"Now, be a good girl and tell me… where did Xiao Guang go?"
Holding the puffed-cheek girl up by the scruff, Gin waved his sandbag-sized fist in front of her face."Or else we'll have to do this the clan way."
"…Heh."
The girl rolled her delicate eyes and let out a contemptuous laugh, staring at Gin with ridicule."I don't believe you would—ahhh!"
"I've got a lot of experience dealing with brats like you."
Blowing on his fist, Gin lamented at how refined his head-thwacking technique had become. Maybe it was time to add a new taijutsu secret art to his skill list.
"You… you don't play by the rules!"
The blackened Xiao Guang sat on the ground, teary-eyed, hands clutching the big lump on her head as she accused him with a quivering voice."How dare you hit me? I'm Uchiha Hikari!"
"And because you're Uchiha Hikari, you're getting spanked!"
Gin, who never spoiled disobedient brats, laid her across his knee and raised his righteous palm, dishing out justice to the girl's soft, springy backside.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
"You… you actually hit my butt!"
Her face flushed with both anger and embarrassment, the blackened Xiao Guang tried and failed to escape his iron grip.
"Ah? Stay still now~"
The crisp sound of discipline echoed across the battlefield.
"Wuuu… I won't do it again~"
Clutching her sore behind, she slumped onto the ground, tears dripping down as she lowered her head, no longer daring to meet the eyes of the devilish man before her.
Tsk… the feel is about the same as that Senju brat.
Gin shook his slightly reddened palm and compared it to Senju Itama in his mind — honestly, the Senju kid still had the edge.
Sigh… poor children of the Uchiha clan.
Shaking his head, he silently condemned the clan's negligence when it came to proper childhood development.
"Alright, now… can you tell me who you really are?"
Squatting down, he patted the still-sniffling girl and gave what he thought was a "kind" smile, speaking gently.
"Don't come any closer!!!"
The girl clutched the green cloak around her and shrank into it, leaving only her trembling little head exposed.
Seeing her recoil so strongly, Gin rubbed his chin, a little frustrated. It seemed he'd scared her into a full-blown PTSD episode — she trembled just seeing him now.
Sigh… nothing to be done for now.
Given the pressing situation, he'd have to deal with her odd behavior later. Thinking of this, Gin stopped pressuring her.
The wind atop the Susanoo was chilly, and worried she'd catch cold in her thin clothes, Gin considerately reached over to pull the cloak's hood over her head.
"…Eh? A-Yin, where are we?"
The instant the hood settled, her aura abruptly changed — the bloodthirsty malice vanished, replaced by her warm and gentle self.
She looked up, her face now clear of the earlier madness, eyes filled with puzzlement.
"Are you really Xiao Guang?"
Gin's tone was still "menacing," not trusting her just yet.
"Are you stupid? Hahaha~"
The girl giggled at his dopey expression, unable to hold back her laughter.
Still wary, Gin used his long-neglected sensing skill — she radiated nothing but goodwill now, which finally let him relax.
"Do you remember what just happened?"
Confirming her sanity, Gin pointed at the crimson Susanoo underfoot and asked,"You were chasing me around in your big mecha for half the day."
"…Hah???"
The girl covered her little mouth, utterly incredulous."How's that possible? My Susanoo can only form a pair of hands — I haven't learned anything else yet!"
After transplanting Gin's Mangekyō, she'd barely mastered the first stage of Susanoo before being sealed. Most of her battles relied on her Yasaka no Magatama, Amaterasu, and Tsukuyomi.
She'd always thought: if only her Susanoo had been stronger back then, maybe she wouldn't have been sealed.
"Then drop your Susanoo for now. We need to go help Uncle."
Gin didn't have time to dwell on it. Tajima was still in a 1v2, and with Wangliang in the mix, there was no time to lose.
The girl obediently dispelled her half-body Susanoo and once again climbed onto his familiar back. Gin didn't care about propriety at this point — he scooped her up and dashed toward Tajima.
"Ah~"
The sudden grab made her gasp softly. Feeling the burning sting on her rear, she blushed furiously.
With Gin's big hand pressing against her injury, the pain mixed with an odd tingle that made her shiver, her heated body fidgeting on his back.
"Don't squirm."
Noticing her wriggling, Gin lightly patted her and warned."Ahhh~!"
Her odd little cry made him sigh. She went limp, resting her flushed face against his broad back, breathing lightly and finally going still.
When Gin arrived at Tajima's side, he found that the expected all-out battle hadn't happened yet.
Everyone stood frozen, staring at him with five wide eyes full of question marks.
"…Why are you all staring at me? Not fighting anymore? Want me to mediate?"
Seeing the sudden quiet, Gin felt deeply confused. Yao had always talked about devouring Tajima alive — why was he so calm now?
"A-Yin, that jutsu you used just now… what was it? I've never seen anything like it."
It was Yao himself who finally spoke up. Having witnessed the legendary technique that subdued Susanoo, his scholar's curiosity burned.
The other four eyes in the clearing all turned expectantly to Gin as well.
"…Oh, that?"
Gin gently set Xiao Guang down — she nearly stumbled, her legs weak from overusing Susanoo.
"You see, left hand earth, right hand water. Then like this — clap! — and there you have it."
He raised his hands earnestly, channeling earth chakra in the left, water chakra in the right. Then he brought them together with a crisp clap.
The two opposing natures fused into a soft green glow that radiated a vast, vibrant life force, leaving the three other masters of ninjutsu completely dumbfounded.
Gin's little demonstration sent blood rushing to their heads — Yao almost keeled over on the spot, saved only by Wangliang supporting him just in time.
"…Do you take us for idiots?!"
Yao trembled as he jabbed a finger at Gin's nose, shouting furiously. If this weren't his grandson, he'd have already used genjutsu to "teach him some respect."
"I always speak the truth, tetsu-tetsu."
Gin replied deadpan, brushing his curls back with a grin.
(End of Chapter)
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