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

Early morning, in a nocturnal setting.

After the commotion a few nights ago, the town returned to its usual tranquility. News of the extermination of the ghost that had plagued the residents for years spread like wildfire, and there were noticeably more people on the streets than before, with the previous oppressive atmosphere also easing considerably.

The mission team from Konoha is temporarily staying at the town mayor's temporary accommodation to rest due to the injuries sustained by their leader, Sarutobi Sasuke.

After a few days of rest, Sarutobi Sasuke had almost fully recovered, so he went alone to the town mayor to find out about the follow-up to the mission.

But the main purpose was to ask for information about the bounty hunter who claimed to have eliminated the ghost.

"Sigh~ My first mission went wrong, how am I going to face anyone when I get back!"

After Sarutobi Sasuke left, a resentful Hiruzen Sarutobi sat dejectedly on the threshold, wallowing in self-pity. The other children standing around him also looked as if they had lost their parents.

"Hiruzen, don't blame yourself too much. No one could have predicted that a B-rank mission would uncover so many hidden secrets."

Seeing that his teammate's mentality was deteriorating, Uchiha Kagami patted Hiruzen Sarutobi on the shoulder reassuringly and said something to comfort him.

Hearing this, the expressions of the other members softened a bit. These people, who considered themselves a new force in Konoha, were originally full of confidence for this mission, but they did not expect to end up failing.

Koharu's group was alright; their exit was peaceful, and the three of them stayed up until midnight before falling into a sweet sleep. They were only awakened by the disheveled Hiruzen Sarutobi and his two companions, and only then did they realize that such a terrifying thing had happened while they were asleep.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's team fared much worse, facing an enemy from a completely different dimension. If it weren't for Kagami Uchiha's ability to turn the tide with his wealth, the three of them would probably have perished long ago.

"Thank you, Mirror."

"You're too kind, Hiruzen. Aren't we comrades?"

Turning to look at the gentle and refined Uchiha Kagami, Hiruzen Sarutobi touched his nose and thanked him sincerely.

Meanwhile, Xiao Tuantuan, who was watching the two's friendship grow stronger, had a cold face and was practically grinding her teeth to powder.

I was right first!

I clearly used my buttocks to buy time!

I'm clearly the monkey's best friend!

"Danzo! Why aren't you thanking us? If it weren't for Kagami giving us her New Year's money, we wouldn't have been able to escape at all."

After expressing his gratitude to Uchiha Kagami, Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Danzo Shimura, who was sulking beside him, and his brows furrowed instantly.

How come this Danzo doesn't even have a shred of gratitude?

"Hiruzen, don't say that. Danzo also contributed a lot, didn't he?"

Uchiha Kagami quickly waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to thank him; it was what a comrade should do. After saying that, he looked at Danzo and said very seriously,

"Danzo, your secret technique is truly amazing. If it weren't for you, we would have died at the hands of that rogue ninja long ago."

"Haha, it's not as amazing as you say~"

Danzo was taken aback at first, but seeing that Uchiha Kagami's slightly reverent expression seemed genuine, he scratched his head smugly and gave a silly grin.

"Huh? What kind of secret technique?"

"Danzo, you were actually hiding something big!"

"Show us what you've got!"

Upon hearing this, Koharu and the other two girls immediately crowded around, urging Danzo to perform.

"Hmph~ It's said to be a secret technique, how can I just show it off like that!"

Danzo, who was being watched by several people, felt a little smug, but when he thought of himself as a young and talented man with a high social standing, he forcibly suppressed the urge to take off his pants and perform a butt escape, and waved his hand in a serious manner to refuse.

"Whoa~"

This clumsy attempt at showing off quickly drew boos, making Danzo somewhat embarrassed, and a slight blush rose on his face.

Just then, Sarutobi Sasuke, who had been gone for a while, returned. His expression was somewhat somber. Looking at the children, who had previously been frowning but were now full of energy, he reached out and beckoned them.

"Come here for a moment, I have something to say."

Upon receiving the order, the men immediately adopted serious expressions and quickly lined up to wait.

