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

"Host detected to be in combat; Heart Steel Chest begins to accumulate."

despair--

As the system notification sounded in his mind, Uchiha Gin stopped in his tracks with a strange expression. The two women following behind him also stopped.

"Ah Yin, isn't taking off here a bit too conspicuous?"

Uchiha Hikaru estimated the distance between the group and Loulan City, finding it to be only a dozen or so miles. Somewhat uncertainly, he asked...

The enormous Susanoo 6th Generation's giant gray machine rose from the ground, making it difficult to go unnoticed by the Sand Ninja of Loulan.

"No, someone came to our door."

Uchiha Gin shook his head. The system's warnings had never been wrong; there was definitely an unknown enemy nearby.

"enemy?"

Sensing the seriousness in Uchiha Gin's tone, the two women frowned slightly, their red and white eyes instantly lighting up as they warily scanned their surroundings, searching for any unknown enemies.

"Where?"

Uchiha Gin wasn't that stupid. Why would he stare blankly in the sandstorm? Wouldn't that just make things difficult for himself? Wasn't he afraid of getting trachoma?

He immediately activated his enhanced perception, and three strong chakra sources instantly appeared on his radar.

"Stop looking around, it's over there."

Pointing to the distant, rolling sand dunes, Uchiha Gin spoke up to remind the two women behind him who were frantically rubbing their eyes.

Look, sand got into my eyes!

"A commendable level of perception."

Just a few miles away from Uchiha Gin and the others, Jigen rubbed his bloodshot eyes expressionlessly, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"That human has discovered you."

As a member of the Otsutsuki clan, Jigen naturally possessed methods to evade sensory perception. Compared to the exposure of the three test subjects, he was more curious about the very nature of the human capable of such a level of sensory manipulation.

"Are they from the Uzumaki clan?"

Jigen thought of a famous clan in the ninja world. Although they did not have any special manifest bloodline limit, they were known for their abundant vitality and super strong senses. Their innate talent for sealing techniques was unparalleled.

"It's that traitor Kaguya's seed again. What a nuisance."

Hashirama Senju, who nearly crippled himself, was a descendant of Kaguya. The culprit who has now prematurely claimed the fruit is most likely also a descendant of Kaguya.

However, there probably won't be any human stronger than Hashirama Senju, right?

After a moment of internal grumbling, Cixian looked at the three test subjects poised to attack, and the worry that had just arisen in her heart instantly dissipated.

The experimental subject in his hands was a clone that perfectly replicated Hashirama Senju's strength, and it even incorporated tissue cells from the young Ten-Tails he possessed, in addition to the original.

Each of these test subjects is essentially a mini Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, except that due to a lack of chakra, many of their abilities remain unactivated.

Even so, the strength demonstrated in the experimental stage still far surpassed that of Hashirama Senju, who was the gene provider.

"They're here."

Sensing that the fruit of his labor was drawing ever closer, Number One slowly raised his head, a subtle longing flashing in his previously lifeless eyes.

Don't let me down.

Cixian nodded slightly, and a dark red portal appeared behind him as he prepared to find the best spectator spot to enjoy the performance of his masterpiece.

The moment he disappeared, the figures of Uchiha Gin and his two companions landed on a sand dune not far away. Uchiha Hikaru and Otsutsuki Tsukihime were secretly startled when they saw the three black-robed figures of identical build.

"Ah Yin, could they be..."

"That should be correct."

Uchiha Gin, who was also sizing up the three, nodded slightly, a hint of doubt appearing in his half-closed, dead-fish eyes.

That's strange.

According to Uchiha Gin's heightened senses, the aura emanating from these three black-robed figures was extremely complex, not only blending the chakra of Senju Hashirama and the tailed beasts he was familiar with, but also containing a very difficult-to-detect, unfamiliar aura.

The violence and chaos emanating from this aura caused Uchiha Gin to frown slightly.

Who exactly is this person?

However, it wasn't just Uchiha Gin who noticed this unfamiliar aura. Kaguya, standing within the eye technique's space, was now tightly hugging her arms, her delicate body trembling slightly, and her usually calm and composed face was now filled with an unprecedented look of fear.

She stared intently at the three men in black robes with her white eyes, muttering to herself.

"He finally came."

Seeing that the black-robed man did not react to their arrival, Uchiha Gin spoke first. His voice was not loud, but it cut through the whistling wind and reached the ears of everyone present.

"So, you're the ones hunting the Tailed Beast Riders?"

