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

Chapter 423 The Long-Awaited Main Storyline

"Master, you've already examined the meteorite, and now you've examined my body..."

Seeing that the monk didn't show the covetousness he had expected, but instead frowned slightly with a look of disdain, the Star Ninja leader breathed a sigh of relief and asked again.

"As long as you stop absorbing the chakra from this, your body will naturally recover."

The monk turned around, his gaze falling on the leader of the Star Ninja, and shook his head almost imperceptibly.

They thought the treasure of the Star Village would be the chakra left over from the Divine Tree, but it turned out to be just fragments of bark, which could not be used as nourishment for the Ten-Tails at all.

Logically, after the Divine Tree was uprooted, there should have been residual chakra.

Where exactly is it?

"Is that really true?"

The leader of the Star Ninjas was delighted. He had experienced the monk's miraculous abilities before, so he subconsciously believed what the monk said.

"If you still have concerns, I can give you a dose of medicine."

Looking at the humble leader of the Star Ninja Village, the monk took out a dark pill from his pocket and casually tossed it over.

"Thank you for the medicine, Master!"

Hastily accepting the pill, and under the threat of death, the leader of the Star Ninja Village, without suspicion, swallowed it directly.

"Mmm."

As soon as the pill entered his stomach, he felt a scorching heat explode within him, transforming into a powerful life force that began to repair the body damaged by the meteorite's chakra.

"I have no way to repay your life-saving grace. May I ask what you need, Master? I am willing to do everything in my power to help you."

Upon discovering that his physical condition had improved, the leader of the Star Ninja Village bowed deeply in reverence.

"You? You're not qualified."

Too lazy to even glance at the lowly leader of the Star Village, Jigen, having gained nothing from this trip, turned and left, unmoved by the promises made by the village chief.

Such weak and ignorant humans are not worthy of being my pawns.

A glint of light flickered in Cixian's eyes as his figure gradually disappeared into the darkness.

"A master? A master!"

After waiting for a long time without receiving a response, the leader of Xingren Village looked up in fear, only to find that the monk who had just been in the secret room had vanished without a trace.

"clatter!"

In the forests of the Land of Bears, a dark red hole tore through space, and a foot stepped out from it—it was the mysterious monk who had just been in the Star Ninja Village.

"It's time to consider reincarnation."

Feeling a slight weakness in her body, Cixian frowned slightly.

The pills he gave to the leader of Hoshigakure were chakra pills that Jigen had refined from a few foolish rogue ninjas. For him, as a member of the Otsutsuki clan, they weren't even considered snacks.

But even this simple operation made him feel a moment of exhaustion, indicating that his current body could not support the moment the fruit was formed and could only serve as nourishment for the divine tree.

His consciousness and power are perpetuated forever through the Karma, a unique material of the Otsutsuki clan.

"It's all Kaguya's fault, that stupid woman."

If it weren't for Kaguya Otsutsuki's betrayal, he would have already left this barren planet, gone to the next region to refine the fruit, joined the glorious evolution, and become the new Otsutsuki God.

"But she deserved it; that greedy woman was sealed away by the power she herself had created."

Cixian raised her head, gazing at the sky, a mocking smile playing on her lips.

"After I eat this fruit, it will be your end."

As she spoke, Cixian glanced at the black hole beside her. In the darkness, a half-closed scarlet pupil emitted a violent light.

"But before that, I need to find some help."

Although he has been traveling in the ninja world for a thousand years, Jigen has always acted as a lone wolf.

This body can only last for less than a hundred years at most. Before finding a suitable vessel, he must first build a team to serve him.

Leaf.

The long-awaited Hokage handover ceremony is just around the corner. Countless tourists from the Land of Fire have traveled thousands of miles to Konoha just to participate in this rare spectacle.

To capitalize on this windfall, merchants from several different factions in Konoha surprisingly formed a collaborative alliance. Led by the Uchiha clan, and with the full support of the merchant guilds of both Naruto and Uzumaki countries, production lines were running at full capacity, producing Naruto-related merchandise.

