Chapter 535: Prison Guard Hold!

"No, Lord Izuna, you want me, an elder in logistics who is about to retire, to take charge?"

Uchiha Rucha, who was yawning and slacking off, pointed at himself with a look of astonishment. Ever since Uchiha Gin had elevated him to the position of elder, he had been working diligently for the clan, never daring to slack off in the slightest.

Now that he was finally about to retire and enjoy his twilight years, why was he being pulled out and entrusted with such a heavy responsibility?

"Elder Rucha, do not be so humble. The organization has seen your work attitude over these years. The position of Chief Elder is yours and yours alone."

Uchiha Izuna shook his head, spouting nonsense with a straight face. If it weren't for his cousin recommending Uchiha Rucha to him, he would have almost forgotten this person existed.

"He is just a low-ranking elder who started as a prison guard. By what right can he become the clan's Chief Elder?"

Uchiha Setsuna, who had just quieted down for a moment, jumped out again. His sinister eyes stared fixedly at the visibly resistant Uchiha Rucha, wishing he could take his place.

As the son of the previous Chief Elder, Uchiha Liuying, his previous work in the Security Force was merely a transition.

Once his service period was over, he would be able to take over the mess his father left behind, become the new Chief Elder with the support of the old guard, and become the number one person under the Uchiha brothers.

Yet now, Uchiha Izuna was telling him that the position of Chief Elder would be held by the usually inconspicuous Uchiha Rucha. How could he accept this?

"He is not worthy, but are you?"

Glancing sideways, Uchiha Izuna looked at the jumping Uchiha Setsuna, a flash of impatience crossing his heart.

Sure enough, his cousin was right. These clan members who were left behind gathered all the flaws of the Uchiha: arrogant, unruly, and dismissive of others. If he were to take them back to the Land of Waves, they would likely cause no small amount of trouble for the Uchiha's new world.

"Uchiha Setsuna, even if your father were still alive, he would not dare to spout such nonsense during a clan meeting. I will spare you this time, considering you have just been released from prison and your mindset has not yet adjusted."

Uchiha Izuna shook his head lightly. As the saying goes, a tiger father has no dog son, so how did Uchiha Liuying produce such a useless thing?

"However, while the death penalty can be avoided, the living punishment is inevitable. Since you look down on prison guards so much, you will go to the prison to clean for the next year."

"Lord Izuna, you cannot..."

Upon hearing that he would be demoted to the dark, sunless prison to deal with foul-smelling criminals every day, Uchiha Setsuna instantly lost his nerve. He immediately knelt on both knees, preparing to beg Uchiha Izuna for mercy.

"Enough words. Do you not know that your father also started as a prison guard? I am letting you walk the path your father once took, hoping you can gain some insight from it."

Glaring fiercely at the terrified Uchiha Setsuna, Uchiha Izuna waved his hand.

"If there is business, report it; if not, retire from the court."

Soon, the clan members, immersed in the bombardment of a series of explosive news, dispersed one after another. Uchiha Rucha, who had been promoted just before retirement, was still using his Sharingan to confirm if he had been caught in a genjutsu, but the result left him very disappointed.

"Sigh, I was planning to go home and hold my granddaughter~"

With a light sigh, he faded the rotating three tomoe in his eyes, and a look of helplessness appeared on Uchiha Rucha's aged face.

"Congratulations, Brother Rucha. You could say this is a withered tree meeting spring, blooming for a second time."

Uchiha Hi-no-ki, walking over from not far away, smiled and congratulated him.

"Brother Hi-no-ki, stop making fun of me. Can I not know how much I weigh?"

Uchiha Rucha shook his head with a bitter smile.

As colleagues who had both worked in the prison, their relationship in private had always been quite good, and they often gathered to drink at Uchiha Da Lang's barbecue shop.

"Are you free today? Let's go have a drink."

Uchiha Hi-no-ki's smile did not diminish as he invited Uchiha Rucha for a gathering in the evening.

"Just the two of us? Who else?"

"Let's call Brother Gin too, and Erlang... sigh."

How could a gathering be complete without their good buddy Uchiha Gin? As Hi-no-ki spoke, he mentioned another friend they were familiar with, but his expression instantly turned gloomy.

"Do not be too sad. So much time has passed, you should let go of Erlang's sacrifice."

A flash of sadness crossed Uchiha Rucha's eyes as he raised his hand to pat the shoulder of the silent Uchiha Hi-no-ki, offering comfort.

"If I had followed along on that mission, Erlang might not have sacrificed himself, or at least he wouldn't have ended up with no remains left."

Uchiha Hi-no-ki, his face full of remorse, had tears in his eyes, his veins bulging as he clenched his fists tightly. It was clear he had been immersed in the grief of losing his best friend for all these years.

