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

Although it was late, the entrance to the Konoha bathhouse was already crowded with security team members on high alert. Uchiha Hikaru, the current captain of the Konoha Security Brigade, was looking at the familiar man being escorted out by a group of female ninjas with a strange expression.

"Young head of the Hyuga clan, what brings you here?"

The man being escorted out struggled to lift his head, his disfigured face filled with excitement, as if he had seen a savior. He shouted for help to the security team led by Uchiha Hikaru.

"Security team, please save me! I'm innocent!"

Her voice was like a cuckoo weeping blood, inevitably evoking a sense of sorrow for the fallen.

Just moments ago, Hyuga Tenyo, who was still searching for Uchiha Gin's figure, was hit by a depth charge that suddenly fell from the sky, leaving him dizzy and disoriented. Then, a series of screams rang out, and in the blink of an eye, he was locked onto by countless escaping techniques. Startled, he raised his hand to unleash a Heaven-Returning Technique.

"Still dare to resist? Give me a super kick!"

The old lady Akimichi, who had already crashed into the bathtub in the form of a human bomb, narrowed her eyes and immediately stretched out a jade foot that suddenly grew larger, and kicked Hyuga Tenyo hard in the back while he was casting a spell. He was sent flying and embedded hard in the wall.

"Don't bother with any chivalrous talk about peeping toms, ladies, just gang up on them!"

It's unclear which of the girls shouted, but the other enraged female ninjas all joined in the attack.

"Ah! Why did you hit me?"

"Ah!! Don't hit my face!"

"Ah!!! Don't hit me down there!"

Even after being beaten beyond recognition, Hyuga Tenyou still couldn't understand why he was being attacked or why he had become the voyeur they called him.

Just as Hyuga Tenyo was about to return to the Pure Land to keep his lonely second great-uncle company while he drank tea, a voice rang out in the empty men's bath.

"Stop! If you keep fighting, he'll die!"

The few customers in the men's bath had already been frightened by the sudden appearance of Aunt Akimichi's large head and had fled while covering their crotches. The voice that was heard at this moment was from Maruhoshi Kosuke, who had slipped over from the women's bath in the chaos. The young man was holding a sharp short knife and looked righteous.

"Little one, who are you?"

"I am a security guard at the bathhouse, and my employer does not want anyone to die in his establishment."

At this moment, Maruboshi Kosuke adopted the aura of a guard, displaying an extremely indignant expression. He glared angrily at Hyuga Tenyo, who had been transformed into a pig's head, with a hint of hidden relief flashing in his eyes.

If it weren't for Uchiha Gin's help, he would be the one with a pig's head smashed into a pulp right now.

"Don't worry, we won't kill him."

The female ninjas were aware of the consequences of killing someone in the street, so they generally left themselves some room for maneuver when they made their moves. Otherwise, with just one crushing blow from Aunt Akimichi, they could have sent Hyuga Tenyo to meet Hamura.

"Help me. I'm a good person!"

Seeing the female ninjas stop, Hyuga Tenyo, who was still conscious, struggled to raise his hands, as if he wanted to leave his innocence in the world.

"Caught red-handed and still daring to argue? Ladies, let's teach him a lesson!"

"ah!!!"

"You said you're here to catch a peeping tom?"

After handing over the battered and bruised Hyuga Tenyo to the female ninja, Uchiha Kako listened curiously to his explanation, his strange eyes carrying a hint of sympathy.

"Yes, it was Gintoki who asked me to help him catch the peeping tom."

The towel around Hyuga Tenyo's waist had been torn into a thong by the crazed female ninjas. He stood shivering in the cold wind, and Uchiha Kako, feeling sorry for him, found him a coat to put on.

"Where is Brother Yin?"

Having spent many years with Uchiha Gin, how could Uchiha Hikaru not know his character? This naive and innocent young master of the Hyuga clan has probably been swindled out of everything.

Upon hearing the mention of Uchiha Gin, Hyuga Tenyo's swollen face showed deep worry. He grabbed Uchiha Kako's arm and urged him on.

"Let me go! I still need to help Gintoki!"

He was beaten up like this, and Uchiha Gin hadn't shown up yet. He must be entangled with that despicable peeping tom. He had to catch the real culprit and clear his name.

