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

The border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Waterfall

"Heave-ho! Heave-ho! Brothers, give it your all, we're almost there!"

Hundreds of strong and muscular ninjas were laboriously moving three mountain-sized beasts, dragging ropes made of refined steel, while the leader, Ishigawa, was talking to a middle-aged man with a sinister expression.

"Thank you, Lord Ishigawa. If it weren't for your help, our divine beast of the Taki no Kyu would probably have fallen into the hands of others."

The middle-aged man was none other than the long-unseen leader of Takigakure. At this moment, he was filled with gratitude, looking at the sleeping Seven-Tails behind him, almost bowing to Ishigawa.

"Hmph~ You should know that I paid a huge price to get the Tailed Beast back from Hashirama Senju."

Stroking his gray beard, Ishigawa's face showed a hint of worry, while the leader of Takigakure, with his keen ability to read people, immediately patted his chest and said,

"Lord Ishigawa, thank you for your trouble. We, the Hidden Takigakure, will gladly provide the money for purchasing the divine beast, and we will also give our allies from the Hidden Iwagakure who have come from afar a reward for their hard work."

"You're so thoughtful."

Shihe's eyes lit up, and his previously indifferent attitude softened. He then raised his head, looked at the three majestic tailed beasts, and said with a sigh,

"It's truly a blessing from heaven that the Land of Fire has produced such a prodigy as Hashirama Senju. His awakened bloodline limit is just right to counter the tailed beasts. It's truly enviable."

"Thousand-Armed Hashira!"

The moment Hashirama Senju was mentioned, the leader of Takigakure, who had just been smiling obsequiously, immediately turned fierce, his eyes flashing with a murderous aura.

If it weren't for Hashirama Senju breaking into the forbidden area of ​​Takigakure and stealing their divine beast, they wouldn't have lost so much money. Whenever he thought of this, he felt a deep resentment and wished he could grind that bandit to dust.

"Do you have a grudge against Hashirama Senju?"

Sensing the murderous intent in the person before him, Shi He frowned in confusion.

"To be honest, this divine beast has always lived in our Takigakure village, but it was taken away by that guy Hashirama Senju some time ago."

Now that things had come to this, there was nothing left to hide. The leader of Takigakure immediately recounted to Ishigawa in detail how Hashirama Senju had forcibly taken the Seven-Tails.

"Tsk tsk tsk, what a robber's act! I thought Hashirama Senju was a kind-hearted person, but I never expected him to have two faces. I really misjudged him~"

With a deeply saddened expression, Ishigawa looked at the indignant middle-aged man with pity. "Iwagakure bought tailed beasts because they didn't have any before," he said. "But you're going to buy your freedom!"

"Hmph~ Unfortunately, Hashirama Senju is always stationed in Konoha, so we have never been able to avenge this arrow."

Despite their anger, the leader of Takigakure was no fool. At this moment, Konoha was incredibly powerful, and Takigakure could only swallow their anger.

Upon hearing this, Shi He's eyes darted around, and he casually remarked, seemingly unintentionally but actually with a specific purpose.

"Who said Hashirama Senju has always stayed in the village? He promised to help the Land of Wind clean up a desert, so he should be setting off soon, right?"

"really?"

The leader of Takigakure was overjoyed and immediately asked,

"How could this be fake?"

"Thank you, Lord Ishigawa!"

"Don't mention it, we're allies, aren't we?"

Anxious and distraught, the leader of Takigakure bid farewell to Ishigawa and rushed back to his own camp.

The burly man who was directing the Takigakure ninja to move the Seven-Tails saw their hurried leader and quickly bowed.

"My Lord!"

"Xiongda, come to my tent, I have something to discuss with you."

The leader of Takigakure, whose face darkened slightly, felt that this matter should not be made public, and immediately summoned his trusted confidant, Yudai, into his tent.

"My lord, is there anything I can do for you?"

Having followed the leader for many years, Xiongda naturally understood his temperament thoroughly. The fact that he had been summoned alone meant there was a very important task ahead. So, he cautiously raised his head and asked...

"Go and kill Hashirama Senju."

???

