Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha lacks motivation.

Chapter 257 You Have Already Decided to Die

To be honest, at this scorching time of day, it's really not suitable to go out. The girls' exposed fair skin was stinging from the intense sunlight.

Especially Senju Itama, who was carrying the amber purification bottle, was drenched in sweat, with beads of sweat the size of soybeans running down his fair chin and dripping down uncontrollably.

"Mr. Yin, aren't you hot?"

Following beside Uchiha Gin, Uchiha Rinpoche pulled at her high collar, releasing excess heat tinged with the faint fragrance of a young girl, trying to cool herself down. Her beautiful black eyes stared at her teacher with a question in them, and she couldn't help but ask,

"Ah Yin, how come you haven't even broken a sweat?"

Uchiha Hikaru, who was also feeling unbearably hot, had a scrunched-up face. This sweaty feeling was really too uncomfortable. The girl felt that her toes were filled with sticky sweat.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot about that."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Gin's handsome face immediately showed an embarrassed expression.

Of the people present, everyone except Uchiha Gin was drenched in sweat, but he appeared calm and collected, without a single drop of sweat on his body.

"Come closer to me."

Having already enjoyed the private air conditioning all the way, Uchiha Gin beckoned the girls to come closer to him, and then adjusted the range of the Eternal Winter necklace around his neck to its maximum.

"Wouldn't it get even hotter if we got closer?"

The girls, bewildered, frowned as they looked at Uchiha Gin. Although they were complaining, they moved faster than the next, afraid that they would miss out on a good spot.

"Huh? Why is it so cool here?"

With the massive amber bottle behind him, Senju Itama managed to snag a good spot, standing to Uchiha Gin's right. His small, black-and-white head was filled with question marks.

"Mr. Gin, is this a new ninjutsu?"

Feeling a sudden coolness, Uchiha Shigeo stroked his chin, thoughtfully sensing the icy aura around him, before asking,

"No, it's technology~"

He's not incapable of using Ice Release, but why use ninjutsu when a problem can be solved with a tool? That would make him seem silly.

"Another ninja tool, Gintoki. You always manage to come up with some weird and wonderful things."

Following behind Uchiha Gin, Uchiha Hikaru, with a smile on her beautiful face, enjoyed the refreshing breeze and said in a cheerful tone,

Given her position in the family, there was absolutely no need for her to compete with these two young girls for attention.

"That's right, the ninja tools from the Land of Craftsmen, you'll know how good they are once you use them~"

Nodding, Uchiha Gin immediately attributed all the credit to Seimei of the Land of Craftsmen, stating that he was a research genius that was only seen once in a thousand years.

"Wow~ This is amazing! I need one too!"

Having finally found the answer, Senju Itama immediately reached out his sweaty little hand, grabbed Uchiha Gin's sleeve tightly, and shouted with shining eyes,

This curly-haired baboon dares to keep secrets!

"Sigh~ Don't you know men and women shouldn't touch each other? I don't know who raised you like this, so reserved, don't you understand?"

Seeing that his already loose shirt was about to be ripped off by the mother's superhuman strength, Uchiha Gin immediately reached out and gave Senju Itama a long-lost sharp rap on the head. After straightening his disheveled clothes, he looked at him with a disappointed expression and began to lecture him.

"I don't care! Give it to me now!"

Senju Itama rolled her eyes at this. Everyone present knew who she was from. Without saying another word, she grabbed Uchiha Gin's clothes and started to search him.

"Stop, stop, stop! Your grid is full!"

Extending his finger and pressing it against the forehead of Senju Itama, who was inverted, Uchiha Gin rolled his dead fish eyes in exasperation before explaining,

"ha?"

Senju Itama, who hadn't moved an inch even with all his might, had a bunch of question marks pop up above his head after hearing Uchiha Gin's strange remarks.

"I can't give it to you now, I'll take it apart for you when we get back."

Pushing aside the bewildered Senju Itama, Uchiha Gin scratched his head. To prevent her from bothering him again, he had no choice but to promise to redistribute her equipment when they got back.

"I've read a lot of books, don't try to fool me!"

"I like to tell the truth. If I lie to you, I'll make up for it with a zero~"

Enjoying the cooling effect of the eternal winter, the group quickened their pace and soon arrived at the heavily guarded forest entrance. At the gate, two familiar figures were waiting for their arrival.