"Um, don't get agitated. Since what you've said is still open to discussion, please come with us first!"

The female ninjas who had captured Hyuga Tenyo were still watching him closely. If Uchiha Kakuno were to release him so easily, a report against the security team would be delivered to the village head's desk overnight. Therefore, they had no choice but to temporarily detain this innocent young master of the Hyuga clan.

"Huh? We're in cahoots!"

Hyuga Tenyou, who was being held up by two security teammates, looked completely bewildered and struggled to shout that he was on official business.

"Listen, that peeping tom actually said he's in cahoots with the security team!"

"Hmph~ I always felt those guys were suspicious; turns out they're all in cahoots."

"So this eye technique evolved to facilitate spying, after all!"

Two brothers in the Pure Land: Achoo! Achoo!

"Hurry up!"

Hearing the undisguised whispers of the onlookers, Uchiha Kakuno, his face ashen, waved his hand and forcibly led Hyuga Tenyo away from this place of trouble.

Just as the group of people were fleeing in a sorry state to the street corner, they encountered a familiar figure walking with an air of indifference.

The long-lost Uchiha Gin was there, wearing his blue yukata, his curly hair still damp, a carton of strawberry milk dangling from his mouth, his eyes filled with enjoyment.

"Gintoki!"

Upon seeing Uchiha Gin, Hyuga Tenyou cried out excitedly as if he had seen a savior.

"Hiccup~ Isn't this Tianyao's brother from prison? You're done washing up too?"

Pretending nothing had happened, Uchiha Gin tilted his head in confusion, his deadpan eyes revealing innocence, and said in a very surprised tone,

"How did you end up like this after just one bath? Did the bathhouse attendant use that much force?"

"What are you talking about? Gintoki, where's that peeping tom?"

Unexpectedly, the missing Uchiha Gin seemed to have lost his memory. Hyuga Tenyo's eyes were bloodshot with anxiety.

"Slurp~ What? A peeping tom? Are you out of your mind from taking a bath?"

Gin Uchiha greedily squeezed out the last drop of strawberry milk, then casually tossed the milk carton into a nearby trash can, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Gintoki! Didn't you ask me to keep watch for you?"

Uchiha Gin seemed like a completely different person. Hyuga Tenyo, who had been beaten up and framed, felt utterly dejected.

"Fire Core Prison Bro, what crime has Heavenly Radiance Prison Bro committed?"

Instead of answering Hyuga Tenyo's question, Uchiha Gin turned his gaze to Uchiha Kagaku, whose face was tense.

"Ahem. Young Master Hyuga was caught red-handed by a customer while allegedly peeping into a women's bathhouse."

I'm doing my best to cooperate with your performance.

"Oh dear, Tianyao, what can I say to you? I was only gone for a short while, how did you manage to create such a huge mess!"

Upon hearing Uchiha Higanbana's words, Uchiha Gin scolded him with exasperation.

"Gintoki! How could you..."

Seeing that Hyuga Tenyo was about to speak, Uchiha Gin interrupted him first, then looked intently at Uchiha Kagami and said in a low voice that everyone could hear,

"Stop talking! Fire Core Prisoner, give me some face, I'll give you the bail money for Heavenly Radiance Prisoner later. Now release him quickly, walking your bird in this cold weather could lead to trouble."

???

When did the police start collecting bail money?

"Brother Yin, it's me..."

"I know you're in trouble, but Tianyao is my half-brother. If I don't help him now, who will?"

"but."

"I understand. It must be hard for you guys to be out on a business trip so late. I'll prepare some tea money when we get back so you can soothe your throats."

Uchiha Ginichi's words left Uchiha Kakeru somewhat speechless.

As expected, this was all orchestrated by Brother Yin.

"Alright, since Brother Yin has spoken up."

Catching a subtle glance from Uchiha Gin, Uchiha Kaku sighed and waved for his subordinates to release the bewildered Hyuga Tenyo.

"I hope that Brother Yin's friends will exercise restraint next time and not break the law."

"Definitely, definitely! Brother Tianyao was just confused for a moment!"

"I don't!"

"You have!"

"Brothers, let's call it a day!"

Seeing Uchiha Gin pressing Hyuga Tenyo's stubborn head to the ground, Uchiha Kaku was both amused and exasperated. He then disappeared into the night with his men from the security team.

