"Family, I made it back alive!"
After several inexplicable days delayed in the Fire Country's capital, the group finally returned to Konoha. Gaunt-faced Uchiha Gin leaned against the village gate, pale lips trembling.
"Hmph~ just a few rounds and you're already done? You didn't go sneaking around eating things you shouldn't, did you?"
The chilling voice of Uchiha Hikari sounded right behind him, nearly scaring him to death.
"N-no, I didn't!"
"You'd better not have. Hurry and report the mission—we need to go try on our new clothes!"
"You three go ahead. I'll handle it myself."
Seizing the chance to escape her grasp, Gin quickly waved them off and bolted toward the Hokage building.
"Whew… thought I was a goner."
Leaning against a wall, panting and drenched in sweat, Gin thanked the heavens for his survival. More than once, in his dazed exhaustion, he thought he saw his great-uncle. But each time he drew near, some white-haired old man by Otsutsuki Hamura's side smacked him back down with a stick.
…
Inside the Hokage building, Senju Tobirama studied a report.
"Strange… didn't Kirigakure just raise hell recently? Why are they suddenly pulling back their defenses?"
Just as he was about to bring this oddity to his brother, he overheard something that made his blood boil—
Madara, submitting the mission logs, was whispering temptations to Hashirama.
"Hashirama, let's go for barbecue after work today!"
"But… Touka told me to come home on time."
"Just say you're working late."
"That doesn't sound right~"
"My treat. Afterwards we can hit the gambling house."
"…Then let's leave now!"
Seeing his brother swayed so easily, Tobirama sprang up, pointing accusingly at Madara.
"You evil Uchiha hedgehog! Don't you dare deceive my brother! And during work, use proper titles—stop with that intimate talk!"
"Hmph~ fine then, Senju plant."
"Call me Senju Deputy!"
"Heh."
Before they could escalate, a weak knock came at the door. Hashirama brightened.
"It's open!"
Creak~ The door swung open. A figure staggered in, radiating decay. The three men immediately recognized the unruly curls.
"Big cousin! What happened to you?!"
Madara flashed forward, worry etched across his face as he saw Gin's pale lips and dark eye circles.
"Gin-nii! Were you hurt?" Hashirama rushed over, tilting his head this way and that to check.
"You curly mutt, did you run into enemies?" Tobirama scowled, sensing Gin's chakra reserves nearly emptied, confusion mixing with concern.
"…First, make me tea. Three spoons of sugar."
Without explanation, Gin raised three fingers.
"Right away!"
…
One sweet, sickly cup of tea later, color finally returned to Gin's face. Reclining on the sofa, he exhaled.
"Brothers… the times have changed~"
"Hah?"
All three stared blankly at him, waiting for an explanation.
So Gin retold everything from the mission in Taki—how they'd encountered the strange belts, the mysterious man, and especially Gin-kaku transforming into a Tailed Beast Knight, instantly overwhelming candidate Kage from other villages.
"Impossible! Those remnants of the Sage's blood couldn't wield such power," Tobirama interrupted sharply.
"Yeah, that's why he went berserk," Gin explained with a roll of his eyes.
Without the rider belt's power, Gin-kaku was barely stronger than the others. Kinkaku was only a bit above that. Their combined strength couldn't have overwhelmed Kiri's leaders without the transformation.
"See? I knew it. The power of a Tailed Beast can't be controlled by humans," Tobirama sighed in relief.
"Hashirama! Don't let your brother interrupt. Cousin, keep going!" Madara elbowed Hashirama, eager to hear more.
Hashirama coughed and admonished, "Tobirama, wait till Gin finishes."
So Gin continued the tale. By the end, the three sat stunned.
"A tool that lets someone perfectly wield Tailed Beast power? Who created such a thing?" Hashirama murmured. He knew the raw, endless chakra of a Tailed Beast could grant even a weak shinobi destructive power surpassing a Kage.
"That mysterious man handing out belts… who is he really?" Tobirama frowned.
"He just called himself Decade-niisan," Gin shrugged.
Madara's brows furrowed. "And he forbade their use in wartime. How would he know a war is coming?"
"Exactly!" Hashirama burst into laughter. "We just signed the peace accord. War? Impossible!"