The mere mention of Hashirama Senju conjured only the image of that overwhelming punch in Xiong's mind, and his bones throbbed with pain. He immediately slid to his knees, grabbed the leader's leg, and sobbed uncontrollably.

"My Lord!"

"I have rendered service to Takigakure, I have shed blood for Takigakure~"

"I have an eight-year-old mother to support, children in their seventies to raise, and a big, hungry yellow dog!"

"."

"Alright, alright, with your skills, you'd just be a lamb to the slaughter if you went there."

Looking at Yuudai's clumsy performance with a dark expression, the leader of Takigakure pressed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache.

"Thank you, Chief!"

Upon hearing that he was no longer needed to assassinate Hashirama Senju, Yudai rolled over in shock, his face completely devoid of the sorrow he had shown moments before.

"No, this feels too stifling."

After all, Takigakure was an officially designated ninja village of the Land of Waterfall. Although it wasn't qualified to be among the great nations, it was still considered one of the best after the Five Great Nations. The leader of Takigakure, who was very dissatisfied, looked at Yudai, who had survived the disaster, with a questioning gaze.

"Me too!"

"waste!"

Why don't I have a single brave and capable person under my command? They're either sycophantic good-for-nothings or misers born with a rebellious nature.

A miser?

"Yudai, how's Kakuzu doing lately?"

"Reporting to the chief, he is still in jail."

Previously, when the Seven-Tails was stolen, Kakuzu, as the only person from Takigakure who had been to the Land of Fire, was accused by the village leader of having some connection with Hashirama Senju from the Land of Fire without any investigation. The leader claimed that Kakuzu, being greedy, must have betrayed the village for money.

Enraged, the leader of Takigakure ordered his men to arrest him and imprison him.

Subsequently, they also found a large amount of money in Kakuzu's residence. The terrifying amount was far beyond what an elite captain-level ninja could possess, which further solidified Kakuzu's suspicion.

However, judging from the current situation, Hashirama Senju's trip to the Land of Waterfall to capture the Seven-Tails really had nothing to do with Kakuzu; he had indeed wronged someone.

But

"After we get back, release Kakuzu and send him on a mission to assassinate Hashirama Senju. Tell him that regardless of whether he succeeds or fails, I will return the confiscated property to him."

After a moment of contemplation, the leader of Takigakure slowly raised his head.

"But...didn't Kakuzu use all his wealth to buy legendary Pokémon?"

"Hmph~ If he succeeds, I'd gladly let him take my position. If he fails, do you think he'll come back alive?"

The leader of Takigakure shook his head dismissively. No matter the outcome, Takigakure would not lose out.

Konoha

"Big brother, are you really going alone?"

In the Hokage's office, Tobirama Senju, who was organizing planning documents, frowned slightly as he watched Hashirama Senju, who was engrossed in his work.

Things are different now. Hashirama Senju is the Kage of the village. There's no reason to let a Kage go on a mission alone. Besides, this is a crucial time for Konoha's development, and many things require the Hokage's personal approval.

"Then let me go with that hot mom from Hasi!"

On the other side, Madara Uchiha, who was skillfully correcting documents, looked up, looking eager to try. He was already tired of his work and just wanted to go out and have some fun.

"No!"

You two went out sightseeing and left all the work to me?

Don't even think about it!

"It's not a combat mission, just planting some trees. I'll be back in a few days."

Hashirama Senju, seated on the Hokage's throne, stretched lazily and replied nonchalantly. In his view, this was just a minor mission; what threat could it possibly pose?

"Bang bang bang!!!"

Just as the three were chatting, there was a loud banging on the office door. Senju Tobirama frowned upon hearing it. Who was this audacious person who dared to knock so rudely?

"Open the door! I know you're inside, give me back my hard-earned money!!!"

However, when a voice that was all too familiar came from outside the door, Tobirama Senju's expression froze, and the hand holding the pen tightened.

"Big cousin, what brings you here?"

Madara Uchiha, however, opened the door the moment he heard the sound, looked at Gin Uchiha with a gloomy expression, and asked in confusion,

"snort!"

Uchiha Gin ignored him, strode into the office, and fixed his gaze on the stiff-faced Senju Tobirama, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

"You white-haired rascal, I thought you'd absconded with the money!"