Suddenly, the streets were filled with merchandise featuring Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, which tourists loved.

"Boss! How much is this 'Motorla' bond card?"

A woman with posters of the Hashirama/Banana couple plastered all over her back excitedly picked up an exquisite sign from the stall and eagerly asked the red-haired shop owner for details.

"A special offer of 1000 taels! Now, if you purchase the Haxi Hot Mom's Hand Badge, both are only 1999 taels!"

Having shed the naivety of his youth, Masahiko now has a shrewd glint in his eyes, showing that he has learned the essence of a cunning businessman from his grandfather.

"Wow! Such a great deal! Give me three!"

The woman was already dazzled by the dazzling array of surrounding items, so she immediately opened her wallet and bought three sets of cards without hesitation.

As for why there are three copies, one is for personal viewing, one is for collection and preservation, and one is for spreading the religion.

"Thank you for your patronage. By the way, we also have rare editions of letters from branch secretaries. If you'd like, I can give you a discount."

After accepting the money with a smile, Masahiko Uzumaki's eyes darted around, and he mysteriously took out a set of photos from the shelf that weren't yet circulating in the market, handing them over.

"Pah! That white-haired Party Secretary, even a dog wouldn't look at him!"

"The vice-chairman of the Uchiha clan makes a cameo appearance."

"Ahem, well then I'll reluctantly buy three sets."

As expected, products with a couple pairing sell better.

"Father, did you see that?"

Standing atop the Uchiha Building, overlooking the entire Hidden Leaf Village, Uchiha Tomoya, with his domineering gaze sweeping across the land, stood with his arms outstretched in a huddled embrace.

"What are you seeing? Some unknown photo album bearing my name?"

Behind him, Uchiha Izuna, his face grim, coldly questioned,

"Uh, this is the business empire I built for my family."

Uchiha Tomoyuki's expression froze. He hadn't expected that the photobook featuring his father and Tobirama Senju would circulate so quickly, with sales skyrocketing and showing signs of surpassing the popularity of the First Hokage and his uncle's photobook.

"This really wasn't my idea!"

"Hmph! You brat, you dare to talk back? You think you're all grown up now?"

Uchiha Izuna clenched his fists, his eyes gradually turning crimson. He decided to teach this rebellious son who had sold out his father for money a lesson.

"It's my eldest cousin! This was all his idea!"

Feeling the chilling power emanating from his father's eyes, Uchiha Yuu had no choice but to betray his personal strategist.

"Phew, I knew it! How could someone your age come up with something so insidious?"

After forcing the truth out of him, Uchiha Izuna exhaled a breath of stale air, revealing an expression that said, "Just as I expected."

"Oh? Who's talking about me behind my back?"

I started with full energy, a 60-second Vajra Body Susanoo Buddha, and after landing, I had a zero-frame attack with no aftercast delay as Yang Jian.

You actually called me cunning?

"Ah! Big cousin, I was just praising your wisdom and bravery, and you overheard me. I'm so embarrassed~"

Before Uchiha Izuna could finish his slander, a familiar, lazy voice rang in his ear, startling him so much that his sphincter tightened. He immediately changed his tune, and a fawning smile spread across his face.

"Basic operations are not to be underestimated."

Ignoring my younger cousin's dissatisfaction, I told him to keep it to himself, as making money is no shameful thing.

"Uncle! The operating method you taught me was definitely correct!"

He dashed over to Uchiha Gin in a flash, rubbing his hands together like a fly, looking at his usually sleazy cousin with eyes full of admiration.

"I call this resource intensive management, striving to maximize efficiency."

Uchiha Gin smiled and nodded. Under his guidance, Uchiha Fuyu broke down the entire commercialization process into three parts.

The promotion was handled by the dashing Uchiha clan, the Land of Waves provided the main source of goods due to its high production efficiency, and the Land of Whirlpools, which is good at stirring up customers' emotions, took charge of driving sales.

The three swords combined to dominate the entire market, leaving the other clans and ninja families drooling with envy, only able to lick the scraps from the sidelines.

