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

Chapter 996 The first thing that happened after I didn't get home on time was, of course, kneeling on a washboard!

Chiyo didn't come back?

Uchiha Gin was taken aback. According to the time he left, Chiyo was several months earlier than him. How could he have already gone home while she was still on her way?

Could it be that his dragon vein is SVIP, allowing him to super-accelerate through the river of time?

"How long have I been gone?"

Ebizo: "One hundred and eighty-one days."

It's definitely half a year.

Or is it that my SVIP status only unlocks the original time flow rate, while regular users like Chiyo are mercilessly speed-limited?

Probably!

Uchiha Gin nodded with a strange expression. "Uncle Gin, say something! Is my sister alive or dead?"

With bloodshot eyes, Ebizo finally managed to wait until someone emerged from the dragon vein. No matter who it was, he just wanted to know news about his sister.

"Chiyo is doing great. She's been involved in a lesbian relationship with Sara over there for a few years, so she should have come back before me. But don't worry, there's no problem. She should be back soon."

Unaware of the severity of Chiyo's disappearance, Uchiha Gin chuckled and patted Ebizo on the shoulder, teasingly saying in a playful voice, "It's good that she's alive... but if Onee-sama doesn't come back soon, we might really have to fight."

Upon hearing Uchiha Gin's answer, Ebizo's pale face eased somewhat. However, his next words left the smiling Uchiha Gin completely bewildered, and a fight broke out.

Who's fighting with whom?

"It's that guy and Xiu."

"Weren't they on good terms? How did they end up fighting?"

Although both Uchiha Gin and Uchiha Gin were strong contenders for the Fourth Kazekage position, they actually had a pretty good relationship in private. Even if they had conflicts, they wouldn't escalate to the point of fighting each other.

"No, it was that guy and Xiu who were preparing to declare war on the Land of Earth."

"ha?"

Are they alright? They've almost turned Iwagakure into a village of deadbeats through economic warfare, so why are they still going to fight with swords and guns?

Come on, this is an era of using your brain; the old-fashioned approach of fighting and killing is completely outdated.

"They both believe that the disappearance of the older sister was the work of Iwagakure."

Ebizo shook his head with a complicated expression, his tone full of sighs as he spoke of his eldest son.

"No, isn't Xiu your son? How could he not believe what you say?"

Do you think that brat will listen to me?

This father and son had their reputations ruined early on due to their personal conduct issues. If it weren't for the fact that the old man still had some political capital, Xiu would have written a letter severing ties long ago.

"That's true."

Uchiha Gin nodded in agreement. "No, this isn't the time to talk about that. Now that you're back, Uncle Gin, I'll go and call those two brats over."

'

"Report!"

Before he could finish speaking, a Sand Village ANBU member suddenly appeared inside the tower, bowing deeply to Ebizo. "Elder, something terrible has happened!"

"What happened?"

Ebizo frowned. He remembered that he had specifically instructed the guards outside not to disturb him unless the sky fell down.

"Iwagakure...made the first move."

"What?!"

"Yo yo yo~"

Compared to Ebizo's shock and confusion, Uchiha Gin had a look of watching the show with amusement. He really didn't expect to be the first to taste such a big juicy story as soon as he returned.

"Damn it, it seems that my sister's disappearance has caused too much of a stir, giving those guys an opportunity to take advantage of the situation."

War is no child's play. The fact that Iwagakure dared to strike first shows that they had made thorough preparations in advance and had calculated that Sunagakure's current strength was weak, making it the best time for revenge.

"Uncle Yin, please excuse me for a moment. Please take care of my sister's affairs."

Anticipating an impending brutal war, Ebizo knew that even if he had Gin Uchiha explain his sister's whereabouts, it wouldn't change anything. It was better to mobilize the entire village now and guard the border of the Land of Wind.

"Huh? You won't let me go and talk to them?"

Watching Ebizo's hurried departure, Uchiha Gin, who hadn't gotten his hands on any juicy gossip, pouted in disappointment. "Oh well, time to go home."

Leaf.

In the Hokage's office, "Danzo, do you have any inside information about the movements in Iwagakure?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, smoking a pipe, idly admired the hottest photos of beautiful women in the current issue. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he looked up at the mature man with a shapely backside who was seriously flipping through documents beside him. "Please call me Kagesuke, thank you."

