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

Leaf Village

Today was another peaceful day. Uchiha Gin, who hadn't shown up in a long time, braved the scorching sun and squeezed into the bustling Mixue City, his lifeless eyes searching for any non-existent empty seats.

"Is it really that hard to enjoy some air conditioning?"

Seeing that all the seats were taken, a disappointed Uchiha Gin scratched his messy curly hair, his words filled with sighs.

"Sigh~ Is there really no place for me in this vast Konoha?"

Just as he was about to turn and leave, a slightly rough voice came from an inconspicuous corner of the store.

"Grandpa Yin! Grandpa Yin! Over here!"

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Gin turned his head and happened to see a white-haired brat with an excited expression waving at him, standing with one foot on the table.

However, the next second, he was punished by the girl he was with with an iron fist, while the other boy with long black hair sitting next to him helplessly held his forehead, with an expression of complete indifference.

"Duang!"

"Jiraiya, you idiot, this is a public place, don't shout like that."

"Yo~ Sasipuri."

Upon seeing acquaintances, Uchiha Gin didn't stand on ceremony. He immediately went over to share a table, sat down, and gave a perfunctory greeting to the three kids he hadn't seen in a while.

"Hello, Grandpa Gin!"

After dealing with the boisterous Jiraiya, Tsunade instantly transformed into a lady, a sweet smile on her youthful face, and gracefully bowed to the Uchiha clan member.

"Greetings, Senior Gin-dae."

When Uchiha Gin turned his gaze to the only one of the three who hadn't greeted him—the long-haired, straight-haired boy—the boy hesitated for a moment, swallowing back the somewhat embarrassing title of "Grandpa Gin," and instead using a very polite form of address.

"Little snake, you're being distant. You won't even call me 'Grandpa'."

Upon hearing Orochimaru's distant address, Uchiha Gin wore a pained expression, raising his hand to wipe away non-existent tears from the corner of his eye.

"He was so cute when he was little, always calling me 'Grandpa' so affectionately!"

"."

Looking at Uchiha Gin's clumsy performance with a face full of black lines, Orochimaru would have actually believed it if he weren't already twelve years old.

"Senior Yin, please stop making fun of me. I really can't bring myself to call you that in this state."

Orochimaru shook his head slightly. Although Uchiha Gin in front of him was indeed old enough to be his grandfather, he couldn't bring himself to call him grandfather because of his youthful appearance.

Immortality and all that stuff? I hate it!

"Orochimaru, get out of here! If you don't yell, plenty of others will!"

Jiraiya, his head covered in bumps, perked up immediately upon hearing Orochimaru's anti-Heavenly Alliance remarks. He shoved aside his classmate and friend, then rubbed his hands together like a fly, his large face beaming with obsequiousness.

"May the old man be blessed with good fortune!"

"Excellent work, deserves a reward."

Uchiha Gin nodded in satisfaction, then tossed the menu in front of the sensible Jiraiya.

"Order whatever you like, it's on me today."

"Thank you, Uncle Xie!"

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Jiraiya promptly bowed deeply. Tsunade and Orochimaru, standing beside him, both took a few steps back, trying to distance themselves from this white-haired lackey.

After their usual interaction, Jiraiya happily held the milk tea he had earned with his dignity, savoring the sweet and delicious liquid with a look of pure enjoyment.

"Silky smooth, watch me indulge in silky smoothness!"

Of course, Uchiha Gin wasn't the petty type; Orochimaru was now holding a drink he'd personally ordered.

"Drink up! It's on me, don't be shy, drink as much as you want!"

Looking at the iced Americano in front of him that smelled bitter, his fair face immediately scrunched up like a chrysanthemum. He had clearly seen Uchiha Gin specifically choose triple-strength when he ordered.

"this"

Seeing Uchiha Gin's seemingly warm smile, Orochimaru suddenly shivered. After hesitating for a long time, he still picked up the three iced Americanos with extra saturation in front of him and took a small sip.

"Is it good, little snake?"

"It's so delicious, I love it."

"Delicious my foot!" Orochimaru thought, wishing he could cut off his own tongue.

"That's good. I'll treat you next time we meet."

"."

Upon hearing these heartwarming words, Orochimaru instantly burst into tears, his young mind filled with only one thought:

Is it too late to betray the village now?

"Grandpa Yin, when do you think Second Grandpa and the others will be back?"

As Uchiha Gin was enthusiastically teasing Orochimaru, Tsunade, who was sipping her strawberry milkshake, suddenly looked up with a complex expression on her face.

"They should be here soon, right?"

