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

Chapter 217 Uncle's Re-hiring of His Famous Name

"In this situation, my presence would actually have the opposite effect."

From the darkness, a slender figure slowly emerged. It was Uchiha Tajima, resurrected from the dead. His weathered face held a hint of relief, and his dark eyes held a touch of tenderness. Watching the departing figures of the Uchiha brothers, Madara and Uchiha, he sighed and then began to explain…

"Are you planning to leave without saying goodbye?"

Seeing his uncle's relieved expression, Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow. He was the one who wanted to see his two cousins, but now he was the one who didn't want to see them. He really didn't understand. It was just saying goodbye, not some kind of life-or-death separation.

"Ban has already made what he believes is the right choice. If I reappear, it will only disrupt his peace of mind."

Uchiha Tajima shook his head. No one knows a son better than his father. Uchiha Madara was a very emotional person. The words and actions of others could affect his judgment. If he knew that his father was still alive, who knows what might happen? So he had to try his best to avoid such an accident.

"Alright~ Let's go then!"

Unable to understand the logic of the father and son, Uchiha Gin immediately gave up thinking, stretched, and said to his uncle,

"It's so far from the sea, you shouldn't go. I'll go and meet Elder Miao myself."

The outside was bustling with activity. Uchiha Gin was a prominent figure in the Uchiha clan, and his sudden disappearance might cause unnecessary trouble. Uchiha Tajima shook his head and prepared to go alone.

"It's guaranteed to work, Uncle."

Uchiha Gin smiled, put his hand on Uchiha Tajima's shoulder, and amidst the other's puzzled expression, the two living people vanished into thin air, leaving no trace in the secluded hut.

Dressed in the formal attire of the Senju clan, Tobirama Senju narrowed his crimson eyes slightly, observing several strangely aura-filled young women from the Uchiha clan opposite him. He gazed suspiciously at one of the tall, black-haired women; he felt her aura was strangely familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he had seen her before.

"The aura of the Thunder God? But it doesn't quite seem like it."

Just as he was pondering this, a sudden spatial fluctuation startled him.

"Tobirama! What are you staring at that Uchiha girl for? Could it be that you...?"

Hashirama Senju, dressed in a beige overcoat, suddenly appeared behind him, patted Tobirama Senju on the shoulder forcefully, and laughed heartily, though his tone carried a hint of unease.

"Hmph! You think everyone's like you?"

Interrupted from his thoughts, Tobirama Senju looked at his smiling brother and was immediately furious. He then elbowed his brother and retorted disdainfully, completely forgetting about the strange incident that had just occurred.

On the coast of the Land of Fire, a massive black ship was hidden beneath a cliff with towering reefs. An old man was busily directing his men to load heavy wooden crates into the ship. Then, a flash of golden light appeared, and two figures appeared on the ship's deck.

"Ugh~~~"

Before Uchiha Miao, who was giving orders, could even speak, Uchiha Tajima, whose face was ashen, slumped over the side of the boat and began vomiting. Uchiha Gin, the one who started it all, helplessly walked over, patted him on the back, and said...

"It's always like this the first time, you'll get used to it~"

"Is this... the technique of the white-haired Senju clan?"

Having vomited all the acid from his stomach, Uchiha Tajima turned his pale-faced head and looked at Uchiha Gin, who looked relaxed. He asked in confusion, knowing that Tobirama Senju's space-time ninjutsu was so strange that even he struggled to deal with it.

"Hey~ It's different, mine works better than his~"

Uchiha Gin immediately shook his head, indicating that he had little connection with Senju Tobirama and that his technique was different from Tobirama's.

His is Minato Namikaze's version of the Flying Thunder God Technique, which is far superior to Tobirama Senju's!

"My child, you are a true genius."

He took a deep look at his eldest nephew. Ever since Uchiha Gin escaped death from the Senju clan more than ten years ago, he had undergone earth-shattering changes and become mysterious and unpredictable, making him, as his uncle, unable to see through him.

"Absolutely!"

"Old clan chief, have you finished explaining things to the clan chief?"

Uchiha Miao, who was on deck, saw that Uchiha Tajima had almost recovered and asked,

"Let's talk about meeting later; business is more important."

Having just vomited, Uchiha Tajima, whose calves were still trembling, shook his head. He didn't want his presence to influence his son's judgment.

"Tsk tsk tsk, as expected of the Uchiha's technological genius, they actually managed to create it!"

Taking advantage of a lull in their conversation, Uchiha Gin began to examine the massive steel ship. Its creation was somewhat impromptu; after sketching a simple draft, he handed it to Uchiha Miao for critique.

After receiving a positive reply that it could be built, Uchiha Gin immediately took out ten gold bricks and handed them to the shocked Uchiha Miao, instructing him to work overtime to take down this steel behemoth.

