Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha is not motivated.

Konoha,

"Ha~ah~"

As dawn broke, Senju Itama, an early riser, yawned and pushed open her bedroom door, preparing to go downstairs to make a delicious breakfast for the whole family.
"Uh?"

As soon as she stepped down the stairs, she saw Uchiha Gin putting on his shoes at the front door, which startled her so much that she quickly rubbed her eyes.
"Curly-haired baboon?"

After realizing she wasn't mistaken, she cautiously spoke to confirm whether the other person was dreaming or awake. If they were sleepwalking, abruptly waking them would only result in them babbling like an idiot.

"I'm going to earn some extra money. If it works out, I'll treat you guys to a nice meal tonight."

Hearing Senju Itama's voice, Uchiha Gin, who tightened the white bandage on his wrist, turned around and briefly explained why he had gotten up early that day.

It was only then that Senju Itama noticed that Uchiha Gin was wearing a very formal ninja outfit.
"Where did you get all that stuff on you?"

A form-fitting black fishnet lining was overlaid with an indigo blue fitted vest. The zipper hadn't been zipped up yet, revealing well-defined, muscular muscles, and the glimpses of skin made her unconsciously swallow.
"Oh, this is the work uniform the clan issued a few years ago. Do you think it fits?"

Looking at Senju Itama, whose mouth was dripping with water, with a puzzled expression, he gave a 360° demonstration of his work uniform, which had been stored away in a drawer for many years.
They say clothes make the man, and after Uchiha Gin changed into this dashing and heroic outfit, his entire demeanor changed drastically. It was impossible to associate this Uchiha heartthrob with the street urchin he was wearing a loose yukata and wooden clogs before.
"Slurp~ Tell me honestly, where are you going to earn extra money? Our family shouldn't be in such dire straits, right?"

After swallowing hard, Senju Itama, whose mind was racing with alarm bells, suddenly regained his senses and looked at Uchiha Gin with a serious expression.

"No matter how poor a man is, he should never sell himself! Let me give you a piece of advice: you can't withstand the steel wool technique of a rich woman!"

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

After zipping up her zipper under Senju Itama's disappointed gaze, Uchiha Gin, realizing the misunderstanding, rolled her eyes at her.
"I'm going to go and loot that kid Setsuna's gold coins."

"Huh? Men are even worse! They won't be able to hold it in!"

With a cold expression, Uchiha Gin withdrew his smoking fist and glared at Senju Itama, who had a large bump on his head and teary eyes.
"Do you think I only know how to make money this way?"

"if not?"

Covering his head, Senju Itama blinked in confusion. Putting aside swindling and deception, besides his good looks, what other decent ways do you curly-haired guy have to make money?
"Professional, professional, you know? I used to make a living with my skills."

Unwilling to continue arguing with Senju Itama, who spreads rumors as easily as drinking water, he slung the samurai sword hanging in the entryway across his waist, waved his hand, and pushed open the door to leave.

"Stay home and wait for my good news."

Today is the day to participate in the Tailed Beast Rider Trial, and he doesn't want to lose Uchiha Setsuna's 1 billion ryo prize money because he's late.

Ninja Academy Classroom Apartment

In front of room 315 on the third floor

Minato, looking nervous, rubbed his hands together, hesitating about how to greet people without seeming too abrupt.

Creak~
Just as he mustered the courage to raise his hand to knock, the tightly closed door was suddenly pulled open.

With her messy red hair swirling around her head, Mi Luo looked down at the familiar little yellow toddler in front of the door, a look of realization crossing her greasy face.
"Oh, it was Minato. I thought it was some clueless brat trying to play a prank."

He sensed a childlike presence lingering at the door when he first woke up. He'd gone back to sleep several times, but the presence was still there. Driven by curiosity, he forced himself to overcome his exhaustion from staying up all night and went to investigate.

"Miro-sensei, I'm here to see Kushina."

Facing his mentor who had once taught him, Minato politely bowed, but his azure eyes involuntarily darted around the room, as if searching for something.
"Kushina? You've come to the wrong place. She's been training with her aunt these past few days, supposedly to participate in some kind of trial, but I didn't ask for details."