"I, as the captain, bear the main responsibility for the failure of this mission. Don't be discouraged. This was an enemy that you were not capable of dealing with. It's already quite good that you survived."

"Father, Captain Ōsarutobi, did the Hunter Knight's Sword truly vanquish the demon?"

After hearing Sarutobi Sasuke's comforting words, Hiruzen Sarutobi pursed his lips and asked,

"That's right."

Sarutobi Sasuke nodded, and the three of them—Sarutobi Hiruzen, Hiruzen, and Sarutobi Sasuke—immediately breathed a sigh of relief. They were eyewitnesses to the confrontation between Kakuzu and Kamui.

Although they didn't see the end, they still hoped that the hunter knight sword that saved them wouldn't be harmed.

"Alright, pack up, we'll head back to the village to report after lunch."

Now that their injuries had healed, there was no need for the Konoha team to stay any longer; it was time to return to the village and report the mission details.

"receive!"

"The world of hunter knights and swordsmen is still full of hidden talents."

Watching the children pack their luggage, Sarutobi Sasuke touched his still-sore wound, a complex look appearing in his eyes.

Sarutobi Sasuke had just gone to the town mayor, who told him that after the great battle that night, a mysterious ninja wearing a hood approached him, took out the belongings of the people who had been kidnapped by the demon, and said that he had already eliminated the demon.

The mayor, shocked, immediately summoned the families of the people abducted by the ghost. Only after confirming that the items were indeed the missing persons' belongings did he begin to believe what the mysterious ninja in front of him had said.

However, the usually cautious mayor still asked hesitantly,

"But even the ninja masters of Konoha are no match for demons, and you..."

The mayor's meaning was clear: even Sarutobi Sasuke, an elite Jonin of Konoha, was severely injured. How could you, a nobody who suddenly appeared, have that kind of strength?

"Why don't you even bother to find out? My Hunter Knight Sword is worth millions in no time. Is it really necessary for me to waste my time here on a mission worth less than 100,000 taels?"

The horn under the hood shook his head disdainfully. If it weren't to bring the story of Shenhuo and the other person to a close, he wouldn't have come to claim a reward for a mere 80,000 taels.

It's definitely not for the 80,000 taels!

"Are you the legendary Hunter Knight Sword?"

The town mayor was a well-informed man. He had heard about this newly emerged bounty hunter from the merchants who came and went. It was said that the hunter knight was very powerful and had even killed several strong ninjas with bounties of tens of millions.

"Hmph~"

Kakuzu snorted coldly, revealing a slight aura within him, which frightened the town mayor's old face to death. He immediately pulled out a wad of banknotes from the drawer and handed it over respectfully.

"Swish, swish, swish~"

In front of the town mayor, Kakuzu counted the 80,000 taels of silver several times before finally putting the money into his bag with satisfaction, and then left without looking back.

"Phew~ I hope he's telling the truth."

After Kakuzu left, the mayor, relieved, had a hint of anticipation in his eyes. If the demon was truly exorcised, Nozama would be able to regain its former prosperity and restore its status as a transportation hub on the Kusaka-Kabushiro route.

"I think we should hire a night watchman."

After sighing for a while, the town mayor said with a wistful expression, then spread out the papers on the table and wrote a recruitment notice with generous benefits.

"Before you leave, I'll treat you to a nice meal. Order whatever you like, eat until you're full!"

When the sun shone brightly, Sarutobi Sasuke, along with the few children who had packed their bags, arrived at the largest restaurant in town, intending to have a hearty meal before returning to Konoha.

"That guy."

As soon as he entered, his gaze was drawn to a young girl who was devouring her food. It wasn't because she was particularly beautiful, but because her ravenous eating habits were truly terrifying. The entire table was piled high with empty plates, as if she were a starving ghost reincarnated.

Beside the girl sat a slightly disheveled young man, who was grinning as he watched the girl eat with delight, his slightly narrowed eyes filled with doting affection.

"Wow! Qu Feng, that older sister eats even more than you!"