After the onlookers left, Hyuga Tenyo, who had been harboring a lot of grievances, pointed at Uchiha Gin's nose and questioned him.

"Uchiha Gin, why won't you explain for me?"

He came to help him catch the peeping tom, but in the end he almost went to jail for a false accusation and was betrayed by his teammate.

"Phew~ Brother Tianyao, calm down, I know you are innocent."

Seeing that no one was around, Uchiha Gin put on a sighing expression, his deadpan eyes filled with apology.

"You're still pretending you know nothing!"

Hyuga Tenyo felt as if the sky had fallen. It turned out that Uchiha Gin knew everything, but he just wouldn't say anything.

"Brother Tianyao, the capture of the peeping tom was going very smoothly, but..."

"But what?"

"Sigh~ There are some things you'd better not know. I'll help you with your bail. Just stay home and recover these next few days."

Uchiha Gin made a troubled expression, which only fueled Hyuga Tenyo's curiosity.

"No! This concerns my innocence; that peeping tom must be brought to justice!"

"Tianyao Prison Bro! Why are you so stubborn? How could I tell you that the peeping tom is a white-haired guy who knows space-time ninjutsu?"

!!!

Upon hearing Uchiha Gin's words, Hyuga Tenyo was struck dumb, frozen in place, his white eyes filled with disbelief.

"You mean..."

He swallowed hard, and Hyuga Tenyou's voice was much softer than before.

"I didn't say anything."

Uchiha Gin seemed to realize he had let something slip, and waved his hand in a flustered manner.

Sure enough, no wonder I couldn't find the peeping tom. That bolt of lightning wasn't a signal from Uchiha Gin, but a visual effect produced when someone released a space-time ninjutsu.

"Phew~ I got it, thanks Gintoki."

Having figured out the whole story, Hyuga Tenyo calmed down his previous rage, his swollen face filled with deep gratitude, and he bowed deeply to Uchiha Gin.

If I insist that the voyeur is someone else, this matter will definitely be reported to the Hokage Building. At that time, the real culprit sitting on the stage will surely punish me severely, and everything will be beyond repair.

Fortunately, Uchiha Gin was generous and humbly begged the police to release him, thus turning the matter into a small one and letting it go. He himself had just spoken ill of Gin-san, which was truly an act of folly.

"It's alright, it's just a few million taels of bail. This matter is my fault, and I should help you out of both compassion and reason."

"I will send someone to deliver the bail money, tea money, and Gin-san's thank-you money tomorrow."

"Oh! I can't possibly accept that. It's only ten million taels. I can scrape together the money."

"Deliver it tonight!"

"Brother Tianyao, from now on we're cousins ​​closer than blood brothers! I'll protect your grandson's life!"

"Huh? I'm getting married this year?"

next day

Inside the Hokage Building, Tobirama Senju, who was completely engrossed in the village's political affairs, picked up a rather inconspicuous report and began to read it. After a moment, a strange expression appeared on his face.

"Big brother, the young master of the Hyuga clan was caught red-handed spying on the women's bath."

"Huh? That seemingly refined Hyuga Tenyou, I never expected him to be this kind of person."

Hashirama Senju, who was also handling external affairs documents, looked up, stroked his chin thoughtfully, and then said...

"Who says otherwise? You can know a person's face but not their heart. But that curly-haired guy actually has some loyalty."

"What does this have to do with Brother Yin?"

The fact that Hyuga Tenyo's spying had implicated Uchiha Gin piqued Hashirama Senju's curiosity.

"He vouched for Hyuga Tenyo, but it's a minor matter, he won't be locked up for more than a few days."

"Haha, I knew Brother Yin was a good person!"

"Hmph~"

Tobirama Senju gave a cold snort, but his sharp eyes softened considerably.

Curly hair really makes you a good Uchiha!

"Hey! Tobirama, look! There's news about the Tailed Beasts!"

After discussing Uchiha Gin's matter, Hashirama Senju, upon opening a document containing international intelligence, immediately exclaimed in surprise.

"What country's tailed beast is that? What happened?!"

Half a year has passed since the sale of the Tailed Beasts. During this time, apart from the Land of Water trying to use the Tailed Beasts to get back at the Land of Whirlpools, the other countries have kept the news of the Tailed Beasts very secret.

