Chapter 143: Celebrate! The Toad Sage of the Trinity

"Deng-deng-deng~ Sage Ji—Fire! Power! Full! Throttle!"

Uchiha Gin didn't mind that this NPC's pre-casting animation was overly long; instead, he sat on the bench with great interest, patiently waiting. Feeling the scene was too monotonous, he added a simple roll call.

A thick, strange energy slowly rose from Jiraiya, who had his hands pressed together. However, this energy was not the chakra Uchiha Gin was familiar with.

"Is this natural energy? It feels quite rough!"

Uchiha Gin sensed the natural energy on Jiraiya, feeling that this power was extremely savage and primitive; if one were the least bit careless, they would be devoured by it.

"Boom!"

When Jiraiya balanced the natural energy within his body with his own chakra, he reached out and pressed his hands to the ground, activating the Summoning Jutsu. As the white smoke dissipated, two doll-sized toads appeared out of thin air.

Only after hoisting the two Toad Sages onto his shoulders could Jiraiya's Sage Mode be considered officially complete.

Uchiha Gin instantly became possessed by his inner drama queen. He rummaged through his backpack for a long time before pulling out a black-and-blue book.

"Celebrate! He is the hero who gathers the power of the three Toad Sages and braves the Six Paths of Reincarnation—Intel! Jiraiya! In his Sage form, this must be the final highlight of his life!"

Uchiha Gin, with a solemn expression, held the open, bizarre secret tome in one hand and pointed at the ready-to-strike Sage Mode Jiraiya with the other, reciting loudly in a strange tone.

... The silence was deafening...

This move was truly immersion-breaking, hard-controlling the NPC for several seconds.

"Sigh~ didn't get the reference?"

Uchiha Gin looked at the "Intel Jiraiya" charging toward him and sighed softly. What a truly boring world.

In Sage Mode, Jiraiya's various stats increased exponentially. Perhaps due to a bit of confidence in his own strength, the fearful look he had just moments ago vanished, replaced by the satisfaction of impending revenge.

Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west; never bully a young man because he is poor!

"Is this the extent of Sage Mode?"

Uchiha Gin was not frightened by the menacing Sage Jiraiya; instead, he frowned and said with slight disappointment. His super-perception told him that although the NPC's aura before him wasn't weak, it wasn't as strong as he had imagined.

If he had to find a unit of measurement, 1 Sage Jiraiya was roughly equal to 0.8 Old Uncle, no more than that.

"Boom~"

Sage Jiraiya closed the distance at high speed. Seeing Uchiha Gin stunned, he had no intention of holding back, swinging his large hands—which bore a few frog-like features—toward that hateful curly-haired head. The speed was so fast that the intense wind pressure caused the hairstyle to sway left and right.

Uchiha Gin's eyes instantly turned red. Under the enhancement of the Sharingan, Jiraiya's movements seemed to be slowed down by double speed, and the trajectory of the attack was clear at a glance. He calmly tilted his head, easily dodging the thunderous blow.

"Put some effort into it, buddy~"

Uchiha Gin glanced at the large hand beside his face and couldn't help but complain; this performance was far worse than what he had expected.

As if understanding his mockery, Jiraiya's hands glowed with a pale blue light as he continued to strike at Uchiha Gin.

Uchiha Gin thought the opponent was at his wit's end and didn't pay attention to the abnormality in Jiraiya's hands. Seeing the fist swing again, he prepared to dodge sideways after seeing the trajectory.

"Thud!"

Uchiha Gin, having turned his body, was still considering how to send this white-haired guy off when he suddenly felt a massive force hit him. Caught off guard, he was actually sent flying several meters, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Looking at the disheveled Uchiha Gin, Jiraiya's eyes were filled with joy. He had waited decades for this moment.

Eh? What ability is that? It didn't even touch me. Frog Kumite?

"Tsk! I underestimated you. Sage Art really has something to it."

Uchiha Gin's slightly surprised voice rang out from the smoke. He stood up, completely unharmed, and brushed the dust off his body.

He walked out unhurriedly, looked at the silent Jiraiya, raised an eyebrow, and asked in a questioning tone,

"By the way, doesn't your hand hurt?"

???

Hearing this, Jiraiya subconsciously looked at his palms and suddenly discovered that they were covered in wounds, with bright red blood flowing incessantly.

"Hehe, the taste of Thorns Armor isn't pleasant, is it~"

Uchiha Gin smiled at Jiraiya, whose hands were dripping with blood. One had to know that, except when bathing, he never went anywhere without his Thorns Armor.

"Alright, I already know your strength. Rest in peace!"

Uchiha Gin nodded, mentally giving "Intel Jiraiya" an S-rank rating. He extended a hand, and amidst the NPC's terrified gaze, condensed a bolt of lightning on his finger, aimed at the stunned NPC, and tapped lightly.

"Swish~"

A massive amount of lightning-attribute chakra was compressed to the limit by Uchiha Gin. The majestic lightning transformed into a tiny lightning snake, shooting out at a speed exceeding light, instantly piercing Jiraiya's chest and leaving a coin-sized black hole.

Watching Sage Jiraiya slowly fall, Uchiha Gin's eyes shifted slightly, and he couldn't help but ponder in his mind,

What should I call this move?

Dodonpa?

