needed."
The Hyūga clan head had strictly instructed Suke to test the waters first.
"Fine, go show off."
Suke stepped up. "I am Hyūga Suke. Please, let's fight."
He struck a Gentle Fist pose, eyes serious.
"You guys don't want to chat over tea first?"
Gin asked Hashirama.
"Nope. We already discussed everything by letter. Besides, does that brat look like the chatty type?"
"Man, I work too hard. When Konoha stabilizes, give me a low-level job so I can retire."
"You got it, big bro~"
"I'm Uchiha Gin. Let's agree—no face hits."
"I'll try."
"Don't hold back just because I'm a delicate flower~"
"Byakugan—activate!"
With his vision enhanced, Suke was surprised by Gin's low chakra level. Wasn't he supposed to be some unfathomable powerhouse?
"Take this!"
Disappointed, Suke moved in fast with his Gentle Fist—"Hakke Sanjūni Shō" (Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms).
With a blast of wind, he appeared right in front of Gin, placing a calloused hand against his chest.
"Uh… is this how the Hyūga greet people?"
(End of Chapter)
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