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

"I can sue you for defamation! You've defamed me!"

Uchiha Gin, who had initially hoped to sympathize with the two black laborers, turned ashen-faced upon hearing the First Raikage's words, almost ready to point his finger and hurl insults.

Uchiha Gin has always been a man of integrity, so why would he go to a brothel or a place where he listens to music?

"Is it really not?"

Seeing Uchiha Gin's exasperated expression, the First Raikage stroked his mustache, turned to look at the Second Raikage behind him, and asked in a low voice,

"Xiao Ai, didn't you inquire about that customer yesterday? Did you find out anything?"

"It certainly doesn't look like Mr. Yin. The madam said the customer was a bald, tattooed man with a ferocious face."

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, it was a misunderstanding on our part. I apologize to you."

Realizing he had wronged Uchiha Gin, the First Raikage immediately apologized.

"It's normal for you two to have such a misunderstanding because you don't understand me."

Given that Blackie's attitude in admitting his mistake was good, Uchiha Gin waved his hand to indicate that he was not a petty person, but he had already made a small note of it in his heart.

"Brother A-Yin, what brings you here so early?"

The First Raikage, supporting his back, looked at Uchiha Gin, who was dressed in formal attire, with some curiosity. Just yesterday, when they met, Gin's clothes were so casual.

"Oh~ let's have a meeting early. You know, I'm a junior civil servant, after all."

To avoid being misunderstood by passersby again, Uchiha Gin straightened his back with unwavering determination, enduring the tearing pain in his waist, and answered with a serious expression.

"A meeting? Is it at the Hokage Building?"

"That's natural."

Upon hearing Uchiha Gin's answer, the two black-clad figures exchanged a knowing glance. Then, the First Raikage took a few steps closer, lowered his voice mysteriously, and asked,

"Brother Yin, do you have any inside information?"

The First Raikage recalled the attitude of the security team captain towards Uchiha Gintoki yesterday, which clearly indicated that this Gintoki brother's identity was anything but simple.

Even if he wasn't a high-ranking member of Konoha, he was still an Uchiha ninja with a certain status, so they wanted to get some inside information about the Five Kage Summit from him.

"Insider information? About what?"

"Tsk~ I wonder if Brother Gin has heard of the Five Kage Summit?"

With a try-it-and-see attitude, the First Raikage asked in a low voice,

"Oh, do you know that?"

Unexpectedly, the First Raikage wanted to know some inside information about the meeting in advance. Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow, his eyes darting around, and he appropriately revealed a troubled expression, while one hand subtly made a gesture to Blackie.

"Oh, oh, oh!"

The First Raikage, understanding perfectly, was well-versed in this matter. He deftly took out a wad of Fire Country currency of considerable denomination from his robes and quietly slipped it into Uchiha Gin's hand.

"Brother A-Yin, this is a small token of my appreciation. Please take it and have some tea."

"Ahem, these are all secrets of Konoha, and it's really inconvenient to reveal them."

Seeing that Uchiha Gin's expression relaxed slightly, the First Raikage didn't hesitate. He took out a wad of cash from his pocket and stuffed it into Uchiha Gin's other hand. Seeing that the price was right, Uchiha Gin changed the subject and said the word "Tailed Beast".

"Information about those tailed beasts!"

Upon hearing this, the First Raikage's eyes immediately lit up. Konoha really was going to distribute the Tailed Beasts. It seemed that what Hashirama Senju said in his letter was true.

The First Raikage, his heart pounding, watched as Uchiha Gin stuffed the banknotes into his pocket. Glancing around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, he asked again,

"Brother A-Yin, could you please tell me more about the tailed beasts?"

"Tsk, Brother Ai, aren't you trying to put me in a difficult position?"

Uchiha Gin frowned. The price offered was only worth the small amount of information he had just received. Did they expect to get it for free?

"Um, just a moment, just a moment."

From Uchiha Gin's practiced movements just now, the First Raikage could tell at a glance that this curly-haired guy was a repeat offender. He then turned around and extended his large hand towards the dejected Second Raikage.

