Chapter 417

The third day.

【Countdown -84444s】

In the early morning, Uchiha Gin, awakened by the ticking sound in his mind, rubbed his dull eyes, stretched, yawned, and got up to walk into the cave.

"Hah~ Time to wake those two kids up for training."

But after walking a few steps, he saw Yahiko sitting cross-legged on the ground meditating, and not far from him, Konan was raising her hands, staring intently at the white paper flower on the table.

"You guys are up quite early."

He had thought that yesterday's high-intensity training would make it impossible for them to get out of bed, but he didn't expect them to be up earlier than him, which made Uchiha Gin feel quite relieved.

"Gin-san! I can already skillfully use the Three Body Technique!"

Hearing Uchiha Gin's voice, Yahiko, who was meditating, immediately opened his eyes, jumped up, and shouted excitedly, raising his fist.

"Oh? Then let me test you."

Words are not proof. Uchiha Gin nodded lightly, and a faint look of nervousness instantly appeared on Yahiko's face.

"Then... first transform into a 1.5-meter blonde beast-eared little loli for me."

"Huh?"

Uchiha Gin's first test question left Yahiko stunned. After all, people cannot imagine things they have never seen. After a few seconds of thought, he lowered his head in discouragement.

"Just kidding, transform into Konan for me~"

"Alright!"

Yahiko naturally knew how to do this question, so he immediately put his hands together.

"Transformation Technique!"

With a puff of white smoke, another Konan appeared before everyone. After comparing horizontally and vertically, Uchiha Gin gave a score of 9.

"Huh? Why isn't it a perfect score? I perfectly replicated everything about Konan, didn't I?"

Yahiko, transformed into Konan, frowned, lowered his head, and looked at the thin body after the transformation. He had great objections to his score.

"No, you ignored the most important point."

Uchiha Gin shook his head. Konan, who was watching from the side, was also puzzled. Clearly, after Yahiko transformed, he was exactly the same as her, just like looking in a mirror.

"Which point?"

Blinking in confusion, Yahiko wanted to get the answer from Uchiha Gin.

"It's the chest. Konan's chest isn't that big!"

Raising his head, Uchiha Gin righteously reached out his hand and pointed out the flaw in Yahiko's transformation with a single needle.

"Huh?"

"Ah!!!"

Ignoring Yahiko's confusion and Konan's shame and anger, Uchiha Gin explained solemnly.

"Konan's figure is clearly B75/W50/H75, but after your transformation, the measurements are as high as B78/W58/H80. Don't think I can't see such a subtle difference."

Spreading his hands on his face, the single eye revealed between his fingers radiated inexplicable confidence.

"My eyes are the ruler!"

"Mmm mmm mmm..."

Konan, with a flushed face, stood up and retreated several meters, squatted down in a relatively open area, and made a starting posture.

As Uchiha Gin's voice fell, the girl with steam rising from her head stuck out her butt, instantly turning into a purple stream of light. After a short run-up, she flew into the air, kicked out with both legs, and kicked the waist of the smug person heavily.

"Thud! ~"

Uchiha Gin, without any preparation, clutched his waist and performed a 3600-degree Thomas spin in the air, then was heavily embedded into the sturdy stone wall of the cave.

"Gin-san is a big hentai!"

After landing steadily, Konan, protecting her chest with both hands, had a flushed face. Feeling it wasn't enough, she stepped forward and kicked him twice more angrily.

"Ah! That's not a place to kick!"

Struggling to pull himself out of the stone wall, Uchiha Gin, covered in dust, clutched his vital parts and looked at Konan, who was radiating a dangerous aura, with horror.

"Gomen nasai!"

"Hmph!"

Since Uchiha Gin apologized sincerely, the broad-minded Konan decided to forgive him. She snorted heavily and turned to continue playing with her origami.

"Wuwuwu, women are so scary~"

Yahiko, who was shivering on the side, didn't dare to say a word, afraid that he would eat a flying kick from the same 'General Nan'.

"Cough, cough, cough... Transformation Technique is barely considered a pass. Next is the Body Replacement Technique."

