Chapter 235: What could this be if not double the happiness?

"Boom! ~"

Inside the training arena, two figures were clashing at a speed invisible to the naked eye. The shockwaves generated by their colliding fists kicked up clouds of dust, forcing the few spectators nearby to raise their hands to protect their faces.

"Impossible, how could he learn that fast!"

As the saying goes, the expert watches the technique while the layman watches the spectacle. Hyuga Sosuke, a member of the Hyuga clan, had a face still stained with dried blood, now written with utter disbelief. He exclaimed aloud as he watched Uchiha Gin wield the Gentle Fist with such formidable power.

"Strange, even if the Sharingan's copying ability is strong, it shouldn't be able to achieve seamless copying, right?"

On the other side, Senju Tobirama watched without blinking, his eyebrows knitted into a knot, his scarlet eyes flickering with complex light. As the man in the Ninja World who understood the Sharingan better than the Uchiha themselves, his mind was filled with nothing but question marks regarding Uchiha Gin's performance, which had far exceeded the norm.

"Hey~ don't worry about such small things. After all, he is Madara's older brother; it's not strange for him to have some special talent~"

Senju Hashirama, standing beside him, didn't have so many petty thoughts. Watching the two in the arena using identical moves, he smiled and patted his younger brother's shoulder, implying that since Uchiha Gin was, after all, a blood relative of Uchiha Madara, it wouldn't be strange if he were gifted.

"Slap!!!"

Just as the few were chatting, the battle between the two in the arena had reached a fever pitch. Hyuga Xiang Tianyao's expression had shifted from initial indifference to slight surprise, and finally, after Uchiha Gin unleashed the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, it turned into deep astonishment. Seeing Uchiha Gin assume a familiar starting stance once more, he immediately retreated several steps and spoke in disbelief:

"Why do you also know the Sixty-Four Palms?"

"Didn't I just say? I'm learning on the spot~"

Seeing the other party withdraw, Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow and put away his Gentle Fist posture. If this kid kept fighting, he would only be able to use the One Hundred and Twenty-Eight Palms. After all, the Twelve Rookie Genin were frequent guests in his backyard, and he had learned the Gentle Fist well enough.

"This..."

Hyuga Xiang Tianyao frowned, his white eyes fixed intently on Uchiha Gin's scarlet eyes. He had always possessed great confidence in his clan's Kekkei Genkai, feeling that the Uchiha clan's Sharingan was merely overly hyped by those with ulterior motives.

But he hadn't expected that, upon clashing today, he would be taught a lesson by the Sharingan's insight and copying ability. His clan's prideful secret technique could be easily replicated by the other party, and even the force-generating method of the Gentle Fist was perfectly copied. If not for the fact that the Sharingan lacked X-ray vision, their Byakugan would likely have no advantage at all.

"Ha~ let's stop, it's time for a meal."

Seeing the struggle in Hyuga Xiang Tianyao's eyes, Uchiha Gin immediately deactivated his Sharingan. His black pupils returned to their usual laziness, and he opened his mouth to let out a huge yawn. After rubbing his curly hair, he spoke:

"Since that's the case, let our sparring end here. Thank you, Mr. Gin, for letting me witness your clan's Sharingan. It truly lives up to its reputation as a dojutsu on par with the Byakugan; it certainly has extraordinary merits."

Hearing this, Hyuga Xiang Tianyao felt a weight lift from his heart. The situation had not developed in the direction he had imagined; the Sharingan was not as fragile as he thought. Just as he was thinking about how to conclude things, he didn't expect Uchiha Gin to offer him a way out. Giving the person opposite him a look of slight gratitude, he also deactivated his Byakugan, put on a familiar expression, and spoke with polite formality:

"Hahaha, we'll all be in the same village from now on; there will be plenty of opportunities to spar."

The onlookers, seeing the sparring between Uchiha Gin and the other end so abruptly, felt it was a bit anticlimactic, but seeing that neither side seemed dissatisfied, Senju Hashirama laughed and walked over, immediately defaulting to treating the Hyuga, a major power, as part of his fold.

"Friends of the Hyuga clan, we have already set up a banquet. Let's talk about the village settlement while we eat later~"

Senju Tobirama also came over. Compared to the result of the sparring, he cared more about how much benefit the Hyuga clan could bring to Konoha, and immediately spoke to greet Hyuga Xiang Tianyao.

