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

"Phew, that feels so good."

Tsunade, who had left in a rage, entered with a satisfied look on her face. Her smooth, oily cheeks indicated that she had just vented her anger thoroughly, and all the negative emotions that had been building up recently had been swept away.

"woooooo"

"Ouch~ Ouch!"

Behind her were Nawaki and his companions, their faces bruised and swollen. The most conspicuous among them wasn't Jiraiya with his pig-like head, nor Might Guy, whose legs were crippled and who was crawling with difficulty, but rather Kato Dan, who sported panda eyes.

At this point, some fans might ask, wasn't Kato Dan supposed to be breaking up the fight? How did he get knocked out by Tsunade's two punches and become a national treasure?
You need to understand this clearly: in Tsunade's eyes, when she's burning with rage, any creature that appears in her field of vision is an enemy that stands in her way.
Even Bruce, who was just passing by, would get a punch, let alone Kato Dan, who tried to break up the fight.

But judging from the subtle expressions on his face, he didn't grin like Jiraiya; instead, there was a hint of barely perceptible smugness.

Uh... this kid looks pretty polite.
He's a masochist too!

Uchiha Gin's gaze sharpened, and he sighed inwardly that one cannot judge a book by its cover; not everyone is as consistent inside and out as he is.

With his face swollen like a pig's head, Jiraiya, through his swollen eyes, spotted Hatake Sakumo, who had escaped unscathed. His gaze fell on the unfamiliar short sword that Sakumo was constantly fiddling with in the other's hand, and a surge of hatred welled up inside him.

They're getting beaten up outside, and you're hiding here playing with your new weapon.

"Sakumo, you deserter who abandoned your comrades!"

"I'm sorry, Jiraiya. I promise I will never abandon any of my comrades again."

Carefully placing the new weapon given to him by Uchiha Gin close to his body, Sakumo Hatake, whose temperament had undergone a qualitative change, raised his head and solemnly promised,
Willpower is like a sword; every swordsman has a reason to wield it. If the sword is not drawn to protect one's companions, then it is no different from castrating a pig.

Gripping his hands together and rubbing his bruised wounds, Jiraiya curled his lip.
"You're all talk, but you're not the one who'll get beaten up."

After freshening his breath, Orochimaru checked Jiraiya's breath to make sure there was no odor, then glared at him disdainfully.
"Deserved it."

That bastard deserves to be beaten up.

You stinking snake!

"Laikebao".

"Orochimaru, were you acting like that just now also for the mission?"

Unwilling to interfere with the usual process of cultivating bonds among the group, Uchiha Gin slurped up his unfinished noodles while curiously asking Orochimaru, who had already reverted to his male form, about it.

"Grandpa Gintoki, how's my disguise? Can it fool the Sharingan?"

Upon hearing this topic, Orochimaru immediately became interested, abandoning his banter with Jiraiya and turning to ask with a proud expression.

"completely fine."

Uchiha Gin nodded. Orochimaru's disguise wasn't based on the Transformation Technique, but rather achieved through a variety of methods including makeup and props.

There wasn't a single spot on his body where chakra was escaping. Even he, without activating his super-sensory abilities, had misjudged him, let alone the three-tomoe chakra beings.

"Great!"

Orochimaru's face lit up with joy upon hearing this.
His immediate superior, Uchiha Afen, had already received orders to be transferred to a high-level management position at the meat processing plant, and naturally, he, as his personal assistant, would have to go with him.

To prevent veteran Uchiha warriors, including Setsuna Uchiha, from seeing through his disguise, Orochimaru naturally needed to find a senior Uchiha to test him.
Uchiha Gin, who was closer to them, was naturally their primary target.

After all that, Orochimaru, though he ended up eating a smelly rag, also indirectly proved the perfection of his disguise, which meant that his success rate in his infiltration mission had increased by several tens of percentage points.

"Thank you, Grandpa Yin!"

"No, no, it's what I should do."

"Can you treat us to noodles now?"

"Uh?"

