Chương 9: 9. Warning
Uchiha Ryoichi left cursing under his breath, leaving behind an unwilling Uchiha Gin.
To Uchiha Gin, the people around him were nothing more than green, ripe crops, waiting for him to harvest them one by one.
"Looks like I can't count on Ryoichi tomorrow," Uchiha Gin thought regretfully, but still couldn't help but shout:
"Ryoichi! Let's spar again some other time!"
Without turning his head, Uchiha Ryoichi extended a hand and gave a "friendly" middle-finger gesture, clearly showing how much he was "looking forward" to Uchiha Gin's challenge.
"Tsk, these local Uchiha have no manners," Uchiha Gin muttered in frustration.
He had already exhausted his battle limit for the day.
According to the system's description, even if he engaged in combat again, the Heart of Steel treasure chest wouldn't be triggered.
With nothing else to do, he began examining the treasure chest in his mind. It looked as flashy as those from his previous life.
During the earlier fight, like when he had faced Senju Itama the day before, the system played an intense BGM, but this time he was prepared and muted the music.
Uchiha Gin tried clicking the treasure chest but got no response. He pondered, "Is there no item description?"
"The system is currently in an early-access state. 90% of the content is yet to be loaded. Please be patient," the system finally responded after being silent for so long, kindly explaining to Uchiha Gin.
But before Uchiha Gin could ask more questions, the system disappeared again. No matter how much he called, it didn't respond.
"Looks like I'll have to accumulate four fights to unlock whatever's in this treasure chest," Uchiha Gin thought.
Unable to figure out anything, Uchiha Gin gave up on researching further. After all, he had only activated the system a day ago, and its functions would have to be explored slowly.
He turned his attention to the remaining Uchiha members.
With a malicious glint in his dead-fish eyes, he looked at Uchiha Fuka, who was cleaning his blade, and Uchiha Taro, who was meditating to refine his chakra. Both of them shivered in unison.
The next morning, Uchiha Gin woke up early and went straight to the usually silent Uchiha Fuka.
"Brother Fuka, I've heard your swordsmanship is godlike. It just so happens that Clan Leader Tajima once taught me a sword technique, and I'd like to take this opportunity to spar with you and improve together."
Uchiha Fuka, surprised by the request, hesitated before replying, "We're about to set off. Sparring now might not be a good idea. Let's wait until we rest."
But Uchiha Gin wasn't about to let his prey escape so easily. He insisted, "It won't take long—just one move to decide the winner."
Seeing that Uchiha Fuka was still reluctant, he added, "Or could it be that you're afraid to lose to me? Understandable, given that it's a technique personally taught by the Clan Leader. Most Uchihas wouldn't be able to handle it."
He made a show of sighing regretfully, making Uchiha Fuka grit his teeth in frustration.
Looking at Uchiha Gin's swelling ego, Uchiha Fuka couldn't believe it. He immediately drew both his rib sword from his waist and the long sword from his back, assuming a stance.
"Please, show me what you've got!"
A dual-wielding swordsman, huh? Uchiha Gin thought as he analyzed Uchiha Fuka's stance. Without hesitation, he drew his own katana.
With both hands gripping the sword tightly, Uchiha Gin stared at Uchiha Fuka, as if searching for an opening.
The two stood frozen for a while, neither making a move. Uchiha Fuka was waiting for an opening, but to his surprise, Uchiha Gin seemed full of weak points.
On the other hand, Uchiha Gin was waiting for the system's prompt, feeling hesitant without its signal.
"Brother Fuka, please, make the first move," Uchiha Gin eventually said, remembering that in his last two fights, his opponents had attacked first.
But Uchiha Fuka wasn't relaxed either. Despite Uchiha Gin's seemingly flawed stance, his calm expression suggested he was fully confident. This overthinking made Uchiha Fuka sweat nervously.
As soon as Uchiha Gin finished speaking, Uchiha Fuka leaped forward and swung his first strike cautiously.