To this end, Konoha sent many spies to infiltrate other countries, but still came up empty-handed.

"The country of Taki."

After reviewing the intelligence in his hand, Hashirama Senju raised his head with a furrowed brow and slowly spoke.

"The Land of Waterfalls? Where did they get their tailed beasts from?"

Tobirama Senju was immediately dumbfounded. The Tailed Beasts had all been sold to the major powers that participated in the Five Kage Summit. Where did the Land of Waterfall get the Tailed Beasts from?

"It's the Seven-Tails. The Land of Waterfall obtained the Seven-Tails from the Hidden Stone Village by some unknown means."

"Iwagakure Village, huh? That makes sense."

During the previous Water-Earth War, the Land of Water was an ally of the Land of Earth, so it would be quite reasonable for them to ask the Land of Earth for a Tailed Beast.

"But the Seven-Tails originally lived in the Land of Waterfalls, so going back shouldn't cause any problems, right?"

Suddenly remembering the origin of the Seven-Tails, Tobirama Senju raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Not only did something go wrong, it went wrong big time. Look at this!"

As the one who personally captured the Seven-Tails, Hashirama Senju naturally knew that the Land of Waterfall was the Seven-Tails' happy home, but the things described in the information were indeed somewhat shocking.

"What could possibly go wrong? At most, the tailed beasts might go berserk. Huh??? This information can't be fake, right?"

Upon receiving the intelligence, Tobirama Senju rolled his eyes. He didn't believe that anything serious could happen to the Tailed Beasts. However, when he saw the intelligence, he couldn't help but be shocked.

"The Seven-Tails was taken away by rogue ninja?"

According to intelligence reports, Takigakure has declared a ninja a rogue ninja and imprisoned him for execution at a later date.

Unexpectedly, this rogue ninja was exceptionally strong. He knocked out the prison guard and, instead of escaping, sneaked back to his home in the village.

Then, for reasons unknown, the rogue ninja, driven mad by bestiality, slaughtered a number of the village's high-ranking officials, plundered the treasure trove of Takigakure, and was eventually forced by a large number of ninjas to the place where the village imprisoned the tailed beasts.

Everyone thought this rogue ninja would be swallowed whole by the tailed beast, but he somehow managed to control the tailed beast and escape.

"Isn't that absurd? I think this intelligence is questionable."

Seeing the same shocked expression on Tobirama Senju's face as Hashirama Senju's when he first saw the information, Hashirama Senju, arms crossed, spoke up.

"Indeed, let's set aside the earlier events for now. Just this control of the tailed beast's escape is definitely suspicious. This rogue ninja isn't even a Uchiha, is he?"

"I remember, it was something like 'Yaojiaodu'."

In the land of water caltrops, there is a precipitous peak surrounded by smooth, sheer cliffs that inspire awe. Its height of over a thousand meters makes it even more daunting. Yet, on this forbidden zone for humans, a black-haired youth lies.

His body was covered with gruesome wounds, but fortunately they had all scabbed over, preventing him from bleeding to death. An ancient scroll was tied around his waist, and he was tightly clutching a card that shimmered with golden light in his hand. After an unknown amount of time, the black-haired youth slowly woke up.

"Phew~ Is this the Pure Land?"

Kakuzu, feeling utterly exhausted, slowly opened his eyes. Looking at the clouds so close to him, a bitter smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. As expected, he still hadn't escaped from those traitors.

"Kid, you're awake!"

Just as he was accepting the fact that he was dying, a sharp voice suddenly echoed in his mind, instantly clearing Kakuzu's scattered mind. He sat up abruptly and looked around warily, only to find that there was nothing but dead wood and broken stones, and no trace of human presence.

"I'm not dead? Was that voice just a hallucination?"

Kakuzu, who had propped himself up to stand, felt the excruciating pain from his wounds. His mind slowly returned to consciousness. Looking at his battered hands, he realized that he was still alive. As for the voice in his head earlier, it was probably just a hallucination.

"Hmph~ I saved your life, and you can't even say thank you?"

Just as Kakuzu was feeling relieved, that shrill voice appeared in his mind again.

"Who are you?"