Miro shook her head, looking at Minato with regret and anticipation.
"what?"

Upon hearing this, Minato glanced at his watch and his expression tightened; he seemed to be going to be late.
"Thank you for telling me, I'll take my leave now!"

"Ah, what an enviable youth."

Watching Minato's hurried retreating figure, Misaki, with dark circles under her eyes, let out a long sigh, turned around, and went back to sleep.

With his troublesome niece away these past few days, he was finally able to stay up all night watching Happy Yuanyuan's live stream.

"Hey~ isn't this Cuihua?"

On his way to the training grounds, Uchiha Gin spotted a large, bright red tomato in the distance. Although he was a little puzzled as to where the accompanying egg yolk was, he still smiled and waved in greeting.

"Grandpa Yin! Don't call me that name anymore!"

Hearing the familiar voice, Kushina, who was standing in front of a breakfast shop, pouted.
"Uh?!"

However, upon seeing Uchiha Gin with his limited-edition skin, Kushina turned around at the sound of his voice, her round face filled with shock.

"Who...who are you? Why are you impersonating Grandpa Yin!"

"What, you don't recognize me just because I'm wearing a vest?"

Looking at Kushina's wary expression, Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow and teased her with a smile.
"No...this is too much."

Because the transformation of Uchiha Gin into a completely different character was so exaggerated, Kushina, whose brain was overloaded, couldn't immediately accept that the handsome Uchiha man before her was the same person as the usually laid-back Gin.

"A Yin!"

Just as Kushina's eyes were about to turn into mosquito coils from her incoherent ramblings, a tall figure emerged from the breakfast shop, her beautiful eyes lighting up upon seeing Uchiha Gin.
"Mito, Sashiburi~"

Upon seeing his girlfriend from another country, Uchiha Gin smiled and raised his hand to greet her.

"Didn't we just see each other last week?"

Mito gave the ruthless Uchiha Gin a reproachful glare, then handed him the steamed bun she was holding.

"Not seeing each other for one day is like three autumns."

Gin Uchiha grabbed a fluffy bun and took a big bite, but didn't get any filling. He shook his head and then looked at Mito Uzumaki, who was dressed in her everyday loungewear.

"What are you doing?"

"I've been guiding Kushina's training these past few days."

Mito tucked a stray red hair behind her ear, her eyes filled with doting affection as she looked at Kushina beside her.
"Oh, it seems you're determined to get it this time, Cuihua?"

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Gin chuckled and teased Kushina, who was secretly competing with her.
Mito was the strongest sealing master in the Land of Whirlpools; she could restrain ten Nine-Tails. Even a tiny bit of her seal slipping through her fingers would be enough for Kushina to learn for a lifetime.

"She said she didn't want to lose to that blond kid Minato, so she worked hard during her training."

Mito reached out and gently ruffled Kushina's hair, her eyes filled with a smile.
"But you, why are you taking this so seriously with a bunch of kids?"

Mito leaned closer, scrutinizing Uchiha Gin's stunning outfit. Her hands, however, were restless; she secretly pinched his taut muscles, a faint blush spreading across her alluring face.

"This outfit is nice, I'll wear it next time."

"Uh, this is a work uniform, it's only issued once every few years, so don't tear it."

Seeing Mito's predatory gaze, Uchiha Gin felt a surge of desire in his groin.
"Don't worry, I'll be very gentle~"

The three, who had met by chance, set off together. Kushina, head held high, walked at the front. Watching her spirited figure, Uchiha Gin thoughtfully stroked his chin.
"This isn't like Xiao Tuantuan at all!"

Given Danzo's incredibly petty mind, how could he possibly allow a foreigner like Kushina to participate in the Tailed Beast Rider trials vying for the power of the Nine-Tails?
"What's the big deal? Konoha can even outsource such a core business as maintaining its barrier to us, let alone a mere Tailed Beast Rider."

Mito Uzumaki, standing to the side, didn't see anything wrong with it; she even cited similar examples.