"Mr. Gin, are you going too?"

Hyuga Xiang Tianyao, being invited, did not refuse. His purpose for this trip had been achieved; after witnessing a portion of the Sharingan's abilities, he no longer had any objections to joining Konoha. He turned his head and asked Uchiha Gin, who was preparing to slip away.

"I won't go. There's someone at home waiting for me to eat. Enjoy your food and drink."

Uchiha Gin, who didn't want to get involved in Konoha's political affairs, politely declined Hyuga Xiang Tianyao's invitation. After waving his hand, he left everyone with a cool back view and disappeared around the corner in the blink of an eye.

"Clan Leader Senju, please inform me of Mr. Gin's address after this is over. I have important matters to discuss and would like to pay a visit."

Watching Uchiha Gin's departing figure, Hyuga Xiang Tianyao's eyes flickered slightly, and he spoke to Senju Hashirama beside him.

"Haha, no problem!"

Uchiha Gin, having walked out of the Senju clan grounds, lifted a finger in a deserted corner, and his entire body turned into a streak of light, disappearing from the spot. When he reappeared, he was already on the rock wall above Konoha.

"The Hyuga clan has also come. The puzzle of Konoha is finally complete~"

From here, one could overlook the entire Konoha village. Watching the twinkling lights beneath his feet, Uchiha Gin sat on the ground, pillowing his hands behind his head. He looked up at the moon, which had already revealed half its face in the gray sky, and sighed softly:

"Swish~ Rustle~"

Just as Uchiha Gin was immersed in fantasies about a beautiful future, a rustling sound came from the forest behind him. A tall figure slowly walked out from within, pacing toward his direction.

"Uh... is that you, Xiao Guang? Is it time to eat?"

The bright white moon he had been admiring was obscured by a suddenly appearing dark shadow. Uchiha Gin, having been disturbed, was just about to teach the person hindering his moon-viewing a lesson, but he caught a familiar scent. His gaze shifted from sharp to listless, and he looked at the woman staring straight down at him from above, asking:

"You're looking at the moon? Who are you thinking about?"

Unlike her usual delicate and naive voice, Uchiha Guang's voice at this moment was extremely cold. Uchiha Gin, feeling a tightness in his heart upon hearing this, immediately scrutinized the cold and beautiful face of the young girl above him.

Upon seeing that the diamond-shaped mark on her forehead was not the usual purple, but a color so red it was almost black, he subconsciously swallowed his saliva and asked cautiously:

"Why did you come out? It's not time yet, is it?"

"She practiced too hard today, leading to exhaustion and falling into a coma. I couldn't just watch her get carried away by a passing beast, could I?"

"Uchiha Guang" stared at Uchiha Gin's face for a while, sat directly beside him, stretched out her delicate hand to flip it over, and then slowly replied:

"Then that's really troubling you, Xiao An~"

Hearing "Uchiha Guang's" reply, Uchiha Gin immediately breathed a sigh of relief, then turned his head and smiled to thank the woman beside him. But the name he spoke left people confused—could this woman not be Uchiha Guang?

"You don't need to pretend to be so familiar with me. I know that all of you wish I would just disappear."

"Uchiha Guang," upon hearing Uchiha Gin's gratitude, which didn't seem feigned, saw a strange glimmer flash through her cold, beautiful eyes. She turned her head away, no longer staring directly into Uchiha Gin's eyes, her voice remaining cold and indifferent:

"Hey~ there's no such thing. We're all family; it's just that you happen to live too close to Xiao Guang."

Uchiha Gin sighed slightly in his heart, turned his head to continue looking at the full moon in the sky, and explained to the "Uchiha Guang" beside him in his usual tone:

"Xiao An, don't get emo every time night falls. Live a bit more positively~"

Seeing the young girl beside him acting like a world-weary literary youth, Uchiha Gin had no choice but to offer words of comfort, hoping she could pull herself together.

"Who made me born this way..."

"Alright, stop with the internet-emo stuff, let's go home and eat!"

Upon hearing the familiar tone, Uchiha Gin felt goosebumps rise all over his body. He immediately waved his hand to interrupt the young girl's chanting and pulled her hand as he ran toward home.