The moment Uchiha Fuka made his move, Uchiha Gin's senses sharpened. The system's voice echoed in his mind:
"Detected combat. Heart of Steel treasure chest accumulation begins."
Just as Uchiha Gin had predicted, the system only activated when his opponent attacked first.
But if this was the case, wouldn't all future fights require him to provoke his enemies with taunts? Assassinations and sneak attacks wouldn't trigger the Heart of Steel chest. He'd go from being a stealthy assassin to a warrior who had to rile up his opponents first.
With no time to ponder, Uchiha Gin saw Uchiha Fuka advancing. He tossed his katana aside and raised his hands in surrender.
"I give up!" Uchiha Gin declared boldly.
Uchiha Fuka's blade stopped just inches from his nose, his usually cold expression turning red with frustration, feeling utterly insulted.
He hesitated for three seconds, preparing to speak, but before he could, Uchiha Gin suddenly rolled forward, grabbed his fallen katana, and swung it upwards at the now-off-guard Uchiha Fuka.
Fortunately, Uchiha Fuka was a seasoned swordsman. His reflexes kicked in as he blocked the katana with his rib sword, using the momentum to jump back and adjust his stance.
"Is this really a sword technique?" Uchiha Fuka sneered. "Pretending to be weak to lure me in for a sneak attack? This doesn't seem like something the Clan Leader would teach."
"Come on, I was just joking," Uchiha Gin said with a serious face, while thinking to himself, "I got a warning for surrendering?"
The moment he dropped his sword and surrendered, instead of the expected system rewards, he received a harsh system warning.
"Detected foul play. 10 Heart Points deducted. The system has zero tolerance for cheating. If this happens again, the Heart of Steel chest will be revoked. The battle continues."
Realizing his mistake, Uchiha Gin immediately retaliated. The loss of 10 points pained him, and he quickly gave up on trying to exploit the system.
"It seems I'll have to earn these points the hard way. No shortcuts."
Resigning to the rules, Uchiha Gin faced Uchiha Fuka properly, but just as expected, he was defeated in three moves. His katana almost slipped from his hands.
"That's it?" Uchiha Fuka asked in disbelief, looking down at Uchiha Gin. "Weren't you acting all confident just now?"
"Host has failed. Gained 12 Heart Points. One more battle required to unlock Heart of Steel chest. (Current total: 13)."
Surprisingly, he earned two more points than last time.
"Cough… what a glorious fight! I, Uchiha Gin, acknowledge you as the strongest swordsman!"
Kneeling with one knee on the ground, Uchiha Gin gave a thumbs-up with a grin, flashing a bright, exaggerated smile.
Uchiha Fuka was speechless. He sheathed his sword and walked away without looking back, clearly feeling insulted.
"I've gained much from this battle. I look forward to tomorrow's rematch after some rest!" Uchiha Gin called after him.
"A fool," Uchiha Fuka muttered as he walked off.
Their battle had been brief, and the others in the camp had finished packing up. After clearing their tracks, the group continued on their journey.
Uchiha Gin carried the still-unconscious Senju Hagoromo on his back. After a full day of traveling, he had gotten used to carrying a person, and the journey was much easier today.
Luckily, they encountered no enemies along the way. By nightfall, Uchiha Fuka, leading the group, ordered them to set up camp.
Everyone pitched their tents. Uchiha Gin had just finished his when he heard a faint voice:
"Brother… brother..."
Senju Itama had woken up, muttering in a weak voice.
"Your brother's dead," Uchiha Gin whispered in his ear, like a devil.
"Wha—?! No! No!!" Senju Itama wailed in despair.
"Oh, and by the way, your little brother's dead too. Congratulations, you're now a cute little girl who pees sitting down."
Wait… wasn't that already the case?
The blow from Uchiha Gin brought Senju Itama fully back to his senses. Realizing he had been captured, he tried to scream but found his mouth stuffed, tears streaming down his face.
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