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

Realizing he had made a blunder, Uchiha Gin hurriedly returned to the dark little room, only to find that the Black Prisoner, who had been instantly defeated by Tsukuyomi, was now lying peacefully on the ground, his face, which resembled Vajra Buddha, even had a "happy" smile on it, as if he had been having a Midsummer Night's Dream.

"I'm so sorry, Master Banana."

With a raised hand, he channeled a healing chakra into the body of the renowned healing master of the Land of Lightning. Uchiha Gin then sincerely apologized to the slowly awakening Banana-kun.

"It's alright. A truly free man doesn't concern himself with trifles."

Upon waking, Banana-kun, with a smile symbolizing freedom on his face, waved to Uchiha Gin.

He only remembered inexplicably falling into a coma, and then, in a red space, enduring inhuman torture from various props.

"Truly worthy of being a renowned master in the ninja world, such magnanimity is truly admirable."

After experiencing a massage from this physiotherapy master, Uchiha Gin, feeling guilty, reached for his backpack, wanting to offer this true master some emotional compensation.

"Master Banana, where are you headed next?"

Uchiha Gin pulled out a gold brick and asked, "During my conversation with Banana-kun, I learned that he was leaving the Land of Hot Springs today."

"I have been traveling for several months and am preparing to go home and retreat for a while to study the new techniques I just learned in my dream."

"go home?"

"That's right, let's go back to Kumogakure."

Banana-kun's home is in Kumogakure, the Hidden Cloud Village in the Land of Lightning. In his youth, he was a talented Lightning Release ninja, but unfortunately, he suffered psychological trauma during a mission and gave up the path of a ninja, becoming a physiotherapist instead.

"I see."

Isn't that a coincidence?

A flash of golden light appeared in the hand holding the gold brick behind Uchiha Gin, and a small character for "candy" was imprinted on one corner of the gold brick out of thin air.

"Master, this is my apology; please do not refuse it."

"How could I possibly accept this?"

So what do you mean by stuffing gold bricks into your spicy root?

After tearfully bidding farewell to Banana-kun, who exuded a philosophical aura, Uchiha Gin looked up at the sky. Judging by the two women's speed, they should be arriving soon.

Hundreds of miles away from the Land of Hot Springs, two figures, one red and one blue, clashed fiercely above the clouds. The resulting shockwaves tore several terrifying wounds into the thick clouds.

The red figure, slightly ahead, kept throwing red magatama at the blue figure behind.

"Hmph! If you can't outrun them, you resort to dirty tricks, huh?"

Dodging the Yasaka Magatama with agility, Tsukihime Otsutsuki, in her Tenseigan mode, had a mocking look in her blue eyes.

"This is a prop race, so go ahead and use yours if you want!"

Uchiha Hikari, who gained a temporary lead through almost shameless tactics, felt no shame whatsoever for her actions. In her view, it didn't matter what means she used, as long as she could win.

"Despicable."

Since you put it that way, I won't hold back!

Ōtsutsuki Tsukihime's eyes narrowed immediately, and she raised her hand to aim at the cherry-red Susanoo in front of her, unleashing a blue-green orb of light.

[Rosary Light Cannon]

Bang bang bang bang

Countless chakra beads, as dense as a barrage of bullets, struck the back of Uchiha Hikaru Susanoo, producing a crackling sound.

"Hmm"

Although this attack couldn't break through the armor of the complete Susanoo, the impact of its penetration made Uchiha Hikaru in the cockpit quite uncomfortable.

"hateful."

Stunned and disoriented, Uchiha Hikaru turned and stared intently at the smirking Otsutsuki Tsukihime with his crimson eyes. Manipulating Susanoo, he drew his massive cleaver from his waist, black flames instantly engulfing the blade.

Dance of the Swords

With a swing of the giant wood-chopping knife carrying Amaterasu, the cherry-red sword energy, carrying inextinguishable black flames, rushed towards the relentlessly pursuing Tsukihime Otsutsuki at an extremely fast speed.

"Well done!"

Faced with this devastating attack, Tsukihime Otsutsuki did not choose to dodge. Instead, her eyes gleamed with fighting spirit. She raised her hands and condensed several chakra beads. With her thought, these beads began to spin rapidly, and the resulting silver halo swirled into an enormous tornado.

"Yinlunjuan is born and explodes."

Rumble!

The Silver Wheel's Explosion collided with the sword energy imbued with Amaterasu, and the resulting shockwave dispersed the layers of dark clouds in the sky, revealing the blazing sun that had been hiding behind them.

"Again!"

After dispersing the sword energy, Tsukihime Ōtsutsuki chased after him with the Silver Wheel of Life and Death, engaging in a melee battle called the Item Race with Hikaru Uchiha in the air.

At this point, some people might ask, "Didn't you say you wouldn't fight and would only compete in speed? Why are the two of you throwing magatama, firing light cannons, and finally pulling out the Silver Wheel Transformation Explosion?"

