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

"Bloody hot springs, a secret healing place, red spring mist, bathing in rebirth, a national treasure-level intangible cultural heritage of the land of hot springs. Beep beep, now interrupting with an urgent and important news."

"Ok?"

Seeing the news anchor suddenly appear on the TV screen, Uchiha Gin's hand, which was pressing the remote control, froze abruptly.
"A few hours ago, two massive meteorites, each over 100 meters in diameter, fell on the shore of a famous scenic spot in the Land of Rain, a large lake. The island in the center of the lake remains unreachable. According to eyewitnesses fishing nearby, they heard a loud explosion before the meteorites fell. The Land of Rain authorities have ordered Amegakure to establish an investigation team to determine whether the meteorite fall was a premeditated attack."

Of course, this had absolutely nothing to do with the sweet-looking female anchor's revealing professional attire; his attention was completely drawn to a blurry photograph on the screen.

The photographer must have been some distance from the scene. In the pixelated photo, two round meteorites, each larger than the last, fall in a stacked manner, their size so enormous that they almost cover the entire sky.

Seeing this familiar classic scene, Uchiha Gin, who had been slumped on the sofa, suddenly sat up, his lifeless eyes filled with a strange look.

"Did my cousin open it?"

"Ah Yin, what did you just say?"

Hearing Uchiha Gin's mutterings, Uchiha Hikaru, who had just come downstairs yawning, was full of curiosity. Could it be that another new dessert shop had opened somewhere?

"I have to go out for a bit. Tell Banjian not to cook lunch for me."

Gin hurriedly threw on his clothes, greeted Hikaru, and stormed out the door without looking back.

"Wait"

"boom!"

"So eager, could it be that the dessert shop is owned by your old flame?"

Seeing the trembling door, Uchiha Hikari's face shrugged. If she found out that Uchiha Gin was really going to meet his old flame, she would definitely break this scumbag's back.

"Bang Bang Bang~"

"Uh?"

Just seconds after he finished his internal monologue, a rhythmic knocking came from the door. Uchiha Hikaru rolled his eyes, quickly stepped forward, and opened the door.

"Did you forget to bring it? What brings you here?"

Before she could finish speaking, she realized that the person outside the door wasn't Uchiha Gin who had forgotten his things, but a quiet, white-haired girl with white eyes.

"Something's wrong, isn't he here?"

Ōtsutsuki Tsukihime peeked into the room and scanned the surroundings, her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly.
"You mean Ah Yin? He just went out, didn't you run into him?"

Uchiha Hikaru stepped aside to let the guest from the moon through the door, bending down to retrieve his special bunny slippers as his eyes were full of doubt.

"Thank you. I guess we just missed each other. Did he say when he'd be back?"

After squatting in the entryway and changing into her cute bunny slippers, Tsukihime gently shook her head.

She had just received her ancestor's orders and rushed down in a hurry. Perhaps she was flying too fast and didn't notice Uchiha Gin on the ground.

"He didn't say that, but he should be back before dinner. Why don't you just wait for him at home?"

Sensing that Tsukihime's visit was not for personal reasons, Uchiha Hikaru nodded graciously.
Before dinner?

Looking back at the sun that had just risen outside the window, Tsukihime could only nod helplessly.
Before she came, her ancestor instructed her to share the mission with Uchiha Gin. Since he wasn't home, she could only wait for her teammate.

"We've finally managed to come all this way, how about this, after lunch, a few of us go shopping, the shopping street is currently changing its seasonal offerings and has put on a lot of trendy new styles."

"Okay!"

Upon hearing this, Tsukihime's white eyes lit up. Since she was free anyway, she might as well buy some new clothes to expand her wardrobe.

the other side,
Gin Uchiha, who immediately fled in his Flying Thunder God Technique, was unaware that he had just brushed past his sister-in-law, Tsukihime.

He stood beside a ravaged swamp, gazing at the heavily guarded lakeshore in the distance.
Countless heavily armed Rain Ninjas surrounded the entire lake, conducting a thorough search of the surrounding area. Many suspicious individuals have already been arrested and are being questioned.

With his superior eyesight, he could clearly see that the island in the center of the lake, once the stage for the first Tailed Beast Rider War and now a forbidden area of ​​Amegakure, had vanished without a trace. In its place stood a huge, oval-shaped meteorite, nearly a hundred meters above the lake's surface.
"It is a bit small, but it is indeed a celestial obstruction star."

After matching it with the famous full-screen ultimate technique from his memory, Uchiha Gin nodded with a puzzled look. It seemed that his younger cousin had indeed awakened the Rinnegan.
What intrigued him even more was what kind of enemy his cousin had encountered that could forcibly awaken the Eye of God, which had been dormant for most of his life.

"Forget it, let's just ask him directly, and while we're at it, let's admire the legendary Immortal Eye."

