Naruto: The Thirty-Year-Old Uchiha Can't Get Motivated"

Sunlight filtered through the lush branches, casting mottled shadows on the ground. From the distance came the occasional chirping of cicadas and birds, and a faintly salty sea breeze brushed past the face. Everything felt so peaceful.

In the distance, a man and a woman nestled together. The older man held the girl's back with his left hand, while his right hand reached for her waist sash.The girl showed no resistance. Her beautiful eyes glistened with affection as she leaned obediently against the man, letting him do as he pleased. An ambiguous, intimate atmosphere hung between them.

This was the scene Uzumaki Hanamichi walked in on."You beast, what are you doing!?"

His fury surged like an erupting volcano. Boiling magma surged inside him, making his entire body tremble with rage.

Startled by his roar, the pair looked up to see a red-haired man with delicate features but a body of solid muscle, built like steel. The moment Uchiha Gin laid eyes on him, a phrase popped into his mind:"Delicate face, tiger's back and bear's waist."

Then, upon hearing the outburst, Uchiha Gin suddenly realized just how inappropriate his current actions appeared. Meanwhile, the little girl in his arms—Uzumaki Mito—had a beet-red face. With a puff of steam bursting from her head, she fainted on the spot.

Quick to react, Uchiha Gin caught the unconscious Uzumaki Mito, but in the process, her already torn clothes were damaged even further.With a few ripping sounds, her top was completely shredded, leaving only tatters hanging from her body. Her exposed skin, soft and fair, gleamed like creamy jade in the sunlight.

Feeling the soft warmth in his hands, Uchiha Gin fell silent.A moment later, he looked up with eyes as clear as a sage's and said solemnly:"If I said this is all just a misunderstanding… you wouldn't not believe me, right?"

Seeing this Uchiha caught in the act still trying to talk his way out, Uzumaki Hanamichi cracked his knuckles loudly.Vivid red chakra burst from his body like roaring flames, and his eyes gleamed with murderous intensity.

Sensing the overwhelming pressure from afar, Uchiha Gin knew this was bad. Even with his dull instincts, he could tell this guy was no weaker than Uchiha Fuhō—possibly even more terrifying.

"At this point," Uzumaki Hanamichi said, stepping forward menacingly, "only your blood can wash away Uzumaki Mito's shame."

In a panic, Uchiha Gin shook the fainted Uzumaki Mito draped on him. Seeing no reaction, he smacked her on the head between her twin buns.

"Wake up and explain already! Or your clansman's gonna kill me!"

The blow snapped Uzumaki Mito out of her daze. Groggy, she blinked at the anxious Gin hovering over her.Just as she was about to speak, her peripheral vision caught sight of her muscular brother approaching, and her face filled with fear. Ignoring all decorum, she pulled Gin's head down and whispered urgently in his ear:

"Quick, pretend to hold me hostage. Don't let Uzumaki Hanamichi-nii take me back!"

Her head pressed against his cheek, releasing a girl's delicate fragrance that tickled Uchiha Gin's nose, almost making him sneeze.Her soft lips brushed against his ear, warm breath making him shiver.

But remembering her age, Gin quickly quashed the rising restlessness in his heart.

"Amitabha... I am not a lolicon… I am not a lolicon…"

For the sake of survival, he wrapped an arm around Uzumaki Mito's neck and drew a sharp kunai with the other, pressing it near her as he put on a fierce expression.

"Hehehe… You don't want anything to happen to this girl, do you?"

Seeing this Uchiha "reveal his true colors," Uzumaki Hanamichi stopped in his tracks and said with a grim face,"Despicable Uchiha… What do you want in exchange for my sister?"

His fists clenched tight, nails digging into his palms.

Hanamichi, the eldest son of Uzumaki Ashina, had perfectly inherited the Uzumaki clan's talent.Excelling in ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, and chakra control, he was hailed as the strongest genius the clan had produced in a century—his power already rivaling the elders at just a teenage age.

Not long ago, the Uzumaki clan's little princess, Mito, had gone missing. Her doting brother Hanamichi immediately led his men out to search for her.

"…What should I say?"Hiding behind Mito, Gin whispered quietly.

Feeling the masculine presence so close made Uzumaki Mito feel faint, but now wasn't the time. She gritted her teeth and whispered:

"Aren't you a professional kidnapper? Do you need me to teach you?"

"When did I ever say I was a kidnapper?"He still hadn't figured out how this misunderstanding had happened.

