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

"Ah! Did you do that on purpose or by accident!"

Senju Itama, who had been squatting in front of Uchiha Gintoki watching the show, was instantly drenched in a torrent of abuse. He turned around resentfully, glaring at her with wide eyes and demanding an explanation.

"It was intentional, an accident."

Wiping the stains from his mouth, Uchiha Gin gave a perfunctory reply, then tossed his handkerchief, which he had used to wipe his mouth, onto Senju Itama's head.

"Oh, you can just wipe it yourself~"

His true nature as a scumbag is undeniable.

"Hmm"

Annoyed, Senju Itama pulled off the handkerchief draped over her head, ready to explode, but then noticed a strawberry pattern embroidered on it. Feeling a little guilty, she glanced at the two women who were engrossed in watching the melon and quietly pocketed it.

"Ha, enough talk, just surrender!"

On the battlefield below, the leader of the ghost soldiers was stunned for a moment after hearing Wu's recruitment call. He then sneered and thrust his longsword forward.

"Bang!"

Unexpectedly, the other party didn't even consider it. While waiting for a reply, Wu hurriedly raised his sword to block, and the force of the collision made his arm go numb.

Seeing the opening wide, the leader thrust his longsword at an extremely tricky angle towards Wu's vitals. The sharp sword energy startled Wu, who was wide open, and he felt the aura of death spreading everywhere.

Success!

Beneath the leader's mask, his crimson eyes gleamed with a sharp light. Just before making his move, he had quietly released a genjutsu unique to the Sharingan.

I never imagined that I, with the strength of an elite captain, would defeat the infamous Mu of Iwagakure. When I return to the Land of Waves, I can brag about it.

At this critical moment, a water bullet shot out at an imperceptible speed, carrying immense force, and slammed directly into the leader's longsword.

"Bang!"

With a crisp sound, the attack was forcibly changed course. The sharp blade grazed Wu's armpit, but instead of gushing blood as expected, it merely severed a few bandages.

Covered in cold sweat, Wu immediately jumped away, looking down at the tattered bandages between his ribs, and frowned in confusion. He felt as if he had just been restrained for a moment by an inexplicable, cold force.

"Aren't you enemies? Why did you intervene to save him?"

The team leader, looking displeased, turned around, looked at Hozuki Gengetsu, whose right hand was shaped like a pistol, and asked with a frown.

"oioioi, only I can take that guy's life. How can I let you nobodies get there first?"

Putting down his hand, Hozuki Gengetsu, who had saved his old enemy's life, stroked his little mustache with an air of swagger, but his eyes were filled with a strong sense of vigilance.

"We were planning to deal with you later, but since you're in such a hurry, don't blame us for being impolite."

Although the leader's tone was harsh, his actions were remarkably rational. With a wave of his hand, the waiting ghost soldiers immediately formed an encirclement, completely surrounding Wu and Hozuki Gengetsu.

The ghost soldiers stared intently at the two, their chilling aura emanating from them clearly perceptible even from a distance of over ten meters.

"Such concentrated Yin energy, Ah Yin, just who are they?"

Standing next to Uchiha Gin, Uchiha Hikaru looked at the mysterious demon soldiers with some surprise. Such pure Yin Release power was extremely rare even among the Uchiha clan, so how could it not arouse the girl's interest?

"I just arrived, I don't know either~"

Knowing the true identity of the Kiheitai, Uchiha Gin didn't want them to be exposed too early, so he started to act cute and silly.

"They call themselves the Ghost Squad, but I've never heard of this organization before."

Uchiha Rinpoche, equally curious, searched his memory for a long time but found no record of the Kiheitai (Demon Army Corps).

However, since it can become the security force of the capital of the Land of Waterfall, it must be a newly established official organization!

"Huh? Are we still going to fight or not?"

Ignoring these trivial details, Senju Itama had already dried her wet little head and was now intently watching the situation below. Seeing that both sides were holding back, she couldn't help but purse her lips.

"It's highly unlikely that a fight will break out."

Uchiha Gin looked up at the mist that had begun to permeate the surroundings. This was definitely not a natural phenomenon, but rather the work of Hozuki Gengetsu.

