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

Chapter 24 It's not normal to have a competitive mentality when you're a child.

Gin Uchiha dodged the shuriken aimed straight at his face and looked helplessly at the panting boy in front of him.

Just now, the little devil squatting in front of my house pulled out a shuriken and threw it at me without saying a word.

With his taijutsu boost of 10 points, Uchiha Gin easily dodged the opponent's attack.

Seeing that his sneak attack had missed, the brat, who looked just like Uchiha Sasuke, refused to believe it and pulled out a shuriken, throwing it at himself with a whoosh.

"Izuna, is this how you welcome your dear older cousin?"

Uchiha Gin recognized the other person's identity based on his memory.

Uchiha Izuna, the second son of Uchiha Tajima and the younger brother of Uchiha Madara, who would become half the mastermind behind the scenes, was exceptionally talented but too arrogant. As a result, he had his kidney stolen by the cunning white-haired man, leaving behind a pair of Mangekyou Sharingan and dying young.

It can be said that Izuna's death led to the subsequent plot; otherwise, Madara Uchiha would never have been able to awaken the Rinnegan. However, at present, he is just a brother-complex character who has just awakened.

"Damn it, when did you become so strong?"

Seeing that all his moves had missed, Uchiha Izuna frowned and asked loudly after rummaging through his empty ninja tool pouch.

"Where are you stronger? You've been at this level for so many years. Don't lie through your teeth. Sometimes you should look for the reasons within yourself. Has your chakra level increased over the years? Have you been training diligently?"

Uchiha Gin looked at Uchiha Izuna, who seemed somewhat unconvinced, and said in a sarcastic tone.

"How can this be repaired!"

Uchiha Izuna, whose brain was congested by these sarcastic remarks, disregarded the difference in strength between the two and pulled out a katana from behind his back, charging towards Uchiha Gin.

But the nimble Uchiha Gin easily dodged it, muttering as he did so.

"Are you sure you can handle this, little bro?"

Hearing the other person's obsequious voice, Uchiha Izuna's eyes turned red with anger.

"No way, no way, he's already awakened the Sharingan?"

He was so angry that his vision blurred and he almost fainted.

Four years ago, ten-year-old Uchiha Madara easily defeated his cousin, who was ten years older than him. That scene left a deep impression on young Uchiha Izuna.

Four years later, Izuna, who thought he was well prepared, chose to challenge his cousin Uchiha Gin on his tenth birthday in order to catch up with his older brother Uchiha Madara.

But to his utter surprise, his cousin, who usually seemed like a weakling who relied on his master's power, actually possessed such skill.

It should be noted that even if his current strength is not as good as that of an elite combatant, he is still among the top of ordinary combatants. If measured by future standards, he would be equivalent to a Chunin.

Realizing his opponent was not as simple as he had imagined, Uchiha Izuna steeled his resolve and began frantically forming hand seals.

Si - Wei - Shen - Hai - Wu - Yin

The ultimate fireball technique.

As the boy's cheeks puffed out, a burst of intense chakra was released from his mouth, and a fireball several meters in diameter hurtled toward Uchiha Gin.

The boy, panting heavily after unleashing such astonishing power, watched as his opponent dealt with his trump card ninjutsu.

The oncoming fireball made his already curly hair curl even more. Gin Uchiha glanced at the groceries he had just bought and his "accessory" Senju Itama behind him, and had no choice but to stretch out his hands to prepare to withstand the great fireball.

As chakra gathered in his hands, Uchiha Gin swung his fist at the Great Fireball Jutsu. With the added strength of his monstrous strength, the scorching flames of the Great Fireball Jutsu were actually blocked by the force of his fist.

Seeing that his opponent was facing his Fireball Jutsu without flinching, Uchiha Izuna immediately shouted in alarm.

"Are you stupid? Get out of the way!"

Sparring is one thing, but killing within the clan is a taboo, especially since Uchiha Gin is his cousin. Their relationship wasn't as bad as one might imagine.

