Chapter 148: Seeing an Old Teammate Again

After Uchiha Gin finished treating the young girl's wounds, he stood up and went upstairs to tidy up a room for her, leaving Senju Itama and Uchiha Hikari staring at each other.

"I still don't know your name. Gin must be too careless; he didn't tell me on the way here."

Naturally picking up the teacup Uchiha Gin had used, the girl pursed her lips and took a small sip. She then looked up, smiling at Senju Itama before her, her tone carrying a hint of the tea she had just drunk.

"Uh, that curly-haired ape didn't even bother to introduce me properly?"

A sense of crisis surged in Senju Itama's heart. Could it be that she was so unimportant in that guy's eyes?

"Huh! I've never heard that guy mention having any childhood sweetheart, and besides—"

Even a clay figurine has a temper. Seizing the opportunity, Senju Itama launched her counterattack. With an expression of doubt that didn't seem fake, she said with slight hesitation,

"If you grew up with that guy, doesn't that mean you're already over thirty?"

Age is a woman's greatest weapon.

"Ugh! ~~"

Faced with Senju Itama's retort, Uchiha Hikari felt as if she had kicked cotton. This black-haired, black-eyed brat before her was no pushover; she had actually managed to turn the tables.

(＾－＾)V

Having regained some ground, Senju Itama triumphantly made a 'V' sign in her heart, the fighting spirit in her eyes undiminished.

"Hikari! Wear my old clothes for now to make do. I'll take you out later to buy some clothes and daily necessities."

Just as the two were at loggerheads, Uchiha Gin, having finished tidying a room, came down carrying a set of his casual clothes from when he was younger. Seeing the two staring at each other in the living room, he asked with great confusion,

"Hikari, Itama brat, aren't your eyes getting dry?"

"Hmph!"

Senju Itama curled her lip and turned her head away.

"No, I was just... Itama, right? That's quite a unique name."

Uchiha Hikari covered her small mouth, a faint glimmer flowing in her eyes. She spoke in a soft, sweet tone, and without waiting for Senju Itama's reaction, she walked straight over to take the clothes Uchiha Gin handed her, saying with a look of gratitude,

"Sorry to trouble you, Gin. Please take care of me from now on."

Huh? Does this old woman look like she's planning to stay for good?

Feeling extremely annoyed inside, Senju Itama watched the "pretentious" Uchiha Hikari, feeling her fists tighten. The Senju bloodline in her body boiled, and surging chakra filled her entire being; she desperately wanted to land a super-strength punch on this hypocritical person.

In the end, Senju Itama held back and unclenched her small fist. There would be plenty of time; the battle with this old woman had only just begun.

Before long, Uchiha Hikari, who had gone upstairs to put on Uchiha Gin's old clothes, walked down gracefully wearing a silver cloak. Her face slightly flushed, she tightened the clothes that smelled of Gin, and with somewhat erratic breathing, she said,

"Gin, does it fit?"

"Uh, it's a bit big, but it's fine. We'll go out and buy you new ones later, then you can just throw this one away."

Looking at the obviously oversized clothes, Uchiha Gin said with a nonchalant expression,

"Let's go! We'll grab a meal while we're at it."

The three of them headed out toward the clan district's market.

Senju Itama and Uchiha Hikari flanked Uchiha Gin on the left and right, the sparks in their eyes nearly becoming tangible. They kept glaring at each other like this until they reached the market.

"Itama! Why are you here? It's not the time yet, is it?"

Suddenly, a familiar voice interrupted their standoff. Uchiha Jiri, with her purple hair, tilted her head, looking at her best friend in confusion. Hadn't they agreed to meet at dinner? Why was she here early?

"Oh, Mr. Gin, it's been a few days, you're still looking as well as ever. And this young lady is?"

Seeing the person accompanying her best friend, she politely stepped forward to greet them. Noticing someone she hadn't met before, she asked with slight confusion.

"Uchiha Hikari, Gin's childhood sweetheart."

Without waiting for Uchiha Gin to introduce her, the girl naturally stepped forward to state her name, while her eyes held a thoughtful look.

This purple-haired one—Gin hadn't mentioned her; she must be a passerby.

"Nice to meet you, senior. I am Uchiha Jiri, a friend of Itama."

Uchiha Jiri, whose perception was naturally sharper than most, could faintly sense an extremely obscure, cold, and profound power from the seemingly harmless girl before her. Always cautious, she didn't ask further, but instead greeted her politely.

"Little Jiri! What a coincidence, let's go eat together!"

Uchiha Gin was very fond of this girl who had been working and studying since she was young. Of course, it wasn't the romantic kind of liking—that would get him nailed to a cross and roasted over a fire—but the kind of affection an elder has for a neighbor's excellent child, only regretting that such a good child wasn't his own.

It's just that she was usually a bit of an airhead (dark), and frequently came out with golden quotes.

"That wouldn't be very good... but I shall accept your kindness."

With the stranger Uchiha Hikari present, Uchiha Jiri, who had intended to refuse, saw her best friend's desperate look for help and ultimately accepted Uchiha Gin's invitation.

The shopping group instantly expanded to four. Uchiha Gin led the way, followed closely by Uchiha Hikari, while Senju Itama lagged behind, exchanging information with her best friend.

