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

Leaf.

Located in the center of the village, the former somewhat shabby two-story temporary office building has now been replaced by a brand-new Hokage Building. On the bright red tiles, a round plaque is adorned with a large character for "fire." Standing on the rooftop, one can enjoy a 360° panoramic view of the entire village.

In the office on the top floor, Hashirama Senju, with a somewhat pale face, sat opposite Madara Uchiha, each holding a cup of steaming tea. The fragrance emanating from the cup made everyone present feel refreshed and relaxed.

Taking a careful sip of the brown tea, Hashirama Senju wore an expression of pure enjoyment, his slightly narrowed eyes filled with satisfaction. Looking at Madara Uchiha, whose expression remained unchanged, he couldn't help but ask,

"Madara, why aren't you drinking it? This is a rare and excellent tea. I went to great lengths to get it from Tobirama."

Upon hearing this, Madara Uchiha, with his usually aloof demeanor, raised an eyebrow, sniffing the familiar aroma of the tea in his hand. A hint of amusement flashed in his dark eyes.

When did Tobirama Senju get in touch with his cousin?

"Tsk~ It's alright."

Madara Uchiha, with a strange look in his eyes, took a small bite, clicked his tongue, and commented.

He had countless teas at home, all gifts from his older cousin to his father. Unfortunately, Madara Uchiha was not a tea connoisseur and only had a superficial understanding of tea appreciation.

Glancing at the scorching sunlight streaming in through the window, Madara Uchiha subtly curled his lip. In his opinion, the steaming tea in his hand was not as comforting as the hand-whipped lemon tea made by Gin Uchiha.

"Hey! How long are you two going to slack off?"

Just as Hashirama Senju and his companion were leisurely enjoying their afternoon tea, a slightly annoyed voice interrupted their pleasant time.

"Oh dear, Tobirama, it's all because the tea you brought smells so good! Do you have any more? Send me a few pounds!"

With a hearty smile, Hashirama Senju didn't take his younger brother's slander to heart. He turned to look at Tobirama Senju, who was diligently filling in at the Hokage's workstation, took a sip of tea, and said...

"No, that's all."

With a dark expression, Tobirama Senju ignored his elder brother's unreasonable request. He himself only had one box of that kind of tea; it was only because his younger sister cared for him that she gave him more.

"Brother, you've rested enough, it's time to get back to work!"

"Huh? Why haven't we received any messages from the clone yet?"

Seeing his younger brother's sour face, Hashirama Senju, who didn't want to work, quickly changed the subject.

"Work!"

"Hey~ We're all brothers, it doesn't matter who does it. I can just cover for you tomorrow and take charge of training your disciples."

Not wanting to catch the office sickness, Hashirama Senju walked over with an awkward smile, reached out and patted his younger brother's shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"I saw that those kids had great talent; they're sure to become pillars of Konoha's future!"

Trying hard to recall the disciples Tobirama Senju had taken in, Hashirama Senju only vaguely remembered one: besides the curly-haired Uchiha Kagami, there was also a black-haired brat with a plump bottom. He immediately spoke up.

"Especially that little guy with the amazing hip circumference, his future is limitless~"

"snort!"

Tobirama Senju didn't believe his older brother's nonsense. He had easily fooled Madara Uchiha with just a few words, making him come here to work for free and even swindle some angel investment to build the new Hokage Building.

This is also why Tobirama Senju was able to tolerate Madara Uchiha continuing to stay here.

After all, they're paying to work here; we can't afford to offend them.

"You have to believe me, I absolutely won't. Huh?"

Just as Hashirama Senju was speaking eloquently, a blush suddenly flashed across his pale face. As a flood of memories rushed in, his expression became somewhat unreadable.

"What's wrong?"

Sensing something amiss, Tobirama Senju frowned and asked,

Judging from the elder brother's appearance, his clone probably sent some information back to his main body. But why hasn't his shadow clone sent the message back yet? Did something go wrong?

"Damn it, who exactly is Uchiha Hikaru?"

Having absorbed the memories, Hashirama Senju didn't answer his brother's question immediately. Instead, he turned to Madara Uchiha and asked him a question.

