Chapter 420: 364. Chapter 357: Affairs in the Land of Wind Concluded, Kaguya's Worries

364. Chapter 357: Affairs in the Land of Wind Concluded, Kaguya's Worries

"Mr. Gin, are you really not staying a few more days? It would allow me to fulfill my duties as a host."

Inside the Hidden Sand Village, Shamon, his face wrapped in bandages, spoke with great reluctance to persuade Uchiha Gin and his two companions to stay.

"Shamon, why are you being so polite with me? If it weren't for other pressing matters, I would certainly stay to taste the local specialties of your home."

Uchiha Gin, having already packed his belongings, wore a look of deep regret. He hadn't eaten enough of the melons produced in Loulan, but he had to visit the Gin-Jin brothers, so he had to tearfully bid farewell to the wonderful Loulan.

"Oh! Why didn't you say so earlier!"

Upon hearing this, Shamon slapped his thigh, then turned around with a look of annoyance and ordered Ebizo behind him,

"Ebizo, go quickly and purchase a batch of premium melons to bring for Mr. Gin!"

"Oh my~ how could I be so bold as to accept?"

Uchiha Gin's eyes lit up at these words. While his mouth said no, his hands were very dishonest, pulling open the backpack behind him to wait for the storage scroll filled with melons.

"Ah? I'm going right now!"

Ebizo hurried off at a trot, but just as he reached the door, he bumped into Chiyo coming the other way.

"The guests haven't left yet, why are you running, you brat?"

Chiyo held a scroll in her hand with a joyful smile on her face. Her eyes moved past her rushing younger brother to see Uchiha Gin and the others who had not yet left. She immediately straightened her face and asked with a hint of reproach,

"Master told me to..."

Forced by his sister's intimidating presence, Ebizo immediately recounted everything Shamon had arranged.

"Hmph~ you really have no sense at all. At critical moments, one still has to rely on me!"

Shaking the storage scroll in her hand, Chiyo rolled her eyes in a charming way, pushed her bewildered brother aside, and walked gracefully toward Uchiha Gin.

"Uncle Gin, I saw that you really liked the melons from Loulan yesterday, so I specially selected a batch for you. I hope you won't mind."

"My dear niece is very thoughtful~"

Whoever says that a large chest means no brains, Uchiha Gin would definitely fight them!

Smiling, he took the scroll Chiyo handed over with both hands and stuffed it into his backpack with a backhand motion.

In his eyes, these premium melons were far more pleasing than the gold and silver rewarded for missions.

However, a shadow quietly tore open inside the backpack and snatched the storage scroll Uchiha Gin had just acquired.

"If Uncle Gin wants to eat them in the future, just send a letter~"

Seeing the genuine delight in Uchiha Gin's eyes, Chiyo felt wonderful inside. She then patted her chest, which was as large as a melon, and promised solemnly,

"Is that true?"

Uchiha Gin, blinded by the sight, licked his lips.

"I never deceive the young or the old~"

This niece was truly after Uchiha Gin's own heart. He looked down at the two useless wooden sticks she had tucked into her waist, pondered for a moment, and reached out his hand.

"My dear niece, give me those sticks, and I'll perform a magic trick for you~"

"Huh?"

Although very confused, Chiyo was obedient. Without hesitation, she untied the two sticks from her waist and handed them to Uchiha Gin.

"Looking at your fighting style, you must be a puppeteer. It probably isn't easy to maneuver while holding two staves, right?"

Stroking the useless sticks that still held some warmth, Uchiha Gin keenly discovered that the tip of one stick had been polished to a sheen, with a faint, refreshing scent wafting from it.

But that didn't matter. Regardless of whether his niece had used them for daily or nightly purposes, they certainly weren't convenient for actual combat.

"That is indeed the case."

Uchiha Gin hit the nail on the head, and Chiyo nodded in agreement.

"Then let Uncle free your hands!"

Uchiha Gin held one useless stick in each hand, pressed the synthesis key in his mind, and then brought his hands together. A dazzling red light flashed, drawing everyone's gaze toward them.

"Huh? Where are my treasures?"

Chiyo blinked in confusion, looking at the ornate wizard's hat in Uchiha Gin's hands, and cried out in surprise.

【Rabadon's Deathcap】: Chakra limit +50%, ninjutsu effect increased by 200%, attacks deal 20% true damage.

"This is your treasure~"

Ignoring the shocked Chiyo, Uchiha Gin stepped forward and placed the wizard's hat on her purple hair.

"Ah!"

Chiyo, having been capped, hadn't even processed it before she felt the chakra within her body growing at an extremely rapid pace.

Her fair, delicate face flushed red from this sudden sense of fulfillment. Her large eyes, looking as if they were overflowing with water, gazed at Uchiha Gin—the culprit—with a mix of joy and confusion.

"Uncle Gin, this is?"

