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

"Lord Hokage, Elder Danzo, please come visit us often when you have time."

In front of the police station, Uchiha Setsuna nodded with a broad smile to Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura.
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the somewhat eerie door of the detention cell, his face twitching slightly.
"sure."

Although I really wanted to complain, I still nodded politely in agreement.
"Hiruzen, can we put the task of removing those flyers on hold for now? I haven't recruited enough people yet."

Danzo ignored Uchiha Setsuna's invitation and instead, with a slight frown, told his friend about the current predicament of Root.
He only has a handful of people working under him, and if they're all busy removing illegal advertisements, how can the organization function properly?
"That depends on Elder Setsuna's arrangements."

"If Elder Danzo's new department is indeed facing difficulties, then perhaps we should just let this punishment go?"

Uchiha Setsuna narrowed his eyes slightly and replied in a consultative tone,

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised an eyebrow in surprise; he hadn't expected Setsuna Uchiha to be able to endure to such an extent.

Even after Danzo seized 30% of the security forces' budget, they didn't turn against them; now they're even making an exception for Root.
It should be noted that the current security forces are known for their strict discipline. Even if a member of the Uchiha clan commits a crime, the punishment they receive is no different from that of an ordinary person. Not only is there no leniency, but the severity of the punishment is also trending towards increasing.

Now that Uchiha Setsuna was willing to take this shortcut, how could Hiruzen Sarutobi not be surprised?

Things didn't go as planned. He had thought his balancing act would allow Danzo and the Uchiha clan to restrain each other, but it seemed it wasn't powerful enough.
"Very well then. Since Elder Setsuna has said so, Danzo doesn't need to be eliminated."

Feigning satisfaction, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his gaze to Danzo beside him, whose brows were furrowed.

"Shovel! Shovel up those little ads!"

Danzo straightened his back and solemnly accepted the punishment, while subtly glaring at Uchiha Setsuna, who was behaving like a nice guy.
As expected, the Uchiha were born evil; my teacher was right.

Do you want my roots to make a mistake?

There are no doors!

"Don't worry, once we get back, I'll arrange for them to conduct a month-long cleanup campaign in the neighborhood with the most flyers."

Pointing to his three subordinates behind him, Danzo made a promise to Uchiha Setsuna without expression.
His network was newly established, and he absolutely could not allow the security team to find any fault with it.
If you want to grow bigger and stronger, you must be patient and develop your strength. The grudges of today will eventually be settled with interest and retribution.

"It is a great fortune for Konoha that Elder Danzo has such awareness. Then I will trouble the members of Root to go to West Street and clean up the small advertisements."

Uchiha Setsuna nodded with admiration, then turned his gaze to the three Root members.
"Then let the patrol captain of the security team accompany you to carry out the cleanup work."

"Yes."

The three Root members glanced at their superior, Danzo, before they reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Afu."

"Roger that!"

"Ah!!!"*3
Upon seeing the burly, goatee-bearded man in the crowd wink at them, the three screamed, clutched their buttocks, and instantly fainted.
"Tsk! Useless thing."

Seeing his subordinates' embarrassing performance, Danzo was immediately embarrassed. They were actually frightened like this by an unknown Uchiha clansman. When they got back, he decided that they would all have to clean toilets for the Root for a year!

"go!"

With the matter resolved, Danzo saw no need to remain. His three unconscious subordinates were carried by the Root members who had accompanied him, and the group left this unlucky place without looking back.

"Then I won't disturb Elder Setsuna's work any longer. Farewell."

Hiruzen Sarutobi withdrew his thoughtful gaze from Danzo's departing figure, then turned it to Setsuna Uchiha, whose emotions had remained consistently stable.

Although the conflict between the two sides was not successfully escalated, the seeds of struggle have been sown, and the tension between the grassroots and the security forces will only intensify.

Ugh.
As Hiruzen Sarutobi waved goodbye to Setsuna Uchiha, he sighed inwardly. He didn't want to do this either, but the only force that could restrain the Uchiha, the Senju, had disbanded.

The Uchiha clan is currently led by this eagle-like yet dove-like Uchiha Setsuna, whose stance is somewhat ambiguous, making him wary of her.
Exhausted, he suddenly missed his decisive teacher, especially when it came to the Uchiha clan—a teacher who was decisive to the point of being overly decisive.

Tobirama-sensei, if you were still alive today, you would surely make the same choice, wouldn't you?
Senju Hisa, completely unaware of the internal power struggles within the village's upper echelons, sat in a chair at Honey Ice City with a furrowed brow, a straw for her caramel macchiato dangling from her mouth, her fair face etched with worry.
"White Hair, haven't you decided on the test yet?"

Across from her, Uchiha Gin listlessly stirred the newly released product in his hand, waiting for a definite response.