Feeling the intense heat emanating from his fists, Uchiha Gin felt the time was right and immediately unleashed his monstrous strength once more, striking the Great Fireball in front of him.

With a muffled thud, the Fireball was blown away by the monstrous force of the punch before his eyes. Uchiha Gin was sent flying backward, rolling several times on the ground in a "disgraceful" manner before falling silent.

Seeing this, Uchiha Izuna flew to the side of the "unconscious" Uchiha Gin. Looking at the burn marks on the other's body, the boy was filled with remorse.

How could he treat his own family like this? Under the immense shock, the boy's dark eyes slowly welled up with tears, which then streamed down his face.

"Cousin, please don't die! I'll go find a doctor for you right now!"

Seeing that Izuna remained unmoved no matter how much he pushed and shoved her, he prepared to get up and go to his clan for help.

"Cough cough cough, as expected of my younger brother, this fireball actually shows some of the clan leader's skill. Cough cough."

Seeing that the time was almost right, Uchiha Gin "laboriously" opened his eyes. His weak voice made Uchiha Izuna stop in his tracks and quickly bend down to help him up.

"Cousin, you're not dead!"

"." You're not dead yet, you bastard.

"Izuna, your strength is now on par with mine. Seeing your growth makes me very proud."

Uchiha Gin was the first to offer praise, followed by what he said next.

"I lost this time, but next time might be different, Izuna. Just wait for my challenge!"

"╭(╯^╰)╮, always ready to play!"

"Host failed. Gained 10 Anima. The Heart Steel Treasure Chest reward can be unlocked after three more battles. (Current total Anima: 10)"

A pleasant system notification sound rang out.

Seeing the young, innocent chive simply go into the pot, Uchiha Gin smiled with relief. This was a top-quality chive; he couldn't let it die.

After Uchiha Gin got up, Uchiha Izuna wanted to take him to the clan for a check-up, but he refused.

"This minor injury is nothing to the brave Uchiha lad; the injuries I've sustained on missions are far more serious than this."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Izuna was filled with respect and began to re-evaluate his usually carefree cousin.

"Izuna, why are you challenging me today?"

While helping Uchiha Izuna pick up the scattered shuriken, Uchiha Gin asked a question.

"Today is my tenth birthday. My older brother beat you on his tenth birthday, so I want to too."

Uchiha Izuna scratched his spiky hair a little embarrassedly.

"It's your birthday today!" Uchiha Gin looked up and asked in surprise.

"What's wrong? It's just a date."

During the Warring States period, there were no special celebrations for birthdays. Ordinary people would not even bother to remember their birthdays, since just surviving was a difficult thing in that era.

"How can that be? Come on, help me carry the ingredients inside, I'll cook you a nice meal!"

Uchiha Gin immediately told his cousin Izuna to move the unaffected ingredients into the house. Picking up the ingredients, he looked at the unconscious Senju Itama on the floor and asked with some curiosity,

"Who is this guy? His hair color is so weird!"

"Don't worry about it, let's go inside."

Finding it too troublesome to explain, Uchiha Gin grabbed Senju Itama and urged Izuna to hurry inside.

Entering the kitchen and preparing the ingredients, Uchiha Gin, relying on his culinary skills from his previous life, began a lively and energetic cooking session.

In the living room, Uchiha Izuna squatted down and poked the unconscious Senju Itama. Finding that the other party did not respond, he became playful and pinched Senju Itama's nose.

As Senju Itama's face grew increasingly red, the long-unconscious brat groggily awoke from a dizzying bout of oxygen deprivation.

"Aaaaah, who are you?!"

Senju Itama, who had been woken up by the urge to breathe, looked warily at the unfamiliar boy in front of him.

"I'd like to ask that too."

Uchiha Izuna stood up and looked down at the impolite brat.

"My brother always said that when asking someone's name, you should first state your own name!"

The bound Thousand-Armed Imp said with a resentful expression.

"Heh, that's exactly what my brother said!"

The Uchiha brat retorted.

"My brother dares."

"My brother dared to do it too."

Childish comparisons are constantly being made.