"Xiao Ai, take out the activity funds. I remember giving them all to you before we left."

"Huh? Lord Ai, wasn't the budget all spent last night?"

The Second Raikage was completely dumbfounded. Last night, while he was drinking and having fun, the First Raikage had forcibly collected his activity funds, which he had already squandered.

"Stop talking nonsense! Do you have any receipts? How are you going to report this when you get back? Produce them right now!"

The First Raikage, his expression slightly grim, looked at the bewildered Second Raikage with a threatening gaze.

"Okay, I understand, just a moment."

As the second Raikage, who was the most adept at interpreting things among the first Raikage's subordinates, his ability to remain a candidate for Raikage was inseparable from his flexible handling of situations. After being reminded, he had no choice but to reluctantly take out his own savings and hand it to the first Raikage with tears in his eyes.

That was the money he was saving to wash his feet!

"Don't worry, I won't take it for nothing. When we get back, I'll go through the intelligence fee process and reimburse you double."

The First Raikage was quite adept at handling interpersonal relationships. After lending him the money, he didn't choose to discard him after he had served his purpose; instead, he patted his chest and made a promise.

"Brother Yin, sorry to have kept you waiting~"

Quickly stuffing the Second Raikage's secret stash into Uchiha Gin's hands, the First Raikage said with a smile,

"I wonder what that tailed beast is."

"Phew~ Brother Ai, I can't reveal too much, but there's one thing I can tell you in secret: this is exclusive news, and besides the Hokage, it's probably only me who knows it."

After weighing the money in his hand, Uchiha Gin nodded secretly, and then his tone, which had been stiff before, became very warm.

"What news?"

Unexpectedly, the First Raikage was overjoyed, marveling that his money hadn't been wasted, as he had managed to obtain inside information known only to the First Hokage.

"Brother Ai, after testing by our Konoha authorities, we discovered that the Tailed Beasts also have varying strengths. The strongest Tailed Beast on Konoha's side has eight tails, one of which is equivalent to three tails."

He secretly leaked this news to the First Raikage, and seeing the First Raikage's ecstatic expression, Uchiha Gin smiled with great satisfaction.

I'm truly a trustworthy information broker~

"Thank you, Brother Yin! We will repay you handsomely later!"

Deeply moved, the First Raikage clasped his hands in a fist salute. He never expected to meet such a kind person in this foreign land, and he almost couldn't hold back the tears welling up in his eyes.

"No need, no need, it's what I should do."

Just don't offer me a reward afterwards~

And so, the three, having a pleasant conversation, entered the Hokage Building together. After a brief verification of the First Raikage's identity, the guards allowed them to pass.

"Hey? Brother Yin, why are you going up there too?"

The First Raikage was initially surprised when Gin Uchiha stopped in the conference rooms on the lower floors, but instead, he followed them to the top floor stairwell.

"On the way, on the way~"

Uchiha Gin didn't offer any explanation, he simply smiled.

"Lord Ai, something's not right. There are no more floors above this level?"

The Second Raikage astutely noticed the problem. Looking at the leisurely Uchiha Gin behind him, he whispered a reminder.

"Maybe it's Brother Yin who came up to get a stool~"

The First Raikage, who also harbored doubts, could only console himself with a perfectly reasonable explanation.

Just as the two were filled with suspicion, a man with long black hair, wearing a red Hokage robe, stood at the entrance of the conference room not far away. His handsome face bore a hearty smile, and upon seeing the Raikage and the other man, he laughed and waved in greeting.

"Welcome, welcome!"

"Lord Hokage?"

Casting aside his previous doubts, the First Raikage looked at the man radiating sunshine before him, and his brows furrowed instantly.

"Indeed, judging from your skin color, you must be friends from Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village)?"

"The First Raikage, A."

Sensing the terrifying aura emanating from Hashirama Senju, the First Raikage broke out in a cold sweat. However, as the head of a village, he could not lose face. He straightened his expression and slowly uttered his name.