I counted on my fingers the days my older cousin and the others had been gone. Logically speaking, after such a long time, even four wars should have been over by now.

Could something have gone wrong?

Uchiha Gin frowned almost imperceptibly, but quickly relaxed.

No, absolutely not!

My cousin's strength is now terrifying; he's a combination of Madara in his prime and Hashirama in his old age, and he's invincible below the Six Paths level.

Furthermore, even if they encountered a formidable enemy, the mark he left on his younger cousin before parting was not merely for show.

That Flying Thunder God seal is a trigger-based technique. As long as Madara Uchiha encounters a powerful enemy, the technique will be activated, and Gin Uchiha, who is thousands of miles away, will receive the signal immediately and rush to the rescue.

So far, there has been no unusual activity from the Flying Thunder God mark he left behind, indicating that his cousin and his group are safe and sound.

The reason they haven't returned yet is probably because they're searching for clues about the bottom of Hashirama's prison.

"Don't worry, everyone will come back safe and sound."

Gin Uchiha reached out and patted Tsunade's head, promising with a smile,

The moment he finished speaking, a barely perceptible glint flashed in his eyes, and an unnatural expression immediately appeared on his face.

"Has the forehead injury been lifted?"

"Grandpa Yin, what did you say?"

Tsunade paused, feeling Uchiha Gin's warm hand, and blinked in confusion.

"It's nothing, I just suddenly remembered that I have to visit an old friend. You guys enjoy your drinks, I'll take my leave now."

Feigning sudden realization, Uchiha Gin stood up to say goodbye. The three hurriedly waved goodbye, especially Orochimaru, whose hand holding the iced Americano was bulging with veins, wishing the other party would disappear from his sight in the next second.

"Here's your caramel macchiato, sir."

Just as he was leaving, Uchiha Gin happened to run into the shop assistant who was about to deliver his food.

"Could you please pack this for me? Never mind, just give it to me directly."

He was in a bit of a hurry, so he simply grabbed a small bottle of sweet drink, took a straw, and left.

No. 002, East Street

Soon, Uchiha Gin stood in front of the familiar door, raising his hand to knock.

creak-

Unexpectedly, the door was opened from the inside first, revealing a weary-looking Senju Hisa. Her long, unkempt white hair and her scarlet eyes were filled with anxiety.

"Why are you here?"

Senju Hisa clearly hadn't expected Uchiha Gin to show up at this time; a fleeting look of surprise crossed her pretty face.

"I am."

"I don't have time to explain too much to you. Go and tell that idiot Uchiha Izuna that something terrible has happened."

Before Uchiha Gin could speak, the anxious Senju Hisana rattled off a string of words. She was just worried about who would inform Uchiha Izuna; this curly-haired girl's arrival was truly timely.

"Something terrible has happened?"

Uchiha Gin's heart sank upon hearing this. Could it be that his cousin and the others had really met with misfortune if this white-haired man was so alarmed?

"Don't rush, tell me what happened."

"What's the point of telling you?"

"Forehead"

Uchiha Gin, who was retorted by Senju Hishima, had a black line on his face. It was useless to talk to him, but it was useful to talk to his little cousin, that weakling.

He felt ashamed to leave a mere A-rank ninja, given away for free, with such a perfunctory artwork, that he'd rather leave it in the warehouse.

"How am I supposed to inform my younger cousin if you don't explain this clearly to me?"

Left with no other option, Gin Uchiha offered a seemingly reasonable, and indeed quite reasonable, explanation.

"Well, that's true."

Senju Hisa calmed down after hearing this, and then stepped aside to let Uchiha Gin into the house.

"How did the Transformation Technique end?"

After closing the door, Uchiha Gin went straight in. The reason he came to visit Senju Hisama was because he sensed that the Transformation Technique he had used had been canceled.

"You can sense it?"

"Nonsense, the chakra in your clone was implanted by me using my eye power."

Seeing Senju Hisama's astonished expression, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Phew, I thought you were just dropping by for no reason. Sorry."

After hearing Uchiha Gin's explanation, Senju Hisa showed a hint of apology on her face. She hadn't expected that this curly-haired guy would be so thoughtful, rushing over the moment her clone died.

"Stop being polite, tell me the details."

"It all started when we left the Land of Iron."

"Gurgle—"

The two walked into the reception room talking. Senju Hisajin plopped down in the head seat, her slightly hoarse voice barely audible before being interrupted by a clap of thunder.

The scene fell into a deathly silence.

Because Senju Hisana had been using the Transformation Technique for some time, she entered a brief period of fasting, only breaking free from the Transformation Technique after the clone died.