Tidying up his appearance slightly, Uchiha Gin coughed a few times, pretending nothing had happened.

"Okay, okay."

Yahiko, who had sheepishly transformed back to his original appearance, immediately straightened up, focusing all his attention on Uchiha Gin, waiting for the moment he would strike.

"Whoosh~"

For Yahiko, a ninja who had only been in for a day, there was no need to play any flashy surprise attacks. Glancing at the gravel under his feet, Uchiha Gin kicked lightly, and a harsh sound of breaking through the air followed.

"Ah!"

Facing such a fast attack, Yahiko screamed and flew backward. Seeing this miserable scene, Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"This kid..."

"Yahiko!"

Konan, who was secretly paying attention to the two, saw her companion's miserable state and immediately covered her mouth and screamed.

"Puff~"

The next second, Yahiko's figure in the air turned blurry and became a wooden board wrapped in white smoke. The stone kicked by Uchiha Gin hit it, and the powerful impact instantly shattered the wooden board, and wood chips fell all over the sky.

"Hoo~ Hoo~"

Yahiko, panting, looked at the broken wooden board with lingering fear. If his Body Replacement Technique had failed, wouldn't he have grown a few more eyes on his body?

"Not bad, the reaction was quite fast. Body Replacement Technique passed."

Yahiko's performance could be said to be completely beyond Uchiha Gin's expectations. Although he only had the strength of a Jonin now, his casual attack could still easily take the life of a Genin.

"Yay!"

Wiping the cold sweat from his face, Yahiko showed a brilliant smile, made a victory gesture toward Konan, who was worried for him, and then turned to look at Uchiha Gin.

"Clone Technique is the most difficult basic ninjutsu. Legend has it that the Sage of Six Paths' son also flipped over on the Clone Technique."

Looking at the slightly proud Yahiko, Uchiha Gin had to take out a real case to warn him.

"I'm already invincible!"

Yahiko, who had already made full preparations, absolutely could not allow himself to flip over on the last question.

"Clone Technique!"

After the Clone Technique failed yesterday, Yahiko learned from his pain and practiced repeatedly until very late before falling asleep. Getting up early in the morning was also simulating the operation process of the Clone Technique in his mind, striving for success in one go.

"Puff!"

With the white smoke rising, another Yahiko stood in the field.

"..."

Uchiha Gin didn't speak either, his serious expression making Yahiko feel extremely nervous.

Could it be that he failed?

Impossible, right? This was his smoothest Clone Technique ever!

After about a minute, Yahiko was covered in cold sweat, his expression at a loss. Just then, Uchiha Gin, who had a solemn face, suddenly smiled.

"Congratulations, you passed the assessment."

"Puff~"

As Uchiha Gin's voice fell, the nervous Yahiko instantly collapsed to the ground, and the clone beside him turned into white smoke and disappeared.

"Hoo~ Hoo~ Gin-san, can you not be so scary next time?"

Yahiko, who almost thought he had failed, stood up tremblingly and looked at the smiling Uchiha Gin with resentment.

"Rest assured, there won't be a next time."

Uchiha Gin shook his head and said something inexplicable, but Yahiko and Konan didn't take it to heart.

"Gin-san, what about the unique ninjutsu you promised?"

Yahiko, this kid, was indeed still thinking about the unique ninjutsu Uchiha Gin had promised. He ran over excitedly, looking like he wouldn't give up until he got it.

"Huh? I was just playing around~"

"Despicable adult!"

Watching Yahiko rolling on the ground, Uchiha Gin scratched his head.

"Alright, alright, I'll teach you one."

The promise of a unique ninjutsu was originally a means to motivate Yahiko. He didn't expect this kid to be quite promising, so Uchiha Gin wasn't stingy and thought about it simply.

"What do you want to learn?"

"Powerful ninjutsu, preferably the kind that is both handsome and powerful."

Standing up from the ground in a flash, Yahiko's eyes sparkled, full of longing for flashy ninjutsu.