"You wretched curly-haired guy, didn't you say you'd arrive this morning?"

Tobirama Senju, who had been waiting for a long time, felt a pang of sorrow as he looked at his sister, who was burdened with heavy responsibilities. Then, seeing Gin Uchiha chatting and laughing with the girls, he was instantly enraged and pointed at them, angrily shouting...

"Oh, I overslept."

Gin glanced at the stomping Tobirama Senju and noticed something amiss. He then replied nonchalantly, his unrepentant demeanor making the white-haired man grit his teeth in annoyance.

Feeling tricked, Tobirama Senju was secretly furious. He thought to himself that he was one of the founders of Konoha, someone who had fought his way through countless battles; in this situation, he absolutely couldn't lose face. He had to keep his composure. So, his eyes widened in anger, and he opened his mouth wide, uttering a single word.

Blanch!

"Uchiha Gin, I'm in!"

Upon hearing Tobirama Senju's foul language, Gin Uchiha frowned. "Is this white-haired guy going through menopause lately? Why is he so irritable?"

"Alright, alright~ Tobirama, we're all clones, it won't matter if we wait a little longer."

Standing to the side, Hashirama Senju quickly intervened, his gaze sweeping over the group, a hint of apology on his honest face, and addressed Gin Uchiha and the others.

"Brother Yin, I'm really sorry, but I've been very busy with work lately and haven't been able to get away."

"It's alright. Hashirama's diligence is truly a great blessing for Konoha."

Upon first meeting, Uchiha Gin, who immediately realized that both Senju brothers were clones, waved his hand and gave a warm smile, indicating that he did not mind.

"Hmph~"

Having exposed his identity as a clone, Tobirama Senju snorted coldly, crossed his arms, and angrily retreated to the side, remaining silent.

Afterwards, Uchiha Gin and the others followed the Senju brothers' clones deeper into the forest where the tailed beasts were imprisoned. Along the way, Senju Hashirama explained the current situation of the tailed beasts to everyone.

"Brother Yin, of the eight tailed beasts before, except for the Nine-Tails, the others were imprisoned in my Four Pillars Prison. I will release the seals on them one by one later, and you can take control of them in the process."

"Where's the Nine-Tailed Fox?"

After hearing the brief introduction, Uchiha Gin asked with some confusion,

"I made a promise with the tailed beasts that whoever wins can set it free. Kurama was the last tailed beast to win, so naturally I set it free."

Hearing Uchiha Gin's question, Senju Hashirama, who was walking ahead, smiled and explained.

"Tsk, they let them go after only a few tails?"

Unexpectedly, Hashirama Senju released Kurama. Gin Uchiha felt a great pity. After all, Kurama had so many tails; how could he not have taken a few?

"Huh? No."

Hashirama Senju was taken aback for a moment, then replied with a cryptic expression, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.

"If we had a way to seal it, how could we have let that fox go so easily?"

Tobirama Senju, who was also walking ahead, couldn't help but turn around and chime in after hearing the conversation behind him.

"Tobirama!"

"Brother, I told you to contact the Uzumaki clan a long time ago, but you just couldn't bring yourself to do it. I don't know why!"

Seeing the embarrassed look on Hashirama Senju's face, Tobirama Senju bluntly remarked,

In Tobirama Senju's view, although the relationship between the Senju and Uzumaki clans had become somewhat strained in recent years, he believed that if Hashirama Senju personally came to help, Uzumaki Hanamichi would definitely choose to lend a hand out of consideration for their past relationship.

"Ah, this... I'm having trouble explaining this to Tao Hua."

Slightly embarrassed, Hashirama Senju scratched his face, his smile somewhat forced. His wife, Momoka, was fully aware of his past marriage agreement with a member of the Uzumaki clan.

If I were to suddenly visit the Uzumaki clan, Momoka might lock her bedroom door at night.

"Tobirama, you're still single and don't understand the difficulties we married people face. You'll understand once you get married."

Looking at his younger brother's inscrutable expression, Hashirama Senju spoke earnestly.

"Nonsense."

Frowning, Tobirama Senju, feeling utterly bewildered, scoffed at Hashirama Senju's words.