Isn't it normal to use missiles and tornadoes in item races?

Border of the Land of Hot Springs

Entering the final sprint, Uchiha Hikaru no longer cared about throwing away trash and instead focused all his attention on controlling the Gundam, accelerating towards the boundary marker of the Land of Hot Springs.

Behind her, Tsukihime Otsutsuki, who was closely following, also dispelled the cumbersome Silver Wheel Transformation Explosion in her hands. Under her vigorous exertion, her azure chakra cloak became even thicker, and her speed increased, surpassing Susanoo in the blink of an eye.

"How could I possibly lose to you!"

The instant Ōtsutsuki Tsukihime overtook Uchiha Hikaru, she glanced at her defeated opponent with utter contempt.

"Little Dark, help me!"

Sensing defeat, Uchiha Hikaru knew that she might truly lose to this sullen-eyed woman on her own. Unwilling to accept defeat, she shouted towards the other person slumbering in her sea of ​​consciousness.

"Heh heh heh, you should know what terrible price you'll have to pay to get my help, right?"

Little Darkness, lurking in the shadows, chuckled sinisterly.

Since the twins of light and darkness were born, the chakra within Hikari Uchiha's body has been divided in two, with light and darkness each controlling half of the body's chakra. Therefore, normally, they can only exert half of their original strength.

Even if it's only half of that, it's already an existence that ordinary people can't match.

However, against Tsukihime Otsutsuki, half of Hikaru Uchiha's chakra was insufficient.

"I don't know, I'll let you go first next time!"

Despite his struggle, Uchiha Hikaru agreed to An's request in less than a second.

"Hehehe, the contract is established. You can have these powers!"

Xiao An smiled contentedly. As long as she could personally tailor that curly hair, what did a little effort matter? With that, she raised her hand and sent out a surge of powerful chakra.

"Susanoo, activate Super Transformation Form!"

Sensing the primal power surging into his body, the patterns in Uchiha Hikaru's eyes began to spin rapidly, and the cherry-red Susanoo, stimulated by this power, began to undergo an unimaginable transformation.

"Hmph~ Winning streaks are like drinking water."

The boundary marker of the Land of Hot Water had come into view. Ōtsutsuki Tsukihime raised an eyebrow smugly, preparing to mock her defeated opponent, but unexpectedly witnessed a scene that left her speechless.

Kakaku Kaka!

The Susanoo, with its wings spread, began to transform as it was enveloped in cherry-red light particles.

The wings behind Susanoo transformed into open wings, its legs retracted into its body and became two black exhaust pipes, and its arms stretched out in front of its head, transforming into the canards of a fighter jet. The entire body became extremely streamlined and exuded a sense of speed.

[Susanoo - J20 Form]

"What the hell is this?"

Having never seen anything like this before, Tsukihime Otsutsuki momentarily forgot that the match was still going on. As she watched the cherry-red Susanoo transform from a humanoid Gundam into an airplane-shaped creature, she almost lost her footing and fell from the sky.

"Hmph~"

Sitting in the driver's seat, Uchiha Hikari could clearly feel that her current speed was far greater than before. Looking at Otsutsuki Tsukihime, who was turning around in astonishment, she snorted coldly and pressed the acceleration button.

In J20 form, Susanoo's tail instantly spews out dazzling flames, and several pairs of Mach rings are clearly visible.

swoosh~

Otsutsuki Tsukihime only felt a flash of red light before her eyes, and Uchiha Hikari, who had just been hovering behind her, had disappeared without a trace, and she could not even sense her presence.

Turning her head again, Tsukihime Otsutsuki saw Hikaru Uchiha gracefully disembarking from the plane behind the border marker of the Land of Hot Springs.

"Being outmatched by the J-20 is understandable, there's no need to feel ashamed."

Uchiha Hikaru watched with great delight as Otsutsuki Tsukihime slowly landed. She deliberately waited until the other party arrived before slowly dispersing the cherry-red fighter jets parked behind her.

"I lost this time."

Looking helplessly at the dissipating cherry-red fighter jet, the opponent's unpredictable speed was indeed much stronger than her own. Tsukihime Otsutsuki was not the kind of person to play dirty tricks. Her upbringing as the head of the Otsutsuki clan made her accept defeat with equanimity.

"Yay! I won! Gintoki, hurry up and get the prize ready!"

After her victory, Uchiha Hikari raised her hands high, but when she turned around, she found that there was no one behind her. Meanwhile, Otsutsuki Tsukihime, who was opposite her, stared wide-eyed, as if she had remembered something.

"Gin!!!"

Both women were a bit caught up in the competition, their minds filled with the mosaic-like scene of winning prizes, and they subconsciously forgot about Uchiha Gin standing next to them.

"What do we do? What do we do!"

They are now separated from Uchiha Gin by the entire Land of Fire, and at his speed, it will probably take him almost a day to arrive.

