Chapter 362: 306. Chapter 303: The Misery of Uchiha Gin

306. Chapter 303: The Misery of Uchiha Gin

"Achoo! ~"

Located in the heart of the Land of Fire, the capital city could be called the most prosperous city in the entire ninja world. Within the tall city walls, the noise was deafening, and on the well-laid-out streets, the dazzling array of goods made the three women's eyes spin. They immediately abandoned Uchiha Gin, who was sneezing incessantly for some unknown reason, and headed off together toward the commercial district.

"We're going shopping~"

"Remember to get receipts, and we'll meet at the hotel later."

Uchiha Gin gave a word of advice, rubbed his reddened nose, and couldn't help but wonder in his heart which girl was missing him so much.

When he looked up again, the three women were nowhere to be seen. Uchiha Gin couldn't help but shake his head helplessly.

"Sure enough, once women enter shopping mode, they can cast all their worries to the back of their minds~"

But this was fine too; he was happy to have some leisure time, and could take the opportunity to conduct a thorough inspection of the places where women in the Land of Fire worked, with a critical attitude, of course.

"Today is a good day for a foot massage~"

Uchiha Gin hummed an unknown tune as he walked toward the street of bathhouses, whose signs were full of suggestive metaphors. Just as he was eager to show off his skills, a black-robed figure whose face could not be seen suddenly snuck up behind him and surreptitiously handed him a small card.

"Huh!"

Regarding this mysterious person who had absolutely no ill intent, Uchiha Gin not only felt no guard, but instead quickly snatched the suspicious little card.

"Oh, you really have a good eye for people."

No! Public morals are declining; with so many men, why did they only stuff the small card to him, Uchiha Gin? Does he look like a ladybug?

As if he had received a great insult, Uchiha Gin's sword-like eyebrows stood up, and with a face full of indignation, he stuffed the card into his pocket and righteously refused.

"What kind of person do you take me for?"

"Lord Gin, it's one of your own."

The mysterious person, who had been stunned by Uchiha Gin's contradictory "I don't want it but I do" style of martial arts, stood there for a long time before speaking in a strange, low voice.

"Huh?"

I, Uchiha Gin, am a famously pure-hearted college student from ten miles around. You're just a guy handing out flyers; who is "one of your own" with you?

"Don't go around misidentifying people. This is my first time coming to a place like this. What 'Heaven on Earth' or 'White Horse Club'—I haven't even heard of them."

Feeling that he had been slandered, Uchiha Gin hurriedly retorted, though his tone was not very confident.

"Lord Gin, I am a member of the Ghost Soldiers."

Seeing that the more he explained, the worse it got—and fearing that if he knew too much he might be exiled to the Land of Snow—the mysterious person hurriedly lifted his hood, revealing the face of an unremarkable middle-aged man. A pair of scarlet eyes were filled with helplessness as he looked at Uchiha Gin, who had turned into a self-destructing truck, and revealed his identity.

"Ahem... do you know what a veteran actor is?"

Uchiha Gin, who had been explaining with great enthusiasm, finally recognized the person before him as the clansman he had questioned not long ago when he went to visit his uncle. His face stiffened immediately, and he coughed a few times to ease the awkwardness.

"Lord Gin, this is not the place to talk. Please follow me."

Since the connection had been made, the clansman no longer hid anything. He whispered to Uchiha Gin and turned to walk toward a dark alley at the corner of the street.

It just so happened that Uchiha Gin also had some things he wanted to ask them, so he followed him into the pitch-black alley.

The narrow, damp alley was deeper than Uchiha Gin had imagined. After walking for about five or six minutes, the clansman in front stopped in front of a small door that blended into the wall, reached out, knocked three times, and then stood with his hands at his sides, waiting quietly.

"Jini?"

Just as Uchiha Gin was feeling puzzled, a muffled voice came from inside the door. The simple two words seemed to span a long time of two and a half years.

"Lord Shi Zai Shizai Taimei."

"Password correct."

Creak~

Accompanied by the sound of the door opening, the clansman beckoned to Uchiha Gin and slipped inside first.

"Ah, this..."

Are you sure this is a stronghold of the Ghost Soldiers and not a chicken coop for some little hater?