In his view, his older brother was too simple-minded to actually keep a promise with a beast.

"Tsk tsk tsk, it's a bit of a pity, but it's not a big problem. It's made things easier for us."

Uchiha Gin didn't want to get involved in the brothers' conversation. After all, the Uzumaki clan, which they were discussing, had a complicated relationship with him, and he didn't want to say too much. He clicked his tongue and said...

"Hehe, Brother Yin, look, they're over there~"

After the group emerged from a forest, their view suddenly opened up. Uchiha Gin and the others looked in surprise at the seven enormous cages lined up side by side. Inside, the tailed beasts lay listlessly, their eyes closed.

If it weren't for the overwhelming aura of violence, Uchiha Gin would have thought that the creature imprisoned inside was a Tailed Beast.

"Is it feasible? If it's too much of a stretch, then forget it."

Watching the tailed beasts being drained of their life force by the Wood Release, Uchiha Gin turned to the girls, whose faces were filled with curiosity, and asked,

"Mr. Yin, here comes the duct tape~"

Uchiha Rinpoche, who had already opened his scarlet eyes, was filled with curiosity as his gaze swept over each of the tailed beasts. His scientifically focused eyes sent a chill down Rinpoche's spine.

"Ah Yin, I'll listen to you."

Uchiha Hikari smiled faintly, a red light flickering in her eyes, and a chilling aura suddenly rose. She showed no fear of the enormous beasts before her; on the contrary, she was somewhat eager to try.

"Turtle! It's a turtle!"

With the amber-handled vase on his back, Senju Itama was ready to dash over and get a close look at his dream beast, Isobu.

"Come back!"

Fortunately, Uchiha Gin reacted quickly. The instant the girl beside him slipped away, he grabbed the Amber Purification Bottle behind Senju Itama, leaned close to the girl's sullen ear, and whispered...

"What did you promise me? Have you forgotten so quickly?"

He couldn't let Senju Itama stand out too much; if the Senju brothers noticed anything amiss, he'd be in trouble. He then glanced discreetly at Senju Hashirama and his companion ahead.

Unexpectedly, the Senju brothers didn't pay attention to their own situation; instead, they started commenting on the tailed beasts.

With a vacant look in his eyes, Tobirama Senju nudged his dazed older brother beside him, pointed at the dying eight-tailed Gyūki in the cage, and said, "Brother, look at that octopus, isn't it a bit dehydrated?"

Hashirama Senju, who had been smiling at his younger sister, was bewildered by the elbow, but after seeing Tobirama Senju's wink, he instantly understood. He then frowned and replied, "Uh, right, right, could you see if you can hydrate me?"

Following Hashirama Senju's words, Tobirama Senju looked at the endless forest, shook his head, and said, "Tsk, with conditions here, getting water is probably out of the question."

Hashirama Senju pounded his chest in frustration, utterly heartbroken over his ineffective hydration. "Ugh! At this rate, I'll become a dried-out mess!"

After settling the impatient Senju Itama down, Uchiha Gin approached and offered his very sound advice regarding the brothers' concern about hydration.

"Hey~ Hydration is easy, just give me a few more scoops~"

Yes, you need a ladle to hydrate your body!

"good!"

Upon hearing this, the Thousand Hands brothers nodded in agreement, praising the plan as absolutely feasible!

As Uchiha Gin and the others were talking, several imprisoned tailed beasts also noticed the sudden arrival of the group.

"Hey, look, those humans are here again!"

The tailed beasts' consciousnesses re-entered the chat room. King Koku, grinning widely with a somewhat melancholy expression, was the first to speak.

"Huh? Are they here to eat us?"

With its single eye open, the three-tailed isobu spoke with a trembling voice. The beasts had heard what the Senju brothers had said, and as a member of the seafood duo with the Gyuki, it was now showing signs of dehydration.

"Stupid turtle, we're not real living beings. At most, they can only take chakra from us."

Licking its paws, the somewhat listless Youlu couldn't help but explain.

"Ha! That descendant of Indra didn't even come, otherwise I would have taught him a lesson!"

"Stop it, old Sun. The area outside is full of Indra's descendants!"