"Slurp~ Don't disturb my train of thought. How can such an important matter be decided so casually?"

The cloying sweetness of the coffee assaulted her taste buds, and Senju Hisami's expression softened slightly. She glared at Uchiha Gin with her ruby-like eyes, then pouted and replied...
"But Aunt, you've been thinking about it for two days now, and I haven't dared to practice my poop escape technique for the past two days."

It turned out that it wasn't just the two of them; sitting side-by-side on the sofa next to them were Uchiha Gin's "leek squad" (a group of people who were easily exploited).

They are the headstrong Rope Tree, the two-headed, dim-witted Hyuga brothers, the magical girl Mikoto, and the most affectionate member of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku.

Fugaku, perhaps still reeling from the loss of the money he gave as a wedding gift, looked completely listless.
"If you dare mention that disgusting name again, I'll send you to the Konoha public toilet to train!"

Looking at her disobedient grandson, Nawaki, Senju Hisama raised her eyebrows and threatened him fiercely.
"Well"

Upon hearing this, Rope Tree instantly became quiet, lowering its head and not daring to look directly at its terrifying aunt, and began a fierce battle with the new product in its hand called Strawberry Shake Milkshake.

"Humph!"

Senju Hisa snorted coldly and withdrew her gaze, her tightly furrowed brows showing no sign of relaxing.

This was a bet between her and Uchiha Gin. To prevent Nawaki from continuing to practice that unorthodox escape technique, she had to devise a perfect test.

This would prevent the rope tree from passing through smoothly, but also appear less demanding, thus avoiding any potential criticism.
"How about this, I'll give you a few suggestions."

As time ticked by, Uchiha Gin, having finished his strawberry milkshake, couldn't wait any longer and raised his hand to speak.

"What good suggestions do you have? You're not trying to pick a few easy tests to make it easier for this kid to pass, are you?"

Senju Hisa glared at the innocent-looking Uchiha Gin, her face full of doubt.
"You can listen to it first; whether it works or not is up to you."

Uchiha Gin wasn't angry; instead, he calmly shook his head.

"Then I'll hear what terrible ideas you have."

Senju Hisa relaxed her brow slightly. Having no clue what to do for the time being, she decided to listen to Uchiha Gin's "profound insights."
"If you want to test Nawaki, you simply need to start with the three elements of chakra and ninja."

To judge the strength of a ninja, besides chakra reserves, there are only three basic skills: ninjutsu, gentai, and body techniques.
In terms of chakra, Nawaki has no problem; he'll definitely grow up to be a chakra master. We'll skip the other two.
"How about testing your physical skills? I happen to have a unique set of secret physical techniques that will be no problem for Rope Tree's physique."

Uchiha Gin stroked his chin, pondering whether he should choose the Eight Gates or the Seven Days Breathing Technique.

Anyway, Rope Tree is incredibly strong; opening a few doors shouldn't be a problem for him.
"No."

Unexpectedly, this suggestion was quickly rejected by Senju Hisa.
“Rope Tree is currently in a growth spurt, and intense physical training will negatively impact his physical development.”

The two had only agreed to spend a week together, and she didn't want Rope Tree to overexert himself in order to pass the test, in case he suffered any hidden injuries.
"Then illusion magic? I have some experience in that area."

Rejected, Uchiha Gin quickly offered another suggestion.
Senju Hishima was genuinely tempted. She was now a Sharingan user who had hacked accounts; ordinary genjutsu wouldn't even last a single round against her.
Rope Tree's defeat is inevitable! "Huh? Grandpa Gin, I don't know illusion magic!"

Rope Tree, who had been quietly eavesdropping on their duel, turned green the moment he heard the test details. He hadn't, at least not yet, displayed any talent for Yin Release, nor did he know any illusion techniques.

"Humph! Idiot."

Fugaku, standing to the side, glanced disdainfully at Nawaki, who was scratching his head in frustration. Fugaku was now a high-ranking three-tomoe player, his exquisite illusions flowing effortlessly from his grasp.
“Young Master Fugaku, how can you say that about Nawaki-kun? He may be a bit slow, but he's definitely not an idiot.”

Mikoto, slurping her milk tea, straightened her face and spoke up in defense of her deskmate.
"Isn't that the same thing?"

The Hyuga brothers frowned in confusion and said in unison,

Rope Tree:
"It's alright, you can leave it to me without worry."

Uchiha Gin reached out and patted Nawaki's head. Seeing the boy's sullen expression, he immediately patted his chest and assured him,
"But I really don't know any illusion magic at all."

"It's okay, there are plenty of people who will."

Turning his head to glance at Fugaku, whose expression was sour, Uchiha Gin's face was full of a mysterious smile.

"Curly, what exactly do you want?"