"This fog"

"Hehe, goodbye~ Bandaged Man, victory will always belong to Kirigakure!"

The leader of the Ghost Squad clearly noticed something amiss, but it was too late. Hozuki Gengetsu, who was in the fog, let out a strange laugh, made his declaration, and then disappeared into the thick fog. Even the leader's Sharingan could not find his trace.

"This is unnecessary."

Seeing his nemesis retreat, he too felt the urge to retreat. He slowly took a few steps back, and to everyone's astonishment, his body began to disappear from his feet. In just a few breaths, he was swallowed by the void, leaving no trace, as if he had never been there.

"Even his aura has vanished... Is it a space-time ninjutsu?"

Hikari Uchiha stared intently, trying to find the secret behind Mu's disappearance, but no matter what method she used to sense him, she couldn't find any clues; it was as if he had vanished into thin air.

Watching helplessly as Wu disappeared from the spot, the puzzled crowd speculated about Wu's strange methods.

"So envious~"

Only Uchiha Gin, whose perception was extraordinary, discovered the secret of the disappearance. According to the extremely subtle aura, the bandaged man was still in the same place, but had entered a state of invisibility.

Is it a dust-free maze?

That's practically divine peeping magic! It's miles ahead of Moonlight Gale's half-baked teleportation technique!

"Damn it, search for me!"

Seeing that his chance to show off was fleeting, the leader of the Ghost Soldier Team became even angrier and roared before giving orders to his men.

"yes!"

Upon receiving the order, the members of the Ghost Squad immediately scattered and began a thorough search of the area.

"There's no show to watch, let's go."

After the farce ended, Uchiha Gin stood up, clapped his hands, and turned to leave the viewing platform with the three women. However, they were not the only ones watching the show.

In a secluded corner on the other side, Shamon, who had just been chatting amiably with Uchiha Gin, was staring intently at the demon soldiers searching for Hozuki Gengetsu and his companion, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

Before coming to the Land of Waterfalls, he had never heard of such a team, which was able to force Hozuki Gengetsu and Hozuki Gengetsu, whose strength was no less than his own, to retreat. He was determined to investigate them thoroughly.

"Big brother, the aura emanating from those guys made it uncomfortable; it almost made me go berserk just now."

Silver Horn emerged from the dark alleyway at the street corner, his brows furrowed as he stared at the ghost soldiers not far away. The veins on his forehead throbbed slightly, and a flash of savagery crossed his eyes.

"Interesting. Go and investigate these people's backgrounds. I thought this trip wouldn't be very interesting, but there's been an unexpected surprise."

Jinjiao watched the Ghost Soldier Team with great interest. He was always warlike and wanted to test his skills against this mysterious force. He then gave a big order to his subordinate, Hei Lao.

Over the next few days, Uchiha Gin and the three women carefully searched for information about the Seven-Tails' whereabouts, but to no avail.

So they stayed at the most luxurious hotel in the Land of Waterfalls for a few days, and set off separately every day to look for clues.

Today, the three women went out early, while Uchiha Gin remained calmly at the hotel. His main purpose was not to search for the Seven-Tails, so he did nothing and waited for the women's good news.

"Mr. Gin, there haven't been any sightings of giant insects recently. Could the Seven-Tails have flown away from the Land of Waterfalls?"

After spending the entire day searching for intelligence, Uchiha Rinpoche looked somewhat tired. She had searched the entire capital of Takigawa, exploring almost every place imaginable, but still found no trace of the Seven-Tails.

"Thank you for your hard work, little administrator~"

Looking at the travel-worn Uchiha Gin, he reached out to pat her head, but the girl dodged him, leaving his large hand awkwardly hanging in mid-air.

"Mr. Yin, I'm not a child anymore."

Uchiha Gin's cool face showed resentment, but there was a hint of shyness in her eyes. She was still suffering from the aftereffects of Oowatsumi's previous incident, and she dared not have any physical contact with Uchiha Gin, for fear that she would not be able to help but moan softly.

"Sorry, sorry~"

Kan Kan withdrew his large hand, and Uchiha Gin scratched his head somewhat awkwardly. His disciple had really grown up and even knew how to avoid suspicion.

