Chapter 37: Malice from a Distant Uncle

"How can you smear my innocence out of thin air?"

Hearing this, Uchiha Madara turned bright red and roared at Uchiha Gin. He regretted ever opening his heart to this unreliable cousin.

"And here I thought that with your age, you could offer me some constructive advice. I never expected you to be such a shallow person! I, Madara, am ashamed to be associated with you."

With that, he flicked his sleeve and stormed out like a gust of wind.

"Hey, don't go! Let me give you some pointers, or you'll be stuck being dominated for the rest of your life!"

Uchiha Gin cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted at Madara's retreating back. Passersby in the hallway cast sidelong glances, whispering amongst themselves. Madara wished he had an extra pair of legs to escape this place of gossip.

Izuna, standing at the doorway, saw his older brother fleeing in such a sorry state. He immediately dropped the medicine he had just collected and dashed after him, staging a dramatic, youthful chase.

Uchiha Tajima, looking bewildered as his two sons took off one after another, turned his head and asked with a puzzled face, "Gin, how did you tease Madara this time?"

"Heh, it’s nothing. Just ask Izuna when you go back. He said he wanted to report this to you personally," Uchiha Gin said, eyes crinkling into a smile.

"How truly impolite. I shall be sure to discipline that child when I return." Tajima shook his head, looking as if he were apologizing for Madara's behavior.

"Cousin, you treat me like an outsider when you speak like that." In private, without others around, Tajima allowed Gin to call him 'cousin' instead of 'Clan Head.'

"Gin, it was my oversight. You just returned from a mission, and I had you back to work without giving you any time to rest." Tajima spoke with a look of guilty self-reflection.

"You're being too formal. It’s my own lack of skill that led to me being injured by the Senju clan." When Gin had first woken up, he overheard the conversation between Madara and Izuna. His coma had been attributed by Uchiha Miao to old wounds from his previous mission. Since he didn't want to expose his own actions, he naturally went along with the excuse.

"You must take good care of your head injury. Don't let it leave any lasting damage." Tajima patted Gin on the shoulder, acting like a kind and caring elder.

However, from the depths of the other man's eyes, Gin caught a fleeting, scrutinizing gaze.

"Gin, the report for the last mission isn't finished yet, is it? After you encountered the Uzumaki clan, what happened? Did you run into anyone suspicious?" After offering his condolences, Tajima brought up the last mission, seemingly in passing.

Thinking back, when he had tried to report it before, he was forcefully interrupted after revealing his Sharingan, and he hadn't followed up since.

"After we encountered the Uzumaki, due to the gap in numbers and strength, we were quickly unable to fend them off." Gin acted as if he were deep in thought before narrating, "Their leader, a muscle-bound man, pushed Captain Feng Huo into a retreat. Fortunately, I managed to capture a young Uzumaki child in the forest."

Recalling Uzumaki Mito’s adorable hair buns, Gin continued with a smile, "That Uzumaki child seemed to have a significant status. I used her as leverage to draw the muscle-bound man away. In the end, we reached a deal: I released the child, and he granted us a path to survive."

After hearing Gin’s half-truth, Tajima nodded. "Calm under pressure. You are worthy of being my nephew."

"All thanks to your training, Cousin." Gin flattered him.

"Did you encounter any other strange people or things?" Tajima persisted, refusing to give up.

"Er... now that you mention it, that reminds me. During the time I held the Uzumaki child captive, she took out a ninja tool, trying to fight back." Gin tapped his hand as if he had just remembered.

"What kind of ninja tool?" Tajima became interested.

"Just a pearl. Nothing special. After she used it, only a streak of a rune struck me. But after it hit, there was no special reaction. Perhaps it was broken." Gin shrugged, indicating he felt no ill effects.

"Where did it hit?"

"Right here." Gin pointed to his head.

"I see. Then you should get some good rest, Gin. Don't go to work for a while." Tajima furrowed his brow imperceptibly before standing up and speaking to Gin.

"I’m already fine. I can go back to work as usual tomorrow." Gin climbed out of bed and performed several high-difficulty movements to prove he was fine.

"Very well. Don't push yourself." Unable to argue, Tajima had to nod in agreement.

Gin smiled as he watched his cousin leave. Once the man was out of sight, the smile on Gin's face faded.

This Uchiha Tajima was hiding something from him. During their conversation, for some reason, Gin felt a faint sensation in his heart—a warning that Tajima harbored deeply hidden malice toward him.

"Was it an illusion?" Gin pondered, but once this feeling took root, it was not easily dismissed.

Soon after, a refreshed Gin left the hospital bed. Seeing the sun setting, he figured it was time to head home.

He bought plenty of vegetables at the market on his way back; just in case he didn't return one day, he could leave enough for that brat Senju Itama to survive for a few days.

After selecting a few durable ingredients, he was about to pay the vendor when he felt a sudden surge of malice from the person in front of him.

The feeling came out of nowhere, leaving him baffled. In the end, he simply threw the money at the vendor, who was busy avoiding his gaze.

Carrying his bags, he walked home with his head down, silently contemplating whether that feeling had been an illusion or something else entirely.

When he pushed open his front door, Senju Itama—who usually tried to ambush him—was nowhere to be seen. The room, which had been somewhat cluttered, had been tidied up and looked brand new.

Hearing the door open, a black-haired version of Senju Itama poked his head out from the kitchen, wearing an apron, and looked up and down at the sullen-faced Uchiha Gin.

"Why are you back so early today?"

"What are you doing, kid?"

He tried to project his earlier sensation toward Itama, but found no feedback of malice.

"Hmph, I only made enough for myself. If you want to eat, make it yourself!"

Only then did Gin notice the spatula in the brat's hand.

"Oh my, the young master of the Senju clan can actually cook?" Gin curiously squeezed into the kitchen, only to see an indescribable mass in the pot. "Hey, what kind of eldritch cuisine are you making?"

"Who are you looking down on? Taste it, it's absolutely delicious!"

Sensing the skepticism in his tone, Itama immediately scooped a plate of pixelated-looking sludge and handed it to Gin.

"Forget it, forget it. I don't have the stomach for this. I'm afraid if I eat this, I'll see my Uchiha great-grandmother." Gin declined with a polite but firm refusal; he wanted to live a few more years.

"Don't come begging me for a bite later." Itama, brimming with misplaced confidence, scooped up a glob and stuffed it into his mouth.

A few seconds later...

"I beg you, don't die!"

As he shook the frothing Itama, Gin felt immense regret. If he had known, he should have just eaten the whole pot himself; at worst, he would have had a stomachache, but this kid was literally courting death.

Fortunately, it ended without tragedy. After being shaken violently, Itama vomited everything he had eaten and managed to save his own life.

Looking at the extremely weak boy, Gin felt a lingering fear. Now that the boy's life was bound to his own, if anything happened to him, he would lose his life as well.

He picked up the boy; the thin, small body felt light and soft. Looking at the boy’s sleeping face, Gin realized that he wasn't actually that annoying—his small, round face was even a little cute.

He shook his head, dispelling the strange thoughts. He wasn't Uchiha Madara; why would he have any thoughts about a man from the Senju clan?