Chapter 162

In the pitch-black backyard, a pillar of fire suddenly erupted into the sky, and four ferocious giant dragons of flame roared, opening their massive maws as if to swallow the person before them whole.

"What is this supposed to be? Who are you looking down on?"

Uchiha Gin looked at the imposing fire dragons with some speechlessness, yet he couldn't muster the slightest bit of interest; they were cousins, after all, so was this really how he was going to test a veteran?

【Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song Jutsu】

Watching his elderly grand-cousin spitting fire with such effort behind the giant dragons, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but feel a touch of emotion.

He hadn't expected his grand-cousin to still be sharp despite his advanced age, capable of unleashing a Fire Style of such caliber.

"Bang!!!"

Sighing at how time spares no one, Uchiha Gin watched the fire dragons rushing toward him from four directions with an indifferent gaze, his eyes slowly staining scarlet.

As the three tomoe in his right eye spun slightly, pitch-black flames suddenly surged over the bodies of the four aggressive fire dragons.

In an instant, the dragons made of flame were quietly swallowed by a sea of black fire, leaving behind no trace at all.

Uchiha Gin watched the vanished fire dragons with satisfaction, closed his scarlet right eye, and the black flames covering the sky disappeared without a trace.

The battlefield, which had been scorching hot just a moment ago, was now completely clean; the elderly Uchiha Madara stood there all alone, holding his war fan, a strange expression appearing on his blank face.

"Grand-cousin, you could at least bring your dear cousin some Rinnegan souvenirs; it's not that I'm picky, but this Fire Style is truly a bit pathetic."

Uchiha Gin shook his head and sighed, looking at the elderly grand-cousin before him with disappointment, frustrated by his lack of ambition.

"Huh?"

Uchiha Gin, who had intended to give his grand-cousin some electrotherapy with a Chidori Current, suddenly noticed that the grand-cousin opposite him had actually lifted his drooping eyelids, only to reveal not the circular eyes Uchiha Gin had expected, but two pitch-black hollows.

"Where are your eyes? You didn't actually give them to that red-haired kid, did you?"

Uchiha Gin looked at his elderly grand-cousin in surprise; he hadn't expected him to have already sent his Rinnegan out for safekeeping. No wonder he started off by offering such meager things—it turned out his pockets were empty.

"Sigh, it can't be helped. I'll forgive you this time, but remember to bring some decent souvenirs next time. Something like Planetary Devastation or Catastrophic Planetary Construction would do, or even Limbo: Border Jail would suffice."

Uchiha Gin stroked his chin, giving his elderly grand-cousin thoughtful instructions as if listing family treasures. Absorbed in his own words, he didn't see the look of awkwardness on the face of the elderly Uchiha Madara in the distance.

"Forget it, it's useless talking to an AI like you; you guys never provide feedback on user requests anyway."

Sighing, Uchiha Gin waved his hand at the elderly grand-cousin, who remained standing motionless in the distance, signaling that he could exit the stage.

"Eh?"

He hadn't expected his grand-cousin to be so stubborn, actually dragging his aged body toward him while waving the war fan, his free hand still forming seals.

"Fine, then I'll give you a childhood trauma."

Watching his grand-cousin put up a desperate fight and lamenting that he was old in body but not in spirit, Uchiha Gin stretched out both hands and clapped them together skillfully. A pale green light flickered in his palms as he refined an extremely massive amount of chakra.

【Wood Style: Great Tentacle Jutsu】

Countless tentacle-like branches burst from the ground, sweeping toward the elderly grand-cousin who was lunging at him.

I haven't had enough tentacle play today, so I'll make up for it now.

As for the elderly Uchiha Madara, upon seeing the familiar ninjutsu, he immediately slammed on the brakes. His blank face was now filled with an expression of pure annoyance; he abandoned his hand seals and raised one hand.

Under Uchiha Gin's puzzled gaze, he summoned a ripple-like light screen from the sky. The elderly grand-cousin, wearing a look of relief at having survived a disaster, was swallowed by the descending screen.

"Backyard daily refresh random skill 【Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song Jutsu】, obtained Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song Jutsu *1"

The system's prompt rang out in the bewildered Uchiha Gin's mind.

Huh? There's such a mechanic? In the current version, can AIs disengage and run away?

The version updates are too fast; a new surprise every day.

Accepting the Fire Style contributed by his grand-cousin, Uchiha Gin sighed while walking toward his newly built mansion.

Pushing open the door, the first thing he saw were the two people he had left in the room earlier, now face-to-face, staring at each other without giving an inch.

Sparks of electricity crackled between their clashing gazes, making Uchiha Gin's eyelids twitch.

"I'm gone for a moment, and you two have become friends?"

Uchiha Gin looked at the pair with a teasing tone; he hadn't expected that even the seemingly quiet Uchiha Hikari would be led astray by this brat, Senju Itama.

"Who's friends with this stinky brat (old woman)!"

Hearing Uchiha Gin's words, the two turned their heads simultaneously and shouted at him.

"Yo! Quite in sync, aren't you?"

Uchiha Gin looked at the two with a synchronization rate of max and said with a smile.

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort, both crossed their arms and turned their heads away, their faces sour as if someone owed them millions.

