How to Survive as an Uchiha-Chapter 178 - A Game He Cannot Win

Resisting the urge to shake off the other party's hand, Obito was dragged into the shop.

However, as soon as they entered, the caravan leader let go of Obito's hand and started chatting with the others waiting inside, saying things like, "My nephew still isn't good at handling shops; he almost got scammed by the renovations."

The crowd responded with kind and understanding laughter.

Everyone had been through something similar, so they sympathized.

It seemed they had forgotten that they came to this shop precisely because of the renovations.

Soon, a waiter arrived to lead them to a private room.

Traveling merchants visiting the village were among the primary customers of these night establishments.

Besides them, only the village's ninjas could afford to spend money in a place like this.

Obito walked with the crowd.

As he turned a corner, a young girl who had just finished changing came out of a back room and happened to see him.

She froze for a moment, then her eyes lit up.

She was about to call out to him but stopped herself, instead memorizing the waiter leading Obito and the others to their room.

Standing in the hallway, she patiently waited. After a while, she spotted the waiter and quickly stopped him.

"Kanjo, were all those guests together just now?" she asked.

"Yeah," the waiter named Kanjo replied. "Why? You interested in one of them, Aoi?"

"Mhm! Mhm!" The girl nodded eagerly. "Hold on before taking them inside—I need to talk to my sister first."

With that, she dashed off.

---

Inside the private room, Obito sat on the couch, ignoring the noisy chatter around him. He picked up a glass filled with a colorful liquid, took a sip, and felt the alcohol slowly sink into him.

He had carefully considered choosing the identity of a Senju remnant.

The dissolution of the Senju clan had been a major event in the shinobi world.

Rumors abounded.

Some said they had suffered massive losses in the First Great Ninja War.

Others claimed it was a conspiracy by Konoha's new ruling elite.

There were even rumors of inhumane experiments wiping out the clan's young and strong members, leaving only the elderly, women, and children, forcing the clan to disband.

No one believed the Senju members simply left by choice.

In the twenty years before the Second Great Ninja War, many so-called Senju remnants had appeared in the shinobi world—some even joining villages outside of Konoha.

But unlike the Uchiha members, who were easy to identify, the Senju members were much harder to pin down.

The Senju clan wasn't a bloodline or secret technique clan—it was known for its vast knowledge of ninjutsu. In other words, its members varied widely in ability.

Take Wood Release, for example.

Though a bloodline limit, it was nothing like the Sharingan. The Uchiha had a large enough population that, despite the low awakening rate, there were still many who activated the Sharingan.

But with Wood Release, only the First Hokage had ever used it—no one else from the Senju clan.

Bloodline limits weren't always something you could just awaken through bloodline alone; the term simply referred to a specific type of jutsu.

If the Senju members had any defining trait, it was that every generation produced powerful individuals.

Since there was no clear standard, villages took a "better safe than sorry" approach and welcomed these so-called Senju remnants.

Didn't want to be a shinobi? No problem—just be a villager. Who knew, maybe their kid would want to be a ninja one day.

Everyone believed that even if the Senju members had left the shinobi world, their bloodline must still be out there somewhere.

After all, just because one generation chose to step away didn't mean their descendants would.

Over time, villages had started realizing that some of these Senju remnants actually had impressive talent.

The concept of Senju remnants became widely accepted, and people believed not all Senju members had stayed in Konoha after the clan's dissolution.

Konoha never intervened—not that it could—because most of these discovered Senju remnants weren't even in the Land of Fire.

Senju remnants, along with Uzumaki remnants—both deeply tied to Konoha—were occasionally found in other nations.

The Land of Rain, for example, had once found a Senju remnant.

So in Obito's eyes, joining Kumo under this identity wasn't a big deal. Konoha wouldn't care.

Uzumaki remnants were far more common, and Konoha never interfered with them.

He had even chosen a name: Tobiyama Hizō, nickname Tobi, with corresponding memories implanted in the minds of those involved.