Speculation alone wouldn't suffice. Uchiha Gin raised his hand, locked onto the Flying Thunder God seal he had left at his younger cousin's dance school, and vanished in a flash of golden light.
Shortly after he left, a commotion broke out at the Rain Ninja's temporary base. Searchers discovered a squad of ninjas who had been knocked unconscious near the lake.
During the interrogation, these awakened ninjas slammed their Konoha headbands on the table, shouting that they would serve the Third Hokage, and then swallowed poison and committed suicide. Only one of them was slow to react and was knocked unconscious by a Rain Ninja who had just reacted.

"Sir, those guys wearing Konoha headbands insist they are from Konoha. Several of them have already committed suicide by poisoning themselves. Now there's only one left, and we've taken him into custody."

After listening to his subordinate's report, the captain of the Rain Ninja Anbu, who was in charge of the investigation, frowned.
This suspicious ninja squad is very likely the culprit behind the recent attack on the Rain Ninja outpost. Thankfully, one of them survived – that's a huge achievement.
"Take him back to headquarters immediately and hand him over to Lord Hanzo for interrogation."

"Report! Sir, we have discovered numerous signs of battle, primarily using Earth Release techniques, near the eastern outpost. We have also unearthed a body that appears to have been crushed by rocks, and its attire is identical to that of the ninjas we previously brought back."

"Where are the personnel on duty at the eastern outpost? Tell them to come see me!"

Upon hearing this, the Rain Ninja ANBU captain looked displeased. With so many unfamiliar ninjas appearing in groups, were these sentries just sitting around doing nothing?

"Reporting to Your Excellency, all the personnel on duty at the eastern outpost have been killed in action."

Suppressing her grief, Yu Ren, who came to report, lowered her head and spoke with a sob in her voice.

"Snapped!"

"hateful!"

Looking at the desk that had collapsed in front of him, the Rain Ninja Dark Army Captain withdrew his large hand with a grim expression.

"Whether it's Konoha or whatever, we must make them pay the price."

Among the guards at the eastern outpost was a kind-hearted man recognized by the village. He often treated his colleagues who were short of money to barbecue and had an excellent reputation among the Rain Ninja. Yet, even such a rare good person could not escape the clutches of the enemy.

Amegakure Village
As Uchiha Gin descended from the golden light, he looked up at the three-story building with its doors and windows tightly locked. His senses swept over it, and his brows immediately furrowed.
Why is nobody here?

This was a secret base that his older cousin had spent a fortune building. Even if he had to go out, he should at least leave a pillar behind to guard the place. Left with no other option, Uchiha Gin had to spread his senses wide, activating his Flying Thunder God Radar to search for the marks he had left on his older cousin. Several coordinates instantly appeared in his senses.
The closest one is a few kilometers to the west, but according to his notes, the owner of the mark is Jiraiya, who is currently lurking in Amegakure. The remaining ones are local delicacies marked by Uchiha Gin. Looking at the entire Land of Rain, there is no coordinate for his cousin.

"That shouldn't be the case!"

Two big bombs were dropped just a few hours ago, how come they've disappeared in the blink of an eye?
Undeterred, Uchiha Gin expanded his sensory range. As countless markers lit up on the radar, his expression grew increasingly grim.
still none.

Surely he can't be dead?
With the worst-case scenario in mind, Uchiha Gin went to a nearby market and bought a lively rooster. Finding a secluded corner, he pulled a can of bright red blood from his backpack, clasped his hands together, and began the most hardcore method of determining life and death.

"Summoning Jutsu: Impure World Reincarnation - Modified!"

As countless filth from the Pure Land surged toward the struggling rooster in the center of the formation, Uchiha Gin's heart began to pound. He was already thinking about how to pull his younger cousin out of the Pure Land, or perhaps give the rooster to the Feathered Robe Ancestor.

"Splash~"

However, the situation did not seem as bad as he had imagined. The filth only buried the rooster and then there was no further movement, which meant that the ghost he had summoned did not linger in the Pure Land.

"Wow, that scared the hell out of me."

Uchiha Gin breathed a sigh of relief, rummaged around a few times, and pulled the rooster that had fainted from fright out of the filth, intending to take it back to return it later.

Where did my little brothers go?

However, his doubts did not diminish in the slightest. If the person was not dead, why did his cousin disappear from his senses? Could it be that he was also kidnapped by Jigen like Hashirama did in prison?
This is going to be difficult. Jigen is elusive and might sneak into Boruto without anyone knowing.

"That's right!"

Just as his little brain was working at lightning speed, he suddenly remembered that in order to prevent his older cousin from suffering the same fate of being betrayed by the Black Hand, he had deliberately left a Flying Thunder God mark on the abdomen of the Sasuke possessed by Black Zetsu.

"Found it! This is..."

As the saying goes, perseverance pays off. After a thorough search, Uchiha Gin's face lit up with a hint of surprise, though the distance was a bit farther than he had imagined.