Uchiha Gin was furious. He had worked so hard to promote the Tailed Beasts, even using the Driver he had created, and what was the result?

So much time has passed, and Uchiha Gin hasn't seen a single coin. I originally thought that Konoha was busy with the affairs of the village, which is why it was delayed.

However, several projects that had stalled due to lack of funds have started construction, while my own project hasn't seen any progress.

Today, Uchiha Gin is determined to seek justice for himself!

"Brother Yin, have a cup of tea. Let's sit down and talk things over."

Seeing that things weren't going well, Hashirama Senju quickly stepped in to smooth things over. He got up and made Gin Uchiha a cup of tea, then turned his gaze to his younger brother, frowning as he asked...

"Tobirama, what have you done without permission this time?"

"Big brother, I just..."

"Heh, this white-haired guy embezzled my commission from selling tailed beasts."

He actually tried to argue, and Uchiha Gin was so angry that he almost pulled out the Infinity Blade to loosen the white-haired guy's bones.

"Tobirama, that's not right of you. Those payments are Gin's hard-earned money. How can you withhold them?"

Feeling that his younger brother was in the wrong, Hashirama Senju immediately began to reprimand Tobirama Senju.

"You dare to withhold your cousin's payment? Do you even know what he sacrificed to close that deal?! That night..."

Madara Uchiha, who was standing to the side, became furious after hearing the whole story and started yelling at Tobirama Senju.

Madara Uchiha still remembers the wretched state Gin Uchiha looked when he returned from the Land of Lightning's outpost the night he sold the tailed beasts. The fact that Kumogakure was so generous in paying for the goods must mean that his older cousin had put in a lot of unseen effort.

"Stop! Cousin, don't say anything more. I just want my money back."

Upon hearing that Madara Uchiha had brought up that night, Gin Uchiha immediately shuddered, then scolded his younger cousin and turned his gaze to the silent Tobirama Senju.

"Your payment is too large and requires many procedures. Don't worry, it will definitely be paid out soon~"

After a long pause, Tobirama Senju finally spoke, but anyone could tell it was an excuse.

"Don't try to beat around the bush. If you don't give me back my money today, I'll show you why flowers are so red!"

Gin Uchiha, who didn't believe Tobirama Senju's words at all, rolled up his sleeves and was about to teach this white-haired guy a lesson.

"Tobirama, just give the money to Gin-nii."

"I'm out of money."

"That's right, what did you say? What did you say?"

Hashirama Senju, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly froze, then widened his eyes to look at his beloved younger brother, swallowed hard, and uttered,

"Are you kidding me?"

"I'm really out of money."

"You white-haired idiot, if you're going to lie, at least come up with a plausible reason. That's a whopping 300 billion yuan, you can't just say it's gone?"

Uchiha Gin was the first to disbelieve it. Even if you used over 300 billion to burn firewood, it could last for several years. How can you tell me you're out of money after only a few days?

"That's all for now. I'll pay you as soon as the money arrives in your account."

Tobirama Senju turned his head away somewhat awkwardly. He had indeed orchestrated the matter, but it wasn't an attempt to embezzle Gin Uchiha's payment.

"What exactly did you do with the money?"

Seeing that the white-haired man didn't seem to be faking it, Uchiha Gin immediately became alert and frowned, asking, "Has this guy been scammed?"

"That's right, Tobirama. There are no outsiders here, so feel free to speak your mind!"

Hashirama Senju also noticed something amiss and immediately urged them on.

"I invested that money."

"Boom!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Uchiha Gin crushed the teacup in his hand.

It's over, it's over!

"What investment? I don't know anything about that!"

Hashirama Senju, standing beside him, was also quite surprised; he had absolutely no idea about investments.

"I was planning to tell you about this after I got my reward, but who would have thought this guy would come knocking on my door to collect the debt so soon."

What a clever trick of turning the tables! Now you're blaming me for demanding my wages?

"Tobirama, you're so foolish!"

Such a big thing, and my younger brother is still sitting calmly by. I don't know whether to praise him or beat him up.

"Phew~ Tell me about the investment first."

