The mystery surrounding the tragic massacre in the Uchiha clan's territory six years ago had always been a cloud hanging over Uchiha Gin's heart.
He had finally hoped to extract some useful clues from the suspicious Kaguya clan, but ended up accidentally killing the person due to being too heavy-handed.
With so much on his mind, Gin had little interest in work. He sketched the mark on his left hand from memory.
Staring at the strange symbol in his hand, he racked his brain but couldn't recall seeing anything like it in the original story. It looked like a family crest: three shuriken circling a red dot. He'd have to ask Uchiha Tajima about it next time they met.
Unknowingly, the workday had ended. Adhering to his no-overtime policy, Gin clocked out and left the dungeon right on time.
As the sun began to set, Gin went to do some shopping. He entered a large general store and asked the clerk, "Do you have black hair dye, the kind that lasts longer?"
Recognizing the legendary Uchiha Gin, the clerk nervously handed him a bottle of black hair dye from the shelf.
Gin reached into his pocket to pay but, after a while, came up empty-handed, an awkward expression spreading across his face.
"Lord Gin, please consider this dye a gift. No need to pay," the clerk, noticing his financial predicament, quickly offered.
"No, no, I can't shortchange you like that. Wait a moment," Gin replied.
He closed his eyes and rummaged around in his system.
When he opened them again, he pulled out a huge gold bar. The gleaming gold almost blinded the clerk.
Swallowing hard, the clerk accepted the nearly ten-pound gold brick, pinching his own face to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
He'd never seen such a large amount of gold in his years working at the store.
Although the gold was amazing, it also presented a dilemma. "Lord Gin, I'm afraid our small shop can't provide change for something this valuable."
Indeed, the value of that much gold was immeasurable. Ten pounds of gold could practically buy the entire shop.
Seeing the gold returned, Gin felt a bit embarrassed. He had principles, after all—he never freeloaded when it wasn't appropriate, but when it was, he didn't hesitate.
As he stood there conflicted, a spiky-haired boy burst through the door, yelling, "Boss, do you have any strong shuriken technique manuals?!"
Before anyone could react, the spiky-haired boy spotted Gin and exclaimed in surprise, "Gin, when did you get back?!"
His eyes then shifted to the gleaming gold bar in Gin's hand, and he shouted, "Whoa! You struck it rich?!"
Gin looked at the loud and carefree boy in front of him with a sigh.
This guy had none of the arrogant demeanor he would display in the future.
"You should call me cousin, Madara. Show some respect to your elders."
"Hmph, you're just a loser," the spiky-haired boy, Madara, scoffed with a defiant smirk.
"If you behave, I might just cut you a piece," Gin said casually, holding up the gold brick.
"Brother! You're my real brother!" Madara instantly dropped to his knees, bowing to Gin, seemingly ready to do anything for the gold.
Even future "Mastermind of the Ninja World" Madara couldn't resist the allure of money. Watching Madara bow before him, Gin felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
It was worth it!
Too bad there weren't cameras in this era. If he could capture this moment, he'd probably have a hundred thousand White Zetsu throwing pebbles at Madara's window every night in the future.
"Stand up. Whatever you want to buy, I'll cover it," Gin said generously.
Madara's eyes lit up at the words, and soon, he had packed a huge bundle of items his father would never let him buy.
Watching Madara haul a load bigger than himself, Gin rubbed his chin, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu.
Thousands of miles away on an island, Uzumaki Mito, who had been grounded by her father, stared blankly at a pearl that had regained its color, suddenly feeling a tickle in her nose.
"Achoo!"
Was someone thinking about her?
In the end, the gold bar was only slightly chipped after Gin and Madara's shopping spree. Carrying his enormous haul, Madara walked alongside Gin, curiously asking his long-absent cousin, "Cousin, what kind of business are you in now, earning such a big gold bar?"
Ever since Madara had defeated the ten-years-older Gin in front of everyone at the age of ten, his cousin had started avoiding him.
Even when they saw each other in passing, Gin would exchange a brief greeting before disappearing.
"I just took on a dangerous mission, and this gold bar was something I happened to acquire during the mission."
"Man, I wish I could go on missions too," Madara said, full of envy. He had never had the chance to go on missions, as their father had been overly protective of his two remaining sons after the tragedy six years ago.
"By the way, I heard… you're in a relationship?" Gin teased, trying to change the subject as he noticed Madara's slightly downcast expression.
"Huh? What relationship? Who told you that?" Madara, who had never been interested in such things, looked completely bewildered.
"I heard from Izuna that you secretly met someone by the river for a date," Gin said with a grin, not hesitating to sell out his younger brother.
"I'll deal with that brat later!" Madara, furious at being betrayed by his brother, said goodbye and stormed off in the direction of home.
Tsk, tsk. Looks like Izuna was in for some trouble today.
With the hair dye in hand and the chipped gold bar in his pocket, Gin leisurely walked back to his secluded house.
As soon as he opened the door, Gin felt something hard pressed against his waist. Looking down in surprise, he saw the confused eyes of Senju Itama, who was holding a small kitchen knife.
It seemed the kid had found the knife in the kitchen, given there were no real weapons in the house.
Patting Itama on the head, Gin handed him the hair dye, "Good alertness, but next time, don't use a kitchen knife. It's a bit ridiculous."
Itama's face flushed red with embarrassment.
Noticing that Itama was now wearing the clothes from Gin's childhood, Gin sized him up. "Not bad, you've got about a tenth of my looks when I was your age."
Itama's face darkened at the remark.
Gin, who had read the instructions for the hair dye, knew that Itama would need to wash his hair before using it. So, he told Itama to take a bath.
Upon hearing this, Itama's face lit up with joy. But then he saw Gin also starting to undress, which startled him. "What are you doing?!"
"What else? I'm going to take a bath. I haven't washed since I got back, so we might as well bathe together. It's more convenient," Gin replied nonchalantly.
"Thud!" Itama slammed the door shut and ran outside, shouting back, "You go first. I'll get the water ready."
Gin's bathroom was the old-fashioned kind with a wooden tub set over a fire, where the water had to be heated gradually to the right temperature.
Someone needed to watch the fire constantly to make sure it didn't burn too high or too low, ensuring a comfortable bathing experience.
"What a strange kid. A bit shy too," Gin muttered to himself, shaking his head. He wasn't too bothered. Given his age, he could easily be Itama's father.
In the Warring States period, it was common for people to marry and have children at thirteen or fourteen. The fact that Gin was now twenty-four and childless was what was truly strange.
Stripping down, Gin entered the bathroom. The water in the tub was bubbling, showing it was getting hot.
Peeking out of the window, Gin saw Itama outside, throwing large amounts of firewood into the flames with a determined expression. The boy muttered under his breath, "Burn! Burn! Burn this damn pervert!"
"???"
First of all, I haven't provoked anyone.
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