"Cheer up. If Erlang knew from the afterlife, he certainly wouldn't want to see his best friend so decadent."

"I couldn't even protect Erlang's belongings. What right do I have to call myself his best friend?"

Uchiha Hi-no-ki wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, his heart filled with guilt toward his friend. He hadn't even managed to keep safe the adult magazines Erlang had treasured for years.

That damned magazine thief!

I must bring you to justice!

When the day came to recover the belongings, he would surely burn those unspeakable magazines at Erlang's grave, allowing his friend's hungry soul to find peace.

This was the reason why Uchiha Hi-no-ki had repeatedly refused promotions within the clan for so many years, insisting on staying on the front lines of the Konoha Security Force.

Otherwise, based on his seniority and connections, he would have long since mixed into the clan's high-level leadership and become a widely respected law enforcement elder.

As the sun set, the residents of Konoha, who had been busy all day, welcomed a rare moment of leisure. Villagers in groups of three or five flocked to the Konoha commercial street, looking for food to comfort their stomachs.

The ninjas who had been running missions all day also put down their kunai, changed into ordinary clothes, and blended into the city, enjoying the joy of their time off work.

Da Lang's Barbecue Shop, an old shop with over twenty years of history, was still packed. Many residents who had grown up eating here were regulars; it could be said that if they didn't eat here for a day, they would feel miserable all over.

"Da Lang, arrange a seat for us."

After the clan meeting, Uchiha Rucha and Uchiha Hi-no-ki, who had been walking together, pulled open the shop door and greeted Uchiha Da Lang, who was sitting at the cash register, with smiles.

"You guys! Rare guests, rare guests! Yazi! Go quickly and tidy up the usual spot."

Uchiha Da Lang at the cash register waved his hand with a smile. Advanced in age, he no longer had the energy to stay in the kitchen, so he had retired to the second line, becoming a hands-off boss.

After his younger brother suddenly "sacrificed" himself a few years ago, Uchiha Da Lang had been depressed for a long time, and the bustling shop had been closed to guests for a long while.

Just when everyone thought he wouldn't be able to walk out of the grief of losing his brother, he had opened the shop again, and his drive was much higher than before.

Not only did he wave his hand to expand the shop's scale, but he also opened several branches in the Land of Fire, and business was extremely booming.

Recently, there was news that he was preparing to open a shop in the Land of Waves, thousands of miles away from the Land of Fire, and it was the store with the largest investment. He and his wife were going to go there personally to sit in charge.

"Just the two of you?"

Uchiha Da Lang, leading the two toward the back of the shop, turned his head and asked.

"We also invited Brother Gin."

Uchiha Hi-no-ki shook his head and said. He had already sent a shadow clone to invite Uchiha Gin, and based on the time, he should be arriving soon.

"You invited Gin too!? Then I have to tell the supplier later."

Upon hearing that Uchiha Gin was coming, Uchiha Da Lang's expression suddenly froze.

The stock of large kidneys in his shop was running low, and he had to prepare the goods to be ready for any emergency.

Bang, bang, bang—

"Who is it?"

Accompanied by a rhythmic knocking on the door, Senju Itama, wearing an apron and already preparing dinner, poked her head out from the crack in the door.

"Hi-no-ki?"

Seeing the middle-aged man standing outside the door, she blinked in confusion, her beautiful black eyes then unobtrusively sweeping over his empty hands, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowing.

Daring to come to the door without bringing anything?

"Is there something? We didn't cook tonight, you know."

Secretly hiding the kitchen knife in her hand behind her back, Senju Itama spouted nonsense with a straight face.

"That's perfect, let's all go together."

Uchiha Hi-no-ki's shadow clone was stunned upon hearing this, then smiled and issued an invitation.

At this moment, Uchiha Gin, who was lying dead in the room, heard the familiar voice and also leaned over with curiosity.

"Oh! Rare guest, Brother Hi-no-ki~"

Pressing down the black and white head stuck in the door crack, Uchiha Gin ignored the soft slander of Senju Itama beneath him and greeted Uchiha Hi-no-ki with a smile.

"Brother Gin, you didn't attend today's clan meeting, so you must not know the good news of Brother Rucha's promotion, right?"

"Promotion? Oh oh oh~ indeed I didn't know."

Hearing this news, Uchiha Gin scratched his head in confusion, a flash of imperceptible realization crossing his dull, lifeless fish eyes.

It seems his little cousin couldn't wait to go and enjoy wealth and glory~

"To celebrate Brother Rucha's promotion to Chief Elder, I set up a table at Da Lang's today, so we can all gather together."

"Good, good, good, no problem."

Only a fool would refuse a free meal. Uchiha Gin immediately agreed to the matter and patted Senju Itama's little head beneath him.

"Go call little Hikari, we're going to eat something good tonight~"

"Since the notification has been delivered, my mission is complete. See you later."