Uchiha Gin, who was being modest, suddenly froze, looking at Orochimaru with a strange smile. He suddenly remembered that he had just promised to treat Orochimaru to a meal.

Slurp slurp!

Gin Uchiha quickly finished his ramen, wiped his mouth, and then his gaze fell on Fugaku, who was grinning foolishly at Mikoto.
"You've got the wrong person. I made that promise on behalf of Fugaku."

Upon hearing Uchiha Gin mention his name, Fugaku looked up with a bewildered expression, only to meet a pair of lazy, lifeless eyes.
"Fugaku, these are all your seniors. If you want to survive in Konoha in the future, you'll have to rely on them."

"what?"

"no need to thank me."

After saying that, Uchiha Gin got up and ran away. His escape was so smooth and effortless, as if he had rehearsed it a thousand times.

"Wait for me! Curly-haired baboon~"

Seeing this, Senju Itama also dropped his bowl, grabbed Tsukihime who was still slurping noodles, and chased after them.
"Suck~"

"Seriously, Mikoto, keep an eye on Fugaku, don't let him go astray with that lecherous guy."

"Received!" ('ω')
Uchiha Hikaru shook his head helplessly, turned to give a word of advice to the obedient and sensible Mikoto, and then disappeared behind the swaying curtain of Ichiraku.

After Uchiha Gin and his group left, Jiraiya and the others all turned their gazes to Fugaku, who looked utterly bewildered, their expressions conveying a clear message.

"Esteemed seniors, please don't be shy. I'll be paying for everything today."

"Fugaku Prison, not bad, huh?"

Jiraiya chuckled and patted Fugaku on the shoulder, his purplish-blue eyes filled with mockery.

"Jiraiya-senpai is too kind. This is what I should do."

Fugaku's expression turned serious, adopting an expression of unwavering duty.

"Let's eat noodles!"

Since someone was treating, Jiraiya and his companions naturally didn't stand on ceremony and ordered a huge amount of food.

While slurping his noodles, Jiraiya noticed that Fugaku kept giving him meaningful glances, and he immediately asked a question out of confusion.
"Fugaku Prison, what are you doing here?"

"I heard that Jiraiya-senpai recently released a new book, right? Congratulations!"

Jiraiya and Fugaku actually had a good relationship.
Although Fugaku became Jiraiya's scapegoat during their first meeting, the two, sharing similar interests, became very close and would meet up every few days to chat.
"Oh~"

With such a clear indication, Jiraiya couldn't possibly misunderstand. He immediately grinned mischievously and pulled out a treasured book he always carried from his backpack, secretly slipping it to Fugaku.
"Thank you, brother!"

Excitedly touching the deluxe edition of Liu Bei, Fugaku immediately started calling Jiraiya "brother," his eyes filled with admiration.

"Hehe, Fugaku is in jail. From now on, follow me, and you'll have an endless supply of Liu Bei to watch!"

"I swear to follow my elder brother to the death!"

Their furtive movements quickly attracted the attention of the others present.
"Rope Tree, you must stay away from that lecherous thug from now on, understand?"

Tsunade chewed on the free char siu she had gotten, her pretty face full of anger. She glared at her trembling younger brother beside her, then pointed her chopsticks at Jiraiya across the table.
"I know, I know."

Having already received a good beating, Rope Tree dared not argue, nodding his head rapidly.

"Tsunade, Nawaki is an obedient child, don't scare him like that."

Orochimaru, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand it any longer and frowned as he spoke up in defense of Nawaki.

"Orochimaru-nii-san!"

Hearing someone speak up for him, Nawaki was deeply moved, tears welling up in his eyes; he was practically ready to prostrate himself in worship.

"After graduation, please let me work for you!"

"Huh? You little rascal, isn't it better to stay with your older sister?"

Seeing that her money was about to run off with Orochimaru, Tsunade immediately clenched her fists in displeasure, the threat in her beautiful eyes clearly visible.

"No! I'd rather die than accept this!"

