chsdbacks Chapter 908 Who didn't have a rich friend when they were a kid?
Chapter 908 Who didn't have a rich friend when they were a kid?
"so."
Inside the Honey Ice City, Uchiha Gin slowly stirred the pale pink milkshake in front of him, his gaze, full of inexplicable meaning, falling on Maruboshi Kosuke, who was wrapped in bandages.
"You guys just got away with it?"
He moved his fractured left leg, the sharp pain causing Maruhoshi Kosuke to furrow his brow. Hearing Uchiha Gin's teasing question, he curled his lip in a smirk.
"Forget about lying down, just tell me whether you won or not!"
"Okay, winning by doing nothing is also a kind of winning."
Uchiha Gin shrugged. He hadn't expected that the one who would play a decisive role in this war was actually Mirror, who had been in hiding for many years.
Not only did he single-handedly defeat three tailed beasts, but the garrison troops accompanying him also encircled the Earth and Lightning Alliance forces that had penetrated deep into the territory. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Onoki wisely chose to cease hostilities.
Of course, this so-called ceasefire was just his official explanation to the country, only to save his last bit of dignity. In reality, the invasion war of Iwagakure was a complete failure, and he even sold out his hired ally, Kumogakure.
Now the two families are sworn enemies, and they'll never cooperate again. Just not fighting when they meet will be enough to qualify them for the title of "good manners in the ninja world."
After lamenting the current state of the once-ironclad alliance's breakdown, Uchiha Gin's gaze fell upon Maruboshi Kosuke's left leg, which was wrapped in a cast, his eyes filled with emotion.
"But I must say, you're really lucky. Not only did you survive that level of battlefield, you also survived with all your limbs intact."
Compared to the Konoha scapegoat who was left with a disability in the original timeline, the fact that Maruboshi Kosuke, after being guided by him, was able to obtain a medal as a combat hero is truly a successful reversal of fate.
"It's all thanks to your excellent guidance, Gintoki. It's just a pity about that black pot I made of chakra metal~"
Mentioning the magical artifact that had helped him escape death countless times, Maruhoshi Kosuke shook his head with a sigh. If it weren't for that pot, he didn't know how many times he would have died.
"It's just a pot. I'll send you one in a while, no, a whole set of cookware. I guarantee it will be even more durable and reliable than your old one."
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Gin waved his hand dismissively. Maruboshi Kosuke was, after all, his unofficial outer disciple; he could easily bear the blame for a mere false accusation.
"Really? Thank you so much!"
Upon hearing this, Kosuke Maruhoshi's gloomy expression vanished instantly. He glanced at the clock on the wall, then cheerfully got up to take his leave.
"The awarding ceremony is about to begin, Gintoki, I'll go first."
After bidding farewell to this rising star of Konoha, Uchiha Gin rested his chin on his hand and listlessly scooped up a spoonful of perfectly blended strawberry milkshake.
"Ok?"
Just as I was about to put it in my mouth, I noticed a small, onion-shaped head staring longingly at me from across the street, drool dripping down the glass and onto the ground.
Uchiha Gin's lips twitched slightly. He picked up the spoon and swung it from side to side. The little head pressed against the window swayed along with it, its innocent eyes never leaving the tempting milkshake.
"Obi-tou, you're disturbing the guests inside."
A sweet-looking little girl, about three or four years old, nervously clenched her tiny fists and whispered a reminder to the spiky-haired boy who had pressed his round face against the glass.
"Lin, ignore him. Let's just pretend we don't know this gluttonous idiot."
The silver-haired boy standing next to the little girl covered his forehead with one hand, his tone full of helplessness. It was clear that this was not the first time the spiky-haired boy had made such an embarrassing situation.
"But."
The little girl named Lin pursed her lips; how could she, with her kind heart, abandon her friend?
"Don't forget who ate all our allowance."
The silver-haired boy couldn't help but roll his eyes. If it weren't for this idiot, he wouldn't be unable to afford even a glass of lemonade.
"Obi-Wan's appetite is indeed quite good."
Lin looked at the spiky-haired boy who was still stuck to the glass and refused to come down, then glanced at the annoyed silver-haired boy, and her fair face straightened.
"But don't worry, my brother has already promised to take us out for fried chicken after the event."
"Yo! Kakashi, what a coincidence. Want to have a youthful showdown with me?"
Just as the three children were locked in a stalemate, a boy with a sunflower-like face wearing a bright green jumpsuit appeared behind them. The silver-haired boy frowned upon seeing them, then, as if remembering something, his furrowed brows instantly relaxed, and a sly glint flashed in his eyes.
