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

"Sigh... This village's petty governance is taking advantage of my old age and weakness!"

Gin Uchiha, having failed to get a second bowl of honey-glazed shaved ice, sighed dejectedly.

Seeing Chiyo jumping for joy while holding a red bean ice cream, Uchiha Gin's eyes flickered slightly.

Since even Chiyo has come, it means that the people from Sunagakure are all in place, in addition to Kirigakure and Kumogakure whom we encountered today.

And when I was eating barbecue with those kids before, the mysterious bandaged man and the pockmarked little potato they mentioned must be from Iwagakure (Hidden Stone Village).

Now the Kage of the four great nations have all gathered in Konoha, waiting for Hashirama's younger brother to hold a meeting.

"Slurp~"

Under Chiyo's slightly disdainful gaze, Uchiha Gin licked the last few drops of syrup from the bottom of his bowl, inwardly criticizing her for her lack of ambition.

"I wonder if my younger cousin has come out of seclusion yet. If he can't get into this meeting, his dream of becoming the Second Hokage might be in jeopardy."

Minamigagawa Shrine

Inside the tightly closed shrine hall, a pair of scarlet eyes slowly opened. Their owner gazed at the ancient stone tablet before them, a flicker of struggle crossing their eyes.

Having read 80% of the contents of the stone tablet, Madara Uchiha was deeply conflicted.

Last time, he saw the ancestor instructing the Uchiha and Senju to combine their powers to create peace. Unexpectedly, this time when he turned the page, the ancestor changed the subject and said, "I also have a convenient walkthrough tutorial."

"Infinite Tsukuyomi, huh..."

Madara Uchiha frowned. Putting aside the question of whether the ninja world was at peace, which he didn't care much about—he couldn't even take care of Konoha's small territory—he really wasn't interested in the idea of ​​simultaneously trapping everyone in the ninja world in a perpetually beautiful genjutsu.

With one of his brothers healthy and the other living a long life, and although his sister-in-law, Hashi, had some disagreements with him, it was only because of his brother-in-law's interference. Madara Uchiha believed that he would be fine in a few more years.

With the family business thriving and Konoha developing rapidly, Madara Uchiha would have to be out of his mind to choose to execute this so-called Infinite Tsukuyomi plan.

"Hassi Hot Mom, you fucking forgot about me?"

Turning his head to look at the gate that hadn't moved for days, Madara Uchiha was so angry his head was spinning. He had thought Hashirama Senju would be rushing to find him.

It's been so many days and there's still no news. Could it be that Izuna didn't leak the news that I was locked up in the dark room?

Just as Madara Uchiha was feeling indignant about his fate, a pool of black, unidentified liquid slowly emerged from a dark corner of the shrine. Two large, bean-like eyes stared questioningly at the man in front of the stone tablet, a curse escaping his lips, unsure whether to utter it.

"Why is this generation of Indra so difficult to manage? He already knows about the Infinite Tsukuyomi, so why don't you hurry up and find a way to awaken the Rinnegan?"

Black Zetsu clenched his fist around the phantom limb, his face turning black with rage, cursing inwardly that Uchiha Madara was stupid and difficult to manage.

"Has despair not yet been felt?"

After frowning and thinking for a long time, Black Zetsu suddenly realized that, apart from still being single, Uchiha Madara in front of him was perfect in every way. His younger brother was sensible, his older brother was rich, and he might even become the village chief.

It's highly unlikely that someone would give up such a happy and fulfilling life to pursue a dubious plan like Infinite Tsukuyomi.

After figuring things out, Hei Jue couldn't help but scratch his head in frustration. He had finally managed to produce a reasonably qualified descendant of Indra, and he couldn't just give up like this.

We must find the weakness in Madara Uchiha's heart and use it as an opportunity to urge him to carry out the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan.

"Bang Bang Bang~"

Just as Black Zetsu was deep in thought, the shrine gate was pounded on loudly. Madara Uchiha, who was sitting cross-legged, immediately perked up his ears.

"It's me! Open the door!"

Upon hearing that familiar voice, a slight smile slowly appeared on Madara Uchiha's face, who was filled with great satisfaction.

Hmph~ You finally remembered him, huh!

After straightening his clothes, not wanting to lose face, Uchiha Madara adopted an icy expression and reached out to open the creaking door.

"Hot Mom from Hashi, what's up?"

Standing outside the door was Hashirama Senju, dressed in casual clothes. Upon seeing Madara Uchiha, a bright smile spread across his face.

"Mada, if you don't come out soon, you'll miss the show!"

"A good show? What good show?"

Madara Uchiha raised an eyebrow, seemingly quite interested in the spectacle Hashirama Senju had described.

