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

In the eerie cells of the interrogation department, prison members huddled in a circle, watching with curiosity as Uchiha Gin prepared his jutsu.

Uchiha Gin smeared the freshly ripped flesh and blood onto the body of a death row inmate, spreading it evenly before finally tossing away the filthy kunai in his hand with satisfaction.

"Izuna, remember to reimburse me for 100 kunai later."

"As long as you can complete your brother's task, I'll supply you with 1,000 or even 10,000, let alone 100."

At present, Uchiha Izuna can only place his hopes on the unreliable Uchiha Gin.

"Just hearing that is enough."

Uchiha Gin nodded, raised his hand and slowly formed a few hand seals, while a faint blue light rose around his body.

"Summoning Technique: Impure World Reincarnation!"

Once the technique was complete, Uchiha Gin slammed his hand on the ground. Tadpole-like runes rapidly spread out, rushing towards the unconscious death row inmate.

The next moment, the grayish-white dust from the Pure Land, summoned by the spell, enveloped the condemned man's body.

"Mmm mmm mmm"

Accompanied by a mournful roar, the bewildered souls wandering in the Pure Land were once again summoned back.

"what!"

"It's that old bastard who's dead!"

The prison guards who were watching were so frightened by the old man standing up from the dust that they all took several steps back, their faces turning deathly pale.

"Only that guy could come up with such an evil ninjutsu."

Uchiha Izuna stared intently at the "resurrected" leader of the Takigakure ninja, his face tense, and couldn't help but mutter a curse under his breath.

On the other side, the leader of the Takigakure ninja, who had just been pulled out of the crack in the Pure Land by Uchiha Gin, slowly opened his black eyes after a brief period of adjustment.

Looking at the familiar prison cell, Yuuji, believing he had miraculously survived, laughed wildly.

"I...I didn't die? That kid Gigi is still too green, hahaha! I am the true chosen one!"

Having survived this ordeal, he will surely lead the Takigakure to rise again and rebuild their former glory.

"Huh? What's that?"

After his self-satisfied smugness subsided, the Takigakure leader's gaze inadvertently fell upon the corpse in the corner, its buttocks spurting blood.

Looking at that very familiar figure and clothing, a look of regret for not having met him sooner appeared on his cracked old face.

This person has good taste in clothing.

"Hey, hey, hey, have you seen enough?"

Seeing the old man in his Edo Tensei form shaking his head with a regretful expression, Uchiha Gin, who was chewing on a lollipop, spoke up.

"Who are you?"

"I was just passing by. Pshaw, pshaw, pshaw!"

Upon hearing the familiar question, Uchiha Gin instinctively picked up the joke, but only halfway through before remembering his current identity and immediately correcting himself.

"Who I am is not important; you just need to answer my questions."

"Hmph! I've said everything I needed to say. I want to see Hashirama Senju."

"Kneel down."

The leader of the Takigakure village revealed a mocking smile. He was, after all, the head of a village; how could he...

"Thump!"

"ha?"

Staring blankly at his legs that wouldn't obey him, the leader of the Takigakure ninja tried to stand up, but was horrified to find that he couldn't move no matter what he did.

"Big cousin, this kind of technique that manipulates the souls of the dead should be..."

Uchiha Izuna witnessed Uchiha Gin controlling the old man's actions, and his face was full of strange expressions.

"That's right, it's the person you guessed."

Uchiha Gin nodded.

"Tsk, as expected, it's just that guy."

Uchiha Izuna pursed his lips, his face full of speechlessness, but a faint sense of admiration welled up in his heart.

Although Tobirama Senju was not a good person, he was indeed a rare genius in scientific research. In the entire ninja world, apart from his cousin, no one could surpass him.

"What are you talking about? What dead person? I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?"

The leader of the Takigakure ninja, who had overheard the entire conversation between Uchiha Gin and Uchiha Gin, couldn't help but interrupt.

Before he could finish speaking, Uchiha Gin, who was picking at his ear, raised his foot and kicked the corpse lying on the ground in front of him.

"He is."

Seeing his own horrified death, the leader of the Takigakure ninja clan's black pupils widened suddenly.

"No way, this can't be real! This must be an Uchiha genjutsu!"

"Big cousin, stop playing around, we need to get down to business."

"Relax, relax~"

Uchiha Gin gestured to the anxious Uchiha Izuna to calm down, then raised one hand and formed a hand seal to manipulate the Impure World Reincarnation technique.

"I can't die yet! I haven't died yet."

The terrified leader of the Takigakure ninja froze, his fear slowly fading, leaving him completely dazed.