The caravan leader's family name was Tobiyama.

The Tobiyama family was a major merchant clan in the Land of Fire. In the shinobi world, clans dominated, and the top figures in various industries were usually family-run.

"Why are you drinking alone? The beauties of the Land of Lightning won't be interested in you that way—they like men with spirit!" someone teased upon seeing Obito drinking in silence.

Obito merely nodded.

After all, he wore a mask—no one could see his expression.

Right now, his expression said: "Don't mess with me."

Even though they couldn't see his face, his cold demeanor got the message across, and the man awkwardly turned away.

He thought this noble young man had quite an intimidating look in his eyes.

Suddenly, the door to the private room swung open.

A group of girls entered in a line.

The caravan leader smiled broadly, about to say something, when one of the girls excitedly ran straight toward his nephew.

"Do you remember me?"

Everyone in the room was a small leader within the caravan—after all, there were too many people to fit in one room. These were all experienced men.

They immediately recognized the look in the dancer's eyes—not just interest, but hunger.

In an instant, everyone was stunned.

So he had been silent all this time—not because he was inexperienced, but because he had connections in this place!?

And those connections were... high quality!

Terrifying!

Obito ignored the murmuring around him and impatiently lifted his head.

"No," he said, then lowered his head to drink.

Like hell he remembered. Where had this demoness come from, puffing her chest out like that?

But... she did look a little familiar.

He glanced up again and took a closer look at the girl.

"Oh, it's you," he realized. Wasn't this the weird girl from last time who kept fidgeting when she spoke?

"My name is Aoi," the girl said, brimming with excitement.

"Mm, hello," Obito replied indifferently, continuing to sip his drink.

The taste was better than last time—fruity.

"Shall I drink with you?" Aoi asked, unfazed by Obito's demeanor. She already knew from last time—this was a cold man, but deep down, he was kind.

"As you wish," Obito said after a moment. He recalled that this girl had been quite well-behaved before, so he agreed.

As long as she didn't bother him.

Rin was gone.

No woman interested him anymore.

No woman could compare to Rin.

---

"Bang!"

After downing his drink in one gulp, Obito slammed his cup onto the table and rolled up his sleeves.

"Another round!"

Damn it! Why do I keep losing?!

Obito was supposed to be a man who always won.

He had even taken down the Mizukage, yet he couldn't win against a little girl?

"Don't drink so fast," Aoi coaxed shyly. "Let's stop playing games for now. How about I dance for you instead?"

"No! We continue!" Obito declared, refusing to admit defeat.

A few seconds later, he chugged down another three cups in a row.

Aoi was on the verge of tears. She wanted to drink too, but with the rules of the game, she didn't even get a chance to touch her cup.

Even though you're so gentle and make me want to cling to you, your gaming skills are seriously terrible! Were you losing on purpose?

Aoi deeply regretted suggesting that they play a game first.

This was absolutely... not what she had expected!

The plan had gone so far off track that it felt like tripping in Kumo and waking up in a minefield in Suna.

Oh well, she decided to stay optimistic—flaws made a man more lovable.

"Ugh..." Obito clutched his forehead. He was getting dizzy.

Too much alcohol, too fast.

In his daze, he started pondering a question.

What exactly was he doing right now?

How had he gone from drinking with sophistication to chugging down drinks like this?

Aoi's eyes lit up. She quickly scooted closer into Obito's embrace and reached up to massage his temples.

"Take it easy. You drank too fast."

Obito, feeling dazed, didn't resist. He just sat there blankly, letting Aoi massage him.

Mainly because he felt terrible, and her hands were surprisingly soothing.

The scene made the others around them green with envy.

It was clear to everyone—no matter how tough they tried to act, the girls from the Land of Lightning weren't interested. They would play games with them, sure, but always kept a distance. If anyone tried to take advantage, they would immediately receive a cold, professional stare: "Sir, this is a respectable establishment."

Damn it! Just look at that pair over there! That was not respectable at all!

She was practically snuggling into his arms!