A certain Uchiha's Super Electromagnetic Cannon?

Sure enough, no matter where I am, I am no match for this hateful curly-haired guy.

Lying on the grass, Jiraiya slowly closed his eyes, and was subsequently taken away by a water-ripple light curtain that appeared in the sky.

"Backyard daily refresh random skill 【Sage Mode】, obtained Sage Mode Fragment*1"

【Sage Mode (1/100), collect 100 fragments to synthesize Sage Mode】

Not bad, an unexpected skill, and fragments within reason.

Uchiha Gin wasn't greedy. How could a heavyweight skill like Sage Mode just drop directly? Collecting fragments was safer.

A bountiful harvest!

Uchiha Gin stretched his back, a trace of coolness flashed through his body, and the debuffs caused by the battle were instantly cleared.

"Actually, it wasn't necessary. I recover just by catching my breath. Save some effort next time~"

Uchiha Gin kindly reminded the system, not knowing if it could hear him.

Turning back home, Senju Banjian and Uchiha Hikari were temporarily in a truce, and the initial chaos had not occurred again.

"Haah~ I'm going to rest now. You two should go to sleep early too."

Exhausted after a day, Uchiha Gin said this to the two of them with a yawn and went upstairs to rest without looking back.

"Thump! ~ Eh? What's with this milky scent?"

Uchiha Gin returned to his bedroom and, without a second thought, dove straight onto the bed. Just as he took a breath, his sensitive nose caught a strange fragrance.

But he was too lazy to move, so he gave up thinking and fell asleep hugging the fragrant quilt.

The next day, the lazy Uchiha Gin broke his habit and didn't sleep in, because he had important things to do today.

While washing up, he smelled a fragrance coming from downstairs. After finishing up, he walked downstairs and saw Senju Banjian wearing an apron.

At this moment, the brat was humming a tune while busy in the kitchen, as if she had already adapted to this identity, looking like she was enjoying it.

"Brat, morning."

Uchiha Gin didn't stand on ceremony at all; he pulled out a chair and sat at the dining table. Looking at the table full of sumptuous breakfast, his appetite was instantly whetted, and he couldn't help but praise,

"Not bad, did you make this specifically for me?"

"Shut up! Can't I eat this much every day?"

Senju Banjian, holding a spatula, rushed out upon hearing Uchiha Gin's words, pressed the hot spatula against Uchiha Gin's nose, and retorted loudly with a blushing face,

"Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot~"

Uchiha Gin jumped far away, clutching his nose, touching the red and swollen wound, his anger flaring up.

It really lived up to the old saying: if you don't beat them for three days, they'll tear down the roof.

"Knock, knock, knock~"

Just as he rolled up his sleeves, preparing to properly discipline this rebellious brat, he heard a knock at the door. Uchiha Gin was very confused; he had just returned, and someone was already visiting? Could it be someone bringing gifts?

"Coming, coming~"

Uchiha Gin couldn't be bothered to deal with Senju Banjian and ran to the front door in a flash.

"Sigh~ why is it you?"

He opened the door excitedly, but what met his eyes wasn't the gift-bearer he had imagined, but his little cousin Izuna, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. Disappointed, his tone was full of disdain.

"Cousin, you're finally back!"

Uchiha Izuna had come many times over the past few days, but each time he left disappointed. It wasn't until yesterday that his father said Uchiha Gin had returned from his mission that the sleepless little cousin rushed over early, visiting his cousin's house before dawn.

"Come in."

Looking at his little cousin's heavy dark circles, Uchiha Gin opened the door and told him to come in and talk.

"Have you eaten?"

Uchiha Gin sat back at the dining table, and Senju Banjian, because there was an outsider present, didn't dare to continue acting up and quietly continued working in the kitchen.

"How could I have the mood to eat!"

Uchiha Izuna, burning with anxiety, saw that Uchiha Gin was still in the mood to eat breakfast, and his face twisted in anger. He then said loudly,

"Gurgle, gurgle~~~"

But just as he finished speaking, a violent gurgling sound came from his stomach, and the scene was once very awkward.

"Hey, listen, isn't that your tummy thundering?"

Looking at his little cousin, whose face was as red as blood, Uchiha Gin smiled and pointed to the seat opposite him,

"Eat first! We can talk slowly."

Uchiha Izuna was very angry at his uncooperative stomach and decided to fill it all at once, letting it receive the punishment it deserved.

The two of them swept through the breakfast on the table like a whirlwind, leaving nothing behind.

"Hiccup! ~ Cousin, now I can only rely on you."

Uchiha Izuna, feeling a bit stuffed, let out a loud burp, raised his head, his eyes filled with hope, stared at Uchiha Gin, who was picking his teeth, and said in an extremely serious tone.

"Don't keep me in suspense, get straight to the point."

Uchiha Gin picked a piece of meat from between his teeth, looked helplessly at his little cousin who wouldn't get to the point for a long time, and said in an unfriendly tone. He hated guys who spoke in riddles the most.

"It's Big Brother! Big Brother hasn't left his room for three days, and he hasn't even done his daily training."

Uchiha Izuna sensed the displeasure in Uchiha Gin's tone, subconsciously shivered, and hurriedly stated the main point.

"I thought something happened. It's just no training; maybe he's secretly jerking off in his room~"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 144 =====