Year 27 of Konoha

"Today is another peaceful day."

On the streets of Konoha, a man with a head full of natural black curls strolled leisurely under the eaves of the shops, walking with a carefree gait that suggested he was a spirited young man, indifferent to those around him.

The man was quite handsome, but his lifeless, dull eyes ruined his overall demeanor, making him seem rather unapproachable.

Despite his appearance as a lackadaisical drifter, the people around him did not shy away. An old man basking in the sun asked with a smile,

"A Yin, are you going somewhere to take on a mission?"

"No, I'm just wandering around, taking a day off for myself," A Yin casually replied after stopping.

After saying that, he seemed to remember something. He rummaged through the high-necked robe he was wearing for a moment, pulled out a stick-shaped object, and tossed it to the old man, taking one for himself as well.

The old man looked at the lollipop thrown to him with a deadpan expression and said,

"At our age, we can’t eat this kind of thing anymore."

"Really? I remember you used to love it a lot back in the day," A Yin said, glancing at the old man with a sidelong look, his dull eyes flashing with a hint of unusual emotion.

"Yeah, that was a long time ago."

Although the old man didn't eat it, he accepted the lollipop and smiled, saying,

"I can save it for my grandson. He’ll be a month old tomorrow, and I’ll invite you to his full moon celebration."

"Why are we celebrating with alcohol again? How can I, a low-ranking ninja, afford that kind of feast? Forget it; I’ll have to catch a few cats again."

A Yin scratched his messy, curly hair in frustration.

"Hehe, make sure to come."

"By the way, have you picked a name for your grandson? If not, I can help you name him; it'll definitely be a good name for raising. How about calling him Dog Egg?"

The old man looked at the slightly deranged man speechlessly.

"I’ve already named him; he's called Minato."

A Yin, who had been eagerly brainstorming names for the child, froze upon hearing this name, a fleeting thought flashing through his mind.

"What's wrong? Is it not a good name?"

Suddenly recalling the old man's shining golden hair from his youth, A Yin relaxed.

"It's nothing; just some old memories are haunting me."

After saying that, A Yin raised his head and gazed at the distinct rock paintings on the distant mountain, sighing as he spoke.

"I think your grandson has unique potential; he might be the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths, quite promising for becoming Hokage in the future."

The old man looked somewhat puzzled at this statement.

"But you haven't even met him!"

......

"Observing the stars."

The old man was taken aback and looked up at the blazing summer sun.

"That starry sky is truly blinding."

When he turned again, the man beside him had already vanished.

"Tsk, how many times has it been? He always leaves without a word."

The old man shook his head and turned to tend to his shop.

Meanwhile, the man continued to wander aimlessly, his dull eyes seemingly uninterested in anything.

"Lord Yin, the clan meeting is about to start; why are you still here loitering?"

Suddenly, a voice came from behind. A young man with black hair knelt respectfully behind A Yin and said,

"The clan leader isn't home; why hold a clan meeting? Do you want to listen to those so-called elders ramble on? I'd rather just stroll around."

The man referred to as Uchiha Yin casually scratched his ear, seemingly dismissive of such an important event.

The messenger appeared to anticipate this response; he hesitated, a mix of fear and confusion in his eyes, and cautiously organized his words, saying with some trepidation,

"Please don’t put me in a difficult position; I’m only responsible for notifying you. It’s your choice whether to attend or not, but the Elder said you must remember, you are still an Uchiha."

After saying this, he vanished in a flash.

"Bored to death; do they think that annoying white-haired guy's absence means they can start acting rashly? This muddy water of Konoha isn’t something you straightforward folks can wade through. Why can't they just relax and hang out with me?"

Watching the direction the messenger left, Uchiha Yin rolled his dull eyes.

In the Hokage office beneath Hokage Rock, smoke filled the air as a figure leaned over a stack of documents taller than a person. Suddenly, someone pushed the door open and entered.

"Hiizashi, I've received reliable news; the Uchiha clan is secretly meeting again today. I have a rough idea of the content from a confidential report; it’s time to take action!"

A handsome man in his thirties with an X-shaped scar on his chin slammed a document down in front of the person buried in paperwork.

The interrupted person looked up, a bit speechless at his close friend, and casually tossed the document into the nearby trash bin.

"You!!!"

The young Danzo’s eyes widened in shock, nearly choking.

"Danzo, you can’t focus solely on the Uchiha clan right now. The village has finally entered a period of peace; there are so many things to rebuild. We can't afford any major issues within the village at this time."

Sarutobi Hiizashi, who had recently taken on the Hokage position, calmed his friend while smoking a cigarette.

"That’s a clan born of evil; we must never let our guard down against them."

Shimura Danzo said fiercely, though inside he was delighted,

Hehe, finally caught a weakness!

"Shh..."

Upon hearing the term "born of evil," Sarutobi Hiizashi glanced around warily, signaling for him to stop talking.

Realizing his slip, Danzo's expression became slightly awkward, but he retorted defiantly,

"You’re Hokage now; are you still afraid of..."

"Afraid of what?"

Just as they were exchanging words, a lazy voice interjected.

"Afraid of that curly-haired dull-eyed guy... ah ah ah ah ah!"

Danzo, interrupted mid-sentence, was horrified to find a figure standing behind him without him realizing it.

"Afraid of what?"

"Da—da—da... dashing... guy."

As if recalling something terrifying, Danzo's face flushed red as he stammered.

"Oh, isn’t this little Dan-chan? Long time no see."

Upon hearing the response, Uchiha Yin warmly patted Danzo on the shoulder, grinning.

"What have you been busy with lately? Still messing with that Root thing? Are you still hiring? I’ve been a bit tight on cash recently."

Seeing Danzo's flustered expression at this question, Uchiha Yin patted his shoulder with satisfaction.

"Just kidding!"

"Little monkey, I’m here to pick up a few D-rank missions. That little guy from the Namikaze family has become a grandpa; he invited me to his full moon celebration, and I need to earn some money."

Uchiha Yin turned to Sarutobi Hiizashi, who was sitting at his desk.

Hiizashi, upon hearing this, had an expression of "I knew it," and smoothly pulled out several mission papers from a drawer nearby to hand to Uchiha Yin.

"I’ve prepared everything for you, but are you sure you don’t want to take on some higher-difficulty missions? Your strength shouldn’t..."

"What shouldn’t? I’m just a low-ranking ninja, the No. 1 low-ranking ninja certified by Hasi Mama; you all know what my strength is, don’t you?"

Receiving the mission papers, Uchiha Yin happily flipped through them.

"They all seem pretty good, so I’ll head out first. You two enjoy your time as good buddies."

As Uchiha Yin left, Danzo let out a long sigh and said with a heavy expression,

"Why is he still like this?"

Sarutobi Hiizashi, sitting at his desk, also breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes showing a hint of deep-seated fear as a serious expression crossed his face.

"He still looks thirty years old; after all these years, it seems he has always been like this since we can remember, right?"

"Yeah, he’s never changed."

"Could it be that technique really is that magical?"

Both fell into contemplation, as there are only a few people left who can use such a technique, and they had no way to verify this question.

This is the repository of thoughts.