Chapter 330: Tobirama: Who is his son? You Uchiha are sick! [Chapter]

"Thank you for covering up for us just now."

"Oh? I thought you would rather die than surrender - after all, it's the good intention of the Uchiha." Uchiha Keizhi looked down at Tobirama who was walking beside him with a half-smile, "But it's also fortunate that you didn't inherit the rough looks of that old bastard, otherwise I can't use this excuse."

[He recognized it.] In just a moment, cold sweat soaked Tobirama's back. He lowered his eyes to hide his panic, and his voice was tense, "...I'm not so ungrateful as to be so, but I was indeed very surprised to get help."

"Accident?" Uchiha Qizhi snorted and laughed, "You shouldn't say that - I never thought that Ling could actually reach out to your family."

Tobirama raised his head, but said nothing in the end. He just lowered his head and quietly followed Uchiha Keizhi to a tavern, watching him push open the door.

As the door of the tavern opened, the overbearing smell of tobacco and alcohol inside brought a warm feeling that dispelled the coldness around the two of them, and also made Tobirama unconsciously pull up his scarf to cover his mouth and nose.

"Hey, Qizhi, you're back?" As soon as he entered the gate, an Uchiha holding a pipe and puffing out clouds of smoke greeted him, and his pair of black eyes also drooped down to Tobirama, "Is this the rat that Kazuji mentioned?"

"Oh, don't listen to the nonsense that good-for-nothing He Zhi said. What rat? It was that little brat Ling who used some unknown means to win over the other side."

"Oh? I was wondering why you don't have the dark energy that I had back then?" The Uchiha who was speaking tapped his pipe, looking cheerful. "But Ling boy is really capable. He was able to turn this around - if the clan leader knew about this, he would probably have a headache for the whole year."

"Hey, that's right. You won't let others be quiet during the New Year's Day. Let Tajima worry about it. I don't want to think about it so complicatedly now." Uchiha Qizhi took off his coat and laughed. "Hey, Jing Xin, those guys are in there, right?"

"Yeah, everyone is gathered inside to drink." Uchiha Jingxin seemed to have thought of something interesting, and a smile spread across his face. "Several people have been drunk - I also got some good wine from that kid, shall we join in later?"

"That's great, I'll be back after I send the person over." Uchiha Qizhi raised his hand and patted the top of Tobirama's head, "Come on, kid, come with me."

Tobirama then withdrew his gaze from his surroundings, followed Uchiha Keizhi inside, and began to wonder what reasonable excuse he could use to find Uchiha Ling.

No matter what Uchiha Keiji was thinking, Tobirama knew that the message he gave out openly was [Important information to be transmitted], but this important information...

[I can’t talk about things within the clan. As for things about other clans, the other party probably knows more about them than I do. And most importantly, I’m not his real partner. Even if I were a real partner, I can’t guarantee that he would be willing to protect me…]

Thinking of this, Tobirama's expression under his scarf twisted for a moment, [If I can return safely this time, I will write a banner and hang it in the house to remind myself repeatedly - that naive idiot brother! ]

But it was useless to complain in his heart now. Tobirama could only think about what information or method he could use to save his own life without harming the clan, while he followed Uchiha Keizhi through a corridor and stood in front of another door with a nervous mood.

But this time, before Uchiha Keizhi opened the door, Tobirama unconsciously looked at the young Uchiha standing at the door, who was choking and crying, but still stubbornly holding the pipe to pose, and even shivering with cold, but refused to put on a coat before coming out.

[Looks familiar... Ah, it's the Uchiha I saw last time when my eldest brother dragged me out.] A hint of understanding flashed across Tobirama's crimson eyes, and then it was filled with incomprehension, [But why torture yourself like this at the end of the year? He was still normal the last time I saw him...]

The young Uchiha obviously noticed Tobirama's scrutiny, and his face, which was originally pale due to the cold, suddenly turned red. He said in an annoyed voice, "What are you looking at? Haven't you seen other people smoking?"

Tobirama looked up at the sky with a complicated expression, then looked at the young Uchiha who couldn't stop shivering even though his face turned red, and shook his head honestly.

"Fuck, I'm so annoyed. I won't smoke anymore!" The young Uchiha approached the two men tremblingly, rubbed Tobirama's head viciously before looking up at Uchiha Keizhi, "Uncle, why are you here? The clan is not giving us a mission at this time, right? And whose child is this? He looks familiar yet strange?"

"Oh, I'm looking for Ling, this kid is here to look for him." Uchiha Qizhi looked at the pipe in his nephew's hand, smiled, and didn't mean to preach, "Why don't you go in and join them?"

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Eiji stopped paying attention to Tobirama and just sniffed, looking angry. "What else can I say? They are openly ostracizing me! Even Masaki is following them! They actually made me drink juice and tea with the kids because they think I'm not good at cooking! How can I bear this injustice!"

Uchiha Qizhi opened the door and said, "Oh? Then I think they did the right thing. They praised you."

Uchiha Yingji immediately looked at his uncle with accusatory eyes, but in the end he just stood between the two of them and made small gestures quietly but did not dare to refute out loud. He was even frightened by Uchiha Qizhi's sudden turning back and stood at attention with his hands behind his back.

