Konoha: The Thirty-Year-Old Uchiha Can’t Be Bothered

Gin carried the little brat into the bedroom, deftly peeling off his apron and jacket.

To his surprise, the kid wasn't wearing anything underneath — well, he at least kept his underwear on. Gin couldn't help but glance down at the front for a second. Kids really were so pink and soft, not even a trace of melanin on him.

He didn't let his eyes linger, afraid his Sharingan would develop a sty if he kept looking. Gin tucked the kid in snugly, then stepped out.

First he cleaned up Itama's "masterpiece." There was no way anyone was eating that; the trash can was where it belonged.

After tidying up, Gin walked out to the back courtyard. The sun hadn't set yet — he wanted to test whether the skill could refresh during the day.

He sat cross-legged like always, closed his eyes, and waited. Before long, he felt the air around him condense and opened his eyes, a flash of realization in them.

It seemed the skill didn't refresh on a fixed schedule. Even during the day, as long as he appeared in the back courtyard, there was a chance of triggering it.

Sure enough, the old "friend" appeared once again. Looking at the man who had silently manifested before him, Gin let out a sigh.

With only two tomoe, he was completely countered by someone like Itachi.

But he couldn't just stand there doing nothing, could he? The NPC generated by the system didn't have emotions or memories — it only existed to fight.

"If I live long enough to see you born, I swear I'll flick your little sparrow a hundred thousand times!"

Thinking of the Itachi who wouldn't be born for many years yet, Gin silently vowed. He didn't care who his father was or who his little brother would become — he'd squash him flat.

"Alright, bring it on! Let the storm rage even harder!"

Activating his Sharingan, Gin stood up, ready to struggle.

But the moment his eyes activated, he noticed his left eye felt much sharper than his right. When he locked his gaze onto Itachi, he actually felt a strange sense of comprehension.

Three tomoe? That feeling could only mean he'd evolved his Sharingan into three tomoe.

With his rapidly swelling ocular power, his confidence surged. With three tomoe, he was just a step away from Mangekyō. Surely he wouldn't be totally helpless now.

The next moment, their gazes met — and the result came quickly.

Gin slumped to the ground as he once again entered the Tsukuyomi space. Somehow… it almost felt like coming home.

This time he wasn't immediately tied to a cross; their ocular powers clashed for a while in the illusory world. Feeling his chakra bleeding away, Gin knew he still couldn't win — and couldn't break free.

But at least this time… he'd fought back.

Countless copies of Itachi stabbed blades into his wounds again and again. Gin endured yet another seventy-two hours of torture.

A second later, he slowly stood up from the ground, now with both his left and right eyes fully evolved to three tomoe.

"Backyard daily refresh: random skill [Genjutsu: Tsukuyomi]. Acquired Tsukuyomi Fragment *5."

"[Tsukuyomi Fragments: 10/40. Gather 40 to synthesize the skill: Genjutsu: Tsukuyomi. Requires Mangekyō Sharingan to learn.]"

Seeing that he'd gained five fragments this time confirmed his theory once again:

As long as he fought with everything he had against the system-generated NPC, even if he lost in the end, the reward would be better than if he'd just given up. The system was… surprisingly humane.

As the rewards were distributed, Gin's body fully recovered, and the wounds from Tsukuyomi faded away completely.

grrrr~

His stomach growled loudly. Only then did Gin realize he hadn't eaten a thing all day. Time to cook himself a good meal to heal his wounded heart.

Meanwhile…

In Tajima's study, the clan head was flipping through the clan's records about the Uzumaki.

The Uchiha and Uzumaki clans were separated by the Senju, and besides clashing on the battlefield, they didn't have much interaction.

He found an old record in one corner, which described a battle in which an Uchiha awakened the Mangekyō and fought an Uzumaki elite. The Uchiha's eyes were sealed by a life-burning fūinjutsu from the Uzumaki, and even at death, the seal remained.

Tajima frowned as he read.

"Was it… that kind of seal?"

The record mentioned that the Uzumaki's hair turned white and they collapsed after using the seal, while the Uchiha — even blinded — killed them.

But Gin had only described a single pearl producing a seal. Surely it wasn't powerful enough to break his own seal completely?

Then he thought of Byō saying the seal was "slightly disturbed." Perhaps the Uzumaki's seal had opened a crack in his.

Gin's ocular power must have leaked through that crack and begun nibbling away at his seal.

The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

But Tajima grimaced — his own eyes were still recovering from overuse and couldn't exert their full power yet. If Gin shattered his seal before he was ready… and remembered everything… how would he face him then?

knock knock knock!

Urgent knocks snapped Tajima out of his thoughts.

"Come in."

"Father, I have something to report."

Izuna burst in, drenched in sweat.

"What is it, Izuna?"

Tajima's tone softened toward his son.

"You told me to keep an eye on big brother's activities lately," Izuna panted.

Tajima raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"I followed him a few times. He's been sneaking to the riverbank lately."

Izuna hesitated, then continued: "I saw him talking with some strange kid. They seem… very close."

"…Is that so? And who is this kid?"

"I don't know. I asked him, but he just said he didn't know either."

Hearing that his precious son was cozying up to some outsider, Tajima's eyes narrowed.

"Next time Madara goes to meet this 'friend,' come tell me immediately."

A cold gleam flashed in Tajima's eyes. A plan was already taking shape in his mind.

Back in Gin's house…

Gin, standing by the stove, shivered suddenly.

Weird… why did I just get chills in front of a hot stove?

He finished cooking, then remembered he still had someone in the bedroom. Time to wake up Itama and show him what real cooking tasted like.

He entered the bedroom to find the kid sleeping in a horrible position — the blanket kicked aside, wearing nothing but his underwear, his whole body exposed to the chilly February air.

Gin sighed. Fire Country didn't get snow, but it was still cold.

He pulled the blanket back over the brat with one hand, and shook him awake with the other.

The boy groggily opened his eyes and saw someone sitting on his bed, pulling at his blanket and touching him. As his mind cleared, his eyes widened.

His piercing scream shattered the room: "AHHHH! PERVERT!!!"

Gin instinctively clapped his hand over the kid's mouth, but that only made the boy thrash harder.

In his shame and fury, Itama grabbed whatever was at hand and started throwing it at Gin — but Gin easily dodged every object.

crack!

A sharp sound drew Gin's attention.

He turned and saw the family photo he'd kept on the nightstand now shattered on the floor, the frame's glass broken.

Itama froze too, then slowly pulled the blanket tightly around himself. His little head poked out of the top, and his expression grew complicated.

"…I didn't mean to."

(End of Chapter)

[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome][Thank You For Your Support!]