Jigen found a suitable spot not far away and elegantly sat down in his prepared spectator seat, observing Uchiha Gin and his two companions with great interest.

"People from Konoha, huh?"

From the headband worn by Uchiha Gin, Jigen deduced the identities of the three, and a wicked smile crept onto his lips.

When they see their most respected leader become a puppet, will they immediately lose their will to fight?

"Hand over the fruit of the One-Tailed Beast."

The eyes beneath the cloak of Test Subject Number One swept over the three members of the Uchiha Gin trio, finally settling on the bushy curly hair. The mechanical, halting voice sent chills down one's spine.

really.

Looking thoughtfully at the black-robed man who had spoken, Uchiha Gin's suspicions were now confirmed: the ultimate goal of these guys who attacked the Tailed Beast Riders was the tumor he had previously removed from Shamon's body.

"I'm curious, what do you collect these fruits for?"

Taking the irregularly shaped fruit out of his backpack, Uchiha Gin tossed it up and down in his hand, asking with a smug look on his face, "..."

"Confirming the result."

The eyes of the three test subjects were instantly drawn to the fruit that exuded a strong chakra aura. The first one's eyes even lit up, and his steady breathing became rapid.

His body was telling him that as long as he ate that, he could complete the next stage of evolution.

"Ah Yin, why are you wasting your breath talking to them?"

Seeing that Uchiha Gin still had the leisure to chat with the enemy, Uchiha Hikaru, whose hands were itching to fight, stepped forward, clenching her small fists. Her black pupils turned a sinister crimson as she spoke, and the three tomoe that appeared began to spin rapidly.

"Isn't this just my usual routine of questioning you?"

Looking at the girl with a fighting spirit, Uchiha Gin scratched his head innocently. Isn't that how it's always portrayed in TV dramas?

If he doesn't ask now, he's afraid he'll only be able to cry while holding three corpses later.

"Put on one punch first, and then ask all the questions while you're doing it."

Uchiha Hikari leaped into the air, landing steadily in front of the three men in black robes. Even in the desert where the temperature was over forty degrees Celsius, everyone could feel the chilling aura emanating from her crimson eyes.

"Are you going to come one by one, or all at once? Never mind, I'm in a hurry, so you can all come together!"

Having finally gotten a chance to go on vacation with Gintoki, Hikaru Uchiha planned to take advantage of his position as a pilot to bring Gintoki to a nearby inn to experience the local atmosphere.

Now all the good things have been ruined by these few guys who suddenly appeared. It would be a lie to say she's not angry.

"etc!"

Just as Uchiha Hikaru was rubbing her hands together in anticipation, Otsutsuki Tsukihime, looking resentful, landed beside her.

"You're going to argue about this too?"

Uchiha Hikaru glanced at the Byakugan girl beside him.

"Don't try to steal the spotlight by yourself."

Princess Otsutsuki's idea was simple: if Hikaru Uchiha performed alone, Gin Uchiha's gentle gaze would remain fixed on her.

The thought of becoming an insignificant nobody filled Tsukihime with inexplicable depression.

"Can you please stop stealing my monsters, you lunar creature!"

"These monsters spawn randomly. Did they have your name written above their heads?"

"."

Seeing the two women arguing inexplicably, Subject Number One frowned slightly and gave an order to the two subjects beside him.

"You two go and handle this."

The latest novel is first published here!

He had absolutely no interest in making a move against the two women who didn't have any fruit in hand.

"receive."

Just now, Cixian ordered Subjects Three and Four to unconditionally assist Subject One in his mission, so the two test subjects had no objections and simultaneously used their Body Flicker Technique to disappear from the spot.

"Be careful!"

Upon noticing the disappearance of the two men in black robes, Uchiha Gin spoke up to warn the two women who were busy fighting for the monster.

"Hmph~ I'll settle accounts with you after I finish my business!" *2

Upon hearing the reminder, the two temporarily put aside their argument, their two pairs of eyes, one red and one white, each looking in one direction.

Uchiha Hikaru raised his hand, assuming the starting stance for the Uchiha clan's taijutsu, his red Sharingan detecting the black-robed man's movement trajectory first.

Just before her opponent landed using the Instantaneous Movement Technique and was about to launch an attack, the girl slightly bent down, successfully dodging a powerful straight punch from Test Subject Number Three.

"Forehead?"

Number Three, whose punch missed its mark, paused for a moment, but quickly reacted, changing his punch into a chop. A hand chop with a ghostly blue light mercilessly slashed towards the frail Uchiha Hikaru.

"snort!"