Having said that, the First Raikage's eyes widened as he stared intently at Hashirama Senju before him, afraid that his aura might be outmatched. In his view, although Hashirama Senju's aura was slightly superior to his own,

But ninjas fight using a variety of techniques; surely no one can rely on just one trick to win every battle?

Their Land of Lightning's unique escape techniques are all extremely powerful lightning-based techniques. They are never weak in battles against opponents of the same level, and they can even kill opponents of higher levels.

"Please come in, please come in. The shadows of the other major powers are already in place, just waiting for you."

Due to excessive exertion last night, the Raikage and his companion took some time to travel and became the last country to enter.

Looking at the two black-clad laborers with unsteady steps with a puzzled expression, Hashirama Senju noticed that they had no injuries, indicating that they had not been attacked. However, why were their auras so weak? Could it be that they had eaten something bad?

Just as he was racking his brains, he saw Uchiha Gin following not far behind the Raikage. Hashirama Senju's eyes immediately lit up. His helper had finally arrived!

You should know that when the other major powers' figures arrived, each of them was accompanied by a courageous young jailer.

Tobirama and Madara went to check out the Tailed Beasts' territory, waiting for the major conferences to inspect the goods. After all, it was Hashirama Senju's first time attending an international conference, and he was a little nervous. The fact that no one was with him made him feel somewhat apprehensive.

Having gained some confidence, Hashirama Senju then approached Gin Uchiha with a broad smile.

The Raikage and his companion, who were secretly on guard against Hashirama Senju, noticed his quickened pace as he approached. Both tensed up and instinctively formed hand seals.

To their surprise, Hashirama Senju walked straight past them and headed towards Gin Uchiha, who stood behind him with a relaxed expression.

"Brother Yin, you've finally arrived!"

To the astonishment of the two, the First Hokage, the pinnacle of power in Konoha and the architect of the "one village, one country" system, surprisingly adopted a respectful, even slightly obsequious, expression as he warmly took Uchiha Gin's hand.

"Hey~ This isn't just to save face for you. I dug out even the dresses I've only worn once and tidied them up nicely, trying not to embarrass Konoha~"

Since Hashirama's brother was being so courteous, Uchiha Gin certainly couldn't let him lose face.

"Brother A-Yin, you..."

Looking at the two familiar faces, the First Raikage, who had recovered from his brief shock, pointed at Uchiha Gin with a somewhat speechless expression. Even though he considered himself to be both wise and brave, he had not expected that this ordinary Uchiha was actually a great figure whom even the Hokage treated with deference.

"Hey, Brother Ai, I'm mainly worried that these mundane things will ruin our pure friendship, and besides..."

Seeing the First Raikage's bewildered expression, Uchiha Gin immediately shook his head and explained, even giving him a subtle wink at the end, as if to say, "My brother's done a good job, right? He even gave you inside information!"

"Hehe. That's right, with our relationship, there's no need for such formalities."

After this reminder, the First Raikage seemed to wake from a dream, his black old face wrinkling into a chrysanthemum, and he repeatedly said yes.

"Brother A-Yin, I'll definitely treat you to a good foot massage tonight!"

"Oh dear, how could I accept this?"

Hashirama Senju, who was standing to the side, slowly came to his senses after listening for a while. He then looked at Gin Uchiha, who was talking eloquently, with a complicated expression.

I never expected that Brother Yin would become friends with the Raikage. His personal charm is truly terrifying.

Seeing that it was almost time, Hashirama Senju smiled and interrupted their conversation.

"Let's leave the pleasantries for later. Everyone, please go inside; the meeting will begin shortly."

Meeting room

The spacious room was filled with the smell of gunpowder. Uchiha Gin stuck his head out and immediately saw two old men playing a staring contest. One of them was the Mizukage Byakuren, whom he had met briefly yesterday.

"I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting."

Hashirama Senju, accompanied by the Raikage and his companion, broke the tense atmosphere in the conference room with a smile. All six pairs of eyes present instantly turned to the belated Raikage.

"As expected of the Raikage, he has quite the airs, making us wait here for so long."

