Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha lacks motivation.

Chapter 137 I never expected my uncle to be such a traitor.

Having barely managed to appease the two women, Uchiha Gin pulled up his pants and looked at the messy hot spring. Recalling the faces of the men from the previous hot spring, he immediately lost all desire to stay.

That Gang Army was truly terrifying; they managed to force Gin Uchiha to unleash his Mangekyou Sharingan, which he had been practicing solo for years.

He tossed a gold brick to the terrified proprietress as compensation, then fled the Land of Hot Water with the two women.

On the way back to the Uchiha clan's territory.

"Xiaoguang, is there something dirty on my face?"

Running alongside Uchiha Gin, Uchiha Hikaru hadn't taken his gaze off Gin's face since they left the Land of Hot Water, his expression one of hesitant apprehension.

"Ah Yin, are you hiding something from me?"

The perceptive young girl sensed an unfamiliar power emanating from Uchiha Gin. Completely baffled, she asked him about it.

"Huh? No~"

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Gin's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately denied it.

Could it be that the mixed bathing arrangement has been exposed?

"Then why are my eyes constantly moving in the fetal position?"

Uchiha Hikaru tilted her head, looking troubled, and said that she hadn't encountered this situation in many years. Her brows furrowed as if she were recalling something.

"The last time we felt fetal movement was when we were awakening our kaleidoscope-like awareness, and this time it was even more pronounced."

???

Do kaleidoscopes attract each other?

Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow, surprised that even after changing his eyes, his Mangekyou Sharingan could still resonate with Hikaru's Mangekyou Sharingan.

"It's probably because you're growing. After all, you've been cooped up for so long, you need to catch up on your development!"

Uchiha Gin's eyes darted around, and he immediately came up with a seemingly plausible reason. He scanned the girl's body from head to toe, and said in feigned surprise,

"Xiaoguang, haven't you noticed you've grown taller? And your figure has changed too."

"Shut up!!!"

Upon hearing Uchiha Gin's words, Uchiha Hikaru blushed like an apple. Before he could finish speaking, she delivered a shy, girlish elbow strike to the side of the outspoken curly-haired man.

"Boom!"

The sound of bones breaking was particularly crisp in the silent forest.

"Ugh~~~"

Despite the pain, Uchiha Gin was covered in cold sweat and trembled as he gave the shy girl a thumbs up.

His other hand rested on his ribs, a faint green light flashing within it. His mouth was also busy, trembling as he spoke...

"Look, isn't he full of energy? Xiao Guang will definitely grow taller!"

Uchiha, standing to the side, coldly watched the two flirting. His indifferent eyes rationally scrutinized Uchiha's muscular, chopping board-like physique, and a barely perceptible, contemptuous smile played on his lips.

Mr. Yin is so kind.

She then looked down at her budding body and felt a sense of calm.

While soaking in the hot spring, she secretly compared herself to Uchiha Hikaru and found that she not only did not lose to the older Hikaru, but even showed signs of surpassing him.

Thinking back to her unreliable mother at home, the girl suddenly felt a little fortunate.

"Thank you, Mom-chan. Turns out you're not entirely useless after all."

"Achoo!"

The purple-haired young woman, tidying her room at home, quickly braced herself against the surging waves. After finally regaining her balance, she touched her delicate face, her eyes filled with a dreamy look.

"Ara ara, is Gintoki missing me again~?"

The three of them rode at full speed and arrived at the Uchiha clan's territory in less than half a day.

"Halt! Who are you?"

As Uchiha Gin and his companions prepared to enter the familiar gate, they were stopped by the guards at the entrance. Judging from their awkward movements, the guards were probably new recruits.

"You don't recognize me?"

Uchiha Gin looked at the clueless young man who had stopped him with some surprise, who didn't even recognize him.

So there are still people in the Uchiha clan who haven't been fooled by him?

"Who are you? Why should I know you? Is your grandfather an elder, or is the clan chief your uncle?"

The new Uchiha is so rude.

Uchiha Gin was speechless after being confronted by the other party, as every word he said made sense and he really couldn't refute it.

"I"

Uchiha Gin was momentarily speechless, but this was perceived as a sign of guilt by the other party, which only emboldened them.

"These are special times. All outsiders are strictly prohibited from entering. If you say another word, I'll send you to the dungeon."

Oh, that's great! Going back to the dungeon is like coming home. Everyone in the dungeon is so talented and speaks so nicely. I love it there.

This guard, whom Uchiha Gin had never seen before, was a member of his clan who had been stationed on the front lines for many years.

A few days ago, he heard some amazing news at the front: his wife, whom he hadn't seen for three years, had given birth to a big, healthy baby boy. Overjoyed, he activated his Three-Hook Jade and applied to be transferred back to his clan's territory that very day.

But before he could even enjoy family time after returning home, he was transferred to the gate as a guard.

"We are our people who have returned from a mission abroad, and this is my proof."

Uchiha Gin disdains those pretentious face-slapping scenes. What era are we living in? Everyone would criticize those kinds of medieval plots.

He obediently handed the certificate given to him by Uchiha Tajima to the guard and waited for him to examine it.

