Konoha Year 27
"Another peaceful day."
On the streets of Konoha, a man with a head of wild black curls strolled leisurely under the eaves of the shops, his steps bold and carefree, like a young punk who didn't care who he offended.
The man was strikingly handsome, but his charm was perfectly ruined by a pair of lifeless, dead-fish eyes that made him look utterly punchable.
Though he carried the air of an unreliable loafer, the villagers didn't shy away from him. An old man sunbathing nearby grinned and asked, "Hey, Gin, off to do a mission?"
"Nah, just wandering. I'm giving myself a day off."
The curly-haired man, Uchiha Gin, stopped and answered lazily.
After speaking, he seemed to remember something. He rummaged around in his high-collared robe for a while, pulled out a stick-shaped object, and tossed it to the old man, popping one into his own mouth as well.
The old man stared at the lollipop with a grimace and said, "We're too old for this stuff."
"Oh? I remember you used to love these."
Gin tilted his head, glancing at the old man. A flicker of something unusual passed through his dull, dead-fish eyes.
"Yeah, that was back then," the old man replied.
Though he didn't eat it, he tucked the lollipop away carefully and smiled. "I'll save it for my grandson. He'll be a month old tomorrow. Come over for the celebration!"
"Another feast? How's a lowly genin's pay supposed to keep up with that? Guess I'll have to catch a few more cats," Gin grumbled, scratching his messy curls in annoyance.
"Heh, just make sure you show up."
"By the way, got a name for the kid yet? If not, I'll name him—something sturdy, like 'Dog Egg.' How's that?"
The old man stared speechlessly at the slightly unhinged man.
"It's already decided. His name's Minato."
Gin, who'd been rattling off name ideas, froze at the sound of it. Something flashed through his mind.
"What's wrong? Doesn't sound good?" the old man asked.
Recalling the old man's dazzling blond hair from his youth, Gin relaxed. "Nah, just some dead memories hitting me."
He looked up, gazing at the two distinct faces carved into the distant Hokage Rock, and sighed. "I think your grandson's got a rare spark. Maybe he's the Sage of the Six Paths reborn. He's got the makings of a Hokage—bound for greatness."
The old man frowned, puzzled. "But you haven't even seen him yet!"
"…I read the stars last night."
The old man blinked, glancing up at the blazing summer sun. "Those stars must've been pretty bright, huh?"
When he turned back, the man was gone.
"Tch, how many times has he pulled this vanishing act?" The old man shook his head and went back to tending his shop.
Elsewhere, Gin continued his aimless wandering, his dead-fish eyes showing no interest in anything.
"Lord Gin, the clan meeting's about to start. Why are you still out here strolling?"
A voice interrupted him. A young black-haired man knelt behind Gin, speaking with respect.
"The clan head's not even around. What's the point of a meeting? To listen to those so-called elders ramble? I'd rather keep wandering," Gin replied, picking at his ear dismissively.
The messenger, expecting this response, hesitated. His eyes held seven parts fear and three parts confusion as he carefully chose his words. "Please don't make this hard for me. I'm just here to inform you. Whether you go is up to you, but the Great Elder said you must remember—you're still an Uchiha."
With that, he vanished in a flash.
"Utterly boring. They think just because that damn white-haired fool's gone, they can start stirring things up. Konoha's muddy waters aren't for simpletons like them to wade into. Why fight for a Hokage seat even a dog wouldn't want? Isn't it better to just slack off with me?"
Gin rolled his dead-fish eyes, watching the messenger's retreat.
In the Hokage's office beneath the Hokage Rock, smoke filled the air. A figure hunched over a desk, buried under a stack of paperwork taller than a person. Suddenly, someone burst in.
"Hiruzen, I've got solid intel. The Uchiha clan's holding another secret meeting today. I've got the details from a report—it's time to act!"
A handsome man in his thirties, with an X-shaped scar on his chin, slapped a document onto the desk.
The interrupted figure looked up, exasperated, and tossed the paper into a nearby trash bin without a word.
"You—!" The younger Danzo's eyes widened, nearly choking on his anger.
"Danzo, stop obsessing over the Uchiha clan. The village is finally at peace, and there's so much to rebuild. We can't afford internal chaos right now," Sarutobi Hiruzen, the newly appointed Third Hokage, said, puffing on his pipe to calm his friend.
"They're an inherently evil clan. We can't let our guard down," Danzo snapped, though inwardly he was gleeful.
"Shh…" Hiruzen glanced around warily at the phrase "inherently evil," gesturing for silence.
Danzo realized his slip, his expression stiffening, but he doubled down. "You're the Hokage now. What are you still afraid of—"
"Afraid of what?" a lazy voice cut in.
"Afraid of that curly-haired, dead-fish-eyed bi—AAAH!" Danzo started, only to freeze mid-sentence as he noticed a figure behind him.
"Big what?" the voice pressed.
"B-B-Big… handsome… brother," Danzo stammered, his face flushing as if recalling something terrifying.
"Well, well, if it isn't little Dan-Dan! Long time no see," Uchiha Gin said, slinging an arm around Danzo's shoulder with a grin. "What've you been up to? Still messing with that 'Root' thing? Hiring? I'm a bit short on cash lately."
Seeing Danzo's flustered reaction, Gin patted his shoulder, satisfied. "Just kidding!"
"Little monkey, I'm here for some D-rank missions. The Namikaze kid's a grandpa now and invited me to a baby's full-month feast. Gotta scrounge up some funds," Gin said, turning to Hiruzen.
Hiruzen, unsurprised, pulled a few mission scrolls from a drawer and handed them over. "All set for you. Sure you don't want something tougher? Your skills—"
"What skills? I'm just a genin—Hashirama himself dubbed me Genin Number One. You guys know my level," Gin interrupted, chuckling as he flipped through the missions.
"Not bad. I'm off then. You two buddies have fun."
As Gin left, Danzo exhaled heavily, his face grim. "He's still the same?"
Hiruzen relaxed too, a trace of deep-seated fear in his eyes as his expression grew serious. "Still looks thirty. All these years, ever since we were kids, he's been like this, hasn't he?"
"Yeah, never changes."
"Could that jutsu really be that incredible?"
Both fell into thoughtful silence. After all, only a handful of people knew that jutsu now, and they had no way to verify it.
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