Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha is not motivated.

"But I think blanching is better. It preserves the original flavor of the ingredients, and the smooth and firm texture can better stimulate the taste buds of the stigma."

"No, no, no, sashimi is the only way to go. Any extra steps will greatly reduce its effectiveness."

"Have you ever been a chef? You just throw ingredients together and assume things."

"Hmph, I am a disciple of Master Liu, the top chef of the Kingdom of Cooking. I am proficient in all kinds of cooking methods, including frying, stir-frying, steaming, boiling, stewing, braising, baking, roasting, and mixing."

"."

Listening to the two's heated professional discussion, Madara Uchiha, barely suppressing his disgust, loudly grumbled,
"Who wants to eat this filthy stuff? Besides, shouldn't the most important thing right now be finding that guy?"

"That makes sense. I'll pick out the tough tendons for you to have with your drinks later."

His younger cousin's words successfully steered the topic back on track, and Uchiha Gin nodded with lingering fear.
This is supposed to be a shonen manga, but it almost veered off into a food-themed channel.

"I, Madara Uchiha, would rather starve to death or jump off the Valley of the End than eat a single bite!"

"Spots, this stuff is very nourishing."

Black Zetsu, carrying a still-dripping kidney, waved it in front of Madara Uchiha; the pungent odor almost made Madara vomit.

"roll!"

"I'm doing this all for your own good~"

Seeing Madara Uchiha pinching his nose and dodging, Black Zetsu secretly revealed a smile of revenge.

Hmph~ You just abandoned me and ran away, now you're going to get your raw waist eaten!
"Damn it, I must kill him!"

On the other side, the miniature Jigen did not choose to leave. After using the regeneration ability of Yin-Yang Release to restore his two lost kidneys, he looked at Uchiha Gin, who seemed completely unaffected, with eyes full of resentment.

The vengeful Cixian, even knowing that the human before her possessed the ability to see through her miniature form, still chose to strike with hatred in her heart.

This time, however, Cixian learned his lesson and didn't foolishly charge in. Instead, he manipulated the few cubes he had, pressing them towards the three people in the arena.
He wanted to wait for Uchiha Gin to reveal a weakness, then return the humiliation he had suffered tenfold in one fell swoop.
"Oh no, he hasn't left yet."

Seeing the black cubes surrounding him, Madara Uchiha's face paled, and a shadow of something almost like a two-dimensional being instantly loomed over his heart.

"That puts my mind at ease."

Compared to his nervous younger cousin, Uchiha Gin appeared much more relaxed.

If this wild Otsutsuki manages to escape, who knows when we'll encounter it again?

Perhaps we've reached the point where it's no longer possible to burn firecrackers~
"Whoosh!"

Just as the two were talking, the floating cube suddenly launched an attack.

"henshin!"

Madara Uchiha, his expression grave, pulled out the Decade Driver. As he raised his hand to block the cube aimed directly at his face, he skillfully fastened it to his waist, executing a classic mid-battle maneuver.
"Wooden Release: Wooden Man's Technique!"

After carefully putting away the kidneys, Black Zetsu, who had been kicked around like a ball by Jigen for half a day, also became somewhat enraged. He manipulated the clone's body to unleash his full power, and the adorable wooden Arhat rose from the ground.

"what!"

With a swing of his arm, two wooden dragons flew out of his hand and began to tear at the surrounding cubes.

"Boom!"

Huge wood chips flew everywhere, but Madara Uchiha's agile figure nimbly stepped onto the wood chips that were still in mid-air.

"Swish! Swish!"

The card-shaped sword in his hand moved with tremendous force, and the sword energy that extended from it instantly split several cubes in two.
"These two work together quite well!"

Meanwhile, Uchiha Gin, sitting on a stool he'd somehow produced, watched with great interest the two's perfectly coordinated fighting style.
I never expected my older cousin to train this guy, Erzhuzi, so well. He can tank, heal, and even draw aggro—he's practically the legendary ideal teammate!
I just don't know if I'll ever have a heart-to-heart talk with my older cousin.

"Hmph! Let's see how long you can hold out."

Cixian, now miniaturized and floating in mid-air, coldly watched the duo unleash their power. His movements immediately quickened, and the black cube's size and speed surged instantly.

"what?"

The wooden figure struggled to lift two black cubes, but in the next moment, the cubes, which were originally only the size of a palm, suddenly swelled to half the size of the wooden figure.

"Boom!"

Caught off guard, Black Zetsu stumbled and fell to the ground with his wooden dummy, looking disheveled and covered in dirt.

"Watch out, Erzhuzi!"

Just then, Jigen manipulated a cube and swiftly smashed it towards Sasuke, who hadn't yet gotten up. Madara Uchiha, who was dealing with the attack, immediately turned his spear around and leaped forward.
"If you want to save others, take care of yourself first!"