"That's true."

Uchiha Gin nodded in agreement.

In Konoha, everything can be outsourced.

While the Tailed Beast Rider trials were not kept secret, they were not disclosed to the general public either. Therefore, apart from the Root members on guard, there were no onlookers at the trial location.
The distinctive little orchid is checking the identities of the participants one by one.

"Hmph~ Are these my opponents?"

Looking at the line of boys and girls, Kushina's face was full of high spirits, her large eyes darting left and right as if searching for someone.
Just as Uchiha Gin was about to join the queue, several Uchiha clansmen who had been waiting for a long time surrounded him.
"Lord Yin, you've finally arrived! We thought..."

First, they looked at the curly-haired guy with disbelief, whose demeanor had drastically changed, then one by one they showed expressions of relief. If Uchiha Gin hadn't been there, they would have been in big trouble.

"Don't worry, I take family honor very seriously."

Uchiha Gin shook his head, spouting nonsense with a straight face.

Family honor?

Compared to a billion taels, it's nothing.

After sending the clansmen away, Uchiha Gin and Kushina joined the long queue to wait for identity verification.
Good luck to you guys!

Mito gave the two a thumbs-up, then turned and walked towards the parents' waiting area not far away.

"Kushina Uzumaki."

The line quickly reached Uchiha Gin. Hiruko checked Kushina's information and then nodded slightly.

"Excuse me, senior, has Minato Namikaze arrived yet?"

Kushina didn't rush to leave; instead, she inquired about the blond-haired boy who had been missing for a while.
"Minato Namikaze?"

Hiruko wasn't a rigid person. Seeing Kushina's politeness, he quickly recalled the list of people and found that the blond guy wasn't among those being checked.
"I don't recall having this child."

"what?"

Kushina participated in this trial not only to prove herself, but also because Minato Namikaze was also participating. If he were absent, the trial would become somewhat dull.

"Next, Uchiha... Gin." Hiruko's gaze bypassed the stunned Kushina, finally landing on the unfamiliar Uchiha Gin. After a moment's hesitation, he confirmed.
It's finally my turn!

To make it easier for the staff to identify him, Uchiha Gin stepped forward. His tall and imposing figure stood out against the backdrop of the smaller children around him.
"No problem, please wait a moment."

Hiruko thoroughly examined the handsome version of Uchiha Ginichiro from head to toe, left to right, and after confirming that he hadn't been affected by a genjutsu, he let him pass with a bewildered expression.

Is this handsome guy the same Grandpa Yin he knows?
"Is he the Uchiha Gin that my uncle was talking about? He doesn't seem as annoying as the rumors say."

Among the group of children, a black-haired boy, nearly adult-sized, looked at Uchiha Gin, who was dressed in a ninja uniform, with curiosity in his eyes hidden behind orange sunglasses.

"Even an adult wouldn't be a match for you, Boss Kizaru."

The boy's number one follower, who was always right behind him, offered a timely compliment.
"That's hard to say. Since my uncle told me to keep a close eye on that guy, he must have something special about him."

The prematurely aged boy named Kizaru shook his head with a solemn expression. It was clear that he was a lucky guy who had never received "butt-slapping silver" training.
It's not entirely his fault, really. After all, Uchiha Gin's focus in recent years has been on researching and training dummies, neglecting to discipline the younger generation of children in Konoha, causing these children to lose a complete childhood.

"Kizaru Shimura".

"arrive."

The tall, prematurely aged young man stepped forward. Hiruko glanced down at the documents in his hand, then looked at Shimura Kizaru, who was a head taller than him, and exuded a clearly perceptible bewilderment.
"You're eight years old?"

"Hmm, what's wrong? Who says you can't be 1.8 meters tall at eight years old?"

Shimura Kizaru pursed his lips, raised his hand and took off the orange sunglasses that covered most of his face, revealing an old face that vaguely showed signs of youth.

"Okay, fine."

After repeatedly confirming that everything was correct, Hiruko nodded and allowed Shimura Kizaru to pass the inspection.
Are children these days so well-nourished?

