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

"Family, I'm back alive!"

For some unknown reason, the group, who had been delayed in the capital of the Land of Fire for several days, finally returned to Konoha. Uchiha Gin, with a withered face, leaned against the threshold of Konoha's gate and said with trembling, pale lips.

"Hmph~ It only lasted a few tries and it already stopped working. Were you secretly eating something else outside?"

A ghostly voice, as clear as a shadow, rang out from behind Uchiha Gin, startling him so much that his handsome face turned deathly pale.

"No, I didn't!"

"It's best if not. Let's hurry up and turn in the quest; we need to go back and try on our new clothes!"

"You guys go back first, I can go by myself."

Eager to escape the clutches of evil, Uchiha Gin nodded hastily, waved to the three women, and ran towards the Hokage Building as if his feet were greased.

"Phew~ I thought I was going to die."

After escaping Uchiha Hikaru's sight, Uchiha Gin, panting heavily, leaned against the wall with his right hand and wiped the sweat from his brow with his left, feeling fortunate to have survived.

In the past few days, Uchiha Gin had several moments of dazed visions of his familiar second uncle. Each time he was about to get close, another white-haired old man with an obscured face, standing next to Otsutsuki Hamura, would knock him back with a stick.

Hokage Building

"That's strange. Wasn't Kirigakure causing quite a stir a while ago? Why have they suddenly tightened their defenses?"

Buried among piles of documents, Tobirama Senju held a newly handed intelligence report, his crimson eyes filled with doubt. Just as he was about to tell his elder brother about this strange information, a conversation that made his blood boil reached his ears.

Madara Uchiha, who had come up to report his task list, was taking the opportunity to seduce Hashirama Senju.

"Hot mom from Harbin, let's go get some barbecue after get off work today!"

"But Tao Hua told me to come home on time."

"Just say you're working overtime."

"This isn't a good idea."

"My treat. After we eat, let's go to the casino and play a couple of rounds."

"I'm leaving get off work now!"

Seeing his elder brother easily swayed by a few words, Tobirama Senju suddenly stood up, pointed at Madara Uchiha's nose, and began to criticize him.

"You naturally evil Uchiha spiky-haired devil, don't even think about fooling my brother! Also, when we're working, address each other by our job titles, don't call each other so intimately!"

"Hmph~ I know, you thousand-handed plant."

Madara Uchiha, his good deed interrupted, turned to look at the enraged Tobirama Senju, crossed his arms disdainfully, snorted coldly, and said in a sarcastic tone,

"Call me Secretary Thousand Hands!"

"hehe."

"Bang~ Bang~ Bang~"

Just as the two were exchanging their usual barbs, a weak knock sounded at the door. Hashirama Senju, who was wondering how to mediate, suddenly brightened up.

"The door isn't locked!"

Creak~

The door to the Hokage's office slowly opened, and a figure exuding an aura of decay staggered in. The three men's gazes fell upon the man's bushy curly hair, their eyes filled with worry.

"Big cousin! What's wrong with you?!"

Upon seeing that the person who came was his cousin whom he hadn't seen for several days, Madara Uchiha forgot about arguing with Tobirama Senju and appeared beside Gin Uchiha in a flash, looking at the curly-haired man with dark circles under his eyes and pale lips with a worried expression.

"Brother Yin! Are you alright?"

Hashirama Senju, who was equally concerned for Gin Uchiha's safety, also jumped over, tilting his head to examine him from head to toe.

"Hey, you with your curly hair, did you run into an enemy?"

Tobirama Senju also walked over with a furrowed brow. Sensing Gin Uchiha's weak and empty body, he was worried but also a little puzzled.

"Make me a cup of tea first, with three spoonfuls of sugar."

Instead of answering their questions directly, Uchiha Gin held up three fingers and gave them an order.

"Coming right away!"

"Phew~ I'm alive again!"

Sitting on the sofa in the Hokage's office reception room, Uchiha Gin downed the cloyingly sweet tea in one gulp. Only then did his pale face regain some vitality. Looking at the three people who were eagerly waiting, he slowly began to speak.

"Guys in jail, times have changed."

"ha?"

