Chapter 138: Even Beating an Old Geezer Is a Hassle; Might as Well Quit Being the Protagonist

"Whoosh~~ whoosh~~ whoosh~~"

A strangely shaped kunai traced a beautiful arc in the air, and Uchiha Gin, walking with a leisurely gait, caught the falling Flying Raijin Kunai with a look of lethargy.

He reached up to scratch his curly hair, discovered a naturally shed curly strand in his hand, rolled his dead-fish eyes that lacked any shred of motivation, and complained incessantly,

"None of you are easy to deal with, making me start losing hair at such a young age."

After arranging the mission for the young girl and feeling the weight of his responsibilities, Uchiha Gin sighed and sought out Uchiha Yao, who was currently having a breakdown. Seeing the old man with his twisted face and conflicted gaze, he suddenly felt a surge of irritation.

"That's right, I'm talking about you, you old geezer."

"Ugh, ugh, ugh."

Clutching his head, Uchiha Yao's single eye overflowed with black Qi, and he groaned and wailed. The old jailer, a construct of ocular jutsu, stood at his side, its gray-white body flickering with unstable light, likely affected by Uchiha Yao's emotions.

Seeing that the old geezer had no reaction to his provocation, Uchiha Gin, wanting to get off work early, said with some helplessness,

"Hey, hey, hey, say something!"

"Don't think... you can control me!"

Following Uchiha Gin's nagging, Uchiha Yao, who had been struggling for a long time, let out a loud shout. The black Qi in his eyes completely occupied his pupils. As he raised his head, one could see the bewitching Mangekyo pattern on the black conjunctiva completely succumb; the pitch-black single eye shone with an eerie light, and the previous look of inner conflict was gone, replaced only by profound coldness.

"Gin, since you are unwilling to walk with me, then go to the Yellow Springs to accompany your father."

At this moment, with his heart completely occupied by darkness, Uchiha Yao's tone became extremely cold, and the way he looked at Uchiha Gin was as if he were looking at a complete stranger.

Is turning to the dark side this cool these days? Always talking about sending people off—old man, can you show me some real strength?

"Wangliang, attack."

Sensing the disdain in Uchiha Gin's dead-fish eyes, the darkened Uchiha Yao said nothing more and waved his hand to issue an order to the old jailer at his side. He wanted to let this brat know why flowers are so red.

The normal version of Wangliang had lost its ability to speak. After receiving the order, it instantly merged into the shadows at its feet. Relying on his special sensory ability, Uchiha Gin could vaguely capture the traces of the old jailer moving through the shadows.

"I'm being underestimated!"

Discovering that Wangliang was only jumping back and forth around him without any intent to attack, and deducing from this that Uchiha Yao was just playing a cat-and-mouse game, Uchiha Gin curled his lip downward and complained speechlessly.

Having said that, he channeled chakra into his right palm. Accompanied by a series of sharp bird chirps, a dazzling flash of lightning appeared. The eerie blue light illuminated half of Uchiha Gin's face. Finding the lightning glare a bit blinding, Uchiha Gin immediately put on the sunglasses he carried with him. He sensed the power of the Lightning Release in his hand, squinted, and turned the voltage up high. Watching the electric light on his palm become solid, the veteran electrician nodded with satisfaction.

"Old geezer, eat a kiss from Professor Yang!"

Since Wangliang wouldn't attack him, he had no choice but to strike first. With a flick of his right hand, the condensed lightning ball flew rapidly toward Uchiha Yao.

???

He hadn't expected his eldest grandson to play outside the rules, not focusing on finding Wangliang's flaws but attacking him directly instead.

This decisiveness—truly worthy of being his descendant; he is indeed a child worth teaching.

As the thought crossed his mind, a dark curtain woven from shadows rose abruptly from the gloomy ground, absorbing the roaring lightning completely without leaving a trace.

"There's a move like that?"

After testing him, Uchiha Gin frowned as he looked at the shadows manipulated by the old man. It seemed no Mangekyo ocular jutsu was trash; they were all more bizarre than the last. By comparison, his own Mangekyo ability seemed a bit plain and simple.

"Your guess just now was spot on, but you missed one point."

After turning to the dark side, the old man's emotions were very stable. Seeing Uchiha Gin's astonishment at his methods, he actually began to explain it to him thoughtfully.