Gin glanced at Shimura Kizaru, who stood out conspicuously in the crowd, and upon hearing the explosive news that the other was eight years old, Uchiha Gin's face showed the same bewildered expression as Hiruko's.
“I know him. His name is Shimura Kizaru. He is said to be a genius that only appears once every hundred years in the Shimura clan.”

Somewhat absentmindedly, Kushina glanced up at him and quickly revealed Shimura Kizaru's basic information.
"A hundred years? That's quite a boast. Whether the Shimura clan has even been established for a hundred years is debatable."

He curled his lip in disdain. Generally, geniuses bestowed with such titles mostly end up as stepping stones for the protagonist, meeting a miserable end.

"Is nobody here? Then let's check the results."

After digesting the entire long queue, Hiruko glanced at the time. The trial was about to officially begin; anyone late would be considered to have voluntarily forfeited their qualification.

"Wait!"

Seeing this, Kushina finally couldn't hold back and prepared to step forward and beg Hiruko to wait a little longer.
blow!
Before she could even utter a sound of protest, a faint golden flash suddenly appeared, followed by a figure wielding a three-edged kunai landing gracefully on the ground.

"I'm not late, am I?"

At that moment, all eyes turned to him, filled with surprise, curiosity, envy, and anger.
"Boss Kizaru, his entrance was a little bit cooler than yours."

Once he came to his senses, headed the grudge in a sour tone.
"It's alright. Compared to my mature and sophisticated Kizaru-sama, his act of showing off is a bit immature."

Despite his stubbornness, Kizaru crossed his arms, but a hint of envy lingered in his eyes as he admired Minato's entrance.
"Boss is right!"

"Little blondie, remember to buy an alarm clock that's on time next time. If you really can't find one, I can give you one."

Seeing Minato arrive at the last minute, Kushina's worried expression finally vanished, replaced by a youthful tsundere charm.

"I will never be late again."

Minato, who had arrived using space-time ninjutsu he hadn't fully mastered yet, moved his slightly numb body and gave Kushina, who was concerned about him, a bright, sun-like smile.

"Ah~ So handsome!"

"In terms of handsomeness, this guy is no less than me."

As the Minato logo with its signature smile lit up, a cacophony of suppressed whispers erupted among the young men and women present. The girls, all in the throes of first love, were eager to approach and ask for his contact information.
"Boss, he's smiling more than you."

"You're too talkative, I can see that."

Faced with his lackey's repeated attempts to incite trouble, Shimura Kizaru angrily rebuked him, secretly resolving to kick this lackey, hired with just a glass of lemonade, out the door.

"You wretched pretty boy, you think you can just smile? I can do that too!"

Shimura Kizaru smirked, flashing what he thought was a cool smile—which was actually downright lewd—at his bodyguards.
"Uh"

This time, even the troublemaker's henchman was speechless, lowering his head and pretending not to hear Kizaru's words.

"Namikaze Minato."

After checking the last member participating in the trial, Hiruko closed the list in his hand, which meant that the cruel trial had begun.

Meanwhile, inside the building above the trial grounds, several observers looked down at the children and elderly participating in the trial below.

"Danzo, didn't you keep refusing to let the Uzumaki clan ninjas participate in this trial? Why have you suddenly changed your mind?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi pulled his gaze away from Kushina's vibrant red hair, his brows furrowing deeply.

"I just wanted to test a certain hypothesis."

The reason Kushina Uzumaki's name was added to the list at the last minute was naturally for some ulterior motive.

That's right, Danzo wanted Kushina to be a free test subject to determine if the Uzumaki bloodline, like the Senju Uchiha, possessed an innate ability to suppress tailed beasts.
"What if she succeeds?"

“Success? Don’t forget her identity. Even if we agree to let her be the suitable candidate, the people behind her may not be willing.”

Tailed Beast Riders are not just decorative figures for publicity. Once you become a Rider, you will face endless battles, dancing on the edge of a knife, and constantly accompanied by death.

