Uchiha Gin stood at the entrance of the cave, watching the two little brats in front of him play out their strange little drama, his expression slightly twisted. Just as Senju Itama was about to pass out completely, he finally spoke up to remind them.
If Uzumaki Mito really played this Senju brat to death, he'd have to die with him.
"Ah! You're back? How's my brother?"
When she saw it was Uchiha Gin, the girl threw away the stick in her hand, circled around him twice, and then started patting him up and down.
"You're not hurt? Don't tell me you never went?"
Gin raised one finger and flicked the talkative girl on her forehead.
"Ow! What was that for?"
Clutching her reddened forehead, Mito's eyes glistened with tears.
[Men and women should keep their distance… except when it's a onee-san in black stockings.]
Ignoring her grumbling, Gin pulled out the trembling black-and-red sealing bead and handed it to her.
Seeing the bead, the tears at the corners of Mito's eyes instantly stopped as she stared wide-eyed, stammering.
"Y-you… you actually did it?"
Even without using her sensing ability, she could feel her brother Uzumaki Hanamichi's chakra sealed within the bead.
"What are you going to do with him?"
Mito bit her lip, nervous. She truly hadn't expected her brother to lose to this seemingly unreliable Uchiha.
Though she could sense he wasn't evil, sometimes clan conflicts went beyond mere personal morality.
Gin squinted at her, then casually tossed the bead into her hands, making her stumble to catch it.
"Huh?"
Mito stared at him in disbelief.
"You're just… giving him back to me? My brother is an important figure in the Uzumaki clan. If you brought him back to your clan, you'd be rewarded handsomely."
"You're too clever for your own good."
Gin gave her a deadpan look. Sure, if he brought Hanamichi back he'd earn all sorts of accolades, but he'd also forge an irreconcilable grudge with the Uzumaki.
"As the saying goes: 'One more friend, one more path; one more enemy, one more wall.' If I ever can't make it in the Uchiha, I can come find you to take me in."
Gin's fish-like eyes stared lazily at her as if it didn't matter.
Hearing that, Mito looked at him strangely for a moment, then tucked the bead into her bag and walked over to grab his left hand.
Surprised by her sudden action, Gin was about to pull his hand away when she stopped him.
"Don't move. I'm using the Uzumaki's secret art to imprint a chakra mark on you. If you're ever homeless, you can use it to seek help from us."
But just as her palm glowed blue and the seal was about to take, a strange red force repelled her, breaking the jutsu.
"Huh? Why did it fail?"
Mito frowned and checked his left hand over and over but couldn't find anything wrong. Perhaps she was just inexperienced.
"If it doesn't work, use the other hand? Or even a foot?"
Gin jokingly raised his foot, making Mito roll her eyes and grab his right hand instead. This time, it worked.
A cool sensation spread through his right hand as a whirlpool-shaped emblem — the Uzumaki clan crest — appeared and then faded.
"What will you do now?"
Gin glanced down at the girl's bobbing buns as he asked.
"The seal on my brother can only be undone by Father. I've run off to play long enough. I should go back."
Mito sighed, finally realizing her brother's importance to the clan. Even if she wanted to keep wandering, she couldn't.
"So this is goodbye, then?"
Gin raised an eyebrow.
"Such is life in the world — we can't always do as we please."
Mito put on a solemn face and gave a serious, adult-like answer.
"… Whatever makes you happy."
Gin rolled his eyes and waved her off as she hefted her oversized bundle again.
After taking a few steps, she suddenly stopped, tilting her head at a 45-degree angle and glancing back with a dreamy look.
"Human trafficker-san… we'll meet again, won't we?"
"Definitely."
Knowing her future, Gin didn't hesitate to nod.
"Oh."
Her back turned, Mito's lips curled up slightly into a smile as she skipped off toward home.
Watching her retreating figure, Gin turned back into the cave and kicked the "unconscious" brat on the ground.
"Stop faking, kiddo. Time to go."
Itama reluctantly opened his eyes, filled with pleading.
"If you can promise not to talk so much crap on the road, I'll take the sock out of your mouth."
The kid nodded frantically, on the verge of tears.
Gin yanked the sock out and Itama gulped down lungfuls of fresh air — then started dry heaving, curling up as if remembering some trauma.
After letting the kid retch until there was nothing left, Gin finally hoisted him up and set off to rendezvous with the others.
This time, he ran as easily as if the boy weighed nothing. Unlike earlier, when he'd been out of breath just carrying him a little way.
"The Uzumaki bloodline is really something… no wonder they were said to have inherited the body of the Sage of Six Paths."
He could feel the explosive power and vast chakra coursing through him now.
"Ding! Mission 'Rescue the Uchiha Fugaku Squad' complete. Reward: Points *50, Random Orbs *4."
The sudden notification made Gin stumble mid-stride. The mission was complete already?
No time to think. He sped toward the battlefield.
By the time he arrived, carrying Itama, only the Uchiha squad was there.
Fugaku stood guard, Uchiha Tsuru bandaged Ryōichi's arm, and Uchiha Tarō was meditating to recover chakra.
"Gin! You're alive?!"
Ryōichi's Sharingan spun as he scanned the seemingly unscathed Gin in disbelief.
"Just lucky."
Gin replied calmly. He couldn't help but wonder himself how the fight ended — there were no Uzumaki corpses anywhere.
"Where are the Uzumaki?"
"That long-haired one suddenly burst out with strange chains of chakra… very troublesome. But he didn't want to keep fighting. He grabbed the injured and fled."
Fugaku explained further.
"How did you get away from Hanamichi?"
Fugaku still couldn't believe it — Gin should've been crushed.
"He didn't really want to kill me. His real goal was his sister. I told him I'd hidden her in a secret place under a genjutsu trap, and that only the right password could undo it or she'd die instantly."
Gin recited the excuse he'd thought up on the way.
"And he bought that?"
"Yep."
"Figures. The Uzumaki really are as stubborn and naive as they say."
Fugaku muttered under his breath.
"Alright. Let's move. We need to reach the clan by tomorrow!"
He raised his hand and barked the order.
(End of Chapter)
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