Madara had no choice but to recount everything that happened after Gin's death to the increasingly irritated Uchiha Myō.
Even though it all sounded absurdly unscientific, the old man, out of respect for Madara's position, furrowed his brows and listened patiently.
Smack! "I get it now."
You had to admit, Myō really was a master in his field. Just from Madara's description, he deduced most of what happened. He clapped his hands together, his face lighting up in sudden realization.
"So from what you said, after Uchiha Gin died, the mark on his forehead mutated and spontaneously released a massive amount of Yang Release (Yang Style) chakra, healing his fatal wounds and reviving his life force?"
"That's right. Exactly like that!"
Talking to someone with a brain really was a relief. If it had been some hot-headed fool, he'd be yanking out IV tubes in frustration.
"When did the mark disappear?"
Myō glanced at Gin's forehead. It was smooth, without a trace of the strange mark Madara had mentioned.
"After his wounds healed and his life force stabilized, it slowly faded."
Madara recalled how, on the journey back, Gin's facial markings had slowly vanished as his body returned to normal.
"Seems like Uchiha Gin created a secret technique that stimulates cellular activity to achieve resurrection."
Myō nodded, nearly guessing the concept behind Sōzō Saisei (Creation Rebirth) to a tee.
"Then why hasn't he woken up yet?"
Relieved at first, Madara quickly grew concerned again as he glanced at his still-unconscious cousin.
"Any power that defies nature comes with a heavy price. For someone to cheat death… the cost must be tremendous."
Myō frowned deeply. His lined face tightened with concern as he prepared to deliver the worst-case scenario.
Sensing this tone, Madara tensed.
It's all my fault… if only I hadn't—
"Elder Myō! Uchiha Gin—"
Just then, a breathless voice cut in.
"What is it? Why are you shouting like that? Show some decorum!" Myō glared coldly at the intruding researcher, then turned back to Madara with a forced smile.
"Apologies, young master. Now, back to Uchiha Gin's condition…"
"Elder! Gin has woken up!"
"What did you say?"
"Elder! Can you hear me?"
"Silence! Can't you see I'm discussing urgent matters with the young master?"
Myō's patience finally snapped, and he mentally noted to discipline the loud-mouthed subordinate later.
"Young master, as I was saying—"
"Elder Myō, maybe we should listen to what he's saying?"
Madara interrupted, eyeing the desperate researcher clawing at the doorframe.
"Hurry up and spit it out!"
Myō snapped again.
"Gin has woken up!"
"Nani?!"
Myō felt as if his face had been slapped. Luckily, he hadn't just declared Gin would never wake up. Otherwise, this would be really awkward.
"Really? I have to see for myself!"
Madara couldn't contain his excitement. He dashed off toward the room, completely ignoring Myō's embarrassment.
"Oh~ little cousin, my arms, my legs, my chest, my mouth… I can't move any of them. Go peel me an orange, will ya?"
Before Madara even reached the room, Gin's familiar voice—greedy and dramatic—reached his ears. His hand froze on the door handle, eyes welling up with tears. He paused to wipe them, took a deep breath, and pushed open the door with his usual icy demeanor.
"You're really hard to kill, huh?"
"Tch! Do you even hear yourself?"
Gin rolled his eyes dramatically at the sarcastic greeting, just as he had been joking around with Izuna.
"How did you survive?"
Madara, despite his cold expression, was brimming with joy. After checking there were no strangers present, he finally voiced what everyone had wanted to ask.
"Sigh~ That story starts one night, many years ago. The sky was clear, not a cloud in sight, the moon shone—"
"Spare me."
Gin quickly cut off his nonsense when he saw Madara's unamused face and switched to a more serious tone.
"Cough… As you know, my body's always been weak—"
"Hmph! You sound nothing like your father—always slick-tongued, never telling the truth."
Myō pushed in just behind Madara and scoffed, immediately exposing Gin's lie.
"Your physical condition is exceptionally strong. Don't feed me that 'frail' nonsense."
Tch. This old coot talks too much. Keep it up and I'll burn fake paper money at your grave.
"Elder Myō is absolutely right!"
Gin grinned, giving a thumbs-up. "But that's my current state. Back then, I really was frail—everyone knows that, right?"
His face fell for a moment before he continued with hope in his eyes.
"That's true," Myō admitted, stroking his beard. He had been in charge of Gin's health checks after that incident years ago. The memory of that shattered body still made his spine tingle.
"To improve my condition, I spent years researching, skipping sleep and meals. Ask little Chi—it's why I'm hypoglycemic~"
Gin spewed his nonsense shamelessly.
"Uh… Gin-san does like sweets a lot, so… maybe?" Chi, caught off guard, answered with a confused expression.
"You see! Just as I said!"
Gin clapped, interrupting everyone's train of thought—couldn't let them think too hard. That'd ruin everything.
"Heaven helps those who help themselves. Perhaps my persistence moved our ancestors. Eventually, I developed a medical jutsu."
"Achoo!! Sorry, keep going."
Madara sneezed suddenly, rubbing his nose.
"You developed a jutsu, big cousin?"
Izuna's eyes sparkled in awe.
"Hehe~ I've always had insane talent when it comes to research."
Gin puffed up proudly.
Everyone else thought he was bluffing—except for Tajima and Myō, who exchanged skeptical glances. They knew Gin's background well. If he really inherited the right genes, then such genius wasn't impossible.
"Alright then. Let's assume it's yours. Since there are no outsiders here, tell us: what is this resurrection jutsu exactly?"
Myō leaned forward, determined to get answers.
"Fine, fine. I'll explain!"
Gin threw his hands up like he was giving in and began.
"It's called Yin Fūin (Yin Seal). Normally, it stores chakra. With practice, the chakra stored in the forehead mark can be slowly regulated and released to maintain youth and peak physical condition."
He dumped everything he knew about the Yin Seal onto them in one go.
Because of his overly technical explanation, everyone pretended to understand—even those who didn't—just to avoid looking ignorant.
"Hmm, yes, I see~" Myō nodded knowingly.
"A terrifying technique indeed," Tajima followed up, eyes darting suspiciously.
"Huh?" Madara and Izuna exchanged dumbfounded looks.
"Youthful appearance…" Chi latched onto that part, his gaze shifting to Gin's still-youthful face. He made a mental note:
I have to learn this technique no matter what!
"Well then, since Gin is fine, let's not disturb his rest."
Tajima motioned for everyone to leave the room.
"Big cousin! Don't move around too much—I'll bring oranges tomorrow!" Izuna waved happily as he left.
Tch. Why does it feel like he got the upper hand?
"Cousin, rest well. We'll resume training when you recover."
Madara's voice was rare in its warmth.
"I'll let Hikaru and Itama know. We'll visit again tomorrow," Chi said, bowing and leaving.
"I'll go recheck the data," Myō added, planning to ask more about the jutsu—until he saw Tajima's meaningful look and got the message. He left quietly.
Once everyone was gone, Gin dropped the act, leaped off the bed, and took a bite of an apple from the table—only to spit it out when he saw a worm.
"Peh! Uncle, you still here?"
"Gin, be honest with me. That secret technique… did you learn it from Uchiha Yao?"
(End of Chapter)
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