The mission of delivering the message was complete, so Uchiha Hi-no-ki, as a shadow clone, had no reason to continue existing, and he raised his hand to end his own short life.

"Sigh... are they all going to leave one by one?"

Watching Uchiha Hi-no-ki disappear into white smoke, Uchiha Gin shook his head with a look of emotion.

Because he knew that besides his little cousin, there were quite a few acquaintances who would also leave together on this trip.

Not long after, Uchiha Gin, wearing a white striped yukata and chewing on a strawberry-flavored lollipop, squatted alone at the entrance, waiting for the remaining two women.

"Women are such trouble..."

By the time the lollipop in his mouth had completely melted, the two women still showed no signs of coming down. Uchiha Gin had no choice but to take out an orange-yellow lollipop, preparing to continue with another one.

As a result, before he could even tear open the packaging, a black hole the size of a palm appeared beside his ear.

A cool breeze with a faint fragrance swept past, and a black, soft hand reaching out from the different space snatched the lollipop emitting a sour and sweet scent with lightning speed.

"Uh... Sister Wangliang, haven't you already been fed today?"

Looking at his empty palm, Uchiha Gin asked with some helplessness.

"You guys are going to eat something good, I want some too."

"Alright, alright, who told us that we can be considered a family now~"

Listening to the cold voice ringing in his ear, Uchiha Gin curled his lips, reached back into his backpack, took out a few more lollipops of the same flavor, and threw them into the black hole.

"Hmph hmph~"

From the satisfied humming sound, it could be heard that Wangliang was very satisfied with Uchiha Gin's answer.

"Slurp~"

In the Realm of Shadows, the black-skinned Kaguya, wearing a white kimono, licked the sour and sweet lollipop with a look of satisfaction.

Thinking of Uchiha Gin calling her family just now, for some reason, a strange palpitation suddenly rose in her heart.

Her white eyes narrowed into slits, and the inexplicable light flashing within them carried an unfathomable meaning.

"This descendant is truly pleasing, much better than those two rebellious sons."

Step, step, step—

"Oh my, you guys finally came down. If you were any later, it would be dark!"

Uchiha Gin, who was bored to the point of squatting on the ground counting ants, twitched his ears and complained without turning his head.

"Gin, how is my new yukata?"

Uchiha Hikari's sweet voice rang out. Uchiha Gin turned his head in curiosity, and what entered his eyes were two beautiful figures.

On the left, little Hikari had shed her usual serious combat clan uniform and changed into a pink yukata with a cherry blossom pattern base. The slightly tight yukata outlined the girl's well-proportioned figure.

Following the fair calves that were faintly visible under Uchiha Hikari's skirt all the way down, Uchiha Gin's dull, lifeless fish eyes immediately gained a spark of light.

It actually is...

Bare feet!

Bare feet are the best!

"Gin, can you stop staring at me like that?"

Feeling Uchiha Gin's burning gaze, Uchiha Hikari, who hadn't worn a yukata in a long time, blushed slightly, bit her red lips, and asked shyly while tugging at her sleeve.

The bare feet wearing platform sandals curled unnaturally, and the jade toes, like silkworms, flushed in sync with their owner.

It made Uchiha Gin, this senior veteran of the porridge bar, salivate.

Hold!

"Thanks for the treat!"

Witnessing such beautiful scenery, Uchiha Gin immediately gave Uchiha Hikari a thumbs up to show his gratitude.

"Hmph! Curly-haired baboon! What about me, what about me!"

Seeing Uchiha Gin's gaze fixed on Uchiha Hikari beside him, Senju Itama, who had also changed into a yukata, was so angry that she put her hands on her hips and snorted coldly with jealousy.

"You... oh my god!"

Reluctantly withdrawing his gaze, Uchiha Gin shifted his attention to the black and white girl beside him, a look of amazement flashing in his eyes.

"Tsk tsk tsk, worthy of being the pure Senju bloodline, the bosom is also inherited in the same line."

Accustomed to seeing Senju Itama in simple home clothes, suddenly seeing her in a yukata that accentuated her figure, it actually had a unique flavor.

It was still the black and white color scheme that the girl liked, and the well-arranged patterns gave a strong visual impact.

It set off her already proud figure to be even more magnificent; even the future complete-body little Tsunade would be slightly inferior.

Because her figure was taller than little Hikari's beside her, the yukata couldn't completely cover those long legs. If they were exposed to the air like this, she would definitely catch a cold.

Therefore, the owner of these legs had a flash of inspiration and added a tight, shiny, thin black layer to them. Under the white light, they reflected a delicate luster as if they had been oiled, making them even more alluring than before she put them on.

"Slurp~ Seriously, if I had known there was food at home, I wouldn't have gone out!"

*﹃)……(.)(д)(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 536 =====