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

Has no one ever told you that your gaze is rude?

Although she didn't understand why the black-haired woman was looking at her with pity, Reimu could keenly detect a hint of smugness and contempt in the woman's eyes.

Raising her delicate eyebrows, Reimu, who had intended to have a proper talk with Uchiha Hikaru, suddenly seemed to realize something, and her fair face tightened.
Wait a minute! You bastard!

She raised her right hand, her accompanying demon-subduing staff held horizontally in front of her chest, while a talisman materialized in her left hand. She stared warily at the bewildered Uchiha Hikaru, looking as if facing a formidable enemy.

Seeing this, Miroku reluctantly put down his donut, ran to Reimu, and confidently raised his little fist, saying...
"Master? Are you out of your mind? Sister Guang and the others are good people."

"Come behind me quickly, she's possessed by evil spirits!"

Reimu, fully prepared, furrowed her brows into a neat "川" shape.

The priestess's radar could detect an "evil" demon residing within the black-haired woman's body, capable of possessing her at any moment.

If she succeeds in possessing someone, those closest to her will inevitably pay a terrible price!

Evil?

Gin Uchiha, who was verbally conveying medical orders to Masahiko Uzumaki, turned around upon hearing the sound. Looking at Reimu, who seemed on high alert, he scratched his head helplessly.
Knowing Hikaru's physical condition, he naturally knew what kind of evil spirit Reimu was referring to.
"She really is an unreliable fortune teller, daring to swindle people in broad daylight."

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Uchiha Hikari's previously gentle expression visibly turned cold, and dark energy flickered within her half-closed, beautiful eyes.

"Don't doubt my expertise; you are indeed possessed by a terrifying monster."

Under the deliberate pressure released by Uchiha Hikaru, Reimu, feeling immense pressure, shook her head earnestly, her fingers tightening slightly as she gripped the demon-slaying staff.

From her perspective, a black, shadowy figure lurked behind Uchiha Hikaru, its crimson eyes gleaming with a malevolent light; it was clearly no benevolent being.
Sensing Reimu's sharp gaze, the inner Darkness within Uchiha Hikaru couldn't help but log in, licking its lips with a morbidly sinister grin.
"Hehehe, how dare you call me a demon? You red and white shaman witch are courting death!"

"I'm not showing off at all!"

Reimu is a traditional shrine maiden of the Land of Demons, which shows just how conservative she is.
"Hmph~ Exposing such a despicable part of your body, and you still dare to say you're not aroused?"

Uchiha snorted coldly twice, pointed at Reimu's fair armpit, and questioned her with a disdainful expression.
"What kind of coy behavior is this?"

Reimu raised her arms to examine herself, blinking her eyes in confusion.
This was specially designed and tailored by her to adapt to the humid environment of the Land of Rain; otherwise, her armpits would easily sweat, and washing clothes would require a lot of soap.
"Little Zhili, you be the judge."

Seeing Reimu still trying to argue, Uchiha An turned to look at his teammates.
"It is indeed a very rare track."

Uchiha Shigeaki nodded thoughtfully, his cool gaze lingering for a moment on Reimu's trembling armpit, a hint of consideration creeping into his eyes.

A very good idea.

But the next moment it will be mine!

"You foul-mouthed monster, take my Dream Seal!"

"Come on, I'll hang you up and whip you, you timid witch!"

"Akito sack!"

Just as the two women rolled up their sleeves, ready to fight, Uchiha Gin stepped forward, blocking their path and shouting in pain, "..."
"The rain is so heavy~ The rain is so heavy~"

"."

Sensing the strange looks from those around him, the dramatic Uchiha Gin coughed twice and explained with a serious expression,
"Ahem, what I mean is, please stop fighting, it's all a misunderstanding."

Reimu was willing to listen to what her major benefactor, Uchiha Gin, said.
"Misunderstand?"

After putting down the demon-slaying staff, she looked at Uchiha An, who was not far away, with suspicion, and found that he was indeed exuding a chillingly evil aura.
"I can't explain the details in just a few words, but I can assure you that she is definitely not an evil spirit."