"Uchiha Hikaru, I don't know much. What aspect do you want to know about?"

Unexpectedly, Hashirama Senju would suddenly ask this question, so Madara Uchiha simply didn't keep it to himself. After all, the information about the Mangekyou Sharingan had already been disclosed to the Senju brothers, so there was no need to hide it any further.

"According to you, she and Brother Yin are the same age, so it's not too much for me to call her 'Big Sister,' is it?"

"."

"What kind of look is that?! It's like I've been cut in half at the waist, isn't it?!"

The phantom limb pain in his lower back made Hashirama Senju very indignant, and he complained to Madara Uchiha, who had a mocking look on his face.

All I know is that she's my cousin's childhood sweetheart; as for anything else, I know nothing.

"So, is it okay for me to call her 'Big Sister'?"

"Tsk, you're married with kids now, how come your knowledge in this area is still so naive? Uchiha Hikaru, cousin, it's...this~"

Madara Uchiha rolled his eyes and gave Hashirama Senju a mysterious hand gesture.

"what?"

Unexpectedly, the intelligence contained such important details, and Hashirama Senju, filled with remorse, even contemplated suicide.

"Damn it! That curly-haired guy and Uchiha Hikaru have this kind of relationship?"

Tobirama Senju, who was watching the scene unfold, felt a chill run down his spine upon seeing Madara Uchiha's pairing gesture and quickly asked for confirmation.

"Hmm~ Otherwise, why would Uchiha Hikaru live at my cousin's house for more than ten years?"

Seeing the agitated Tobirama Senju, Madara Uchiha was somewhat bewildered.

When did that wretched white-haired guy become so interested in his cousin's private life?

Could it be?!

Suddenly, a truly astonishing idea popped into his head. Looking at Tobirama Senju's anxious face and shifty eyes, Madara Uchiha swallowed hard, then spoke with a grim expression.

"Tobirama Senju! I will never allow you to lay a hand on my family!"

That's so vicious! No wonder this white-haired guy is still single at his age and has never had any scandals. Turns out he is...

Tobirama Senju, who was exchanging glances with the still-unresponsive Hashirama Senju, was suddenly puzzled upon hearing this.

We were just talking about Uchiha Gin, and now Madara Uchiha is bringing up Uchiha Izuna again.

"Hmph~ You should be grateful for the current peaceful situation, otherwise I would have taken away your most important brother long ago!"

Not wanting to be threatened by Madara Uchiha for nothing, Tobirama Senju, with a cold face, immediately retorted, saying that Izuna Uchiha was alive until now thanks not only to his turtle shell but also to this peaceful world.

"Phew~ I knew it, you were up to no good!"

Unexpectedly, this guy actually admitted his wolfish ambitions. Uchiha Madara was so shocked that he gasped. Looking at Senju Tobirama's gloomy face, he couldn't help but worry about his cousin's chastity.

Sigh~ It's all because my older cousin is too kind, which makes him so popular that everyone wants to ride him.

"Stop arguing~ Let's sit down and talk about it."

Both sides were his flesh and blood, and Hashirama Senju couldn't side with either of them, so he could only stand by and try to mediate. He couldn't figure out what the two of them had started arguing about, no matter how hard he tried.

"you"

Just as the conflict was about to escalate, Tobirama Senju, whose face was usually icy cold, suddenly froze, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. He also stopped arguing with Madara Uchiha.

"Brother, things are much simpler than we thought."

Analyzing the memories transmitted back by his mental clone, Tobirama Senju, having calmed down, looked at Hashirama Senju, who wore a relieved expression, and spoke up.

"what?"

Completely bewildered, Hashirama Senju looked at his unpredictable younger brother with a face full of confusion.

"Madara Uchiha, the methods of your Uchiha clan are truly well hidden."

With images of Uchiha Shinobu and Uchiha Hikaru effortlessly suppressing the tailed beasts flashing through his mind, Tobirama Senju, feeling a heavy weight in his heart, coldly stared at Madara Uchiha, whose expression was inscrutable.

"What do you mean by that?"