"Where are Hikari-senpai and the others?"

"He'll probably be back soon."

Creak~

As if on cue, Uchiha Hikari, with a cold expression, pushed open the door and entered. Seeing that Uchiha Rin had returned before her, she nodded and greeted him, then plopped down next to Uchiha Gin, looking somewhat impatient.

"Hikaru, have you found anything?"

"Same as yesterday."

Annoyed, Uchiha Hikaru bent down, untied her sandals, and tossed them aside. Her slightly swollen, delicate toes stretched out slightly, and Uchiha Gin, standing nearby, subconsciously swallowed.

It seems the girl walked quite a distance today!

"However, this also indirectly confirms that the ninjas from other villages have not found any trace of the Seven-Tails."

Massaging his silkworm-like toes, Uchiha Hikaru spoke thoughtfully.

"If they discover the Seven-Tails, a major battle is inevitable, and it's impossible for there to be no news at all."

"Stop thinking about it, it's time to eat!"

The girl's analysis was reasonable and well-founded, and Uchiha Gin naturally agreed wholeheartedly. However, it was already mealtime, and eating was the most important task at the moment.

"Aren't you waiting for a subdivided flat?"

"I can't wait any longer, my stomach is growling. I'll just leave her some leftovers when the time comes."

That little brat must have been out playing and lost track of time. Let her go hungry for a while!

"Bang!!!"

No sooner had Uchiha Gin finished speaking than the door, which had just been pushed open, was slammed open with tremendous force, and Senju Itama's imposing figure burst in.

"You brat! You'll have to pay for the hotel's door yourself!"

Looking at the rickety door, Uchiha Gin rubbed his forehead in exasperation and said in a helpless tone,

"Hmph! I heard everything you just said in the hallway, you wretched curly-haired baboon! And I even stumbled upon some important intelligence!"

Senju Itama crossed her arms and glared angrily at Uchiha Gin. How dare you make her, the young lady of the Senju clan, eat leftovers! You've gone too far!

"Huh? You found out the intelligence?"

Uchiha Gin, who hadn't planned to continue paying attention to Senju Itama, paused upon hearing the word "information," turned his head, and asked in a very suspicious tone.

"Hmph~"

Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, Senju Itama proudly raised his little head and began to keep everyone in suspense.

Okay, so you've actually taken it seriously.

"Itama, hurry up and tell me, the mission is important."

Seeing Senju Itama's expression, Uchiha Osamu urged her on, as she was also eager to know what information they had discovered.

"Hmm~"

Senju Itama didn't reply, but instead looked at Uchiha Gin with a smug expression, his large eyes full of implications.

"Okay, fine, you give up. Order whatever you want to eat later!"

"Yay!"

Overjoyed, Senju Itama jumped for joy, having received the promise, and slowly recounted his discoveries from that day.

It turned out that today, Senju Itama had unintentionally encountered a few bounty hunters. From their casual conversation, she heard the name Kakuzu. After reading the details of this mission, she immediately became alert and followed the bounty hunters to a secluded place. She knocked them down one by one with a punch and then interrogated them.

"You mean, there's a new bounty hunter named Kakuzu?"

After listening to Senju Itama's account, Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow. He thought that by helping Kakuzu become a tailed beast to fight, he would no longer follow the old path of a bounty hunter. He never expected that the other party would ultimately choose this professional path, which was truly regrettable.

"That's right. That guy said that this Kakuzu is extremely strong. In just one week, he completed many difficult missions. And based on the physical characteristics they described, he should be the rogue ninja Kakuzu mentioned in the mission."

Senju Itama nodded and truthfully recounted his findings from that day.

"Hmm, you little rascal, you can be quite useful sometimes~"

Nodding, Uchiha Gin subconsciously reached out and patted Senju Itama's head. He wanted to make up for the little tyrant he had just lost with this brat.

Hehe~

Perhaps accustomed to this kind of interaction, Senju Itama not only didn't resist, but instead looked quite pleased, which inevitably stirred a hint of jealousy in Uchiha Osamu's heart.

