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

The country of waves,
Inside the incredibly luxurious palace of a daimyo, Uchiha Izuna, completely immersed in the life of a nobleman, is enjoying an expensive seafood feast.
He only ate the roe from the king crab, which was as big as a washbasin, and only sucked the head from the lobster, which was as thick as an arm. He ate with great relish.
"Big cousin, please use this~"

As for the parts he "didn't like to eat," they were all left to his older cousin, who had come from afar, to prepare.

"Sigh~ You're still such a picky eater."

Across from him, Uchiha Gin, known for his doting love for his younger brother, chewed on the plump crab meat from the king crab legs and the bouncy lobster tail with tears in his eyes.

"Little cousin, are you settling in well in the Land of Waves?"

After finishing the scraps that Izuna didn't like, Uchiha Gin patted his stomach and asked, "..."

"I'm used to it! I'm so used to it!"

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Izuna immediately nodded vigorously. Seeing this, Uchiha Gin stroked his chin and spoke again.
"Little cousin, are you craving fire?"

Do you have any plans to return to Konoha?

"The joy here is so great that I forget all about fire!"

No! Never in my life!
Snapped!
Having received the answer he wanted, Uchiha Gin was overjoyed. He slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed repeatedly.

"Good! Good! Good!"

As long as this kid doesn't care about Konoha's little territory, that's fine.

Well.
Izuna blinked in confusion on the other side.

What's my cousin up to now?
"Little cousin, do you have something you can borrow for me?"

In high spirits, Uchiha Gin waved his hand.
"Brother, please speak freely."

To cooperate with Uchiha Gin's performance, Izuna reluctantly bowed in reply.
Uchiha Silver Tiger's eyes narrowed slightly, and a beam of light emanated from them, transforming into an invisible pressure that pressed down on Izuna.

"I'll borrow your life for a moment."

"what?"

Sensing that Uchiha Gin's tone was genuine, Izuna's pupils contracted slightly, and his muscles tensed instinctively.

Just as tensions were about to rise, an old, large hand descended from the sky.

Uchiha Gin's gaze sharpened, and he was about to raise his hand to block when his opponent seemed to have anticipated his intention, transforming his palm into a fist and striking down with lightning speed.
Boom! ~
Successfully hit.

"Ouch, what are you doing?"

Uchiha Gin clutched his head, unable to suppress a cry of surprise.
"Hey kid, can't you be a little quieter while you're eating?"

Annoyed by the brothers' back-and-forth banter, Uchiha Tajima withdrew his hand, which had been striking Uchiha Gin, with a displeased expression.

"Hiss, Uncle, you're really still going strong. You should be able to live a long and prosperous life for several more decades."

Gin Uchiha glared at Izuna, who was smirking across from him, then his eyes darted around before he offered a compliment.
You little brat, you want to be a powerful figure? Well, I'll let you dream about it!
"I also feel that way."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Tajima nodded in agreement.

"Huh? No way! Dad, didn't you say you were going to retire at the end of this year?"

Izuna, who had even ordered a new daimyo robe, was getting anxious. Did he really have to be the crown prince for decades to come?
"What's your hurry? I've already decided to pass the position of Daimyo to Fuyu. You brat, go away."

Glancing at his somewhat agitated youngest son, Uchiha Tajima rolled his eyes dramatically.
How could he not know Izuna's abilities?
The Land of Waves is such a huge enterprise; if it were handed over to him, it would inevitably fail sooner or later.

"Tonic medicine~"

Ignoring his youngest son, who was grieving the loss of his parents, Tajima turned to look at his eldest nephew, who was taking the opportunity to feast.
"Ah Yin, is there something important that you've come here on this trip?"

Unless it involves a crucial matter concerning the clan, Uchiha Gin will not easily return to the Land of Waves.

Didn't I just say that?

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Uchiha Gin wiped his mouth, looked at his ashen-faced younger cousin across from him, and replied earnestly,

"I want to take my little cousin's life."

"Oh, then you can take it and use it. You don't have to return it."

Upon hearing this, Tajima nodded calmly.

"Dad! I'm your own son!"

Hearing such cruel words from his father shattered Izuna's already broken heart into eight pieces.

"Since you're not going back to Konoha anyway, why don't you lend me your life to collect some wedding gifts?"

Uchiha Gin stepped forward and patted his younger cousin's shoulder comfortingly. Seeing the boy's pitiful expression, he couldn't bear it and his kindness was overwhelmed.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely make sure you get special treatment."

"."

Is this the problem?

After a few days,
Holding a gift box, Uchiha Gin rubbed his face in front of the door, composed himself, and then entered the banquet where the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was celebrating the children.
"Gintoki~Sasipuri".