The corner of Uchiha Gin's eye twitched slightly, but he followed him in anyway.

Once inside, the view suddenly opened up. Inside the small, dark door was actually a very large space, with many people dressed the same as the previous clansman walking back and forth.

Seeing a stranger arrive, everyone stopped what they were doing at the same time. Dozens of pairs of cold, gleaming eyes fell on Uchiha Gin. After confirming the identity of the newcomer, the previous coldness gradually became tinged with deep fanaticism.

"It's Lord Gin!"

"It's the living Lord Gin!"

"Lord Gin has actually come down to the grassroots level!"

"..."

No, why are these guys acting like they've been injected with chicken blood?

Uchiha Gin almost got lost in the inexplicable cheers. He forcibly suppressed the urge to complain, nudged the clansman who had brought him, and asked in a low voice,

"You guys are the legitimate Ghost Soldiers, right?"

"Absolutely, Lord Gin. We are the Ghost Soldiers' Land of Fire Office. Everyone stationed here is an elite of the clan."

The clansman puffed out his chest proudly and answered very seriously.

"Then why are they so excited?"

"Being able to see the founder of the Ghost Soldiers, Lord Gin, is the supreme honor for every member of the Ghost Soldiers."

No, Uchiha Gin had just formed a security team out of interest back then; he never expected them to grow into a top-tier FBI.

"You didn't call me here just for me to pay a visit, did you?"

There was no atmosphere of work at all. Feeling that he had been deceived, Uchiha Gin rolled his eyes and couldn't help but complain.

"How could that be!"

The clansman who led him there straightened his expression and slowly pulled a small notebook from his bosom. Just when Uchiha Gin thought the other party had some intelligence to tell him,

"Please, Lord Gin, give me an autograph!"

The other party bent over abruptly, respectfully handed the notebook to Uchiha Gin, and pleaded in a tone of irrepressible excitement.

"Huh? Pingtai, you are too despicable!"

So the unremarkable-looking Uchiha in front of him was named Pingtai; it really suited his appearance.

"Lord Gin! Please, you must sign for me~"

In a daze, Uchiha Gin was surrounded by countless members. These guys poked their notebooks and autograph boards right into his face.

"No rush, no rush, one by one."

Facing the enthusiastic clansmen, Uchiha Gin, who was enjoying being the center of attention for the first time, felt a bit floaty and immediately began happily signing for everyone.

"Lord Gin, this is my 'winning' underwear. Please sign it for me!"

A burly Uchiha "brother" shyly pulled a weathered pair of boxer shorts from his bosom.

"Get out!"

Feeling that his eyes were being assaulted, Uchiha Gin narrowed his eyes, and black flames instantly sent the dirty underwear to reincarnation.

"No! My Bochi-chan!"

"Thank you, Lord Gin!"

After the signing was finished, the young man named Pingtai bowed to Uchiha Gin repeatedly with a look of gratitude.

"Alright, alright, I'm almost catching a cold from you fanning me. I happen to have something to ask you."

"Lord Gin, please speak. This subordinate will certainly tell you everything I know."

"Earlier, in the capital of the Land of Waterfalls, I encountered a fully armed Ghost Soldier unit. What is their background?"

Recalling the Ghost Soldier leader who had almost arrested Gengetsu Hozuki and Mu, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but be a little curious.

"The Land of Waterfalls should be the latest batch of peacekeeping forces."

Uchiha Pingtai thought for a moment, then answered.

Peacekeeping forces?

He hadn't set up such a strange organization. What was his uncle messing around with while he was away?

As if seeing Uchiha Gin's confusion, Uchiha Pingtai immediately explained,

"The so-called peacekeeping forces are special squads that maintain regional security and stability. It was when the Daimyo Joint Conference was held, the Daimyo of the Land of Waterfalls..."

Listening to Uchiha Pingtai tell the story, Uchiha Gin finally understood the ins and outs of the matter.

It turned out that because of the tragedy at the Waterfall Village, the Daimyo of the Land of Waterfalls was worried that the insane rogue ninja Kakuzu would be detrimental to the nobles.

So he found the Daimyo of the Land of Waves, with whom he had chatted happily before, and hoped he could help out and hold down the fort for him.