Madara Uchiha and his two companions were completely baffled by these inexplicable words. After exchanging bewildered glances, they all turned their gazes to Gin Uchiha, awaiting his explanation.

"On this trip to the Land of Waterfalls, we encountered..."

Immediately afterward, Uchiha Gin slowly recounted everything that had happened during the mission to the three of them. When he mentioned that Ginkaku, transformed into a Tailed Beast Knight, easily annihilated the other candidates for Kage from various ninja villages, Tobirama Senju couldn't help but interrupt him.

"Impossible. How could a mere remnant of the Feather Robe clan possess such strength?"

Many years ago, Tobirama Senju led a team to kill Kinkaku and Ginkaku, but was stopped by Gin Uchiha who appeared out of nowhere. At that time, the Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers were not worth his attention.

"So he went berserk."

Uchiha Gin rolled his eyes and began to explain.

Tobirama Senju's words were not wrong. If Ginkaku did not use the power of the Tailed Beast Riders, his strength would be comparable to that of Shamon and the others, while Kinkaku would be slightly stronger. That's why he was able to take on three opponents at once and defeat Hozuki Gengetsu and the others who were not at full strength.

"Go berserk? I knew it! How could the power of a tailed beast be manipulated by a human?"

Upon hearing that Ginkaku had gone berserk, Tobirama Senju breathed a sigh of relief, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes.

"Haxi Hot Mom, tell your brother to shut up! Big Cousin, please continue!"

Madara Uchiha, who was listening intently, saw that Gin Uchiha had been interrupted. He nudged Hashirama Senju, who was listening with great interest, with a displeased expression and began to complain.

"Tobirama, ask your questions after Gin-nii finishes speaking."

Tobirama Senju, being lectured by his older brother, glared fiercely at the smug Madara Uchiha, then crossed his arms and began to sulk.

Uchiha Old Man, born evil!

Without anyone disturbing him, Uchiha Gin recounted the rest of the story to the three of them in detail. The three, who had never experienced anything so unbelievable, were filled with disbelief.

"Who exactly created that item that allows Tailed Beast Riders to perfectly utilize the power of the Tailed Beasts?"

Having had close interactions with the Tailed Beasts, Hashirama Senju knew all too well what the power of the Tailed Beasts meant to ordinary people.

Putting everything else aside, just the inexhaustible chakra alone is enough to allow an ordinary ninja to unleash destructive power surpassing that of a Kage.

"Just who is that mysterious knight who suddenly appeared?"

Tobirama Senju frowned, feeling that the mysterious person distributing belts everywhere had ulterior motives.

"I don't know either, I only know that he calls himself Emperor Knight Bro."

As the best observer, Uchiha Gin shrugged, indicating that that was all he knew.

"That guy said the power of the Tailed Beast Riders is forbidden during wartime, how did he know a war would break out?"

Compared to the Senju brothers' curiosity about the Tailed Beast Riders, Madara Uchiha's focus was somewhat peculiar. He stroked his chin in confusion, turning to ask Hashirama Senju beside him, "..."

"Haha, right, we just signed a peace agreement, how could war possibly happen? Isn't this guy being a bit of a worrier?"

Reminded by Madara Uchiha, Hashirama Senju immediately burst into laughter.

Meanwhile, Tobirama Senju, standing to the side, pondered from the same angle, a strange light flickering in his eyes.

This mysterious knight seems to be a good person.

Because Tobirama Senju knew that this peace could not last long. Once those who signed the agreement were gone, ambitious individuals would inevitably start another war, and the tailed beasts would become highly sought-after weapons of war, bringing pain to countless innocent civilians.

"That mysterious knight said he couldn't make the transformation cards. Uchiha Gin, can you tell us where you got those Tailed Beast cards from?"

Looking at the composed Uchiha Gin, Tobirama Senju suddenly spoke up and asked, "When we were selling the Tailed Beasts before, it was Tobirama who pulled out the Tailed Beast cards from somewhere and used them to introduce the Tailed Beasts' abilities to people from other ninja villages."

"Didn't I say before that I did it myself?"

Finally, the question was asked. Having been prepared, Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow and replied calmly.

"You?"