The bull demon, who was polishing its horns, rolled its enormous bull eyes and spoke up to the arrogant four-tailed Sun Wukong, offering some advice.

"Hmph~ That guy is just an exception. I don't believe the others outside are like him!"

A faint, unnatural blush flashed across the monkey's face, but fortunately, its four-tailed fur was so vibrant that it completely concealed its embarrassment. It let out a cold snort and, looking at Uchiha Gin and the others not far away, offered a disdainful assessment.

"Then what's he doing here? Is he going to let us go?"

The six-tailed rhinoceros swayed its antennae and weakly guessed.

"How could that be? If they were going to release us, they would have released us along with Kurama before!"

Flapping its tail wings, the still weakened Seven-Tailed Choumei answered with absolute certainty.

"Don't mention that traitor again!"

The bull demon, who was tending to its horns, slammed its fist on the ground in anger upon hearing the Nine-Tailed Fox's name, gritting its teeth as it spoke.

"That damned Kurama, a guy who has even abandoned the dignity of being a tailed beast, is not worthy of the old man's trust."

Hmph! It's all the old man's fault for being blind. Even with three eyes, he couldn't see through the Nine-Tails' beast-faced heart and gave most of his chakra to that traitor.

"Huh? I just logged on, what juicy gossip is there?"

Suddenly, a round figure appeared in the chat room. Shukaku, who hadn't been online for a long time, opened its two large, coin-sized eyes and asked urgently,

"I heard you mention a traitor earlier, could it be that you, you sly fox?"

"That's right, it's that scoundrel, he actually..."

Upon seeing Shukaku appear, the beasts, their pent-up grievances having nowhere to go, immediately began listing the Nine-Tails' crimes one by one, much to the astonishment of the fat tanuki, whose eyes gleamed.

"Hmph~ I knew that stinking fox was no good beast, and sure enough, it actually did such a despicable thing!"

"That's right, that's right~"

"You stinky fox! Come out here! You've got the guts to beat up your brothers, but you don't have the courage to log on? @NineLama"

Filled with righteous indignation, Shukaku immediately transformed into the Tailed Beast Judge, frantically tagging Kurama in the chat room, preparing to put it on trial.

"idiot."

Unable to bear the harassment any longer, the Nine-Tailed Fox logged on, cursed, and then quickly disconnected, giving the beasts no chance to react.

Unexpectedly, the other party dared to show their face. After a brief moment of stunned silence, the beasts all greeted the Nine-Tailed Fox.

"Nine Lamas! I'm on duty at 8 AM!"

The Land of Fire.

In a canyon far from Konoha, lay a gigantic, fiery red fox. Its massive head had its eyes closed, as if it were asleep, while its nine fluffy tails moved without wind.

"Phew~ If you're bad, practice more. If you can't handle losing, don't play."

Suddenly, the seemingly sleeping fox began to speak in human language. As it opened its eyes, a human-like disdain appeared on its nine-tailed face.

Having said that, it sat up, looked around at its surroundings, and then nodded in satisfaction.

If I hide here, I shouldn't get caught again, right?

Previously, due to his reckless actions, he was captured by Hashirama Senju. The Nine-Tails was filled with remorse and said that he would learn from Isobu and live a long and arduous life in order to survive for thousands of years.

"Fortunately, that descendant of Asura kept his word."

Kurama shook its head, temporarily sealing away the memory of being captured by Hashirama Senju; that feeling of powerlessness was simply too painful to recall.

Raising his beast head to gaze at the azure sky and breathing in the free air, Kurama felt a surge of relief. The resentment he had felt from the insults he had received from the other beasts vanished instantly.

Hmph~ The old man was right about the beasts. Those idiots have all been captured by humans, only I am free~

but

Recalling the strange look in the eyes of the Asura descendant when she left, Kurama suddenly felt a tightness in her groin and suddenly sensed that her current situation was somewhat ominous.

"How about we hide in the Land of Lightning?"

The Nine-Tails had a nest in the Land of Lightning, but it disliked the constant thunder that kept it from sleeping, so it chose to migrate to the Land of Fire, where the climate was more suitable.

"Never mind~ I'll get some sleep first, and then I'll go to the Land of Lightning when I wake up."