The ship's design was inspired by destroyers from the previous era. It lacked the masts currently popular, and its propulsion relied entirely on chakra. Multiple turrets were installed on the deck, allowing combat personnel to unleash ninjutsu to strike enemies.

"Ah Yin, where exactly are you taking us?"

After the two old men finished their conversation, they approached Uchiha Gin, who looked astonished. Facing his unfathomable nephew, Uchiha Tajima asked, "..."

"Uncle, although the Uchiha and Senju clans are at peace for now, we must not put all our eggs in one basket."

Uchiha Gin stood at the very front of the deck, pointing in a direction, and spoke to the two people behind him who were deep in thought.

"In that direction, there is an island nation called the Land of Waves, a place forgotten by the nobles."

"Is the Land of Waves the island nation that borders the Land of Whirlpools?"

The well-informed Uchiha Miao, after a brief recollection, asked, his aged face filled with doubt.

"Yes, that's the place."

"What are you going there for?"

Upon hearing that his destination was a small island nation, Uchiha Tajima was extremely unwilling. He was a big shot who controlled half of the ninja world in the Land of Fire, how could he be confined to such a tiny place?

"To make a grand name."

"Hmph~ I won't do anything, okay? What did you say?"

Faced with his nephew's arrangement, Uchiha Tajima immediately protested. He didn't want to go to such a remote and impoverished place. However, he had barely uttered a curse when he heard a familiar yet unfamiliar title, which made his heart skip a beat, and his voice became hesitant and incoherent.

"I'll make you the daimyo of the Land of Waves."

Compared to the five vast countries, the Land of Waves, sandwiched between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water and adjacent to the Land of Whirlpools, does not have any so-called daimyo. The appearance of Uncle Lao fills the void in the Land of Waves.

"Although the Land of Waves is a strategic point on the sea and a place for merchant ships to resupply and rest, it has no native ninjas, only a lot of wandering ninjas and pirates."

Uchiha Gin's explosive statement prompted Uchiha Miao, who was well-versed in geography, to raise questions. He pointed out that nobles, led by the Daimyo, relied on their wealth to control ninjas, making them serve them and thus consolidating their rule. The Land of Waves happened to lack ninjas, so no nobles were willing to invest there.

"You think I let you bring so many people just to let them relax?"

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Gin rolled his eyes in annoyance, pointed at the Uchiha clansmen busy on the deck, and reminded them,

"These are the ninjas who serve you, Daimyo. Remember to pay them their wages!"

"Phew~ Where am I supposed to get the money?"

Huh? Can't I get it for free?

Uchiha Tajima had a bitter face. He had left the clan with nothing and was penniless. Where would he get the money to pay these clan members' wages? Couldn't he just rely on his old face?

"Go and see what they're moving?"

Having anticipated this, Uchiha Gin pointed to the wooden crates being carried by the Uchiha clan members and spoke up.

“!!!!!!”

Puzzled, Uchiha Tajima and Uchiha Miao casually opened a wooden box and were instantly blinded by the golden light before their eyes. Especially the uncle, who had just gotten a new pair of eyes and was not yet used to them, was immediately overwhelmed with emotion and burst into tears.

"Ah Yin, where did you get so much gold?"

Even Uchiha Tajima, who had seen many great things, couldn't help but shudder at the sight of such a large quantity of gold.

"I went to the Land of Wind, and along the way I found some ruins with lots of gold inside, which I looted!"

Uchiha Gin was already an expert at lying, telling his stories flawlessly so that the two old men couldn't find a single fault with them.

"We have the people and the money, but the Land of Waves borders the Land of Whirlpools, and those Whirlpool clan guys aren't so easy to get along with."

With money in hand, Uchiha Tajima was filled with ambition, thinking that the Land of Waves wasn't so bad after all. However, when he thought of his difficult neighbor, he frowned and began to feel troubled.

After all, his Mangekyou Sharingan had already been transplanted to Madara Uchiha, and his current eyes were just ordinary Sharingan stored in Uchiha Miao's inventory. With his strength greatly reduced, he still faced great pressure when he went head-to-head with the Uzumaki clan at their peak.

"Hey~ As the saying goes, having more friends means having more paths. I told you before that I have a way out at sea, so don't worry. Go to the Land of Waves, be a peaceful daimyo, develop the economy, conserve your strength, and you'll be useful sooner or later."

Uncle's concerns are understandable. Although the Uzumaki clan has not set foot in the Land of Fire in recent years, they are still famous at sea. They fought several battles with the Land of Water and thoroughly defeated those prominent ninja clans there.

"Is it an enemy?"

As the three were talking, a small boat appeared on the distant sea, hurtling towards their giant ship at an incredible speed. Sensing the approaching vessel, Uchiha Gin remained silent, but Uchiha Tajima, beside him, calmly asked after spotting the small boat, "..."

"No, they are friends who have come to show us the way. You two should get along well from now on."

(End of this chapter)