Koharu, turning to the next dorm, stared in surprise at the girl showing off her food, then nudged Akimichi Torifu, who was drooling beside her.

"Hmph~ I won't lose to her!"

The Akimichi clan is most averse to anyone saying that someone has a small appetite. Akimichi Torifu stared intently at the girl eating, and snorted unconvinced.

"Cough cough cough, take a little wind, just the right amount, we still have a long way to go~"

Secretly regretting his earlier offer to treat, Sarutobi Sasuke coughed a few times and then earnestly instructed,

"Boss! Bring me everything on the menu!"

What bad intentions could a child possibly have? Driven by his competitive spirit, Akimichi Torifu completely ignored Sarutobi Sasuke's words, waving his little hand and shouting at the restaurant owner...

"I'm sorry, we're out of stock. We only have enough ingredients left to cook two dishes."

The restaurant owner came out of the kitchen, rubbing his hands sheepishly, and said...

"what!"

The children were utterly devastated upon hearing this; such opportunities to kill someone were rare. They exchanged glances, then their gazes all fell upon Sarutobi Sasuke, whose face showed a look of relief.

"Captain Sarutobi, let's go to another place~"

"We're running out of time, let's eat here. If we're still hungry, we can buy some dry food on the way."

Sarutobi Sasuke, overjoyed, immediately pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Hmm"

The dejected children had no choice but to sit down. Seeing this, the restaurant owner immediately instructed the kitchen to speed things up, and soon two plates of vegetarian dishes were brought out.

"Eat up, eat up~"

Sarutobi Sasuke was the first to pick up his chopsticks, then urged the younger ones to hurry up and show off.

"So plain, Dad! I'm still growing!"

Seeing Sarutobi Sasuke's shamelessness, Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped even referring to himself as a plant and started pouring out his grievances as his son.

"Hiruzen, I don't remember raising you into such a spoiled and dissolute child. Where is your ninja discipline?"

Sarutobi Sasuke, secretly pleased with himself, looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was pouting, with a serious expression and said with a pained expression,

"I was wrong, Captain, I'll eat it!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, having been falsely accused by his own father, immediately admitted defeat, bitterly picking up some vegetables and stuffing them into his mouth. The bland and tasteless food made him silently weep.

"You all should eat quickly, or the food will get cold!"

"Yes"

The other children looked at each other, then picked up their chopsticks and said listlessly.

"My Lord, what are you laughing at?"

At another table, Mako, now back to human form, had just finished enjoying a rare human meal when she noticed the transformed Shinka beside her, smiling as she watched several children eating vegetables with long faces. Curious, she asked…

"It's nothing, I just think the kids are cute."

The divine fire, disguised as something else, shook its head with a smile.

Confused, Mako glanced at the children eating, her gaze lingering for a moment on the impressive rear of one of the black-haired kids. For some reason, she suddenly swallowed unconsciously, then looked at the empty plate in her hands.

"Phew~ I'm finally about 80% full. My Lord, what do we do next?"

"Well, let's find a job first. You've already eaten up most of my savings."

Shenhuo stroked his chin, recalling his empty wallet, and decided to find a job to support his family.

"I'm sorry, but I'm really hungry~"

Although Shenhuo's words were meant as a joke, Zhenzi clearly took them seriously. A look of guilt immediately appeared on her small face as she pitifully tugged at the corner of the young man's arm and softly apologized.

"Mmm, Mako, eat as much as you want. I'll take care of you for the rest of your life!"

Looking at the delicate and alluring girl, Shinka's heart began to pound uncontrollably. He then patted his chest and assured Mako that...

Hehe~

Mako squinted her eyes happily; she had finally gotten the happy ending she wanted.

After finishing their meal, the two left first. While walking down the street, Shenhuo suddenly noticed a large crowd gathered not far away. Driven by curiosity, he took Zhenzi over and discovered that it was a newly posted job advertisement.

"The benefits are great! The salary is so high, and they even provide housing."