Nawaki, who had been bullied by Tsunade for many years, finally stood up for once, daring to say no to his wicked sister, now that he had mastered an A-rank ninjutsu.
"Let's talk about it after you graduate."

Orochimaru had a strong liking for Nawaki. In this child, he saw a pure emotion, a passion he himself lacked—a passion for everything.
"I will try my best!" Even with her ear being pulled by her older sister, Rope Tree, despite the pain, still raised her little fist with a determined expression and made a vow.

"Oh, brother, it's too bad to stay."

Seeing that her threats were ineffective, Tsunade, feeling increasingly bored, released Nawaki and continued her battle with the ramen she had obtained for free.

On the other side, Mikoto, her cheeks puffed out, watched Fugaku making a deal with Jiraiya, her delicate brows furrowed deeply.
"Young Master Fugaku, Grandpa said we can't read books with covers that show naked people!"

"what?"

Fugaku, engrossed in the exquisitely bound edition of Liu Bei's works, was awakened by a single sentence from the goddess.

After a second of rapid thought, his expression turned serious, and he began to spout nonsense in a solemn manner, mimicking Uchiha Gin.

“Mikoto, you’ve misunderstood. This is an extracurricular tutorial on acupuncture points that Jiraiya-senpai gave me.”

"Hmm?" (ω)
"If you don't believe me, ask Rizu and Richa, isn't that a textbook about acupoints?"

Seeing Mikoto's questioning look, Fugaku immediately pulled the Hyuga brothers, who had been practically invisible throughout the entire story, into the picture, giving them some screen time so they wouldn't be forgotten by careless readers.
The Hyuga brothers, silently slurping their noodles, were also surprised that they hadn't finished filming yet. They immediately looked up, bewildered.
"Huh?" (⊙д☉)(☉д⊙)
"The Hyuga clan knows these things best!"

Before the two brothers could explain, Fugaku secretly unfolded a corner of the Liu Bei illustration he was holding, revealing exquisite, uncensored illustrations that instantly drew eye-rolls from the two brothers.
"Ah!"*2
The powerful visual impact shattered the simplistic worldviews of the two law-abiding scions of noble families.

It turns out that some things can be seen without rolling your eyes.

"Shh, keep your voice down, cooperate, and I'll let you watch it all night when it's over."

"."

Just as Fugaku thought the rigid Hyuga brothers would flatly reject him and then severely reprimand him, Hiashi, who had been silent for a second, suddenly spoke up.

Two nights.

"Uh"

“We are brothers, one night each.”

"make a deal."

The deal was struck, and the Hyuga brothers turned to Fugaku and explained in a serious tone,

“Mikoto, this book is indeed about acupoint research. My grandfather collected quite a few of them; they are rare extracurricular reading materials.”

"Oh, young master Fugaku, I'm sorry, I almost misunderstood you."

Mikoto still had some trust in the Hyuga brothers. Since they were both vouching for her, she decided not to pursue the matter of the book any further.
Mikoto, her gaze fixed on Tsunade slurping her noodles, beamed with joy as she shared some incredibly good news.
"Tsunade-neechan, Nawaki-kun passed the test!"

Upon hearing this, Tsunade paused in her chewing, a strange look appearing in her eyes.
No wonder my aunt dragged me home to train, and kept muttering strange things like the Thousand Hands clan was doomed and Rope Tree, who plays with poop, was beyond saving.

It now seems that it was Rope Tree who passed the test and regained his right to cultivate Mud Escape, which completely broke Aunt's heart.

"Huh? Really? That brat didn't cheat, did he?"

After a moment of indignation, Tsunade looked at the innocent and carefree Mikoto, smiled radiantly, and reached out to pat her little head.
Mikoto shook her head and began to describe the entire process of the rope tree assessment in a very cute tone.

"No, Nawaki-kun passed the test with a whoosh, then a boom, and finally a snap!"

Her skillful use of both hands and feet, coupled with her earnest and earnest performance, instantly healed the hearts of the exhausted Jiraiya and the others.
"Mikoto, you're simply an angel!"