"If you pull me like this, won't she get jealous?"

The young girl being pulled by Uchiha Gin shifted her cold gaze to the large hand tightly gripping her own and asked out of the blue.

"Uh..."

"If you call me so intimately, won't she be angry when she finds out?"

"Uchiha Guang" kept a stiff, pretty face, her voice devoid of any emotion.

"This..."

Uchiha Gin's head felt as big as a bucket. This "Uchiha Guang" with strange words and actions was the second most difficult woman for him to deal with.

"Alright, she's about to wake up, I should go..."

Just as Uchiha Gin was racking his brains, "Uchiha Guang," who had been staring at him from behind, suddenly spoke. Then, he saw her body go limp and fall backward instantly. Fortunately, her hand hadn't let go, thus avoiding the tragedy of Uchiha Guang's head hitting the ground.

"Mm-mm-mm~ my head hurts so much. Huh? A-Gin, why are you here?"

Helping Uchiha Guang, who had fallen over, to sit upright, before Uchiha Gin could react, she had already slowly awakened. After rubbing her forehead and groaning a few times, she slowly opened her eyes. The coldness from before vanished, and a vitality unique to a young girl leaped into them. Seeing Uchiha Gin with his complex expression in front of her, she immediately asked in surprise.

"Why are you so careless? If it weren't for Xiao An, you would have been carried back to a nest by a beast."

Staring at the bright purple mark on the young girl's forehead, Uchiha Gin spoke with some annoyance to lecture Uchiha Guang, and incidentally told her what had happened during her coma.

"Ah? Xiao An came out? She didn't say anything nonsense to you, did she!"

The young girl, who had been smiling, instantly became nervous upon hearing Uchiha Gin's words, her eyes dodging as she spoke of other things.

"You two are getting along quite well now~"

Thinking the young girl would be angry because of Xiao An's appearance, he hadn't expected her to only be worried about her little secret being exposed. This made Uchiha Gin unable to help but ask with a smile.

"Phew~ it's alright. After all, we've been neighbors for so many years. She's actually not that bad; it's just that she's a bit lonely."

Judging by Uchiha Gin's tone, her secret hadn't been leaked. Uchiha Guang immediately breathed a sigh of relief, then stared at Uchiha Gin and slowly said:

"If things go on like this, your burden will only get heavier and heavier. We must cut it off as soon as possible."

Uchiha Gin shook his head, looking at Uchiha Guang, who seemed a bit listless, and frowned as he said:

"Let's wait a bit longer. There must be a better way!"

A look of struggle appeared on the young girl's face. Years of being together had made her treat the other version of herself as a close friend with whom she could talk about anything.

"Alright, since you're unwilling to use Old Uncle's method, then I'll think of other ways."

Not forcing the young girl, Uchiha Gin smoothed his eyebrows. Looking at Uchiha Guang's pretty face that made one feel pity, he nodded and said:

"Thank you, A-Gin~"

"Let's all go home."

"Uchiha Guang," whom Uchiha Gin and the others called Uchiha An, was a dark personality born after Uchiha Guang was hit by Uchiha Yao's Mangekyo dojutsu "Tantei-me." Usually, she lurked deep in the consciousness of the main personality, waiting for an opportunity. Once the main personality's psychological defense line showed a flaw, she would seize the opportunity to occupy her body, thereby doing some indescribable things.

Initially, when Uchiha Guang was rescued from the seal by Uchiha Gin, this dark personality would repeatedly come out to stir up trouble, but every time she was humiliated and forced off-air by a certain curly-haired guy. Later, after Xiao Guang obtained the Mercury Cloak, she had even less chance to come out and could only occasionally talk trash in Xiao Guang's subconscious. Over time, the two personalities actually became familiar with each other.

However, in recent years, as Uchiha Guang learned the Yin Seal, combined with the super-strong mana-recovery effect of the Blue Overlord Talisman, the chakra in the young girl's body became more and more abundant, and the chakra stored in the Yin Seal was as vast as the sea.

Under these circumstances, the second personality, Uchiha An, actually underwent a metamorphosis. The spiritual body absorbed the nutrients of this chakra and gradually grew stronger. The consciousness ratio of the two personalities changed from the initial 1:9 to the current 5:5.