"Tsk~ What's the use of being handsome? If you should die, you'll die. Only returning to simplicity is the right path."

Uchiha Gin rolled his eyes. Throughout history, the cooler the moves, the faster you die. Only returning to simplicity is the right path.

"Yahiko, your teacher will teach you one last lesson."

"Huh?"

Blinking in confusion, Yahiko pricked up his ears to listen.

"Only those who live to the end are the winners. Staying alive is always more important than being handsome."

His gaze falling on the bewildered Yahiko, a strange look flashed in Uchiha Gin's eyes.

The two were teacher and student after all...

"Gin-san, what technique did you teach Yahiko?"

After a while, Konan looked at Uchiha Gin, who was sitting at her table, her black eyes full of confusion.

"Just a little trick to modify the body structure."

Skipping over the specific content of the ninjutsu he taught, Uchiha Gin turned to look at the pure white paper flower on Konan's table, surprised to find that there was faint chakra floating on the paper.

"You succeeded?"

The countdown was still going on, and Uchiha Gin didn't have much time left.

"Mm, Gin-san, please watch my performance!"

Seeing Uchiha Gin's surprised expression, Konan felt a sense of inexplicable achievement. With a lift of her little hand, blue chakra like a thread slowly poured into the white paper flower.

As the blue light lit up, the rose folded from white paper began to bloom slowly, every detail of every frame clearly visible. Uchiha Gin stared fixedly, afraid of missing any detail.

"Whew~ Blooming complete, next is restoration."

Konan took a deep breath, and the white paper flower began to wither according to her will, turning into a ball and then slowly unfolding, returning to the appearance of white paper.

"Konan, you are truly a genius."

Uchiha Gin, who witnessed all this, couldn't help but rub Konan's little head. Since his student had already learned paper ninjutsu, he only needed to learn it himself to complete the ninjutsu.

"Mm~"

Konan, who was extremely receptive to this action, had a faint blush on her delicate little face, lowering her head and speaking like a mosquito, worried that Uchiha Gin would discover something.

Without delay, Uchiha Gin recalled the core content of paper ninjutsu, his gaze falling on the mountain of white paper piled up on the side.

Raising one hand, deep blue chakra instantly gushed out, the resulting air wave almost overturning the curious Konan and Yahiko.

"Gin-san, what are you doing?"

Yahiko was trying hard to engrave the ninjutsu Uchiha Gin taught in his heart. Suddenly feeling the terrifying aura, he immediately crawled over.

Seeing Uchiha Gin covered in substantial blue chakra, Yahiko's eyes were full of beautiful longing for the future.

I will definitely be able to become as strong as Gin-san!

"This is..."

Konan was equally surprised. When she saw Uchiha Gin lift his hand, the white paper beside her actually seemed to come alive.

Floating up in the air, then gathering behind Uchiha Gin to become a pair of pure white wings, while a sharp paper spear appeared in front of him.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully learning the secret technique. Mission complete. Please choose whether to end the tutorial now."

When Uchiha Gin performed the paper ninjutsu, the system's prompt sound indeed popped up in his mind. Looking at the 'End Immediately' and 'Wait for End' options in the dialog box, he pondered for a moment and chose to wait for the end.

【Countdown -78787s, teleport away after it ends.】

"Whew~"

Now without any worries, Uchiha Gin was much more relaxed. He casually dispersed the wings and paper spear, but looking down, he saw two pairs of big eyes full of worship.

"Gin-san! After I learn this ninjutsu, can you teach me more... more life-saving ninjutsu?"

"Greed is not good. You learn this move first before talking."

Facing the eager Yahiko, Uchiha Gin waved his hand.

"Gin-san, can I learn that move just now too?"

Konan pursed her little lips. Those angel-like wings were really too much for her aesthetic, and she wished she could insert a pair for herself right now and fly away with Gin-san.

"Absolutely, as long as you practice hard, one day you will transform into an angel."

Patting Konan's head, Uchiha Gin promised with a chuckle.

"Yes!"

Next, Uchiha Gin had less than a day left. Although the most important mission had been completed, he had no intention of opening up a new map.

