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

"Gintoki!"

A dejected look appeared on Masahiko Uzumaki's face as he looked up at the sound. The moment he saw Gin Uchiha, a glimmer of hope shone in his empty eyes.

"The reliable expert your grandfather mentioned in his letter, could it be you, Gintoki?"

"Hmph~ In the entire Hidden Leaf Village, is there a more reliable doctor than me?"

With an air of arrogance, Uchiha Gin lowered his hand, his confidence drawing attention. Uzumaki Masahiko's face lit up at the sight, but quickly, as if remembering something, his excited expression faded.

"But aren't you a renowned gynecologist?"

Uchiha Gin is indeed a famous doctor in Konoha, but his area of ​​expertise seems to be unrelated to his profession.

"Ahem. It's just a side job, I actually majored in pediatrics."

Sensing two sharp gazes from behind, Uchiha Gin coughed violently twice and, out of Uchiha Hikaru's and the other's sight, frantically tried to signal to Uzumaki Masahiko.
"Oh! Then please, Gintoki, save my son!"

Fortunately, men generally have a high level of tacit understanding. Masahiko Uzumaki immediately understood and straightened his expression, shifting the topic from medical matters to his own son.
"Easy to say! Easy to say!"

Relieved, Uchiha Gin waved his hand, indicating that he had arrived and that there was hope for Uzumaki Masahiko's son's illness.

"Wow~ wow~"

At that moment, the sound of a baby crying came from inside the store again. Uchiha Gin's eyes narrowed, and he was about to step forward when he was stopped by Uzumaki Masahiko.

"Gintoki, wait a minute. The shrine maiden at this shrine instructed us not to disturb her ritual."

His expression was conflicted. Although he was pleased that Uchiha Gin, an expert, was present, he still harbored a sliver of hope regarding the priestess's supernatural powers.
"Masahiko, you must believe in science."

Uchiha Gin shook his head in exasperation. At a time like this, he was still indulging in feudal superstitions. What if it delayed the child's treatment?
"But, Bo."

"No buts, I'm going to expose this sorceress's true colors right now!"

Uchiha Gin, who scoffed at the likes of shrine maidens, immediately cast his senses out to investigate.
"what?"

The feedback he received, however, made him frown slightly. The simple shrine before him was enveloped by a mysterious power, causing his usually reliable perception to fail for the first time.
"A-Yin, what's wrong?"

Noticing the fleeting surprise on Uchiha Gin's face, Uchiha Hikaru asked curiously,

There is something outside this shrine.

Uchiha Shigeaki, her eyes now tinged with crimson, frowned slightly. In her vision, the house before her was shrouded in a mist emanating an inexplicable power.

"A sealing barrier?"

Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow and began to patiently examine the misty barrier before him.
By discerning the profound energy contained within, he discovered that it was a very ancient sealing barrier, different from the sealing techniques of the Land of Whirlpools, belonging to the type that focused on spiritual sealing.

"Oops~ I almost misjudged it."

He retracted his earlier statement; this witch he had never met was indeed quite capable.

But that's all there is to it.

If Uchiha Gin wanted to break this barrier, it would actually be quite simple.

"Sorry, I'm in a hurry."

With the Divine Tree Man still needing to be dealt with, Uchiha Gin shook his head, raised his hand, and a faint blue flame ignited at his fingertips.
[Unsealing the Seal]

This is the simplest and most direct unsealing technique from the Land of Whirlpools, applicable to 99% of sealing techniques on the market.

Of course, this is on the premise that the caster has enough chakra, and the main focus is on a powerful, explosive attack.
"Tap~ Tap~ Tap~!"

Just before Uchiha Gin's fiery hand was about to touch the sealing barrier, a series of hurried footsteps, though not loud, sounded behind him.
Uchiha Gin, who could sense someone behind him without using his senses, turned his head in confusion, only to find nothing in his field of vision. Just as he was wondering about this, Uzumaki Masahiko, who was standing next to him, hurriedly reminded him.
"Gintoki, get out of the way!"

"what?"

What are you hiding from?
"Boom!"

The next second, Uchiha Gin felt a numbness in his lower back. Looking down at the spot where the numbness was, he saw a small white head pressing firmly against his lower back.

"You unruly fellow, don't even think about disturbing your master's work!"

Before he could even ask a question, the little white head spoke up first, its clear, childlike voice filled with indignation.
Judging from the voice alone, the manufacturing date should be no more than ten years old.
"Um, may I ask who you are?"

Looking at the small white head that was vigorously nudging him, Uchiha Gin, who remained completely still, scratched his head somewhat awkwardly.

"what?"

Only then did the small white head belatedly realize that its headbutt attack had not only failed to send Uchiha Gin flying, but had even made it impossible for him to move.
And
This unruly curly hair is so stiff!
"Ouch, it hurts so much!"

The little white head covered its head as it squatted on the ground, whimpering and shedding tiny pearls.

