Chapter 470: Technician No. 1 Konan Is Ready

It is well known that sugar is a trace element essential to the human body. Once sugar is lacking, a person will experience symptoms like dizziness and heart palpitations. In severe cases, it may even cause cerebellar atrophy, reducing one to a simpleton who can only babble nonsense.

Similarly, milk, rich in calcium, is a great helper for a child's growth. If one lacks calcium, the mild result is osteoporosis and stunted growth; the severe result is becoming as flat as a washboard.

So, is there any miracle medicine that can replenish both of these important components required by the human body at once?

Konan had a dream. Her parents, resurrected from the dead, were celebrating her birthday. The couple had been busy all day, and the small dining table at home was filled with all kinds of delicacies.

Looking at the steaming food covering the table, Konan wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth. Just as she was about to feast, her smiling parents suddenly appeared beside her.

"Father, Mother, you..."

"Konan, happy birthday."

The couple smiled as they picked up the dishes from the table and, amidst Konan's bewildered expression, began enthusiastically feeding her.

"Konan, you are growing, eat more."

"Mmph, mmph, mmph."

Under their enthusiastic hospitality, Konan's belly soon swelled up like a small ball, and her happy expression gradually turned into one of fear.

"I really can't eat any more."

Konan tried to escape, only to find that she seemed to be chained to her seat. No matter how she struggled, she could not move an inch.

"Come, drink this, it's delicious."

Her mother wore a kind smile on her face. A long straw in her hand was inserted directly into Konan's mouth. The cloyingly sweet liquid, carrying waves of milky fragrance, was poured into her little belly all at once.

Gulp, gulp, gulp.

"Mother... I've already drunk it."

"Your mouth says no, but your body is very honest~"

In reality, Uchiha Gin was holding the weak and unconscious girl, using a funnel to pour his prized strawberry milk into her cherry-red mouth, can after can.

After pouring a dozen cans or so, aside from her belly becoming increasingly round, the girl showed no signs of waking up, continuing to greedily gulp down the sweet and delicious strawberry milk.

"Looks like she was truly starved."

Uchiha Gin shook his head and stopped his movements. He was worried that if he kept pouring, the girl would turn into a cream puff. He sat her upright and attempted to use medical ninjutsu.

As he refined his chakra, Uchiha Gin's palms glowed with a faint green light. Gentle life energy slowly infused into her, and a flush of crimson gradually appeared on the girl's face.

"Cough, cough, cough—hiccup~"

Under the baptism of the life energy, the unconscious girl coughed violently and began to slowly wake up. However, the moment she opened her eyes, she couldn't help but let out a loud, milky hiccup.

Not smelling the legendary fragrance of a young girl, Uchiha Gin pinched his nose and turned his head away in disgust.

"Are you polite?"

"You... aren't you dead... *hiccup*...?"

Fully awake, Konan couldn't care about his teasing. She covered her chest and rolled backward a few times, putting distance between herself and the strange curly-haired man. She looked at him with vigilance, and in the gap between her questions, she couldn't help but let out another milky hiccup.

"Is this how you treat your savior?"

Uchiha Gin had paid the price of over a dozen cans of strawberry milk to snatch the little girl in front of him from the hands of the Sage of Six Paths. Yet, this little thing didn't appreciate it, and the first thing she did was curse him to drop dead.

"Savior?"

Hearing this, Konan frowned. She didn't remember the man in front of her saving her. But as she subconsciously licked her lips, a trace of unfamiliar sweetness left her at a loss.

Looking down again, she saw her own round little belly and a thick sense of fullness welled up. She didn't know what to do for a moment, so she just stood there blankly, looking expectantly at the lazy-looking Uchiha Gin.

"Strawberry milk is very expensive. You just drank thirteen cans of mine. I'll give you a discount; just give me one hundred thousand ryo."

Pointing at the scattered strawberry milk cartons on the ground, Uchiha Gin didn't choose to gouge her, but instead gave her a rare "friends and family" price.

"One hundred thousand ryo? Why don't you just rob someone?"