Having been neglected for so long, she was in a terrible state, and her stomach was growling with hunger. If it weren't for her unwavering will, she would have fainted from hunger long ago.

"Why don't you grab a bite first?"

Uchiha Gin hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly handed over the caramel macchiato he was holding.

According to his agreement with the girls in his family, this glass of sweet water is his only source of sugar for the day.

"Give it to me!"

"Slurp~"

Senju Hisana didn't care about any of that. She snatched the small bottle of sweet water from Uchiha Gin's hand, puffed out her cheeks, and drank it all in one gulp. As the sugar replenished her body, color gradually returned to her pale face.

"Hiccup has come back to life!"

"Alright, just tell me already!"

Looking at the sweet water who had left him forever with a heavy heart, Uchiha Gin buried his sorrow deep inside and instead urged Senju Hisama to hurry up.

"Phew, we've encountered the kind of clones you mentioned. They're really strong, just as strong as Big Brother."

Sure enough, we encountered it.

Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow. If it was just a mere clone, given his younger cousin's current strength, there shouldn't be any major problems.

As for the others, their chances are probably slim.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but worry about the safety of the F6, but seeing Senju Hisama's solemn expression, Uchiha Gin suddenly felt a strange unease.

"Wait, you're not staying behind to cover our retreat, are you?"

It's unlikely that Senju Hiiro would volunteer to cover the rear and fight for the F6's survival, as she did in the original timeline.

"Huh? How did you know?"

It's true, I never expected that you, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, still had a glimmer of humanity hidden in your heart.

"But not only did I stay behind to cover the retreat, Madara Uchiha and Kagami also stayed behind."

"???"

"what?"

What a brilliant scheme to harm three wise men with one plan! He truly is a born scoundrel, Thousand-Handed White Hair!

The Uchiha clan only has a handful of talented people, and this white-haired guy is about to kill two of them.

"But don't worry, Jing is not only fine, but she also helped me a lot."

Seeing the cold red light flashing in Uchiha Gin's eyes, Senju Hisa quickly spoke up to explain.

"It's good that Hu Jingzai is alright."

"Aren't you worried about Madara Uchiha?"

"My cousin is a lucky man, and I believe he will turn danger into safety."

"Well, I advise you not to be so optimistic. Madara Uchiha faced seven clones all by himself."

"What do you mean, 'Uchiha fighting seven at once'? That's not standard practice! What did you say? Seven?"

Seven peak-level Hashiramas—unless my cousin uses some kind of cheat code, he absolutely cannot defeat them.

Uchiha Gin's heart tightened, but the thought that Uchiha Madara still possessed the Knight System made him breathe a sigh of relief.

It's fine as long as it's on your person.

"Yes, he used his own body to hold off the attack of seven clones in order to cover our retreat."

Wait, the physical body?

"Stop joking, isn't my cousin a Tailed Beast Knight?"

"It was true before, but it's not anymore."

Senju Hisa shook her head, a puzzled look on her face, and her words carried a hint of awkwardness.

"He entrusted me with the driver and the Tailed Beast cards."

It's all over, it's all over. My cousin must have gone mad, choosing to have sex with monsters with his own body. You think you're some old Showa-era man, wearing a mask just to hide your identity.

He then pulled out a double-edged axe and a two-handed hammer, and faced the seven clones alone.

A machete?

Heavy hammer!

It's the shipbreaker! My cousin is saved!

Uchiha Gin's emotions were like a rollercoaster, and finally, after learning that his younger cousin had taken out the birthday present he had given him, the heavy weight in his heart was lifted.

Among the weapons he drew from the system orb, the artifact Shipbreaker, while having rather strict usage restrictions, was virtually invincible.

As long as there are no allies in the field, it can instantly enhance all four stats by six times. Not only that, it can also increase percentage damage, making it a truly powerful weapon for one-on-one combat.

Even the Infinity Blade, which boasts the highest damage output, looks like a freshly baked recruit in front of it.

Back in the day, Mito Uzumaki, wielding the Destroyer, single-handedly defeated the Mist Ninja army led by Byakuren, the First Mizukage, who came to besiege the Land of Whirlpools, and literally hammered the kind-faced old man into an ugly, distorted face.

Relieved, Uchiha Gin suddenly remembered the clone who had died suddenly and asked with a heart full of doubt,

"Wait a minute, your older cousin is already covering the rear, how can you still be lying there?"

"Um... I think I accidentally turned into a knight~"

(≦☆)(End of Chapter)