Chapter 14: Beast, What Are You Trying to Do?

“Ding! Host has encountered a storyline character. System task is being issued...”

“Task initiated: Defeat Uzumaki Mito, who harbors dreams of becoming a heroine, and make her realize the treacherous nature of the martial world and the unpredictability of human hearts. Reward: 10 points, 1 random magic orb. Host failure results in task failure.”

Before him stood an innocent-looking girl with a delicate round face, bright sparkling eyes, cherry-like small lips, and fiery red hair tied into two playful buns, exuding an adorable charm.

Uchiha Gin, stunned by her appearance, was met with a small beast-like snarl revealing sharp little tiger teeth. Her large eyes brimmed with dissatisfaction, like a tiny cat baring its claws.

Feeling underestimated, Uzumaki Mito was about to retort fiercely, but the baked flatbread she had just stuffed into her mouth hadn’t fully gone down.

As the girl opened her mouth, a rush of air forced the half-chewed food down her narrow esophagus, instantly choking her.

Her small hands abandoned the food, clenched into fists, and pounded her chest desperately, trying to swallow.

Watching the girl ready to protest but then banging her chest helplessly, Uchiha Gin sighed and fished out his water bottle from his backpack, twisting the cap open and handing it over.

The girl, nearly rolling her eyes from choking, saw the water bottle like a lifeline, grabbed it, and tilted her head back to gulp it down with a series of gulping sounds.

Feeling as if she had just survived a disaster, the girl looked at the bottle in her hand, about to thank the kind savior.

But when she looked up and saw Uchiha Gin smiling beside her, she let out a startled cry and jumped several meters away, her face full of suspicion.

“Is this how you treat your savior?” Uchiha Gin squinted, teasing.

“Though I’m grateful, I’d rather surrender. Kindly kidnapper,” the girl said, her delicate brows furrowed as she pondered.

“You mean this brat?” Uchiha Gin dragged the still unconscious Senju Banma from behind to the front.

“It’s not that I won’t release him, but you’ll have to defeat me first.”

Determined to complete the task, Uchiha Gin prepared to make a move against the adorable little girl.

Upon hearing this, Uzumaki Mito wore a ‘just as expected’ expression.

She gently set down the mountainous pack on her back, then began warming up, stretching her slender, jade-like arms and legs, adopting a cute starting stance, and said seriously, “Please teach me!”

Uchiha Gin kicked away the obstructing Senju Banma, who rolled away like a tumbling gourd, emitting a faint moan even in his unconscious state.

“Bring it on.”

Uchiha Gin provocatively beckoned with a finger.

“I don’t even need weapons to deal with a brat like you.”

He then sheathed his samurai sword to one side.

Furious at Uchiha Gin’s disdain, Uzumaki Mito’s back seemed to ignite with anger. She forcefully kicked off the ground, launching herself like a cannonball, her speed so swift that Uchiha Gin’s eyelid twitched.

“Take this punch!”

The girl’s angry fist came crashing down vertically toward the still-standing Uchiha Gin, who crossed his arms hurriedly, bracing to withstand the blow.

Unexpectedly, the impact caused numbness in his arms, and he was thrown backward into a backflip, barely landing on his feet.

Shaking his slightly trembling forearms, Uchiha Gin was shocked internally.

“No wonder she’s the future Nine-Tails Jinchuriki—such strength at such a young age.”

Uzumaki Mito looked at her delicate fist in surprise; the kidnapper opposite had actually withstood her punch.

Since childhood, she had shown remarkable physical talent, awakening a rare brute strength at five.

Ordinary Chunin could not endure her full-strength strike, yet the opponent had only stepped back a few paces. Realizing this, the girl ceased underestimating him, her eyes burning with competitive fire.

“Again!”

Uzumaki Mito gathered chakra into her hands.

In an instant, a faint cyan glow appeared on her tender palms. Gazing at those tiny fists, Uchiha Gin felt a chill run down his scalp.

Isn’t this Tsunade’s monstrous strength?

Imagining the consequences of being hammered in the chest by those little fists, Uchiha Gin’s heart sank. Initially planning to bully the kid, he realized this time he had met his match.

Seeing the girl raise her fists, Uchiha Gin retreated, activating his newly awakened Sharingan.

The single tomoe Sharingan only allowed insight, but with its aid, Uchiha Gin could barely see the girl’s moves and dodge her physical attacks.

The faintly rotating tomoe helped him gradually adjust to her speed, almost foreseeing her next move the moment she raised her hand.