But Tobirama's eyes gleamed. He, unlike his brother, knew peace couldn't last. When these leaders died, ambition would reignite conflict. And then… Tailed Beast Knights could devastate nations.
"Gin, where did those Tailed Beast Cards come from?" Tobirama pressed suddenly. "You pulled them out to show other villages during the division of the beasts."
"I told you already—I made them." Gin lifted his chin proudly.
"…You?" Tobirama's eye twitched.
"I'm a renowned inventor in Uchiha, you know! Ask Madara!"
Madara blinked. "Eh? Weren't those gadgets bought from Seimei, the smith in the Craftsmen's Country?"
Gin smirked. "I went there. He didn't even know your name."
"…That's because I made them myself."
All three rolled their eyes.
Gin sighed dramatically. "Fine, I'll reveal my secret past. Long ago, the young, handsome me fell off a cliff during a mission. A mysterious old master saved me. Seeing my genius, he passed down all his knowledge before dying. Thus I mastered invention."
"…Do you think we're idiots?" Tobirama deadpanned.
But Hashirama's eyes sparkled. "Amazing! What a miraculous encounter!"
Madara nearly choked holding back laughter.
Gin added seriously, "His name… was Bandai."
"…Right." Tobirama pinched the bridge of his nose. "Assuming that's true—why do your cards match the mysterious man's belts?"
"Because Bandai once had a student, obsessed with borrowing foreign power. He was exiled. He studied belt-like devices. I suspect the mysterious man is my fellow disciple."
Hashirama gasped. "So he's your senior brother!"
"…Yeah, exactly," Gin nodded quickly.
"But then, why didn't he give cards to Suna?" Tobirama asked.
"Because I didn't have Shukaku's chakra to make one. If they want a card, they'll have to bring me the raccoon themselves."
Madara suddenly asked, "Are Tailed Beast Knights really that strong?"
"Very. One rogue in Taki transformed and crushed Gin-kaku even in his Knight form. And Gin-kaku had easily wiped the other candidates before."
"…Then it's dangerous," Tobirama declared grimly. "Too unstable for Konoha's safety."
Hashirama started to protest, but Tobirama cut him off. "Go catch the Nine-Tails."
"What?! I swore an oath never to harm it!"
"Then I'll mobilize forces to capture it myself."
"Wait, wait!" Hashirama panicked. "The Nine-Tails is different. Too strong. Even I can't guarantee victory. A rash move would only cost lives!"
"…Heh." Gin smirked. Even Hashirama was learning to dodge responsibility.
But Madara's eyes burned. If he could become a Tailed Beast Knight… he could finally defeat Hashirama.
Later, as Gin left the Hokage office, Madara hurried after him.
"Cousin… if I became a Tailed Beast Knight, could I beat Hashirama?"
Gin opened his mouth to say "no way"—then paused, smirking. "…You could win."
Madara's eyes shone. "Truly?!"
"Of course~ Once you become the Ten-Tails Knight, crushing a tree-hugger is nothing."
"Thank you, cousin!"
Madara dashed off, resolve blazing.
"Once I become a Tailed Beast Knight… Hashirama will bow before me!"
Back at the Uchiha compound, he entered the long-forgotten Naka Shrine. Kneeling before the clan's stone tablet, he meditated—torn between ambition and pride. He didn't need outside power to become Hokage. But he craved just once… to defeat Hashirama.
In the shadows, Black Zetsu peeked out.
"…He still remembers this place? I thought this Indra incarnation had given up entirely."
Seeing Madara so conflicted, Black Zetsu nearly wept. Finally, maybe, he had an opening.
Then Madara suddenly rose, eyes blazing.
"I will be… the Tailed Beast Knight!"
"…Hah?" Black Zetsu froze. He knew what a Tailed Beast was. But a Knight? What the hell was that?
Had he fallen behind the times?
Madara clenched his fists. As Uchiha clan head, as the pride of his people, he couldn't shirk his duty. The whole clan believed he would be the next Hokage. Could he really sneak off chasing the Nine-Tails just for personal pride?
"…It's been so long since I last held a clan meeting."
(End of Chapter)
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