Uchiha Gin withdrew his consciousness from the memories recorded by the Sharingan. Contrary to Uchiha Igaku's expectations, Gin did not awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan despite the intense emotional stimulus of losing a close relative.
"Did it fail?"
Uchiha Igaku's face darkened. He had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan from this exact scene, so he had assumed Gin would be able to do the same. But it seemed he was wrong.
"Maybe it's because my memories of my parents aren't that deep. After all, they died when I was very young."
Feeling a headache coming on, Uchiha Gin rubbed his temples, offering himself a reasonable excuse.
"You saw it too—Uchiha Tajima was the one who murdered your parents."
Igaku gently stroked his deceased son's Sharingan, his tone cold and indifferent.
"Don't be fooled by his current behavior. Once we have control of 'Nameless,' it will be time for us to take revenge."
"Mm, mm."
Still preoccupied with the scene recorded in the Sharingan, Gin absentmindedly nodded, "I'll head out for now. I'll come back when I have more information on Nameless."
Since he couldn't further evolve his Sharingan, Gin decided to leave.
"Let Spectre escort you again."
Igaku didn't insist on keeping him. He waved his hand, instructing the old warden standing nearby to escort Gin out.
Encased once more in the black liquid as he sank underground, Gin didn't have as strong a reaction as before. He even reached out to touch Spectre's liquid form.
"Do you have self-awareness?"
Gin tried asking.
"I am the embodiment of my master's will. Whatever my master thinks is my consciousness."
After a brief silence, a black face emerged from the dark mud, smiling faintly as it explained.
"What do you like to do in your free time?"
Gin suddenly shifted the topic, asking an odd question.
???
Spectre was momentarily stunned, unsure how to respond.
"If you have self-awareness, you must have personal interests. For example, I like sweets. Do you have anything you enjoy doing?"
Gin chatted casually, not caring that Spectre wasn't a real human.
"Hmm... other than carrying out my master's orders, I don't have any hobbies. But if I had to say..."
For the first time, a thoughtful expression appeared on the black face.
"When I have nothing to do, I like to look up at the moon."
Whoa!
A strong sense of déjà vu hit Gin, making him almost cry out. This guy was giving off Black Zetsu vibes.
After a brief exchange, the two fell silent. It wasn't long before Spectre had escorted Gin out of the dungeon. When he turned back, the black mud had already vanished into the ground.
Before this visit, Gin was unsure who was telling the truth and who was lying.
But after interacting with Spectre, he was certain—the so-called embodiment of his grandfather's will was just Black Zetsu in disguise.
"I guess I can't come back here anymore."
Now that Gin had confirmed Spectre's true identity as Zetsu, he decided never to interact with his so-called grandfather again to avoid attracting trouble from the real mastermind behind the scenes.
Back at his new home, which had been tidied up by Senju Itama, the house wasn't bad at all. Lying on his newly purchased bedding, Uchiha Gin slept soundly.
The next day.
Waking up, Gin, with his messy bed hair, strolled back to his old house to make breakfast.
"Hey, brat, get up and help!"
Kicking open the bedroom door, Gin, still in a bad mood from waking up, shouted loudly.
Every time, he was the one who got up early to make breakfast, while Senju Itama, that brat, would sleep until noon.
Feeling deeply wronged, Gin decided it was time to inform the kid that his easy life was over!
"Mmm... I can't eat anymore..."
Still half-asleep, Itama, dressed only in his underwear, was dragged out of bed by Gin. His sleepy mumbling made no sense.
"Eat, eat, eat—are you from the Senju Clan or the Akimichi Clan?"
Originally wanting to complain about the brat sleeping without clothes, Gin was even more furious when he heard the nonsense, so he smacked Itama's plump behind twice.
Slap! Slap!
"Uchiha pervert, let me go!"
Feeling the perfect, bouncy texture under his palm, Gin watched as Itama woke up in a daze from the smacks. He left the room satisfied after dropping the boy.
"Hurry up and help out, or you won't get to eat today."
Hugging his blanket with a face full of embarrassment and rage, Itama looked like he wanted to swallow Gin whole.
"You ungrateful brat! If it weren't for me, you'd have already been chopped up into meat and sent back to the Senju Clan."
Gin rolled his eyes as he scooped food into a bowl, staring at Itama, who glared back at him with resentment.
"And if you don't eat, the food will get cold."
Itama gave him a fierce look, then swallowed his saliva as he stared at the delicious breakfast. Silently telling himself that food was more important, he quickly started eating.
"That's better. You need a full stomach to think clearly."
Gin clapped his hands in satisfaction before heading out the door. As he left, he added, "Make sure to clean up, or there'll be no dinner tonight."
Itama, feeling like a mistreated housewife, nodded obediently. The food was just too good to pass up.
Once outside, Gin didn't go to the dungeon as usual but instead went directly to Uchiha Tajima's residence, following his memory.
After knocking on the door, Uchiha Izuna poked his head out, and upon seeing Gin, he opened the door to let him in.
"Where's Madara?"
As Gin walked down the long wooden corridor, noticing no one else around, he couldn't help but ask.
"My brother left early this morning."
Izuna, who was leading the way, replied in a sullen voice, clearly annoyed.
"Off on another date?"
Gin teased with a grin.
"Exactly!"
Izuna stomped his feet in frustration, causing the wooden floor to creak under his small feet.
"Father, cousin is here."
Izuna slid open a door, revealing Uchiha Tajima waiting inside.
"Uncle, what's the mission?"
Looking at the silent Tajima, Gin couldn't help but feel uneasy. Could this be the mission to unseal Nameless?
"I didn't want too many people to know about this, but since you watched Madara and Izuna grow up, as family, I believe you should be involved in this mission."
Tajima's face softened as he gazed at his nephew, whom he had raised himself, explaining slowly.
A while back, Izuna had casually mentioned that his older brother Madara was behaving oddly. Though Tajima hadn't paid much attention at first, he had assigned Izuna the task of investigating. To his surprise, Izuna discovered Madara was getting close to a boy from another clan.
Initially thinking it was just a child's game, Tajima became concerned when the boy demonstrated impressive ninja skills. After considering the matter carefully, Tajima decided to bring Gin and Izuna to meet this boy and figure out his true motives.
"Madara has been acting strangely lately. After Izuna's investigation, we found he's been spending time with a boy from another clan. I'm concerned the boy might be a spy."
Tajima explained the mission.
"So we're going to capture this outsider to see if he has any hidden agenda?"
"Yes, but I can't let just anyone handle it. As Madara's father, I have to ensure his future as clan leader is untarnished."
Gin gasped upon hearing the mission details.
So now I'm part of a plot to break up a relationship?
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