Chapter 288: If This Isn't Double the Happiness, What Is?

"Bang! "

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

"Impossible, how could he possibly learn that so quickly!"

As the saying goes, the expert watches the technique while the layman watches the spectacle. As a member of the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Sosuke, his face still stained with dried blood, was filled with disbelief as he watched Uchiha Gin, who was wielding the Gentle Fist with such formidable power, and cried out.

"Strange, even if the Sharingan's copying ability is strong, it shouldn't be possible to copy it so seamlessly, right?"

On the other side, Tobirama Senju, watching intently, had his eyebrows knitted into a knot, his scarlet eyes flickering with complex light. As a man in the ninja world who was more familiar with the Sharingan than the Uchiha themselves, his mind was filled with nothing but question marks regarding Uchiha Gin's current performance, which 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~"

Standing beside him, Hashirama Senju didn't have so many complicated thoughts. Watching the two people in the arena whose moves were identical, he smiled and patted his younger brother's shoulder, indicating that since Uchiha Gin was, after all, a blood relative of Uchiha Madara, it wasn't strange for him to be gifted.

"Slap!!!"

Just as the few were chatting, the battle between the two in the arena had reached a fever pitch. Hyuga 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 once again assume a familiar starting stance, he immediately retreated several steps and said in disbelief,

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

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

Seeing the opponent withdraw, Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow and put away his Gentle Fist stance. If this kid kept fighting, he would have no choice but to use the One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms. After all, the twelve young ninjas were frequent guests in his backyard, and he had learned enough of the Gentle Fist.

"This..."

Hyuga Tianyao frowned, his white eyes fixed tightly on Uchiha Gin's scarlet eyes. He had always possessed strong confidence in his clan's Kekkei Genkai, feeling that the Uchiha clan's Sharingan was merely overly hyped by people 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 had been easily replicated by the opponent, and even the force-generating method of the Gentle Fist had been perfectly copied. If it weren't 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 to eat."

Seeing the struggle in Hyuga Tianyao's eyes, Uchiha Gin immediately deactivated his Sharingan. His black pupils regained their usual laziness. He opened his mouth to let out a big yawn, rubbed his curly hair, and spoke.

"Since that's the case, let's end our sparring 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 Tianyao felt a weight lift from his heart. The situation hadn't developed in the direction he had imagined; the Sharingan was not as fragile as he thought. Just as he was wondering how to end things, he hadn't expected Uchiha Gin to offer him a way out. Looking at the opposite side with a hint of gratitude, he also deactivated his Byakugan, put on a familiar expression, and exchanged pleasantries.

"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, Hashirama Senju walked over with a loud laugh, and with a single sentence, implicitly brought the Hyuga, a major household, into his fold.

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

Tobirama Senju also came over. More than the result of the sparring, he cared about how much benefit the Hyuga clan could bring to Konoha, and immediately greeted Hyuga Tianyao.

"Mr. Gin, are you coming too?"

Hyuga Tianyao, who had been invited, did not refuse. The purpose of his 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'll pass. There's someone at home waiting for me to eat. Enjoy your meal."

Uchiha Gin, who didn't want to get involved in Konoha's political affairs, politely declined Hyuga 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 retreating figure, Hyuga Tianyao's eyes flickered slightly, and he said to Hashirama Senju 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 and vanished. When he reappeared, he was already on the rock wall above Konoha.

"The Hyuga clan has arrived too. The puzzle of Konoha is finally complete~"

From here, one could overlook the entire Hidden Leaf 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 of a beautiful future, a rustling sound came from the forest behind him, and a tall figure slowly walked out from within, pacing toward his direction.

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

The bright, round moon he had been admiring was obscured by a suddenly appearing dark shadow. Uchiha Gin, who had been disturbed, was just about to teach the person obstructing his moon-viewing a lesson, but he caught a familiar scent. His gaze shifted from sharp to dull, 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 coy 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 glamorous face of the young girl above him.

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

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

"She trained 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 down directly beside him, stretched out her delicate hand to examine it, and then slowly replied.

"Then that's really a bother for you, Xiao An~"

Hearing "Uchiha Guang's" reply, Uchiha Gin immediately let out a sigh of relief and turned his head to thank the woman beside him with a smile. But the name he spoke left people confused—was this woman not 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."