Uchiha Hikaru curled his lip in disdain, then unleashed a powerful kick with his long legs, his attack also tinged with a ghostly blue light.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, the burly body of Number Three was kicked dozens of meters away by the girl's slender legs, crashing heavily onto the scorching sand dune and sending sand and gravel flying everywhere.

"Tsk tsk tsk"

Looking at the black-robed man stuck in the sand pit, looking disheveled, Uchiha Gin shook his head with a click of his tongue.

Don't be fooled by Hikari's gentle appearance. Her taijutsu skills are so advanced that even Uchiha Gin is wary of her. It can be said that this is the strongest skill of the girl besides her eye techniques.

"Hi!"

Adhering to the principle of giving a good beating when someone's down, the girl pressed her advantage, swinging her delicate fists at number three, who had just emerged from the sandpit.

Facing the aggressive girl, Number Three, who had just pulled himself out, had already abandoned his previous underestimation. His fists, tinged with a strange, dark blue, clashed with Uchiha Hikaru's fists.

"Bang!"

The clash of their incredible forces produced a deafening roar; their figures darted back and forth, the clatter of the billiard balls echoing endlessly.

Facing the relentless attacks of the black-robed figures, Hikaru easily dodged each fatal blow thanks to the perception of his Sharingan, and even managed to inflict damage on the opponents' exposed weaknesses.

"boom!"

Finally, the girl found another opportunity and kicked the man in black robes hard in the chest, sending him flying dozens of meters away with overwhelming force.

She landed steadily, glanced at the slightly dirty hem of her clothes, and a hint of smugness appeared on her pretty face.

"."

This time, after Subject Three got up, he didn't choose to attack rashly. Instead, he clasped his hands together, and an aura that Uchiha Gin was very familiar with surged out.

"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique".

A ferocious wooden dragon burst forth from the sand. Its grayish-brown appearance, slightly different from that of Uchiha Gin and the others, lacked vitality and possessed a more decaying, deathly quality.

"Xiao Guang! Be careful."

Uchiha Gin observed the girl's actions closely. Seeing the enemy begin using Wood Release, he called out in concern, "..."

"Hehe, I got it, Gin~"

The girl smiled smugly, glancing subtly at Tsukihime Otsutsuki not far away, her eyes filled with provocation.

"Oh? This human forced out Number Three's Wood Release so quickly. He's quite interesting."

Watching the battle, Jigen's eyes held a hint of surprise. His gaze fell upon Uchiha Hikaru's Sharingan, which radiated a chilling aura, and he revealed a sudden realization.

"No wonder he has such a high level of pupil technique."

In his eyes, the Sharingan, nurtured by the power of the Divine Tree, can be considered a mutated subspecies of the Rinnegan, and its power should not be underestimated.

the other side,

"hateful!"

Tsukihime Otsutsuki, noticed by her arch-rival's gaze, realized that Gin Uchiha's attention was indeed completely drawn to Hikaru Uchiha. A strange, sour feeling instantly surged within her.

"Are you ready to die?"

Turning to look at the black-robed man who ignored her, a ruthless glint flashed in Otsutsuki Tsukihime's cold white eyes. She raised her hand and flung out a green orb of light.

"."

Unaware that he had been caught in the crossfire, Number Four leaped backward to dodge the orb of light that symbolized a declaration of war.

Upon landing, he assumed the same starting stance as the other test subjects, his massive body radiating waves of eerie blue light.

"Oh."

Ōtsutsuki Tsukihime sneered, and decided to drop her clumsy disguise. Her jet-black hair gradually turned silver-white, and her aura began to rise accordingly.

With one hand raised, her beautiful white eyes quickly locked onto the weak point of the black-robed man, and an invisible force instantly shot out from her hand.

Whoosh!

Divine Sky Strike!

"Bang!"

Number Four, still in his blocking stance, froze for a moment, then flew backward, landing heavily on the ground with a horrifying cave-in in his chest.

"What?!"

Upon witnessing this scene, Cixian abruptly stood up, his eyes filled with rare horror. This move...

If Uchiha Hikaru's performance impressed him, then Otsutsuki Tsukihime's techniques gave him a sense of déjà vu, like meeting an old friend.

"This woman... Heh, I see."

Jigen carefully observed Tsukihime Otsutsuki, who had reverted to her original form, and quickly noticed something amiss. A hint of cryptic mockery appeared in his eyes.

"I never imagined there would be such a pure-blooded Otsutsuki on this planet. I doubt there's another one like her. Could Kaguya's Karma be on her?" (End of Chapter)