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

"Sizzle~ Sizzle~"

Jiraiya, who was in charge of the barbecue service, expertly flipped the slices of meat on the grill. The succulent pork belly sizzled and groaned under the charcoal fire, releasing a delicate aroma that made the hungry group's mouths water.

"Jiraiya, sit down and have something to eat too."

Looking at the carefully cut and plated roasted meat in front of him, Uchiha Gin looked up and called to Jiraiya, who had been busy at the grill.
"Excuse me, this is working hours."

Jiraiya waved the barbecue tongs in his hand, indicating that his special status made it inconvenient for him to sit down.
Seeing this, Uchiha Gin didn't insist. He picked up a sizzling piece of grilled meat and put it in his mouth. The perfect aroma of oil instantly filled his mouth, making his eyes light up.
"Your cooking skills are pretty good, kid! You're almost as good as Dalang's."

"Haha~ I'm a genius. I can do my best at anything I set my mind to."

Watching the smug Jiraiya, Orochimaru, who had been expressionless, shifted his gaze back to a plate of obviously overcooked black, unidentified substance in front of him, his fair forehead covered in black lines.

"idiot."

"You stinky snake, I'm kindly grilling meat for you, why are you swearing at me?"

"Did I mention you? Why are you taking it personally?"

"I'm c"

"."

"They're still such good friends!"

Seeing that these two childhood rivals still held onto their original intentions, Uchiha Gin nodded with a sigh.

"You idiot Jiraiya, get to work! Or I'll complain to the boss!"

Sitting opposite him, Tsunade ate her meat and drank her wine with great relish, finishing the grilled meat in front of her in no time. Then, she glared at him with displeasure in her almond-shaped eyes.
"No! I'll bake it right away~ I'll bake it right away~"

Fearing he'd be fired, Jiraiya forgot all about arguing with Orochimaru and hurriedly picked up the clips to continue working diligently.

"Grandpa Yin, did you come here to see Grandpa Ban?"

Tsunade smiled with satisfaction, then turned her gaze to Uchiha Gin directly opposite her, her beautiful eyes filled with inquiry.

"Seeing him is one of my objectives, but I also need to investigate some other things."

Uchiha Gin nodded, making no attempt to hide the fact that he had visited Uchiha Madara.

"investigation?"

The three were all taken aback upon hearing this. Orochimaru, unable to contain his curiosity, raised his eyebrows.
"I wonder what Grandpa Yin is investigating?"

"The three of you have been lurking here for many years, so you should be very well-informed. Do you have any real-time intelligence about the recent movements of the Amegakure leadership?"

"High-level developments? Believe it or not, there really are, but..."

"Confidential? If it's inconvenient, I won't ask."

Seeing the troubled expressions on the three men's faces, Uchiha Gin was certain that they knew some inside information.

"It's not exactly a secret. Anyway, everyone will know about this soon, so there's nothing wrong with telling you in advance."

Tsunade scratched her head. Almost half a month had passed since they obtained the relevant intelligence; it was impossible to keep it a secret any longer.
"About two weeks ago, Hanzo of the Salamander sent a handwritten letter of accusation to Iwagakure. It is said that the words were quite sharp and angered the Third Tsuchikage."

really,

Uchiha Gin nodded secretly; the information he had given was largely accurate.

Hanzo has gotten too cocky. He actually dared to overthrow Onoki. The Land of Rain has indeed made great strides in recent years, but it is still a long way behind the Land of Earth, a long-established power. Who gave him the courage to do this?
"What was Iwagakure's response?"

He was curious how Onoki would react to such provocation.

"The messenger was sent back with his limbs broken. As for the rest, we haven't found anything yet, but judging from the current situation, Iwagakure will most likely handle this quietly, since they're not having an easy time either."

Orochimaru, who was standing nearby, picked up the conversation and described the messenger's miserable state. He also analyzed the current predicament of Iwagakure and came to a seemingly plausible conclusion.
If a dog bites you, you can't bite the dog back, can you?

"I hope so."