"Kai, I accept your challenge, but this time we need to add something extra."
"Huh? Go ahead and say it. I definitely won't lose to you this time!"
Upon hearing this, the boy's thick eyebrows shot up, and he confidently gave the three of them a thumbs-up, his uneven baby teeth gleaming with a light that was almost unbearable to look at.
"puff!"
Such a hilarious scene almost made Uchiha Gin, who was sitting in the shop watching the show, lose his composure. He then began to examine the familiar young bodies with great interest.
There is no uniform for the ninja academy. Is it because they are not old enough to go to school yet?
He did some quick calculations. It was now Konoha Year 40, and these children born in the same year were only a little over three years old, barely meeting the enrollment criteria for the Ninja Academy's preschool class.
Perhaps because the whole village is now celebrating the victory in the war, the school's enrollment date has been postponed.
"Alright, let's continue with rock-paper-scissors this time."
"Huh? Rock-paper-scissors again? Can't you find a more exciting way to compete?"
The boy, who was enthusiastically warming up, immediately looked dejected upon hearing this.
"Can you still be considered my nemesis after all this?"
"You can't even beat me in a simple game like rock-paper-scissors, so how dare you call yourself my nemesis?"
Seeing that Kai wasn't very enthusiastic, Kakashi raised an eyebrow and directly used a simple provocation tactic.
"Alright! Let's settle our thirty-eighth match with rock-paper-scissors!"
Sure enough, this trick always worked. Kai, who had initially resisted, immediately sat up, a glint of fire flashing in his large, round eyes.
"Three, two, one"
The outcome was decided in the next second; Kakashi defeated Guy, who only used stones, without any suspense.
"Waaaah, he truly is my nemesis."
Kai, who was on all fours, lifted his tear-streaked face and used the Shining Attack on Kakashi once again.
"A bet is a bet, so feel free to make any demands you may have."
"Please let us go in and spend some money."
As Kakashi watched Kai get up from the ground, his gaze swept over the bulging purse at his waist, revealing his true intentions.
"That's it? No problem!"
Kai was taken aback at first; he hadn't expected Kakashi's request to be so simple. He immediately patted his wallet and invited the others into the store to enjoy themselves.
"Today's expenses will be on Mr. Kai!"
"Kakashi, isn't this a bad idea?"
Rin cautiously tugged at Kakashi's sleeve and asked softly,
“It’s okay, Kai has a lot of pocket money, he can’t possibly spend it all by himself.”
Kakashi, who knew Might Guy's family situation very well, winked at Rin.
Unlike the impoverished genin in the original timeline, the current Might Guy successfully retreated from Sunagakure, bringing back not only a virtuous wife but also all the wealth he had accumulated over years of infiltration.
Although his family's wealth couldn't compare to that of a large clan, it was still much more comfortable than that of an average Jonin, and his son, Kai, naturally enjoyed a carefree childhood.
"Foolish Obito, let's go. Any grudges coming your way?" With that, he pulled Obito off the glass like a gecko, only to find a familiar figure smiling at them from the other side of the glass.
"Greetings, Grandpa Yin!"
A few minutes later, the four children stood in a row and gave a junior's salute to the smiling Lao Yin in their childish voices.
“Sasipuli, Obi-tou, have you been eating too much lately? I almost didn’t recognize you just now.”
Uchiha Gin lazily raised his hand in greeting, his gaze fixed on the roundest of the four children, the boy with the spiky hair. He reached out and ruffled the boy's chubby cheeks, his smile widening.
Compared to the Uchiha children, the round, spiky hair makes him look more like an Akimichi child—no, he should be Akimichi's child to begin with.
"Because my grandma's bento boxes are so delicious, I eat a lot of them every day."
No matter how much Uchiha Gin kneaded him, he maintained his silly smile.
"I think I just heard someone say, 'Today's expenses are on Young Master Kai.' I wonder if it's true?"
Satisfied, Gin Uchiha withdrew his large hand from Obito's face and turned to look at the obsequious boy.
Matt Kai felt a chill run down his spine from his gaze and instinctively tightened his aching buttocks.
"Grandpa Yin, please order whatever you'd like to drink!"
"Haha, then I won't be polite!"
Uchiha Gin liked this kind of filial child the most, and immediately decided to teach Guy the secrets to winning at rock-paper-scissors when he had time.
Soon, several children sat around opposite Uchiha Gin, holding the menu and hesitating.
"Wu Wu Kai, doesn't your dad usually take you everywhere he goes? Where is he today?"
Uchiha Gin looked at Kakashi, who had already ordered the classic lemonade, and asked curiously,
"My father is not feeling well today."