Konan, who was still a bit dazed, exploded instantly upon hearing the "huge sum" of one hundred thousand ryo. Her pouting little face puffed up like a bun.

One hundred thousand ryo! Even if she were sold, she couldn't pay it back!

"Besides, it's not like I asked you to give it to me. Why should I pay?"

"If you didn't drink it, you would have starved to death, wouldn't you?"

Looking at the unruly little girl, Uchiha Gin rubbed his temples with a headache. This must be the ninja world's version of the farmer and the snake.

"Who wants to drink your dirty stuff? I have plenty of food here!"

To avoid being saddled with high debt, Konan immediately retrieved the half-eaten hardtack from a nearby corner, held it up in front of Uchiha Gin, and looked at him triumphantly.

"You call this thing food? If you hadn't said so, I would have thought it was a shield."

Reaching out to knock on the rock-hard hardtack, a strange look flashed in Uchiha Gin's eyes. He withdrew his hand and scratched his head helplessly. He ultimately decided to be a charitable person for once.

"Fine, let's just say I'm here for poverty alleviation. I won't ask you for the strawberry milk money for now, but in exchange, I want you to..."

"Help! Help! There's a hentai here! Mmph, mmph, mmph!"

As a result, before Uchiha Gin could finish speaking, the girl in front of him suddenly retreated more than ten meters, curled her small body under the broken wall, and screamed for help at the top of her lungs.

"Stop, stop, stop! Can't you let me finish? I just want to ask you a few questions."

Uchiha Gin, quick-witted and fast-handed, pulled a pink lollipop from his sleeve the moment the girl shouted the first sentence and stuffed it into her wide-open mouth with lightning speed.

"Ah! This is... *smack, smack*... delicious!"

With a foreign object in her mouth, Konan subconsciously wanted to spit it out. But as the sweet taste invaded her taste buds, her eyes lit up. After sucking on it fiercely a few times, she revealed a very happy expression.

"Phew~ As long as you are obedient, these are all yours."

Seeing that the sugar-coated bullet had worked, Uchiha Gin let out a long sigh of relief. He reached into his sleeve again, pulled out a handful of lollipops of various colors, and tempted her with a seductive voice.

"You really are just going to ask questions!?"

A look of longing flickered in Konan's eyes. So many candies were enough for her and Yahiko to eat for a long time. After some internal struggle, she finally chose to compromise.

"Could this be a lie?"

"I guarantee I'll obey orders!"

"First question, where is this?"

Shaking the candy in his hand, Konan's eyes swayed along with it. Uchiha Gin nodded with satisfaction and asked the first question.

"Did you bump your head? You don't even know where you are?"

Reluctantly pulling back her gaze, Konan frowned slightly, looking at the strange curly-haired man in front of her with a weird expression, guessing his identity.

"I am very dissatisfied with this answer. I'm taking one back."

He hadn't expected this little girl to be so cute, but it was a pity she had such a mouth.

"No! Land of Rain, this is the Land of Rain."

"What time is it now?"

"Huh?"

Hearing this question, Konan blinked in confusion. In her impression, she had no clear concept of the time she was in.

"Let me change the question. Is there a war going on right now?"

Seeing that the girl's confusion didn't seem fake, Uchiha Gin remembered that the time based on the "Konoha Year" in the original work wasn't the calendar year known to ordinary people, so he changed his way of asking.

"..."

The little girl's expression instantly became dejected, and the smacking sound of her sucking on the lollipop disappeared.

As expected.

From the little girl's expression, Uchiha Gin got the answer he wanted.

【The Second Shinobi World War】

Then he was currently in the timeline around Konoha 37. At this time, the white-haired one had long since died until only ashes remained, and the big cousin was also lurking somewhere, waiting for a suitable successor.

Of the familiar Konoha F6, only four were still jumping around. The radical Akimichi Torifu was probably already retired at home, and as for Mirror...

"Really not a good time."

Uchiha Gin muttered to himself, then turned his gaze to the little girl in front of him.

Looking at her tattered clothes and the food that was impossible to eat, Uchiha Gin roughly guessed her identity: an orphan displaced by war.

"Last question, what is your name?"

"Uh... Ko... Konan."