Looking at her best friend transformed into a mini version, a hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes. It seemed that this track was quite popular. Should she give it a try herself?

Senju Itama: Danger!

"Gin, now that we've discovered that rogue ninja's whereabouts, shouldn't we..."

Seeing that the mission was progressing, Uchiha Hikari perked up again, quickly put her shoes back on, and then asked Uchiha Gin for his opinion. She believed that they should act quickly and capture the rogue ninja before the other ninja villages, so as to force him to reveal the whereabouts of the Seven-Tails.

"That's right! Time to eat!"

"."

At the same moment that Uchiha Gin and the others discovered Kakuzu's information, Mu, his face grim, looked at the trembling Takigakure before him, his bandage on his forehead furrowing, and spoke.

"You said you discovered traces of the rogue ninja from your village?"

"Yes, Master Mu, during our search today, we inadvertently obtained some information from the gold exchange: Kakuzu is not only alive, but has also become a bounty hunter."

The information about Kakuzu was bought with his own money from the black market exchange. Since Kakuzu is still a newly recruited bounty hunter, his information is not difficult to obtain.

"Are you after the Seven-Tails, or do you just want us to help you capture that rogue ninja?"

Wu first lowered his head to think for a moment, then raised his head with a cold smile. He always felt that the purpose of the Taki ninja in front of him was impure.

"Master, please don't misunderstand. Kakuzu was the last person to come into contact with the divine beast. If we capture him, we can definitely find out the whereabouts of the divine beast."

Overwhelmed by the terrifying aura emanating from him, this ninja from Takigaki trembled as he spoke.

He did have some selfish motives, because the situation in Takigakure was still uncertain, and everyone was still vying for the leadership position. If he could return in triumph with the rogue ninja Kakuzu at this time, he would be able to rightfully become the new leader of Takigakure.

"Hmph~ Gather your forces immediately and set off to capture Kakuzu!"

Unlike Uchiha Gin, who was a complete scoundrel, Kakuzu's intelligence was confirmed so quickly that he didn't even eat before gathering his subordinates and setting off.

"Lord Huan Yue, the brothers have just discovered traces of Iwagakure. They have gathered a large force and left the city."

At his hiding place in Kirigakure, Hozuki Gengetsu, who was enjoying dinner, heard his subordinates' hurried voices. His eyes narrowed, and he immediately waved his hand.

"Set off!"

The black market gold exchange in the Land of Waterfall is located in a small town with a small population, not far from the capital.

A figure shrouded in a black robe walked slowly down the desolate street, dragging a lifeless corpse behind him. After a while, he arrived at the most secluded public toilet in town, looked around, and then slipped inside.

Despite the stench unique to toilets, Kakuzu didn't pay any attention and pushed open the hidden door next to the urinal and went inside.

The hidden door led to a spacious hall. A slightly overweight middle-aged man was writing something at a counter. Seeing the black-robed figure slowly approaching, he gave a professional smile.

"Huh? It's Lord Kakuzu, here to collect his bounty again?"

"Um."

Kakuzu, hidden beneath his black robes, raised his head, his black pupils glowing with a faint green light he hadn't seen before. He tossed the faintly foul-smelling corpse behind him onto the counter and pulled a wanted poster from his robes, tossing it over.

"Please wait a moment~"

The staff at the gold exchange were all professionally trained and had long been immune to the stench of corpses, having dealt with all sorts of bodies every day. They then put on gloves and began to examine the corpse in front of them.

After a long pause, the middle-aged employee, who had thoroughly searched the corpse, nodded and spoke.

"Confirmed, it's him/her. Lord Kakuzu, would you like cash?"

"cash!"

After a while, the middle-aged employee brought out a bag from the back room. Kakuzu took it and opened it on the spot. It was filled with currency commonly used in the ninja world. However, having obtained the bounty, he did not choose to leave. Instead, he took out the currency and carefully counted it.

"Lord Kakuzu, people should trust each other more. Our gold exchange has always been honest and fair to all, and we would never embezzle your bounty."

The middle-aged employee looked at Kakuzu counting the bills with a dark expression and said helplessly, it was clear that this was not the first time he had encountered this situation.