For one, Uchiha Gin's current strength was not at its peak. Even though he had many means, it was wartime, and a Jonin seemed too insignificant on the battlefield.

For another, if Uchiha Gin wanted to go out, he had to take Konan with him. He couldn't even protect himself, so taking a child out would be harming others and himself.

In summary, he decided to spend the remaining time comfortably, and by the way, give some pointers to his cheap disciples.

After all, their parting this time might be eternal.

"Yahiko who loves to help others, help your teacher buy some snacks~"

"Yahiko who loves to help others, your teacher's calves are a bit sore~"

"Yahiko who loves to help others..."

"Loves to help others..."

"Loves to..."

"Love..."

"Love, love, love! Can you say all your requests at once!"

Yahiko, who had been repeatedly ordered by Uchiha Gin using the excuse of loving to help others eight times, threw the things Uchiha Gin needed in front of him with resentment.

"One more time and it's ten times. Hurry up and say it. After completing this small goal, I'll change my ambition immediately!"

"Tsk~ It's a pity, I don't have anything else I need help with for the time being."

Picking up the newspaper Yahiko helped him buy, Uchiha Gin teased with a smile.

"Damn it! I still have to practice!"

"It's okay, I won't bother you for now."

Shaking his head lightly, Uchiha Gin spread out the newspaper and began to read carefully.

"Hmph~"

Seeing this, Yahiko didn't say anything more. After a snort, he went out to continue practicing the unique ninjutsu Uchiha Gin taught him.

"Sure enough..."

Looking at the news of the Three Kingdoms melee described in the newspaper, Uchiha Gin sighed imperceptibly.

This timeline was indeed the one from the original work. Now the three kingdoms of Fire, Wind, and Earth had declared war, fighting fiercely in the Land of Rain, which was a strategic location, without any regard for the wishes of the small country.

"Shocking: Konoha is desperate, Sarutobi Hiruzen actually sent his personal disciples to participate in the war! Is it a distortion of human nature, or a loss of morality..."

It looked like gossip news from an editor in the Land of Earth. That little potato Onoki liked this kind of means to mess with people's minds the most.

Although the title was very grassy, it should be true. If Jiraiya and the others came, then Nagato should appear soon.

"In this time period, cousin is also in the Land of Rain, right?"

Cousin finally successfully evolved the Rinnegan, and putting it on a kid, he definitely wouldn't be at ease.

Just like your car has automatic parking, but when reversing into a garage, you will definitely watch nearby secretly until it successfully enters the garage before you relax and leave.

"Gin-san, what are you thinking about?"

Konan, who was working hard to practice paper ninjutsu, saw Uchiha Gin's complex expression and felt a slight tightness in her heart. She vaguely felt a trace of bad omen.

"Thinking about some adult things."

Facing Konan's inquiry, Uchiha Gin didn't answer directly.

Flipping through the newspaper in his hand, he swept over one piece of gossip news after another without any nutrition.

"Whew~ Let's not talk about this for now. What do you want to eat? My treat!"

The countdown was almost over. At the moment of parting, Uchiha Gin still wanted to leave some beautiful memories for these two poor children.

"Sweet and sour fish!" *2

Hesitating for a second would be a blasphemy against Uchiha Gin's cooking skills. Hearing this, the two immediately raised their hands and reported the dish name in unison.

"Alright, alright, I'll definitely make you two full today!"

Not refusing the children's expectations, Uchiha Gin prepared to cook his signature dish, only to find that the fish, the most important ingredient, was out of stock.

"Yahiko? Where is the fish you bought yesterday?"

"Fish, what fish?"

Facing Uchiha Gin's questioning, Yahiko, playing dumb, looked left and right. Whether he was lying could be seen at a glance.

"Gin-san, the fish left over from yesterday was secretly roasted and eaten by Yahiko in the middle of the night."

As Uchiha Gin's loyal follower, Konan directly backstabbed her good big brother, mercilessly betraying Yahiko who was trying to muddle through.

"I... I was just a little hungry."