"!!!"

Uchiha Gin's hand trembled, and the candies he was holding fell to the ground. Seeing this, Konan immediately rushed over in a dash. Not minding the mud, she knelt on the ground and quickly picked up the lollipops covered in mud and water.

"Your name is Konan?"

Seeing this poignant scene, Uchiha Gin asked with some hesitation, his gaze shifting to her dry hair. It was indeed the purple-haired sister.

"Yeah, I've had this name since I was little."

Carefully wiping the mud off the lollipop, Konan stood up with a dazzling smile on her face.

Uchiha Gin fell into silence. According to the description of that item, he should have come to this timeline to learn secret arts, and the reason he was teleported to Konan's side was to facilitate that learning.

But...

Looking at the little girl who could be blown over by a gust of wind, Uchiha Gin held his forehead helplessly and began to appeal frantically in his heart.

System! Trash system! I want a refund!

"The item has been used and cannot be returned. Please learn the secret art as soon as possible. If you cannot learn the results within three days, you will be permanently exiled to the current timeline..."

"I'm going to lose my mind!"

"Countdown started, remaining time: 258,258s."

"%... ¥%... ¥... %¥%... @#¥%... &*."

The countdown began to play in his mind. Uchiha Gin, having finished venting everything he had learned in his life, rubbed his throbbing temples.

Three days was not a long time for Uchiha Gin to learn a secret art. If the teacher taught well, he might be able to learn it in a few minutes, but the teacher in front of him...

"Hey, hey, are you okay?"

Watching Uchiha Gin's complexion turn from green to white, Konan, who was standing beside him, poked his thigh with some worry.

"Hmph~ Why, are you not afraid of me now?"

Uchiha Gin was pulled back to reality by Konan's action. Looking down at the little girl with a worried expression, he asked with some confusion,

"You gave me candy, you are a good person."

Konan nodded solemnly, taking the opportunity to tighten her grip on the candy tucked into her clothes. She did not think Uchiha Gin would be after anything of hers.

A numb soul?

Or a withered body?

In this world, the least valuable things are orphans like her. Fragile lives are like weeds; even if they died on the street, no one would spare them a second glance.

"Konan, let me ask you one more question."

Looking at Konan, who was biting her lip and appearing somewhat timid, Uchiha Gin sighed slightly in his heart. After pondering for a moment, he asked his final question.

"Can I have another candy?"

Thinking Uchiha Gin's questioning had already ended, Konan touched the seven candies in her clothes and gathered the courage to make a counteroffer.

"Sure."

"Go ahead and ask."

"Do you know ninjutsu?"

"Huh?"

Konan looked at Uchiha Gin with an expression as if looking at an idiot, her large eyes rolling back until only the whites were visible. If she knew ninjutsu, why would she be reduced to gnawing on expired, moldy biscuits? She would have been living the high life with Yahiko long ago.

"Hmph~ Alright, these candies are for you. Stay safe."

With the last glimmer of hope shattered, Uchiha Gin did not feel too much disappointment. That item only said it was for learning a secret technique; it didn't say it had to be Paper Ninjutsu.

There were plenty of secret-technique ninjas in this era. He could completely find a small ninja village, use coercion and bribery, and run away as soon as he finished learning.

"Thank you, Mr. Curly Hair."

Happily accepting the bag of candy Uchiha Gin handed over, Konan's face was filled with blissful joy. Seeing this, Uchiha Gin did not say much more. The girl before him had her own trajectory of fate.

Before long, she would form the Frog Squad with two other orphans of tragic fate, become a disciple of Jiraiya, and grow all the way into the Light of Dawn that nearly revolutionized the Land of Rain.

Although the interference from the little group caused her to lose her job and fall short, it also indirectly facilitated the organization's transformation, successfully promoting it to the number one most popular group in the Hokage series.

"Sigh~ It's a pity I only have three days, otherwise I could definitely do something."

Uchiha Gin looked at Konan's innocent smiling face, a trace of reluctance flashing in his heart. This timeline was too cruel; everyone's fate was composed of tragic notes.

