130. Tobirama Insight

"Tch! Such a petty white-haired guy."

Uchiha Gin rolled his eyes at Tobirama Senju's words, feeling speechless.

"Hmph! I'd better believe in ghosts than trust a word from an Uchiha's filthy mouth!"

Tobirama squinted, his face openly showing his disdain. His elder brother had been deceived by Uchiha's sweet talk, which led him to such naive ideas.

"Alright, alright!"

Uchiha Gin knew Tobirama wasn't going to let them leave easily.

Turning to the group behind him, he said, "You guys go ahead. I'll stay behind and negotiate."

"No, you can't!"

The one to object first was Uzumaki Mito, held hostage. Her bright eyes, filled with tension and guilt, lifted as she spoke.

"Gin! How about I just kill them all?"

Uchiha Hikari, who had been itching for action, finally saw a chance to prove herself. Ever since she had been unsealed, she hadn't had a chance to beat up a Senju yet.

"Calm down, calm down. Life in the world isn't just about fighting and killing; there are also rules of respect."

Gin shook his head, rejecting Hikari's request to fight. He then turned his gaze back to Tobirama, who was still waiting, and in a playful tone said,

"Hey, hey, white-haired brat. Is it fine if I stay behind?"

"Huh?"

Tobirama was a bit puzzled by Uchiha Gin's behavior. In his mind, the Uchiha were all despicable and selfish schemers. Yet, the Uchiha before him, with his annoying curly hair, seemed willing to risk himself for unrelated outsiders.

"Fine, but you'll have to prove you're not a clone."

Famed for his caution, Tobirama agreed to Gin's request but demanded he prove he wasn't a shadow clone.

"As expected of you~"

Understanding Tobirama's concern, Gin immediately took out a kunai and stabbed himself.

Splat!

Blood splattered everywhere.

"Ah!" Three girls screamed in unison, glaring angrily at Tobirama.

"???"

A chill ran down Tobirama's back as he stared at Gin's self-harm.

"Is this enough? Or should I stab myself again?"

With a nonchalant attitude, Gin smiled at the group around him, ignoring the blood spurting from the wound. He even asked Tobirama if he should go for another stab.

Caught off guard by the scene, Tobirama carefully inspected Gin from head to toe. Finally, his gaze lingered on Gin's unusual curly hair, a stark contrast to other Uchiha, and he couldn't help but wonder.

Could curly hair be an indicator of an Uchiha's character? Tobirama thought back to his previous encounters with spiky-haired and straight-haired Uchiha, none of whom were good people. Yet this curly-haired one, though seen only twice, left a different impression.

The first time, six years ago, during an ambush on Madara, this curly-haired Uchiha had shielded his comrades with his body, blocking a fatal punch from Tobirama's father. That was suicidal, given his father's fearsome reputation.

And now, Gin had taken Uzumaki Mito hostage, yet he didn't use her to threaten them. He even voluntarily stayed behind as a hostage to let unrelated members of the Hagoromo clan escape, going as far as to stab himself to prove his sincerity.

Looking at the calm, gentle expression beneath Gin's curls and the wound still bleeding, Tobirama found himself unknowingly planting a peculiar thought in his mind.

"That's enough."

Tobirama's voice was odd.

Unconsciously, his gaze towards Gin had changed.

"Alright~"

Gin smiled brightly. It seemed there wouldn't be a fight after all. Otherwise, if he accidentally elbowed the white-haired guy to death, how would the Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers get their revenge?

"You all should go now."

"No way! I can't leave you here alone!"

Though Uchiha Hikari appeared anxious, her eyes were more focused on Uzumaki Mito in Gin's arms. It was clear she wasn't concerned about Gin's safety but feared that if she left, Mito would try to seduce him.

"Gin-san!"

Uchiha Haruka, who had been silent for a while, genuinely looked worried. From her perspective, her teacher had some skills, but not many.

"Mr. Gin!!" *2 The two brothers from the Hagoromo clan, who hadn't known Gin for long, but already regarded him as a mentor, weren't cowards.

"Aww, trust me. It's nothing. A minor scene like this is no big deal."

