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

Chapter 23 He used to be a sunny and cheerful young man.

"Gin, think carefully about how you awakened your Sharingan."

Unable to get the answer he wanted from the two elders, Uchiha Tajima turned to ask Uchiha Gin.

This question really stumped Uchiha Gin. His Sharingan was awakened by Uchiha Itachi, who had refreshed the backyard, using the unique genjutsu Tsukuyomi of the Mangekyou Sharingan. This was something he had to keep to himself.

"Don't be nervous, I'm just curious, after all, you're only awakening your Sharingan at your age."

Seeing Uchiha Gin's furrowed brows, Uchiha Tajima offered words of comfort.

The three people in front of him had returned to normal at some point, as if the cold aura from before was just his imagination.

The two elders looked at him with the kindness of gentle elders, their eyes revealing satisfaction, and everything seemed harmonious and joyful.

However, Uchiha Gin still had a vague, strange feeling.

"I hope it's just my imagination."

Uchiha Gin pondered to himself, then relaxed his furrowed brows and, after a moment's thought, spoke.

"It was when the Senju clan severely injured me that I awakened the Sharingan in that life-or-death moment."

The way to awaken the Sharingan is nothing more than intense emotional stimulation. His description of awakening the Sharingan when he was severely injured and on the verge of death is very reasonable and makes no fault of it.

"Gin, you've had a tough trip. I didn't expect the Senju clan's territory to be so well-defended."

Hearing such a "reasonable" explanation, Uchiha Tajima had his doubts, but he didn't press the matter further, otherwise it would seem too deliberate.

After all, a mere two-magatama jade wouldn't warrant such a large-scale interrogation by the clan leader.

The two elders beside him also tacitly fell silent, but their subtle gazes never left his eyes.

"Clan leader, this brat from the Senju clan..."

Sensing that Uchiha Tajima was subtly suggesting that the guest should leave, Uchiha Gin quickly pushed Senju Itama out of his hand.

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Tajima, whose mind was no longer on the matter, spoke with a gentle expression.

"Since he is your prisoner, you shall keep him under your care for now and spare his life. This will give us an extra bargaining chip when we fight the Senju clan."

Upon hearing that Uchiha Tajima had entrusted Senju Itama to his disposal, Uchiha Gin was overjoyed, as it seemed the brat's life was temporarily spared.

Fearing that his clan leader uncle might change his mind, Uchiha Gin grabbed the still unconscious Senju Itama, said goodbye, and fled in a flash.

As the door slammed shut, Uchiha Tajima's previously gentle expression instantly turned icy, and the two elders, who had just been all smiles, also frowned.

"Elder Miao, you were one of the key figures in the surgery back then. You shouldn't have forgotten the outcome. It's absolutely impossible for Uchiha Gin to awaken the Sharingan."

Uchiha Tajima's voice was as cold as a chilling wind.

"Clan Chief Tajima, I guarantee that the surgery back then will not have gone wrong, but that person had not yet been arrested at the time, could it be that...?"

A hint of unease was evident in the eyes of Uchiha Miao, who was as withered as a bamboo pole.

"You mean that person?"

After hearing this, Uchiha Tajima rubbed his sore eyes, feeling a bit of a headache.

Is he still alive?

"He's still locked up in the dungeon."

"It's round and chubby Uchiha Yan!" said the voice.

"Let's leave this matter aside for now. The decisive battle with the Senju clan is imminent, and I will arrange for Uchiha Gin to stay behind within the clan."

"Uchiha Tajima said after a headache."

For some reason, Uchiha Tajima seems to have developed a brain disease recently, with his head aching from time to time. The clan doctor has also diagnosed him, but no serious problem has been found, so he just assumes that he is overworked.

Carrying Senju Itama out of the clan head's building, Uchiha Gin walked towards his home, which he remembered, while trying to identify the two old men from the original owner's memories. He quickly came to a conclusion.