Just like that, in Uchiha Guang's consciousness, the second personality, Uchiha An, leaped to become a sub-personality with a status not much different from the main personality. It was fine during the day, but every time night fell and it was quiet, the main personality would fall into a deep sleep, and the sub-personality, Uchiha An, would involuntarily wake up and start staying up late to emo.

This sudden change made Uchiha Gin's already not-so-wealthy family situation even worse. During the day, he had to take care of Uchiha Guang, the main personality, and at night, he had to look after Uchiha An, the sub-personality. Double the pain, giving him no chance to rest at all. Every day he became listless, and he didn't even have time to attend to his work in the dungeon.

"Sigh~ as expected, one shouldn't spend too much time together; it's not easy to break the attachment."

Having returned home, Uchiha Gin was eating the delicious food prepared by Senju Itama, glancing at Uchiha Guang, who was sitting opposite him drinking soup, and couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"You guy, what are you mumbling about? Do you think what I made doesn't taste good?"

Hearing Uchiha Gin's quiet grumbling, Senju Itama, holding a spatula and hands on her hips, had her cherry-red mouth pouted almost to the sky. Her charming little face was written with suspicion.

"Where, where? I just love your cooking; I wouldn't get tired of eating it every day~"

He had finally managed to cultivate a cook, and the burden on his shoulders could finally be set down for a bit. He couldn't let the girl notice, so he immediately stuffed several large mouthfuls of food into his mouth, his face full of enjoyment.

"Hmph, hmph~ if you beg me, it's not impossible for me to make it for you every day."

Senju Itama, who had been a bit angry, had several red clouds instantly crawl onto her pretty face upon hearing Uchiha Gin's over-the-top praise. Shyly, she turned her head away and retorted somewhat stiffly.

"Then I'll leave it to you~"

"Shut up!"

"A-Gin, do you know how much damage the things you just said can do to a girl?"

Calmly glancing at Senju Itama, who had fled in a panic, Uchiha Guang wiped her mouth, raised her beautiful eyebrows, and asked quietly.

"Uh... how much?"

Uchiha Gin scratched his face in embarrassment. He also knew that fooling people like this wasn't very good, but it shouldn't be as serious as Xiao Guang said, right?

"Do you know about Susanoo?"

"I know~"

"It's as big as three of them."

"Ha?"

Ending Uchiha Guang's inexplicable topic, the young girl yawned and said she was going back to catch up on sleep. Uchiha Gin looked at her disappearing back with a complex expression, knowing that tonight would be another sleepless night.

The next day, a listless Uchiha Gin pushed open his front door. With heavy dark circles under his handsome eyes, he walked out of the house yawning, heading toward the Uchiha clan's new clan grounds.

"Ha~ Xiao An is getting harder and harder to deal with. I must think of a way to solve this problem, otherwise, I'm afraid I'll die young~"

"Lord Gin, how do you have time to come here today?"

An exhausted Uchiha Gin, facing the enthusiastic greetings of the passing clan members, seemed a bit uninterested. He squinted and asked:

"I'm here to see if my big cousin has come out of seclusion?"

"You came at just the right time, Clan Leader has just come out of seclusion this morning~"

Hearing Uchiha Gin's words, this enthusiastic clan member immediately said with a smile.

"It's good that he's out; I happen to have something to find him for."

Uchiha Gin, who hadn't held much hope, opened his eyes in surprise upon hearing the news of Uchiha Madara coming out of seclusion.

"The Clan Leader is currently having a meal."

"Better to come early than to come at the right time; I haven't eaten either~"

Bidding farewell to this enthusiastic clan member, Uchiha Gin skillfully passed through several courtyards and arrived at Uchiha Madara's private courtyard.

"Big cousin! I've missed you to death~"

Smelling the fragrance of the food, Uchiha Gin's eyes lit up. He pushed open the door without ceremony and said excitedly to Uchiha Madara, who was somewhat stunned in the room.

"Thanks to you, I'm barely surviving."

Uchiha Madara, who had come out of seclusion, was not in as bad a state as imagined; he even had the energy to talk back.

"You made quite a lot; did you know I was coming?"