Unfortunately, he could barely save himself now. Once the three-day deadline arrived, if the secret technique wasn't mastered, he would be trapped in this timeline forever.

"Let me think about where to get a small secret technique?"

Having just turned and walked a few steps, a look of surprise suddenly flashed across Uchiha Gin's face. He lifted his foot to take a tentative step forward, only to be blocked by an invisible wall of air. No matter how hard he tried, he could not set his foot down.

"Secret technique mentor matched. Please, Host, study diligently."

Before Uchiha Gin could ask out loud, the system's notification sound had already rung in his mind. Swallowing stiffly, he slowly turned his head. As far as his eyes could see, there was only the little girl who was busy tidying up the biscuits scattered on the ground.

"Are you sure you didn't make a mistake?"

"Mentor Konan is in position. Please, Host, learn Paper Ninjutsu as soon as possible."

"."

"Huh? Didn't you leave?"

Just as she finished tidying up the moldy biscuits, Konan looked up and saw Uchiha Gin, who had already turned and left, had actually returned. Moreover, he was looking at her with an extremely complex expression.

"You aren't regretting it, are you?"

Covering the small bag containing the candy against her chest, Konan looked at Uchiha Gin with a wary expression.

"No, I'm just not familiar with the roads nearby. I want to hire you as my tour guide. The reward will definitely not be small."

For now, the only plan was to build a good relationship with Konan and figure out the rest later.

After all, right now

he seemed unable to go too far from this girl.

"A tour guide? I know this area best!"

Upon hearing there was a reward, Konan's eyes lit up. Uchiha Gin was dressed so elegantly and was very generous; she must seize this opportunity. Whether she and Yahiko could eat meat for the New Year depended on this.

"Good, then take me to the nearest town to look around."

"This way, please~"

Along the way, Konan, in a rather good mood, skipped as she walked. Uchiha Gin, following behind her, looked at the large bag of inedible biscuits on the girl's back and asked,

"These biscuits you're carrying, they shouldn't be edible anymore, right?"

"Who says they aren't edible? As long as you soak them in water for a night, the texture is just like they were freshly baked."

Konan pouted, replying with great indignation. In the eyes of someone suffering from hunger like her, any food was worthy of respect.

Looking at the bristling Konan, Uchiha Gin wisely said nothing more and followed silently behind her. Soon, the two arrived at a fairly prosperous small town.

"Not bad at all, doesn't look like a place that has experienced war."

Uchiha Gin looked at the bustling town and raised his eyebrows in surprise. In his impression, a country in the midst of war should be very chaotic.

"Because this is a town under the protection of Lord Hanzo; no one dares to cause trouble here."

Konan turned her head and explained thoughtfully to Uchiha Gin.

"Salamander Hanzo."

Looking at the worshipful light in Konan's eyes, Uchiha Gin nodded thoughtfully.

The demigod of this time period still had some skill; he easily handled the Legendary Sannin at their small peak, and his strength was roughly on par with the strongest of the current Five Kage.

It's a pity that while he had the strength, his vision was too low. After getting older, he became content with the status quo, perfectly illustrating the story of the dragon-slaying youth who eventually becomes the evil dragon.

"Good Mr. Curly Hair, are you a ninja too?"

Seeing Uchiha Gin's calm and composed appearance, Konan couldn't help but ask. After all, when ordinary people heard the great name of Lord Hanzo, they would have at least a little bit of awe.

"I suppose so, I know a little bit."

Uchiha Gin stroked his chin and made a gesture toward the confused Konan that would make a Korean turn red with anger.

"Really! Can you teach me?"

Konan clenched her little fists in excitement, her face full of anticipation.

"Uh, why do you want to learn ninjutsu? Ninja isn't exactly a good profession."

Not rushing to agree, Uchiha Gin asked back instead.

"That's definitely so I won't be bullied, and so I can have a full stomach."

The girl's eyes sparkled with brilliance. Carried away, she didn't notice a tall figure walking toward her aggressively not far away.

"Stinking brat, you actually dare to walk down the street so brazenly? See if I don't skin you alive!"

