Chapter 148 – Script Locked In

"God of war? You sure know how to flatter, kid!"

Inside the Susanoo, Tajima grinned proudly at the rare compliment from his nephew.

"Then let me show you my prized possession!"

Infusing more dōjutsu power into the silver-gray giant, a large luminous shield began forming in the otherwise empty hand of the Susanoo.

"What's that?"

Gin examined the giant shield curiously. In the original, Susanoo usually had swords or bows—at worst, maybe a bunch of shuriken. But a shield? Wasn't that... turtle-like?

"My Susanoo's shield absorbs the opponent's attacks. Once it's charged, it returns the damage multiplied."

Tajima proudly pointed at a glowing gauge embedded in the shield's surface while explaining.

Wait a sec… shield counter?!

Gin's eyes widened. He had misunderstood. This wasn't lame—it was awesome.

"During my last fight, this shield absorbed the jutsu of those two Senju brats. Check it and see if there's any chakra residue left."

He lowered the massive shield in front of Gin.

Gin focused, placing a hand on the shield that stood like a wall. Activating his sensory abilities, he began scanning for lingering chakra.

A moment later, he opened his eyes slowly. The corners of his mouth lifted in satisfaction.

"Found anything?"

Tajima frowned, seeing Gin withdraw his hand so quickly.

"See for yourself."

Gin smirked and extended his hand again. Two distinct chakra signatures appeared in his palm. Tajima sensed them carefully—it was indeed the chakra of those two Senju kids.

Mission accomplished, Tajima let out a sigh of relief, cut off the chakra supply, and his silver Susanoo crumbled into fragments of light.

"Whew..."

Rubbing his sore eyes, Tajima trudged forward, bloodshot and tired.

"Gin, what do you need this chakra for? Planning to kill and frame someone?"

He suspected Gin might be trying to set up those Senju kids to provoke Madara into awakening his Mangekyō.

"Shallow thinking."

Gin rolled his eyes dramatically, stuffing the chakra into his body.

"If that kind of garbage plot worked, then Madara's eyes probably wouldn't be worth much anyway."

As he spoke, a light shimmered over Gin's body. Using the newly obtained chakra, he activated the Disguise Technique.

Before Tajima's stunned eyes, Gin morphed into a tall figure clad in crimson armor, with thick brows, flowing hair, and an aura nearly identical—no, stronger—than what Tajima remembered from their last fight.

"What a fascinating transformation… Where did you learn this?"

As clan leader, Tajima was no fool. He knew at a glance that this was no ordinary Henge. Even with his Sharingan, he couldn't see through it.

"If I told you I figured it out myself?"

Gin gave the transformation a few test swings, then turned to the awestruck Tajima.

"Uncle, want to spar?"

He needed a warm-up—and to see if the disguise held up in actual combat.

"Let's save it for another day…"

Tajima hesitated. At his age, this late at night wasn't great for his kidneys.

"No backing out. You've fought this guy before—perfect for some choreo help."

Wearing Hashi-armor, Gin grinned darkly.

Heh, dump all the work on me while you relax? Not happening!

"Fine, fine…"

Resigned, Tajima's eyes turned crimson. Three tomoe swirled into place.

"Let's see if you've made any real progress these last few years."

With that, he lunged forward for a close-quarters fight.

Gin blinked.

Um… Uncle, you do realize I'm disguised as Hashirama right now. You sure about hand-to-hand?

"Host detected in battle. Heart of Steel treasure accumulation beginning…"

Triggered already? Guess there's no backing out now. Just gotta pray Uncle's bones are still sturdy.

Gin raised his arm and blocked the punch. A cold glint flashed in his eye. His body burst with purple-blue chakra, completely surrounding him. He casually threw a punch back.

BOOM!

Tajima saw the chakra flare and quickly covered his vital points, preparing to tank the hit.

What he didn't expect was the sheer force of impact. As soon as Gin's fist connected, he was blasted backward like a cannonball, flying dozens of meters before crashing into the ground.

"Wait, Uncle, why didn't you dodge?!"

Gin was dumbfounded. That punch was slowed down and had no extra power. Why take it head-on?

…But then again, he'd done the same before.

"Cough… I let my guard down... didn't dodge."

Came Tajima's voice from the still-dusty crater. A massive silver hand waved, clearing the air and revealing his ragged state.

"You opened the Gundam again? Can your body even handle it?"

Gin raised an eyebrow as he saw the Susanoo skeleton protecting the now-winded Tajima.

"I can fight all day!"

Tajima straightened his back immediately, still clinging to his dignity as clan leader.

Tch. Can't anyone around here be humble? Keep this up and I'll be stuck healing all of your eyeballs one by one.

Sighing inwardly, Gin reached out. With his signature twin-hand clap, a massive figure rose from the ground.

Three minutes later…

"Host success: Heart Energy +1"

Whether or not he hit that weak point wasn't important anymore.

"Uncle, open your eyes! It's me, Gin!"

Now back in his normal form, Gin carefully pried Tajima out of the dirt. Seeing him unconscious, he pressed glowing green hands to his chest, calling out repeatedly.

"I… I think I saw an old man with horns…"

Using Iryō Ninjutsu (Medical Ninjutsu), Gin yanked Tajima back from the brink. After a brief blackout, Tajima came to, eyes dazed, mumbling:

"He said, 'Finally! We've been waiting to start a game of cards!'"

"…You were hallucinating. Ignore it."

Gin broke into a cold sweat. Good thing his healing skills were as god-tier as Huatuo reborn. Otherwise, his uncle would be playing mahjong with the ancestors by now.

"Gin… you've grown this powerful?"

Tajima sat up with effort, eyes filled with complex emotion.

"I'm just passable. Nothing compared to you, Uncle."

Gin said humbly, with complete sincerity.

"Don't be modest. Just that Senju brat's technique alone—you're clearly already far ahead of him."

Tajima saw through the humble act. He shook his head, expression unreadable, as if he had made a decision.

"Gin… if Madara and Izuna can't handle it… then I'll leave the Uchiha clan's future to you."

"…Huh?"

Whoa, hold on. Fast-forwarding to the inheritance speech already? I'm not some prime minister.

"If it's for the clan's prosperity, you can even become clan leader."

Tajima dropped another bomb, sounding like he was saying goodbye forever. Gin's eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head.

"Uncle, you seriously need to sleep more. You're starting to talk nonsense."

He supported Tajima and began transferring gentle chakra into him again.

"Thanks… I'm just preparing you. Who knows what the future holds?"

Color returned to Tajima's pale face as the warmth from Gin's chakra spread through him. The blurriness in his vision faded.

But I do know, Gin thought silently. The Uchiha clan's future is… pretty damn bleak.

"Gin, with your current strength, the Senju—"

Walking side by side back toward the clan, Tajima finally voiced the doubt in his heart.

"Uncle, one person being strong means nothing. The strength of a clan lies in its overall power."

Gin didn't want any shackles this early. Thinking fast, he added:

"My cousins all have bright futures. Surpassing me is only a matter of time. I'll be right behind them as support."

"…Right."

That didn't sound quite right…

"Stop overthinking, Uncle. You'll get stress hair loss. Now come—let me tell you the script I wrote."

Before Tajima could respond, Gin grabbed him and launched into an explanation of the script he'd just finished.

"So first this, then that… then we loop back, and finally—bam!"

He entered full storytelling mode. The fantastical plot made Tajima's blood boil with excitement. He was ready to buy a ticket and join the show.

"My script blends mystery, revenge, betrayal, and bromance. Thoughts?"

"…I've already paid. Hurry up and update it!"

(End of Chapter)

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