Do you really think that Huiyuan Shenbao, which we co-produced, will have a market?

In the quietest corner of the shopping street, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio watched helplessly as tourists frantically crowded into the Uchiha merchandise store, exchanging a disheartened glance.

"How about we ask the second generation to be our spokesperson?"

Finally, a member offered a valuable suggestion: with the added boost of celebrity endorsement, their long-stocked medicinal wine would surely sell out.

"However, our product is primarily aimed at men who can't straighten their backs, like the second-generation 'adult'."

"How will you know if you don't try? If I remember correctly, just a few days ago, the vice-head of the Uchiha clan was endorsing sanitary napkins."

Uchiha Building.

"Snapped!"

Madara Uchiha slammed a string of extremely embarrassing swear words on the table, gritted his teeth, and raised his head, glaring almost murderously at Gin Uchiha, who looked completely indifferent.

"Big cousin, don't go too far!"

"What's so surprising? Izuna's even endorsing women's products now, you should be secretly happy~"

Uchiha Gin, who had been bribed with a large sum of money, showed no regard for his younger brothers' feelings and would do anything as long as they were paid.

"No way! This would make Haxi's hot mom laugh at me for the rest of her life."

Madara Uchiha shook his head vigorously. Izuna may be shameless, but he is. He can ask his older cousin for money again, but once he loses face, it's truly gone.

"Sigh~ I won't force you. As long as you nod, we have a professional team that will transform into your spokesperson throughout the entire process, guaranteeing 100% accuracy."

"Huh? This actually works?"

Madara Uchiha was dumbfounded by what he heard.

"Otherwise, where do you think those photos came from? I don't have the ability to make white hair disappear like that."

Uchiha Gin scratched his ear, his voice strong despite his lack of conviction.

"Bang!!!"

With a deafening crash, the tightly closed door was smashed to pieces by brute force. A figure emanating a cold blue light strode in, its scarlet eyes filled with palpable killing intent as it stared directly at the culprit behind the entire endorsement incident.

"Damn curly hair!"

"Oh my, isn't this our most respected Party Secretary? You've finally decided to come out of your office?"

Faced with a killing intent powerful enough to stun a Jonin, Uchiha Gin smiled wryly and quickly rose to meet it.

The person in front of him is now his benefactor. The sales of his collectible photo album are still rising steadily, and it's almost to the point where it's hard to find a copy. The printing press in the Land of Waves is practically smoking.

"Snapped!"

Slamming a book down in front of Uchiha Gin, Tobirama Senju pointed at the cover image of himself stripped down to three layers, his icy voice practically squeezed out from between his teeth.

"I'll give you three seconds to explain."

"3".

"My older cousin?"

Uchiha Gin first glanced at Uchiha Madara, only to find that the latter was pretending not to see him, engrossed in flipping through the overturned report.

"2".

"I met the wrong person."

"1!"

With a sigh, Gin Uchiha shook his head and could only take out a pre-prepared plan from his backpack.

"This is your portrait rights royalty statement."

shuh~

With a flash of blue light, Uchiha Gin felt a blur before his eyes, and the bill he had just been holding was now in Senju Tobirama's hand.

Uchiha Gin's lifeless eyes subtly fell on Senju Tobirama, who was flipping through the bills, a thoughtful expression on his face.

It wasn't a clone; has the real body finally returned?

"Oh? Oh! Oh~"

Holding the bill, Tobirama Senju's expression went through three distinct phases in just a few seconds before finally settling on a kind and benevolent look.

"Are there really that many?"

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

Waving the bill in his hand, Tobirama Senju was somewhat incredulous.

"Of course not."

Uchiha Gin shook his head.

"You dare to play me!"

"This is just the first batch of profit sharing from the photo albums; the ones currently circulating in the market are from the third batch."

"Sorry, I'll go buy a door right away!"

A flash of blue light appeared, and Tobirama Senju appeared before Gin Uchiha carrying a brand-new door. He skillfully removed the broken old door and replaced it with the new one he had just bought.

