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

Uchiha Gin gently touched the bead tucked close to his chest, recalling what Uzumaki Mito had told him:

"This bead's sealing technique only works at close range—and only when the target lets their guard down."

With her adorable bun hairstyle, Uzumaki Mito had puffed out her cheeks while earnestly instructing Uchiha Gin.

"Your brother's such a powerful taijutsu ninja. If I get too close, I'll probably be slapped to death before I even reach him."

Gin replied dejectedly as he took the bead.

"Idiot, can't you use your brain? Who said you have to fight him head-on?"

Mito scolded him like he was hopeless.

"Then I guess I'll have to play it by ear."

Still undecided, Uchiha Gin stashed the bead safely on his person and said goodbye to the worried Mito.

The flashback ended.

Looking ahead at the red chakra radiating from Uzumaki Hanamichi, Gin could only sigh inwardly—he had no choice but to go for it.

He stepped forward, approaching Hanamichi. Seeing Gin boldly closing the distance, Hanamichi raised his guard.

"What are you trying to do?!"

The earlier massive Great Fireball Technique had left him somewhat traumatized—he was wary of another surprise attack.

Hearing the warning, Gin calmly stabbed his katana into the ground and raised both hands to show he meant no harm.

This gesture confused Hanamichi. He had expected Gin to go down swinging, not to surrender or act this composed. Something wasn't adding up.

"What, is the young leader of the Uzumaki Clan afraid of a lowly Uchiha like me?"

With his hands raised, Gin provoked him with a calm but clearly taunting tone.

"Afraid of you? Don't make me laugh!"

Easily baited by the taunt, Hanamichi instantly flashed in front of Gin, looking down at him from above.

Gin, who stood around 1.8 meters, was considered tall among the Uchiha. But compared to the over-two-meter-tall Hanamichi, he still looked rather small.

At this close distance, Gin finally got a good look at the young Uzumaki clan leader: a boy around eighteen or nineteen, with a refined face—paired with a Schwarzenegger-like physique. The contrast was so stark it almost gave him whiplash.

Hanamichi ignored Gin's strange expression and spoke first:

"Despicable Uchiha—where are you hiding my sister? Tell me now. As long as she's unharmed, I might spare your life."

Strong and confident, Hanamichi didn't take weaker opponents seriously. Even a dual-tomoe Sharingan user like Gin was, to him, nothing more than a toy.

He believed the fireball earlier must've been the result of Gin burning his life force to launch it—something similar to techniques used in the Uzumaki clan.

With this thought in mind, Hanamichi chose not to immediately crush Gin's limbs, and instead stood there, ready to "chat."

"As long as the young master is willing to let us go, I promise your sister won't suffer even a scratch."

Gin replied submissively.

"Letting you go is already my limit. Don't think about negotiating with me."

Hanamichi believed Gin might be a long-lost member of the Uzumaki clan—albeit "tainted" by Uchiha blood. Even so, he had to be brought back to the clan to face his father's judgment.

A hint of struggle flashed across Gin's face as if torn between options. Eventually, he made up his mind and said:

"Fine. Please promise not to hurt me, and I'll take you to her right away."

"Smart choice."

Hearing the answer he wanted, Hanamichi straightened proudly—his raised head radiating self-confidence and superiority.

"Then it's settled," Gin said, holding out a clenched fist.

"What's that supposed to mean?"Hanamichi frowned in confusion.

"A fist bump—it's a gesture I picked up from a country up north. It means the two sides have made a deal."

Gin held out his fist, his face solemn and serious.

"What a strange custom."Though he found it odd, the prideful Uzumaki Hanamichi still extended his fist the size of a sandbag and lightly bumped it against Gin's.

The moment their fists touched, a sinister grin crept across Uchiha Gin's previously serious expression.

Seeing that look, Hanamichi's heart sank. Just as he tried to activate his advanced sensory perception, his entire chakra flow froze, becoming as still as dead water.

At the same time, he felt a powerful suction coming from the fist he extended—like a black hole locking him in place.

Looking closer, Gin had opened his palm, revealing a familiar bead resting silently in it. From within the bead, several dark tendrils stretched out and tightly wrapped around Hanamichi's hand. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free.

"The Four Symbols Sealing Bead?! How is that in your hands?!"

Hanamichi cried out in shock. That bead was a one-of-a-kind item created by his father and given to Uzumaki Mito for self-defense.

Inside the bead was the Four Symbols Sealing Technique, a jutsu that could trap an opponent inside the bead—and only Uzumaki Ashina could undo the seal.

Gin didn't answer Hanamichi's question. Instead, he poured all his chakra into the bead, directing the shadows to wrap tighter and tighter around the immobilized Hanamichi.

Layer by layer, the dark energy engulfed him—until Hanamichi was fully consumed. The bead then began to emit a powerful suction, slowly pulling the two-meter-tall Hanamichi in with a twisted spiral motion.

At last, when the final wisp of shadow was absorbed into the bead, Gin slumped to the ground, collapsing onto the grass.

He panted heavily, staring in awe at the trembling, black-and-red-glowing bead in his palm.

"Sealing techniques really are the most mysterious skills in the original story… terrifying."

If the Uzumaki clan hadn't been wiped out, their sealing arts alone could have made them unstoppable. Sadly, they were carelessly written off by the plot.

"Ding! Uzumaki Hanamichi has been defeated. Mission: Rescue the Uchiha Fūka Team from desperation. Completion: 80%."

For the first time, the system's notification chime sounded delightful to Gin's ears.

He quickly gathered his gear. Thanks to his Uzumaki lineage, his chakra had already recovered by more than half.

Now, only Uchiha Ryoichi's battle remained unfinished—but before that, Gin needed to see someone else first.

Meanwhile, a few kilometers away in a cave…

Senju Banma slowly woke up, only to find a stinky sock stuffed in his mouth.To his surprise, the Uchiha kidnapper was nowhere to be seen. Instead, in front of him sat a bun-haired girl zoning out, lost in thought.

Banma's eyes lit up with hope.

He ignored the foul stench in his mouth and started letting out muffled grunts as loudly as he could:

"Mmm! Mmm! Ah!"

The weird sounds snapped the girl out of her thoughts. She turned and looked at the bound little kid.

"Ababa ababa…"

Noticing her gaze, Banma wiggled his body even harder, grunting louder than before.

Uzumaki Mito stared for a moment, then finally asked:

"You… want to say something?"

Banma nodded furiously in response.The cleanliness-obsessed girl wrinkled her nose, clearly disgusted, and rummaged around until she found a stick.

She picked it up and tried to fish the sock out of his mouth—but it smelled so bad that she had to pinch her cute nose with one hand.

Unfortunately, she kept too much distance. Not only did she fail to pull it out, she ended up shoving it deeper with her brute strength.

Feeling the sock nearly jammed into his throat, Banma's eyes rolled back in pain as he shook his head desperately.

Mito turned her head away, afraid the stench might blind her. Unbothered by the boy's distress, she kept poking with the stick.

"Hey hey hey! What kind of weird play is this?! One more shove and this kid's really gonna die!"

(End of Chapter)