Chapter 228: Long Illness Meets a Good Physician, Time Reveals a Person's Heart

"Whew~ So comfortable!"

After finishing the hot spring, Uchiha Gin felt his entire body relax, the exhaustion of the past few days swept away; he put on the yukata prepared in advance by the puppets, pulled open the door, and found the two maid puppets still waiting in place.

"You... never mind, come in~"

Uchiha Gin had originally intended to have these two maid puppets return to wherever they came from, but upon thinking that his chakra still remained within them, if it were discovered by their original owner, Otsutsuki Biraku, he would have a hard time explaining it.

So, hardening his heart, he opened a shadow rift and tossed the two cold-faced maid puppets into the Shadow Realm.

"Hey hey, this Shadow Realm is actually quite convenient!"

Although it felt rather uncomfortable while inside the Shadow Realm, this ability, which was excellent for killing and looting, still left Uchiha Gin quite satisfied, and he couldn't help but give a nod of approval.

"Mr. Gin, where are the puppets responsible for taking care of you?"

Just after swallowing the two maids into the Shadow Realm, the black puppet appeared before Uchiha Gin, its yellow eyeballs rolling up, down, left, and right incessantly; it seemed to be searching, though the movement was a bit creepy.

"What puppets? I've always been alone!"

Uchiha Gin was a master at playing dumb; upon hearing the black puppet's inquiry, he immediately spread his hands, indicating he had never seen the so-called puppets it spoke of.

"Did they break down in some corner?"

Without showing any skepticism toward Uchiha Gin's words, the black puppet stopped the rotation of its eyes and said to itself in a cold voice; it seemed that puppet maintenance was a difficult problem, as there were always damaged puppets.

"Sorry, I've caused you trouble and effort."

The black puppet did not delve into the whereabouts of the two maid puppets and said to the shifty-eyed Uchiha Gin in an apologetic tone.

"So you puppets can actually break down too!"

"Humans can also die."

"..."

Uchiha Gin was left speechless by this retort; after all, it was true that humans could die, but he was an exception.

"Yesterday, there was a puppet that had fallen into disrepair, and its head suddenly snapped off in the middle of the night, so don't worry about it; puppets are merely consumables."

Having said that, the black puppet bowed and gestured, signaling Uchiha Gin to follow.

And so, the curious Uchiha Gin followed the black puppet into the inner chamber that he had been so curious about all along.

"Knock, knock, knock~"

The black puppet knocked on the door rhythmically.

"Come in."

Otsutsuki Biraku's crisp voice came from inside the door, and the black puppet did not hesitate, pushing the door open and entering directly.

As soon as Uchiha Gin entered, he saw Otsutsuki Biraku hunched over the desk, diligently reviewing documents, but what was up with the drool flowing from the corner of her mouth?

"Hehe, it's Gin, have you been comfortable these past few days?"

Hearing the footsteps of the person who entered, Otsutsuki Biraku slowly raised her head, her pair of small white eyes staring intently at the strangely-faced Uchiha Gin, and she asked in her vibrant voice with a friendly tone, her face rippling with irrepressible smiles.

"Quite good, the people here are all talented, and they speak so well; I really love being here."

There was no falsehood in Uchiha Gin's words; this place was indeed a paradise.

"That's good. Later, big sister will take you somewhere; dress a bit more formally, though wearing a bathrobe isn't impossible."

Otsutsuki Biraku nodded, her greedy gaze sweeping over Uchiha Gin's sturdy chest, and a somewhat flustered smile rose on her face.

"Uh... when in Rome, do as the Romans do."

Not knowing what the other party was truly thinking, Uchiha Gin suppressed his inner doubts for now; after all, he could not sense any malice from the person before him, so Otsutsuki Biraku likely had no intention of harming him.

"Mm-hmm, once big sister finishes the work at hand, we'll set off. You rest on the side for a moment; there are tea and snacks over there."

Seeing that Uchiha Gin did not refuse, Otsutsuki Biraku began to review the list with peace of mind.

Sixty-six people; going through them all would take about a week, including the two days she reserved exclusively for the clan leader and herself. The remaining sixty-four people would be finished in five days. It was truly a massive project; this little guy had worked hard, but for the sake of the clan's revival, he would just have to be wronged a little.