Tsunade pulled Mikoto into her arms, took a deep breath, and dispelled much of the "class smell" that had clung to her these past few days.

"I made a decision!"

"Uh?"

Mikoto, whose skin was aching from being poked by Tsunade's washboard, blinked in confusion.
"Be my student after you graduate, Mikoto!"

Tsunade pressed her face against Mikoto's head, pleading in a spoiled manner.
"Tsunade-neechan? Well, it's not impossible to say that."

Xiao Meiqin tilted her head, tapping her chin as if deep in thought.

"Oh yeah!"

But I still want to learn.

"Don't worry, as long as Mikoto becomes my student, I'll teach you whatever you want to learn!"

"Yin seal."

"Uh"

Upon hearing about this secret technique that female ninjas were so eager to master, Tsunade's face wrinkled slightly.
She had actually been secretly practicing the Yin Seal, but unfortunately, the entry barrier for this secret technique was quite high, and she still had no clue how to get started.

"Tsunade-neechan doesn't know how? Itagaki-neechan and the others clearly do."

"Who says I can't? I'm just still cultivating. By the time you graduate, I'll definitely be able to cultivate successfully."

To take in Mikoto, whose healing abilities are off the charts, Tsunade gritted her teeth and stomped her foot, secretly vowing to master the Scroll of Yin Seals before she graduated.
"Really? Then I won't bother Sister Zhili."

Mikoto originally intended to become Uchiha Rinpoche's student, but now that Tsunade has taken the initiative, it would be impolite for her to refuse.

"Tsunade-neechan, if you lie, you'll have to swallow a thousand needles!"

"The Senju people don't lie to the Uchiha."

Tsunade nodded with unwavering certainty, but her mind was preoccupied with how to improve her stagnant Yin Seal technique.
Got it!

Suddenly, a white figure flashed through her mind.

My aunt is so powerful, she will definitely be able to master the Yin Seal. Then I can have her teach me step by step, wouldn't that be twice as effective?
"Are you here to eat noodles or to take on apprentices?"

Having witnessed the entire process of Jiraiya and his two companions taking on apprentices, Sakumo Hatake, unable to bear it any longer, couldn't help but complain.

"Slurp~ Slurp~ Sakumo-kun, aren't we here for a meeting?"

Sitting beside him, Matt Day spoke up, his broken legs not affecting his noodle-slurping speed in the slightest.

Sakumo Hatake turned his head and looked at the mountain of empty bowls in front of the other person. His tense face twitched violently.
You ate the most, and you still have the nerve to talk about a meeting?
"I called you all here today to share some good news."

The topic, which had veered off course for quite some time, finally returned to the main point. Orochimaru, who had initiated the meeting, took a deep breath, his golden snake eyes filled with intense joy.
"I have successfully gained the trust of the mission target, and I believe it won't be long before we can be freed from our roles!"

"Well done, you stinky snake! How did you do that? Share it with everyone!"

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya rubbed his hands excitedly, his eyes brimming with gossip as he urged, eager to know what had happened in the locked office that day—perhaps it could become a source of inspiration for his writing.

"I'm going to assign you a few tasks; please remember them carefully."

"Huh? You stinky snake, didn't you hear what I said?"

"Sakumo, continue castrating the pig, and try to secretly smuggle out the castrated parts. I need to examine them."

"Hey Hey hey?"

"Dong, keep an eye on vehicles entering and leaving the area during patrols, especially those covered with black cloth."

"Hey Hey hey!"

As if ignoring Jiraiya's bluster, Orochimaru continued giving instructions with a blank expression.

"Tsunade, you..."

"Wear"

"A stinky snake? A stinky snake!"

"Brother Jiraiya, I think you shouldn't ask anymore."

Even Fugaku noticed the murderous intent Orochimaru inadvertently revealed, so he quietly tugged at the incessantly chattering Jiraiya and whispered a reminder.
"Huh? Why?"

"I'm afraid I'll never see your masterpiece again." (End of Chapter)