Upon closer reading, Shenhuo, who had just been worrying about making a living, suddenly had a bright idea. It was like a pillow coming to someone who was sleepy. So, amidst the surprised gazes of the onlookers, he went up, tore off the notice, and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Young man! You're not from around here, are you?"

An elderly man with white hair in the crowd quickly grabbed the divine fire.

"Yes, my husband and I have just arrived here and are preparing to settle down here permanently."

Shenhuo looked at the seemingly familiar white-haired old man before him, his eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded.

"Oh dear, no wonder! You didn't know our town is haunted."

Although some said the ghost had been exorcised, the former mayor, skeptical, couldn't bear to watch the young stranger die, so he prepared to tell Shenhuo about the ghost.

"Thank you so much, sir. I may not be good at much else, but I'm incredibly brave. I'm not afraid of anything supernatural or ghostly!"

Shenhuo interrupted the former mayor, who was about to continue speaking, bowed to him, and then took Zhenzi to apply for the job.

From that day on, a night watchman was added to the village. Every night, the townspeople would sleep even more soundly as soon as they heard his gong.

"Mirror, didn't those two people look familiar?"

Leaving the town, the F6 sped through the woods, followed by Sarutobi Sasuke humming a cheerful tune. Recalling the couple he'd just encountered at the restaurant, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt they looked vaguely familiar.

"Now that you mention it, it does seem like I've seen this somewhere before."

Uchiha Kagami frowned, thought carefully for a moment, and realized that the figures of the man and woman were somewhat familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere before.

"Hey~ There aren't many people in that town, maybe you bumped into each other while you were shopping."

Danzo, who was following closely behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, stepped between the two and interrupted them.

"Well, that's possible too~"

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Kagami Uchiha exchanged a glance, then dismissed their concerns and started running towards home.

On the other side, a huge, fiery red figure was also traveling non-stop. In order not to expose his whereabouts, Uchiha Madara chose a route that was rarely traveled by people, which was much farther than taking the main road.

Madara Uchiha sat comfortably atop the Nine-Tails' head, toying with the Nine-Tails card that radiated a slight heat in his hand, his sharply defined eyebrows furrowed into a deep frown.

"Humans, I need to eat!"

Suddenly, a sharp, suppressed roar interrupted Madara Uchiha's thoughts. The sound came from the Nine-Tails beneath him, who was both bull and horse. Looking down at the aggrieved expression in the crimson beast's eyes, Madara gently shook his head.

"I have no money~"

Madara Uchiha spoke with such confidence that Kurama (the Nine-Tails) wanted nothing more than to bite this despicable human to death, but alas, its strength wouldn't allow it!

"Didn't you go to the human town before? How come you came back empty-handed? Could it be that..."

The ravenous Nine-Tails, remembering Madara Uchiha's promise a few days earlier that he would bring it food, felt a surge of anger, and then began to view this human with extreme malice.

"Could it be something?"

Raising an eyebrow curiously, Madara Uchiha wanted to hear what Kurama (the Nine-Tails) had to say.

"You're not going to eat it all by yourself, are you?"

It wasn't that Kurama was maliciously slandering them; after Madara Uchiha returned from town that day, he refused to eat or drink, which inevitably made Kurama think that he had forgotten his brothers after eating and drinking his fill.

"snort!"

Unexpectedly, this big fox looked at him like that. Madara Uchiha immediately snorted coldly, and the pressure instantly shifted to Kurama.

"Oh dear, why are you getting angry? We've known each other for a while now, let's not make things so awkward~"

Having been brutally beaten by Susanoo, the Nine-Tails immediately became obedient. Its huge fox face carried a hint of ingratiation, and it spoke of human relationships and social customs, making Madara Uchiha take a few more glances at it.

If it weren't for the old man's sake, I would have swallowed you whole!

The Nine-Tails, outwardly smiling but inwardly cursing, can only use the Sage of Six Paths as an excuse to cover up his true intentions.

"Hey, Nine-Tails, do you recognize this?"