Tobirama Senju expressed his doubts, wondering how someone as incompetent as Gin Uchiha could possibly create a device that could transform humans.

"Who are you underestimating? I'm a renowned researcher from the Uchiha clan! Don't believe me? Ask your older cousin~"

I never imagined that after all these years, some people would still treat him like trash.

"Huh? Didn't you buy all those props?"

Madara Uchiha was also completely bewildered. All he knew was that Gin Uchiha would occasionally pull out some novel gadgets, claiming they were ordered from Seimei of the Land of Craftsmen.

"Have you ever been to the land of craftsmen?"

"I've been there. That craftsman named Seimei doesn't know you at all."

Madara Uchiha once passed through the Land of Craftsmen during a mission. Out of curiosity, he found a ninja tool maker named Seimei. After a "friendly" exchange, Seimei said that he had never heard of Uchiha Gin and had never made the ninja tools that he mentioned.

"That's right, because I did all of that."

Setting down his teacup and puffing out his chest, Uchiha Gin said with great pride,

"ha?"

Upon hearing this, the three rolled their eyes in unison. Given Uchiha Gin's character, they would never have believed that he would be involved in research and development.

"Sigh, since none of you believe me, I have no choice but to expose this long-buried secret."

Uchiha Gin looked wistful, picked up his teacup, took a small sip, then looked past everyone into the void, as if recalling something. After a long while, he shook his head and began to ramble on.

"That was a long, long time ago. When I was young and handsome, I fell off a cliff while on a mission. I was rescued by a mysterious old man. He saw that I was very intelligent and knew that his days were numbered, so he passed on all his knowledge to me. I did not disappoint him and learned his research and development skills to perfection."

"Do you think we're idiots?"

After hearing Uchiha Gin's nonsensical story, Tobirama Senju, the top research expert of the Senju clan, directly questioned it, saying that only a three-year-old would believe such a story.

"I love telling the truth, bro~"

"I never imagined that Brother Yin would have such a wonderful experience when he was young. It's truly enviable."

Three-year-old Pillar looked at Uchiha Gin with shining eyes, his face filled with envy.

"Big cousin, this..."

Unable to bear exposing his cousin's true colors, Uchiha Madara was so frustrated his face turned almost purple. He could only manage to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth, afraid of bursting out laughing.

"You have to believe me!"

"Then tell me, what's the name of that mysterious old man?"

"Bandai!"

Uchiha Gin answered with absolute certainty, showing no sign of lying.

"Alright, let's assume you're telling the truth. But why do the cards you made match the belt the mysterious person gave you?"

Slightly troubled, Tobirama rubbed his throbbing temples and didn't delve further into the issue of Uchiha Gin's research capabilities. Instead, he inquired about the belt.

"Actually, when I first saw the belt, it looked familiar. Bandai once told me that he had a disciple who was expelled from the school because he was obsessed with evil ways of borrowing power. What that disciple was researching was a tool similar to a belt."

"In that case, that mysterious knight is very likely Brother Yin's fellow disciple."

Hashirama Senju stroked his chin, transforming into Konoha's detective, and guessed the identity of the mysterious knight with near certainty.

"That's what I think too~"

Uchiha Gin readily seized the opportunity and chimed in, agreeing.

"Then why didn't he give the people of Sunagakure the cards they needed for transformation?"

"Perhaps it's because there's no tailed beast chakra. After all, the cards I made before were all made by collecting a small amount of tailed beast chakra."

He also wanted to send a card to the Shamon prison, but he didn't have any Tanuki chakra on hand. Uchiha Gin had already left enough hints, so if the other party really wanted the card, he would naturally come to ask for help with Shukaku.

"Are the Tailed Beast Riders really that strong?"

Madara Uchiha, who had been deep in thought for a long time, suddenly looked up and asked Gin Uchiha,

"He's very strong. That rogue ninja from Takigakure, after transforming, completely overwhelmed Ginkaku's transformed knight. Keep in mind, he previously wiped out everyone from other ninja villages in a single move."

Gin Uchiha was absolutely right when he said this. Kakuzu, who had gained the approval of Chōmei, could unleash power surpassing even the future Perfect Jinchūriki.

