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

Uchiha Gin arrived just in time, his expression twitching as he watched the chaotic "rescue" attempt. He finally spoke up when it looked like Senju Banma was about to pass out.

If Uzumaki Mito accidentally killed this little Senju, he'd probably get dragged down with him.

"Ah! You're back? How's my brother?!"

Seeing it was Gin, Mito tossed aside the stick and began circling him, inspecting him up and down with her hands.

"You're not even injured? Don't tell me you didn't go at all!"

Without a word, Gin flicked his finger against the rambling girl's forehead.

"Oww! What was that for?!"

Clutching her now red and swollen forehead, Mito's eyes welled up with tears.

"Men and women shouldn't touch casually… unless it's a black-stockinged onee-san."

Ignoring her pouty complaints, Gin pulled out the still-quivering black-and-red bead and handed it over.

Mito's tearful eyes widened in shock as she stammered:

"Y-you actually succeeded?"

Even without her sensory abilities, the aura leaking from the bead told her that her brother, Uzumaki Hanamichi, was sealed inside.

"What do you plan to do with him?"

She asked nervously, lips trembling. She never thought her overpowered brother would actually lose to this unreliable Uchiha.

Though her instincts told her Gin wasn't evil, sometimes the conflicts between clans outweighed personal character.

Gin squinted at her, rubbing the bead a bit before casually tossing it back into her hands.

"Huh?"

Catching it in a flurry, Mito stared at him in disbelief.

"You're really just giving him back to me like that? My brother's an important figure in the Uzumaki clan! If you handed him over to your clan, you'd be richly rewarded!"

"You're wise for your age."

Gin looked at her with an unreadable expression. Sure, returning with Hanamichi would win him plenty of favor from the Uchiha elders…But it would also spark a blood feud with the Uzumaki.

"As the saying goes, 'The more friends you have, the more paths you can take; the more enemies you make, the more walls you hit.'If I ever get kicked out of the Uchiha, I'll come beg you to take me in."

He said this with a deadpan face and dull, fish-like eyes.

Mito looked at him oddly, then wordlessly put the bead away. She stepped forward and grabbed Gin's left hand.

Startled, Gin noticed her palms glowing with a soft blue light. When he tried to pull back, she stopped him.

"Don't move. I'm using an Uzumaki clan secret technique to place a chakra seal on you. If you ever really become homeless, you can use it to seek help from us."

Just as she was concentrating on the technique, a sudden surge of red light blasted her backward.

"What the—?! Why did it fail?!"

Startled, she rushed back over and examined Gin's hand carefully. Even with her sensory powers, she couldn't find the problem.

Gin flexed his left hand, then relaxed it again. It didn't feel any different—maybe she just wasn't skilled enough with the technique yet.

"Maybe try the other hand? Or the foot?"

He jokingly stuck out a foot, scaring Mito enough that she instantly grabbed his right hand and tried again—this time successfully.

A cool sensation flowed into Gin's right hand, and a spiral-shaped crest—the Uzumaki clan's symbol—briefly appeared on the back before vanishing.

"What are you planning to do now?"

Now branded with the Uzumaki seal, Gin asked as he glanced at her twin bun hairstyle bobbing with each movement.

"Only our father can undo the seal on my brother. I've been wandering around long enough… it's time to go back."

Though she still wanted to travel the world, she knew her brother was vital to their clan. She couldn't stay out any longer.

"So… this is goodbye?"

Gin raised an eyebrow.

"In this world… our fates are rarely our own."

Mito sighed solemnly, putting on an air of maturity.

"...Whatever makes you happy."

Gin rolled his eyes, a dark cloud over his head, as he waved goodbye to the girl now hoisting her giant backpack once more.

Just as she was about to leave, the girl stopped a few steps away. Tilting her head at a perfect 45-degree angle like a shy newlywed, she said with a drifting gaze:

"Mr. Kidnapper, we'll meet again, right?"

"Definitely."

Uchiha Gin, who knew full well the fate awaiting this girl, answered without a hint of hesitation.

"Oh…"

Hearing this, the girl turned back around. Though her back was to him, the corners of her lips curled ever so slightly upward. With a spring in her step, she headed off toward home.

Watching Uzumaki Mito's figure disappear into the distance, Gin turned back into the cave. He gave a light kick to the unlucky brat Senju Banma, who was still lying on the ground pretending to be unconscious.

"Quit playing dead, little bro. It's time for us to move out."

Banma reluctantly opened his eyes, full of pleading.

"If you promise not to run your mouth the whole way, I'll take the sock out of your mouth."

Gin made his condition clear.

The kid nodded desperately, tears almost spilling from his eyes.

After pulling the rancid sock out of Banma's mouth, the little guy gasped greedily for fresh air. Then, as if recalling a traumatic experience, he curled into a ball and dry-heaved violently.

Only when Banma had nearly thrown up his bile did Gin finally hoist him over his shoulder and head off to regroup with Uchiha Ryouichi and the others.

His pace now was swift and steady—completely different from the panting, exhausted self he had been when first carrying the brat.

"The Uzumaki bloodline is really something else… no wonder they inherited the Sage Body in the original story."

Feeling the power and immense chakra surging within him, Gin couldn't help but marvel inwardly.

Ding! Mission complete: 'Rescue Uchiha Fūka's Squad from Desperate Circumstances'Reward: 50 points, 4 Random Spell Orbs

The system prompt suddenly chimed just as Gin was rushing forward. He paused, puzzled.

"I didn't even arrive yet—how's the mission already complete?"

Without wasting another second, he dashed toward the battlefield.

By the time Gin arrived with Banma in tow, only the Uchiha squad remained on site.

Uchiha Fūka stood guard, while Uchiha Tsuru was bandaging Uchiha Ryouichi's wounded arm. Uchiha Tarou had only suffered minor surface wounds and was sitting cross-legged, meditating to recover his chakra.

"Uchiha Gin?! You're still alive?!"

Having been told by Fūka that Gin had stayed behind to stall Uzumaki Hanamichi, Ryouichi was shocked to see him show up perfectly fine. His Sharingan immediately activated as he scanned Gin up and down.

"Barely made it," Gin replied calmly.

He, too, was curious. How had the battle ended? There were no signs of any Uzumaki corpses on the field.

"Where are the Uzumaki?"

"That long-haired one seemed to sense something mid-fight and suddenly erupted with a strange ability."

Uchiha Tarou opened his eyes and explained.

"Strange how?"

"He suddenly went berserk. Chakra chains erupted from his body—super annoying to deal with. But he didn't seem interested in continuing the fight. He grabbed the injured Uzumaki and escaped," Fūka added, walking over.

"Gin, how did you escape?"

Fūka had fought Hanamichi head-on and knew just how overwhelming his power was. By all logic, Gin should've been crushed on contact.

But here Gin stood, not only unscathed, but seemingly in top condition. Fūka felt a mix of relief and… suspicion.

"That Uzumaki guy wasn't trying to kill me. His main concern was his sister. Luckily, the girl I captured turned out to be his sister. I told him I'd hidden her in a secure place and put her under a genjutsu—if I didn't say the correct password, she'd die instantly."

Gin calmly recited the excuse he had prepared on the way.

"And he just let you go?"

"Yep!"

"Man, the Uzumaki really are as single-minded as the stories say…"

Fūka couldn't help but grumble, recalling the Uzumaki clan's reputation.

"Alright, enough talk. From now on, full speed! We need to make it back to the clan grounds by tomorrow!"

With a wave of his hand, Fūka issued the order.

(End of Chapter)