Having thought things through, Uchiha Gin didn't linger in the backyard for long. He went back to the old house and began cooking. Not long after, Senju Itama caught the scent of the food and wandered over from the new house.
"All done?" Uchiha Gin asked, frowning as he stood there wearing an apron and holding a spatula.
"Of course! How could a little task like that stump me?" Senju Itama proudly raised his small fists, covered in dirt and grime. His face, smeared with dust and sweat, did little to support his boast.
"You should take a bath first," Uchiha Gin said, waving his hand in disdain as he pinched his nose.
"Hmph!" Senju Itama, realizing he really needed a wash, snorted and walked toward the bathroom. Before stepping inside, he poked his head out with a wary expression and warned, "Don't you dare peek!"
"Who would even want to peek at a stinky little brat like you?" Uchiha Gin retorted, nearly dumping an entire container of salt into the pan in frustration at the absurd comment. His face was full of dark lines.
Perhaps learning from the previous time, Itama washed up quickly this time. By the time Uchiha Gin brought out the final dish, Senju Itama was already sitting at the dining table, steaming from the bath, eagerly waiting to eat.
"You're good for nothing except eating; always first when it comes to meals," Uchiha Gin mocked upon seeing how fast the boy had moved.
"Stop nagging! Let's eat already!" Ignoring the taunts, Senju Itama's eyes remained glued to the sweet and sour fish, drooling with anticipation.
"I'm starting!" Without hesitation, Senju Itama began devouring the fish, completely absorbed in his food.
"Sweet and sour fish for lunch, sweet and sour fish for dinner... Aren't you worried about getting diabetes, brat?" Uchiha Gin thought maliciously as he savored a bite of his creation, tasting the overly sweet sauce, yet not reflecting on his own sweet tooth.
Finishing his meal ahead of the ravenous Itama, Uchiha Gin set his empty bowl down. Looking at the kid still eating, he picked his teeth and stood up. "I've got some business to attend to at work. Make sure you clean up when you're done."
"Mmm, mmm," Senju Itama, his mouth stuffed with food, could only hum in acknowledgment.
Leaving the house, Uchiha Gin made his way toward the dungeon where he worked. After entering the gate and navigating through a few turns, he arrived at Cell No. 3. The same two guards from before were on duty.
"Er, Little Brother Jiro, on duty again today?" Uchiha Gin called out familiarly to the square-faced, honest-looking boy.
"You're... my brother's friend!" Uchiha Jiro blinked, momentarily confused, before remembering who Uchiha Gin was.
"That's right, I forgot to introduce myself last time. I'm Uchiha Gin," he said with a friendly smile, like an older brother from next door.
"Brother Gin, are you here to inspect the prisoners again?" Jiro asked, recalling Gin's position as a records officer.
"Exactly. I have some questions about the records, so I need to double-check. Could you let me in?" Gin casually made up an excuse to get inside.
"No problem!" The straightforward Jiro immediately opened the gate and let him in.
"Thanks a lot, guys," Uchiha Gin waved and smiled, seeing his goal accomplished.
"Jiro, don't you think that guy's a bit suspicious?" Uchiha Kaku, the other guard who had remained silent, frowned after Gin left.
"What's suspicious? He's my brother's teammate. I even asked my brother about him the other day. He's easy to recognize with that curly hair," Jiro replied, having checked with his older brother, Uchiha Taro, after first meeting Gin. His brother had confirmed that Gin was indeed his teammate, though with a strange expression.
"But the name Uchiha Gin... I've heard it somewhere before, and it didn't give me a good feeling," Kaku said, scratching his head as he struggled to recall why the name bothered him.
"Maybe you've been having too many strange thoughts from... certain activities at night?" Jiro said with a sly grin, his seemingly honest face betraying a hint of mischief.
"What do you mean?" Kaku, confused, asked about the unfamiliar term, his eyes brimming with curiosity.
"Heh, I'll show you something good after work, something I 'borrowed' from my brother," Jiro whispered, glancing around to make sure they were alone.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Gin wandered through the third dungeon, relying on his memory, until he finally found his target. In the dimly lit hallway, a hunched figure was slowly sweeping the floor. Gin approached and, staring at the familiar back, said, "I need to see Grandfather."
Upon hearing this, the elderly jailer lifted his pale, withered face, expressionless as he rasped, "Very well."
The sound of his voice, like nails on glass, made Gin's skin crawl. As soon as the word left his mouth, the jailer's body melted into a puddle of black sludge, which quickly slithered over and began crawling up Gin's legs, enveloping him in an instant.
Resisting the discomfort, Gin took a deep breath and allowed the jailer to consume him. The next moment, his vision went black as his body seemed to move at high speed. When he could see again, he found himself once more in Uchiha Igaku's cell, the old man still engrossed in his writing.
Hearing movement behind him, Igaku lifted his head and, upon seeing Gin, asked with surprise, "Gin, back so soon? Have you taken care of things already?"
Mistakenly thinking Gin had completed his mission to manipulate the nameless one, Igaku was surprised, but Gin shook his head. "No, Uchiha Tajima hasn't made a move."
"Then why are you here?" Igaku put down his pen and stood, his remaining eye staring intently at Gin.
"I wanted to ask about my Sharingan," Gin said directly. Apart from Uchiha Haru, whom he had met earlier that day, only Igaku had extensive knowledge of the Sharingan.
It would be unwise to ask Haru directly, as that might raise suspicion with Tajima. But with Igaku, Gin had fewer concerns. While he suspected the old man had ulterior motives, Gin saw no harm in taking advantage of the situation to get some answers.
"Is your vision deteriorating?" Igaku frowned, fully aware of Gin's current eyes. After donating his original Mangekyo to the Nameless, Gin had received a pair of eyes that Uchiha Hiro had scavenged from a member of the Kaguya clan.
"I just want to know if I can still awaken the Mangekyo with these eyes," Gin replied, revealing his three-tomoe Sharingan. Igaku could immediately sense the immense power latent within them.
"As expected of Shinzo's child. To have nurtured someone else's eyes to this level..."