Looking at the girl huddled in the corner of the Tsukuyomi space, clutching her head, Uchiha Gin sighed at the cringe-worthy "edgelord" antics of the dark personality, and the exceptional influence it had on Hikari's worldview.
But why wasn't Hikari affected by the dark personality?
Uchiha Gin's mind flashed back to the details of the mission as his eyes wandered aimlessly around, finally landing on the girl still squatting in the corner, more specifically on the dark green cloak draped over her shoulders.
What was that thing's effect again?
He lowered his eyelids and glanced through the system's inventory, noticing that there was only one of that particular item, which was now worn by the girl.
No other choice, Uchiha Gin stepped forward, patted the girl's head, and took the opportunity to check the equipment's information.
Before the girl could even raise her head, Uchiha Gin had already pulled his hand back, and the equipment information appeared in his mind:
[Mercury Cloak]: Activates upon being controlled. Grants immunity to control for a period and increases chakra refinement speed. (Can be activated once per day.)
"Gin?"
The gloomy girl pouted, looking pitifully at the only man she could trust in front of her, and asked, "There's something strange inside me, you're not going to leave me, right?"
"How could I? Don't worry, I'll take care of you from now on."
Uchiha Gin, whose mind was elsewhere, casually replied, not noticing the girl's face turning red as she shyly lowered her head and traced circles on the ground with her toe.
"Looks like I should pick a pretty white wedding gown after all."
It seemed that Hikari could suppress the dark personality thanks to the effect of the Mercury Cloak, but now there was only one cloak. How could he suppress the dark personality in his uncle?
Reluctantly, he searched through the system inventory again.
The pile of gold bricks in the inventory went unnoticed—it was just a bunch of numbers. He dove straight into the pile of equipment and started searching.
"Cloak... cloak... wait, there's one! No, it's purple, useless!"
He tossed the purple cloak aside and continued searching.
"A white one? Isn't this the one I gave Uncle?"
Pulling out a white cloak, Uchiha Gin frowned as he examined its simple properties. Logically, anything produced by the system should be extraordinary, not just limited to basic recovery and defense functions.
[Magic Resistance Cloak]: Slightly increases stamina, accelerates chakra recovery. (Can be synthesized.)
"Synthesize? How did I not notice that option before?"
Puzzled, he picked up the cloak and glanced at similar items in the equipment pile. Grabbing a blue chainmail shirt, he held the two pieces and wondered how to combine them.
"Detected that the equipment can be synthesized. Proceed with synthesis?"
A long-lost system prompt suddenly appeared in his mind. Without exchanging pleasantries with it, he immediately clicked "synthesize" in his mind.
A blue light radiated from the equipment in his hands, and he felt both hands lighten as the two pieces vanished. When the light faded, a heavy gray-and-white armor engraved with dark red patterns appeared before him.
[Gargoyle Plate Armor]: Enhances physique and resistance. Increases resistance proportional to the number of enemies. (PS: A must-have for lone heroes.)
Two loose items actually synthesized into a complete set of gear.
He had pulled out this Gargoyle Plate Armor before, but it had been gathering dust in the corner since its attributes seemed average compared to other defensive gear.
It was useful in team battles, but given that he rarely encountered wars now, it was less practical for him.
But...
Maybe I can gift it to my cousin later. He'll need it at some point, right?
If full gear can be synthesized, the Mercury Cloak must be synthesizable too. I just don't know the synthesis route.
Suddenly remembering the system prompt from earlier, Uchiha Gin cautiously asked, "System, system?"
"I'm here~"
Uh, why does it sound so AI-like?
"What's the synthesis route for the Mercury Cloak?"
He wasn't sure if the system would give him an answer.
"Mercury Cloak: Synthesized from the Magic Resistance Cloak + Critical Strike Gauntlets."
The system's concise response was nothing like its previous antics of setting traps for him.
There was no time to dwell on the system's behavior. He turned to the equipment pile and dug out the Critical Strike Gauntlets—a pair of brown leather gloves with spikes. This must be it.
[Critical Strike Gauntlets]: 20% chance to deal critical damage when attacking.