"Big brother, this is too dangerous!"

Having said all he could say, Tobirama Senju, who was naturally more shrewd than most, spoke with a cold face: "The Tailed Beast Knights are an extremely unstable force, and they are very likely to pose a threat to Konoha in the future. If one day my elder brother is gone, Konoha will be unable to cope with the agile Tailed Beast Knights."

"Really? I think tailed beasts are quite easy to deal with."

Hearing the familiar words, Hashirama Senju turned his head in confusion, about to say that the tailed beasts were no big deal and that he, the wooden puppet, could easily handle them, but then he saw Tobirama Senju's expression was frighteningly gloomy, and immediately changed the subject.

"Go and bring the Nine-Tails back!"

Konoha still needed a tailed beast to protect the village. The insightful Tobirama Senju directly ordered his elder brother to capture the Nine-Tails that had been released.

"Ah! I swore a solemn oath to the Nine-Tails, how can I break my promise?"

"Then I'll gather my forces and hunt down the Nine-Tails!"

Tobirama Senju was determined to obtain the Nine-Tails.

The Nine-Tails helped him rise to the position of Hokage, how could he possibly discard it after it had served its purpose? Hashirama Senju's eyes darted around, revealing a troubled expression.

"Tobirama, the Nine-Tails is different from other tailed beasts. It's too powerful. Even I'm not confident I can defeat it. Acting rashly will only increase casualties. You must think carefully before you act."

Nine-Tailed Fox, this is all I can do to help you.

"Hehe~"

Uchiha Gin remarked that even Hashirama, who was imprisoned, had gone astray.

However, what was said in jest was taken to heart. After hearing Hashirama Senju's words, Madara Uchiha's eyes seemed to ignite with a flame, his burning gaze filled with a desire for victory.

"Hmph, since that's the case, let's first look for the Nine-Tails' trail, and while we're at it, let's investigate the other tailed beast riders in the villages to see if they're as strong as this curly-haired guy claims."

Words alone are insufficient. Although Tobirama Senju did not have any prejudice against Gin Uchiha, it is difficult to determine the danger level of the Tailed Beast Riders based solely on his account.

"Are you saying this because you don't believe me? The four of us saw it clearly: the Tailed Beast Rider wiped out those three groups of people with a wave of his hand."

Unexpectedly, this white-haired guy dared to question him, and Uchiha Gin was immediately enraged.

"Four? Aren't you a three-person team?"

Tobirama Senju blinked in confusion. He remembered that Gin Uchiha had brought two Mangekyou Sharingan users to the mission, so how did it become four people?

"Oh, there's this little brat who sneaked up on us and forced us to team up."

Recalling the sudden appearance of Senju Itama, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but roll his eyes. He had even had to pay for an extra person's shopping trip—it cost him millions!

"Who?"

"Who else could it be? My husband, of course."

"!!!"

Uchiha Gin, who was seen off at the gate by the Senju brothers in a daze, scratched his fluffy curly hair in confusion, wondering why they hadn't even mentioned writing a mission report.

"Oh dear! I forgot to ask about the dungeon!"

After taking a few steps, Uchiha Gin suddenly slapped his forehead and said with some annoyance,

"Big cousin! Wait for me~"

Just then, Madara Uchiha, who had just come out with Gin Uchiha, quickly caught up.

"You're not off work yet, are you? Being late or leaving early isn't something a good employee should do."

Gin Uchiha, who was in a bad mood, glanced at Madara Uchiha and said casually,

"I'm not an employee."

Madara Uchiha's face stiffened, but he stubbornly retorted that he was going to be the Hokage, the most powerful person in the village.

"That's true, this whole building is yours, you can leave work whenever you want~"

Misunderstanding Uchiha Gin nodded seriously, looking at the towering Hokage Building for the first time. His tone was full of sarcasm, making Uchiha Madara wish he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"Stop making fun of me, cousin. I have something to ask you."

"Oh? What's up?"

Looking at Uchiha Madara's complicated expression, Uchiha Gin had a vague idea in his mind: Could this kid have believed the lies that Hashirama used to get away with things in prison?