Gin was touched by their concern but waved it off with a confident smile.

"You go first, I'll catch up. Did you forget my move earlier? None of these guys are a match for me."

"Right…"

Gin's earlier tension had made them forget about the towering mysterious giant he summoned during the earlier battle. Remembering that, the group felt relieved and bid their farewells.

"Gin, hurry up! I'll save you some dinner."

Hikari clung to Gin's arm, trying to press her body closer, attempting to use seduction.

???

The effect was minimal.

"Gin-san, don't spend too much time with women like her."

Haruka, who hadn't suspected anything improper between Gin and Mito, still managed to throw a remark as she left.

"Mr. Gin, thank you!"

The Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers were overwhelmed with gratitude, promising to repay him when they became strong.

After bidding farewell, the group vanished to catch up with the Hagoromo clan.

"Aren't you going to bandage yourself?"

As the group left, Tobirama surprisingly spoke first, his face conflicted, and his red eyes somewhat shifty.

"It's fine. I've been eating too much beef lately, so I need to let off some blood to cool down."

Gin, surprised that Tobirama would say something so out of character, grew suspicious.

"But you're losing quite a lot of blood."

Tobirama's voice was laced with an odd tone as he stared at the still-bleeding Gin.

"Huh? Damn!"

Only after Tobirama pointed it out did Gin notice he had hit an artery, with blood spurting out in a perfect arc. Panicked, he pulled out the kunai and used a green healing glow to treat the wound, trying to keep his body's rapid healing from making it too obvious.

"Huh~"

Seeing Gin use a rare healing technique, Tobirama raised his eyebrows.

"You know medical ninjutsu?"

"Just a bit."

Gin humbly responded as his wound fully healed.

"Are there many people in the Uchiha clan with your hairstyle?"

As silence threatened to settle between them, Tobirama broke it with a question that left Gin puzzled.

"Probably not. At least, I haven't met anyone else with hair like mine."

Indeed, Gin had scanned the entire Uchiha clan in recent years but had never seen another Uchiha with curly hair.

Just as I thought.

Tobirama's eyes flickered with understanding.

"Gin-san, how do you plan to get out of here?"

Seeing the time pass, Mito, though reluctant to leave Gin's embrace, asked softly.

"Huh? Didn't we agree? Once the Hagoromo clan is safe, I can leave."

Gin was confused. Wasn't that the deal?

"Oh, you really believed that? Tobirama is known as the Uchiha-killer. I've never heard of any Uchiha surviving after meeting him."

"Achoo!"

Tobirama's reputation took a hit.

"Damn, I forgot about that!"

Gin slapped his forehead, realizing his chances weren't good. Still, he decided to try. He called out to Tobirama, "Hey, white-haired brat. The Hagoromo clan should be out of the Land of Fire by now. When can I leave?"

"Let go of that stupid woman, and you can leave now."

Having formed his own opinion about the curly-haired Uchiha, Tobirama didn't make things difficult for Gin.

"Huh?" *2 Both Gin and Mito exchanged surprised glances.

There's a trap!

The thought flashed in both of their minds.

"Haha, women and children are slow. I'll wait a bit longer."

Gin made an excuse, still holding onto Mito.

"Has he done this before?"

Gin whispered into Mito's ear.

"Ah, no, never heard of it. Might be a new trick."

Blushing as Gin's breath brushed her ear, Mito barely kept herself from collapsing.

"Do you really want to be the clan leader?"

Gin glanced at Mito's smooth forehead, noting the lack of the iconic diamond-shaped mark that symbolized her peak power.

"I have reasons that require me to become the leader."

Mito's eyes were full of determination as she replied firmly.

Hearing her unwavering resolve, Gin thought for a moment and began rummaging in his system inventory.

"This? No, too violent."

He passed over a giant golden blade.

"This? Useless, not like she's running out of chakra."

He ignored a blue chakra replenishment item.

"Ah, this will work!"

Finally, Gin found what he was looking for. He discreetly handed something to Mito.

"Mito, I think you'll be fine. With your skills, becoming the clan leader should be a piece of cake!"