At worst, after it was all over, she would set aside a few days to properly comfort him and soothe Gin's empty soul and body.

Thinking of this, Otsutsuki Biraku couldn't help but be moved by her own benevolence, squeezing out a few soybean-sized crocodile tears.

Unaware that his fate had already been clearly arranged, Uchiha Gin was still happily sitting on the large sofa cracking melon seeds, taking the opportunity to observe Otsutsuki Biraku's inner chamber.

The room maintained the consistent luxury of the Otsutsuki clan, but on top of that, it added a rare, cute style; the ornaments and pendants displayed were full of a girlish atmosphere, making it hard to connect this room, filled with a pink aura, to the mountain-of-flesh Otsutsuki Biraku before him.

"Huh? It's that young lady again!"

As Uchiha Gin looked around, his gaze was drawn to a painting of a beauty hanging on the wall; the painting depicted the very same white-haired beauty he had seen in the bathroom, and her charming allure made his heart flutter, simultaneously piquing his curiosity.

Who exactly was this beauty? Clearly, in his perception, there was only one living person in this palace: Otsutsuki Biraku. Unable to endure the cat-scratching sensation in his heart, and unable to figure out who the sister was, Uchiha Gin asked,

"May I ask, Elder Biraku, do you have any sisters?"

"Eh? Gin, why are you asking this? I have no sisters."

Otsutsuki Biraku, who was seriously contemplating how to comfort him, was a bit bewildered by Uchiha Gin's sudden inquiry, and she replied immediately.

Tsk! It's over; it seems to be a portrait of an old acquaintance. Could it be her mother or grandmother?

"It's nothing, I'm just curious. Elder Biraku, do you not have any family?"

I think your mother still has her charm.

"Gin, do you know how old I am now?"

Upon hearing the word "family," Otsutsuki Biraku fell into silence, and only after a moment did she raise her head with a sigh, asking back; her white eyes were filled with an inexplicable sense of vicissitudes.

"Just turned eighteen?"

Uchiha Gin knew the trap of asking a woman's age and feared the other party might be fishing for a compliment. After a powerful internal struggle, he swallowed his rising stomach acid and spoke his answer against his conscience.

"Hehe, your little mouth is as sweet as honey~"

Otsutsuki Biraku beamed, and the fat all over her body began to tremble rhythmically with her laughter, scaring Uchiha Gin into looking away immediately, fearing secondary damage.

"Sigh~ Big sister here is already nearly eighty years old."

???

Uchiha Gin was completely stunned, looking disbelieving. Although Otsutsuki Biraku's appearance did indeed cause some mental damage, judging by her voice and the vast vitality within her body, she looked to be only about thirty.

Seeming to enjoy the shock Uchiha Gin displayed, Otsutsuki Biraku used her thick fingers to fiddle with the long white hair hanging over her forehead, her broad face wearing an arrogant look, her irrepressible mouth corners carrying a smile as she slowly explained,

"Hehe, surprised, right? Our Otsutsuki clan are the descendants of gods."

"For real?"

Uchiha Gin frowned deeply. They were born of the same mother, so why could the relatives on the moon live so long? Could it be that their ancestors were turtles?

In the mental world.

The aged Otsutsuki Hamura was currently lying on a buzzing massage chair, looking very satisfied; this was something he had demanded from that strange junior, and it was very novel, though every time he used it, he had to scan some kind of code, and he had to pour some chakra into it to start it.

"Achoo~"

Otsutsuki Hamura was humming a little tune comfortably, but he didn't expect a sudden chill behind his back, and he sneezed for the first time in a thousand years, which left him dizzy and seeing stars.

"Huh? Who is thinking of me? Hah! It must be that narrow-minded Hagoromo! He can't stand seeing his brother enjoy himself~"

"That's right, in our Otsutsuki clan, the whiter the hair and eyes, the purer the bloodline. The lifespan of such clansmen can reach about two hundred years under normal circumstances."

Uchiha Gin, who had been somewhat doubtful, suddenly remembered that fishing-enthusiast relative from the old country during the future "un-ignitable" era; when he found Otsutsuki Toneri to claim kinship, he was moved by the purity of the other's bloodline, which was why he didn't kill him, only sending him to the "dark room" for a thousand-year ban as a minor punishment.