The receptionist was the still-charming Minako Yama, whose complexion, nurtured by the Wood Release's creation, was far better than that of others her age.
She smiled and accepted the money and gift box from Uchiha Gin, secretly weighing them in her hand. Finding them quite thick and heavy, her smile immediately brightened.

"You can come in person, why bring such an expensive gift?"

"That won't do. Let's keep things separate."

Uchiha Gin gently shook his head, a subtle yet perceptible sadness on his face.

"Gintoki, what's wrong?"

As it happened, Minako Yamamoto was the kind of person who was good at observing micro-expressions. She immediately noticed Gin Uchiha's unnatural expression and asked him with concern.

"Sigh, something happened at home."

Uchiha Gin sighed, his words leaving much to the imagination, but the sorrow on his face deepened. His superb acting skills completely fooled Yamaminako.
"what's up?"

"It's inappropriate to bring up such things on such a joyous occasion."

Upon hearing this, Minako Yamamoto's expression tightened.
This expression and tone of voice basically indicate that a death has occurred in the Uchiha Gin family.

"Please accept my condolences."

She could only probe cautiously, afraid that she might guess wrong.
"Phew, it's alright, I can handle it. It's just that Mieko and her family, a widow and her children, are suffering."

Uchiha Izuna is dead!?

Before the next day was even over, news of Uchiha Izuna's sudden death in the Land of Waves had spread throughout Konoha.
"Nani?"

Inside the dimly lit research institute, Senju Hisa, who had received this "good news" through her clone, stared wide-eyed in astonishment.

"That idiot is dead? How could that be?"

She remembered that Uchiha Izuna was in excellent condition when he left, so how come he suddenly went to report to the Pure Land so soon?

"Hmph! The Uchiha never tell the truth. How could that idiot have died so easily?" After a brief moment of shock, Senju Hisami clenched her fists, her face visibly filled with doubt.
Having said that, she took off her white robe and prepared to go out to verify the authenticity of the information. However, when she opened the door, she found a white envelope stuck in the mailbox by the door.
"This is."

Looking at the round fan emblem engraved on the front of the envelope, her unease grew stronger.

I casually tore it open, and a heart-wrenching obituary came into view.
In the 27th year of Konoha, my younger brother Izuna perished in the Land of Waves.

The deceased protagonist was none other than Izuna, whom she had just criticized, and the signatory was none other than Uchiha Gin, whom she knew very well.

"Really dead?"

Seeing this, Senju Hisama was completely bewildered. Could it be that Uchiha Izuna, with whom she had fought for most of her life, was really dead?
Just how powerful an opponent must have been to send Uchiha Izuna, whose strength was no less than his own, to his final resting place?
With this question in mind, she carefully read through the obituary printed by Uchiha Gin, her solemn expression gradually turning strange.
"That's how he died? That's too much!"

Uchiha clan territory
The once bustling ancestral land was now filled with wails of grief. Those who had just received the devastating news were all in tears; some even nearly fainted from grief.

"No, impossible! How could Father have died from food poisoning!"

Fugaku Uchiha tremblingly placed down his father's death certificate, his black pupils gradually turning crimson.

He raised his head, staring intently at the messenger before him, his Sharingan now fully evolved into a pair of 13.
"Uncle, tell me, this isn't true."

His father had spent his life in the military, achieving numerous merits for the family, yet his death was so hasty and untimely—it's simply unrealistic.
"Fugaku, please accept my condolences. My little cousin accidentally ate poisonous pufferfish sashimi...sigh~"

Gin Uchiha, slightly disappointed at not seeing the kaleidoscope pattern, shook his head and explained the "cause of death" of his younger cousin.
"woooooo"

Overwhelmed by grief, Fugaku, who had just completed his evolution, couldn't withstand the strain. His vision went black, and he fainted.
"Ah Yin, isn't this joke a bit too much?"

Beside him, Uchiha Hikaru listened to the incessant wails all around, her small face filled with conflict.

"If someone finds out, they'll be beaten to death, won't they?"

"Don't worry, my little cousin has completely changed his identity and abandoned the disguise of Uchiha Izuna."

Now, the Land of Waves has lost one Konoha resident ninja, but gained a daimyo's son who has returned to his ancestral home.

"Then him?"

Hikaru gave a look to the unconscious Fugaku. He couldn't possibly lie to his own son, could he?
“Didn’t you see how fast he’s progressed? Don’t worry, we’ll tell him the truth when he hits a plateau in a few years.”

At that time, under the intense stimulation of his father's resurrection, who knows, Fugaku might just manage to master the Kaleidoscope technique in one go.
"OK then"

After handing the unconscious Fugaku over to the grief-stricken Setsuna and Lucha nearby, Uchiha Gin pulled Hikaru away from the clan compound. On the way home, he asked about the things he had entrusted to him.
"Have you delivered all the obituaries I asked you to?"