While all this had been happening in the system, only a moment had passed in the real world. The girl had just raised her head, her big, watery eyes filled with affection as she gazed at him, making Uchiha Gin feel a little bewildered.
"Hikari, I've got a solution. Let's head out first."
"Okay~"
The girl obediently stood up, her eyes flashing red as she transported them out of the Tsukuyomi space.
Upon opening his eyes again, Uchiha Gin saw his still-silent uncle. He pulled out the Critical Strike Gauntlets from his pouch and, without hesitation, slapped them onto Uchiha Tajima's Magic Resistance Cloak.
A blue light once again flared up as the gauntlets in Uchiha Gin's hands dissolved into a stream of light, merging with the Magic Resistance Cloak on Uchiha Tajima's back. When the light faded, a dark green cloak identical to the one the girl wore appeared on Uchiha Tajima.
It worked!
Uchiha Gin nodded in satisfaction and turned to the stunned girl beside him.
"Alright, you can release the Tsukuyomi now."
Though curious about Uchiha Gin's new method, the girl didn't ask questions and immediately lifted the Tsukuyomi she had cast on Uchiha Tajima.
"Whooo..."
As soon as the Tsukuyomi was released, Uchiha Tajima's eyes, which had been dull, brightened with intelligence. But before he could say anything, his body went limp, and he collapsed.
"Hey, hey, Uncle! Uncle!" the girl cried out in confusion.
"I didn't do anything!" she added, baffled. Hadn't he been spared any torture inside? Why did he collapse as soon as he came out?
"It's fine," Uchiha Tajima reassured them, not unconscious but rather fatigued. "My body was taken over earlier, and I used too much chakra. I'll be alright."
Feeling the warmth spreading from the new cloak, Uchiha Tajima's exhaustion gradually faded, and soon he was able to stand up.
"Gin, why can't I sense that dark personality?"
He had expected to engage in a fierce battle with the dark persona after leaving the Tsukuyomi, but it had completely disappeared from his body.
"Thanks to my foresight," Uchiha Gin said, crossing his arms with a smug expression that screamed, "It was all me."
"Uncle, haven't you noticed you've turned green?"
Uchiha Gin gestured for Uchiha Tajima to look at the cloak draped over his shoulders, hinting that its color had changed.
"Huh?"
Uchiha Tajima finally realized that his once luxurious white-and-gold cloak had turned into a dark green silk one.
"What is this?"
Touching the unfamiliar cloak on his back, Uchiha Tajima looked at him inquiringly.
"Well, what can I say? You're lucky to have such a great teammate like me," Uchiha Gin spread his hands, starting to make up an excuse. "Like I said, I purchased a batch of new ninja tools at a high price from the craftsmen of the Land of Smiths, all made by their most famous craftsman, Seimei."
He then made a pained expression, implying the tools were indeed costly, and pointed to the cloak on the girl as he continued, "This cloak is Seimei's masterpiece, capable of suppressing negative emotions."
"But my original cloak was white?" Uchiha Tajima asked, frowning as he realized the cloak he now wore was the same one as before.
"That's where Seimei's craftsmanship comes in. His latest research focuses on these combinable ninja tools. The white cloak you were wearing was just one part of a set. Once combined, it reveals its true form."
Uchiha Gin told his lies without a hint of embarrassment. Seimei was real, after all, and his name wasn't widely known, so it wouldn't be easy to verify.
"What an incredible tool, similar to the Uchiha fan, with its own special abilities," Uchiha Tajima remarked as he inspected the cloak more closely. The more he looked, the more he liked it.
"Since it can suppress the dark personality inside me, I'll graciously accept your thoughtful gift, Gin."
Wait, how did he get so good at this?
"So Gin's gift to me has such amazing powers. This must be something very precious," the girl standing nearby murmured, a silly smile spreading across her face as she felt the smooth silk against her skin.
"Although the process was rough, we saved the person, and the mission is complete. It's time to head back," Uchiha Tajima, now wearing the dark green cloak, spoke up first. His eyes flickered with a complex expression as he added, "As for Uchiha Igaku and that strange black creature, we'll keep this under wraps for now and investigate further once we return to the clan."
With that, the three of them went back to the clan.
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