"It is not just Wangliang that manipulates the shadows; I, the host, can also manipulate them. That possession is merely a means to compensate for my poor mobility."

"Did you pay copyright fees to the Nara clan for this ability?"

Uchiha Gin didn't focus on the new ability Uchiha Yao had displayed, but instead asked him with a curious expression.

Plagiarism—this was pure, unadulterated plagiarism, the kind that didn't even bother to change anything.

"Do not compare my ocular jutsu to that third-rate secret technique."

The old man, who had been waiting to see a shocked expression on Uchiha Gin's face, suddenly heard the other's explosive remark and almost choked on his own breath. Forcing down the negative energy rising in his heart again, Uchiha Yao gritted his teeth and explained.

"But it really is exactly the same!"

Uchiha Gin spread his hands and leaned back, his clear and earnest expression causing Uchiha Yao's blood pressure to skyrocket.

"Wangliang, stop playing around, cut his tongue off for me!"

Unable to endure it any longer, Uchiha Yao, with blue veins popping on his forehead, ordered the old jailer with hatred in his voice.

The next moment, in the shadow behind Uchiha Gin, who was still in his hand-spreading pose, the long-lurking old jailer quietly poked its head out. The shadow in its hand transformed into a dark dagger, aiming to stab at his unguarded back.

"Clang! ~~"

Without even turning his head, Uchiha Gin used the Flying Raijin Kunai to accurately parry the sneak attack with a backhand motion. A hint of blue light leaked from the gap in his sunglasses as he channeled chakra into the kunai in his hand.

"Snap!"

In Uchiha Yao's incredulous gaze, the dagger forged from shadows was actually shattered by the ridiculously shaped kunai in Uchiha Gin's hand. The old jailer, unable to dodge in time, had a long gash cut into its chest. Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, it immediately used its ability to vanish into the shadows.

Raising an eyebrow, Uchiha Gin toyed with the kunai in his hand. He had clearly sensed that he had struck the old jailer with that last blow and had left the special chakra carried by his ocular jutsu on the wound.

"Is it that kunai? It can actually hurt Wangliang?"

Through the feedback of his Mangekyo, Uchiha Yao learned that the old jailer had been injured. He immediately stared wide-eyed at the bizarrely shaped kunai in Uchiha Gin's hand, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

The ability he relied on was primarily the elusive Wangliang. He had tested it before; as an ocular jutsu construct, the old jailer could be immune to any physical or genjutsu attacks.

"This isn't a novel; you don't need to explain things to the enemy."

Saying something incomprehensible, Uchiha Gin used the Body Flicker Technique to step forward, the kunai in his hand stabbing toward Uchiha Yao with lightning speed. The old man's only remaining eye flashed again, and the eerie old jailer reappeared, its hands condensing two daggers to strike at Uchiha Gin's lower body.

"Despicable! Truly despicable! You don't want to hold your great-grandson anymore, do you?"

Uchiha Gin couldn't help but curse loudly. Not wanting to be "cut off" (TJ), he had no choice but to abandon his attack on Uchiha Yao, swinging the Flying Raijin Kunai to shatter the daggers slashing from below, and taking the opportunity to swipe across the old jailer's arm. The entire gray-white arm fell off at the sound, dropping to the ground and turning into ash.

It seems I must deal with this old jailer first before I can have a proper conversation with the old geezer.

Uchiha Yao was not having a good time either. As his ocular jutsu construct, the damage Wangliang received was also fed back to him. At this moment, his chest was filled with piercing pain, and one of his arms had lost all sensation and could not move.

The pain caused by Uchiha Gin created a crack in his spirit. A flash of struggle crossed his black pupils, and the will suppressed by the dark side began to resist, the black parts of his pupils slowly being eroded by their normal color.

Just as Uchiha Gin was about to make a move, his body's sensory radar suddenly began to sound an alarm.

He was surprised to find that benevolence and malice were alternating frequently on the old man opposite him, as if a spirit weapon were fighting for control, leaving him a bit confused for a moment.

"Don't you dare come out! Everything I do is to avenge Jin!"

The darkened Uchiha Yao roared, forcibly suppressing the other will within his body. Panting, he raised his head, looking at the thoughtful Uchiha Gin with a gaze like a torch. A sense of determination revealed itself in his eyes as he said slowly,

"Wangliang, combine!"

(End of chapter)