Onoki's cautious and strategic thinking is well-known in the original work, and even Gin Uchiha believed that he wouldn't act impulsively and launch an invasion war based solely on a letter of accusation.
However, he overlooked another matter: even if Onoki could swallow his anger, Amegakure, whose forbidden treasure had been stolen, might not necessarily give up on its path to seek justice.

"Hiccup~"

Soon, Uchiha Gin, having finished his meal and drinks, picked his teeth and chatted casually with the three of them who hadn't seen each other in a long time.
"Jiraiya, try to go back and check on him when you have some free time. Hiruko's practically become a cornerstone of hope!"

"Tsunade, Nawaki has applied to participate in this year's Chunin Exams, but I think that kid's chances are slim."

"Orochimaru, I've already found you a mentor. Once your undercover mission is over, go and report to her."

"tutor?"

Orochimaru's expression shifted upon hearing this; he hadn't expected Gin Uchiha to remember his previous promise.
“That’s right. She’s been researching a pretty interesting topic lately, and she happens to need a few apprentices to help her, so I recommended you to her. Oh, and Hiruko too.”

"Then thank you very much, Grandpa Yin."

Senju Hisama felt much lighter after being relieved of the burden of being a Tailed Beast Knight. Although she still had to help her other self with government affairs, she had plenty of time left to continue her research into the mysteries of the human body.

She had privately invited Uchiha Gin to participate in the research, but Gin, who loved to slack off, refused.

Despite her refusal, Uchiha Gin still thoughtfully recommended two promising young researchers to her.
These are Hiruko, who independently developed the bloodline fusion evil technique, Oni-Garaga, and Orochimaru, whom we officially recognize as a groundbreaking scientist.
Since it was Uchiha Gin who strongly recommended her, Senju Hisa didn't refuse outright, promising that as long as the two of them passed her test, they could enter her research institute.

Orochimaru is currently going through a period of uncertainty in his life. After completing his Sage Mode training, his strength has hit a bottleneck, forcing him to confront the question of what he truly seeks.
Perhaps engaging in industries he has never been involved in before, such as his current job as a live streamer, could bring him some inspiration and impact.

Before we knew it, the embers in the oven had burned out.

Seeing that it was almost time, Uchiha Gin paid the bill and said goodbye to the three, promising to meet again in Konoha during the New Year.

"Looks like I was overthinking it. How could Onoki, who's such a coward, start a war?"

Walking towards the Hakurei Shrine, Uchiha Gin shook his head with a sigh.
"Uh, Xiao Nan?"

Just then, a little girl walking towards them instantly caught his attention. Seeing the dejected purple-haired girl, Uchiha Gin took the initiative to go up and greet her.

"Didn't you go to dance class?"

"Oh, it's Uncle Yin. I didn't get a registration form."

Xiao Nan looked up at the sound, but her face fell again upon hearing the words "dance class." That dance class had a limited number of openings each year; if she missed it, she'd have to wait another year.
"Clearly, they also want to join the Shenju Dance Troupe."

The Divine Steed Dance Troupe?
Upon hearing this seemingly familiar name, Uchiha Gin blinked in confusion.
"The dance class you mentioned, could it be the Fire Kingdom Traditional Dance Exchange and Training Base at No. 38 Commercial Street?"

"Huh? How did you know?"

After confirming that the dance class that had turned away Konan was his cousin's, Uchiha Gin immediately flashed a reliable smile.

“I’m quite familiar with the owner of a dance studio. If you mention my name later, they shouldn’t give you any trouble.”

He reached out and ruffled Xiao Nan's excited little head. He hadn't expected that this future origami angel would fall in love with dancing, and that he would need to pull strings to get a chance to learn.

"Great!"

Uchiha Gin's words instantly dispelled the gloom on Konan's face, and her innocent smile returned, which was very heartwarming to see.

Hakurei Shrine,

Reimu, who had specially changed into a brand-new, armpit-revealing shrine maiden outfit, sat atop the torii gate in the courtyard. She gazed towards the town for a long time, and after confirming there was no one in sight, she pursed her lips and addressed the disciples below who were washing and preparing vegetables.

"Miroku, lying will get you a thousand needles to swallow!"

"You've asked me ten times already. When have I ever lied to you, Master? Since Uncle Yin promised me, he will definitely come."