The chubby old man from the Uchiha clan is named Uchiha En. He was the personal bodyguard of the previous clan leader. In his youth, he was quite skilled in combat and followed the previous clan leader in battles.

After Uchiha Tajima succeeded as clan head, he stepped down to a secondary role, becoming an elder of the Uchiha clan, mainly responsible for training new recruits and patrolling the clan's security.

The gaunt and emaciated Uchiha elder is Uchiha Yan's brother, named Uchiha Miao. His strength is unknown, but he is the head of the Uchiha clan's research department, dedicated to developing the clan's eye techniques and ninjutsu.

It is said that they had an older brother, but he died in a clan struggle at an early age, and other information is unknown.

The original owner's information about these people was limited to this, and Uchiha Gin couldn't see anything special about them either. Along the way, the Uchiha clan members who saw him deep in thought with his head down all stepped aside.

Without being disturbed, he followed his memory and walked unimpeded to a secluded spot far from where his tribe gathered. Looking up, he saw a wooden house of moderate size.

The wooden house was no different from the homes of ordinary clansmen, but it was slightly dilapidated. Uchiha Gin pushed open the old wooden door, and the furnishings inside were immediately visible.

The apartment is a simple one-bedroom apartment with very old furniture, but the scratches on the aged furniture show that the owner cherishes these things very much.

Entering the bedroom, there was only a simple wooden bed. On the bedside table was a well-preserved family photo. Uchiha Gin picked up the photo and examined it.

It was a simple family of three. The original owner was a cute little boy when he was young, with a head of fluffy curly hair and a happy smile on his face.

On either side were a man and a woman, presumably the original owner's parents. The man on the left had a gentle and warm smile, slightly curly black hair, slightly narrowed eyes, and a warm smile on his lips, radiating a sunny aura.

On the right is a cold and aloof woman with short, jet-black hair and a beautiful face like a model from her past life. Her temperament is somewhat similar to that of Uchiha Tajima. Her expression seems cold, but her eyes are full of tenderness when she looks at the original owner of this body.

With a sigh, Uchiha Gin put down the photo in his hand. "It seems that the original owner was a cheerful and optimistic young man before his parents died in battle. How did he turn into such a dark person later?"

Sighing at the impermanence of life, after putting down his luggage, Uchiha Gin cleaned the dusty house. As a wave of hunger washed over him, he decided to go out and buy some groceries.

He was also uneasy about leaving the still unconscious Senju Itama at home, given the deep-seated hatred between the two clans.

If the news leaks out, there's no guarantee that some Uchiha clansmen, blinded by hatred, won't sneak up and kill this defenseless brat to avenge their grudges. Then he'll be in trouble too.

He then skillfully hoisted Senju Itama onto his shoulder and headed towards the Uchiha clan's market.

Along the way, many people saw him carrying a child and pointed at him, but no one dared to go up and ask. Perhaps they were afraid of his reputation, which allowed Uchiha Gintoki to have some peace and quiet.

After arriving at the market, I bought some simple ingredients and threw the money to the stall owner in a horrified manner.

Uchiha Gin, carrying groceries in both hands, swayed back to his doorstep, humming, "A chicken in my left hand, a duck in my right, and a chubby baby on my back, ya ya yi er yo."

From afar, he saw that someone was actually waiting at his deserted gate. Confused, Uchiha Gin slowly approached to take a look.

"Hey? Isn't this Erzhuzi?"

A kid of about ten years old was squatting in front of Uchiha Gin's house. Judging from his black hair sticking up to the sky, he was a family member. Looking at the kid's little face, Uchiha Gin felt a sense of spatial displacement.

The kid in front of him looked so much like what gay people are in the future that Uchiha Gin wondered if he had traveled through time again.

The kid, who was squatting on the ground, saw that the person who came was Uchiha Gin. He jumped up, and before Uchiha Gin could even ask a question, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.

"Host detected to be in combat; Heart Steel Chest begins to accumulate."

(End of this chapter)