Dark clouds covered the sky, and a continuous drizzle fell.
Despite the heavy rain, there wasn't a single flash of lightning.
Three little ones, who had arranged to meet at Kushina's house, looked out at the drizzle through the window.
As for why they chose to meet here, that was a question for Kushina.
"I mean, when you have guests over, aren't you supposed to prepare some snacks?" Gin complained, slapping the table.
With a clatter, Kushina threw a plate onto the table, scattering the fruits on it. She didn't look like she was in a good mood, probably because of some annoying jerk.
Minato sat upright, but his face bore a lecherous expression.
Gin couldn't help but ask, "Minato, how can you show such a perverted expression with your cute little face?"
"Huh?" Minato looked at Gin in confusion, then saw the look of disgust on Kushina's face and awkwardly tried to smile.
"Even more perverted."
Kushina's expression showed even more disgust.
Minato slumped onto the table in despair, feeling like his life was over.
At this moment, Kushina pulled out a scroll from behind and threw it to Gin.
"This is for you."
Gin grabbed it and opened it immediately. Inside were several sealing techniques that his family hadn't yet recorded.
"No need to feel indebted." Kushina turned her head haughtily and sat down next to Minato.
"Read it here; you can't take it with you."
Although these sealing techniques were originally the Uzumaki Clan's specialty, with the clan's demise, they now belonged to Konoha.
If Gin were to take them to the Uchiha Clan, it would undoubtedly cause trouble. Kushina, living alone, understood this.
"So that's your purpose." Gin suddenly realized. No wonder Kushina invited them.
He picked up the scroll and started studying it seriously.
He was extremely knowledgeable about sealing techniques now. Although he didn't understand them initially, once he deduced the basic principles, all related knowledge points would automatically appear in his mind, making learning foolproof.
He could now consider himself an expert in sealing techniques, though he couldn't actually use them.
"By the way, why is today a holiday?" Gin asked while quickly memorizing the contents. With his ability to deduce things, he could quickly backup any knowledge for later study.
The three of them had gathered here because the Ninja Academy had suddenly declared a holiday, giving them the chance to meet. Today wasn't even the weekend.
The scene turned silent, with no one answering Gin's question. He couldn't help but look up at the other two, both of whom had their heads lowered.
"Nawaki-senpai..."
"Nawaki-nii-san has passed away," Kushina said sadly. From now on, she would never see the gentle brother who had always taken care of her.
"Today is Nawaki-senpai's funeral," Namikaze Minato added.
"What!!?" Gin slapped the table with a "bang," his expression changing rapidly.
"Nawaki... is dead."
"Did you know Nawaki-senpai well?" Minato asked, seeing Gin's unusually somber expression for the first time.
"I knew of him, but we weren't close," Gin shook his head.
Although they were in the same year, Gin, being in Class B, had little chance to know the elite in Class A.
This left Minato and Kushina puzzled, feeling that Gin cared more about Nawaki's death than they did.
Gin fell silent, his eyes quickly scanning the contents of the scroll.
To him, Nawaki's death had no personal impact, but the timing of his death had a critical significance.
He was somewhat fuzzy on the exact timeline of events in the Naruto world, but he was certain about one thing: within a year of Nawaki's death, the Second Shinobi World War would erupt.
Most importantly, the old fool Hiruzen would lower the graduation age and difficulty of the Ninja Academy, forcing a bunch of kids to graduate early and become cannon fodder for the war.
The First Shinobi World War hadn't consumed too much of Konoha's resources, but the continuous conflicts that followed had drastically depleted Konoha's ninja forces.
They were running out of people for the battlefield.
In other words, he would soon have the opportunity to enter the battlefield.
But who would want such an opportunity!?
"I have some things to attend to. I'll be leaving now."
Gin put down the scroll. He had already memorized everything using his deduction ability.
"You haven't finished reading it..." Kushina's words trailed off as Gin hurriedly dashed out the door.
The two of them looked at each other, completely baffled by Gin's actions.
...
The heavy rain soaked the earth.
Gin squatted on a utility pole, looking down.
A figure in a green tight suit was lying in the grass, exerting great effort to pull out a cat.
"Don't be afraid, I'll take you back to your owner," the bearded man said, tucking the cat into his clothes, shielding it from the rain with his body.
Unfortunately, his already soaked clothes weren't much of a rain shelter. The kitten poked its head out from the man's collar, quietly staying there.