"My parents' bloodlines were not pure, so they passed away a long time ago."

After explaining to Uchiha Gin, Otsutsuki Biraku stopped her work, a trace of sadness flashing in her white eyes.

"Uh... then who is the beauty in this painting?"

Pointing to the portrait on the wall, Uchiha Gin finally asked. Since his parents' bloodlines were not pure, it meant their hair wasn't white, so who was the person in the painting hanging in the room?

"Ah? Haha, you're asking about this~"

Otsutsuki Biraku, still immersed in sadness, saw her mood turn from sorrow to joy upon hearing Uchiha Gin's inquiry; a smile returned to her face, and she coyly raised her eyebrows, playing hard to get with Uchiha Gin while picking up the teacup on the table, waiting for his answer.

"Guess, if you guess right, big sister has a~ re~ward~ for you~"

"I guess your grandmother."

Uchiha Gin thought about it; since it wasn't her mother, it must be her grandmother!

Hah! I think your grandma also still has her charm.

"Pfft! Cough, cough... Gin, if you don't want to guess, don't guess, how can you say such hurtful things?"

Otsutsuki Biraku, who had just taken a sip of tea, sprayed a column of water upon hearing Uchiha Gin's explosive statement, and after coughing violently a few times, she said with a coquettish face.

"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding, I guessed that it was your grandmother."

Realizing there was indeed ambiguity in his words, Uchiha Gin explained embarrassedly; he was a model youth, how could he spout such filth?

"Oh my~ take another look!"

Hearing Uchiha Gin's answer, Otsutsuki Biraku somewhat angrily stretched her large face over, her narrow eyes blinking frantically, filled with incomprehensible hints.

"Sorry, I really..."

Uchiha Gin subconsciously turned his head away, not daring to look directly at the scene before him; after all, the scene from when he opened his eyes was still fresh in his memory, and he was feeling a bit dizzy. Just as he was about to admit defeat, his peripheral vision caught a familiar black mole on the corner of Otsutsuki Biraku's mouth, which made his heart skip a beat, and the words he was halfway through speaking stalled.

Gathering his courage, Uchiha Gin turned his head and carefully examined the woman who terrified him somewhat, only to find that, apart from being overly plump, she wasn't actually as ugly as the "Bogdan" he had seen before; on her large face, her features were still quite delicate, and her expression was full of charm.

Uchiha Gin stared for a long time and actually felt that Otsutsuki Biraku was quite pleasant to look at, but as soon as the thought arose, he was startled by himself.

*Cough, cough*... am I really that hungry?

He quickly closed his eyes to cleanse his corrupted soul, and after taking another look at the beauty painting on the wall, a faint answer emerged in Uchiha Gin's heart.

But he really didn't want to believe it; after all, such a change was truly rare in this world.

"It couldn't... be you, could it?"

Holding onto a last shred of hope, Uchiha Gin asked with a tremor.

"Hehe, you have a good eye for people!"

Otsutsuki Biraku beamed, but this time it didn't make Uchiha Gin's stomach acid rise, because he already knew that the mountain of flesh before him had once been a stunning, graceful beauty.

His hanging heart finally died; he had finally taken a fancy to a beauty and wanted to get to know her, perhaps even facilitate a pure "pipe-and-bow" friendship, but now that thought could only be buried deep in his heart, never to see the light of day.

"Hehe, the food of the Otsutsuki clan is not bad."

Uchiha Gin did not know how to comment, so he could only offer a sheepish smile and attribute all the credit to the chef of the Otsutsuki clan.

"Do you also think I'm ugly?"

Detecting the sarcasm in Uchiha Gin's words, Otsutsuki Biraku, who had just been beaming with joy, felt a flash of disappointment in her eyes; it seemed Uchiha Gin was also that kind of shallow man.

"No, no, no."

Uchiha Gin realized he seemed to have touched a sore spot and hurriedly waved his hands, his mind instantly launching a brainstorming session as he tried to find a way to make amends.

"Sigh~ you don't need to say anything more; I know my own unsightly appearance best."