The thought of not being able to sleep well in the Land of Lightning made Kurama's eyes dart around. It decided to sleep well for a year or two to recharge before moving on. Then it closed its eyes and fell into a deep sleep again.

Hopefully, its luck won't be too bad the next time it opens its eyes.

Wow~

Looking up at the enormous creature before him, even Uchiha Gin, who was well-prepared, couldn't help but sigh in awe.

Previously, when hosting the Ninja World Pokémon Masters Tournament, Uchiha Gin had never truly come into close contact with a Tailed Beast. Now, with several large creatures in front of him, his curiosity was greatly satisfied.

"Little Zhili, why don't you try to control this big cat?"

The women were also commenting on the tailed beasts. Upon hearing Uchiha Gin's call, the purple-haired girl gracefully approached, her excitement clearly visible.

"Okay, Mr. Yin."

Having received instructions from Uchiha Gin, Uchiha Rinpoche seemed somewhat eager to try. He immediately looked up at the seemingly dreamlike and conscious Matatabi, and nodded.

"Hashirama, can you relax the seal for a moment? The tailed beast's eyes can't stay closed!"

Eye contact is the most direct way the Sharingan hypnotizes, but since the Two-Tails is sucked into a deep sleep, they can't exactly climb up and pry open its eyelids, can they?

"Okay, but you have to be careful. Once the tailed beasts loosen their seals, they recover their condition extremely quickly."

Having personally captured all four tailed beasts, Hashirama Senju knew their characteristics well; even a moment's relaxation could lead to a sudden and violent counterattack.

"untie."

Hashirama Senju formed a release hand seal with one hand, and the light on the Two-Tails' Wood Release cage suddenly dimmed.

"Um, that person seems to have let me go."

While condemning Kurama in the chat room, Matatabi suddenly frowned, then his face lit up with joy. He twitched his long mustache and spoke up.

"Huh? Could it be that he can't hold on any longer?"

The other beasts didn't feel any relief; the Wood Release shackles on their bodies remained. They then began to wonder if Hashirama Senju was unable to withstand the Hollow's power.

"Never mind, everyone promise me, I'm going first!"

Don't underestimate a cat's yearning for freedom.

Two-Tailed Fox felt the blue sky outside beckoning to it, and was overjoyed. It immediately abandoned the other beasts, opened its narrow beast eyes, and prepared to make a run for it.

Meow~

Upon waking, the traveler let out a comfortable shout, then looked down at the solemn-faced Hashirama Senju. It noticed that the other's chakra was somewhat scarce, and a smug sense of self-satisfaction flashed in its eyes.

Hmph~ As expected, this human couldn't hold on any longer!

Hashirama Senju's wood clones are so realistic that even his cousin, who has the Eternal Eye, would have difficulty distinguishing them from the real ones without close inspection.

"Go for it, little administrator!"

Seeing the Two-Tails' fierce glint in its eyes, Uchiha Gin's lips curled into a slight smile. He waved his hand forward, summoning Uchiha Zhi to attack.

"Humans! They all deserve to die!"

As the suppression of Wood Release weakened, the chakra within Masahiro's body instantly expanded, and the previously dim blue flames on his body surged dramatically. Under this terrifying aura, the cage of the Four Pillars Prison emitted a groan that made people feel the pressure.

"Boom~"

Finally, the four-pillar prison, which had imprisoned the creature for many days, began to break apart piece by piece. The two-tailed beast's huge eyes were filled with pleasure, and scorching flames were brewing in its mouth as it aimed at the humans below, ready to avenge its previous humiliation.

"Hi~ Big cat with heterochromia."

Suddenly, a clear, cold voice rang out beneath its feet. The two-tailed beast lowered its head in confusion, wanting to see what it was.

However, the traveler then discovered that, without him noticing, a human woman with purple hair was standing at his feet, tentatively touching his fiery fur.

On the other person's fair face, there was no fear as one would show when facing a calamity beast; instead, there was a look of novelty, as if they were just a big cat that anyone could pet.

Feeling insulted, the two-tailed beast blazed with intense blue flames, its two distinctly different colored beast eyes filled with savagery.

Opening its fiery maw and baring its gleaming teeth, the rider shifted its first target of revenge to the Uchiha clan leader beneath its feet.

"Human, you have found a way to die!"

(End of this chapter)