Look—she had even pulled Tobi's hand onto her waist!

The caravan leader looked on with satisfaction.

As expected from someone of the Tobiyama lineage—he had the charm to make even the girls from the Land of Lightning swoon over him instead.

This round, the Tobiyama name had scored big time.

Feeling proud, he reached out to wrap an arm around a nearby girl—only for her to politely step away.

"Apologies, sir. We only offer dancing and light entertainment here."

"..."

Had he lost the right to call himself a Tobiyama?

Watching Aoi stick to his nephew like glue, the caravan leader couldn't help but think about his younger days.

Oh, wait. He had never been popular with women, even back then...

Well, whatever. He could just relive his tragic youth through his nephew. As long as he succeeded, it was fine.

The caravan leader let out a long, melancholic sigh.

---

Meanwhile, under the same night sky, at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Fields, a place known as Sora-ku was welcoming new visitors.

Masashi arrived with Anko, Haku, and Sasuke.

"This place is so desolate," Haku murmured, looking around. He then glanced at the abandoned-looking buildings up ahead, confused.

"You shouldn't judge things by their appearance," Masashi replied. "This is the Uchiha clan's exclusive armory. Anko aside, you and Sasuke will be coming here often in the future."

"Do you visit here a lot too?"

"I used to, but not as much in the past two years."

As he spoke, he led the three students toward the entrance of Sora-ku.

It looked abandoned because not much effort had been put into decorating the outside.

The real Sora-ku was underground.

The leader of the ninja cat clan, Granny Cat, was a well-connected black market dealer.

The Uchiha clan sold weapons on the black market through her, and she handled the buyers.

Masashi wanted to familiarize Haku with this place. Since Haku had trained in the Uchiha clan's ninjutsu system, he would need access to Uchiha-crafted ninja tools in the future.

As they stepped through the large entrance with the "Sora-ku" plaque, a ninja cat leaped onto the wall beside them.

"Masashi, long time no see."

"Long time no see, Denka," Masashi greeted with a smile.

To enter the underground portion of Sora-ku, one had to navigate a series of complex corridors. Without a ninja cat as a guide, it was impossible to reach the destination smoothly.

That was the official rule, but in reality, he had visited so often that he had memorized the route.

And a single Flying Thunder God could bypass everything.

However, out of respect for their allies, he never used it there.

There were two ninja cats responsible for guiding visitors. One was Denka, standing before them now.

The other was Hina—a cat Masashi particularly disliked.

She was obsessed with receiving gifts. If visitors didn't bring one, she would give them a cold shoulder.

The first time Masashi had visited, Hina had given him a nasty attitude. But after a few more visits, the cat had started avoiding him entirely.

What a joke! Why should he have to bribe a cat just to meet Granny Cat?

The Uchiha's arms trade had earned her plenty of money.

To put it bluntly, even without her, the Uchiha clan could still conduct business on the black market just fine.

So no, he never gave gifts to Hina. Some gifts should be given out of courtesy—others shouldn't be given at all.

"Please follow me."

Denka leaped down from the wall and began leading the way.

Gesturing for his students to follow, Masashi walked after Denka into the underground passage.

They soon entered the twisting corridors below.

Masashi was already used to the winding paths. Sasuke had been here before with Itachi, so he wasn't surprised either. But Haku and Anko found the place suffocating, and all the turns made them dizzy.

"Don't bother trying to memorize the path," Masashi advised them. "It's part of Sora-ku's security measures. Trying to remember it would be disrespectful to its owner."

Hearing this, Haku and Anko stopped their attempts to track the route.

"Thank you for understanding," Denka said with a smile.

The ninja cats respected Masashi.

They always found him intimidating, even though his attitude was polite.

Even Denka unconsciously walked a little faster when guiding him.

Before long, a small door appeared up ahead.

Denka stopped beside it and crouched down.

"We have arrived."

"Thank you for your trouble, Denka."

Masashi stepped forward and pushed open the door.

---

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