"The Kage of the four great nations have already arrived in Konoha~"

"Are you going to make your move? I know you really can't do without me!"

Upon hearing this, Hashirama Senju's smile froze on his face as he looked at Madara Uchiha, who was eager to try.

"Mada! They've all come for peace, you can't cause trouble at this crucial moment."

With a serious expression on his face, Hashirama Senju earnestly gave Madara Uchiha his instructions.

If we don't kill them, are we supposed to give them a big gift?

Madara Uchiha tilted his head, his eyes full of question marks.

"I'm going to organize the Five Shadows Summit. This meeting is of great importance, and I hope you can join me."

"Hmph~ Since you've asked, I'll reluctantly oblige."

Madara Uchiha, secretly pleased, kept a calm expression on his face. After a few feigned thoughts, he nodded slightly, preparing to agree to the matter.

However, things rarely go as planned. A blue lightning bolt flashed behind Hashirama Senju, and a panting white-haired man suddenly appeared beside them.

"I knew I was right, brother! You mustn't act rashly!"

Having just used the Flying Thunder God Technique multiple times, Tobirama Senju stared at the two people before him, his face pale, his crimson eyes filled with displeasure.

"Tobirama! You actually planted the Flying Thunder God Mark on me."

Hashirama Senju frowned slightly, surprised that his younger brother was monitoring him.

"I'm doing this for safety reasons. You're the village's protector, and nothing can go wrong with you."

Thanks to the Senju clan's powerful regenerative abilities, Tobirama Senju, whose complexion had already regained a much rosier glow, felt that his actions were entirely justified. Instead, he stared at Hashirama Senju with displeasure and spoke up.

"As the initiator of this meeting plan, only I am qualified to participate in the Five Shadows Summit with you."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze to Madara Uchiha standing to the side, gave a cold snort, and said...

"This kind of high-level meeting isn't something just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can attend."

"Tobirama Senju, I'm on the morning rush hour!"

The wonderful reunion was interrupted once again by this white-haired guy, and Madara Uchiha, who was furious, couldn't help but swear.

"Look at this guy, if we send him to the Five Shadows Summit, he'll be laughed at by people from other countries."

Tobirama Senju seized the opportunity to kick someone when they were down.

"I'm not qualified, but you, with your white hair, are?"

Madara Uchiha, his breath caught in his throat, stared intently at Tobirama Senju, whose expression was smug, and coldly questioned him.

"Hmph~ Only with my strategy can I secure more benefits for Konoha at the meeting."

Seemingly very confident in himself, Tobirama Senju proudly declared that he was the brains of Konoha.

"Interests? Ha~ Tell me then, how do you plan to secure interests for Konoha? With your short-sightedness?"

Madara Uchiha, arms crossed, curled his lip in disdain. In his view, Tobirama Senju was a petty guy who only cared about small gains and was incapable of bringing more benefits to Konoha.

"Stop arguing! Stop arguing!"

Caught in the middle, Hashirama Senju was in a real bind. Over the years, Madara Uchiha and Tobirama Senju had been arguing almost every three days, and every five days it was driving him to the brink of nervous breakdown.

"Big brother/Hot mom from Hashi, just tell me who you're planning to bring?"

Upon hearing Hashirama Senju's voice, the two who were arguing immediately turned their attention to the decision-maker in front of them, insisting that he choose one of them.

"Um, maybe I shouldn't go, and you two can go instead?"

Shrinking back, Hashirama Senju came up with a compromise, but was met with a death stare as a warning.

"Phew~ Hot Mom Hasi, what's your real purpose in initiating the Five Kage Summit?"

Madara Uchiha let out a long sigh of relief, regaining his composure. A glint of light flickered in his eyes as he looked at the somewhat troubled Hashirama Senju and asked, "..."

"Peace! I want to mediate the conflicts between nations."

Hashirama Senju clenched his fists, his eyes gleaming with an unusual light.

"Anything else?"

If this is the only purpose, then the Five Shadows meeting is truly substandard. What country would stop a war that has already begun because of a simple conversation?

It is important to understand that once war breaks out, the seeds of hatred will be sown.

"Distribute the tailed beasts. If we distribute the tailed beasts to these countries, they will not easily start a war."

Hashirama Senju scratched the back of his head, revealing an expression that said, "Of course it's not that simple," and then recounted the whole story of distributing the tailed beasts.

"Are we still going to divide up the Tailed Beasts? They're our spoils of war. Are we just going to give them away to those guys like this?"

Uchiha frowned, not expecting that Hashirama Senju would still adopt Tobirama Senju's suggestion. How could he feel at ease if he didn't have the Tailed Beasts, these weapons of war, in his own hands?