Although the reputation of the Ghost Soldiers was not well-known in the ninja world, it was widely circulated in noble circles. It was said that a great noble was out at sea for leisure when he encountered a famous rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist Village. Not only were all his guards killed and fed to the sharks, but he himself was kidnapped and held for ransom.

At the moment of crisis, a Ghost Soldier unit on a patrol mission happened to pass by and took down the rogue ninja in a flash. After the great noble escaped death, he naturally used this as a topic of conversation for upper-class social exchanges.

While highlighting his own bravery and fearlessness, he also fiercely hyped up the unfathomable combat power of the Ghost Soldiers, which for a time made the nobles of various countries let their imaginations run wild.

Some said that ordinary members of the Ghost Soldiers had combat power comparable to Jonin, and the leaders could even fight back and forth with Kage-level powerhouses. The rumors became more and more mysterious, even saying that Kage-level was just the basic entry standard for the Ghost Soldiers, and so on.

"So, you guys are now the No. 1 trending topic in noble circles?"

Uchiha Gin looked at Uchiha Pingtai, whose nose was held high, with a strange expression.

"That's right! Our appearance fees are not low."

Uchiha Pingtai really wasn't lying. Just the maintenance cost for that one Ghost Soldier unit in the capital of the Land of Waterfalls was over a million a day.

"No wonder my cousin complained that the number of guard missions for nobles in small countries has dropped by more than half recently. So it was all poached by you guys~"

Recalling the complaints Uchiha Madara had made in the mission hall office earlier, Uchiha Gin suddenly realized that the money hadn't left Konoha; it had just changed the way it was protecting the Uchiha~

Isn't this the prototype of the future Guardian Shinobi?

"It's not that exaggerated. The nobles of the Five Great Nations still don't really recognize our Ghost Soldiers. Only the nobles of countries with weaker ninja villages or no ninja villages at all will contact us."

Hearing Uchiha Gin say this, Uchiha Pingtai felt a bit embarrassed, scratched his sparse hair, and explained.

After all, the strength of the ninja villages in the Five Great Nations was there, and they had accumulated quite a bit of prestige over the years, so the nobles of the great nations would generally prioritize the ninjas of their own villages for guard missions.

"You all have done quite well; at least you weren't raised in vain, and you can finally generate revenue for the Land of Waves~"

Seeing that the gold bricks he had thrown out had not vanished without a trace, Uchiha Gin felt quite gratified, but upon realizing he was currently in the capital of the Land of Fire, he grew somewhat puzzled and immediately asked aloud,

"However, since the nobles of the great nations have yet to recognize the Ghost Soldier Squad, why are you setting up a base here?"

"The Ghost Soldier Squad has bases in the capitals of all nations, responsible for monitoring the movements of the daimyo and nobles in real-time."

Uchiha Uchiha Heita blinked his eyes and answered in a strange tone,

"Who is so idle as to have you monitor this bunch of parasites?"

Living in this era of strict hierarchy, Uchiha Gin, who was born in the Land of Flowers, naturally scoffed at such feudal remnants, but he was too lazy to change it; after all, it was too much trouble and did not fit his "salted fish" persona—he only wanted to live each day leisurely.

"Uh, Lord Gin, you really are a noble who forgets things easily; wasn't this your order from back then?"

"Huh?"

Uchiha Gin looked bewildered; when had he ever issued such an order?

"You said it yourself: something about holding the daimyo hostage to command the shadows, and 'I shall raise your wife for you'..."

"Smack!"

Hearing a crisp slapping sound, Uchiha Gin fiercely patted his forehead, his eyes filled with helplessness,

"Do you know how much I had drunk back then? Can you take drunken talk seriously?"

"Ah, this... we..."

Not expecting his years of persistence to become empty talk, the light instantly faded from Uchiha Uchiha Heita's eyes; his black eyes suddenly glowed red, and the rotation speed of the three tomoe began to accelerate.

Uchiha Gin, who had not noticed any of this, was still patting his head in regret, and finally sighed, saying,

"It's fine, since it's already built, just treat it as an intelligence agency."

"Really?"

Uchiha Uchiha Heita, whose heart had been dead, saw light return to his eyes after hearing Uchiha Gin's words; wiping his sore eyes, he couldn't help but ask loudly,

"Guaranteed. Remember to dig up more dirt on the daimyo in the future; it might come in very handy."

