Kapitel 109: 109. Cohabitate?
"Sizzle—sizzle~~"
Uchiha Gin skillfully flipped the meat on the grill with his chopsticks, the juicy fat sizzling and releasing the last bit of fragrance as the flames extracted it.
The group sitting around the grill stared at the golden, oily grilled meat, their mouths watering uncontrollably.
"Cousin! Is it done yet?"
Impatient, Uchiha Izuna wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and urged Uchiha Gin, who was in charge of the barbecue.
The others wore the same expectant expressions. After all, Uchiha Gin's cooking skills were famously good, and even something as simple as grilled meat tasted far better than usual when he made it.
"It's ready, it's ready. You eat first, Hikari."
Seeing that the meat was perfectly cooked, Uchiha Gin picked up a piece of tender, fatty meat and placed it in Uchiha Hikari's bowl.
"You haven't had a good meal in a long time. Hurry and eat while it's hot!"
The girl had been sealed for over a decade, and after her rescue, she had only eaten some emergency rations on the way back. It was only right that she enjoy this long-awaited delicacy first.
"Thank you, Gin!~"
Uchiha Hikari's eyes sparkled with gratitude as she picked up the first piece of grilled meat. She raised an eyebrow at Senju Itama, who was sitting across from her with puffed cheeks, in a playful gesture before taking a small bite of the steaming meat. She held her face in delight and exclaimed,
"Mmm~~ Gin's grilled meat is truly delicious!"
"Disgusting! Stop acting so fake, you old hag!"
Senju Itama, who hadn't gotten any meat yet, cursed inwardly while staring at Uchiha Gin's hands, eagerly waiting for his portion.
"Here you go, Itama. This piece is for you."
Crack!
Senju Itama didn't get his piece. Instead, Uchiha Gin handed the meat he had reserved for Itama to the stunned Uchiha Haruka. Itama clenched his chopsticks so tightly that they snapped in half.
"Huh? What's with your attitude, kid?"
Noticing that something was off with Senju Itama's behavior, Uchiha Gin placed his hand on the boy's head and explained,
"This is to thank Haruka for taking care of you while I was away. You should be grateful!"
Despite his pouting and turning his head away, the slight upturn of Senju Itama's lips betrayed his real feelings as he enjoyed the warmth of Gin's hand on his head.
Tsk~
Crack!
The same fate befell the chopsticks in Uchiha Hikari's hand.
"Oh dear, it seems the quality of these chopsticks isn't great."
Forcing a smile, Uchiha Hikari tossed her broken chopsticks into the trash and stood up to get a new pair.
"No need for that! It seems Taro didn't get good supplies!"
With a clap of his hands, a faint green light appeared in Uchiha Gin's palms, and tiny green sprouts emerged. Using chakra, he accelerated their growth until they turned into several evenly sized wooden sticks. Satisfied with his chakra control, he remarked that his skills had improved once again.
"Here, use these."
As Uchiha Gin handed out the wooden chopsticks he had created with Wood Release, the room fell into a strange silence.
Puzzled, Gin looked up to find everyone except Uchiha Hikari staring at him in shock, their mouths hanging open as if they had been hit with a paralysis spell.
"Huh? What's wrong with everyone?"
Gin nudged his cousin, but the boy looked at him as if he'd seen a ghost, his expression unnerving.
"Is this... Senju Hashirama's technique?"
The first to speak was Uchiha Madara, who hadn't said much until now. His brows furrowed as he carefully examined the wooden chopsticks on the table, confirming that they were just like those he had seen before. He looked at Gin with a serious expression and asked,
"How do you know this ninjutsu?"
In Madara's memory, Gin's strength had always been a mystery. Whenever he sparred with others, it was always an even match, and though he often lost narrowly, his controlled performance showed that he had more up his sleeve.
Even so, Madara had only ever thought it was Gin's quirky habit. But now, seeing this technique, he couldn't help but take his seemingly laid-back cousin more seriously.
"Is it that hard? Just clap your hands, and it comes out."
Using the same excuse he had given to brush off Uchiha Tajima, Gin's casual explanation made everyone think the same thing:
Does he think we're idiots?
"You curly-haired ape! Do you take us for fools?"
Perfectly voicing everyone's thoughts, Senju Itama made a grand entrance with his accusation.
"Believe what you want! Just eat your meat!"
Gin grabbed a piece of grilled meat and shoved it into the mouth of the chatty boy, hoping to shut him up.
"Mmm~mmph~~~"
Caught off guard, Senju Itama's eyes rolled back as he choked on the meat. Uchiha Haruka quickly patted his back, and the stuck meat slid down his throat, saving the boy from almost choking to death.
"I'll bite you to death!"
Having recovered, Senju Itama leapt at Gin, his face filled with fury and determination to take him down.
"Battle detected! Steel Heart treasure box accumulation has begun..."
Just as Gin was about to dodge the boy's attack, a familiar voice rang in his head, and he sighed. It seemed there was no escaping this fight.
Boom!!!