Miroku, rinsing tonight's ingredients in clean water, shook her head. She trusted Uchiha Gin completely and believed he would keep his word.

"You can just listen to men's nonsense, but you actually believed it? In this day and age, honest and trustworthy men are as extinct as ghosts."

"If there were no ghosts in the world, wouldn't you priestesses be out of a job?"

Just as Reimu was shaking her head and complaining, a ghostly figure appeared beneath the torii gate in a few flashes, followed by an intrigued voice.
"what?"

Reimu was startled and looked down to meet Uchiha Gin's lazy eyes.
Sensing the undisguised teasing, her fair face instantly flushed, and belatedly she pressed down on her skirt, which was fluttering in the wind.
"What are you looking at?"

"So shrine maidens wear something underneath their robes after all!"

Gin Uchiha shifted his gaze from the somewhat childish white harem pants and nodded in surprise.

"It's just a bit too childish."

"Dream Sealed!"

As soon as she finished speaking, a huge Yin-Yang Jewel descended from the sky. Reimu, her face contorted with shame and anger, wielded her demon-slaying staff, vowing to make Uchiha Gin, who had been spying on her, pay the price.

Is this how you welcome your sugar daddy?

Faced with the overwhelming pressure of the Tai Chi Yin Yang Jade, Uchiha Gin, whose curly hair was whipping wildly in the wind, raised an eyebrow but did not choose to dodge.

"Ah? Get out of the way, I can't stop myself!"

Seeing that Uchiha Gin remained unmoved, Reimu, who had only intended to scare him, became anxious and tried her best to take back the Dream Seal, but once the arrow is released, there is no turning back.

"You're really carefree, bringing this kind of trick into your own home."

Gin Uchiha knew he couldn't hide, or the Hakurei Shrine would be in serious trouble.
As he shook his head and sighed, his black eyes were replaced by scarlet, and a bewitching pattern appeared.

"Kavi!"

A vortex-shaped portal appeared out of thin air. Although it was only the size of a fist, its terrifying attraction was eye-catching. In the blink of an eye, it swallowed the giant yin-yang fish completely.

"what!?"

Seeing this, Reimu rubbed her bewildered eyes hard. "Where did my big dream go?"

"I was thinking you didn't want it anymore. Here, you stand still and I'll give it back to you right now."

"It's yours! It's yours!"

……

"Whoa~ Whoa~"

Uchiha Gin, wielding a spatula, stood by the stove, sweating profusely. The priestess and her apprentice, carrying a huge rice bowl, stood obediently to the side, their mouths watering uncontrollably with the aroma.

"Slurp~ This guy's cooking skills are amazing!"

Reimu wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, her eyes filled with bewilderment as she looked at Uchiha Gin.

"Uncle Yin, is it ready yet? My stomach is about to burst!"

“I’ll be right soon!”

With a flick of his large ladle, Uchiha Gin sent the sweet and sour pork slicing through the air in a beautiful arc before landing steadily on the prepared plate.
"It's done!"

"I'm starting!" *2
Watching the two wolf down their food, Uchiha Gin nodded in satisfaction. The cooking skills were still top-notch; with this kind of skill, he wouldn't starve no matter where he transmigrated.

Why aren't you eating?

With her cheeks puffed out, Reimu watched curiously as Uchiha Gin didn't touch his chopsticks.

"I ate before I came."

The roasted meat in his stomach hadn't been fully digested yet; eating too much could easily lead to indigestion.

"So you made a special trip just to cook for us?"

Reimu scratched her head sheepishly, a hint of barely perceptible anticipation in her slightly shy eyes.

"Then consider this meal an offering! I'll help you tonight..."

"No need, thank you."

Having learned his lesson from her once, Gin Uchiha wouldn't repeat the same mistake; who knows when Hikari might suddenly appear?
"If you really want to repay me, answer a few questions for me."

"question?"

Looking directly into Reimu's large eyes, which housed her precognitive abilities, Gin Uchiha nodded and explained the main purpose of his trip.
"I heard from Maitreya that you have a premonition that something bad is about to happen. Could you tell me more about it?"