"Alright, seeing you two getting along so well, I'm relieved."

He had thought Uchiha Hikari would bully the younger one, but it seemed she and Senju Itama were getting along quite well—at least she hadn't glared at him with her Mangekyo, right?

"Alright, now that you've picked your rooms, get some rest."

Uchiha Gin patted both their heads like a peacemaker, signaling that it was time for them to rest.

The two pouting girls walked upstairs side-by-side, stopping only when they reached the third floor. After exchanging a glance, they walked to either side, leaving the middle bedroom vacant.

The vacant room was the one Uchiha Gin had reserved for himself.

The night passed without incident; no one launched a night raid.

"Brat, watch the house well; I'll bring you a souvenir from the Land of Lightning when I get back."

Early the next morning, Uchiha Gin and Uchiha Hikari, having packed their bags, stood outside the door. Uchiha Gin waved at Senju Itama, who was still yawning upstairs, and gave his instructions.

"Ha~~ got it. Take good care of Sister Jiri for me."

The sleepy-eyed Senju Itama waved his hand and replied to the two downstairs.

"Let's go!"

Uchiha Gin gave a big wave and led Uchiha Hikari toward the clan compound gate.

When the two reached the gate, they saw a purple figure waiting quietly in the distance.

"Little Jiri, you're here quite early!"

Uchiha Gin smiled at Uchiha Jiri, who was pacing in place. He could see that the young girl was a bit nervous; her knuckles were turning white from gripping her backpack.

"No, I just arrived as well."

Seeing them approach, Uchiha Jiri forced down the unease in her heart and looked at Uchiha Gin and Uchiha Hikari, offering a reassuring smile, though anyone could see the trepidation in her eyes.

This was Uchiha Jiri's first time going out on a mission. Don't let her usual composed appearance fool you; inside, she was full of anxiety. It was just that she had experienced so much since childhood that she had learned to disguise herself.

At this moment, in front of her master, the girl's fragile disguise was stripped away, leaving her completely exposed to Uchiha Gin.

"Don't panic. Just relax on this trip; your master will carry you to victory."

Uchiha Gin sensed the girl's inner unease and reached out a hand to press onto Uchiha Jiri's long purple hair. The gentle stroking seemed to carry a certain magic, making the previously restless girl feel instantly at ease.

"Let me see, those guys from the Hagoromo clan are here!"

Uchiha Gin took out the mission map given by his uncle and flipped through it for a long time before finally figuring out the current hideout of the Hagoromo clan, located in a forest a few dozen kilometers away.

"Alright, Team Uchiha, move out!"

As a captain leading a team for the first time, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but feel a little excited. He raised his arm and called for the two girls to set off.

How embarrassing. Can we pretend we don't know this person?

Hearing the slogan Uchiha Gin shouted, both girls took a few steps back to distance themselves from him.

The clan members passing by whispered and pointed at the excited Uchiha Gin.

"That guy is that Uchiha Gin, right?"

"Yes, yes, that's the Shame of the Uchiha."

"The Shame of the Uchiha?"

"Haven't you heard? That guy went around challenging everyone a few years ago, not even sparing children, but he never won a single match."

"Huh, he looks normal enough. I didn't expect him to be an idiot!"

"Shh, keep your voice down. Don't let him hear you; he's the clan leader's nephew."

"Ah! Let's get out of here!"

The onlookers saw Uchiha Gin turn his gaze toward them and fled in a panic on the spot.

"Tsk! Shallow people. I call that finding confidence for the weak and finding problems for the strong."

Uchiha Gin didn't pursue the clan members who were gossiping; after all, the old men in the dungeon hadn't been willing to spar with him for years.

In desperation, he had to challenge everyone in the clan, from eighty-year-old men to toddlers learning to talk. He had tried them all, and one could say the results were remarkable.

"They don't understand your master, but do you?"

Turning his head to look at Uchiha Jiri, who was distancing herself from him, Uchiha Gin wore a heartbroken expression and said to the girl in a sorrowful tone,

"Mr. Gin, I was also challenged by you. I truly find it difficult to understand that strange fighting style of yours."

Uchiha Jiri recalled a few years ago. She had just met this man and they weren't very close when he took the initiative to strike up a conversation and said he wanted to spar with her.

The girl had thought it was just a normal exchange between clan members, so she didn't refuse. However, just a few moves into the fight, the other party took the opportunity to slide and kneel.

"Little Jiri, your shuriken path is unpredictable and your force is like a bamboo being split; I am no match for you. I, Uchiha Gin, am willing to call you the Shuriken Queen!"

"Hehe."

Recalling this scene, the girl, who had still felt some worry in her heart, couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Watching the girl with a flower-like smile, Uchiha Gin knew his goal had been achieved. He clapped his hands and said.

"Alright, we can set off now. Little Jiri, I'll tell you the specific details of the mission on the way."

With that, the three of them exerted force under their feet and dashed rapidly toward the mission destination.

"Mr. Gin, why did you call me the Shuriken Queen back then?"

The girl following behind Uchiha Gin couldn't help but ask the question that had troubled her for years.

"Uh, maybe it's because I felt Little Jiri had the makings of a clan leader!"

(End of chapter)