Exposed, Yahiko's face turned bitter, his head lowered, waiting for Uchiha Gin's judgment.

"Sigh... how do you want me to talk about you~"

Refining chakra is a very energy-consuming thing, so a ninja's appetite is much larger than an ordinary person's. Yahiko, who had just become a ninja, was no exception. Excessive training during the day naturally led to hunger at night.

"Sorry..."

"Forget it, let's go to the street and buy some."

"Hey hey hey, let me, Yahiko who loves to help others..."

"No need, save your 'loving to help others' for the next time you help someone in need."

There wasn't much time left, so Uchiha Gin decided to do it himself. The three-person group was temporarily formed, with Uchiha Gin leading, while Konan and Yahiko followed obediently behind him.

Before long, they arrived at the town. Because Uchiha Gin's little display of skill a few days ago had spread, the attitude of the shops in the town was much better than before, each one welcoming them with a smile, not daring to show any displeasure.

"Boss, how do you sell the fish?"

Coming to a fish stall, Uchiha Gin pointed to the big fish on the table whose gills were still wriggling.

"Three... no, two hundred ryo."

Intimidated by the aura emitted by Uchiha Gin, the fish stall owner almost bit his tongue and immediately cut the price by one-third to avoid unnecessary conflict.

"Yahiko, is it reasonable?"

"Very reasonable, much cheaper than when I bought it yesterday."

Yahiko blinked in confusion. Wasn't it three hundred ryo yesterday?

When did prices drop so fast?

"The fish catch is abundant today, so the price is a bit cheaper."

The fish stall owner wiped the cold sweat from his head, explaining with reason and evidence.

"Since that's the case, I'll take all these fish."

Not taking advantage of a bargain is a bastard. Uchiha Gin threw out a golden bean. The fish stall owner took it and immediately stuffed it into the secret pocket of his pants, smiling very brightly.

"May I ask where the guest lives? I'll arrange for someone to deliver the goods right away."

This was a big customer. Although he sold it cheaply, the loss was small, and after one round trip, he still made a lot.

"No need."

Uchiha Gin shook his head, took out a storage scroll from behind him, unfolded it to reveal a large 'Seal' character, and with a vortex-like distortion, the big fish on the stall were instantly sucked into it.

"Keep it safe, it's enough for you to eat for a long time."

Throwing the storage scroll containing hundreds of big fish to Yahiko, who was dumbfounded on the side, Uchiha Gin turned and walked toward another stall.

"Boss, how do you sell your ham?"

"..."

Before long, there were several more storage scrolls in Yahiko and Konan's hands, with 'Fish', 'Meat', 'Noodles', and so on carefully labeled on them.

As the number of storage scrolls in their hands increased, Konan and Yahiko gradually turned from excitement to silence.

"Konan, do you feel something is not quite right?"

Yahiko, who was more mature, whispered to Konan beside him.

"No, it definitely won't be."

Konan, whose face was slightly pale, bit her bloodless lips and muttered to herself.

"Alright, these are snacks, remember to brush your teeth after eating them~"

Handing the storage scroll sealed with snacks to Konan, Uchiha Gin clapped his hands, looking relieved.

As a result, he found that the two, who were full of spirit just now, were now looking dim, without any of their usual liveliness.

"What, is it not enough? Then I'll go pick some more."

"It's enough... Gin-san, it's enough."

Slowly raising her head, Konan's little face was without joy or sorrow. In the gaze toward Uchiha Gin, there was a hint of imperceptible pleading.

"Since it's enough, let's go back."

Feeling the information contained in Konan's gaze, Uchiha Gin pretended to be indifferent and turned to leave first.

On the way back, the three of them lost the laughter they had when they came, each one silent enough to be scary.

And not far behind them, a figure wrapped in a black cloak looked at the three leaving with a deep frown.

The scarlet gaze passed over Konan and Yahiko, landing straight on Uchiha Gin.

To be precise, it was on Uchiha Gin's rare, fluffy curly hair.

"Have I seen him somewhere before?" (End of chapter)