"Yes! I'll go tonight~"

Declining Uchiha Uchiha Heita and the others' invitation to stay for dinner and tea, Uchiha Gin stepped out of the alley alone. Looking at the specks of scarlet in the darkness behind him, he waved his hand with a gratified expression, then left the base without looking back.

After Uchiha Gin left, that muscular Uchiha suddenly asked Uchiha Uchiha Heita beside him,

"By the way, Uchiha Heita, did you give our contact information to Lord Gin?"

"Of course. The moment I met Lord Gin, I stuffed our business card for the shop at the Red Light Street intersection into his hand."

Uchiha Uchiha Heita nodded triumphantly; truly, I am so witty.

"You mean that 'Female Ninja Misery' place?"

"Otherwise?"

These Ghost Soldier Squad members were too enthusiastic, and by the time Uchiha Gin came out, the moon had already quietly hung over the treetops.

The time for his rendezvous with the three women was approaching, so he regretfully abandoned the idea of entering the Red Light Street to investigate and critique it, turning instead toward the hotel.

Arriving at the hotel he had booked in advance, Uchiha Gin waited in the room for over an hour before the three women appeared, smiling, while carrying large and small bags.

"Can't you use storage scrolls?"

Glancing at Senju Itama, who was carrying a small mountain of items, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but complain,

"Sorry, the storage scrolls are already full."

Hearing Uchiha Gin's words, Uchiha Hikari, who was organizing the spoils of war, turned around, rolled her beautiful pitch-black eyes,

How much could these spendthrift women possibly buy? Even the storage scrolls were full. Uchiha Gin's heart was bleeding, but thinking that they were all his own, he could only swallow his teeth along with the blood.

"Are you still going shopping tomorrow?"

Pressing his throbbing temples, Uchiha Gin asked the three women.

"No more~"

The three women shook their heads in unison, which slightly eased the grief in Uchiha Gin's heart, but Senju Itama's next words made his blood pressure soar,

"We emptied out an entire street, what else is there to shop for?"

"You all!"

So it wasn't that they didn't want to shop, but that the street was already being carried on their backs!

"We didn't run into you along the way; didn't you go shopping, you curly-haired baboon?"

Senju Itama, without any psychological burden, looked at the little dress she had chosen with satisfaction, then asked Uchiha Gin without looking up.

"I didn't go anywhere."

Because of the sudden appearance of the Ghost Soldier Squad, Uchiha Gin's plan to "explore flowers" had fallen through, so having accomplished nothing, he answered naturally.

"No way? Isn't exploring shops your favorite thing?"

The "exploring shops" here did not mean exploring flowers, but exploring dessert shops.

"I've had a poor appetite lately."

"Ah! Let me see, are you sick!"

Hearing that Uchiha Gin hadn't secretly gone to a dessert shop, Senju Itama was the first to lean over, rummaging through his petite body, trying to make him lower his head to check for a fever.

"I'm not sick; if I am, it's because you made me angry."

The mother-monster with no sense of restraint under her hands only rummaged a few times before pulling Uchiha Gin's clothes into a mess.

And that mysterious little card that had accidentally entered his pocket, under Senju Itama's unremitting efforts, finally saw the light of day, falling from his pocket and drifting slowly to Uchiha Hikari's feet.

Uchiha Hikari, who was wearing a winner's smile while watching the loser Senju do useless work, suddenly saw the card drifting to her feet. She picked it up in confusion, and the four large characters "Female Ninja Misery" came into view, followed by a bunch of gameplay introductions on the back, with contact information and an address at the bottom.

"Gin!!!!"

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Uchiha Gin, whose head was aching from Senju Itama, looked in confusion at Uchiha Hikari, whose face was growing darker and darker.

"Senior Hikari, what happened?"

After finishing organizing her spoils, Uchiha Jiri also leaned over, stretching her head to look at the card in Uchiha Hikari's hand. Her originally cold little face instantly flushed, and her indifferent eyes were filled with bewilderment. She glanced at Uchiha Gin and said in an inexplicable tone,

"Mr. Gin, if you really have needs, you shouldn't go to such places. What if you catch a disease?"