Seeing Uchiha Gin's face turn from green to white, Otsutsuki Biraku, who had long since let go of her anger, did not continue to be annoyed; she sighed softly, a look of desolation appearing on her face.

"Then what exactly are you..."

Hearing this, Uchiha Gin secretly breathed a sigh of relief and put on a sincere expression as he looked at Otsutsuki Biraku; he was very curious about what reason could cause such a beautiful woman to turn into this current ancient-god-like form.

"That has to start from sixty years ago. At that time, I was the most beautiful of them all, surrounded by countless admirers; the people chasing me could line up from the ground all the way to the moon, but I had absolutely no interest in those shallow men."

Speaking of the past, a strange luster appeared in Otsutsuki Biraku's eyes, and her whole person radiated bursts of vitality; lost in her memories, she continued.

"Until one day, a man entered my field of vision. He didn't have powerful martial strength, but he had a pair of nimble hands; he could not only play beautiful music for me but also paint colorful, peerless masterpieces for me."

"Did you two get together?"

He hadn't expected Otsutsuki Biraku to have such a past, but what did this have to do with her transformation story?

"Not at all. Although he stayed by my side to paint and play music for me, I could tell that he had no place for me in his heart."

Shaking her large head, her voice carried a hint of loss.

"And then?"

The desire for gossip never dies. Just when Uchiha Gin thought this story would develop into a love triangle of two women fighting over one man, Otsutsuki Biraku's next words made him drop his jaw in shock.

"Ah? There is no 'then'; I locked that guy in a cell."

???

The plot development is a bit jumpy; did I skip a chapter?

"Hey, think about it. For a man to not be moved by me, there must be something wrong. I investigated in private and found out that not only were his motives for approaching me impure, but he was also a 'Nantong' who only liked 'Xiao Nanliang'."

Otsutsuki Biraku frowned, her eyes filled with strangeness. As she said, with her beauty at the time, how could any man resist her temptation unless he didn't like women and preferred the 'back door'?

"Nanliang..."

Upon hearing this term, under the influence of some indescribable cross-dimensional great will, Uchiha Gin felt a sudden chill down his straightened spine, as if thousands of people were poking his backbone at the same time, causing his stable Dao heart to show signs of collapsing.

But in the end, remembering those rows of data, he gritted his teeth and withstood this wave of pressure, while simultaneously vindicating himself in his heart.

I am not a Nantong!

I swear to death not to engage in Nanliang!

"Impure motives? What would a Nantong want from you?"

Unable to imagine what a Nantong would want from a woman, he asked curiously.

"It's all ancient history regarding old grievances within the clan; it's not worth mentioning."

Speaking of the other party's motives back then, Otsutsuki Biraku clearly did not want to bring it up again, but from her words, Uchiha Gin still vaguely guessed it must have been related to the main and branch families of the Otsutsuki clan.

"Sigh~ I originally had some feelings for him, but I didn't expect him to dare to lie to me!"

After many years, when speaking of that man again, there was only a calm detachment in Otsutsuki Biraku's eyes; it was clear she had been hurt, but she had now let go of her obsession.

"Don't you want to know why my change was so great? It's all that man's fault. I valued feelings very much back then, and I didn't expect to be so severely deceived. Unable to accept it for a time, I turned my grief into appetite and started binge eating."

Otsutsuki Biraku touched her greasy cheeks and simply stopped hiding it, explaining the reason for her change as if spilling beans; she even laughed with a hint of banter, her white eyes filled with bitter self-mockery.

"Hehe, you probably can't guess, but within a year, I became what I am now."

"Haven't you tried losing weight? It should be easy for a ninja, right?"

Calculating the time, had Otsutsuki Biraku actually been fat for that long?

"It's useless. I've tried all kinds of methods—physical, medicinal, ninjutsu, taijutsu, and so on—none of them had any effect."

Shaking her head, Otsutsuki Biraku's eyes held dead silence and despair. It wasn't that she hadn't thought about losing weight, but she had tried various secret recipes and ninjutsu, and even tried to exhaust the chakra in her body to the limit; even then, the fat on her body remained unmoved.

"That amazing? Let me see! Although I am not talented, I do know a little bit about medicine."