"But on her body..."

"How about this, I'll explain it to you properly when you stay overnight tonight."

Seeing how serious Reimu's professional habits were, Uchiha Gin had no choice but to promise that even if he had to stay up all night, he would explain everything clearly.

"Stay overnight?"

Uchiha An raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. What was so great about staying at such a poor and shabby shrine?
"Really?! I'll go prepare the guest room right away!"

Maitreya, however, became unusually excited upon hearing this, and immediately ran towards a side room on his chubby little legs.

"Da da da~"

As he ran, he hummed a little tune that made no sense.
"A feast! A feast! Another feast!"

"Feast?"

Watching Miroku's cheerful retreating figure, Uchiha Gin turned to the somewhat embarrassed Reimu with a puzzled expression.

"It's just a shrine tradition. If guests stay overnight, we'll prepare a sumptuous dinner."

It's actually because they received offerings that their meals could be improved.

"Then trouble you."

Upon learning the truth, Uchiha Gin nodded.
Judging from how easily Mile was bribed by donuts before, it seems he hasn't had a nice meal in a long time.

At this moment, Masahiko and his wife, who were holding their child, stepped forward. They looked at each other, then knelt down with a thud.
"Gintoki! Thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I don't know what would have become of Nagato."

"Oh dear, it's not a holiday, how can I accept this?"

Uchiha Gin reached out and helped Masahiko, who was banging his head against the ground, to his feet. He and Zhou Xuan were old friends; they had known each other for longer than the history of Konoha. With such a deep friendship, it was only natural for him to lend a hand.
"That reward?"

"Hey! Don't talk like that. I know exactly what kind of money is fair game and what kind of money is not."

Upon hearing the word "compensation," Uchiha Gin frowned, as if greatly insulted. He waved his hand dismissively, urging Masahiko and his wife to hurry back to business, as many regular customers were waiting for them to open.
"You'd better hurry back to your shop, lots of customers are waiting!"

"We can't let you come for nothing!"

Masahiko Uzumaki excitedly grabbed Gin Uchiha's hand, adopting a stance that suggested he wouldn't leave until Gin accepted him.

"How about this, next time I buy something from your store, could you please rip me off a little less?"

"Hehe, Gintoki, you're joking. We're already giving away so many discounts, why would we rip you off!"

Upon hearing this, Uzumaki Masahiko's face stiffened. Under Uchiha Gin's mocking gaze, he chuckled awkwardly and released his grip, even considerately smoothing out the wrinkles on Uzumaki's sleeve. His guilty conscience was practically written all over his face.

"Master! Master! Something terrible has happened!"

Just then, Miroku, who had gone to tidy the room earlier, hurriedly ran up to Reimu, panting, and said...

“Miroku, how many times have I taught you to stay calm in the face of adversity? Once a priestess’s mind is in turmoil, evil spirits will take advantage of the situation.”

Reimu admonished her young apprentice with a serious expression. Although her tone was stern, the concern within it seemed genuine.
"Whew... The kitchen... The kitchen is completely empty except for that bag of rice and this!"

"what?"

As he spoke, Maitreya pitifully spread out his hands, revealing a piece of kelp that looked very old, exuding an air of shabby poverty.

"What are we going to do about the feast, Master? Are we going to have kelp soup with rice?"

"Hmph~ Don't worry, Master has plenty of strength now, he'll definitely get you a good meal tonight."

Touching the hard gold brick on her chest, Reimu, who had been poor for many years, felt a sense of confidence for the first time.
"Really!?"

Upon hearing this, Miroku's eyes lit up instantly. Looking at the apprentice witch who was covered in shabby clothes, Uchiha Gin, unable to bear it any longer, was overcome with compassion and shook his head, saying...

"No need to trouble you. Since we are staying here, we should be responsible for the ingredients."

"How can this be allowed? There's no reason for worshippers to pay for it themselves!"