"That's the joy of making money. I prefer counting money to spending it."

Kakuzu, counting his money, looked much more relaxed than before.

The middle-aged employee, seeing Kakuzu's keen interest, simply shook his head and did not continue to try to dissuade him.

"Phew~ The amount is correct. Do you have any high-bounty cases recently? Give me one."

After counting the bags several times, Kakuzu finally put them into his storage scroll, then looked up at the middle-aged employee and asked.

"Yes, there is, but Lord Kakuzu, rather than focusing on bounties, you should be more careful when walking at night these days~"

Adhering to the principle of not wanting to lose an excellent bounty hunter, the middle-aged employee who was hunched over his desk doing accounts looked at Kakuzu and said something inexplicable out of the blue.

"What do you mean by that?"

Kakuzu frowned, sensing a hidden meaning in the middle-aged man's words, and pressed for an answer.

"Information fee~"

The middle-aged man did not answer directly, but instead revealed a shrewd smile and made a money gesture towards Kakuzu.

"Hmph~ Nonsense!"

Even if the Sage of Six Paths came today, he wouldn't be able to get a single copper coin from Kakuzu. After snorting coldly, he left the exchange shop without looking back.

"Tsk tsk tsk, what a pity."

Since Kakuzu was unwilling to pay the intelligence fee, the middle-aged man said nothing more, but shook his head with regret as he watched Kakuzu's departing figure.

With a heavy heart, Kakuzu walked quickly. From the few words of the middle-aged employee, he could deduce that someone was looking for him and already knew his whereabouts.

As for the other party's purpose, it should be the Divine Beast Lord.

As soon as he stepped out of the public restroom, Kakuzu keenly sensed something strange. Just before he entered the gold exchange, there were still people in the shops not far away, but now the shops had closed early, even though it wasn't closing time yet.

Just then, a light drizzle began to fall from the gray sky, and the damp air carried a hint of bleakness.

"Bang!"

Kakuzu immediately realized that this place was not a safe place to stay. Just as he took a step, a kunai shot out from somewhere. He nimbly retreated to dodge it, and the sharp kunai stuck straight into the spot where he had been standing.

Looking at the steel kunai made of top-quality materials, Kakuzu frowned slightly. Based on his years of experience in refurbishing kunai, he knew that this kunai was definitely not made by a small ninja village, and the person who came was definitely not simple.

Since the other party has already made a move to test the waters, it means that the encirclement has been set in motion. Unsure of the opponent's strength, Kakuzu looked around, lowered his body slightly, and assumed a guarded posture.

"Traitorous ninja Kakuzu! Surrender at once!"

With a loud shout, several figures wearing Takigakure headbands emerged from the forest. The leader was none other than the elite Jonin who had previously chased him. He stood with his arms crossed, his face full of arrogance.

"So it was you traitors! Still not giving up?"

Kakuzu looked at the newcomers with some surprise. He hadn't expected that the people looking for him were his former colleagues. But then his heart sank. There were definitely more than just these people who had come to capture him. There must be others hiding nearby.

After all, these poor guys would never be willing to buy kunai made of fine steel. They used to haggle over the price when buying second-hand kunai from their own shop.

"Enough talk, let's go!"

With a wave of his hand, the elite Jonin, Takigakure, summoned several of his underlings who drew kunai and longswords and charged toward Kakuzu.

"snort!"

Kakuzu, whose strength was now vastly different from what it once was, didn't even bother to lift an eyelid as the menacing group approached. He swiftly formed hand seals.

Rainy days and water escape techniques go perfectly together!

"Water Escape: Water Curtain".

Kakuzu spewed out a torrent of water, which swept towards the flying Takigakure ninja at an extremely fast speed.

These ninja from Takigakure varied greatly in strength. When they were suddenly attacked in mid-air, they immediately showed expressions of terror. In just one exchange, they were swept into the sky by the current of water and then slammed hard onto the ground, falling unconscious.

Kakuzu, who had swiftly defeated a group of Takigakure ninja, fixed his icy gaze on the only remaining Takigakure leader, his tone filled with chilling intent.

"The traitors' end has come." (End of Chapter)