Looking at the table full of steaming food, Uchiha Gin treated it like his own home, picked up a pair of bowls and chopsticks from the side, and started eating.

"That's Izuna's."

A helpless Uchiha Madara watched Uchiha Gin sweeping through the food like a whirlwind and reminded him.

"It's fine, I'll save some for him~"

We're all family, why be so clear about it? It's not like I'm not leaving him any dishes; aren't these garlic cloves and chili peppers left in the plate quite appetizing~

"How was your meditation? If you ask me, that unlucky stone tablet should be thrown into the sea as soon as possible."

After eating and drinking his fill, Uchiha Gin, picking his teeth, turned to his taciturn big cousin and said.

"The stone tablet is an ancestral heirloom of our Uchiha clan; how can it be discarded at will?"

Hearing Uchiha Gin's question, Uchiha Madara first shook his head, a strange look flashing in his eyes, and then slowly said:

"And this time, I also comprehended more content from the stone tablet."

"Hiccup~ isn't it just some bragging deeds of the ancestors~"

"No, this time, I saw another direction."

【Heaven and Earth are one, desiring peace, dividing the forces of Yin and Yang, repelling the two forces, combining them into one, then one attains the myriad things of creation.】

Uchiha Madara shook his head, looking at Uchiha Gin, who had an "I don't care" expression, and sighed in his heart. He chose not to reveal the specific content of the stone tablet. For his big cousin who didn't have a Mangekyo, saying these things would only add to his worries.

"How has the village been developing lately?"

Not wanting to continue delving into the topic of the stone tablet, Uchiha Madara took the initiative to change the subject and asked about the recent situation in the village.

"There's good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"

"Uh... let's hear the good news first."

Uchiha Madara frowned. There was actually bad news? Could something have happened on Hashirama's side?

"The ninja clans with some reputation in the Land of Fire have all registered to enter the village. Congratulations, big cousin, your Konoha has succeeded~"

Squinting his eyes, Uchiha Gin told his big cousin, who had just come out of seclusion, about the Ninja Clan Alliance and the news of the Hyuga clan joining, all in one breath.

"There are actually so many people already? Our dream has really been realized!"

Hearing that so many ninja clans had joined, a rare look of gratification appeared on Uchiha Madara's iceberg-like face. He hadn't expected that the wild talk he and Senju Hashirama had in their childhood had really been realized today.

"Then what about the bad news?"

Having heard the good news, Uchiha Madara, in a good mood, asked about the content of the bad news. But there was no longer any worry on his face; the village was developing so smoothly, what other bad news could there be~

"The dungeon is gone; I'm unemployed~"

Uchiha Gin showed a miserable expression, his listless eyes filled with the decadence of middle-aged unemployment. The grease from the meal he had just finished still remained on his slightly trembling lips. He stared straight at Uchiha Madara, the culprit who had caused his unemployment, and gritted his teeth as he announced this huge piece of bad news to the public.

"Ha?"

Uchiha Madara was completely confused. What kind of bad news was this? Wasn't it good that the dungeon was gone? Their Uchiha clan could allocate more manpower to build other aspects of the clan. As for the unemployment Uchiha Gin mentioned, that was even less worth talking about. With his status, was he worried about not finding a job?

"Isn't it just a jailer's job? I'll tell Izuna later to find you a cushy position within the clan, with double the salary~"

As the Clan Leader, Uchiha Madara was bold when he spoke, directly waving his hand and arranging everything clearly for Uchiha Gin.

"But I really like working in the dungeon~"

Uchiha Gin, having lost his job, still missed the leisurely time in the dungeon. Working one job, earning two paychecks, getting paid while also getting to eat steel—double the happiness, wouldn't that be wonderful?

"Uh... alright then, I'll ask Hashirama tomorrow if Konoha's future prison is still short of people."

For this cousin, Uchiha Madara could be said to have racked his brains.

But since he was his own brother, if I don't spoil him, who will~

"Cough, cough, cough... Congratulations to Big Brother on coming out of seclusion."

Just as Uchiha Madara was sighing, a weak voice sounded outside the door. It sounded somewhat familiar, and the two in the room immediately turned their heads in curiosity, wanting to see who it was.

"Huh? Old man, who are you?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 236 =====