Creak~

Tobirama Senju's expression froze as he tried to push the door open.

"There's still a strange noise; I'll go right now."

"No need. Izuna is the best at repairing doors. We can have him adjust it later."

Uchiha Gin waved his hand magnanimously.

When it comes to repairing doors, he only trusts Master Izuna.

Tobirama Senju stood up dejectedly, his apologetic expression suddenly changing.

"Wait a minute, I almost fell for your trick, you curly-haired bastard!"

I came here to confront them, how could I sell my body for this... pile of money!

"What are you dissatisfied with? I've already given you the highest possible share of the profits."

Scratching his head helplessly, Uchiha Gin hadn't expected that the white-haired guy's appetite would grow so large after he became an official.

"This has nothing to do with money, it's about my reputation..."

"I really can't do anything with you, so I'll give you another 10% then."

"I am the village secretary of Konoha, wielding both military and political power, second only to the village head..."

"Twenty percent, it would be impolite to perform again."

"Thirty percent!"

"Deal, but I need you to attend the photo book launch in person and have some harmless little interaction with Izuna."

"really?"

Tobirama Senju regretted asking for too low a price; he should have been more assertive and asked for 50% directly.

"Why don't you go out and ask around? My reputation as Uchiha Gin is famous for being honest and trustworthy."

Reputation?

After sizing up Uchiha Gin, Tobirama Senju frowned suspiciously.

Are you even associated with this word?

"Don't look at me like that, I know what you're thinking~"

After a clumsy imitation of the opening lines of a certain medieval boss, Uchiha Gin turned around, picked up the contract on Uchiha Madara's desk, and hastily crossed out the name on it, filling in Senju Tobirama's name instead.

"Take a look, it should be about what we discussed."

After all, Gin Uchiha wasn't some kind of demon. The endorsement contract he signed with Madara Uchiha included a 40% cut of the profits, making him arguably the most conscientious person in the ninja world.

"Hmm... It's a real shame you're a member of the Uchiha clan."

After checking it several times, the suspicion on Tobirama Senju's face gradually dissipated, and he signed his name with a flourish.

"With the leadership transition ceremony just around the corner, I'll let this go for now, this violation of your portrait rights. Next time..."

"Okay, okay."

At worst, we can just blur it out with black bars next time.

"You'll have to pay more."

"???"

……

Leaving the Uchiha building that had made him feel so uncomfortable, Tobirama Senju glanced down at the contract in his hand and a look of relief appeared on his face.

"It's a pleasant surprise; at least the hole can finally be patched up."

As the controversy surrounding the photo album escalated, the shadow clone stationed in Konoha could no longer remain idle and went to inform the main body overnight.

If you don't come back, then don't ever come back. The Senju family can't afford to lose face like this.

Upon hearing this, Tobirama Senju exclaimed, "This is outrageous! The tiger's away, and the curly-haired baboon is running rampant!"

Without a word, he abandoned Hashirama Senju, who was still working hard to pay off his debts, and flew back to Konoha first.

In this battle, they are determined to fight for their reputation.

Looking back now, we've made quite a lot of progress, which is truly a great stroke of luck!

"Big brother will be very happy."

Bear country.

"Tobirama? Tobirama!"

One second Hashirama Senju was bragging to his younger brother, but the moment he turned his head, he found himself surrounded by nothing but rocks and no other living thing.

"How the hell am I supposed to get up there?"

Looking up at the seemingly endless cliffs, Hashirama Senju's mournful voice echoed for a long time in the deserted canyon.

While the main body was suffering, the wood clone was faring no better. Cornered against the wall by Madara Uchiha, Hashirama Senju's clone said sheepishly...

"Hey, didn't I tell you to take a vacation?"

"Hassi Hot Mom, don't try to fool me. There are only a few days left, and you haven't even prepared my divine robe. Are you trying to cling to this position and refuse to leave?"

Madara Uchiha, who had been cooped up at home until he was practically moldy, finally couldn't contain his impulse and sneaked out to the Hokage Building to check on the progress of the leadership transition ceremony. What he found there made him so angry his eyes turned red.

