Chapter 79: Other People’s Kids

As if responding to Gin's summoning, the last Heart of Steel sphere burst forth with a brilliance unlike any before.

A flash of golden light illuminated the board, and there lay a strange, gray-brown piece of armor, its surface covered in sharp thorns, exuding a sinister aura.

No way… this thing actually dropped? Gin's eye twitched furiously as he stared at the familiar-looking equipment.

[Thorn Vest]: Gain 5% max HP and reduce incoming damage by 8%. Whenever struck by an attack, deal 100 damage to all nearby enemies.

With a thought, the armor's stats appeared in Gin's mind. Isn't this just the… exact same as a certain spiky vest?!

Still, it wasn't gold bricks, so he could accept it.

Forcing his gaze away from the vest, he turned to the remaining three spheres. Now that he'd already pulled his minimum guarantee, he was fearless. With a grand wave of his hand, he clicked.

[Gold Bricks ×10][Gold Bricks ×10][Gold Bricks ×10]

Ah, that familiar rhythm. The "mats" were stacked once more. Gin nodded to himself, satisfied. Next time he was bound to get something good.

He fixed his eyes on his sole reward and decided to find somewhere quiet to try it out.

In reality…

"I'm not gonna lose to that white-haired brat next time!"

Izuna suddenly straightened up from Gin's legs, his face solemn.

"I'll make sure to take care of him properly when we meet again."

Good spirit… but useless. If nothing changes, you're getting your kidney punctured by him one day anyway, Gin thought silently.

"I believe in you. That despicable little Senju brat is no match for my little cousin!"

Encouragement — the best fertilizer for a child's growth.

Feeling Gin's support, Izuna dug into his massage even harder.

Gin's eyes wandered to his little cousin's thin, frail frame, and a thought occurred to him.

"Izuna, when you're grown up, big cousin will give you a present — keep that kidney nice and safe."

"???"

Izuna froze with a bewildered expression.

Just then, the door opened — and the sight of the visitor caught Gin by surprise.

"Elder Myō… what brings you here?"

Uchiha Myō entered, still wearing his ever-cold expression, a basket of fruit in hand. His gaze swept the room, then settled on Izuna. He handed the basket to him.

"Young heir. Kindly go wash some fruit."

Though calm, the tone left no room for refusal.

Izuna frowned and glanced at Gin, who gave him a faint nod. Only then did Izuna take the basket.

"Wash it well. Take your time."

Gin quickly understood Myō wanted to talk privately.

When Izuna left, Myō finally spoke."The report on your eyes is ready."

"Oh? What's wrong with my eyes?"

Gin's heart was steady — he already knew the answer from Yao — but he couldn't appear too calm.

"In the cells of your eyes, I detected multiple distinct sources of power," Myō said, staring at Gin's dark pupils.

"Your eyes came from the Kaguya clan. By rights, they should only have served as prosthetics to let you see again."

"Kaguya…!"

Gin feigned shock, letting his face show a hint of revulsion.

"That's not all. I also detected traces of Hyūga bloodline in them."

Now Gin's "shock" deepened. He grabbed the mirror by the bed and stared at himself.

"But my eyes aren't white, are they?"

"Only a very faint trace of the bloodline — not enough to awaken the Byakugan. But these eyes… managing to awaken the Sharingan in them truly fascinates me."

Myō sounded intrigued — this was a first for him.

"My theory is that the massive Yin chakra you once harbored reshaped these eyes, causing the mutation."

His theory differed entirely from Yao's "bloodline assimilation."

Yin chakra, huh… makes sense, Gin thought. The original owner had once awakened Mangekyō, after all.

"Will they reject me someday?" Gin asked, pretending concern.

"They're perfectly stable — as if they'd always been yours," Myō replied, amazed at the high compatibility.

"So… can I awaken Mangekyō with them?"

Gin squinted, his tone serious, locking eyes with Myō.

"You'll have to ask the clan head about that. I'll take my leave."

Myō stood up, leaving Gin with nothing but a meaningful glance.

"Man… Elder Myō left already? These oranges he brought are sour as hell!"

Izuna returned with a plate of washed fruit.

"He had business to attend to. C'mon, feed me one so I can see how sour," Gin said lazily, opening his mouth.

"Damn, this is a lemon, you idiot!"

A week later, Gin was discharged. He waved a dramatic goodbye to his two cousins and headed home.

As he walked, he thought of Itama's little face… but when he pushed open the door of the old house, he found it empty and dusty — as if no one had lived here in ages.

Crap! Did the kid get caught?!

His stomach lurched. He and that brat were bound by the soul chain — if the kid died, he'd be in big trouble too.

"Delivery!"

Just as Gin was about to dash out, a sweet voice called from outside.

A pretty, purple-haired Uchiha girl stood there, carrying a wooden delivery basket, calling out.

"Your grilled fish is here! Please sign."

Seeing her bright smile, Gin's eyebrow twitched violently. He forced himself to speak calmly.

"Who ordered this?"

"Let me see… a Mr. Uchiha Gin," she said after checking the slip.

"…So you even do this kind of service now?"

Suppressing his fury, he asked in curiosity.

"It's a long-term mission — fast money, and good for agility training," the young girl said brightly.

"Not bad. So young and already earning to help the family. Not like some useless people," Gin ground out, forcing a smile as he signed the slip.

He noticed a whole line of clumsily scrawled "Uchiha Gin" signatures above his own — and almost snapped the pen.

Calming himself, he forced a grin at the hardworking girl.

"Five stars."

(End of Chapter)

[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][www.p@treon.com/euridome][Thank You For Your Support!]