"Of course we can't just give them away for free. Konoha's finances are still tight, and the military funds allocated by the Daimyo are not enough to fill this huge hole. We should take advantage of the opportunity to distribute the Tailed Beasts and squeeze them for a good amount of money. We must make sure that the other countries can't recover in a short time."

As the person in charge of the project, Tobirama Senju immediately stepped forward and shook his head in explanation.

"Hmph~ Looks like you haven't gotten too much water in your head yet."

Madara Uchiha couldn't find fault with Tobirama Senju's plan; it was rare that the white-haired man hadn't done anything too outrageous.

"Moreover, I have already planted hidden devices on the tailed beasts, which can be detonated at any time if any country makes any unusual moves."

With a chilling glint in his crimson eyes, Tobirama Senju revealed his final precaution to the two.

"A secret agent? Tobirama, you didn't tell me about that!"

Hashirama Senju was shocked to hear this; he had no intention of selling defective products!

"A spy? You think you can get away with that?"

Although he felt a deeper sense of agreement with Tobirama Senju's plan, Madara Uchiha still asked with some doubt, not about Tobirama's plan, but simply because he felt that Tobirama didn't have the ability to do it.

"Oh, it's Uchiha Gin. I asked him to do this."

Understanding the contempt in Madara Uchiha's eyes, Tobirama Senju forcibly suppressed his anger and replied coldly.

"Big cousin, then there's no problem~"

Upon hearing this explanation, Madara Uchiha immediately understood and ceased questioning further.

With two pairs of Mangekyou Sharingan users under his command, planting mines would be a piece of cake for him.

Seeing that the situation had eased somewhat, Hashirama Senju stepped forward again, first criticizing Tobirama Senju for acting on his own initiative.

"Tobirama, you need to report this in advance when doing things like this. Let it go this time, but don't let it happen again~"

He then glanced at Uchiha Madara, whose expression was displeased, and a hint of unease appeared on his handsome face. Now he was truly caught in a dilemma.

"Big brother, trust my sales skills. I can definitely sell the tailed beasts for a good price! Not only will we be able to pay off the debt to the Land of Waves, but we can also double the size of Konoha."

Seeing his elder brother hesitate, Tobirama Senju immediately spoke up and volunteered, determined to secure a seat at the Five Kage Summit.

On the other side, knowing he couldn't outwit Tobirama Senju, the songstress of Konoha, a thoughtful look flashed in Madara Uchiha's eyes.

Hmph! Even if I can't participate, you white-haired idiot, don't even think about getting involved!

Suddenly remembering the extra stack of IOUs in his clan, Madara Uchiha's eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth, which had been turned down, slightly turned up.

"Hassy Hot Mom, if we're just talking about sales skills, Tobirama Senju wouldn't even rank among the best in Konoha, would he?"

Madara Uchiha raised his head, a hint of arrogance on his face, and said loudly,

"ha?"

Hashirama Senju, whose heart had already been tipped mostly in favor of his younger brother, frowned upon hearing Madara Uchiha's words, and managed to balance his opinion again.

"Ridiculous! I admit, there are people in Konoha who are better at sales than me, but none of them understand the characteristics of tailed beasts."

The moment Tobirama Senju was questioned, he jumped out angrily, thinking, "How dare Madara Uchiha question my abilities?"

"When it comes to people who understand tailed beasts and are also good at sales, Konoha only has one."

Confidently patting his chest, Tobirama Senju began to speak with great conviction, but halfway through his sentence, his expression suddenly froze.

"Tobirama, if you put it that way, there really is someone stronger than you."

Hearing this, Hashirama Senju finally came to his senses. He immediately set aside his own judgment and looked at his somewhat stammering younger brother with a complicated expression.

Tobirama, Madara's starting to use his brain, you need to step up your game!

"Hmph~ How about it? Are you thinking of someone who's more eloquent than you, knows more about tailed beasts than you, and is more..."

"So greedy for money!" *3

The cold drink shop at the entrance of the village

"Ding-a-ling~" A crisp bell sound rang out.

The adorable little Chiyo had already excitedly left with her red bean ice cream, only to be replaced by the Konoha F6, who were radiating heat.

Seeing the little ones exhausted like Akainu, Uchiha Gin, being a man of his word, immediately waved his hand and told them to show off as much as they wanted, until they didn't want to anymore.

"Ding-a-ling~" The bell on the curtain of the cold drink shop rang again.

Uchiha Gin, who was staring longingly at the few little ones making a banging shaved ice, looked in surprise at the ninja who had come to deliver the message.

"Hasuma, the prison guard, wanted to discuss something with me?" (End of Chapter)