Upon hearing Uchiha Gin's genuine-sounding gratitude, a strange glimmer flashed in "Uchiha Guang's" cold, beautiful eyes. She turned her head away, not continuing to look directly into Uchiha Gin's eyes, her voice remaining cold and indifferent.

"Hey~ that's not the case at all. We're all family; it's just that you happen to live too close to Xiao Guang."

Uchiha Gin sighed slightly in his heart, then looked up to continue watching the full moon in the sky, explaining to the "Uchiha Guang" beside him in his usual tone.

"Xiao An, don't get all emo just because it's night. Live a little 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 'NetEase Cloud' melancholy, 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 hold me like this, won't she be jealous?"

The young girl being pulled by Uchiha Gin turned her cold gaze to the large hand he was gripping tightly and asked abruptly.

"Uh..."

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

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

"This..."

Uchiha Gin's head felt as big as a bucket. This "Uchiha Guang" with her strange words and behavior 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, her body went limp and she fell backward. Fortunately, he hadn't let go of her hand, thus avoiding the tragedy of Uchiha Guang's head hitting the ground.

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

Uchiha Gin steadied Uchiha Guang, and before he could react, she had already slowly awakened. After groaning while holding her forehead, she slowly opened her eyes. The coldness from before had vanished, replaced by a vitality unique to a young girl. Seeing Uchiha Gin's complex expression in front of her, she asked in surprise.

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

Staring at the bright purple mark on the girl's forehead, Uchiha Gin scolded Uchiha Guang with some annoyance and, in passing, told her what had happened while she was unconscious.

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

The girl, who had been smiling, became instantly nervous upon hearing Uchiha Gin's words, her eyes darting around as she tried to change the subject.

"You two seem to be getting along quite well now~"

Thinking the 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, which made Uchiha Gin laugh and ask.

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

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

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

Uchiha Gin shook his head, looking at the somewhat listless Uchiha Guang, and frowned as he said.

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

A look of struggle appeared on the girl's face. Years of living together had made her treat the other version of herself as a close friend with whom she could share everything.

"Fine, since you don't want to use Old Uncle's method, I'll think of other ways."

Not forcing the girl, Uchiha Gin relaxed his brow. Looking at Uchiha Guang's pitiable, pretty face, 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 Sharingan dojutsu, "Heavenly Search Girl." She usually lurked deep in the consciousness of the main personality, waiting for an opportunity to act. When the main personality's psychological defenses showed a crack, she would seize the body to do 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 to "log off" by a certain curly-haired guy. Later, after Xiao Guang obtained the Mercury Cloak, she had even fewer chances to come out and could only occasionally engage in verbal sparring 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 chakra-recovery effect of the Blue Tyrant Talisman, the amount of chakra in the girl's body had become increasingly vast, and the chakra stored in the Yin Seal was as boundless as the sea.

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

Just like that, within Uchiha Guang's consciousness, the second personality, Uchiha An, leapt to become a secondary personality with a status almost equal to the main one. It was fine during the day, but whenever the night was deep and quiet, the main personality would fall into a deep sleep, and the secondary 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 household even worse off. During the day, he had to take care of the main personality, Uchiha Guang, and at night, he had to look after the secondary personality, Uchiha An. Double the pain, with no chance to rest at all. He became listless every day, and even had no time to attend to his work in the dungeon.

"Sigh~ as expected, one shouldn't spend too much time together; it makes it hard to let go."

Back at home, Uchiha Gin, eating the delicious meal prepared by Itama Senju, glanced 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? Are you saying my cooking isn't good?"

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

"Not at all, not at all. I just love your cooking; I could eat it every day and never get tired of it~"

He had finally cultivated a cook, and the burden on his shoulders could finally be set down. 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 cook for you every day."

Itama Senju, who had been a bit angry, felt clouds of red instantly climb onto her pretty face after hearing Uchiha Gin's over-the-top praise. She shyly 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 say can do to a girl?"

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

"How big is the forehead?"

Uchiha Gin scratched his face in embarrassment; he knew it wasn't great to fool people like that, but surely it wasn't as serious as Uchiha Guang made it out to be?

"You know about Susanoo, right?"

"I do~"

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

"Huh?"

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

The next day, a listless Uchiha Gin pushed open his door, his handsome face bearing thick dark circles under his eyes, and walked out yawning, heading toward the new residential district of the Uchiha clan.

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

"Lord Gin, what brings you here today?"

