What was happening now might be the greatest crisis Tobirama had ever faced.
Even during the chaos of the Warring States period, he had never felt death loom so close.
Facing the descending hand, Tobirama gritted his teeth, ready to fight to the death.
The black-haired, unknown madwoman before him radiated ocular power no weaker than Madara himself—possibly even greater than that idiot brother of his, Izuna.
Who would have thought the Uchiha had such a terrifying hidden weapon? Then why hadn't they brought her out during the final battle?
Even in this life-and-death moment, Tobirama still pondered the Uchiha's motives, though his hands didn't rest.
A kunai inscribed with strange markings appeared in his grasp, its gleaming edge reflecting his pale face.
Swish~
With a flick of his wrist, he hurled the kunai straight toward the girl's face, a faint gleam in his eyes betraying his expectation.
Go on—dodge!
If she tilted her head to avoid it, he could teleport behind her and strike mid-move.
"Hmph!"
What happened next shocked Tobirama. The girl didn't flinch—she simply lifted her eyelids slightly, and everyone felt an intense heat from deep within their souls.
"Nani!"
Black flames ignited on the kunai midair—small, but enough to make Tobirama's eyelids twitch.
Amaterasu.
He knew this jutsu well—Izuna's Mangekyo ability was Amaterasu, powerful but not particularly flexible. Yet he'd never seen anyone control it with such precision. Compared to Izuna, this was on an entirely different level.
In a blink, the threatening kunai was reduced to curling white smoke.
Tobirama's heart sank. This ocular power countered nimble fighters like him perfectly—one touch of those flames, and he'd be finished.
He bent his knees, adopting a fighting stance, mind racing to find a countermeasure.
"Ha~ Out of tricks already? Then die—"
Just as the girl's killing intent surged and her eyes glowed red, Gin—who'd been watching for some time—finally stepped in.
BANG!
In a flash, he appeared before her and flicked her forehead with a sandbag-sized finger.
Nailing his target, Gin blew on his smoking finger with a sigh. If he didn't step in, this white-hair might end up dying in his home, and that would mean endless trouble for him.
"Ow! What was that for~"
The girl clutched her reddened forehead, eyes welling with tears, her lips pouting in wounded protest.
Seeing her attitude flip so suddenly, Tobirama's mind reeled. His eyes flicked between Gin and the girl before he frowned and asked,
"Who is she?"
"She's my childhood friend—Uchiha Hikari. She's been staying up too much lately, so her temper's bad in the mornings. Don't take it to heart."
Gin patted her head to soothe her, then turned back to introduce her.
Of course!
"Then why did she deny her name earlier?"
"I… She must've still been half-asleep!" Gin said, eyes darting suspiciously.
"Fine. Since she's Uchiha Hikari, I'll tell you the mission."
Though something still felt off, Tobirama couldn't place it. He decided to move on. Her power was indeed as terrifying as Madara had said, but her mental state was like a ticking time bomb. Still, Gin seemed able to calm her—like a built-in safeguard.
"Let's go. This isn't the place to talk."
Giving up on further thought, Gin led her downstairs.
In the living room, Gin took the tea Itama handed him, sipping it with a look of pleasant surprise—her tea-making skill was nearly at Mito's level.
"Good tea!"
Parched from the earlier tension, Tobirama gulped down a cup, his eyes lighting up at the fragrant taste. The tea his brother treasured was nothing compared to this.
"Where did you get this tea?"
"Let me think… Oh, that sip you just had? About a million ryō."
Gin explained it was tribute-grade tea from the Land of Tea, so rare that even its daimyō only served it to honored guests.
Pfft!
Tobirama nearly choked, spraying tea across the table. Gin's heart ached—what a waste!
"You serious?"
"Why would I lie? You can doubt my strength, but not my spending power."
As Gin gestured, Tobirama's gaze fell on a vase on the table—identical to one he'd seen in the Fire Daimyō's guarded collection. That vase had a twin… bought off the black market by a mysterious buyer.
And here it was, casually holding chrysanthemums.
"You like chrysanthemums?" Gin asked.
"That vase—"
"Oh, that? I bought it because the design looked interesting."
The pristine vase depicted lush bamboo and a white-haired woman with a divine air.
"You've got quite the means," Tobirama admitted reluctantly.
"Average. Third in the ninja world."
Tobirama's eyes then went to a large clay jar in the center of the hall. He could tell it was no ordinary object.
"That? A gift from two prison buddies," Gin said, glancing at the Amber Purifying Pot with a sigh, wondering how the Gold and Silver Brothers were doing in the Land of Lightning.
Meanwhile, in Kumogakure—
"Achoo!" x2
Two towering brothers sneezed, startling everyone nearby.
Back in Konoha—
"You haven't been stalling just to drink tea, have you?" Gin cut off Itama's refilling motion, unwilling to waste more of the precious leaves.
"Tch, stingy," Tobirama muttered, glaring after his sister.
"Spit it out. The sooner you talk, the sooner you leave."
"It was Madara who sent me."
Tobirama explained that of the two other Mangekyo users in the Uchiha clan, both were closely tied to Gin—Uchiha Chiri, his direct disciple, and Uchiha Hikari, whose details were a mystery but reportedly obeyed only Gin.
Madara had, in effect, sold his cousin out completely. Gin wasn't getting out of this.
Still, Madara trusted that neither woman would ever let him be harmed.
"Madara? You should've said so! What's the job—guarding prisoners?"
Gin thought back to when he'd asked Madara to get Hashirama to place him as a prison guard. Maybe this was it!
But Tobirama's next words doused that dream:
"Guarding prisoners… sort of. But your charge isn't human."
(End of Chapter)
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