The planned leadership transition ceremony is completely stalled; not even the most basic imperial robes have been sewn.

"The work I'm doing will be finished soon, so don't worry, I promise I'll give you a grand handover ceremony."

Hashirama Senju raised his finger with unwavering conviction.

His confidence in making such a promise was entirely due to the return of Tobirama Senju, who brought back all the spoils the two brothers had accumulated during this time.

It was almost there, but then Uchiha Gintoki came along and the last piece of the puzzle was finally complete, and the hole for the Tailed Beast design was barely filled.

"Why do you look so pale? Even if it's for Konoha, you can't ruin your health."

Madara Uchiha's scrutinizing gaze swept over the wood clone's haggard face, a fleeting look of emotion crossing his eyes.

To deliver a perfect Konoha to me, Hashi Hot Mom worked tirelessly overtime. She truly deserves to be my lifelong brother!

He had already decided that, during his acceptance speech at the inauguration ceremony, the second person he would thank was the "Hot Mom from Hasi."

As for the first one, is there even a need to guess?

"Phew, that was close."

Seeing Madara Uchiha leave, the Wood Clone breathed a sigh of relief, still shaken. Although it was a Wood Clone that could last longer than the Shadow Clone, so much time had passed that its body had begun to wither. It was uncertain whether it could hold out until the original body returned.

Just then, an excited Tobirama Senju rushed in, holding a brand-new financial statement in his hand, and slammed it down in front of Hashirama Senju.

"Brother, I have successfully returned the cleaned money to the village treasury."

"Really?"

"I found a reliable downstream agent, who is said to be from the Land of Waves. They are highly efficient at money laundering and their commission is extremely low."

Balancing accounts, especially public accounts, is not as simple as just depositing money directly. It requires a series of transaction records to prove the legality of the money.

"That's good, that's good, I can finally be free~"

The wood clone felt a sudden lightness in his body and slumped back onto the Hokage's throne. After a long while, he looked up at the excited Tobirama Senju.

"Then hurry up and bring the main body back, I can't hold on any longer."

"Hey! Just hang in there for a few more days. My brother and I finally found a clue to that old relic."

Tobirama Senju patted his wooden clone's shoulder reassuringly, his crimson eyes gleaming with barely concealed excitement.

He and Hashirama Senju are tracking a missing person notice from a thousand years ago, and they've actually found a clue: someone had seen a similar monk on the border of the Land of Bears.

Whether it was the generous reward offered in the missing person notice or Tobirama Senju's research ambitions, the two brothers were determined to capture this mysterious monk.

"Oh dear, I almost forgot about my older brother. I wonder if he's managed to climb out of the canyon yet?"

Speaking of this, Tobirama Senju suddenly slapped his forehead. He'd been so busy settling accounts these past few days that he'd completely forgotten about Hashirama Senju, whom he'd left in the Land of Bears.

"Clone Technique".

He immediately formed a hand seal to create a shadow clone with half his own strength and gave it the order to assist Hashirama Senju.

"There are still many things to do in Konoha, so I'm entrusting them to you, brother."

The shadow clone inherited the original's aloofness. After nodding expressionlessly, it slightly raised its index finger and transformed into a streak of blue lightning, disappearing from the spot.

At the same time, as Hashirama Senju struggled through the deserted jungle of the Land of Bears, a blue light flashed at his lower back, startling him so much that he quickly turned his head to look.

"Am I late?"

The next moment, Tobirama Senju's clone landed in what he thought was a very cool pose.

"Tobirama! You're finally back!"

Hungry and desperate, Hashirama Senju forgot all about condemning his brother for abandoning him and began to grope him.

"Stop touching me, I'm a shadow clone."

The clone spread its hands, indicating that it was unable to help.

"Oh no!"

Hashirama Senju turned ashen, and a chibi-style soul floated out of his mouth.

ba da~

Just then, the sound of footsteps from not far away caught their attention, and a familiar yet unfamiliar figure appeared.

"Excuse me, do you need any help?"

(End of this chapter)