This sentence confused Madara Uchiha. Weren't they just talking about his cousin? How did the topic suddenly escalate to the entire clan?

"Hmph~ Big brother, let's go check out their work."

Seeing Madara Uchiha acting all high and mighty, Tobirama Senju immediately snorted coldly, turned to look at his equally bewildered older brother, and urged him on.

"Huh? Check what?"

"Tailed Beasts".

With a chilling expression, Tobirama Senju uttered two cold words before leaping out of the window and heading towards the forest outside the village.

Hashirama Senju seemed to realize what was happening and quickly followed.

"I'm going too!"

Upon hearing the words "Tailed Beast," Madara Uchiha's heart tightened. Remembering that his older cousin was also there, he immediately stood up and strode after him.

in the forest

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Uchiha Gin patted his round belly, ignoring Senju Itama's resentful gaze, stood up, walked to the Amber Purification Bottle, looked at the tailed beasts that had awakened inside, and gave instructions.

"Kiji, Hikaru, I'll release the tailed beasts later. You can control them yourselves."

"Okay, Mr. Gin~"

"Understood, Gintoki!"

The two women, having also rested, exchanged a glance, stood up, and walked to an open space to wait for the tailed beasts to appear.

Uchiha Gin's expression was solemn as he placed his hand on the amber bottle. As he communicated with his ninja tools, a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes.

It's time for a battle!

"I choose you! Yata!"

"Roar~"

The bull demon that appeared this time had lost its previous arrogance; even its roar sounded weak. Upon seeing the two women eyeing it menacingly, it instinctively shrank its neck.

"I'll do it."

Uchiha Hikaru stepped forward, a red light flashing in his eyes. Gyuki had no chance to resist and instantly became obedient.

"Hmph~ I've actually lost to you, but I have more than one partner. Come out, Seven-Tails!"

The dramatic Uchiha Gin, after witnessing Uchiha Hikaru subdue the Eight-Tails, became even more solemn. He immediately slapped his Amber Purifying Bottle version of the Master Ball, summoning another tailed beast.

"Goodbye!"

The moment Chongming was released, it instinctively wanted to roar a couple of times to bolster its strength, but seeing that the three-tailed and eight-tailed beasts had already become docile, it immediately flicked its tail and prepared to run away.

"Did I say you could leave? You big beetle~"

Uchiha made his move. The giant, cherry-pink hand that had been forged through countless trials reached out from behind the girl and grabbed Chongming, who hadn't yet taken flight. In the other's terrified eyes, a bewitching pattern appeared in its consciousness.

"What?! You idiot!"

Seeing his second ally easily subdued by the girl, Uchiha Gin was terrified, but a striking fervor ignited in his otherwise lifeless eyes.

He held the amber bottle in both hands, and the resolute look in his eyes left the women present feeling bewildered.

Are you alright?

Although Senju Itama was used to seeing Uchiha Gin's intermittent episodes, he couldn't help but complain as he was cleaning up the pot.

"Hey! Don't underestimate the bond between me and my comrades!"

As Uchiha Gin's emotions surged, the Amber Purifying Bottle seemed to respond to his will. Its originally enormous size instantly shrank to the size of a fist, just the right size to hold in one's hand.

"Come forth! My ace, Senior Brother, Sun Wukong!"

"roar!!"

A flash of red light, and the giant red ape makes its dazzling appearance.

"Go, Senior Brother!"

"???"

Who are you? Do we know each other that well?

Four-Tails was completely bewildered. Why did this curly-haired human at its feet seem so familiar with it?

"I'll do it!"

The bond between me and Ah Yin is the deepest!

With a slightly flushed face, Uchiha Hikaru narrowed her beautiful eyes and captured the Four-Tails, who was still in a daze.

"Huff...huff...huff, is my journey coming to an end?"

Clutching the miniature amber bottle, Uchiha Gin grumbled in frustration, muttering nonsensical lines that earned him eye-rolls from the three girls.

"Stop acting like that, you're overdoing it~"

After swallowing the last slice of mutton roll, Senju Itama jumped up, waving his chopsticks and loudly criticizing,

"Damn it! My goal is to become a Tailed Beast Master, how can I fall here!"