Seeing this touching scene, Jigen not only didn't shed a tear, but instead wore a cruel smile, manipulating the four cubes to attack Uchiha Madara from the top, bottom, left, and right.

"I refuse to believe you won't make a move."

Although his attack was aimed at Madara and Uchiha, Jigen's gaze remained fixed on Gin Uchiha.

He was gambling that Gin Uchiha would make a move again.

"I really can't do anything with you two."

As expected, Uchiha Gin stood up. He faced Uchiha Madara, who was in danger, opened his arms, crossed them in front of him, and then suddenly tore them apart.
"Jeong-hee, dinner is ready."

A black hole, more than twice the size of the last one, appeared out of nowhere and instantly devoured the black cube surrounding Madara Uchiha.
"caught you!"

Jigen finally caught Uchiha Gin during his attack animation, taking advantage of the significant recovery time after Gin unleashed his skill.

"Take this Chicken Explosion Chop!"

With a raised hand, he conjured a black chakra rod with a sharp tip, and Jigen transformed into a bolt of lightning, thrusting it straight at Uchiha Gin's wide-open lower body.

"hehe."

It was as if, in the next second, he could see Uchiha Gin writhing on the ground, clutching his groin and howling in pain.
"Bah!"

However, things didn't go as planned. To Jigen's surprise, his seemingly indestructible black chakra rods couldn't penetrate Uchiha Gin's groin defenses. They only produced a few barely perceptible sparks before failing completely.

Steadying his hands, which had gone numb from the recoil, Jigen then noticed the brown underwear hidden beneath the hem of the Uchiha silver armor skirt.
"What the hell? Who would wear underwear like this?"

Looking at the heavy armor-like shorts covered in spikes of all sizes, Cixian was so angry he almost twisted his nose.
But this sneak attack failed, so he had no choice but to retreat temporarily and look for another opportunity.

"What bad luck."

The inexplicable, excruciating pain in his hands continued. He gritted his teeth and distanced himself from Uchiha Gin.

"You think you can just touch me and leave? What do you take me for?"

Unharmed, Uchiha Gin lowered his hands, turned his head to look at where Jigen was, and his sharp gaze startled the other man.

"So what if Hun finds out about me? I don't believe you can hurt me."

Jigen was very confident in his miniaturized dodging ability. As long as he didn't actively get close to Uchiha Gin, he would definitely not suffer any more harm.

"Uh, why is it suddenly so hot?"

Before he could even feel smug for a few seconds, Cixian suddenly frowned. He realized that the air around him had become dry, and with the sudden rise in temperature, his skin felt incredibly hot, and even the meridians in his body began to burn.
"You little brat, you really think I can't hit you just because you shrink and become invisible?"

Uchiha Gin, having quietly activated the Radiant Sunfire effect, wore an awkward smile. This equipment was far more powerful than the thorny shorts he was wearing.

【Sunfire Cape (Light)】: Increases defense by 4% and maximum health by 4.5%.
Special Effect - Burn: Deals continuous true damage to enemy targets within a 3-kilometer radius, up to 40% of the target's maximum health, and inflicts a grievous wound effect, reducing healing effectiveness by 50%.

The equipment panel may look so-so, but the added special effects are amazing!
No matter how much health you have, the mill can grind you into beef jerky.

"Holy crap! Where has my life energy gone?"

Having been scorched by the sun for half a day without realizing it, Cixian, in surprise and doubt, sensed it for a moment, and the expression on his face froze instantly.
His abundant life energy was almost entirely depleted in a short period of time.

If data could be materialized, Jigen would definitely have -1-1-1-1... code flashing out of his head.

"Divine magic?"

Feeling the searing heat in his heart, Jigen frowned and guessed, a hint of apprehension creeping into his eyes as he looked at Uchiha Gin.
"Could it be that this half-blood stole the power of the gods?"

……

"Ban, have you noticed the temperature suddenly increased?"

Meanwhile, Black Zetsu, who had been saved by Uchiha Gin, suddenly felt an inexplicable heat and immediately turned to ask Uchiha Madara beside him in confusion.
"Really? Why didn't I feel it?"

Madara Uchiha was taken aback by what he said. A cool breeze was blowing around them; it wasn't hot at all, and was even a little chilly.
"You've caught a cold, haven't you?"

Out of concern, Madara Uchiha reached out and touched Black Zetsu's shoulder.

"Fuck!"

The intense heat upon contact startled him.

"Erzhuzi, why do you have a fever?"

"fever?"

Black Zetsu blinked, completely bewildered. He wasn't human; no matter how much the clone he was possessing burned, it shouldn't have affected him.

But now, he could feel a burning heat emanating from the depths of his soul, far more than just a fever.
wrong!

Why is my health bar dropping?

When Black Zetsu began to examine himself, he belatedly realized that his health bar, which he had maintained for thousands of years, was visibly dropping rapidly.