Tobirama, who was walking at the end, saw this scene and his expression was complicated again - [That uncle must have done it on purpose, right? Doesn't he feel ashamed to compete with his own nephew? And the evil Uchiha... childish is more like that. ]

Thinking of this, Tobirama was stunned again. He had actually relaxed to the point that he dared to complain about Uchiha in his heart?

[No, no, I have to be alert. Now I have to think about what I should do to save my life when I see Uchiha Ling later.] Shaking his head vigorously, Tobirama let out a long breath, and when he looked at Uchiha Keizhi's back, he couldn't help but feel a little resentful, [Trying to treat a child like me who has no ability to resist and lowering my vigilance in this way, how insidious.]

"Hey, Ling boy, I brought someone to you! Did Xuewan greet you?"

"Hmm? I don't think I have an appointment at this time..." Ling's voice came from not far away, "Uncle Qizhi, are you sure that person is here to see me?"

"Oh—no appointment."

Facing Uchiha Keiji's half-smiley gaze, Tobirama's hair stood on end instantly, and he almost shouted, with panic in his voice that he himself could not detect, "It's me! You said before that I could come to you anytime!"

The room, which had been somewhat noisy, suddenly became quiet, and Tobirama could feel one gaze after another falling on him. These gazes were like invisible hands, strangling his throat, trapping his limbs, and making him unable to make any sound or move.

As the silence spread silently, the despair in Tobirama's heart was like a rising tide that enveloped and swallowed him whole - apart from getting help from Uchiha Ling, he didn't know what on earth he should do to successfully escape back to the Senju from under the noses of so many Uchiha.

The scarlet eyes that were usually in deep thought and scrutinizing everything around them were finally stained with panic. After all, no matter how mature his way of doing things was, no matter how thorough his thinking was, or even how great a figure he was destined to become in the future, it could not change the fact that Tobirama was just a ten-year-old child at the moment - he was powerless to do anything about the situation he was facing.

Even if the child is capable of killing an adult, it should be noted that increased strength does not mean mental maturity. For a child, it is normal to want to seek help when encountering danger.

But when he suppressed his fear and panic and found the only person who could save him, the other person did not receive his call for help and even questioned it.

So now, Tobirama was panicking. The temperature in the room did not relax his stiff limbs at all. He wanted to say something, but extreme fear and panic occupied his brain. He only knew that he should escape, but he didn't know how to escape.

"Oh... that certainly sounds like something I would say - then, who are you?"

Ling's voice was accompanied by regular footsteps. Tobirama looked up at the young man walking towards him, and found that the other party did not carry the staff knife used for perception with him. Not only did his steps seem a little unsteady, but he also smelled strongly of alcohol, which made Tobirama doubt whether the other party was conscious and whether he could recognize him.

But even so, Ling's approach still gave Tobirama a little courage. His stagnant brain finally started to work again and think. He clenched his hands hard to relieve the numbness in his limbs. [What should I do now? Tell him the information directly to prove its value? Or find a way to get alone with him for help? ]

While Tobirama was thinking, Ling also put his hand on Tobirama's shoulder and used the perception ninjutsu to identify the person. After a while, he spoke uncertainly, "This chakra... Tobirama?"

“…Yes, it’s me.”

"Hmm - how should I put it?" Ling retracted his hand, tilted his head towards the direction where Tobirama was, and looked very conflicted. "I didn't expect you to be such a... brave child."

Tobirama took a step forward and grabbed the corner of Ling's clothes, lowering his head and saying nothing.

"Well, it looks like you've been affected again..." Ling took the opportunity to rub the child, and at the same time turned to Uchiha Qizhi's direction, "He is indeed here to find me, sorry to bother Uncle Qizhi - just report to father normally, I will handle the follow-up when I am notified."

Uchiha Qizhi glanced at the child who had huddled beside Ling to calm down, and laughed, "Okay, you can handle the situation yourself - then I, an old guy, won't stay and get in the way."

"Uncle Qizhi, take care." Ling turned with the change of footsteps, and only after hearing the sound of the door opening and closing did he hold the hand that was holding the corner of his clothes. "Come on, sit with me first, and I will take you back after I finish here - well, do you want to go watch the fireworks?"

"No... I want to go back early." Tobirama still lowered his head, but his tense shoulders relaxed unconsciously, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. After all, it was me who proposed the cooperation, so I should be the first to make some efforts." Ling chuckled, "If Tobirama really wants to do something, then please tell me the truth about the situation here, just like last time - to convey my sincerity."

Tobirama subconsciously tightened the hand that was holding Ling, "...Okay."

"Oh, by the way, there is one more thing I want to ask of Tobirama..."

Tobirama immediately waited nervously for Ling's next words, but before Ling could finish, a shocked voice came from the side, "Okay! Ling! You actually hid such a big son from us!"

All of a sudden, the tension in Tobirama's heart disappeared, and he angrily glared at the pretty Uchiha who was speaking with his red eyes - who is his son! Are you Uchiha sick?