Reimu frowned upon hearing this, as if recalling something. After a moment, she spoke with a serious expression.

"I only vaguely saw some scenes of what was about to happen in the future."

What exactly is it?

"Scorching fire rained down from the sky, and a huge monster was destroying the town."

Based on fragmented pieces of information, Reimu pieced together an apocalyptic scene. Gin Uchiha frowned upon hearing it.

So you're planning to leave?

"Well, I want to go back to the Land of Demons first. As for where to go after that, I haven't decided yet."

Reimu's precognitive abilities weren't without their flaws, but just to be on the safe side, she decided to return to her hometown to lay low for a while and, incidentally, inherit the full power of the shrine maiden she hadn't fully inherited back then.
"I see... Our family's shrine happens to be short of a shrine maiden. If you really can't find a place to stay, you can come to Konoha to find me."

Since the Nanka River Shrine was empty anyway, we might as well consider it a lucky charm.

"Really? Your family has a shrine?"

Reimu, holding a rice bowl bigger than her face, looked at Uchiha Gin in surprise.

A grand shrine in a major country is not like this run-down shrine of hers; it's not something you can build just with money, it requires a very deep family background.

Is this guy not only rich but also very powerful?

"Not only does it exist, but it's also many times bigger than your old, dilapidated house."

Uchiha Gin's statement was somewhat conservative. The Nakagawa Shrine, as an important shrine for the Uchiha clan, occupies a larger area than the clan lands of most other families.
"It's a deal then. We'll come to Konoha to find you, so don't turn your back on us."

"Do you even understand the value of Konoha's swords, guns, and cannons? This little thing is nothing at all."

……

at the same time,

The headquarters of the Rain Village ninja.

In a specially modified private room, Hanzo, having removed his heavy armor and gas mask, devoured his solitary dinner.
Because of the salamander venom sac implanted in his body, he had long lost his sense of taste; any delicacy tasted bland and tasteless to him.

With each bite he chewed, purple poisonous gas billowed from his mouth and nose. Fortunately, the house was sealed, preventing the deadly gas from escaping; otherwise, every time Hanzo ate, a large number of innocent passersby would collapse.

"What exactly does barbecue taste like?"

Picking up a tempting piece of grilled pork tenderloin with his fork, Hanzo squinted, trying to recall his memories of delicious food. Unfortunately, many years had passed, and he had long forgotten what that fragrant, sizzling grilled meat tasted like.

He once came from a well-off family and dreamed of becoming a renowned gourmet, tasting all the world's delicacies within a limited time.
But fate played a cruel trick on him. Due to the chaos of war, he was forced to lay down his knife and fork and take up a scythe, becoming a blood-soaked ninja on the battlefield. From then on, his dream of becoming a gourmet drifted further and further away.
"despair!"

Disheartened, Hanzo tossed aside his fork, put his protective suit back on, and turned to leave the lonely dining hall.
"Lord Hanzo!"

Outside the door, the Rain Ninja guards, upon seeing him, immediately bowed excitedly. In their eyes, Hanzo was the savior of the country, the leader who would guide them towards prosperity.

How is Yu Liu doing?

Hanzo nodded expressionlessly.
Even if he did have an expression, it wouldn't be discernible; the thick gas mask obscured most of it. Even with a憨笑 (a simple, honest smile), to outsiders he remained the imposing demigod.

"Lord Yu Liu's prosthetic limb has been installed, it's down here."

Amegakure's ninja, Amegakure, was the messenger sent to Iwagakure to deliver a message, and one of Hanzo's few trusted confidants.

"Phew, he's worked hard. Tell the weapons department that they must forge an indestructible diamond for Yu Liu. A man can have nothing, but he can never be without roots!"

"Yes!"

After dealing with the Amegakure issue, Hanzo, his face grim, entered his office, where several high-ranking Amegakure officials who had been waiting for some time were already standing there.

"Tell me, what are your thoughts on this?"

He plopped down in the middle of the office chair, and Hanzo's deep voice, penetrating his gas mask, reached the ears of the Rain Ninja.

"This matter is of great importance, and we leave the decision entirely to Lord Hanzo."

