Chapter 211: Thinking of a Long-Shelved Mission

Early in the morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, a tall figure was busy in the kitchen of Uchiha Gin's home.

As wisps of aroma drifted out, a weary-looking Uchiha Gin slowly paced down from upstairs.

One hand scratched at his bird's nest of curly hair, while the other covered his mouth as he let out a massive yawn.

"Haa~"

With heavy, drooping eyelids circled by dark shadows, he twitched his nose a few times, and his brows seemed to be injected with energy, suddenly arching upward.

Revealing a pair of sparkling dead-fish eyes, Uchiha Gin followed the scent and saw Senju Itama busy in the kitchen, unable to help but ask,

"Eating such a feast so early in the morning?"

Senju Itama had his smooth black hair coiled up long, revealing a fair and tender nape. Upon hearing Uchiha Gin's voice, he turned his head slightly.

"Hmph! This is your food for the day."

With black eyes full of disdain, he let out a huff and said coldly in a crisp voice that didn't match his age.

"Huh? Where are you going?"

Hearing this, Uchiha Gin was instantly jolted awake, his sleepiness vanishing. Staring at the kid's slender back, he hurriedly asked.

He had raised this little piglet for so many years; he must not let it be tricked away by some rotten cabbage from another family.

"Going to Chiharu's house."

"Phew~ A false alarm. I thought you, this little brat, had reached the age of puppy love."

Uchiha Gin let out a long sigh of relief. If this kid were tricked away and had his kidneys stolen, his own life would be in unpredictable danger.

"If it weren't to cook for you, I would have gone to Chiharu's house long ago."

Having stopped his work, Senju Itama walked out of the kitchen looking displeased, carrying a hearty breakfast which he tossed in front of Uchiha Gin.

The fragrant breakfast made Uchiha Gin's appetite soar. He rubbed his shriveled stomach and, saying no more, began to devour it like a whirlwind, praising it incessantly as he ate.

"Not bad, not bad. You've got a bit of my level back in the day."

"Heh."

"By the way, where is Guang? Still sleeping in?"

With his mouth oily from eating, Uchiha Gin suddenly remembered the other person living in the house and asked.

"That old woman left before dawn."

Senju Itama said through gritted teeth. At this moment, the kid was tidying up the daily household trash, planning to take it out when he left—truly a good child who says one thing but does another.

"Do you still want this thing?"

Just as Uchiha Gin was lamenting that his character education had been implemented quite thoroughly, he heard Senju Itama's puzzled voice behind him.

Uchiha Gin turned his head upon hearing this and looked at the tattered scroll in Senju Itama's hand, finding it more familiar the more he looked.

"That thing is... hey, I almost forgot about this. Don't throw it away, I still have a use for it."

As his past memories were awakened, Uchiha Gin slapped his forehead and shouted at the frowning kid.

"Tsk, it's filthy. It wouldn't be some old erotic scroll, would it?"

Seeing Uchiha Gin's impatient look, Senju Itama suddenly realized.

He then disdainfully used two fair, tender fingers to pick up the tattered scroll, which was covered in unknown stains, and accurately tossed it toward the kitchen stove to carry out a humanitarian execution.

"You little brat, what kind of filthy thoughts are in your head!"

Seeing the scroll about to fall into the flames, Uchiha Gin was anxious and dashed toward the kitchen, but it was all too late.

"Pfft~"

The scroll landed steadily in the roaring stove before Uchiha Gin could reach it, and was instantly swallowed by the scorching flames.

"Hey~ That was a gift from two distant brothers!"

Arriving a step too late, Uchiha Gin could only watch helplessly as the scroll was consumed by the fire. Recalling the two brothers who had entrusted the scroll to him, a great sense of guilt arose in his heart.

Sorry, Brother Kinkaku, it's all the fault of my family's misfortune~

"Eh?"

Just as Uchiha Gin was repenting, his sharp eyes suddenly caught a faint blue glow amidst the heat-blasting flames. In surprise, he waved his hand to extinguish the fire in the stove.

"It's actually fine?"

As a puff of white smoke rose, Uchiha Gin discovered the scroll at the very bottom of the stove, its body emitting a pale blue light.

He then carefully picked it up and found it still icy to the touch, unaffected by the high temperature of the flames. Thus, it was clearly no ordinary item.

"So disgusting!"

Before leaving, Senju Itama looked at Uchiha Gin, who was holding the scroll with vacant eyes, curled his lip in disgust, and slammed the door shut while carrying a large bag of trash.

Uchiha Gin was already accustomed to the kid's impolite behavior; after all, he was a cub he had raised himself, so what harm was there in being a little indulgent?

"Uh... there are still a few years left. Anyway, I've been quite free lately, might as well go find some fun~"

Uchiha Gin stroked the scroll in his hand, a glimmer of spirit flashing in his dead-fish eyes.

After stuffing the scroll into his bag and tidying up briefly, he left a note for Uchiha Guang and Senju Itama telling them not to worry, and set off in high spirits.