Upon hearing this, Danzo raised his head, his already handsome face filled with solemnity. Because of his outstanding performance in the last melee, Danzo was awarded the Konoha Hero Badge. Shortly after, with Senju Hisajin's deliberate promotion, he successfully became the new Kage Assistant, instantly overshadowing Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been somewhat stagnant in recent years.

"You're still putting on an act with me?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi rolled his eyes dismissively. He and Danzo were childhood friends who grew up together, so how could he not know Danzo's capabilities?

"Hiruzen, you've been negligent. You didn't even get this crucial information."

Danzo glanced at his childhood friend, who seemed to be lazy in his duties, and while his face showed pain and indignation, he was actually overjoyed. Set up more, set up some more, and at this rate, the Fourth Hokage will be mine!

"Who said there wasn't? I just wanted to exchange information with you."

Rejected, Hiruzen Sarutobi refused to admit that he had no one left to rely on. He shook his head with a mysterious expression and replied, "Heh."

Danzo, who had already infiltrated the Anbu like a sieve, gave a forced smile. Because of his promotion to Kage-suke, he had no time to spare, so he entrusted the management of Root to his most trusted priestess. Nonou did not disappoint him, managing Root quite well and increasing the mission completion rate by nearly three percentage points. The only problem was that they kept complaining about being broke. However, Danzo could understand. After all, the brothers worked for a few coins, and he couldn't skimp on the money they risked their lives for.

"The Third Kazekage has been confirmed missing."

"Disappearing for half a year, what's the difference between that and being dead?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head with a strange expression. If it were him who had gone missing, the spot under his buttocks would probably be filled with a giant butt the next day.

"Yes, that's why Iwagakure dared to make a move."

Speaking of Iwagakure, Onoki has had a lot of bad luck these past few years. His internal economy has collapsed, and the whole village can only make a living by taking out small loans. He finally managed to launch a few wars of aggression in hopes of making a fortune from the war, but he suffered repeated defeats and lost more money than he had taken out small loans. Even when he teamed up with the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning, those two sworn enemies, he still did not win a single battle.

Ohnoki is eager to improve.

His current situation is extremely precarious. The gazes from the village, the local magistrate, and his former comrades are suffocating him. His wife's belly is growing bigger every day. If he can't find a way out of this predicament, his best fate will be to be ousted from power and condemned by everyone. As for the worst...

Onoki dared not even think about it.

Therefore, after learning of the Third Kazekage's disappearance, he conceived the idea of ​​performing one last dance.

But he had been tricked many times over the years and was worried that this was another trick by Sunagakure. To verify the authenticity of the information, Onoki spent half a year and sent nearly a hundred people to the Land of Wind to investigate the matter. Countless Iwa ninja sacrificed their lives.

The unusual behavior of Iwagakure also attracted the attention of Sunagakure. Their Kage had just disappeared, and now Iwagakure was coming in waves like they were visiting someone's house. It was as if they didn't take Sunagakure seriously at all.

Could it be...?

Is this something you Iwagakure Inui did?

And so, Iwagakure kept sending people, and with each batch captured, Sunagakure's suspicions deepened.

As the misunderstandings continue to fester, a war triggered by information asymmetry is about to unfold.

"Konoha, I, Lao Yin, am back again!"

At the village entrance, Uchiha Gin, carrying two bags of melons, looked up at the familiar gate, his heart filled with emotion. His own gate was much more impressive, with more than a dozen gatekeepers, unlike the other side, where they had to hire young gatekeepers to work part-time.

The gatekeepers who spotted Uchiha Gin from afar immediately stirred. Two young boys squeezed through the crowd and ran over, their faces full of surprise. "Grandpa Gin? You're still alive?"

"Yes, yes, we all thought you had died out there."

To retract my previous statement, there are also young gatekeepers among the gatekeepers here, the kind with venomous little mouths.

"Don't worry, even if you two grow old alone, I won't kill you."

Seeing that his best buddies, Kotetsu and Izumo, had successfully obtained the genin headbands while he was away, Gin Uchiha rolled his dead fish eyes in annoyance.

"Huh? Such a sharp tongue, that's Gintoki himself!"

Upon hearing this, Kotetsu, whose nose was wrapped in bandages, not only did not get angry, but instead showed a relieved expression, which warmed Uchiha Gin's heart. Who said that Konoha only had the will of the Conqueror? Aren't there still good children who respect the elderly and care for the young?

"It's good that you're back. The Lunar New Year is just a few months away."

You little rascal, give me back the gratitude I felt for you.

"Your red envelope this year will be halved."