Uchiha Gin then had a chance to take a closer look and discovered that the person who attacked him was a little girl who was not even ten years old.
She was exquisitely beautiful, with delicate skin that appeared even whiter against her white hair, making her look like a refined porcelain doll.
"Gintoki, you... sigh."

Masahiko Uzumaki shook his head, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Ah Yin really knows how to make girls cry."

"Mr. Yin, that's not right."

The two women, Hikari and Uchiha, also stood up to condemn Gin, since it was clear that he was at fault in this situation.

"Give me a hug~ give me a hug~ and I'll treat you to a donut."

Feeling the complex gazes around him and the immense pressure, Uchiha Gin had no choice but to pull out the donuts he had just bought, squat down, and give one to the crying little girl.

"Waaaaah! It's a donut!"

Upon seeing the donuts covered in frosting, the little girl's expression instantly brightened, and her purplish-white eyes sparkled.

"call"

Seeing that the other party had snatched the donut from his hand with lightning speed, Uchiha Gin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, he's not completely unyielding, otherwise I wouldn't know how to coax him.
"Creak~Creak~"

"Little one, who are you here?"

Watching the little girl munching on a donut like a hamster, Uchiha Gin asked softly, while casually glancing at her outfit.
The simple long kimono skirt, judging from the fabric, was probably a cheap item from a roadside stall. The sleeves and hem were slightly faded, indicating that it had been worn for quite some time.

In summary, she was a poor girl.

But the little girl possessed an air of nobility that couldn't be concealed by her simple clothes, which aroused his curiosity.
"Even if you offer me a delicious donut, I won't forgive your disobedience." Hearing this, the little girl hid the half-eaten donut behind her back, cautiously retreating to distance herself from Uchiha Gin, as if afraid he would take back his offering.
"Disobeying the rules?"

"Yes! You have to go under the torii gate to enter the shrine!"

Upon hearing this answer, Uchiha Gin's expression faltered slightly. He subconsciously turned his head to look at the torii gate that resembled Hashirama's Myojinmon. He had indeed not passed under it just now.

You want to ask why?
Please, that's super cutting propagation. Standing under it will get you badly irritated, okay?
"Sorry, we didn't know the rules. We'll do it next time!"

"Hmph~ Since you're being so sincere, then on behalf of Master Grin, I'll forgive you~"

Look how much the child is craving it; he's even munching on a donut while talking. Seeing this, Uchiha Gin, feeling sorry for him, immediately took out a whole bag of donuts and began feeding him.
"Gulp~! Thank you for your offering."

As the little girl's chubby cheeks completely deflated, she touched her tummy and then gave a pure, innocent smile to Uchiha Gin, who was worshipping her.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Miroku, an apprentice shrine maiden at this shrine. I have been training with my master for two and a half years."

Maitreya?

Uchiha Gin blinked. He remembered the name, and combined with her special identity as a priestess, he immediately equated the white-haired girl in front of him with an important NPC who appeared in a certain movie.
"And who is your master?"

Gin's gaze swept past the proud little girl before him, landing on the shrine surrounded by a barrier. Whoever could train such an excellent priestess as Miroku might truly be able to cure Masahiko's son's illness.

"Master is indeed a master!"

"I asked for the name."

Looking at Miroku's matter-of-fact expression with a face full of black lines, Uchiha Gin emphasized.
"Reimu."

"Didn't you hear me? Huh?"

Just as Gin Uchiha was about to criticize Master Miroku as someone who was just some random guy on the street, his breath hitched, and a few seconds later his dead fish eyes widened suddenly.
Rei.Dream?
He vaguely remembered glancing at the sign at the shrine entrance before entering; four large characters were written on it in a crooked manner.

【Hakurei Shrine】

The figure kneeling inside the temple was completely unaware of everything happening outside.
Reimu Hakurei, Miroku's mentor, the genius priestess of the Land of Demons.
Because she did not want to inherit the power of the priestess from the Land of Demons, she took her young disciple, who was capable of doing housework and taking care of her daily needs, and ran away in the middle of the night. They eventually settled in the Land of Rain, which was separated from the Land of Demons by an entire Land of Birds.
He built a shrine on the outskirts of Amegakure and earned a meager living off the skills he had learned since childhood.
"Ah~"

At this moment, she was sighing listlessly, her lifeless eyes staring blankly at the crying red-haired baby she had placed at the center of the complex array.

"So complicated."

As she spoke, she shook her head and waved the exorcism wand in her hand. The eerie blue energy, at her command, transformed into complex runes in the air, all of which fell onto the tadpole-like incantations within the array.
As the incantation was injected, the array shone with a dazzling light, and the complex incantation seemed to come alive, rapidly crawling towards the weeping Nagato.

"Bah!"

However, with a not-so-ear-piercing cracking sound, the densely packed incantations were torn apart by a terrifying force the instant they touched Nagato.

"Sigh~ I failed again."