Shi He, who had just been glaring at Bai Lian, narrowed his eyes and said in a sarcastic tone,

"Such behavior is indeed unbecoming of a leader."

With his hands crossed under his chin, he quietly cosplayed as Commander Ikari as the First Kazekage, Retsuto, and others followed suit with somewhat displeased expressions.

Byakuren of the Land of Water remained silent. They had some shady dealings with the Land of Lightning and didn't want to break off relations for the time being, so they chose to stay silent.

"snort!"

It's understandable to be humble in front of Hashirama Senju, but if he showed weakness in front of these guys, they would only think that the Land of Lightning is easy to bully. He immediately snorted coldly, his voice like thunder, making everyone's eardrums vibrate.

"Alright, everyone's here, let's start the meeting."

Seeing this, Hashirama Senju quickly stepped in to smooth things over, as he had finally managed to organize a meeting and couldn't let it turn into a brawl.

"Lord Hokage, are you planning to attend this meeting alone?"

Retsuto looked at Hashirama Senju, who was all alone, and asked with some confusion,

"No, there's still silver. Brother Yin, where are you?"

This Kazekage must have been in the Land of Wind for too long and developed trachoma. Even a grown man like Brother Yin can't see it.

"You...you are...Mr. Yin!"

Just as Hashirama Senju was searching for Gin Uchiha's whereabouts, Retsuto, who had asked the question, was startled when Shamon suddenly spoke up behind him. His voice wasn't as resolute as usual; instead, it trembled with a hint of excitement, causing Retsuto to turn around.

"Yo~ Brother Shamen, long time no see~"

Seeing Shamon, whom he hadn't seen for many years, Uchiha Gin greeted him with a smile. Compared to when they first met, Shamon's face showed a more resolute expression.

"Mr. Yin, what are you doing here?"

Never having imagined that he would meet Uchiha Gin again in this setting, Shamon, who had become the second-in-command of Sunagakure, showed more astonishment than joy at the long-awaited reunion.

"Hey, didn't I tell you? My hometown is in the Land of Fire, so it's not unusual for me to be here~"

"But this is..."

"Shamen! You've lost your composure."

With a furrowed brow, Liedou looked at Uchiha Gin, who seemed quite familiar with Shamon, and coldly reminded him,

"I'm sorry, Mr. Yin, let's have a proper get-together after the meeting."

Shamon, who had been glared at by Retsuto, immediately became obedient. After whispering something to Uchiha Gin, he returned to his previous indifferent expression, but the joy in his eyes was clearly visible.

Understanding the difficulties faced by Shamon's younger brother, Uchiha Gin said no more. He walked along the table toward Senju Hashirama, curiously observing the mysterious bandaged man along the way. From the strong herbal smell emanating from the man, he could tell that he had been injured recently.

"Hi~ wig."

As they passed the Land of Water's camp, Uchiha Gin casually greeted them.

But Katsura was acting rather aloof today; his eyes were tightly closed, as if he hadn't heard Uchiha Gin's calls.

Silent and pretending to be an expert?

Feeling bored, Uchiha Gin took the opportunity to stand behind Senju Hashirama, replacing Senju Tobirama in the original story.

"I am truly grateful to have the five original Kage of the five great nations gathered here for the Five Kage Summit, as we are doing now."

Hashirama Senju looked at everyone present with excitement. After calming himself down, he first expressed his gratitude, and then prepared to kowtow.

"I did come here to acknowledge the Five Kage Agreement, but that doesn't mean I'll sign it for nothing. The Land of Water won't last much longer."

Seeing that Hashirama Senju was about to launch into a long speech, Ishigawa interrupted him first, his attitude extremely firm.

Alright, alright, the Land of Earth will challenge Hashirama's younger brother once more.

Uchiha Gin silently took notes in his notebook, preparing to have his younger cousin review them after the meeting.

"It's just a momentary moment of triumph."

The unconvinced Bai Lian retorted coldly.

"Ahem, since that's the case, I'll get straight to the point."