Although there's a custom of attending funerals uninvited, Uchiha Gin was worried that some people might not respect this rule, so he specifically sent Uchiha Hikaru to deliver the gifts one by one, to prevent any white-haired individuals from faking their deaths.

"They've all been delivered."

"Hehe, that's good then, let's just wait to count the money~"

Uchiha Gin rubbed his hands excitedly. If he didn't collect the money soon, those old guys who had robbed him of his gold coins would be on their way to the afterlife.

The next day,

Uchiha Gin carried a small gift box to the last feast in recent times, and the main character of the banquet was none other than a one-month-old golden retriever puppy.
"Gintoki, sigh. You really didn't have to come."

Old Man Namikaze, who was greeting guests at the venue, spotted Curly in the crowd. His face initially lit up with joy, but quickly turned into a complicated expression.
It was obvious that he also knew about Uchiha Izuna's death.

"One thing at a time, you invited me first."

Uchiha Gin shook his head, holding up the gift box in his hand, and said...
"This is a full moon gift I carefully prepared for your grandson."

"Thank you, Gintoki."

Bofeng Laoden nodded, and just as he was about to reach out to take it, a blond young man carrying a child walked in from outside.

"Father, have all the guests arrived?"

Uchiha Gin followed the sound, his gaze passing over the blond youth's delicate face and landing on the sleeping baby in his arms.

"Is this the Watergate?"

"I didn't expect that you would still remember his name, Gintoki."

Namikaze Old Man said with a smile, he hadn't expected that Uchiha Gin would remember his eldest grandson's name so clearly after he had only mentioned it casually once.

"I think it's better to call him Dog Egg."

Reaching out, Gin Uchiha poked Minato Namikaze's tender little face and offered a serious suggestion.
"Uncle Yin, Shuimen's household registration has already been completed."

The blond young man holding his son quickly replied, as if afraid his eldest son would change his name on the spot.

"So fast? No wonder you're known as the fastest legend of the Golden Flash!"

Uchiha Gin scratched his head and said something that left the others puzzled.

Hiss~
Now that the main character had arrived, Uchiha Gin casually tore open the gift box in his hand and took out a strange kunai engraved with the four characters "Sword of Endurance and Love."
"Well"

Perhaps the sound of tearing the packaging was a bit too loud, because the blond baby in the young man's arms slowly woke up.

"Hehehehe~"

Just as the baby was about to cry as it opened its large, azure eyes, its gaze was drawn to Uchiha Gin before it.

To be precise, it should be the gleaming kunai in his hand.
Uchiha Gin tentatively moved the kunai in his hand left and right, and noticed that Minato's small eyes moved in sync.
"It seems you really like this gift."

Nodding with a puzzled expression, Uchiha Gin handed over the Flying Thunder God kunai, its blade protected by a shell. Little Minato, lying in his father's arms, immediately reached out excitedly and hugged the kunai tightly.
"He will definitely become an excellent ninja."

Looking at the beaming Minato, Gin Uchiha sighed sincerely.
"As long as he lives a happy life, it doesn't matter whether he is an excellent ninja or not."

Old Man Bofeng had a kind expression on his face. Although the Bofeng family was a commoner family, they were still considered wealthy.
Even if the child doesn't pursue the high-risk profession of ninja, he can inherit his shop, become a simple and honest landlord, and live a happy life.

A few days later,
Uchiha Izuna's funeral was held as scheduled.

Under the supervision of Uchiha Gin, the sole patriarch of the family, the small box containing unknown ashes was successfully buried.
Fugaku knelt at the grave, weeping uncontrollably. The surrounding clansmen and invited guests were also moved, some wiping away tears, others shaking their heads.
"woooooo"

Amidst the surrounding wailing, Uchiha Izuna's life as a ninja came to a complete end.
"Curly, how exactly did that idiot die?"

Dressed in black and wearing a veil, Senju Hisana pulled Uchiha Gin to a secluded spot and coldly questioned him.
These past few days, she'd thought it over and over, and the more she thought about it, the more something seemed off. Uchiha Izuna was, after all, a Mangekyou Sharingan user; he shouldn't have left no survival skill behind.

"Didn't I tell you? You die from eating pufferfish."

Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected that, even now, the one still questioning Izuna's death was his arch-rival, the white-haired guy.

"Hmph! Don't try to fool me with that excuse you used to fool those Uchiha."

In her view, Uchiha Izuna was definitely killed, and the person who killed him was most likely the mastermind behind the kidnapping of her older brother.
"Before I use the Impure World Reincarnation technique to verify it, tell me the real cause of that idiot's death."

"Uh"

Seeing Senju Hisana's persistence, Uchiha Gin scratched his face helplessly.

No wonder everyone says the white-haired guy is cunning!
He glanced cautiously at the guests preparing to head to their designated dining area, pondered for a moment, and then said softly,

"I can tell you, but first you have to pay me your gift money." (End of Chapter)