Kakashi stroked his chin and replied, actually quite puzzled himself. His father rarely suffered from minor ailments like hemorrhoids, so why was he bedridden on such an important day?
"Are you unwell?"
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow. Was he unwell or afraid of running into an old friend?
He remembered that a representative from Sunagakure was attending today's Konoha commendation ceremony, but who that person was was a bit hard to guess.
"Lin, with so many new flavors, are you really only going to get one Oreo milkshake?"
On the other side, Obito, with a drooling expression, ordered a whole page of ice cream, then looked at Rin, who had only ordered one, with a puzzled look.
"Obi-tou, eating so much cold stuff will give you diarrhea!"
Rin solemnly took the order book from Obito, and with a swift stroke, ordered a strawberry milkshake.
"Ah? It's so rare to have a chance to eat all-you-can-eat ice cream."
"Can't!"
"Okay, I'll do as you say."
Obito licked his lips and reluctantly pushed the dazzling menu away.
A moment later, two tall, slender figures pushed open the door and entered. Lin, who was enjoying her Oreo milkshake, suddenly brightened up.
"Onii-chan!"
"Oh~ Xiaolin, I'm sorry I'm late."
The speaker had short, neat black hair and a handsome face with a touch of nonchalant laziness; he was none other than the now-adult Nohara Shinnosuke.
"Asma, go and say hello to your friends."
The thin young man who came in with Shinnosuke flicked his bangs and pushed his younger brother, who was hiding behind him, out.
"Asuma, you've really struck gold! Kay's treating today!"
When Obito saw his familiar friends, he immediately raised his hand to greet them, but what he said made Kakashi, who was standing next to him, completely speechless.
If he had known this idiot would be so shameful, he shouldn't have tried to fool Kai in the first place.
"Hey~ Do you two have a day off today?"
Because Uchiha Gin had his back to them, Shinnosuke and Sarutobi didn't notice him immediately. It wasn't until he turned around with a smile and greeted them that they instantly stood at attention and respectfully replied.
"Yes, Grandpa Gin, the Anbu and Root are all on holiday today."
"Dangdang!"
Just as Uchiha Gin was about to invite the three newcomers to sit down, Senju Itama, carrying two large shopping bags, burst through the door, followed by a curly-haired girl carrying a small shopping bag.
"Curly-haired baboon, Curly and I bought a lot of good stuff. Remember to reimburse us."
"Hello, Sister Banzi!"
Everyone present, regardless of rank, immediately stood up upon seeing Senju Itama, forming two rows as if welcoming a yakuza boss, bowing and shouting in unison.
Seeing Senju Itama accept it calmly, Uchiha Gin's eye twitched slightly. How did this girl manage to discipline the children like this?
"Alright, you can keep playing the music and dancing."
Senju Itama, the leader of the Konoha children, nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand. The children present immediately obeyed and sat back down in their seats.
"Hong, you look beautiful today."
Asuma, who seemed like a quiet, reserved person, suddenly became very perceptive upon seeing Red, and shamelessly came over to greet her.
"You little brat, get out of here, don't even think about messing with my test papers."
Before Kurenai could answer, Senju Itama, who was standing next to her, raised her eyebrows. Maki was her child, whom she regarded as her own. How could she let this little monkey with a short-lived look fool her away?
Forced by the boss's power, Asuma had no choice but to return dejectedly, hiding behind her brother and secretly wiping away her tears.
"Is the event over?"
Uchiha Gin-gang's Senju Itama stuffed the shopping bag into the scroll, watching with curiosity as the crowd on the street outside the window gradually became lively.
"Yeah, Little Tuantuan really stole the show this time. Didn't you see how ugly the little monkey looked?"
Senju Itama snatched the small bottle of sweet drink that Uchiha Gin had prepared, took a big sip, and nodded in reply.
"Uh"
Upon hearing this, Sarutobi Toru's expression stiffened, while Shinnosuke beside him smiled even more broadly.
Danzo was the true star of this awards ceremony. Tobirama Senju personally presented him with the Konoha Hero Medal, the first major medal awarded in the history of Konoha. This medal completely overshadowed the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was merely there as a foil.
The crowd below the stage, whether they had been paid or not, kept chanting strange phrases like "It is the mandate of heaven, the fourth generation should stand," which made Hiruzen Sarutobi's already gloomy face even darker.
After listening to Senju Itama's explanation, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but marvel. It seemed that the white-haired man was determined to promote Xiao Tuan Tuan to power, all in an attempt to divide the seemingly unbreakable ninja alliance.
"Tsk tsk tsk, it seems like things are about to change in Konoha~" (End of Chapter)