Ignoring Senju Itama's taunts, Uchiha Gin seemed to have regained his strength. He lowered his head, gazing affectionately at the Master Ball in his hand, then slowly stood up, his eyes filled with determination.

"Come out, my friends!"

"Meow?"

"roar?"

"hiss?"

The released Two-Tails, Five-Tails, and Six-Tails exchanged bewildered glances, but before they could react, everything went black, and they lost consciousness once more.

I hate this feeling~

"Ah Yin, your performance was very emotionally engaging. Don't do it again next time."

Uchiha Hikaru and Uchiha Osamu joined forces to suppress the remaining three tailed beasts. The girls who slowly strolled over had nothing but speechless expressions in their beautiful eyes.

"Hey~ This is all the hobbies you have left, can't you even let me perform it?"

Seeing his path to becoming a Pokémon Master crumble halfway, Uchiha Gin stood up with a pout, put the mini version of the Amber Purification Bottle containing the tailed beast's tail into his backpack, and looked aggrieved.

Just as Uchiha Gin was about to continue proclaiming his Tang-style performance method, he sensed three familiar auras approaching. He immediately raised an eyebrow and stopped his birthing act.

"Alright, that's enough for today's performance. They're here."

"Swish swish~"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than three figures landed not far from them.

"Brother Yin, are you alright?"

Hashirama Senju, who was in the lead, was the first to speak up and ask a question, but his eyes were fixed on the few well-behaved tailed beasts behind the group, with a strange look in them.

"Fortunately, Xiao Guang and Xiao Zhili did a good job and barely completed the task."

"You didn't make a move?"

Following behind Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju looked at the tailed beasts controlled by the Sharingan, then at Gin Uchiha, whose clothes were clean and tidy, and asked with a frown.

"Me? I'm just an ordinary three-tomoe, how could I possibly participate in a battle of this level?"

Uchiha Gin refused to take the blame and immediately denied it.

"Cousin, have you eaten?"

Having already asked all the questions the Senju brothers could, Madara Uchiha could only offer dry, polite replies.

"I just finished eating."

My cousin is so much better. You heartless bastards don't care whether I live or die at all!

"Huh, why are all the tails of these tailed beasts shorter than usual?"

Just as Uchiha Gin was exchanging pleasantries with his younger cousin, Senju Tobirama, who was carefully inspecting Konoha's movable property, suddenly exclaimed in surprise,

"Uchiha Gin, what's going on?"

Having found Uchiha Gin, the person in charge, Tobirama Senju confronted him aggressively.

Before his clones dissipated, the tails of these tailed beasts were still intact, so how did they become crippled in such a short time?

If the item is damaged, how can you sell it for a good price?

Will Uchiha Gin make up the difference for the shortfall?

"Attrition, do you understand? With such intense fighting, some attrition is inevitable."

I never expected that just because I cut off a little bit, this sharp-eyed white-haired guy would notice it. No wonder you got a sty.

"But don't worry, tailed beasts aren't real creatures. The missing parts will be restored in a few days."

Seeing Tobirama Senju's increasingly hostile gaze, as if he wanted to empty his pockets, Gin Uchiha immediately patted his chest and assured him...

"If it's not restored, I'll use gold to make up for the missing piece."

Is this really true?

At this moment, appearance and such were no longer important; Tobirama Senju wished he could cut off another piece of these tailed beasts himself.

"Bao's prison mate~"

"These tailed beasts are temporarily under your care. Please be careful, as each of them has the power to destroy a city in an instant."

After the inspection, Hashirama Senju, usually all smiles, wore an unusually serious expression and gave instructions to Gin Uchiha and the others.

"Don't worry about me handling things."

Uchiha Gin gave the other person a reassuring look and replied,

"I know Xiao Guang and Xiao Zhili's strength better than anyone else. Even if they are not as strong as my older cousin, they are more than capable of suppressing several tailed beasts together."

"Brother Yin, it's best to be careful."

"Haxi Hot Mom, aren't you overthinking things? These beasts can't cause any trouble."

Madara Uchiha, standing to the side, couldn't help but interject.