"Huh? A tonic?"

"Grandpa Yin, I didn't say anything."

Upon noticing that Uchiha Gin's gaze had turned to him, the more astute Izumo quickly waved his hand, "You two are conjoined twins, so you should be held accountable together."

"You idiot, it's all your fault for being so talkative!"

"Chuyue, have you forgotten who treated you to dumplings yesterday?"

"That was Lin's money!"

"I'm not begging Lin, but could she buy you one too?"

'

Still a familiar taste.

Hearing the two boys behind him bickering with obvious bromance, Uchiha Gin's face revealed a faint smile.

It's been so long, why hasn't Xiaoguang called me? Could he have gone on vacation to the moon again?

Thinking this, Uchiha Gin's steps quickened, his desire to go home growing stronger!

Just as Gin Uchiha reached his doorstep, he bumped into Kurenai Yuhi, who was on her way to work. "Gin-san, you...you're back?"

Looking at Uchiha Gin, who had been out partying for months and hadn't returned, this usually reserved Sigma man surprisingly showed a rare hint of gossip. "Isn't it normal for me to come home?"

Feeling the strange gaze from Kurenai Yuhi, Gin Uchiha blinked in confusion. Why did he have this feeling of a melon growing on his body?

"Normal...normal. If Gintoki survives to tomorrow, oh no, if there's not much work to do tomorrow, let's have a drink together."

Yuhi Mako glanced at her watch as if to make an excuse, then disappeared into the end of the street without looking back.

"Strange and eccentric."

Scratching his curly head, which was full of question marks, Uchiha Gin turned around and knocked on his front door. "Curly-haired baboon, you finally decided to come back?"

The person who opened the door was Senju Itama, dressed in her home clothes. The moment she saw Uchiha Gin, there was no joy in her eyes at the long-awaited reunion. Instead, her eyes were filled with a chilling coldness that sent shivers down one's spine.

"Uh... I think I informed my family, right?"

Uchiha Gin, bewildered, blinked and handed the melon in his hand to Senju Itama, whose little face was puffed up like a bun. His doubts grew stronger. Had something terrible happened at home while he was away?

"Report? Hah, do you report it using your phone?"

"Otherwise what?"

Uchiha Gin tilted his head, pushed aside the door of Senju Itama, who was cosplaying as the Riddler, and slipped into the house. "Has Hikaru been away from home lately?"

"Who said I wasn't home?"

"Well?"

Hearing a voice colder than the winter wind, Uchiha Gin looked up in bewilderment and found Uchiha Hikari standing on the second floor, looking down at him with a cold expression, her beautiful face covered with visible frost.

"Xiao Guang, so you're home. Wait, if you're home, why didn't you call me?"

Unlike the moon, there's no signal down there. As long as Uchiha Kō wants to, he can have long phone conversations with his counterparts in other timelines anytime.

"A phone call? You have the nerve to mention a phone call?"

Unexpectedly, the moment the word "phone" was mentioned, Xiao Guang, who had been expressionless, instantly turned extremely gloomy, and her dark, beautiful eyes turned into a captivating scarlet in the blink of an eye.

"My old-fashioned phone has a bad signal, and I keep failing to dial. I can only wait for your call."

Mistakenly believing that Hikaru was angry with him for not calling home, Uchiha Gin quickly pulled out his old, long-forgotten cell phone to prove his innocence.

"Where's the phone you just bought?"

"It was given to a poor, lonely person."

"Hehe, was it given to your little sweetheart?"

"That's right~ No...you're slandering me!"

Uchiha Gin, who had stopped halfway, looked at Uchiha Hikaru, whose eyes were bloodshot, on the second floor with a blank expression. He was the most innocent person in the ninja world!

"Still being stubborn. I didn't realize you'd been having such a wild time these past six months!"

Uchiha Hikaru smirked coldly, pulled out a cell phone from his pocket, and dialed Uchiha Gin's previous number right in front of him. *Beep beep beep*

"Hey, Master's wife, you've really misunderstood. I didn't explain clearly last time. Yin San San and I really just slept in the same cave. He did give me a lot of money afterwards, but that was because San San pitied me for being a poor, helpless person."

Click!

"Do you have any last words?"

With a blank expression, Hikaru hung up the phone. In his eyes, Gin Uchiha, who was cheating on his wife, was already a dead man.

"I request that the witness testimonies be reviewed again, as these statements clearly contain a large amount of out-of-context and highly misleading content."