"Huh?"

Seeing the smug Uchiha so close to his precious little sister's neck, Uzumaki Hanamichi felt like a knife had stabbed into his heart. He wanted nothing more than to dismember him and scatter his ashes.

Just as the standoff reached a breaking point, the sounds of battle echoed from the forest. A few ragged figures stumbled out of the trees and appeared before Uchiha Gin.

It was Uchiha Fuhō and the others—they had only just parted ways not long ago. Now, they were covered in dust, and Uchiha Ryouichi's arm had even been bent unnaturally, dangling at his side as he weakly threw shuriken with the other.

Upon seeing Uchiha Gin, Fuhō shouted,"Gin! Take that brat and run! The Uzumaki clan's target is that kid!"

Brat?!Gin glanced at the unconscious Senju Banma, whom he had kicked a dozen meters away earlier, then back at the temporarily allied Uzumaki Mito.

His head throbbed. Now he really couldn't clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

Hearing Fuhō's shout, Uzumaki Hanamichi's eyes widened in fury."So, it wasn't a misunderstanding!? You vile Uchiha!"

"Isn't there any way to solve this peacefully?" Gin asked Uzumaki Mito.

"Just run already!" Mito urged—clearly not interested in going home.

Easy for her to say. The few Uzumaki nearby were all formidable, and Uzumaki Hanamichi hadn't even made a serious move yet. Uchiha Fuhō's group was already on the verge of collapse. Gin himself had no chance of escaping alone.

"Then why don't you tell your brother this is all just a misunderstanding? Maybe we can settle this and make peace. Wouldn't that be a great story to tell?"

Uchiha Gin tried to reason with her.

"No! If you don't take me and run now, I'll tell my brother you bullied me!"

Uzumaki Mito pouted as she threatened Uchiha Gin, who seemed to be hesitating.

"How could such cold words come from that 36°C mouth of yours..."

"Women and petty men are the hardest to deal with," he muttered.

At this point, simply handing Mito over wouldn't solve anything.

The presence of Senju Banma was bound to be discovered by the Uzumaki clan. As one of the clan's upper ranks, Uzumaki Hanamichi had likely seen Banma before.

Given that the Uzumaki clan was a staunch ally of the Senju, they would never turn a blind eye. Banma was critical to Gin's mission—until it was complete, he couldn't let the boy out of his sight.

Just then, Uchiha Fuhō flashed over to Gin's side, having managed to separate from one of the Uzumaki members. When he saw Mito bound in Gin's arms, he was briefly stunned, but quickly refocused.

"Where's the Senju brat?"

Gin nodded toward the unconscious Senju Banma beside them.

"I'll cover you. You take him and go."

Fuhō didn't hesitate.

Why send the weakest one to escape? Gin was confused. Was it just because he was the clan leader's nephew?

There wasn't time to think further. Fuhō had already slung Banma onto Gin's back. Now, Gin had a kid on his back and a girl in his arms—he looked like a full-time babysitter.

After giving final instructions, Fuhō gave Gin a long look before diving back into battle to tangle with two of the Uzumaki, buying time for Gin's retreat.

Watching his captain's retreating back, Gin suddenly felt moved. Although Fuhō had never been particularly kind to him, at a crucial moment, he chose to shield Gin.

No time for sentimentality—Gin turned and fled westward.

"Jin… your child has grown up," Fuhō thought, watching Gin disappear.

"…Just too weak. Nothing like you at all."

"Don't even think about escaping!"

Seeing Gin run off with his sister, Uzumaki Hanamichi panicked.

He launched off the ground to give chase—but before he could take two steps, a pair of cold Sharingan eyes appeared before him. The three tomoe spun slowly, emitting a strange glow.

"If you want to get through, you'll have to get past me."

At some point, Uchiha Fuhō had knocked down his two teammates and blocked Hanamichi's path.

"You're courting death!"

Uzumaki Hanamichi erupted with explosive power, punching forward with the force of a mountain. The wind pressure alone stung Fuhō's face.

"But you've already looked into my eyes."

"?"

[Illusion Technique: Demonic Illusion – Shackling Stakes]One of the Uchiha's signature genjutsu techniques, famously used by Uchiha Itachi.

The Sharingan traps the opponent in an illusion world where massive iron stakes pierce and bind them, leaving them completely immobilized.

Caught off guard, Uzumaki Hanamichi was ensnared. In the illusion, he found himself in a sea of blood, massive iron stakes impaling him in place.