After realizing it wasn't a hallucination, Kakuzu drew his refurbished kunai from his back and quickly searched for anything suspicious with his eyes.

"Stop looking, I'm right here in your hands. I really don't know why I acted on impulse and saved you, you idiot!"

As the voice echoed in his mind again, Kakuzu suddenly felt a burning heat in his palm. Startled, he quickly raised his hand, only to find that the card in his hand was trembling slightly, as if reminding him of something.

Startled, Kakuzu held the card up to his face and examined it closely. He saw a lifelike seven-winged beetle drawn on the card, which was the divine beast of the Land of Waterfall that had rescued him from his predicament.

The aura emanating from the card further proves that the divine beast is currently residing within it.

"Thank you, Divine Beast, for saving my life!"

Recalling yesterday's scene, Kakuzu, holding the card in both hands, immediately knelt down properly and kowtowed deeply to the Seven-Tails' Tailed Beast Card.

"Arise, humans! The feeling of being betrayed by the one you trust most is not pleasant, is it?"

Kakuzu pressed his head to the ground, too afraid to move. After a moment, a slightly melancholy voice echoed in his mind.

Slowly propping himself up, Kakuzu's eyes were filled with deep pain. Even now, he still couldn't accept the fact that he had become a rogue ninja.

No, it wasn't me, Kakuzu, who betrayed the village; it was the village that betrayed me!

Thinking of this, Kakuzu raised his head, and a long-lost tear slowly rolled down his cheek. This was the first time he had shed a tear since becoming an orphan.

Despite diligently carrying out the leader's orders and nearly losing his life to Hashirama Senju, he returned wounded but instead of being recognized, he was thrown into prison.

Concerned about the hidden stash of money at home, Kakuzu knocked out the jailer and escaped. When he returned home, he found it in a mess, with all the money he had saved over the years gone by. His faith crumbled, and he was further mocked by his former colleagues who arrived at the scene.

In the darkness, Kakuzu and the leader faced each other.

"My lord, where is my money?"

"Money? What money? You, Kakuzu, a mere rogue ninja, what right do you have to question me?"

The leader, leading a large group of high-ranking officials, looked arrogantly at the trembling Kakuzu and shook his head with utter disdain.

"I did not betray the village!"

Kakuzu's trembling roar, piercing the dark night, echoed all the way to the waterfall behind Takigakure.

Behind the waterfall, a colossal, slumbering figure gently flapped its wings.

"Hmph~ You think you can just say it's gone and then it's gone? So many of us say you betrayed us, you're a traitorous ninja!"

"Chief, why waste words with him? Escaping from prison is a capital offense; just kill him!"

An elderly village elder stroked his gray beard, not even bothering to lift his eyelids. In his eyes, the antlers were nothing more than disposable pawns.

"Xiongda, give him a quick death!"

Considering the massive amount of gold coins that Kakuzu had dropped, the benevolent leader of Takigakure, in a fit of pique, ordered his personal guards...

"You are the traitors of Takigakure! You are the rogue ninja!"

In despair, Kakuzu, whose strength had been stuck at a bottleneck for many years, unexpectedly broke through again. His body radiated a leader-level aura as he coldly raised his head and, addressing the jovial high-ranking officials before him, declared...

"You're the ones who deserve to die!"

"Quickly! Kill him!"

What followed was a one-sided massacre. The leader of Takigakure was damaged by the Nine-Tails' attack many years ago, which greatly reduced his strength, and he dared not step forward to fight.

"boom!!!"

The other high-ranking members had also been complacent for many years, and their strength was reduced to less than one-tenth. In just one exchange, several high-ranking elders were torn to pieces by Kakuzu's escape technique.

"Stop him!"

Upon seeing Kakuzu, who appeared to be insane, the terrified leader quickly jumped to the back and ordered his personal guards to stop him.

"die!"

Kakuzu was now in a bloodthirsty frenzy. He ignored the attacks from his guards, his eyes fixed only on his leader's panicked figure.

Sensing impending death, the leader frantically searched his robes for the life-saving Hero's Elixir, finally finding a small bottle of thick liquid. Overjoyed, he was about to drink it when he felt a chill run down his spine, and at the same time, a cold, hoarse voice rang in his ears.

"Chief, if you tell me where the money is hidden, I won't take this heart." (End of Chapter)