Upon hearing the system's response, Uchiha Gin hurried to the system space in his mind. Upon entering, he noticed that the slot machine, which he used to gamble task points, was gone. The system had taken it away! Panicked, he quickly glanced to the other side, where the "Steel Heart Treasure Chest" was still noisily playing its background music. After testing it and confirming that it worked as usual, he breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that despite the system's shutdown, the treasure chest was unaffected.
After a quick assessment, Gin realized the system seemed to have gone offline. He could no longer earn points through system tasks, but the "Steel Heart Treasure Chest," which came as part of the starter pack, was still intact. Thus, the other reward from the pack, the "Random Skill Refresh in the Backyard" feature, should still be active as well.
He looked up at the dimmed task bar, with only the task "Save Senju Itama" hanging there alone. Recalling the system's message: "System in cooldown, complete tasks to unlock," a brilliant idea sparked in Gin's mind.
If the system only recognized the first task he had accepted, and as long as he never completed it, the system would remain in a state of shutdown. No new tasks, with their harsh "eliminate or else" conditions, would ever appear again. Additionally, during the system's downtime, he would remain thirty years old until the task was completed.
And the best part? He could delay this task indefinitely.
I, Uchiha Gin, have achieved eternal life!
Excited, Gin leaped out of bed, pacing around his room. As long as nothing happened to little Senju Itama, Gin wouldn't age, and time wouldn't harm him at all. His accidental decision to tie the metabolism accelerator to the boy was a stroke of genius. With a daily gain of two life points, Itama could potentially live forever.
While Gin was basking in the joy of immortality, elsewhere, in a dim dungeon, an old man slowly opened his eyes.
Former Cell No. 0.
"Spectre, my time is running out. Has Uchiha Tajima still not made a move?" The old man's gray eyes emitted a deathly aura, signaling that he was nearing the end of his life. Six years had passed, yet Uchiha Tajima still showed no signs of taking action.
"Uchiha Tajima has been focusing all his energy on his sons these past few years, with no intention of unsealing anything," replied the elderly warden from the shadows, his raspy voice echoing in the gloom.
"What about Uchiha Gin?" The old man's face remained indifferent as he mentioned his grandson, who hadn't visited him in years.
"That kid's been idling around the dungeon, mingling with prisoners. It's hard to understand what he's thinking," the spectre responded, baffled by Gin's strange behavior.
"We can't wait any longer. Bring him to me." Uchiha Igaku, feeling his strength waning, frowned. If they waited any longer, his chance for revenge would slip away. He had to ensure Uchiha Tajima died before he himself passed.
"Yes." With a complex expression, Spectre lowered his head, melting into a shadow on the floor.
---
"Cousin, what's going on?"
The next morning, a sleep-deprived Uchiha Gin, sporting panda-like dark circles, was summoned by Uchiha Tajima. Yawning, Gin made his way to the clan leader's office.
"There's a task. I wanted to see if you'd like to participate." Uchiha Tajima, now 42 years old and showing signs of age, looked up from a document and asked in an inquiring tone.
"What kind of task?"
Gin raised an eyebrow, noticing the toll that the years had taken on his uncle, who had devoted all his attention to his sons. Even without using sensory abilities, it was clear Tajima was not the man he once was.
"Here's the mission briefing. Take a look."
Gin carefully read the document handed to him by Tajima and then asked in surprise, "Who is this 'Nameless'?"
Even though Gin knew the answer, he feigned ignorance.
Tajima, seeing Gin's genuine confusion, sighed and explained, "Nameless was a weapon we developed for war. Years ago, she was ambushed and sealed by the Senju and Sarutobi clans, disappearing since."
Noticing Gin's clueless expression, Tajima continued, "A few years ago, we captured a high-ranking Sarutobi, who revealed Nameless' location. However, at the time, we were at war with the Senju, so we couldn't afford the resources to search for her. But now..."
Taking a sip of tea to moisten his throat, Tajima's eyes gleamed with satisfaction, "Senju Butsuma has died, and the Senju are now focused on choosing a new clan leader. We have a perfect opportunity to retrieve Nameless and make him an asset to our clan."
"Who else is going on this mission?"
Handing back the briefing document, Gin curiously asked. Surely they wouldn't send him alone on such an important task?
"It'll just be the two of us."
Tajima's confidence in Gin surprised him. He was willing to take only Gin on such a critical mission.
"Prepare yourself; we depart tomorrow."
With that, Tajima waved his hand, dismissing Gin from the office.
After leaving, Gin, seeing that it was still early, decided to visit the dungeon where he worked.
---
"Ryuei, I'll leave things to you today. I'm going to patrol the cells," Gin said to his colleague, Uchiha Ryuei, who was engrossed in paperwork. Gin then strolled toward the prison cells to carry out his usual antics.
"That guy…"
Uchiha Ryuei sighed, watching Gin's leisurely figure disappear down the hallway. He felt like he was stuck on a sinking ship.
---
Cell No. 1.
"Your punches are strong and fierce, like the roar of a tiger or dragon. I'm no match for you," Gin said, feigning fear and placing his hand on his chest as he panted.
"Huh?" The newly imprisoned criminal stared at his hands in disbelief. When did he awaken such power that he could send an intimidating Uchiha flying with a single punch?
"Heh heh, got him."
Feeling like the main character in a story, the criminal prepared to deliver a finishing blow. But Gin, grinning, suddenly turned around and walked away.
"Don't run! Take my final blow!"
As the criminal lunged toward him, Gin, uninterested, lazily activated his Naraka Seeing Technique.
The prisoner, mid-swing, fell to the ground, gasping for breath as though something had gripped his throat.
"Tch, that curly-haired weirdo is bullying newbies again," an old prisoner scoffed from his cell. He had seen Gin's antics many times before and was unimpressed.
"Yeah, he pulls this crap every day. Isn't he bored yet?" another prisoner chimed in. Gin's strange behavior was no longer surprising to the seasoned inmates.
Having had his fill of "training," Gin hummed a tune as he strolled through the dungeon. But then, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine as a familiar voice called from behind.
"Uchiha Gin, grandfather wants to see you."