Sensing the anger in Hanzo's words, the senior advisors exchanged glances and said in unison,

"Don't try to smooth things over with me, just say what you mean."

Looking coldly at his self-important advisors below, Hanzo's tone was extremely gloomy.
Seeing this, a gaunt old man with a sinister face stepped forward from among the senior staff. Judging from his appearance, he was someone destined for great things.

"Lord Hanzo, Onoki's actions towards Ameda confirm that they are indeed thieves who stole the forbidden treasures. Iwagakure is despicable and shameless, with wolfish ambitions. We should immediately raise the price of smuggled goods and fleece them!"

"You're not exactly young anymore, is this all you've got?"

Hanzo looked at the indignant old man speechlessly. He remembered that this guy was the person in charge of the smuggling business targeting Iwagakure's foreign trade. Was he crazy for money?

"Then how about mixing gypsum powder into the flour?"

"Okay, stop talking, let's find someone else."

This hawkish guy really couldn't offer a single constructive suggestion. Half-heartedly, I waved my hand, signaling him to shut up.
"Lord Hanzo, I think we can have private negotiations with Iwagakure. If they are willing to return the treasure, we will open the border and allow Iwagakure ninja to come and go as before."

Another slightly plump middle-aged man hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to suggest,

"Oh? He stole our treasure, and in the end we still have to be subservient to Iwagakure?"

Hanzo narrowed his eyes, his gaze towards the middle-aged Rain Ninja growing increasingly cold.
"There's nothing we can do about it. Although Iwagakure is currently in a slight decline, its military strength is still among the top of the five great nations. In addition, with Onoki, a veteran Tailed Beast Rider, in charge, we can't stop them if a war really breaks out."

Under the oppressive gaze of Hanzo, the middle-aged man tremblingly wiped the sweat pouring down his face. His analysis was entirely based on reality; Amegakure had indeed improved considerably in recent years, but it wasn't yet at a point where it could rival the Five Great Nations.
Hanzo frowned slightly, his fingers beginning to tap rhythmically on the table. When it came to fighting on home soil, the Rain Village feared no enemy.

Even if he were to wage war against the three major neighboring nations simultaneously, he was confident he could drag these behemoths into the quagmire of the Rain Kingdom, leaving them severely weakened, if not bruised.
But what he was most worried about was the participation of Iwagakure's super-powerful fighters. The name of the Tailed Beast Riders was now known to every household, and the rumor that one of them was worth an entire army was not an exaggeration in the eyes of those in the know.
Hanzo was confident he could go toe-to-toe with Onoki, but he wasn't confident he could withstand the power of the Four-Tailed Rider.

Unless he also possesses the power to rival him.

Hydrangea.

After closing his eyes and pondering for a moment, Hanzo turned to look at a corner of the room, where a female ninja with deep purple hair stood out among the group of rough men.
She had a baby face and wore a white lab coat, but her curvaceous figure revealed that she was much older than her appearance suggested.
"How is the research on the secret treasure progressing?"

"Reporting to Lord Hanzo, the research on the secret treasure has entered the practical testing phase."

The woman called Hydrangea stepped forward and replied with a serious expression.

She is one of the few research-oriented ninjas in Amegakure, and has been responsible for developing and researching the tailed beast chakra collected from forbidden areas for many years. She has now achieved some success.
"How quickly can it be put into actual combat?"

Amegakure desperately needs a decisive force; even a day's delay would be a tremendous loss for the Land of Rain.
"It will take at least a year. We are currently conducting live experiments on animals, and the next stage will be..."

Hydrangea took out her research notebook and explained to Hanzo in a methodical manner.

"It's too late. Skip the animal experiments and go straight to human testing."

"Ah? Lord Hanzo, we can't do that. If we don't test the dosage properly, we'll just be wasting the lives of the test subjects."

Under the anxious gaze of the Hydrangea, Hanzo slowly stood up. His robust body exuded a resolute determination to face death. If even the venom sacs of the Salamander couldn't kill him, then the power of the Tailed Beasts was certainly worth a try.
"Then I will be the test subject. Amegakure must have its own knights!" (End of Chapter)