"Hikari, pick whatever you like, don't worry about the price."

Arriving at the clothing store, faced with the dazzling array of clothes, Uchiha Gin waved his hand, telling the girl to buy whatever she wanted; he wasn't short on money.

"Okay!"

Having been suppressed by the seal for too long, the girl finally unleashed herself. Women are born to love beauty, and Uchiha women are no exception. The girl shuttled through the ocean of colors, and before long, she had piled up a small mountain.

"Just these clothes, Gin, help me pick!"

The girl's eyes revealed the radiance appropriate for her age before she was sealed. Excitedly, she pulled Uchiha Gin to help her choose clothes.

"Why pick? Since you like them, just buy them all."

Without blinking, Uchiha Gin took a gold bar from his bag and tossed it to the trembling shopkeeper. Under the shopkeeper's shocked gaze, he stored the mountain of clothes into a scroll.

Uchiha Hikari tugged at Uchiha Gin's sleeve and said excitedly,

"Thank you, Gin! I like you the most."

Just after saying it, the girl realized she had blurted out her inner thoughts. She instantly turned into a bubbling teapot, her face flushing red, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"What are you saying that for, given our relationship?"

Not grasping the true meaning of the girl's words and thinking she was just thanking him for buying her clothes, Uchiha Gin said to Uchiha Hikari with a smile.

Why is Hikari still being so polite with me?

"Jealous?"

Watching the two getting along so warmly in the shop, Uchiha Jiri nudged her best friend with her elbow, a bashful smile on her gentle face.

"Huh? I... I'm not jealous of anything! I just don't like that hypocritical old woman!"

Crouched behind a shelf peeking, Senju Itama's expression tightened upon hearing Jiri's teasing, and she stuttered a rebuttal.

Stare (∩_)

Uchiha Jiri wore an expression that said she saw through everything, staring until Senju Itama's face turned bright red.

"I'm just afraid that curly-haired ape is being deceived. That guy said they grew up together, but she doesn't look much older than me. Don't you think that's suspicious?"

Senju Itama hurriedly pulled out a seemingly reasonable excuse. After all, Uchiha Gin was her savior; how could she stand by if he were being deceived by some strange person?

"Oh~~~ I see. Itama, you really are a good child."

Uchiha Jiri's eyes sparkled with gossip.

This drama is too interesting to miss; I must keep up.

"Sorry to keep you two waiting, let's go eat!"

Uchiha Gin returned with the girl, fully loaded, and called the other two to go eat.

"What do you want to eat?"

"Barbecue!"

Itama raised her hand.

"Barbecue!"

Hikari answered first.

"Huh? "

Jiri questioned.

The two who shouted "barbecue" simultaneously looked at each other; they hadn't expected both to want barbecue.

"Little Jiri, what do you want to eat?"

Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow, asking the remaining gentle, purple-haired girl.

"Barbecue is fine."

The girl, who had originally planned to eat barbecue for dinner, immediately followed the crowd.

"Alright, off to barbecue we go!"

The four of them marched grandly to the best-reputed barbecue restaurant in the Uchiha clan district. Seeing the sign "Shao Huo Barbecue" at the entrance, Uchiha Gin pushed open the door and heard a greeting from inside.

"Welcome!"

A simple, honest face with a square jaw poked out from the kitchen and shouted at Uchiha Gin and the others,

"Dailang, old friend!"

It was actually an acquaintance.

"Uchiha Gin?"

Seeing who it was, the square-jawed man's honest face froze for a moment, then showed a complex expression. Why is this guy here again?

"It's been a while since I've patronized this place. Where's little brother Erlang?"

Uchiha Gin familiarly pushed open a private room door, arranged for the girls to sit, and turned to chat with his old acquaintance.

"He's on duty today. You didn't go to work again?"

Uchiha Dailang was Uchiha Gin's teammate when he first started his second playthrough. He was severely injured on the battlefield a few years ago. Although his life was saved, his body was so badly damaged that he could no longer serve as a ninja.

Uchiha Dailang had been depressed for a long time because of this. Just as he was thinking of ending his days, Uchiha Gin appeared with a fruit basket and, upon his suggestion, opened a barbecue restaurant.

Relying on his mastery of fire, his grilling skills were superb, and he quickly made a name for himself. Customers came in an endless stream every day, and he earned much more money than he ever did as a ninja.

"Just bring us the usual."

As an old acquaintance, Uchiha Gin pulled over a chair and sat down without ceremony, arranging tasks for his old teammate.

"Alright! Yazi, go get that bottle of wine I have stored in the cellar."

Uchiha Dalang nodded, and at the same time shouted toward the back kitchen.

After a long while.

"Who is here? How come you are willing to bring out your collection?"

A woman with a gentle face lifted the curtain of the back kitchen and walked out holding a bottle of wine.

"Oh my! Yazi, long time no see, you're getting more and more beautiful!"

Uchiha Gin saw the person arrive and raised his hand with a smile to greet her; it was clear he had a good relationship with the woman.

"Ara ara, Gin still knows how to talk."

Uchiha Yazi covered her mouth and said with a delicate laugh,

"Unlike my Dalang, he's like a blockhead."

(End of this chapter)