"Ask away."

Who exactly is behind you?

Upon hearing this, the leader of the Takigakure ninja slowly raised his cracked, aged face, his black pupils as deep as black holes.

"I am the bottom"

Hidden Rock Village

Snapped!

The granite desk was smashed by a small fist, leaving a large crack.

"Those idiots!"

Onoki, with his hair combed like an adult, grinned and hid his bruised hands behind his back, pacing back and forth in the office with veins bulging all over his head, looking like an angry little old man.

"He didn't even get inside Konoha before he was captured, let alone force Hashirama Senju to come out."

"Lord Tsuchikage, you don't need to worry. I have planted a curse on Yuuji. As long as he is about to reveal any information about Iwagakure, he will die on the spot."

Before Onoki knelt a young man wearing a headband from Takigakure, his face full of obsequious flattery as he tried to claim credit for himself.

Judging from his appearance, he was the young man who always followed Yu Xiong Er.

"Jiji, you did a great job. You're the perfect candidate to become the next leader of Takigakure."

Looking at the young man who was selling out his master for personal gain, Onoki's eyes flashed with disdain. If this kind of person were in their Iwagakure village, he would have been sent to the mines to work until he died.

However, for a dog, this kind of person is undoubtedly the best choice.

"You can go now."

"What about this year's aid?"

"That? It will be delivered on time."

"Thank you, Tsuchikage-sama!"

The young man named Gigi, his face full of flattery, pressed his head against the hard floor, looking extremely grateful.

bang-

"Lord Tsuchikage, a scout from Konoha has reported!"

A hurried figure pushed open the door and entered, holding a scroll aloft in his hand.

As he reviewed the intelligence in his hand, Onoki's expression gradually darkened, and the intense pressure emanating from his body made it difficult for the people present to breathe.

"Congratulations, Hujiji!"

"what?"

"Yuji is dead."

"Hehehe. You actually thought of betraying the Tsuchikage-sama? Yuuji deserves to die."

With his head pressed to the ground, the young man, Gigi, whose expression was obscured, let out a chilling laugh and trembled violently, as if suppressing an overwhelming emotion.

"Tsk, go back and prepare to take over. I'll arrange for someone to assist you."

Scrambling to his feet, Gigi maintained her obsequious bow, which somewhat eased Onoki's bad mood.

"Thank you so much!"

With her head down, Gigi turned and left, thoughtfully closing the office door behind her.

In the corridor, the young man appeared somewhat forlorn. After a moment, his hunched back finally straightened, and his face, which had just been full of fawning, was now filled with sorrow, his bloodshot eyes glistening with tears.

"Lord Yuuji, I will never let you down."

Inside the office, Onoki, seated back on the Tsuchikage's throne, was lost in thought.

"Hashirama Senju, are you alive or dead?"

Many years ago, under the leadership of Hashirama Senju, the five great ninja villages signed a peace treaty, which has brought peace to the ninja world for many years, giving each village an opportunity to develop.

Although the major ninja villages were swindled out of a large sum of money by someone, the existence of the Tailed Beast Riders, the strongest mission tools, meant that the lost funds were quickly made up for.

With money, the ambitious ninja villages inevitably harbored some rebellious thoughts.

However, Hashirama Senju's power remains undiminished; his secret technique, capable of suppressing tailed beasts with a mere wave of his hand, is still the Damocles' sword hanging over the heads of all the major ninja villages.

As for the Second Hokage, Madara Uchiha?

Having participated in the first Knights War, the Knights found it difficult to feel much fear towards Uchiha Madara, who had almost lost to the bald man.

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

No?

Don't you know that for ordinary people, a belt represents a glorious evolution?

But to the gods, it was merely a shackle that limited their power.

How about learning about the awakened Vajra Body Susanoo?

"How's it going with the Five-Tails?"

After hesitating for a long time, Onoki looked up and asked,

"Reporting to Your Excellency, no one has yet successfully activated the Five-Tailed Card."

The ninja who had just delivered the intelligence froze for a moment, but still relayed the bad news truthfully.

"Which batch is this already?"

"All ninjas with Jonin-level strength have been eliminated."

"Then let the Chunin go, and if the Chunin can't do it, we'll use the Genin. I refuse to believe that such a big village can't find a suitable candidate!"

Onoki raised his bruised fist indignantly, hesitated for a moment, and then gently lowered it.

"What about Kirigakure?"

"No suitable candidate has been found."

Hearing this relatively good news, Onoki finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the oppressive aura emanating from him gradually dissipated.