Madara Uchiha, who had been studying the Tailed Beast Cards on an empty stomach for several days, thought for a moment and then showed the Tailed Beast Cards in his hand to Kurama.

"Sizzle!!!"

As Kurama was running, it glanced at the small card in Madara Uchiha's hand and suddenly realized that it had its own aura on it. It was so shocked that it slammed on the brakes and almost threw the man on its head off.

"You want to get beaten up?"

With a dark expression, Madara Uchiha steadied himself, jumped in front of Kurama, and glared at it with his scarlet eyes, preparing to loosen its bones.

"Bean sack!"

Kurama immediately bowed in submission, but its eyes remained fixed on the card in Madara Uchiha's hand, not moving an inch.

"Human, where did you get this card?"

Sensing the familiar yet unfamiliar aura emanating from the card, the nine-tailed fox's little brain was a bit confused. After sniffing, it cautiously asked,

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. Just tell me if you know them or not."

I was the one asking the question, and this guy dared to ask me a question back. Looks like I haven't beaten him enough.

"I know him! But I also feel like I don't."

Startled by Madara Uchiha's gaze, Kurama clenched its legs in fear, but the empty space between its legs made it feel utterly insecure. It then tucked its nine tails inside, experiencing an instant surge of fullness, which finally gave it the courage to answer.

"If you can't speak properly, you should shut up."

Standing before Kurama, Madara Uchiha's face turned ashen from the stench of Kurama's breath. He was utterly dissatisfied with Kurama's ambiguous answer, and the blue phantom behind him was about to solidify.

"Ouch~ What are you doing! I know, I know, this contains my chakra~"

Its small frame couldn't withstand the ravages of a giant; the Nine-Tails immediately recognized the chakra within the Tailed Beast Cards.

"Do you remember who stole your chakra?"

"pull out?"

When asked this question by Madara Uchiha, Kurama immediately fell into deep thought, gradually recalling the events from a thousand years ago. However, as it investigated, it found no record of its chakra being drained.

"It seems like I haven't been scammed before."

Kurama shook his head, his expression genuine. Madara Uchiha wasn't satisfied with this answer. If Kurama hadn't been captured, how did Kamen Rider Decade create this Tailed Beast card?

"You better think about it carefully!"

Suspecting that Kurama was lying, Madara Uchiha gave him a threatening look.

"Wait! I remember now! Waaaaah!"

The Nine-Tails, with its tail tucked between its legs, suddenly lowered its head, and then tears the size of human eyes slowly dripped from its beastly pupils. This scene completely baffled Madara Uchiha.

"Why are you crying? I haven't even laid a hand on you yet!"

Even though he hadn't even piloted his Gundam, why was this big fox crying? Madara Uchiha, who had never encountered such a situation before, was momentarily flustered.

"Waaaaah, why am I so miserable! Kunkun is gone, and my belly is still throbbing. Old man, how could you be so cruel!"

The Nine-Tails, seemingly suffering a mental breakdown, started throwing a tantrum on the ground, kicking up dust that blotted out the sky. Madara Uchiha rubbed his temples in exasperation, and finally, having no other choice, shouted at the rolling Nine-Tails...

"Alright, alright, I'll bring you something delicious when we get to the next town. Stop fooling around and tell me what happened."

Whether it was Madara Uchiha's promise or not, Kurama immediately stopped its tantrum, staring intently at Madara Uchiha with its eyes fixed on him. After licking its lips, it asked,

"Is it really true?"

"Really~"

"I want chicken, a big roast chicken!"

The nine-tailed fox rolled its eyes and named the food it had been longing for.

"Okay, okay, I'll buy you whatever you want to eat!"

Madara Uchiha thought for a moment. He hadn't opened his cousin's storage scroll yet, and there should be money inside, enough for this fox to have a meal. So he nodded in agreement.

Out of respect for the Sage of Six Paths, Kurama decided to trust Indra's descendant one more time. She straightened up and spoke to the waiting Madara Uchiha in a slightly melancholic tone.

"I lost my dignity as a male beast in the Land of Lightning." (End of Chapter)