Senju Hisa, sensing something was amiss, immediately became alert. Judging from Uchiha Gin's smile, she knew he was up to no good.
"It's nothing, just helping Rope Tree borrow a physical cheat code."

Uchiha Gin made no attempt to hide anything, casually lifting Fugaku up with one hand and tossing him next to the bewildered Nawaki.

"Uncle?"

Fugaku blinked in confusion. What did Nawaki's idiotic test have to do with him?
"Fugaku, since your eyes are just sitting around doing nothing anyway, why don't you lend them to Nawaki for a bit?"

"Huh???"
These words startled everyone present, causing them to drop the small bottles of sweet water they were holding.

After a brief silence, the two parties involved were the first to erupt.
"You want me to lend my eyes to this idiot?"

"You want me to wear these cargo-loading glasses?"

Fugaku and Nawaki quickly distanced themselves from the other party, refusing in unison, their eyes clearly showing their disdain.
"Unless I'm dead!" *2
Senju Hisa, regaining her senses, frowned deeply. She absolutely could not stand by and watch the eye swap happen; one person tainted by the Uchiha's evil eyes was enough.

Of course, what she was more worried about was that Nawaki would develop Sharingan addiction like her, which would ruin her life!
"I thought you two were really close!"

On the other side, Uchiha Gin looked at the two who loathed each other and shook his head with regret.

"Who's on good terms with him!" *2
The two, who were rivals in love, became lifelong rivals from the first day of school, but Nawaki had never won.

"One day I'll make you admit defeat."

Despite facing the older Fugaku, Nawaki's fighting spirit remained undiminished despite repeated defeats.
"Once a defeated opponent, always a defeated opponent!"

Fugaku had heard these provocative words countless times. Looking at Nawaki's determined face, he curled his lip in disdain.

"Where's your arrogant lemon? You were clearly beaten to a pulp by my poop escape last time!"

Enraged, Nawaki brought out his previous battle record: Fugaku had almost lost to him due to his newly awakened bloodline limit.

"Damn it, try again if you dare!"

Provoked, Fugaku's forehead veins bulged, and his narrow eyes involuntarily turned crimson. Nawaki glared back without backing down, clasping his hands together, and a brown, unidentified viscous substance slowly condensed in his palms.

"Bean sack!"

At this critical moment, Uchiha Gin stepped forward and interrupted the impending battle between the two.
"Uncle, don't stop me! I'll make sure this kid's got a good grip if I don't beat him until his poop comes out!"

Uchiha Gin shook his head and pointed to Senju Hisama, who was radiating a palpable rage.
"I may have to disappoint you, but before you pass the test, Rope Tree cannot practice and use Mud Escape."

"Rope Tree!!!"

"Ah! Auntie, I know I was wrong~"

Senju Hishimaki, who was gripping Rope Tree's ear, was so angry she felt like her lungs were about to explode.

You're supposed to be the grandson of the First Hokage, a respectable figure in the village. How could you do that in public?
The Senju clan has only scattered, not died. If word gets out that Nawaki was playing with poop, how will those clansmen scattered throughout the village ever be able to hold their heads high again?
"Ugh! How disgusting! How can there be poop-filled employees in Honey Ice Cream? Employees! Come and clean this up!"

"Look, doesn't that kid playing with the 'Oli Gei' look like the First Hokage's grandson?"

"It seems so, my God, does he have some kind of special fetish?"

"."

Hearing the whispers around her, Senju Hisa wished she could disappear into the ground. She immediately glared fiercely at the trembling Nawaki.

"After this test, you must completely forget about this shameful trick!"

"But this is the only way I can defeat Fugaku!"

"I have plenty of ways to deal with the Uchiha, enough for you to study for a lifetime!"

But I want to use my own hands.

Faced with the powerful Senju Hisama, Nawaki's voice gradually faded, the light in his eyes dimmed, and his eyes became empty.
Looking at the seemingly lost soul-stirring Nawaki, Fugaku suddenly felt a pang of unease.
A few seconds later, he slowly raised his head and looked at Uchiha Gin, a subtle, complex emotion flickering in his eyes.

"Uncle, if he passes the test, can he continue to cultivate this bloodline?"

"Yes."

"There's really no way to deal with him. What can we do? This kid is barely a decent opponent."

Fugaku shook his head, his small face, usually filled with relief, now showing a hint of helplessness. He then turned to look at Nawaki, who was undergoing training.
"Hey! Rope Tree."

"what?"

Rope Tree turned around when he heard the summons, his eyes filled with despair.

He knew very well that, without having shown any talent for illusion, he would absolutely not be able to pass his aunt's illusion test.

Fugaku stepped forward, crossed his arms, looked down at Nawaki, who was a head shorter than him, and said in a condescending voice,

"My glasses are expensive to rent, you'll have to buy me at least five... no, ten strawberry milkshakes!" (End of Chapter)