The Land of Iron
Beneath the mountain cemetery,

"cough cough"

In the pitch-black corridor, a dazzling beam of light suddenly illuminated the path. The man at the head of the group, holding a flashlight, fanned away the dust swirling around his nose while nodding in amazement.
"I didn't expect that Lao Da and his gang had a secret base here."

"Hurry, Big Brother's condition is getting worse. Where exactly is the medical room that Erzhuzi mentioned?"

Walking behind him was Jiuzhuzi, but the one speaking was Uchiha Izuna.

He was lying behind Jiuzhuzi, blood still seeping from the holes all over his body, his face deathly pale.

Even in his dire straits, he still turned back to check on the unconscious Uchiha Madara behind Sasuke, his eyes filled with worry.

"It's really too dark here, but according to Erzhuzi, it should be around here."

The leader, Yizhuzi, shook his head, his eyes constantly scanning left and right. It was his first time visiting this secret base, and the maze-like layout was giving him quite a headache.

"Beep beep. Bang~"

Just as the group was stumbling around like headless flies, the old light bulbs on the ceiling of the corridor suddenly emitted a faint electrical hum, then simultaneously emitted a dim light.

"Over here."

As the darkness was illuminated, Erzhuzi's slightly weary figure came into view. He familiarly opened a door in the corridor and waved to the group.
The group immediately filed in. The room, referred to as the medical room, contained several dusty hospital beds, and the medicines in the cabinet appeared to be expired. Fortunately, the medical equipment was still functional and powered on.

"Has the barrier you mentioned been activated?"

After carefully placing the injured Izuna and the unconscious Uchiha Madara onto the cleaned hospital bed, Ichiju turned to look at Niju, who was fiddling with the medical equipment.

"Yes, the perception shield has been set up. That guy shouldn't be able to find us for a while."

Erzhuzi replied without looking up that he had just left to activate the barrier of this secret base to prevent those with ulterior motives from discovering their whereabouts.

"Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep~~~"

After a few skillful maneuvers, Sasuke successfully activated the device responsible for monitoring his physical condition and connected its probe to the unconscious Uchiha Madara.

"Phew, it's not too bad."

After waiting patiently for a moment, until a stable green fluctuation appeared on the instrument, Erzhuzi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Isn't this terrible? Don't you even look at what kind of state our eldest brother has become?"

Upon hearing this, Izuna, in the next bed, struggled to sit up, pointing indignantly at the unconscious Uchiha Madara on the bed.
Indeed, as he said, from a visual perspective, Madara Uchiha's current condition is not optimistic.

His once handsome face, full of mature charm, is now covered with wrinkles befitting his actual age. His robust body has shrunk considerably, and his signature long black hair has turned gray from the roots, a symbol of aging.

"This is a side effect of the body's cells forcibly extracting chakra."

Erzhuzi nodded slightly. No one understood the terror of the Rinnegan better than him. In his opinion, the fact that Madara wasn't drained dry by those eyes meant that someone in the Pure Land had already smoothed things over for him.

Although Madara Uchiha was given miraculous ninja tools by Gin Uchiha to replenish his life energy, allowing him to maintain the appearance of someone in his early forties, his true age of over seventy could not be faked.
After awakening the Rinnegan, Madara Uchiha didn't have time to consolidate his new power. He forced a true 1v1 battle with Jigen, a fight that raged from the sky to the ground, a battle so intense that neither side could gain the upper hand.
Finally, in order to defeat his opponent, he recklessly exhausted his life force, unleashing a forbidden technique he had just mastered. He summoned two massive lightning bolts, each nearly a kilometer in size, from the distant universe, successfully suppressing Jigen to the bottom of the lake.
However, he also collapsed from exhaustion. During his escape, the side effects of overdrawing his life force arrived late, and by the time he reached this former base, Madara Uchiha had uncontrollably transformed into the old man he is now.

"Hey"

Black Zetsu regretted not being able to interject during Madara Uchiha's battle; otherwise, he would have definitely used his own family experience to warn Madara against using the useless Heavenly Meteor.
Based on my own experience, Chibaku Tensei is still the most reliable way to deal with Otsutsuki.

"Can I use the medicine? I have a lot here."

Upon hearing that his elder brother was feeling extremely weak, Izuna quickly rummaged through his backpack and pulled out several large bottles of advanced Glimmer Potions, presenting them to Black Zetsu like treasures.

This is a secret medicine highly recommended by my cousin. It can cure any difficult male ailment!

Black Zetsu, who had suffered greatly from the poison, looked at the dark green potion in front of him and his eyes twitched violently. "You little brat, are you planning to kill your older brother so you can inherit his throne?"

"No, this medicine is too potent. I'm afraid Lao Ban will die on the spot if he uses it. It would be safer if I went to buy a nutrient tank and diluted the medicine before using it." (End of Chapter)