Senju Itama's powerful headbutt slammed into Gin's chest, sending him crashing to the ground from the force of the impact.
After a moment of dizziness, Gin looked up at the little boy lying on his chest and gave a helpless smile. Speaking in a soothing tone, he said,
"I didn't expect your headbutt to be so strong. Such power is beyond ordinary humans. I, Uchiha Gin, surrender and acknowledge you as the strongest iron head!"
Though it sounded like nonsense, the smile on Gin's face was unbearable to Uchiha Hikari, who was watching from the side.
The inexperienced girl misinterpreted it as a doting smile, and a wave of jealousy rose in her heart. A dark aura coiled around her forehead as the dormant black energy within her began to stir.
"Host failed. You have gained 10 heart energy. After three more battles, you can unlock the Steel Heart treasure box. (Current heart energy: 10)"
Satisfied with the accumulation, Gin stood up, picking up the boy who was still seeing stars. Gin's current physical strength was terrifying even to himself, a perfect mix of various Six Paths bloodlines. He was practically a mini Otsutsuki in the ninja world.
"Save your words for later. Let's eat first."
Seeing Madara's hesitant expression, Gin waved him off, signaling that any questions could be asked later. For now, eating was the priority.
As the rest of the food was served, the smell of grilled fish revived Senju Itama, who quickly grabbed some fish and began devouring it. The others also started eating, and the atmosphere around the table grew lively once more.
"Taro! Are you refusing to take my money because you look down on me?"
When it came time to pay, Uchiha Taro refused to accept Gin's money, and the two argued until Gin slapped a gold bar onto the table, saying,
"Either take it in your pocket, or I'll slap it on your face."
"Just this once, just this once."
Defeated, Taro reluctantly pocketed the heavy gold bar, grateful his belt was tight enough to prevent an embarrassing mishap.
"I'll visit uncle tomorrow. We'll talk then if you have any questions."
As they parted ways, Gin waved goodbye to his younger cousins and led the group of girls in the opposite direction.
On the way, he dropped Uchiha Haruka off at her home, where the purple-haired girl politely expressed her gratitude for the meal.
"Mr. Gin, my mother's been thinking of you!"
She invited Gin to come to her house anytime, mentioning that only she and her mother lived there, and he was always welcome.
Although tempted, Gin felt the icy-hot pressure from behind and firmly, but politely, refused the girl's invitation. With a smile that concealed dark intentions, he quickly made his escape with the others.
Back at his large Wood Release home, Gin ran his hand over the door, marveling at how the house had remained spotless and self-repairing over the years.
But now, it seemed too small. There were only two or three rooms upstairs, two bedrooms and a study. With an additional person in the household, the once spacious house now felt a bit cramped.
"Kid! Go stay in the old house tonight."
Sensing that Hikarj and the Senju kid didn't get along, Gin decided not to disturb Hikari's rest and made arrangements.
"Huh?"
Scumbag! Now that he has someone new, he's forgotten about me?
Senju Itama clenched his fists in anger!
"!"
Hikari's face turned bright red at those words, and her mind filled with inappropriate images.
"Tch!!!"
Reluctantly, Senju Itama stood up and, looking like a sore loser, prepared to leave, glaring at the smug Hikari.
"Hey, hey, hey, what's the rush, kid? Take my bedding with you too. It's not appropriate for just the two of us to be here, so I'll sleep over there too."
Uchiha Gin had just finished mentally planning the renovations for his mansion when he saw Senju Itama walking off alone. He asked curiously, "Is it really appropriate for me, a grown man, and Hikari to be living under the same roof?"
"Huh?"
Senju Itama, startled by Gin's words, looked up in surprise. He hadn't expected Uchiha Gin to choose to stay with him.
He was about to refuse out of habit, but for some reason, a strange feeling stirred in his heart. He turned his head, trying to suppress the smile tugging at his lips, but it was as impossible to hold back as controlling the recoil of an AK.
"Boom!"
In stark contrast to Itama's reaction, Uchiha Hikari felt as though her hopes had been shattered. She had just thought her moment had come, only to have Uchiha Gin's words hit her like a bolt from the blue, crushing her budding emotions before they could even blossom.
Unable to argue back, Hikari saw the smug smile on Senju Itama's face, and the frustration she hadn't yet fully shaken off surged again.
"I'm going to rest."
The dark aura growing around her was hard to miss. Annoyance filled her heart as she coldly spoke, turning on her heel and heading upstairs.
It looks like Hikari is really tired. I'll just let her rest quietly.
Gin thought to himself, convinced he understood what was on her mind. After watching her go upstairs, he turned to the grinning Senju Itama and urged him to leave quickly.
"Hurry up. Tonight, I'm sleeping inside!"
"???"
-
Read 200+ chapters here (with update rate of 5-10 chapters/day):
Patreon.com/rashta
Join as a member and you will get:
- Read up to 350+ chapters of Douluo Dalu: Qian Renxue's Younger Brother
- Read 100 Advanced chapters of WDQK: Divorcing Ling Qingzhu
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein