章 8: 8. Losing Streak
"It was a dark and stormy night. As usual, I was dutifully guarding the clan leader's office door. Even though it was late, I didn't dare slack off for a moment because the clan leader was still inside, tirelessly working on strategies for the war. Suddenly, I heard the sound of something breaking, followed by the clan leader's roar."
At this point, Uchiha Gin paused, glancing at the few Uchiha members who were listening intently.
"Hurry up and tell us! What did the clan leader shout about?"
Uchiha Ryoichi, who was eagerly listening, urged him on.
"Yes, yes," Uchiha Tsuruhiko and Uchiha Taro echoed, while Uchiha Fuka, who hadn't spoken, stared at Gin with curiosity in his eyes.
Feeling a bit thirsty, Uchiha Gin reached for the water bottle behind him, only to find it empty.
Just as he was thinking about it, Uchiha Ryoichi handed over his own water bottle.
Uchiha Gin, feeling the dryness in his throat, didn't hesitate and quickly gulped down the water.
After quenching his thirst, Uchiha Gin raised his hand to signal for patience, then continued, with a mysterious tone:
"'Damn you, Senju Butsuma! I will grind your bones to dust, and your family shall serve me!'"
"What does that mean?"
Uchiha Ryoichi and the others were baffled.
Uchiha Gin sighed and shook his head, showing a frustrated expression.
"Why do you think someone as weak as me has been able to stay as Clan Leader Tajima's personal bodyguard for so many years? What do you think I've relied on?"
"Isn't it because the clan leader is your uncle?" Uchiha Tsuruhiko quietly muttered.
But since the cave wasn't very large, his words echoed in everyone's ears.
"Ahem, as they say, 'one should promote the worthy even if they are relatives.'"
Uchiha Gin awkwardly coughed.
"I rely on my unwavering loyalty to the clan leader, but more importantly, I can interpret every move he makes."
"Interpret?"
"Someone as great as the clan leader doesn't do anything casually. Every movement, every word he says carries another layer of meaning."
"There are some things he says that are essentially unsaid, and other things he doesn't say that carry a deeper meaning only a select few can grasp."
"For instance, in this mission, the explicit order was to kill the genius of the Senju clan on the spot, but the deeper task is to capture him alive."
"Think about it. Senju Butsuma dotes on his youngest son. A straightforward assassination would only provoke the Senju clan into a desperate retaliation, which would bring unnecessary losses to our family. But if we capture his son alive, the clan leader can use him to threaten the Senju clan. It's all benefits for the Uchiha."
"A brilliant plan! Did the clan leader reveal this to you?" Uchiha Fuka, who had been listening quietly, couldn't help but marvel.
"No, I just guessed."
". . ."
Though the explanation was far-fetched, it convinced Uchiha Fuka and the others, who were now just waiting for the mission to conclude.
Whether Senju Itama lived or died wasn't really Uchiha Gin's concern anymore.
After a night of rest, the group recovered slightly and began the journey back to the Uchiha clan with the bound Senju Itama.
Since they were deep behind enemy lines, it would take them nearly half a month to return home.
Because Uchiha Gin had taken it upon himself to spare Senju Itama's life, he was now responsible for carrying him.
But the main reason was that he feared the others might accidentally kill Itama, which would cause their mission to fail and endanger him as well.
After traveling for a full day, the group camped by a small river. During the night, Senju Itama woke up briefly, but before he could react, Uchiha Gin knocked him out again with a slap.
He didn't have the energy to deal with Itama at the moment. Even though he'd removed the cumbersome armor from the boy, a child still weighed about thirty or forty pounds, and Uchiha Gin's weak body was struggling.
Sitting there in a daze, Uchiha Gin suddenly realized that he hadn't triggered today's "Heart of Steel" treasure chest yet. He still didn't fully understand the mechanism behind its activation.
After thinking for a bit, he got up and walked over to Uchiha Ryoichi, who was resting by a tree.
Seeing Uchiha Gin approach, Uchiha Ryoichi frowned, not understanding why Gin was bothering him instead of resting.
During the day, Gin's slow pace had already caused the group to cover less than half of their planned distance, making Ryoichi, who wanted to return early, a bit resentful.
"Brother Ryoichi," Uchiha Gin spoke first.
"Don't call me brother, I'm younger than you."
Uchiha Gin was 24 years old, while Uchiha Ryoichi was only 20. Though Gin was four years older, their skill levels were miles apart.
"Ryoichi..."
Gin didn't hold back.
". . ."
Seeing Ryoichi's speechless expression, Gin got straight to the point.
"Ryoichi, I want to spar with you."
". . ."
Uchiha Ryoichi was momentarily stunned.
However, since there is no system sound followed, Uchiha Gin thought to himself, "Looks like challenging him directly won't trigger the Heart of Steel battle condition."
"I'm busy."
For someone as weak as Uchiha Gin, Ryoichi didn't want to waste his time.
"Scared? After all, my shuriken technique was personally taught by the clan leader. To this day, I've never met a match."
Gin wore a regretful expression, shaking his head as if lamenting the isolation of being so skilled.
"Damn it! If I don't turn you into a pincushion today, I'll change my name to Senju!" Ryoichi snapped, his temper flaring.
Poor Ryoichi had never learned Sun Tzu's Art of War.
"Detected combat with host. Heart of Steel treasure chest is now accumulating."
As expected, hearing the notification in his mind, Uchiha Gin's heart filled with joy.
The battle with Ryoichi began, but since they were both of the same clan, neither aimed to kill.
Ryoichi started by throwing five shuriken from different angles, aiming for the gaps in Uchiha Gin's limbs. Gin, relying on his predecessor's memories, skillfully threw five shuriken of his own to intercept.
As expected, the ten shuriken clashed precisely in mid-air. Seeing the scattered shuriken on the ground, Uchiha Gin's opinion of his predecessor improved a little. It seemed the previous Uchiha Gin wasn't entirely useless.
"Interesting. Let's try this."
Seeing his shuriken blocked, Uchiha Ryoichi got serious.
He removed the large windmill shuriken from his back and hurled it at Uchiha Gin. As the massive shuriken flew toward him, Gin didn't dodge, instead watching it approach with a calm expression.
This sight terrified Ryoichi, who wondered if Gin had a death wish. He didn't want to be responsible for killing a fellow clansman, so he quickly dashed forward, hoping to stop the shuriken before it sliced Gin in half.
Ryoichi was fast, but just as he was about to reach the shuriken, Uchiha Gin dropped to the ground in a full-body bow, narrowly avoiding the deadly attack. The sudden loss of a target caused Ryoichi to stumble, nearly falling into the river.
Lying on the ground, Uchiha Gin raised both hands and mockingly said, "As expected of the clan's number one shuriken genius, Uchiha Ryoichi. I, Uchiha Gin, declare you the strongest in shuriken! I concede."
"Plop!"
Angered by Gin's shamelessness, Ryoichi couldn't control himself and fell straight into the water. He had never encountered someone so brazen.
"Host has failed. Gained 10 Heart Energy. Two more battles required to unlock Heart of Steel treasure chest. (Current Heart Energy: 11)."
Hearing the notification, Uchiha Gin's eyes lit up. Without caring about his own sorry state, he quickly got up and pulled Ryoichi out of the water.
"Ryoichi, I think today's battle should end here. What a thrilling fight! I've learned so much from this. I hope, after tonight's rest, we can fight again tomorrow!"
Gin's words sounded grand and noble, but Ryoichi's forehead veins bulged in frustration.
"Get lost!!!!"
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