"You know, although Uncle's strength is average, I am good at development and research. The sticks you held before were actually a new type of ninja tool I've researched for years; they can be synthesized in pairs to double their effects."

Because the equipment produced by the system was unique in the entire world, Uchiha Gin felt no pressure at all as he spouted nonsense, leaving the confused crowd of the Hidden Sand Village completely bewildered.

"Chiyo, why aren't you thanking Mr. Gin!"

Even though Shamon hadn't worn it himself, he could feel the terrifying aura emanating from the wizard's hat. That Uchiha Gin would gift such a divine artifact to Chiyo—he truly was his best friend. He immediately reminded the stunned Chiyo to express her gratitude.

"Thank you, Uncle Gin!"

Upon hearing this, Chiyo hurriedly bent her slender waist. The soul-stirring scar exerted its power again, and Uchiha Gin immediately turned his head away, feeling embarrassed to continue staring directly.

Of course, this had nothing to do with the two small hands pinching his soft flesh at his waist.

"This is what Uncle should do~"

"Ah? Then my..."

Ebizo, huddled to the side, raised his hand in excitement upon hearing this, but he was selectively ignored by everyone. In the end, he had to sheepishly pull his hand back.

However, the next moment, a small, round object was tossed toward him. The dejected Ebizo hurriedly caught it and discovered it was an exquisitely crafted pocket watch, with a mysterious blue light emanating from the dial.

【Stopwatch】: Single-use, grants immunity to damage and untargetability for two and a half minutes.

"I remember you were just short of a watch, kid. Uncle is giving you one; remember to keep it safe~"

"Ah? I wanted a hat too..."

Although the watch Uchiha Gin gave was very delicate and clearly valuable, Ebizo still wanted a hat to wear.

Thump!

A frowning Shamon struck in anger, giving the whispering Ebizo a heavy blow to the head. The young man immediately became obedient.

"Idiot, why aren't you thanking Mr. Gin!"

"Thank you, Uncle Gin!"

Clutching the large bump on his head, Ebizo bowed to Uchiha Gin with a look of grievance.

"Alright, alright, let's part ways here. Let's eat grilled meat together next time~"

Having finished his pleasantries with them, Uchiha Gin prepared to set off and leave the passionate Hidden Sand Village.

"Wait! Chiyo, go and see Mr. Gin and his group off."

Feeling that his hospitality over the past two days had been inadequate, Shamon arranged for Chiyo to see them off.

"Understood!"

Chiyo, who was happily admiring her new equipment, immediately nodded in agreement.

"Uh, alright then~"

Uchiha Gin scratched his head; it wouldn't be too late to change his route once they reached the borders of the Land of Fire.

After the four figures left, Shamon walked up to Ebizo, who was fiddling with the pocket watch. With a strange light in his eyes, he said with a serious face,

"Ebizo, since Mr. Gin told you to keep it safe, you must carry it on your person. Don't even take it off when you bathe."

As the guardian of the Dragon Vein, Shamon was sensitive to fluctuations in space-time ninjutsu. He could perceive a faint trace of spatial power within the pocket watch Uchiha Gin had given, so he judged that this watch definitely possessed some magical effect.

Four figures ran across the soft, sandy ground. At the front of the group, Uchiha Guang and Hinata Tsukuyomi were competing in speed as if trying to outdo each other, while Uchiha Gin and Chiyo lagged behind, chatting idly.

"Uncle Gin, there is something I have always wanted to ask you."

Chiyo followed beside Uchiha Gin, her gaze intentionally or unintentionally lingering on his young, handsome face. Finally, she couldn't hold it back any longer.

"What is it?"

Uchiha Gin, who was thinking about which route to take to the Land of Lightning, turned his head in confusion and asked, looking at the hesitant Chiyo.

"Why have you, and that big sister who sells cold drinks, never aged?"

This question had been weighing on Chiyo's heart for a long time. Could anyone truly escape the judgment of time?

"Oh? You're asking about that~"

As expected, any woman would be interested in this. The few who had learned the Yin Seal were often harassed by female ninjas, but since this technique had been classified as a forbidden jutsu by his cousin, others had no way to learn it.

"Do you know about medical ninjutsu?"

"I do!"

Chiyo herself was a highly talented medical ninja.

"It's actually very simple. By using chakra to regulate the body's functions, one can achieve the effect of eternal youth."

"Just that?"

After hearing Uchiha Gin's one-sentence summary, Chiyo couldn't help but roll her eyes.

What you say is simple, but where would an ordinary ninja find enough chakra to maintain bodily functions? Not to mention that the regulation process requires extremely precise manipulation, involving issues like the conversion of chakra and life force—it was simply not a realm an average person could reach.

"Where there is a will, there is a way. With your talent, you will definitely be able to research it. I believe in you~"

Uchiha Gin shook his head and offered some encouragement.