First, Uchiha Gin's first stop was the Clan Leader's building. He greeted the guards familiarly, wandered around the hallway a few times, strolled to the Clan Leader's office, and knocked on the door without ceremony.

"Bang, bang, bang~"

"Come in."

A familiar voice sounded from inside. Uchiha Gin smiled upon hearing it and pushed the door open to enter.

"Oh my~ Isn't this the retired veteran cadre? Why are you still burning yourself out at your post? Didn't we agree you were going to go walk birds and grow flowers?"

Uchiha Gin looked at the figure writing furiously at the Clan Leader's desk, smiled teasingly, and joked.

"It's Gin, is it? What is it this time?"

Uchiha Tajima, hunched over his desk, looked up, adjusted his reading glasses, and asked Uchiha Gin, who was all smiles, with annoyance.

"If you're applying for early retirement, I won't approve it. You brat can just work yourself to death in the dungeon for me!"

Looking at the leisurely Uchiha Gin, Uchiha Tajima was immediately infuriated.

He was already at such an old age, and he had even moved his seat, so why wouldn't he let him have some peace?

Madara and Izuna were out chasing the Senju all day, and all the big and small matters of the clan, after going around in circles, eventually fell back on him.

"How could that be~ I'm dying to work in the dungeon until I die, please don't let me retire!"

Upon hearing that the topic concerned his career path, Uchiha Gin immediately patted his chest and swore, vowing to dedicate his life to the prison industry of the Uchiha clan.

"Then what are you here for? Madara and Izuna won't be back for a few more days. If you have other requests, it's more useful to find the current Clan Leader."

Since it wasn't about slacking off, Uchiha Tajima frowned and asked with some confusion.

"I want to go out for a stroll for a few days, so I came to see if there are any missions."

Uchiha Gin spread his hands, indicating that he had been very free lately and wanted to go out for some fresh air.

"A mission..."

Hearing this request, Uchiha Tajima was quite surprised. Ever since Uchiha Madara took over as Clan Leader, Uchiha Gin had been like a ghost, rarely appearing in the public eye.

He was either slacking off in the dungeon or wandering the streets. Aside from occasionally taking missions to help widows carry water, he basically never saw him come to the Clan Leader's building.

"If you have time, go to the Land of Wind and investigate a tribe called Loulan."

Uchiha Tajima pondered for a moment, flipped through the mission list in his hand, and finally found a long-shelved mission in an inconspicuous corner. After carefully reading the mission content, he spoke slowly to the waiting Uchiha Gin.

"The journey is a bit far. If you don't want to go, forget it."

"The Land of Wind? No problem, I'll take it!"

Hearing a familiar term, Uchiha Gin's eyes lit up, and he nodded like a chicken pecking at rice as he spoke to Uchiha Tajima.

Before long, Uchiha Gin, holding the mission sheet, walked out of the Clan Leader's building happily. He purchased a ton of supplies while passing through the market and strolled toward the clan grounds gate.

The guards at the gate saw that the person was Uchiha Gin and, without any hesitation, chose to be selectively blind and let him pass directly.

"Let me see, where is the treasure left by the Sage of Six Paths~"

Wandering in the jungle, Uchiha Gin enjoyed the rare quiet. He reached into his bag, pulled out the scroll gifted by Brother Kinkaku, and began to read it slowly after opening it.

Uchiha Gin first looked at the brief introduction in the scroll regarding the trial grounds of the Sage of Six Paths.

Before the Sage of Six Paths died, he had planted his sword in the place where he once grew up, leaving a message for his descendants to come and accept the test. Those who passed could obtain his sword.

"Just this much?"

Uchiha Gin spread the scroll out completely, only to find that the introduction inside was only this much, and he couldn't help but mutter in his heart.

"It wouldn't be something the Hagoromo clan used to trick others, would it?"

"Uh... didn't expect it to be on the way."

After finishing his malicious speculation, he looked at the map behind the introduction and discovered that the marked location was actually in the direction of the Land of Wind.

Since it was such a coincidence, Uchiha Gin stopped worrying. After putting the scroll back into his bag, he began to quicken his pace, pushed off with his feet, and vanished from the spot instantly.

His speeding figure stirred up sonic booms in the quiet jungle, leaving only a blurred afterimage along the way.

Driven by curiosity, Uchiha Gin reached the location marked on the map in just one day.

"Is this it? It doesn't look like anything special?"

Uchiha Gin frowned, looking at the low-lying valley before him. This was a purely wild natural environment with no traces of human involvement, and there were no paths to continue exploring.

Occasionally, a wild beast would pass by. Seeing Uchiha Gin lost in thought, its eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty light, and it was about to sneak an attack.

However, it sensed the terrifying aura inadvertently leaked by this strange creature, and the beast's instinct made it choose to tuck its tail and scurry away obediently.

"Clack~"

Wielding a black double-edged giant axe, Uchiha Gin diligently cleared his own path in this jungle.

As he ventured deeper, a ripple suddenly stirred in Uchiha Gin's calm heart, as if he had sensed a call from the depths of his bloodline.

"Looks like there's something here. The big brothers of the Hagoromo clan are truly honest people!"

(End of chapter)