Waving goodbye to his little cousin, Gin stared at the pile of lemons on the table with a troubled expression. Just then, the door to his hospital room swung open again. A fragrant breeze swept in, followed by several familiar figures.
One of them immediately darted toward him like a swallow returning to the nest.
"Gin! Are you alright?!"
It was none other than Uchiha Hikari. Her bright eyes shimmered with tears, her small nose was red, and her fair cheeks were full of worry. Before Gin could react, her little hands were already roaming over his body with great familiarity, all while sobbing.
"I heard you got stabbed real bad… where's the hole?"
"Stop, stop, STOP! Don't pull my waistband!"
Gin's hairs stood on end as he yanked his hands down to protect his last line of defense.
At the door, a purple-haired girl stood holding a bag that practically oozed girlish charm. From the top, one could see it was filled to the brim with fruit.
"Ugh… Hikari-senpai really has no shame."
Uchiha Osamu stood with an expressionless face, her pink lips curling ever so slightly. She then spoke coldly,
"Haha! You damn curly-haired monkey must have the devil's luck! Got a hole through your chest and still survived!"
That voice could only belong to the unruly brat himself.
Gin glanced up and spotted Senju Itama. The annoying kid wore a loose robe, his once-white hair now dyed black and tied up in a high bun. His pale, round face was filled with disdain—clearly disappointed that Gin was still breathing. But deep in his black eyes, there were flickers of something else.
In his hand was a bag just like Osamu's. Gin recognized it immediately—it was one of his old childhood bags. Apparently, the brat had scavenged and repurposed it.
Cough cough cough…
Trying not to explode from frustration, Gin forcibly calmed himself. He picked up the still-groping Hikari like a sack of rice, flung her off the bed, and didn't even look her way as she landed on the floor with a disgruntled pout.
Dead-fish eyes back on the three visitors, Gin pointed to the lemons left by Izuna and said wearily:
"Just to be clear—I don't eat lemons."
"Eh?" x2
The two girls holding fruit bags frowned, their eyes drifting downward to the telltale yellow bulges peeking from their bags. A rare look of guilt crossed their faces.
"…Don't tell me you actually bought those?"
Gin narrowed his eyes, staring at the bags in their hands.
"The young clan heir said it was good for you."
Caught red-handed, Osamu and Itama sighed and opened their bags. As expected, they were stuffed full of lemons, their citrusy scent filling the room.
Apparently, on the way to visit Gin yesterday, the two ran into a grinning Izuna, who had just finished his own shopping trip. Upon learning they were also headed to visit Gin, he happily shared his newfound wisdom:
"This is it! The doctor said Big Bro's missing this stuff in his body!"
He proudly waved his massive lemon stash like a war trophy.
…Yeah. Definitely went too easy on him earlier.
"Haha! Amateurs! Watch and learn!"
Hikari, freshly recovered from being flung, puffed up with pride. With a smug expression, she pulled out two purple fruits from behind her back and presented them to Gin like rare treasures.
"Gin~ Eat mine instead!"
"…"
Gin stared at the two heavy, oddly-shaped fruits in his hand. His mouth filled with saliva just from looking at them. The skin was thick and firm.
He gently set them down and said dryly:
"Great gift. Don't bring them again."
NND… Which damn doctor told them I needed vitamin C? First lemons, now passionfruit? I just want something sweet—is that too much to ask?
"Anyway, thanks for coming. It's the thought that counts."
Gin took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He picked up a lemon from the table and forced a smile:
"Lemons aren't all bad. They're great antioxidants and help with aging. Make a bit of lemon water and… mmm, not bad at all."
Anti-aging?
Osamu's eyes lit up at the word. She glanced at Gin's forehead, deep in thought. Gin caught the look and raised an eyebrow.
"Osamu, got something to ask me?"
"Gin-sama… was what you said before really true?"
She stared intently into his eyes with a seriousness that caught Gin off guard.
"What did I say?"
He blinked, genuinely confused.
"That jutsu… you said it preserves youth. Was that real?"
Ah, so it was that. Gin breathed a sigh of relief. He nodded.
"You mean Yin Fūin (Yin Seal)? Of course it's real!"
"Youth-preserving? Gin, where did you learn something like that?!"
Both Hikari and Itama's ears perked up. Hikari's eyes were practically sparkling. Itama said nothing, but her pitch-black eyes were filled with intense curiosity.
Gin chuckled.
"Self-created. But it's not easy to learn."
Honestly, it was just Yin Fūin (Yin Seal)—nothing so rare it had to be kept secret.
Easy for a near-immortal like you to say! For us regular folks, staying young is a BIG deal! Never underestimate a girl's obsession with youth!
"You girls want to learn it?"
Feeling the heat of their stares, Gin asked casually.
"Yes!" x3
"…You too, brat? This jutsu only works for girls."
Gin shot a glare at Itama, who had eagerly raised his hand.
"Then how come YOU can use it?!"
Itama blurted, his face red with fury and embarrassment.
"Eh, well, I'm the creator. Perks of the job."
Gin shrugged with a helpless expression.
"Hmph! I don't care! I'm gonna master it anyway!"
Itama slammed a hand on the table, puffing his well-trained chest with resolve.
"Hah. Fine. Don't come crying when you fail, you little gremlin."
Gin couldn't stop him. Besides, even if the brat failed, the worst that'd happen is he'd look even more like a sassy little lady.
With that thought, Gin pulled an empty scroll from his bag and began writing out the full training method for Yin Fūin (Yin Seal), using the system's explanation as a reference.
"Hoo~ All done. Here's Yin Fūin. Study well. Works like a charm."
He double-checked his writing, making sure there were no errors that might lead to jutsu going haywire, then handed the scroll to Osamu.
"Thank you, Gin-sama!"
Osamu took it reverently, her eyes full of gratitude.
"No problem. I was gonna teach you anyway—just didn't think you'd ask first. If anything's unclear, come see me."
Gin watched the trio buzz with excitement and couldn't help wondering—was Yin Fūin really that big a deal?
"We're off!"
Without another word, the three rushed out the room like they'd won the lottery, leaving Gin speechless.
"…You could've taken the lemons with you, you know."
Click.
The door opened again, barely a moment of peace.
This time, the visitor wasn't carrying anything. Gin relaxed a little.
"Cousin? I just saw Osamu and the others rushing out like they were on fire. Something happen?"
Uchiha Madara stepped in, wearing a deep-blue robe unique to the Uchiha clan. His absurd hairstyle covered one eye, and he looked at Gin with mild confusion.
"Nah. Just gave 'em a little gift."
Gin shook his head. Then, noticing something different in Madara's aura, he gave a sly grin.
"Well well… you're looking sharp, cousin. Something good happen?"
"…Izuna told you, didn't he?"
Madara looked slightly embarrassed.
"Something like that."
Gin didn't deny it. Let the little gremlin take the blame—serves him right for giving out so many lemons.
"That brat can't keep his mouth shut."
Madara clicked his tongue. He'd wanted to surprise Gin, but the secret had already leaked. Slightly awkward.
"It's fine. Congrats, Madara."
Gin smiled. For once, there was genuine sincerity in his tone as he looked at Madara.
Madara blinked in surprise. This was the first time Gin had called him by name in years.
"…Thanks."
A rare smile appeared on Madara's face.
Gin, spotting a golden opportunity, quickly put on a pleading expression.
"As the saying goes, new chiefs burn three fires. Dear clan leader… how about letting me retire back to the dungeon?"
(End of Chapter)
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