The curious Senju Itama also gave up harassing Uchiha Gin and ran over, tiptoeing to see what mystery this little card held. It was fine not to look, but upon seeing it, she instantly transformed into a steaming teapot, with heat rising from her forehead.

"Curly-haired baboon, you really are like a rabbit; you don't even nibble on the grass around your own nest."

"What are you talking about? Why don't I understand a word of it?"

Uchiha Gin spread his small hands, his expression as innocent as could be.

"Where did you go today?"

Uchiha Hikari, whose eyes had turned scarlet at some point, stared coldly at Uchiha Gin and questioned him,

"I just went for a stroll on the street in front, and didn't go anywhere else."

Unable to expose the Ghost Soldier Squad, Uchiha Gin had to point randomly at a street not far outside the window, without checking at all whether that street was decent.

The three women's gazes followed the direction Uchiha Gin pointed, and with the aid of their excellent eyesight, the three of them clearly saw three large characters:

【Red Light Street】

"Who introduced you to go there?"

Hmph! That kind of place must have been introduced by an acquaintance.

"Huh? No one introduced me~"

Uchiha Gin looked completely baffled; does one need an introducer to go shopping?

"Then who gave you this card?"

Seeing Uchiha Gin still being stubborn, Uchiha Hikari, who was furious, raised the small card exuding a mysterious aura and asked coldly,

"You mean that? A family member stuffed it into my hand."

Seeing the familiar card in the girl's hand, Uchiha Gin touched his pocket and found it empty. He immediately told the truth; after all, it was indeed an Uchiha clansman who had stuffed it into his hand, so by rounding up, it was family.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Uchiha Hikari, who was angered to laughter by Uchiha Gin's honesty, said the word "good" three times. That gnashing-of-teeth appearance left the clueless big curly-head completely confused.

"It's fine, if there's a chance, I'll take you there to see it too; I guarantee you'll be surprised!"

As one of the people closest to him, Uchiha Gin naturally wouldn't hide the Land of Waves matter from Uchiha Hikari for too long; knowing the secret of the Ghost Soldier Squad was only a matter of time.

"Phew! You're even taking me there, you shameless guy!"

Uchiha Hikari looked at the over-the-top gameplay on the back of the card, trembling with rage. Her eyes flashed red, and a cherry-red meat cleaver appeared in the void.

With the cooperation of the three women, Uchiha Gin, who still hadn't figured out the situation, was soon subdued.

With his hands pinned by Senju Itama's monster strength and his legs tightly gripped by a pair of cherry-pink large trees, with a cherry-red meat cleaver hanging over his head, Uchiha Gin, feeling deeply wronged in this desperate situation, protested loudly,

"Why treat me like this? Even if I die, I want to die knowing why!"

"Hmph! You really don't shed tears until you see the coffin; look for yourself!"

Not expecting Uchiha Gin to still refuse to admit it when death was imminent, the stifled Uchiha Hikari threw the little card directly under his feet,

"Aminos! I'm going to work early!!!"

Looking at the ambiguous words on the card, Uchiha Gin's heart turned to ash. He didn't expect that brat Uchiha Uchiha Heita to actually stuff such a card into his hand. What exactly was his intention? Could it be that someone wanted to persecute his reputation?

"What else do you have to say?"

Listening to Uchiha Gin's powerless barking, Uchiha Hikari, with a gloomy face, crossed her arms like an impartial judge,

"I can explain!"

Facing the three women's cold gazes, Uchiha Gin took a deep breath and looked at them with a very sincere expression, trying to use the art of language to carve out a path to survival for himself.

"Heh, take your little card and go explain it to the ancestors!"

Too lazy to listen to Uchiha Gin's sophistry, Uchiha Hikari controlled the meat cleaver to slash down fiercely; for this kind of "ladybug," one must ruthlessly cut off the roots!

"Ah! Ah!! Ah!!! Your Honor, I am wrongly accused!"

"Hmph~ wait until tonight to check your stock; if even a single drop is missing, you had better figure out how you want to die!"

"Oh~no!"

The wind tonight is somewhat noisy; it is destined to be another sleepless night for Uchiha Gin. (End of chapter)