"Ban, be careful, there are enemies around!"

Seeing the concerned look on Madara Uchiha's face, Black Zetsu instinctively worried about his safety.
If he had truly fallen victim to an attack by an unknown enemy, then Madara Uchiha would have had no chance of escaping unscathed.

"The enemy? Where are they?"

Madara Uchiha stood up warily, shielding Black Zetsu, whose skin was already turning red, behind him.

The eyes beneath the mask suddenly changed; the crimson glow faintly showed signs of revealing green compound eyes.
"Don't look at him, he probably just has a common cold."

Just as Madara Uchiha was focused on searching for the enemy, Gin Uchiha, who had overheard their conversation, landed in front of them and said in a cryptic tone,

There was even one fish that slipped through the net!
Erzhuzi, oh Erzhuzi, I thought you were my cousin's sweet little angel, but it turns out you're just a black-hearted cotton pudding.

Gin Uchiha was a very open-minded parent who never stopped his younger brothers from making friends, nor did he deliberately investigate them. This allowed Sasuke to successfully deceive everyone.
Just now, in order to check on Erzhuzi's physical condition, he activated his long-dormant superhuman senses, and this truth hidden for many years came to light.

Isn't this agarwood?

How come you look so sloppy after all these years?

"Give him to me, and I'll give you back a lively and energetic Erzhuzi."

Uchiha Gin had learned his lesson from Black Zetsu, so he was determined not to let his younger cousin repeat the same mistake.
However, due to his current disguise, he could only use a different method to secretly eliminate Black Zetsu, who was lurking around Madara Uchiha.
"That would be great!"

Upon hearing this, Madara Uchiha's face lit up with joy. Over the years, Kamen Rider Decade had earned him a reputation that made him trust this mysterious knight implicitly.
"Erzhuzi, there's hope for you!"

"I think I can handle it. I'll just go back, take some medicine, and get some sleep."

Looking at Uchiha Gin's new, evil snake-skinned appearance, Black Zetsu shook his head in disapproval.
He had no intention of entrusting himself to this guy of dubious origin.

"Um...maybe we should just forget about it then."

Madara Uchiha sensed Sasuke's resistance, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose to side with his partner.
"I choose to respect Erzhuzi's wishes. I'm sorry."

What if I insist on getting treatment?

"Then let's ask the sword in my hand first."

Looking at the imposing figure holding a sword and blocking his way, Black Zetsu's heart, frozen for a thousand years, felt a strange tremor for the first time.

He suddenly recalled the days immediately following his birth.

To avoid the sight of the Rokudo brothers, he donned a straw hat he'd salvaged from a garbage dump and wandered in dark corners, diligently absorbing human knowledge.
During those difficult days, how he longed for someone to stand by his side.

At this moment, Madara Uchiha's figure slowly overlapped with the figure Black Zetsu had imagined.

"Madara...you..."

"Don't worry, as long as I'm here, no one can take you away."

Hearing the strange voice behind him, Madara, who was confronting Uchiha Gin, turned around and gave him a reassuring smile.

“You don’t have to go to this lengths for me, because I…”

"Aren't we partners?"

Even though Black Zetsu kept reminding himself that he was going to use Madara Uchiha,

Use him to cultivate the Rinnegan, use him to save your mother.

But upon seeing the other person's sincere expression, Black Zetsu's pent-up emotions finally erupted.
Years of pent-up grievances turned into bitter tears that fell.
"Waaaaah...ta su ke te, partner!"

Although he didn't understand why Sasuke had suddenly become such a drama queen, acting out a romantic comedy, Madara Uchiha did sense that the other person's emotions were genuine.

"I received it, partner."

Madara Uchiha patted Sasuke's shoulder, then raised his head to stare directly into the deep, single eye of the white snake-skinned monster before him, his body radiating fighting spirit.
Just as Madara Uchiha was on high alert, Gin Uchiha suddenly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of strangeness.
"It's a truly touching story of love and friendship."

He then took a deep look at Erzhuzi, whose complexion was slowly returning to normal, and turned to leave.

The burning effect of Radiant Sunfire has failed, eliminating the option of the target dying. That leaves only one answer.
The mastermind behind it all, the filial son, was assigned to one of their own by the system's equipment.

You heard right, the red name above Black Zetsu's head has disappeared.
Uchiha Gin paced away, repeatedly activating the effects of Sunfire, but the feedback he received was surprisingly consistent.
Sigh... Do you think I should agree to this marriage?
"what?"

Suddenly, Uchiha Gin, lost in thought, discovered that the other target infected by the equipment's special effects had also disappeared.
Could it be that, like Black Zetsu, Jigen repented and started anew under the scorching heat of the bright sun?

"Tsk tsk tsk, what a simple and effective way to influence people."

Cixian: Sorry, you guessed wrong. It wasn't repentance, it was cremation. (End of Chapter)