“With these cheat-like eyes, no wonder the future is coveted by so many.”

Admiring the Sharingan’s power, Uchiha Gin deftly dodged the girl’s punch, the lotus-like arm brushing past his face, and began contemplating a counterattack.

He really couldn’t bring himself to wield blades against a child—not because he was soft-hearted.

For true threats, he showed no mercy, but the panting bun-haired girl had never intended to kill him.

“Then I’ll have to outwit her.”

With a slight twist of his wrist, a transparent thin thread flicked from his dark chakra and hooked onto the samurai sword stuck in the ground.

Moving deliberately with the girl’s erratic punches, he circled her, the girl unaware she was being led by the nose.

The Uzumaki clan’s bloodline granted her strong vitality; like the Senju, they excelled in endurance battles.

“You’re slippery like an eel. What a coward! If you dare to fight me, stop dodging like a man!”

Frustrated from missing every strike, Uzumaki Mito shouted angrily.

---

“Alright.”

Uchiha Gin, who had been circling, suddenly stopped and nodded seriously a short distance from the girl.

“Take this!”

Seizing the chance, the girl charged with both fists powered up. At the right moment, Uchiha Gin yanked the thread sharply, and a swirl of grass and vegetation rose around her as transparent threads instantly ensnared her.

Before she could dodge, the girl was tightly bound. Despite struggling fiercely, she soon despaired as the tighter she fought, the tighter the threads pulled.

“I suggest you stop struggling. The more you fight, the tighter these threads get. Your thin clothing will tear easily.”

As his words fell, a ripping sound echoed. The girl’s thin clothes were slashed in several places, revealing her pale skin.

Like white jade, her skin bore red marks where the threads dug in. The struggling Uzumaki Mito blushed deeply, steam rising from her body like a steaming princess.

“Damn you! Let me go!”

For the first time enduring such humiliation, tears welled in her eyes, and she looked pitiful, losing all the fierceness she’d shown while chasing him.

“Then admit defeat first.”

Uchiha Gin stared unflinchingly at the defeated Uzumaki Mito, who looked like a “female ninja in despair.” Of course, if she were seven or eight years older, he might not be able to hold back.

“If I admit defeat, will you let me go?”

The pitiful Uzumaki Mito looked at the kidnapper incredulously. She had thought he would tie her up and sell her to some disreputable place.

“I swear on the honor of the Uchiha ancestors!”

Uchiha Gin swore once more on their forefathers.

(“Achoo!” At the same time, the spiky-haired boy was sparring with the boy with the melon-head hairstyle, feeling a cold breeze down his back days later.

“Madara, are you alright?” the melon-headed boy asked with concern.)

Seeing Uchiha Gin so earnest, the girl reluctantly agreed.

“I admit defeat!”

“Ding! Host defeated Uzumaki Mito. Task complete. Points +10. Received blue magic orb *1.”

Uchiha Gin was nearly moved to tears. After so long traveling through time, he had finally completed a task. Then, he examined his rewards in his mind.

Opening the system again, he found his previously empty mental space had transformed into a chessboard-like arena.

He now had a physical form. Following the guide, he stepped onto the board and saw on the left a heart-steel treasure chest containing his task rewards. A row of numbers scrolled above it.

“Host success! Acquired 1 heart energy. Heart-steel treasure chest reward unlocked. (Current accumulated heart energy: 14)”

With a delayed prompt, the number above the chest stopped scrolling.

[14] To be opened.

1 + 10 - 10 + 12 + 1 = 14

Due to a bug penalty midway, the heart-steel layers were reduced to 14.

Strong effort yields miracles!

Uchiha Gin clicked open the chest. It vibrated, accompanied by a catchy BGM, and two colorful magic orbs bearing the heart-steel logo fell out.

With trepidation, he opened one orb. A flash of light, and a gold bar appeared in his hand.

[Gold bar *1] Universal currency, usable for real-world transactions.

Could he really generate money?

Uchiha Gin was astonished, weighing the hefty pure gold. Just this piece alone could spark quite a dispute. Then his eyes moved to the other orb.

“Could it be gold too?”

With that thought, he opened the second orb.

[Uzumaki Clan Physique *1] Grants a slight infusion of Uzumaki bloodline and a minor attribute boost.

The second orb actually contained a bloodline.

Seeing the two characters “Uzumaki,” Uchiha Gin remained calm. Several key figures in the story were orphans of the Uzumaki clan.