"Yes, it is indeed proof of the mission. You may go in then."

Although the guard was unhappy, his job was more important; he needed to earn money for his son's milk powder.

"You've worked hard too."

Uchiha Gin was not dissatisfied with the other party's difficult behavior, after all, every member of his clan was now just a green leek to be harvested in his eyes.

Speaking of lush greenery, Uchiha Gin, having entered the clan's compound, turned to the displeased clansman and said...

"Hey buddy, your hat's pretty unique!"

"Hehe, my wife made this for me, isn't it beautiful?"

The guard, who had initially looked sullen, broke into a happy smile upon hearing Uchiha Gin's words. He adjusted his green hat and said in a cheerful tone,

"Your wife must love you very much."

"Hehe, that's natural."

After bidding farewell to the guards, Uchiha Gin and his two companions walked along the main road of the clan's territory.

A strange discovery was made: the bustling market when we left was now deserted, with only a few shops open and no roving merchants in sight. There were also many more patrols than usual.

Filled with doubt, the three arrived at the clan head's building. The guards there recognized Uchiha Gin and immediately opened the door to let them in.

"Strange, why is the clan's territory so deserted now?"

Hikaru Uchiha walked beside Gin Uchiha, tugged at his sleeve, and asked in confusion,

"Something must have happened at the front lines again."

Uchiha Gin recalled the patrol teams he had just encountered, many of whom were unfamiliar faces, and guessed that they were clansmen who had been stationed outside for many years.

The recall of so many tribesmen at this time suggests that war is about to begin again.

Uchiha Gin sighed inwardly. The war between the two clans had finally subsided for a few days due to Senju Butsuma's unexpected death, but he didn't expect it to start again so soon.

"Knock knock knock~~~"

Uchiha Gin skillfully knocked on the door of Uchiha Tajima's office.

"Come in."

My uncle's familiar voice rang out, but it wasn't as strong as usual; instead, it sounded a little tired.

"Uncle, we're back."

Uchiha Gin, accompanied by two women, swaggered into Uchiha Tajima's office. Seeing that no one else was around, he unabashedly slumped into a chair, looking utterly exhausted from his journey.

"This mission was so dangerous, you almost didn't get to see your beloved nephew again."

"Really?"

Uchiha Tajima, who was reviewing documents, didn't even look up. He knew Uchiha Gin's true nature; even a task of killing a chicken would be described as a feat of slaying a dragon.

"Tsk! Can't there be a little more trust between people?"

Uchiha Gin was somewhat annoyed by the questioning. This trip was indeed very dangerous, not to mention the various massive battles, he also had to outwit and outmaneuver Senju Shiro. If it weren't for the fact that the details couldn't be discussed in detail, he would have already lay on the ground and applied for retirement.

"Sent them away?"

After reading the last document, Uchiha Tajima raised his pale face, his eyes bloodshot, showing that he hadn't had a proper rest recently.

He rubbed his temples; his headaches had been getting more and more frequent lately, and he couldn't even sleep well without the cloak given to him by Uchiha Gin.

"Safely escorted away."

Uchiha Gin pulled out two scrolls, waved them at Uchiha Tajima, and then tossed them to him.

"This is?"

"Take a look at the mission report and rewards yourself."

What Uchiha Gin threw at him was his abridged mission report, as well as the amber bottle, a divine artifact he had obtained from Kinkaku and Ginkaku.

"Hmm, I actually ran into Tobirama Senju. How did you manage to escape?"

Uchiha Tajima opened the mission report and began to read it. When he saw that Uchiha Gin and the others had been pursued by Senju Tobirama, he said with some surprise,

"That kid is quite strong, and he's also cunning and treacherous. Madara and Izuna have suffered a lot at his hands."

Regardless of whether they were friend or foe, the brilliant Tobirama Senju still left a deep impression on Tajima Uchiha.

"Hehe, not bad luck. We captured a member of the Uzumaki clan who helped them search. The person's identity seems to be quite extraordinary. Tobirama Senju seems a bit hesitant to act rashly."

The report did not reveal specific information about Mito Uzumaki, only noting that she was an important member of the Uzumaki clan.

"Not bad, you remained calm under pressure, just like your father back in the day."

After reading the entire mission report, Uchiha Tajima couldn't help but exclaim in praise.

Kid, you're invincible!

"Thank goodness, thank goodness~~"

Uchiha Gin accepted the praise with a smile, after all, it was something he deserved.

"You can take this."

Uchiha Tajima glanced at the other scroll and tossed it back to Uchiha Gin.

"Huh? This is a divine artifact, the kind used by the Sage of Six Paths."

Uchiha Gin reached out and caught the scroll containing the sealed amber bottle, straightened up, and said...

"Why don't you take it and study it?"

"There's not much to study. I've played with all the artifacts of the Feathered Robe Clan, but none of them are handy."

Uchiha Tajima shook his head. He had played with all those magical artifacts; they were just flashy but impractical toys.

"Holy crap, Uncle, are you that close to the Feathered Clan Chief's wife? Isn't her nickname Princess Iron Fan?"

(End of this chapter)