In the real world, Fuhō covered his eyes, wincing. The strain from using the Sharingan against such a powerful foe was intense.

"Using this against someone of his level… still too much."

Seeing Hanamichi trapped in the illusion, Fuhō turned to help the others. The three of them were fighting a long-haired Uzumaki, while the weaker members had already been subdued.

Then, Fuhō heard Uzumaki Hanamichi's voice:

"Almost got me."

He turned around in disbelief. Uzumaki Hanamichi had already broken free. That single genjutsu had cost Fuhō nearly all of his visual power.

"Fortunately, I had a mental seal my father prepared for me. It blocked your illusion."

Hanamichi revealed a talisman-like marking on his chest, shaped like tadpole-like characters, now fading away.

He silently thanked his father for planting the seal before he left.

"Damn it… how troublesome."

Fuhō sighed, remembering how the Uzumaki clan excelled in sealing arts. Resigned, he reactivated his Sharingan. Round two began.

Meanwhile…

Uchiha Gin, who had been running non-stop, suddenly stopped. Under Mito's puzzled gaze, he set both her and Senju Banma down and checked his ninja pouch.

"What are you doing?" Uzumaki Mito tugged at his sleeve.

"You're free now. If I don't make it back… help return that kid to the Senju clan."

Gin said this quietly, eyes downcast.

"You're going back to die? My brother's way too strong. You can't even take one punch from him."

Uzumaki Mito hurriedly tried to stop him.

"I want to live too… I want to live to see Konoha." Gin sighed.

He thought of the tsundere Uchiha Ryouichi, the warm-hearted Uchiha Tsuru, the honest Uchiha Tarou, and Uchiha Fuhō, who seemed to have a soft spot for him.

Though he'd only been here a few days since transmigrating, he had grown attached to them all.

"I guess I just can't abandon them."

His eyes grew determined. He gently pulled Mito's hand away and stood to leave.

"Wait!" Uzumaki Mito hesitated.

"What, scared I'll beat your brother?" Gin teased.

"No way. You're definitely no match for him. No one in the clan can beat him except my father."

Uzumaki Mito said this seriously, still shaken.

After hesitating, she took a small black bead from her pouch and handed it to Gin.

Curious, Gin examined it. It was a pearl with flowing ink-like patterns swirling on the surface.

"Be careful with it. My father gave it to me for self-defense. It has a sealing jutsu inside. If you use chakra to activate it, it can temporarily trap my brother. Use that time to escape."

"You're not afraid I'll kill him after trapping him?"

Gin asked, testing her.

"You won't," Mito said seriously, her clear eyes full of trust.

"…Why are you so sure?"

"I have a natural talent. I can sense the good or evil in people."

"From the moment I first saw you… I didn't feel any malice."

"You're a good person."

"…Ugh." Gin twitched his mouth, unintentionally receiving the infamous good guy label. Still, he accepted the pearl and patted Mito's bun-like hair.

"What a convenient ability. Thanks."

No wonder she trusted him—being a descendant of the Ōtsutsuki clan meant all sorts of strange powers, like a child version of Naruto's Kurama-mode empathy.

After thanking her, Gin ran back toward the battlefield.

"System, is there any way to get through this situation?"

Gin asked, sensing how outclassed he was.

After a moment of silence:

"System not fully activated. Unable to provide assistance."

"What's the point of having a system like this!?"

Gin was furious. He'd hoped for a cheat system to take off and become unbeatable, ruling the world.

But instead, this half-finished, bargain-bin system came with a self-destruction mechanism, stingy rewards, and made him grind for skill shards. His recent struggles had worn him thin.

Had he known, he wouldn't have activated the thing. He could've used his plot knowledge to lie low until Konoha was founded, then slipped off during peacetime to a remote nation and retired in peace.

"Damn useless system!"

He ranted.

Ding! Detected strong dissatisfaction. Triggering challenge mission: "Save the Uchiha."

"Rescue the Uchiha Fuhō squad from a desperate situation. Reward: 50 points, 4 random skill orbs. Mission fails if any squad member dies."

"???" Seeing the task pop up in his head, Gin had a suspicion.

"…Does this system only respond when I curse at it?"

"Detected hostile thoughts toward system. Increasing task difficulty. You must now defeat Uzumaki Hanamichi to complete the mission."

"Thanks for nothing, system!!!"

(End of Chapter)