"Isn't your J-20 fast? Go pick him up!"

Ōtsutsuki Tsukihime frowned and suggested,

"Borrow again, and the price will double!"

"Cough cough cough, this move of mine is a forbidden technique, the price of which is extremely terrifying, and it should not be used lightly."

As the mocking voice of Xiao An echoed in his mind, Uchiha Hikaru, who was just about to communicate, instantly turned a few shades pale, and then shook his head to explain.

"Master Guang, meow~"

Just as Uchiha Hikaru and Otsutsuki Tsukihime were discussing returning to pick up their people, a tanuki carrying a small bag emerged from the forest.

"Uh, what are you doing here?"

Uchiha Hikaru looked at the ninja cats in front of him with suspicion. These talking cats were from the ninja cat clan, which was on good terms with the Uchiha clan and was responsible for providing them with information.

"It's a message from Lord Gin's spirit in the ethereal realm, meow~"

The tanuki licked the paw pads, then shook a scroll out of the small bag on its back and pushed it in front of Uchiha Hikaru.

"A-Gin's message?"

Somewhat speechless, Uchiha Hikaru picked up the scroll and, without a second thought, unrolled it.

[To Xiaoguang:]

You two are really going too far, leaving me all alone here. But it's good that you two can get to know each other while I'm gone. Tsukihime is actually a kind and good girl, but she's been imprisoned for many years, so her personality is bound to have some flaws. You two should get to know each other and stop fighting every time you meet.

I can go there myself, no need to look for me. Enjoy the hot springs!

Uchiha Gintoki

"What did he write?"

Seeing Uchiha Hikaru silently holding the scroll, Otsutsuki Tsukihime curiously approached. However, upon hearing Uchiha Gin's comments about her, a blush crept across her fair face.

A good girl, huh?

Recalling her actions after using the Sleeping Tea, Tsukihime Otsutsuki was filled with shame.

He looks at me like that, and I actually did that kind of thing, I deserve to die!

"How long have you been detained?"

After a long pause, Uchiha Hikaru silently closed the scroll, looked at Otsutsuki Tsukihime with a strange look of shame on her face, and let out a soft sigh.

"I've been up there since I was born."

While immersed in guilt, Tsukihime Otsutsuki frowned upon hearing this strange question, thinking that the other party was asking how long she had been imprisoned on the moon.

"I understand. Let's go, let's soak in the hot springs while we wait for him."

It turns out that this woman who rolled her eyes had also been imprisoned for many years.

Uchiha Hikaru's sharp gaze softened slightly. She tucked the scroll into her bosom, turned around, and waved to the bewildered Otsutsuki Tsukihime.

Uchiha Gin originally meant that Tsukihime Otsutsuki had been confined to the moon for too long, but Uchiha Hikaru misunderstood and thought that she had experienced a long period of imprisonment like herself.

"They're here."

Upon hearing the words "hot spring," Tsukihime Otsutsuki's eyes lit up. Although Hikaru Uchiha's sudden change in attitude left her somewhat bewildered, it did not prevent her from enjoying the legendary hot spring.

Welcome!

The white-haired woman looked up and greeted the two graceful figures entering the room.

"Boss, both of you."

Led by Tsukihime Otsutsuki, Hikaru Uchiha followed his memory and, with a try-it-out attitude, found the hot spring town he had visited many years ago. Unexpectedly, the hot spring shop he had once frequented was still in business.

"What kind of package would you like?"

"A regular hot spring package will suffice."

Looking at the elderly woman with a full head of white hair before him, and seeing Uchiha Hikaru refuse the inexplicable set meal offered on the wall, a hint of melancholy flashed in his dark eyes.

The theory of lifespan is embodied at this moment.

"It's a pity you two arrived a little too late, otherwise you could have experienced Master Banana's unique therapy techniques."

The old woman handed the playing cards and brand-new yukatas to Uchiha Hikaru and Uchiha Kyou. She shook her head with a hint of regret, her greyish-white eyes sweeping over the two women's faces before a look of astonishment crossed her own.

"This customer looks familiar. Is this your first time here?"

"Mother, you've got it wrong again, haven't you?"

Just then, the current owner, who had just seen Banana-kun off, lifted the shop curtain and walked in. Hearing her mother's words, she glanced at Uchiha Hikaru and the other woman, then said to the old woman with a hint of helplessness,

"This is my second time. I had a very comfortable soak last time."

Seeing that the woman who appeared was suspicious of the old woman, Uchiha Hikaru nodded lightly, then pulled Otsutsuki Tsukihime, who was studying a yukata, and walked into the door with the sign "Woman".

"Huh? Such a beautiful girl, I'm sure I'll remember her."

Watching Uchiha Hikaru's disappearing figure, the boss tilted his head and racked his brains for a long time, but still couldn't find any related memories.

"Perhaps it happened a long time ago." (End of Chapter)