Nagato, the mastermind behind the Akatsuki, had relied on Uzumaki blood to endure Uchiha Madara’s Rinnegan, first slaying the toad sage, then leveling Konoha — a true mid-stage powerhouse.

Not to mention the prince; even without the Nine-Tails, he was a stamina and recovery prodigy.

“Attributes?”

Though the bloodline was tempting, the attribute boost intrigued him equally. Mimicking system tropes from his previous life, Uchiha Gin tried summoning the attribute panel.

Immediately, a light screen rose on the chessboard, displaying his avatar.

It really existed!

Host: Uchiha Gin

Ninja: 5

Body: 4

Intellect: 9

Spirit: 3

Charm: 1

Eyes: 5

Skills: Basic Taijutsu, Great Fireball Technique, Uchiha introductory swordsmanship, Intermediate shuriken technique.

Overall evaluation: A slightly clever but annoying single-tomoe Uchiha Genin.

“??? What does ‘annoying’ mean? Why is charm only 1?” the Uchiha muttered, nearly rolling his eyes.

Next, Uchiha Gin activated the Uzumaki Clan Physique orb, and a warm current spread from his heart through his body.

Where his chakra had been trickling like drops, it now flowed like a rushing stream. The warmth made him comfortable, and he felt inexhaustible strength coursing through him.

Feeling reborn, Uchiha Gin glanced back at his attribute panel, recalling the promised minor increase.

Host: Uchiha Gin

Ninja: 7

Body: 8

Intellect: 9

Spirit: 6

Charm: 1

Eyes: 5

Skills: Basic Taijutsu, Great Fireball Technique, Uchiha introductory swordsmanship, Intermediate shuriken technique.

Overall evaluation: A slightly clever but annoying single-tomoe Uchiha Chunin.

The Uzumaki bloodline mainly enhanced Ninja, Body, and Spirit stats, doubling Body and Spirit, which corresponded to physique and chakra.

Having analyzed his attributes, Uchiha Gin noticed a strange device on the right side of the chessboard.

Similar to arcade machines he’d played in his past life, he tried turning it on. The screen lit up with a big “10,” followed by a brief description:

[Shop arcade machine, accumulate points to unlock grand prizes.]

No further explanation was given. After some fruitless fiddling, Uchiha Gin gave up on the machine and curiously asked the system,

“Why are there so many new features this time?”

“Because the host completed a prerequisite task, system loading +10%...”

“Is this not the entire system scenario?”

Uchiha Gin stared incredulously at the now luxurious system space.

“The system is still loading, unable to answer...”

It seemed many functions remained locked. His confidence in surviving until Konoha’s founding grew several times over.

“Maybe I’ll even survive until Boruto.”

He drifted into daydreams.

“Hey, hey, hey! You promised to release me, didn’t you? You can’t just break your word!”

Uzumaki Mito, having just admitted defeat, shouted loudly at the absent-minded Uchiha Gin.

At that moment, his eyes regained focus. The long time spent in the system had been but a moment outside.

“All right, all right, I’m untying you now.”

Grinning broadly at his great gain, Uchiha Gin looked at his benefactor.

“Hey, why is your smile so gross?”

Uzumaki Mito twisted awkwardly, watching his grin.

These threads couldn’t be cut by ordinary blades; only by finding the ends could they be retracted. Uchiha Gin began searching on her body.

Of course, as a gentleman, his mind was pure.

But feeling a pair of large hands with a familiar aura brushing his back, Uzumaki Mito’s small body trembled uncontrollably.

“Need to use the bathroom? Hold on, I’m almost done.”

Misunderstanding, Uchiha Gin quickened his search.

“Why do I sense a familiar aura from this guy?”

Uzumaki Mito’s thoughts ran wild as Uchiha Gin pawed over her, but it made sense—he had just merged with the Uzumaki bloodline, so the shared lineage naturally attracted.

While searching for the thread’s end, a pendant on her chest caught his eye. It bore a demon mask design.

Curious, Uchiha Gin asked,

“That’s a unique amulet.”

Still dizzy, Uzumaki Mito instinctively explained,

“It’s my father’s concealment talisman, inscribed with a sealing jutsu. Wearing it hides chakra. I used it to avoid my clan’s search when I escaped.”

“Impressive, truly worthy of the Uzumaki clan,” Uchiha Gin sincerely praised.

“Not as good as you say!” she replied.

“Ah, found it!”

After a long search, Uchiha Gin located the thread’s end at Uzumaki Mito’s waist and reached to touch it.

“Beast! What are you trying to do!”

With a roar, a figure radiating red light descended from the sky.