Reimu frowned upon hearing this, patted her hard chest, and indicated that she was no longer the poor shrine maiden she once was.
"We don't lack that much money, you should keep that money for your future living expenses."

But Uchiha Gin knew that her shrine wasn't very popular, and that hardly anyone would visit throughout the year. The two of them were so hungry that they even gnawed the bark off the trees by the door.

Turning his head to look at Masahiko Uzumaki, Gin Uchiha asked,

"Masahiko, you're more familiar with Amegakure, so how about you take us to buy the ingredients?" "Leave it to me!"

His shop is located in the most bustling CBD of Amegakure, where all kinds of fresh ingredients are readily available.

After they had discussed it, Uchiha Gin patted Miroku's excited little head and invited him.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Little Maitreya. Would you like to come with us? Snacks count as ingredients too~"

"They want to go!"

With her mouth watering, Maitreya immediately raised her hand, her eyes full of longing. Apart from the donuts she had eaten before, she hadn't had any delicious snacks in a long time.

Finally, the procurement team members were finalized.
The purchasing team, consisting of Uchiha Gin, Koji, and Komiroku, followed Masahiko and his wife through the dark red torii gate and disappeared outside the shrine's gate.
"Hehehe, the troublesome person is finally gone."

After watching them leave, Uchiha Hikaru, who had been smiling just a moment ago, suddenly turned serious, his gaze turning dangerous as he looked at Hakurei Reimu, who was also waving goodbye beside him.

As everyone knows, Uchiha Hikari is a carefree person, so her opposite, Uchiha An, must be petty and narrow-minded.

Faced with the Red and White Shrine Maiden who called herself an evil spirit, she naturally wouldn't hold a grudge overnight; otherwise, she wouldn't have used the excuse of being unwell to stay alone with Reimu Hakurei.
"Evil spirit, you've finally revealed your true colors!"

Reimu Hakurei assumed the classic exorcism pose, her pale red eyes gradually emitting a purple light under the influence of the shrine maiden's power, and an ancient and mysterious power emanated from her body.

This evil demon lurking around Uchiha Gin must have some unknown purpose.

As a priestess who received offerings from Uchiha Gin, Reimu felt obligated to ward off dangerous evil spirits for her benefactor.
"Heh heh~ Consider this a pre-meal workout. I hope your strength is as hard as your chest."

Uchiha An stretched his neck, his eyes, which were emitting black aura, flashing with a faint crimson light.

Of course, she didn't want Reimu to die; she just wanted to teach this arrogant, armpit-baring shrine maiden a lesson.
Traditional Shrine Maiden vs. Evil Personality

War is imminent!
"Hakimi~ Hakimi~ Hakimi~ Hakimi, oh, north and south mung beans~"

"Boom!~"

Meanwhile, in the purchasing team that had just walked a short distance away, Maitreya was humming a tune and happily imagining delicious honey water when a sudden explosion behind her interrupted her creative enthusiasm.

"Hey? Uncle Curly, did you hear that?"

Uchiha Gin glanced thoughtfully behind him. With his superior eyesight, he could see a dark red giant bathed in a dazzling barrage of bullets in the direction of the shrine.
"Maybe someone's setting off fireworks."

"Mr. Yin, do you need me to go back and take a look?"

Uchiha Osamu, who was standing beside him, clearly sensed something, frowned, and asked in a low voice,

"It's alright. Don't be fooled by Xiao An's usual arrogant demeanor. She actually eats better than anyone else. Uh, never mind, she knows how to control herself."

Uchiha Gin waved his hand calmly; he understood An's dark personality better than anyone else.

Moreover,

That red and white shrine maiden is no pushover either.

Although their power systems differ, Reimu Hakurei's strength is still considerable even among ninjas.

With just that ancient sealing technique, she could suppress many Kage-level ninjas skilled in ninjutsu, not to mention the mysterious power within her that even made Uchiha Gin take a second look.
Without using the Mangekyou Sharingan, Xiao An might not be able to defeat Reimu Hakurei in a short time.