"If I became a Tailed Beast Rider, could I defeat Hasi Hot Mom?"

As expected, Madara Uchiha is still up to his old tricks, always wanting to outdo Hashirama Senju, and now he's even setting his sights on the Tailed Beast Riders.

"We can win, though."

Just as Uchiha Gin was about to say that they couldn't win and should just wait to die, he suddenly remembered something and replied with a strange expression,

"Is it really true?"

Madara Uchiha's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he quickly asked to confirm.

"Wrapped up~"

That's right, once my older cousin becomes the Ten-Tails Knight, defeating a vegetable will be a piece of cake!

"Thank you, cousin!"

Having received a satisfactory answer, Madara Uchiha left in a hurry. No one knew what he was going to do next. Gin Uchiha only hoped that he wouldn't do anything foolish, after all, his uncle had instructed him to take good care of the two brothers.

"As long as I become a Tailed Beast Rider, I can beat Hasi Hot Mom!"

As Madara Uchiha walked down the street, the thought of making Hashirama Senju bow his head and beg for mercy filled him with excitement, causing him to tremble all over.

Before long, he returned to the Uchiha clan's territory and went straight to the Nakagawa Shrine, which he hadn't visited in a long time. Only this place could calm Madara Uchiha down a little. He then sat cross-legged in front of the clan's ancestral stone tablet and began to meditate.

At this moment, Madara Uchiha was actually very conflicted. On one hand, he felt that the position of Hokage was rightfully his and that he did not need to rely on the power of the Tailed Beast Riders to realize his long-cherished dream. On the other hand, he really wanted to defeat Hashirama Senju once. The two thoughts clashed in his mind, making him feel extremely confused.

Just as Madara Uchiha was meditating, a black-haired figure slowly emerged from the darkness in a corner of the shrine. Black Zetsu, who had been lying in wait there for a long time, looked at Madara Uchiha with surprise, whose eyes were closed and whose face was contorted with emotion.

"He even knew to come back! I thought this generation of Indra reincarnations had finally begun!"

Even after seeing the stone tablet he had altered, Madara Uchiha did not feel the urge to purify the ninja world, which disappointed Black Zetsu, who almost gave up on this reincarnation of Indra.

It can't be carried, it simply can't be carried~

"Judging from his expression, he's probably been provoked by the reincarnation of Asura again. This is a good opportunity!"

Black Zetsu, who mistakenly believed that Madara Uchiha harbored resentment towards Hashirama Senju and thought he could cause trouble, instantly conjured up countless scenarios in his mind.

"I'm going to be a Tailed Beast Rider!"

Just as Black Zetsu was tailoring a script for Madara Uchiha, Madara, who was in meditation, suddenly stood up, his eyes flashing with a resolute light. He raised one hand and shouted in an extremely serious tone.

"ha?"

Tailed Beast Rider? What the hell?

Black Zetsu, whose inspiration was shattered by Madara Uchiha's words, was instantly dumbfounded. He knew what tailed beasts were, but the addition of the word "knight" made his brain go blank.

Am I out of touch?

Black Zetsu frowned, caught in self-doubt. Because of Madara Uchiha's blatant actions, he had lost the will to continue his plans and just wanted to wait for that curly-haired guy to be buried so he could go and defecate on his grave.

Although he didn't know what it felt like to poop~

"Phew~"

Having made up his mind, Madara Uchiha took a deep breath. The resolve in his eyes slowly turned into helplessness. After his impulsive decision, he felt somewhat lost.

As the current head of the Uchiha clan, although he is a competent handyman who doesn't usually manage clan affairs and leaves all the work to Izuna, Madara Uchiha is still the rightful head of the clan and a totem in the hearts of every Uchiha clan member.

He is currently in the evaluation period as a candidate for Hokage, and every member of the clan is convinced that the Uchiha clan will produce a second Hokage. Madara Uchiha is their pride.

If, at this crucial juncture, Madara Uchiha, driven by his personal competitive spirit, were to quietly go out to search for the Nine-Tails, how would he face his clansmen who were celebrating with champagne halfway through the match?

"Sigh, it seems like it's been a long time since we had a clan meeting." (End of Chapter)