The young woman, dressed in a red and white shrine maiden outfit that exposed her armpits and midriff, pouted with a miserable expression, dejectedly tossed aside her exorcism wand, and lay down on the ground, resigned to her fate.
"Sigh, I should have known better than to take on such a troublesome job just for a bag of rice."

Staring at the dilapidated ceiling above her, Reimu Hakurei sighed deeply.

As the saying goes, even a peck of rice can bring down a great priestess. She and Miroku hadn't had a proper meal for days, and the bark on the trees outside the shrine was almost completely gnawed off by them. Otherwise, they wouldn't have agreed to exorcise Nagato's demon for such a high price as a bag of rice.

With a look of utter dejection, Reimu Hakurei turned her head to look at the red-haired baby who had cried herself to sleep. Her pink lips tightened slightly, and a purple halo flashed in her pale red eyes.

What exactly is hidden within this child?

She could sense a mysterious power residing within Nagato, subtly influencing his body. Reimu Hakurei attempted to seal it using an ancient sealing technique passed down through the Land of Demons, but all her attempts ended in failure.
"If only I hadn't skipped class when I was studying in the Swamp Country."

Given Nagato's situation, the soul-sealing technique inherited from the Land of Demons doesn't seem to be very effective. Perhaps the physical seal from the Land of Swamp would be more effective.
"I'm so hungry! I never thought that after all that effort, I'd still have to return the rice to them in the end!"

Helplessly patting her flat stomach, Hakurei Reimu, ravenously regretting not having studied harder back then, would she have been able to seize even this opportunity to earn money?

Bang bang bang~
Suddenly, a rhythmic knocking sounded in her ear. Lost in thought, Reimu Hakurei paused, then instinctively replied...
"Come in, there's no lock."

Creak~
and many more!

Didn't I place a barrier outside the temple?
Hearing the creak of the old door being pushed open, Reimu, who was lying on the ground, suddenly sat up, quickly picked up the exorcism wand that had been lying to the side, and looked warily towards the direction of the shrine's main gate.

To be able to pass through the barrier without her noticing, the person who came must be no good. Will that silly little idiot Maitreya get into trouble?
Reimu Hakurei frowned, her right hand holding the exorcism wand protectively in front of her, while her left hand extended its index and middle fingers, instantly conjuring several dark blue spell cards inscribed with complex runes.

She glanced at the sleeping red-haired baby behind her, and her heart grew heavy.

Did they come for this child?

Sigh. It's so hard to earn a bag of rice these days, isn't it?
To save on unnecessary expenses, Reimu Hakurei lit only two oil lamps in the dimly lit shrine where she was.
"despair"

The flickering candlelight cast a tall, imposing figure on the yellowed wall. As the footsteps drew nearer, a glint of light flashed in Reimu Hakurei's pale red eyes.
In this situation, we must strike first!

"Secret Technique: Dream Seal!"

Before the unfamiliar figure could emerge from the darkness, Reimu, assuming a battle stance, flicked her wrist, and the spell card that had been forming in her left hand shot out instantly. Trailing a blue flame, the spell card hurtled towards the unknown enemy with a terrifying speed far exceeding that of ordinary throwing weapons.
"Holy crap, the comments?!"

The figure in the darkness stared at the spell card hurtling towards it, frozen in place, its voice trembling with astonishment.
"Boom!"

The next second, the unfamiliar figure was engulfed in a towering explosion. Seeing this, Reimu Hakurei summoned a transparent barrier wall first, blocking all the smoke and shockwaves from the explosion.

"Is this death?"

As the smoke gradually dissipated, Reimu Hakurei, relieved to see no one standing at the epicenter of the explosion, relaxed.
I was overthinking it. If I couldn't even block that move, the enemy's skill level must be incredibly low.
I should have held back a bit earlier. Now look what I've done; I can't even touch the corpse, and I have to clean up the human remains stuck to the ceiling.

"Tsk tsk tsk~ There really is a Red and White Shrine Maiden."

However, just as she was about to clean up the battlefield to see if there was anything valuable, a sound of amazement rang out behind her.

"Nani?"

Only then did Reimu Hakurei realize someone was behind her, a chill running down her spine. An inexplicable coldness instantly swept through her body. Without time to check, she made a snap decision, swinging the exorcism wand she was holding.

"Snapped!"

Unfortunately, her desperate attack was easily neutralized by the person behind her. The exorcism wand, glowing with blue light, was firmly gripped in their hand, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pull it back.

Looking at the red and white shrine maiden struggling to pull at the wooden exorcism staff in front of her, Uchiha Gin, whose clothes were slightly dirty from the previous explosion, raised an eyebrow.

His gaze involuntarily began to move downwards, passing over Reimu Hakurei's fair, delicate arms and slender shoulders, finally settling on her cool, breathable armpits. He licked his lips in approval.
Indeed, only those with exposed armpits are proper shrine maidens.

"Your armpit technique is really amateurish!" (End of Chapter)