Feeling a chill coming from behind, Konan, whose sense of crisis was greatly heightened, slowly turned her head. She saw the owner of the biscuit stall they had visited looking at her with fury, his two calloused hands squeezing and creaking.

"Ah!"

Konan screamed and ran for her life, but this time without the cover of teammates, the quick-handed stall owner grabbed the bag on her back.

"Put me down!"

With a tug, the biscuits in the bag all fell to the ground, blending into the black mud, their original color unrecognizable.

"I'm going to chop off these two dirty hands of yours right now, let's see how you steal things!"

Looking at the ruined stolen goods, a trace of satisfaction flashed across the stall owner's face. After lifting the struggling Konan high up, he licked his lips hideously.

"Don't, I won't ever dare to again!"

Seeing the stall owner pull out the blunt knife tucked at his waist, a look of despair appeared on Konan's face.

In the month since she became an orphan, she had already witnessed several scenes of orphans caught stealing being punished. Breaking hands and feet was already considered light; losing one's life was a common occurrence.

"Hmph! You trash who are not even as good as wild dogs, living only adds to the burden of this country. I'll solve this trouble for Lord Hanzo right now."

Raising the blunt knife with its cold, gleaming edge high, the stall owner's high-sounding rhetoric drew cheers from the surroundings.

"Kill her! These little thieves deserve to die!"

"That's right! The culprit behind the recent thefts must be her!"

The residents here had long harbored deep resentment toward stray orphans, and they naturally supported the biscuit stall owner's actions.

"It's not... it's not me..."

Trembling, Konan was like duckweed in the rain, swallowed by the overwhelming accusations. Only despair awaited her.

How could the hate-filled stall owner have a shred of pity? As the hideous smile on his mouth widened, the blunt knife held high in his hand was about to fall in an instant.

Konan closed her eyes in despair, waiting for the arrival of death.

"Clang!"

A dull metallic sound rang out. Konan, who had waited for a long time without the feeling of pain arriving, slowly opened her eyes.

She saw the stall owner, who had been hideous just a moment ago, now with his large face flushed red. A plain, black wooden sword was held horizontally in front of his blunt knife. The palm holding his knife had veins bulging, yet he could not shake the wooden sword even a fraction.

"Crack!"

After a few seconds of stalemate, the black wooden leaf gave a light flick, and the blunt knife in the stall owner's hand instantly flew backward, embedding itself deeply into the wall of a nearby shop.

"Who are you, why are you meddling in other people's business!?"

The stall owner clutched his red and swollen palm, his large face, half-red and half-green, carrying a trace of fear. But relying on the fact that he was in the right, he braced himself and questioned.

"I am just a... wanderer passing by for a little while."

Resting the black wooden sword on his shoulder, Uchiha Gin, who had stepped in to stop the tragedy, slightly opened his half-squinted eyes.

Although there was no support from the Sharingan, the gaze carrying a tiny bit of killing intent was still enough to make the stall owner, an ordinary person, feel a chill throughout his body.

"You brat, consider yourself lucky to have saved your life."

The stall owner, who had nearly lost control of his bladder from Uchiha Gin's glare, struggled to clench his prostate and buttocks, fleeing in a comical posture.

The onlookers, seeing this, also scattered like birds and beasts, fearing they might annoy Uchiha Gin, this strange man who had suddenly appeared.

In their eyes, anyone possessing extraordinary power was no good news, regardless of whether the person was a ninja or not.

Konan, who had been dropped on the ground by the terrified stall owner, stared blankly at the scene unfolding before her; as the surrounding crowd dispersed in a flurry, the lonely and helpless girl slowly lowered her head and began to rummage through the pitch-black mud for the covered flatbread.

Plop~

Plop~

A string of water droplets, not belonging to the rain, fell onto her thin, pale hands, creating ripples that were barely discernible.

Plop!

Plop.

Suddenly, a shadow covered Konan's frail body, blocking the falling rain and simultaneously halting the girl's tears.

Uchiha Gin, holding an umbrella, crouched down and reached out a hand toward the mud-covered girl.

"Be my daught—pfft, pfft, pfft! Sorry, I got my lines mixed up." (End of chapter)