Otsutsuki Biraku's situation was truly rare, causing Uchiha Gin's scientific research soul to burn fiercely. Unable to suppress the restlessness in his heart, he spoke up and asked her to extend her hand so he could take a look.

"Yo~ I didn't expect Gin to be a little physician too~"

Hearing Uchiha Gin's words, Otsutsuki Biraku chuckled, a hint of apology flashing in her white eyes. Could a despicable person like her be worthy of the kind and simple (?) Gin?

Placing his hand on Otsutsuki Biraku's thick wrist, he gently stroked her fair and smooth skin, slowly infiltrating his chakra into her body to begin the examination.

Hmm~ abundant chakra, vigorous vitality, great resilience in the blood vessels and nerves, extremely high oxygen content in the blood, and the density of her body muscles far exceeded that of an ordinary person.

Uchiha Gin's chakra made a circuit and found that Otsutsuki Biraku's body couldn't be said to have any problems; it was practically perfect. As expected of the pure-blooded Otsutsuki clan, this superhuman constitution was healthy enough to kill a tiger with one punch.

Success comes from the Otsutsuki, and failure comes from the Otsutsuki.

Once this kind of constitution takes shape, it is indeed difficult to change.

Having a constitution far exceeding ordinary people is an advantage of the Otsutsuki clan, but it comes with a drawback: the Otsutsuki body has poor plasticity, and once the body shape is fixed, it is very difficult to change.

Thinking of the "Tall, Short, Fat, and Thin" duo still on their way, Otsutsuki body management has always been a big problem; sure enough, self-discipline is still required.

"Elder Biraku, your situation is a bit complicated..."

After withdrawing his hand, Uchiha Gin looked thoughtful as he raised his head to look at Otsutsuki Biraku, who had no look of hope on her face, and said slowly.

"It's okay, I've long since gotten used to this after so many years..."

Otsutsuki Biraku had no expectations for Uchiha Gin, and seeing him frown, she spoke up to comfort him.

"It's difficult to handle, but it can be done."

Based on Otsutsuki Biraku's physical condition, the well-read Uchiha Gin actually happened to know a method that could be tried; the problem shouldn't be too big.

"... sed to it my ass! Physician, save me!"

Having originally let her guard down, her heart instantly jumped to her throat. Otsutsuki Biraku reached out with her large hand and gripped Uchiha Gin's wrist tightly, as if clutching a straw for survival, her white eyes flashing with pleading light.

"Cough, cough... Men and women should not touch when handing over items; Elder Biraku, please let me go first."

Feeling his arm being gripped tightly by Otsutsuki Biraku's hand like a pair of tiger pliers, Uchiha Gin rolled his eyes helplessly and reminded her.

Tsk! With this kind of force, an ordinary person would probably have already suffered a comminuted fracture.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was too excited!"

Immersed in excitement, Otsutsuki Biraku hurriedly let go of her hand upon hearing this. Looking at his arm, which didn't have a single trace of swelling, her tone carried deep apology.

"Phew~ it's fine, it's fine. When a long-term patient meets a good doctor, I can understand that feeling; after all, a physician has the heart of a parent~"

Shaking his slightly numb arm, Uchiha Gin switched to a serious scholarly posture, his black eyes filled with an academic aura that stung the uneasy Otsutsuki Biraku, making her feel inferior and lower her head in shame.

To think she actually wanted to climb high and associate with a man of such profound knowledge; she was truly guilty of death!

"Hmm~ according to my diagnosis, there is a secret technique that can help you sweep away the excess fat and return to being yourself."

Uchiha Gin closed his eyes like an old monk entering meditation. After a long while, he slowly opened them. During this time, he had mastered a skill that had been gathering dust in his skill bar for a long time, gaining the qualification to open classes and accept disciples.

As if seeing her own parents reborn, Otsutsuki Biraku completely disregarded her status as an elder and bowed down on the spot, shouting aloud.

"Sir, teach me!"

"Although you and I are mere strangers who met by chance, we are like old friends at first sight, and I fear we might become 'Guan-Bao' friends. In that case, I will teach you this 'Butterfly Transformation Technique'. I hope you will practice it well and restore your former feminine charm soon~"

(End of chapter)