As long as it wasn't about him embezzling his own payment, Uchiha Gin was willing to accept it. He then flicked the teacup off his hand and asked Senju Tobirama, "..."

"It's the Land of Waves. They're recently setting up a shipping company and asked if I wanted to invest."

Previously, because of the incident involving the Uchiha Silver Sales Champion, Tobirama Senju had been holding back his anger. With his competitive nature, how could he easily bow down and admit defeat to that hateful curly-haired guy?

He wanted to make a lot of money; he wanted to show his older brother who was the best money-maker in Konoha!

As fate would have it, Tobirama Senju encountered a powerful figure from the Land of Waves, who "inadvertently" revealed to him an insider secret about making a fortune.

After reviewing the other party's detailed plan, he made a decisive move, misappropriating public funds intended for the sale of tailed beasts and investing them all in the shipping company that the Land of Waves was about to establish.

The other party promised him that he would receive his first share of the profits soon, and that amount would be just enough to pay Uchiha Gin's reward.

"You mean the Land of Waves?"

"That's right!"

With the dividend distribution day fast approaching, Tobirama Senju, feeling completely secure, straightened his back.

Although that important figure from the Land of Waves left under some pretext, he left the Flying Thunder God mark on him. If the other party dares to deceive him, he will definitely suffer the consequences.

"Forehead"

"Nonsense! I think you're just making excuses. Hand over your cousin's reward!"

Madara Uchiha didn't believe Tobirama Senju's explanation. After all, a portion of the payment for the tailed beasts was his shipping fee, which was used to settle accounts with his cousin.

If Uchiha Gin doesn't receive his reward, then Uchiha Madara will have to slowly make up for the previous Tailed Beast information fees and the construction costs of the Hokage Building out of his own pocket.

"Alright, I'll grant you a few more days. I hope you're telling the truth."

However, to everyone's surprise, Uchiha Gin actually relented. He looked at the confident Senju Tobirama with a very complicated expression on his face, and did not ask any further questions.

"You guys go ahead with your work, I just remembered I have some soup simmering at home."

After getting up, Uchiha Gin casually made up an excuse to say goodbye to everyone. His quick action left the three people present looking at each other in surprise.

"Tobirama, shall I go?"

Seeing that Tobirama Senju seemed distracted, Hashirama Senju seized the opportunity to ask,

"Go ahead, be careful."

Anyway, Hashirama Senju has the Flying Thunder God mark left by him, so if anything really happens, Tobirama Senju can arrive immediately.

"Then me too."

"Don't even think about it! Come work with me!"

After leaving the Hokage Building, Uchiha Gin slipped into a deserted corner, and with a flash of golden light, he vanished from the spot in an instant.

country of waves

In recent years, under the rule of the new daimyo, the Land of Waves has been revitalized, with its people living in peace and prosperity and its economy booming.

Furthermore, they expanded their already renowned construction business to every corner of the ninja world, with construction companies established by the Land of Waves in virtually every country.

The common people of the Land of Waves were full of praise for the sudden arrival of the daimyo. He brought them a prosperous life, and the demon soldiers belonging to the daimyo's prefecture slaughtered the pirates and bandits who had long harassed the coastal residents, restoring peace to the Land of Waves.

Located in the very center of the newly built capital of the Land of Waves, the incredibly luxurious daimyo's mansion was devoid of the expected festivities; instead, it exuded a solemn and tranquil atmosphere.

With a dazzling golden light flashing by, Uchiha Gin, who was just a moment ago in Konoha, has now arrived in the Land of Waves, which is separated from the Land of Fire by the sea.

A patrol of guards noticed the anomaly and rushed over with their eyes gleaming red. However, upon seeing who it was, the guards, who had just been menacing, immediately adopted a respectful expression.

"Greetings, Lord Yin!"

"Is my uncle home?"

The guards of the Daimyo's mansion were all Uchiha clan members who had faked their deaths to escape. Uchiha Gin returned to the Land of Waves as if he were back home.

"The Daimyo is currently meeting with someone."

The Uchiha clan guards dared not conceal the truth and reported it truthfully, their eyes revealing a genuine respect.

"Are they family?"