Let them communicate like this; isn't that how traditional bonds are formed?

The sounds of the explosions behind them faded into the distance, and Uchiha Gin and the others soon arrived at the commercial street of Amegakure. It was indeed as bustling as Uzumaki Masahiko had described.

Among the consumers, ninjas wearing headbands from the small ninja villages were a common sight, demonstrating that the Land of Rain's economy had been significantly boosted by the Sand Village's subsidies.

"Boss Masahiko! You're finally back!"

Suddenly, three ninjas wearing unidentified headbands rushed over, looking at Uzumaki Masahiko with excited expressions, tears almost streaming down their faces.
"Uh, sorry, I've had some family matters to attend to recently."

After recognizing him as a regular customer, Masahiko Uzumaki nodded sheepishly and added,

"But the matter has been resolved now, and I will be opening for business soon."

"Can we start now? We just got a huge mission, and we'll definitely die out there without your supplies!"

The three men looked pleading. They didn't have much money, and if they couldn't buy cheap and good supplies today, their mission's success rate would be almost zero.

As they were talking, many more regular customers spotted Uzumaki Masahiko nearby and immediately squeezed through the crowd to gather around, excitedly asking him questions.

"Boss Zheng Yan! Do you still have any strawberry-flavored soldier rations?"

"I haven't replenished my kunai in a long time. Do you have a lot of kunai in stock from your Land of Waterfall?"

Is the "buy two explosive tags, get one free" promotion still ongoing?

"."

"Uh"

Surrounded by a group of regular customers, Uzumaki Masahiko glanced at Uchiha Gin not far away with a troubled expression, earning a knowing look in return.

"Go ahead and get busy, we can handle the procurement ourselves."

"Thank you so much! We will definitely come to express our gratitude in person tomorrow!"

The couple, carrying their child, left surrounded by a group of regular customers, and the purchasing team continued their mission.

Inside the food store,

Maitreya's eyes lit up as he pointed at the golden honey on the shelf, his drool almost dripping onto the floor.

"Boss, please give me a can of Hakimi!"

"what?"

"Is that too much? I'm sorry, Uncle Curly, I was just too greedy."

Hearing the doubts from the side, Maitreya bit his lip, lowered his head pitifully, and carefully apologized.
"One can? One can isn't enough, boss! Pack up all your Hakimi for my little Maitreya!"

Uchiha Gin couldn't stand this kind of thing, so he immediately pulled out a gold bar and slammed it on the counter. The dazzling golden light blinded the shopkeeper.
"But."

Although the gold bars were very tempting, the boss showed a hesitation that was not typical of a businessman.

"What, not enough?"

"The customer has misunderstood; a customer simply pre-ordered a can of Hakimi yesterday."

Did he pay?

"That's not true."

"Then why don't you hurry up and pack it up!"

Soon, a scroll bearing the name "Hakimi" was respectfully handed over by the shopkeeper. Just as Uchiha Gin reached for it, a familiar figure pushed open the door and entered, speaking in a very cheerful voice.

"Boss, I'm here to pick up the Hakimi I ordered!"

"Sorry, this customer has already packed up all of our hakimi."

"Ok?"

Arriving a step too late, the successor who had missed out on Hakimi frowned, realizing that someone had beaten him to it.
Since acquiring the external driver that he can't remove, he needs to replenish a large amount of sugar every day to ensure a stable energy level in his body.

His slightly displeased gaze followed the shopkeeper's pointing finger and finally landed on Uchiha Gin, who was smiling not far away. His dark brown pupils suddenly contracted, and his legs instinctively took two steps back.

"Why are you here too?"

Uchiha Gin wore a strange smile, his eyes scanning Sasuke Black Zetsu, who had inexplicably become a plus-sized version of himself, up and down with a complex expression.
Tsk tsk tsk~ Judging by that physique, her blood sugar is at least 20 or higher.

"Hey~ isn't this Erzhuzi? Long time no see, you've turned into a little sugar doll!" (End of Chapter)