Kushina Uzumaki is the apple of the eye of the Shogun of the Land of Whirlpools, and it's unknown whether she will continue to work as a ninja, let alone take on the even more dangerous role of a Tailed Beast Knight.

"hope so."

Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered Danzo's words for a moment, then finally nodded slightly, tacitly acknowledging his actions.
"What about that child? Is there any hope for him?"

Turning his gaze to Minato beside Kushina, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been observing him for a long time, stroked his goatee and smiled as he spoke, only to be met with Danzo's resolute denial.

"No."

"Why?"

"Minato Namikaze is excellent, but he is still slightly inferior to Kizaru."

Danzo shook his head, a proud look on his face as he mentioned his outstanding nephew.
"Kizaru, that mature-beyond-his-years kid?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally recognized this prodigy, a once-in-nine-years talent of the Shimura clan; Danzo had often boasted about him in front of him.

"Yes."

"How does he compare to Shinnosuke?"

"Uh"

Unexpectedly, when Hiruzen Sarutobi mentioned his secret illegitimate son, Danzo paused for a moment, then slowly began to speak.

"Shinnosuke is not as good as him at this age."

He neither belittled nor deliberately elevated either of them.
Shinnosuke wasn't particularly talented as a child, but his strength improved rapidly after becoming a genin. His ingenious fighting style, in particular, often impressed Danzo.
As for Kizaru, although he looks like he's thirty-eight, he's actually only eight years old. He has exceptional talent, a rarity in the Shimura clan for over a century. But what the future holds remains to be seen.

"Where do you get such confidence in an eight-year-old child? Don't forget, there's still a variable in this trial."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head solemnly, his deep gaze piercing through the glass and landing directly on Gin Uchiha.

"It's true that Gintoki was the first to develop the Tailed Beast Cards, but don't you and I know his personality well enough?"

Danzo shrugged. If he had to pick someone he trusted most, it would undoubtedly be Uchiha Gin. He was someone who hated trouble the most, so why would he willingly take on the burden of being a Tailed Beast Knight?

It was for this reason that he added Uchiha Gin's name to the back of the list, since Danzo wouldn't feel comfortable using other Uchiha clan members.

"But I heard that Uchiha Setsuna spent a billion yen, will Gintoki do that?"

"I'm genuinely worried that Uchiha Setsuna won't pull some kind of sneaky trick."

Danzo shook his head dismissively upon hearing this. Now that a market price was established, he had a clear idea of ​​what to expect in a private deal with Uchiha Gin.

It's only a billion. If it can be exchanged for Uchiha Gin giving up the fight for the Nine-Tails Knight System, what's wrong with doubling the amount?
"Also, you asked me why I'm so confident in Kizaru?"

Turning to look at his childhood friend's worried face, Danzo smiled mysteriously, igniting Hiruzen Sarutobi's curiosity.
"Hmph~ What do you think I've been doing all month since I got the Tailed Beast Card?"

"Did you secretly use the Tailed Beast Cards to complete the Fittest Trial beforehand?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze sharpened, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"You guessed right. In these twenty days, Kizaru has been able to communicate with Kurama in a simple way. Based on this alone, he is already several versions ahead of the others."

The camera pans back to the scene below.
After their identities were verified, the participants were led by members of the Root organization to an open area.

The arena was surrounded by high walls, with a large black house standing in the center. A chilling aura emanated from it, causing many timid children to faint and become the first to be eliminated in the trial.
"Out!"

Seeing this, several members of the Root organization appeared in a flash, carrying the unconscious child, and disappeared into the distance in the blink of an eye.

"Wow, such violent chakra... Is this the legendary Nine-Tails?"

Under the cleansing influence of the Nine-Tails' chakra, Minato, who had maintained his composure, let out a long sigh of relief. His slightly pale face was filled with surprise.
Kushina, standing beside him, appeared completely calm and collected, even having the leisure to secretly chatter about Mito waiting outside in the parents' quarters.

"The Nine-Tails is nothing? I think it's not even as terrifying as my chakra." (End of Chapter)