"Hurry up! Knights are an indispensable force for the village."

"yes!"

After his men left, Onoki's eyes were suddenly drawn to a small but glistening puddle of water on the ground.

"How do these guys clean up?!"

Konoha

Madara Uchiha, seated on the Hokage's throne, stared grimly at the report before him, while Tobirama Senju, standing beside him, also wore a furrowed brow.

Is this testimony authentic?

Tobirama Senju picked up the report and examined it several times. Somewhat suspiciously, he asked Izuna Uchiha, who was sitting at the table.

"You white-haired brat, how dare you question me?"

Uchiha Izuna rolled her eyes and retorted irritably.

The eldest brother hasn't even spoken yet, why are you jumping out first?

"Is that not allowed? Who knows if it's just false information that you, a warmonger, forced out of us? Let me verify it again."

With a slight smirk, Tobirama Senju put the intelligence report back in its place. After all, the confessions of the Takigakure ninja were too outrageous, and he decided to personally interrogate those Takigakure ninja later.

"The leader of the Takigakure ninja is dead."

"ha?"

"And this confession."

"We have to thank the Party Secretary for this. If it weren't for my cousin using your magic, we wouldn't have been able to get any detailed information."

Looking at Tobirama Senju's distrustful expression, Izuna Uchiha said sarcastically,

"Forehead"

Tobirama Senju's expression froze, and he sat back down with a pout, no longer questioning the authenticity of the information.

"Isn't Iwagakure currently locked in a stalemate with Kirigakure? Why would they have the time to provoke us?"

Madara Uchiha's cold gaze was fixed on the intelligence report on the table, his tone icy.

"The only mission the leader of Takigakure was to force out Hashirama Senju. As for their next move, they were completely clueless."

In response to his elder brother's question, Uchiha Izuna immediately answered.

"These guys dare to pull such tricks! I'm going to deal with them right now!"

Since this matter concerned his missing close friend, Madara Uchiha naturally could not stand idly by. He immediately stood up, opened the window, and with a sinister gaze, began to search for the direction of Iwagakure.

"Bean sack!"

Seeing this, Tobirama Senju quickly spoke up to stop him.

"Why are you so impulsive? Have you forgotten who you are now?"

"Just because I'm the Hokage means I can't let those nobodies shit on our heads."

Madara Uchiha turned around, his scarlet eyes gleaming with a predatory light. The cold, sinister power of his gaze made Tobirama Senju's heart tighten.

This guy has gotten stronger again.

"I will send someone to warn Iwagakure, but they haven't done anything outrageous this time. If it's just a charge of investigating the whereabouts of the former Hokage, they'll at most just have to pay some money to settle the matter."

The Takigakure Incident, in essence, was just the Great Ninja Village entrusting the Small Ninja Village with intelligence work.

Even if it is discovered, according to the details of the previously signed peace agreement, such espionage does not fall under the scope of war. The most likely outcome is that Iwagakure will apologize and send a few scapegoats to Konoha to appease them.

"But!"

"Right now, finding our eldest brother is our top priority."

Seeing that Madara Uchiha's expression relaxed slightly, Tobirama Senju finally breathed a sigh of relief, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.

The purpose of Iwagakure is unknown. If Madara Uchiha goes there rashly and encounters any mishap, Konoha will have to rely on him to hold them off.

Um... maybe add some curls.

Izuna?

Those who are merely commoners are not fit for important positions.

"In that case, let's let them off the hook for now."

As the village chief, Madara Uchiha also learned to view problems from a broader perspective.

He immediately suppressed his anger, deciding to deal with those villains after finding Hashirama Senju.

"Speaking of which, is there still no news about your shadow clone?"

Madara Uchiha's eyes returned to their normal color. After sitting back in his chair, he shifted his gaze to Tobirama Senju beside him.

"I'm still investigating; this is just too absurd."

Upon hearing this, Tobirama Senju shook his head, his face full of thought. It was truly unheard of for someone in their original form to be unable to dispel their own chakra clones.

He tried many methods, even draining all the chakra in his body until he collapsed and fell into a coma, but the missing shadow clone still did not react.

Now, Tobirama Senju, who was proficient in the power of space and time, had a very ominous suspicion.

His shadow clone and his elder brother may no longer exist in the timeline they currently inhabit.

Seeing the troubled look on Tobirama Senju's face, Madara Uchiha's eyes flickered. At this moment, he suddenly felt that his own people were more reliable.

"If all else fails, try asking your older cousin. He's got a lot of clever ideas; maybe he can come up with something." (End of Chapter)