Chapter 70: Come Play a Word Puzzle

"You're too young to be acting like some edgy little delinquent."

Uchiha Gin raised his hand and delivered a solid flick to Uchiha Izuna's forehead, making the boy yelp in pain.

"This is cool though! All the kids in the clan are doing it lately."

Izuna clutched the growing bump on his head, his eyes brimming with tears.

Recently, for some reason, the kids in the compound had picked up this strange "dark phase" game—smearing their faces with soot, covering one eye and spouting cryptic, brooding lines that left the adults baffled.

"Tomorrow's the third day already… what exactly is this mission the clan head assigned?"

After schooling the overdramatic kid, Gin absentmindedly ruffled his curly hair and asked. Izuna had told him a few days ago to be ready for a mission with Tajima in three days—and the time was almost up.

"I was just about to tell you about that!"

Izuna suddenly perked up, like he'd only just remembered. He'd originally come to find Gin and talk about it… but he'd gotten distracted halfway through by his big brother Madara acting all suspicious, and let his curiosity lead him off track.

"Tomorrow at noon, come to our house. Father will give you instructions then."

Izuna nodded solemnly, repeating his father's words word for word.

Not bothering to disturb the boy's little stalker mission any further, Gin swung by the market to pick up some groceries, then strolled leisurely back to his new house.

Just as he finished unloading his bags into his shiny new home, the delivery from the general store arrived as well.

The same deliverymen from before froze in disbelief when they saw the luxurious two-story home towering where there'd been nothing just days ago.

They all rubbed their eyes and whispered to each other—Wasn't this just an empty lot last time? Where did this house come from?!

Gin didn't bother explaining. He just focused on checking the goods. The deliverymen, intimidated by his demeanor, didn't dare question him and quickly scurried away once everything was confirmed.

Unpacking alone was a pain though, so Gin, not one to waste free labor, went back to the old house and slapped the still-sleeping Senju Itama awake.

"Get up and help, brat."

"Mmmm… I'm full…"

Itama, still half-asleep, muttered something nonsensical and refused to budge.

Gin narrowed his eyes and locked on the boy's round, meaty little butt. He raised his hand… and brought it down.

Smack!

The sharp crack filled the room.

"AAAAHHHH!!"

Itama sprang up, clutching his bright-red butt, his face flushed with shame and rage as he glared at Gin, practically steaming from the head.

"You hentai! I'll take you down with me!"

The boy lunged in a furious, kamikaze charge.

"Enough. We've got real work to do."

Gin calmly stopped him with a single finger to the forehead and smiled.

"I'm moving."

"Huh? Then what about me?"

Itama froze, blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

"You? You'll stay here. I'm leaving. Sleeping on the couch is killing my back."

Gin shrugged nonchalantly.

"…I can sleep on the couch then."

After a long silence, Itama finally muttered, turning his head and mumbling something else.

"If I sleep on the couch, you can have the bedroom… so you don't have to leave, right?"

That expression looked like he'd just betrayed his entire clan.

"Oh? Can't bear to see me go?"

Gin raised an eyebrow, surprised at the boy's compromise.

"I just… want more sweet and sour fish. Don't flatter yourself!"

The stubborn little brat immediately made up an excuse.

"So I'm just your cook?"

Gin clutched his chest in mock heartbreak.

"What else? You don't think I actually like you, do you?"

Itama lifted his chin defiantly, glaring at Gin. He was a proud Senju—there was no way he'd feel anything but hatred toward an Uchiha.

"Tch. And that's why I hate bratty kids like you."

Gin clicked his tongue and shook his head in exasperation.

Ignoring the boy's pout, he walked over to the old house's wall, measured things out for a moment, then suddenly punched through it.

Boom!

The old wall crumbled with a satisfying crash.

"You don't have to destroy the house just because you're moving! What am I supposed to do?!"

Itama panicked and kicked Gin in the shin.

"Calm down. Are all Senju this hot-tempered?"

Gin dusted himself off with a wry smile. Thanks to the system's bloodline buffs, his body was leagues stronger now—long gone was the weakling who used to lose fistfights with the brat.

Itama finally turned to see the hole in the wall… and froze.

On the other side was a whole new world. Curious as ever, the boy dashed through the hole like a rabbit.

"Wooooow…"

Itama was speechless, his jaw slack as he gawked at the luxurious interior.

Gin's new house was designed in a modern, stylish way far beyond the current era—no wonder the native boy was so blown away.

"There's even a spiral staircase? And what's that thing hanging there?"

Once he recovered, Itama bombarded Gin with questions, running around the house in awe.

"What are you asking for? You're not even going to live here."

Gin easily caught the boy and ruffled his hair, grinning.

"No! I wanna live in the new house too!"

Itama immediately flopped onto the floor, kicking and screaming, accusing Gin of abusing a prisoner, breaking his word, and being stingy.

Veins bulged on Gin's forehead as he raised his fist and waved it in front of the boy's face.

"Think about who you are."

That shut him up fast. The boy scrambled back through the hole into the old house, then timidly poked his head back through the wall.

"Then… what about meals?"

If he couldn't live here, he at least needed to eat.

"You can still come over to eat. But you sleep over there."

Gin believed in not pushing the kid too far—so he left him this little privilege.

"Yay!"

"Don't celebrate yet. You're also responsible for cleaning the new place. If you don't, don't even think about eating."

Gin added a condition—no free lunch in his house.

"You hear me?"

"Yes sir…"

Faced with the prospect of losing his beloved meals, Itama quietly swallowed his Senju pride and clenched his fists, swearing to himself:

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west… don't you dare look down on a poor brat like me!"

(End of Chapter)

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