Exhausted, Uchiha Gin showed little interest in the enthusiastic greetings of the clansmen passing by, and asked with narrowed eyes,

"I'm here to see if my eldest cousin has finished his seclusion?"

"You've come at a perfect time, the Clan Head just finished his seclusion this morning~"

Hearing Uchiha Gin's words, this enthusiastic clansman immediately said with a smile,

"As long as he's out, that's good; I happen to have something to discuss with him."

Uchiha Gin, who hadn't held much hope, opened his eyes in surprise upon hearing the news that Uchiha Madara had finished his seclusion.

"The Clan Head is currently having a meal."

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

Bidding farewell to the enthusiastic clansman, Uchiha Gin skillfully passed through several courtyards and arrived at Uchiha Madara's private residence.

"Eldest 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 the somewhat stunned Uchiha Madara in the room,

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

Uchiha Madara's condition after coming out of seclusion was not as bad as imagined; he even had the energy to talk back.

"You made so much, did you know I was coming?"

Looking at the table full of steaming food, Uchiha Gin acted as if he were in his own home, grabbed a pair of chopsticks and a bowl from the side, and started eating.

"That's Izuna's."

A helpless Uchiha Madara watched Uchiha Gin devouring the food like a whirlwind and spoke up to remind him.

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

They were all family, why be so particular? It wasn't like he wasn't leaving any food for him; weren't the garlic cloves and chili peppers left in the plate quite appetizing?

"How did your enlightenment go? If you ask me, you should throw that unlucky stone tablet into the sea as soon as possible."

After eating and drinking his fill, Uchiha Gin picked his teeth and turned to say to his taciturn eldest cousin,

"The stone tablet is an heirloom of our Uchiha clan; how could I discard it so casually?"

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

"Moreover, this time, I have gained even more insight from the stone tablet."

"Hiccup~ Isn't it just some bragging stories from our ancestors~"

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

【When the heavens and earth are one, seeking peace, the forces of Yin and Yang divide, and when these two opposing powers unite, all things in creation are attained.】

Uchiha Madara shook his head, looking at the indifferent Uchiha Gin, and sighed in his heart; he chose not to reveal the specific contents of the stone tablet. For his eldest cousin who didn't have a Mangekyo Sharingan, saying these things would only add unnecessary trouble.

"How has the village been developing lately?"

Not wanting to delve further 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, tell me the good news first."

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

"All the notable ninja clans in the Land of Fire have signed up to join the village. Congratulations, eldest cousin, your Konoha has succeeded~"

Narrowing his eyes, Uchiha Gin told his cousin, who had just finished his seclusion, everything about the ninja clan alliance and the joining of the Hyuga clan.

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

Hearing that so many ninja clans had joined, Uchiha Madara's icy face revealed a rare, gratified smile; he hadn't expected that the wild talk he and Hashirama Senju had shared in their childhood would truly be realized today.

"Then what is the bad news?"

After hearing the good news, Uchiha Madara, in a good mood, asked about the bad news, but there was no longer any worry on his face. The village was developing so smoothly, what bad news could there possibly be~

"The dungeon is gone, and I'm unemployed~"

Uchiha Gin showed a miserable expression, his lifeless eyes filled with the dejection of middle-aged unemployment, his slightly trembling lips still stained with the grease from the meal he had just finished; he stared straight at Uchiha Madara, the culprit who had caused his unemployment, and gritted his teeth as he announced this earth-shattering bad news to the world.

"Huh?"

Uchiha Madara was completely bewildered. What kind of bad news was this? Wasn't it a good thing that the dungeon was gone? Their Uchiha clan could allocate more manpower to develop other aspects of the family. As for the unemployment Uchiha Gin mentioned, there was nothing to talk about; with his status, would he ever worry about not finding a job?

"It's 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 Head, Uchiha Madara was generous in his speech; he waved his hand and arranged everything for Uchiha Gin clearly.

"But I really like working in the dungeon~"

Having lost his position, Uchiha Gin still missed the leisurely time in the dungeon—working one job, earning two people's pay, getting paid while also having steel to eat; double the happiness, wasn't that wonderful?

"Uh, alright then, tomorrow I'll ask Hashirama if they need anyone for the future prison of Konoha."

For this cousin, Uchiha Madara had truly exhausted his efforts.

But since he was his own brother, if he didn't spoil him, who would?

"Cough, cough, cough... Congratulations to Big Brother for finishing your seclusion."

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

"Eh? Old man, who are you?"

(End of chapter)