"Yes."

Since it was a meeting with his clansmen, there was no need to hide anything. Uchiha Gin immediately swaggered towards his uncle's office.

As he was leaving, Uchiha Gin seemed to remember something, looked at the patrolling guards, and asked,

"Do you miss home?"

"Isn't this home?"

"No problem~"

Uchiha Gin suddenly felt relieved, asked no more questions, and turned to leave.

Yes, for these clansmen, the Land of Waves is the true home of the Uchiha clan, a home where they can make their own decisions and don't need to be subservient to others.

In the daimyo's reception room, Uchiha Tajima, whom he hadn't seen for several years, didn't look as old as he had imagined; in fact, he had become quite plump.

If you weren't particularly close to him, it would be hard to recognize that the kind-faced, plump old man in front of you was once the powerful former head of the Uchiha clan.

"My lord, this is how this money came about."

Seated before Uchiha Tajima was a richly dressed Uchiha clansman who held a scroll in his hands and spoke to him with utmost respect.

"When there are no outsiders around, just call me clan chief."

The clansman before me was one of the first Uchiha brought by Uchiha Tajima. Because of his outstanding abilities, he was given an official position and has recently been traveling in the Land of Fire as a representative of the Land of Waves.

"You're saying you swindled this money from that brat Tobirama Senju?"

Uchiha Tajima found it hard to believe. How could Senju Butsuma's second son, who had been intelligent since childhood, do something so foolish?

Little did they know that it was because the Land of Waves had improved its reputation in recent years that many countries had made a fortune by cooperating with the Land of Waves to establish construction companies. That was why Tobirama Senju was so confident that this investment would be profitable.

After all, you can't expect ninjas to repair ninja villages, right? You need people with the right expertise.

"Yes, I only told him that the Land of Waves was about to establish a shipping company, and he couldn't wait to hand over the money to me."

The clansman laughed heartily. As a member of the Uchiha clan, what could be more satisfying than swindling money from the Senju?

"Have you revealed your identity?"

"It's alright. When the time comes, the clan leader can simply say that no such person exists. Konoha's current development still relies on the Land of Waves, and Tobirama Senju would never dare to take action against the Land of Waves."

Having already devised a countermeasure, the clansmen were not afraid of Tobirama Senju coming to confront them.

"You're underestimating that guy. Unless he gets his share of the profits, you'll wake up in the middle of the night to find a white hair in your bed."

Just as Uchiha Tajima and his companion were talking, a flippant voice broke in, and the two instinctively looked in the direction of the voice.

But then they saw Uchiha Gin sitting in the tea room of the reception room, skillfully making himself tea.

Having transformed into Akimichi Tajima's uncle, he stood up with a smile and instantly appeared next to Uchiha Gin. It seems that the change in his appearance did not affect his ninja skills at all.

"Gintoki! You still remember your uncle? I thought you only went to the Land of Whirlpools~"

Looking at his nephew, whose appearance remained unchanged, Uchiha Tajima teased him with a sarcastic tone.

He picked up the steaming teacup and drank it all in one gulp. The scalding tea had been cooled down by Uchiha Gin's Ice Release before it even touched his lips, and he felt refreshed after drinking it.

"Phew~ Good tea, just missing three spoonfuls of sugar, it's hard to drink without it~"

Smacking his lips, Uchiha Gin turned to look at his chubby uncle, scratched his head. The details about spending the night at the Daimyo's residence in Uzushiogakure were all risqué, so he didn't want to talk about them anymore. He then turned his gaze to the clansman who had swindled him out of money.

The moment Uchiha Gin entered the room, he sensed the Flying Thunder God mark left by Tobirama Senju on this clansman.

He really is a cunning fellow. If he doesn't see his share of the profits, this clansman's fate, if not horribly tragic, will at least be a mutilated corpse.

Moreover, given Tobirama Senju's personality, he might even follow the clues and uncover the inner workings of the Land of Waves.

Fortunately, Uchiha Gin found out about this, so there was still a chance to salvage the situation. Looking at the scroll held in his clansmen's hands, he said with a sigh,

"You're pretty brave, kid, you even dared to swindle my money?" (End of Chapter)