"He really came here," Gin sighed inwardly.
Might Duy, whom he had been searching for a long time, was an unnoticed Genin in the village, making him hard to find.
Despite his efforts, Might Duy didn't train as relentlessly as his son due to his lack of talent. But his son was the man who would be remembered by the entire Konoha.
Gin's foundational skills could be learned quickly by those with talent, but even those who worked hard could master them.
Who in Konoha was more diligent than Might Duy and his son?
Naturally, Gin had targeted Might Duy, but approaching a Genin as a student seemed odd.
So he had been waiting for an opportunity.
The cat rescue missions were ones he had arranged, using a disguised ninja cat. He had asked Cat Granny for a long time before she agreed to let the ninja cats cooperate.
Originally, he had planned to meet Might Duy by chance.
But Shinju's death had disrupted everything.
For the sake of his life, he decided not to wait for a coincidence.
He gracefully landed from the utility pole.
"Uncle, that cat is mine," Gin said, raising his head to endure the rain hitting his face.
His current height was a disadvantage, forcing him to look up at Might Duy.
"Huh?" Might Duy was confused, how did his employer suddenly appear in front of him?
Taking advantage of Might Duy's confusion, Gin called out.
"Kitty."
The white kitten in Might Duy's collar jumped onto Gin's shoulder, meowing continuously.
Gin could understand it because he had deduced the language of cats.
"A year's worth of cat treats, or I'll expose everything about you."
"Alright, alright."
Nowadays, even cats weren't as kind-hearted, extorting him right on the spot.
Who knew if reporting this to Cat Granny would be considered blackmail?
"Uncle, thank you for finding Kitty. You're soaked; come to my house for some hot tea."
Before Might Duy could respond, Gin grabbed him and started walking towards his house.
"Wait, it's unnecessary. This is my mission!" Might Duy stopped and refused.
"I'll get the mission reward for you."
"But..."
"Why so many buts? Uncle, are you looking down on me..." Gin raised an eyebrow in anger, making sure Might Duy could see it, then showed the Uchiha clan emblem on his back.
"Or are you looking down on the Uchiha Clan!"
"Uchiha!!" Might Duy jumped in fright.
As expected, the Might family also had a comedic talent.
"I wouldn't dare."
"Then let's go."
Bullying honest people was indeed amusing.
The two of them entered the Uchiha district one after the other.
In the pouring rain, besides the shops, the Uchiha district was deserted.
Attending Shinju's funeral was unlikely. The village wouldn't allow it, and the clan didn't want to be associated with the Senju clan.
Entering a large house, Might Duy was surprised.
"This place..."
"Don't be reserved; I live here alone."
Gin entered, bowing first to two black-and-white photos, then turned to Might Duy.
"Make yourself comfortable. I'll prepare some snacks."
"Thank you for having me." Might Duy sat gingerly where his clothes wouldn't wet anything.
Soon, Gin brought tea and snacks to the table.
"There's a bathroom upstairs. Uncle, you can wash up and change clothes. Wait for the rain to stop before heading back."
"Thank you."
...
A dazed Might Duy, now dressed in plain clothes without the clan emblem, sat on the tatami mat, not daring to touch the snacks or tea.
Gin, freshly washed, pushed a scroll towards him.
"This is my payment."
"What's this?"
"A small ninjutsu."
Might Duy hesitated, but then resolutely said, "Could you give me the money for the mission instead?"
He had come to collect the cat mission reward and didn't want to be greedy.
"Sorry," Gin's expression turned sad, "I don't have enough money for the reward, only this ninjutsu."
"Then forget it." Might Duy shook his head, smiling and giving a thumbs up, "Young man, live well. You don't need to pay me this time."
Gin smiled brightly, "So you're saying the Uchiha Clan won't pay their debts and you look down on us?"
Hearing this, Might Duy waved his hands quickly, his words being twisted again.
"I didn't mean that."
"Then..." Gin pointed to the scroll.
Might Duy yielded, taking the scroll.
"Uncle, study hard. This ninjutsu can be learned with effort."
"Thank you."
Gin's third victim left with the ninjutsu scroll, and Gin forcibly gave him an umbrella.
After Might Duy left, Gin took out a small notebook.
It was filled with names, and he circled Might Duy's name. Minato and Kushina also had this mark.
"For now, that's everyone."
(End of Chapter)