Chapter 188: Celebrate! The Three-in-One Toad Sage

"Ding-ding-ding~ Sage-self~ Fire! Power! Full! Throttle!"

Uchiha Gin did not mind that this NPC's casting preamble was overly long; instead, he sat on the bench with great interest, patiently waiting, and feeling the scene was too monotonous, he added a simple roll call.

A dense, strange energy slowly rose from Jiraiya, who had his hands pressed together, but 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 only that this power was extremely savage and primitive; if one were the least bit careless, one would be backlashed by it.

"Bang!"

When Jiraiya achieved a balance between the natural energy within his body and 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 carrying the two Toad Sages on his shoulders could Jiraiya's Sage Mode be considered officially complete.

Uchiha Gin instantly channeled his inner drama queen, rummaging 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 three Toad Sages in one body and bravely charges through the Six Paths of Reincarnation—Intel! Sage! The Sage form he has transformed into is surely the final highlight of his life!"

Uchiha Gin, with a solemn expression, held the opened, bizarre secret tome in one hand and pointed the other at the poised Jiraiya in Sage Mode, reciting loudly in a strange tone.

...... he silence was deafening......

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

"Sigh~ didn't get the reference?"

Uchiha Gin looked at the "Intel Sage" charging toward him and sighed softly; what a boring world.

In Sage Mode, Jiraiya's stats increased exponentially. Perhaps due to a bit of confidence in his own strength, the fearful look from before suddenly changed, now filled with the satisfaction of impending revenge.

Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; do not bully the young for being poor!

"Is Sage Mode only at this level?"

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 aura of the NPC before him was not weak, it was not as strong as he had imagined.

If one had to find a unit of measurement, it would be roughly 1 Sage Jiraiya = 0. Old Uncle, no more than that.

"Boom~"

Sage Jiraiya closed in at high speed. Seeing Uchiha Gin dazed, 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 generated 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 his attack was clear at a glance. He calmly tilted his head and easily dodged 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; such a performance was far worse than what he had expected.

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

Uchiha Gin thought the opponent was at his wit's end and paid no attention to the anomaly in Jiraiya's hands. Watching the fist swing again, he prepared to dodge sideways after seeing the trajectory clearly.

"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 away, kicking up a cloud of dust.

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

Huh? What ability is that? He clearly hadn't touched me yet. 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 was seen brushing the dust off himself, completely unscathed.

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

"Tell me, don't your hands 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 grinned at the blood-dripping Jiraiya. One had to know that except when bathing, he never went anywhere without his Thorns Armor.

"Alright, I've already gauged your strength. Rest in peace!"

Uchiha Gin nodded, mentally giving the "Intel Sage" an S-rank rating. He extended a hand, and amidst the opponent's terrified gaze, condensed a bolt of lightning on his finger, aimed at the NPC standing frozen in place, 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 the Sage Jiraiya collapse slowly, Uchiha Gin's eyes shifted slightly, his mind unable to stop pondering,

What should I call this move?

Dodon Ray?

A certain Uchiha's Railgun?

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 screen 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 was not greedy. How could a heavyweight skill like Sage Mode just drop directly? It was more reassuring to save up the fragments.

A bountiful harvest!

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

"Actually, there was no need; I would have recovered just by catching my breath. Save the effort next time~"

Uchiha Gin kindly reminded the system, though he didn't know if it could hear him.

Turning back to the house, Senju Itama and Uchiha Hikari had temporarily called a truce, and the initial chaos had not occurred again.

"Haah~ I'm going to rest now, you two 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! Huh? 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 truly 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, he walked downstairs and saw Senju Itama wearing an apron.

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

"Brat, morning."

Uchiha Gin didn't stand on ceremony at all, 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 Itama, 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 flushed face,

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

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

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

"Knock, knock, knock~"

Rolling up his sleeves, he was just about to properly discipline this rebellious brat when he heard a knock at the door. Uchiha Gin was greatly puzzled; he had only just returned, and someone was already visiting? Could it be someone bringing gifts?

"Coming, coming~"

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

"Sigh~ why is it you?"

He opened the door excitedly, but what met his eyes was not the gift-bringer he had imagined, but his little cousin Shisui, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. Beyond his disappointment, his tone was full of disdain.

"Cousin, you're finally back!"

Uchiha Shisui had come many times over the past few days, but each time he returned disappointed. It wasn't until yesterday that his father said Uchiha Gin had completed his mission and returned. The little cousin, who hadn't slept all night, rushed over early, coming to visit his cousin's house before dawn.

"Come in."

Seeing his little cousin's heavy dark circles, Uchiha Gin opened the door and told him to come in if he had something to say.

"Have you eaten?"

Uchiha Gin sat back at the dining table, and Senju Itama, seeing an outsider present, didn't dare to act up again and continued his work in the kitchen quietly.

"How could I have the mood to eat!"

Uchiha Shisui, anxious and burning with impatience, saw that Uchiha Gin was still in the mood to eat breakfast, his face twisted in anger, and he immediately said loudly,

"Gurgle, gurgle~~~"

But just as he finished speaking, a fierce rumbling sound erupted from his stomach, and the scene became 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 Shisui was furious at his uncooperative stomach and decided to fill it all at once, letting it receive the punishment it deserved.

The two swept through the table of breakfast like a whirlwind, cleaning it all out.

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

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

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

Uchiha Gin picked a piece of meat from between his teeth and looked helplessly at his little cousin, who hadn't gotten to the point after so long, his tone unfriendly. He hated people who spoke in riddles the most.

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

Izuna Uchiha sensed the displeasure in Gin Uchiha's tone, shuddered instinctively, and hurriedly got to the point.

"I thought something happened; he just hasn't been training, maybe he's in his room secretly jerking off~"

(End of chapter)