"Uncle Gin thinks too highly of me. I am just an ordinary person praying for world peace."

Chiyo pouted, displaying the unique, charming innocence of a young girl, though she never expected that her small body could also hold such a big dream.

"It's wrapped, my dear niece~"

"Remember to write to me!"

Standing at the boundary line between the Gobi desert and the oasis, Chiyo held her hat with one hand and waved high with the other, bidding farewell to Uchiha Gin and the other two, her pretty face full of reluctance.

"Definitely, definitely. Give my regards to Shamon in his cell for me~"

Uchiha Gin and the other two waved at the beautiful figure in the desert, then turned and disappeared into the small path within the forest.

"Hmph, Uncle... Gin."

Standing alone in the Gobi, Chiyo's gaze became unfocused as Uchiha Gin's back disappeared. Why was this man, who seemed so carefree yet gave one an inexplicable sense of security, her uncle?

"Hey! What are you spacing out for? Can't bear to part with your 'big' niece?"

In the battle of speed just now, although Hyuga Tsukuyomi had been a body-length behind Uchiha Hikari, she had relied on the advantage of her cup size to step into the Land of Fire first, thus winning the match. Having not been smug for long, she noticed Uchiha Gin behind her looking absent-minded and immediately mocked him.

"Tsukuyomi... no, Tsukihime, are you not going back yet? Otsutsuki Biluo must be getting anxious, right?"

Since the mission was already complete, Otsutsuki Tsukihime no longer needed to use the pseudonym Hyuga Tsukuyomi.

"Tsk, although I won this time, this guy seems a bit unconvinced."

Hearing Uchiha Gin call her that, Otsutsuki Tsukihime curled her lips. Her black hair turned white at a speed visible to the naked eye, and in the blink of an eye, she returned to the high-and-mighty peak of the moon.

"A bet is a bet. We said we'd race for speed, so if I lost, it was my own carelessness."

This time she had lost thoroughly in every aspect; Uchiha Hikari's expression was extremely ugly.

The battles between Uchiha Hikari and Otsutsuki Tsukihime had been regulated by Uchiha Gin multiple times, and the two had established a set of rules.

Every time they sparred, whether it was comparing taijutsu, bombarding each other with ninjutsu, or competing with ocular jutsu, etc., it was all fine, but they could only select one category at a time, and they were not allowed to get upset after the winner was decided.

If these two were allowed to fight all-out, wouldn't the ninja world be covered in Valleys of the End everywhere? That scene was too beautiful; Uchiha Gin dared not imagine it.

"It's rare that you didn't cause a big commotion. You performed well this time. I'll treat you to barbecue when we get back. For now, just have a candy~"

Uchiha Gin naturally supported such peaceful competition projects with both hands, and he immediately fished two lollipops out of the bag behind him, swiftly stuffing them into the two women's mouths.

"Yuck! So sour~" (д)(д)

"Huh? Who swapped all the candies in my bag for lemon flavor?"

Looking at the bright yellow packaging in his hand, Uchiha Gin fell into deep thought. He remembered that when he bought them, he had picked out many flavors; how had they all turned into lemon now?

Shadow Realm

"Bah! This flavor, I quite like it~"

Sucking on a lemon-flavored lollipop, the dark-skinned Kaguya leaned lazily on a lounge chair, looking with great interest at the pile of strange, orange-yellow and green-interspersed fruits in front of her. This was the first time she had seen fruit that emitted such cloying, sweet fragrance.

"Cut one for me."

"Yes, Master."

Waiting quietly to the side, Zuo Ling and You Ling transformed one hand into a sharp blade, instantly cutting a plump melon into pieces of a size suitable for eating.

"Yuck! So sweet~" (д)

After taking a bite, the dark-skinned Kaguya's brows furrowed. Compared to pure sweetness, she preferred fruits that were primarily sour.

"However, that descendant seems to like eating them quite a bit."

With a look of displeasure, the dark-skinned Kaguya was just about to order her two lackeys to humanely destroy these melons, but remembering Uchiha Gin, who was addicted to sweets, a trace of hesitation flashed across her cold face.

"Keep them for now; they might serve as bargaining chips for trading with him."

It's over, the ancestor has actually learned military strategy. If she had been able to study by Uchiha Gin's side for a few years back then, she wouldn't have ended up being locked in a little black ball.

"Received!"

Having long since been turned, Zuo Ling and You Ling did not think at all of the kindness of Uchiha Gin personally changing their oil, and they nodded decisively in agreement.

"Crunch!"

After the two puppets left with the melons, the dark-skinned Kaguya, sitting alone on the lounge chair, bit the lollipop in her mouth to pieces and swallowed it. For the first time, her expressionless, pretty face revealed a look of what could be called worry.

"Why is he collecting the chakra of the God Tree? Those guys... are coming soon!" (End of chapter)