Hashirama Senju, interrupted, looked a little embarrassed. He was just about to kowtow to express his gratitude when he opened the folder in his hand and said loudly,

"I hope that all countries can sign a peace agreement. As a condition of signing, I will distribute the Tailed Beasts fairly among everyone."

"So, this was a transaction?"

After listening to Hashirama Senju's words, Retsuto pondered for a moment before asking,

Gin Uchiha, who had been daydreaming behind Hashirama Senju, was jolted awake by Retsuto's voice; it was his turn to go on stage.

"That's right, the distribution of the tailed beasts takes many factors into account, and..."

The Kage present were surprised that it was Uchiha Gin who answered, and all their eyes fell on him, as if they were wondering who this man, who had no relevant information, was and was able to accompany the First Hokage to this meeting.

Judging from his clothes, he should be an Uchiha, but that curly hair? It doesn't match the legendary appearance of Madara Uchiha.

Uchiha Gin, who was already used to such stares, showed no discomfort whatsoever. He had graced the grandest stages before, and this small scene was nothing to him. He then narrowed his eyes and met the gazes of the other four people from the four countries without flinching.

"And what?"

"The Tailed Beasts won't be given to you for free; you'll need to purchase them on a voluntary basis."

Upon hearing that money was required, the faces of the several figures instantly darkened. The Wind Country, in particular, whose already impoverished nation, furrowed its brows into a deep frown. The Earth Country and the Water Country, currently at war, also wore grim expressions.

On the contrary, the First Raikage, who had foreseen the news, had a glint in his eyes. He was determined to get the Eight-Tails that Uchiha Gin had mentioned earlier.

"Brother Yin, a discount is fine too~"

Seeing that the scene was somewhat quiet, Hashirama Senju nudged Gin Uchiha beside him and whispered,

"Leave it to me~"

Uchiha Gin gave Senju Hashirama a reassuring look, signaling him to keep quiet and just watch his performance.

Knowing his own financial constraints, the First Kazekage broke the silence first. He raised his head and slowly spoke.

"Our village has a long history of monks from a certain temple sealing away a tailed beast. We already have one, so we don't need any more. If we're to cooperate and sign an agreement, the conditions can't be the same as with other villages. We need corresponding returns. Is that alright?"

What do you want?

The First Raikage, who was pondering how to obtain the Eight-Tails, was surprised to hear that someone didn't want a Tailed Beast and immediately asked...

"Our country is covered in yellow sand, so we want to ask our neighbor Konoha for fertile land, not tailed beasts, and give us a 30% cut of the money that other countries use to buy tailed beasts."

"What a joke! You gloomy man!"

"That's going too far, Kazekage!"

Upon hearing this, even before Uchiha Gin could retaliate, the Kage of the other countries had already formed a united front, unleashing a barrage of attacks on the unknown and formidable Liedou.

"Hmph~ If you don't agree to my terms, I won't sign the agreement. Our country is a desert country and cannot engage in production. When we are competing with the four great powers, we will naturally make the most of our village's tailed beasts."

Okay, okay, so you're just being reckless and fearless, like someone who's given up on everything.

"Our four nations can join forces and swallow your Wind Kingdom whole!"

Bai Lian, who had a rather volatile temper, slammed her hand on the table and directly threatened them.

"No way, no way~ Nobody really thinks their tailed beast is the best in the world, right?"

Just as the atmosphere was becoming tense, Uchiha Gin, who had been silent until now, started his sarcastic remarks.

"What do you mean by that?"

Retsuto, who was at the center of the conversation, sensed the sarcasm in Uchiha Gin's tone and immediately frowned.

"Sigh~ You don't even know what the tailed beasts are made of, yet you're spouting nonsense here. You should be glad that your cousin isn't attending today, otherwise you would have died countless times by now~"

Uchiha Gin picked at his ear and said with a very smug expression, his words filled with relief for Retsuto.

"Hmph! You've never witnessed Shukaku's power. It's a terrifying beast capable of destroying a village in an instant. Moreover, according to that monk in the temple, Shukaku has repeatedly claimed to be the strongest tailed beast." (End of Chapter)