In his view, no village is so weak as to be destroyed by a tailed beast; if that were the case, then that village would have no reason to exist.

"I'm serious! Putting aside the other tailed beasts, the Nine-Tails that won is not to be underestimated."

In order to make Madara Uchiha realize the danger posed by the tailed beasts, Hashirama Senju had no choice but to tell a lie.

"Even I had to put in a lot of effort to suppress that nine-tailed fox."

"Hmm~ Really?"

Upon hearing this, Madara Uchiha's heart stirred, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes, before he confirmed in a deep voice,

"Damn it! Even my wooden doll couldn't handle that nine-tailed fox. If I hadn't been a step ahead, I probably wouldn't have been able to compete with you!"

Hashirama Senju spoke with absolute certainty, and then vividly recounted to Madara Uchiha the scene of his "difficult" capture of the Nine-Tails.

"."

Knowing the truth, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but roll his eyes as he watched the two chatting animatedly.

My dear cousin, it's no wonder you couldn't become the First Hokage. Hashirama Senju was at least as cunning as Tobirama Senju.

"Oh? Oh! Oh~"

Madara Uchiha, who was writing down information about the Nine-Tails in his notebook, had a glint in his eyes and was secretly delighted.

I've finally found a way to beat Hasi's hot mom!

"Hoo~ Madara, you've remembered this, haven't you? The Nine-Tails' power is terrifying beyond our ability to defeat. We can only outsmart it."

The despicable Hashirama Senju, while deceiving Madara Uchiha, did not forget to establish himself as a wise general.

"Okay, I'll be careful."

Madara Uchiha carefully put the notebook away from his body and nodded with a slightly somber expression.

Sigh~ Poor little cousin, he's being played by Hashirama Senju without even realizing it. Should I give him a heads-up?

With a sigh, Uchiha Gin worried that his cousin might be taken advantage of, and began to consider whether or not to tell him the truth.

"My dear cousin, actually..."

"By the way, cousin, there's something I need to tell you."

Just as Uchiha Gin was about to speak and guide his younger cousin onto the right path, Uchiha Madara seemed to remember something, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on his usually cold face.

"Uh... what's wrong?"

Sensing something amiss, Uchiha Gin asked a question.

This expression is only shown by my older cousin after he's done something naughty; that kid must have done something shameful.

"Let's make it clear first, you won't get angry."

"Okay, okay, I swear."

The sense of foreboding grew stronger.

"Actually, it's nothing much. I just borrowed some craftsmen and materials from the Land of Waves in your name to build the new Hokage Building."

As he spoke, Madara Uchiha's gaze darted around, avoiding direct eye contact with Gin Uchiha's lifeless eyes, while his heart pounded uncontrollably.

The people from the Land of Waves have already come to the Uchiha clan's territory to collect debts. It seems we can't hold them back any longer, so it's best to tell my cousin.

Anyway, he has money.

"you"

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Gin nearly choked. He'd seen spendthrifts before, but never one this extravagant.

When other people are pursuing their goddesses, they might offer luxury cars and watches, or at the very least, a grand mansion. But you, you gave me a whole building, a landmark project at that.

"How much?"

Although the money was simply transferred from one hand to the other, Uchiha Gin was still very unhappy.

Why should the Senju clan enjoy the benefits of the Hokage Building, which was built with his money?

As for Hashirama's prison cellmate, that's one thing; he has a good relationship with Lady Momoka, so letting him stay for a few years wouldn't be a problem. It would be even better if he worked overtime every night!

But why should Tobirama Senju, that white-haired guy, and his monkey apprentice also be able to enjoy this?

"Not much, just over a billion."

Hearing Uchiha Gin's promise, Uchiha Madara felt much more at ease. With a smile on his face, he stepped forward and familiarly placed his hand on Uchiha Gin's shoulder, pretending to be relaxed as he spoke.

The Uchiha clan wasn't unable to afford those billions, but the clan's money wasn't Madara Uchiha's private treasury; every expenditure required the elders' approval.

"Sir, do we know each other well? Why are you putting your arm around me? We should be meeting for the first time, shouldn't we?" (End of Chapter)