Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha lacks motivation.

Chapter 199 It turns out I was the first puppeteer in the ninja world

Upon hearing Uchiha Gin's words, Shamon, who had just been looking smug, instantly broke out in a cold sweat. Cold sweat poured from the blue dragon on his head, dripping down his smooth scalp into the dry sand, stirring up a cloud of dust.

"No, Mr. Yin, this is a secret, you know, a secret!"

The burly Shamon was frantically pulling at Uchiha Gin, trying to explain the meaning of the secret to him.

"I understand, I understand. Creating a mysterious background for Loulan will make it even more effective."

Uchiha Gin waved his hand, indicating that he understood, he understood everything.

"no."

Shamen became even more anxious. He didn't want the dragon vein he had protected for thousands of years to be destroyed in his hands, but he was tongue-tied and didn't know how to explain himself. He could only scratch his head in frustration.

"Hey~ Brother Shamen, I'm just kidding. This kind of secret can't be spread. Trust me, I'm known for being tight-lipped."

Seeing Shamon nearly crying with anxiety, Uchiha Gin chuckled, patted the naive prisoner on the shoulder, and promised him...

"Phew~ Mr. Yin, can you please stop making jokes like that?"

Having escaped a false alarm, Shamen wiped the sweat from his brow and a smile returned to his face.

Even at this point, Shamon did not entertain the idea of ​​physically eliminating Uchiha Gin, because in his opinion, Mr. Gin was a pretty good person and a worthwhile person to befriend.

Recalling the future plot, wasn't it just that a rogue ninja from Sunagakure found the Dragon Vein, used its power to travel back in time, and then ruled over Loulan?

Thinking of this, Uchiha Gin's previously languid expression vanished, his face hardening as he reminded Shamon,

"However, you can't hide it forever. The secret of your Loulan's dragon vein will be revealed sooner or later. When that happens..."

"Hmph~ Mr. Gin, you're a ninja too, aren't you?"

Seeing the other person's serious expression, Shamon felt a touch of emotion. His small eyes swept over the black wooden sword hanging at Uchiha Gin's waist, and he asked,

"When you're out and about, you should always learn some self-defense skills."

Uchiha Gin openly admitted it; if he were to pretend, then his safe and sound appearance in the desert would be utterly unbelievable.

"Although I am not very talented, I am still the number one expert in Loulan, and I have never met a worthy opponent since I started my career."

Shamon was able to become the current guardian not only because of his monstrous appearance, but more so because of his formidable strength and unique methods.

"Sigh, there are some things I don't know whether I should say or not."

Uchiha Gin tilted his head, sizing up the confident-looking Shamon. Based on his perception, this bald jailer was only slightly stronger than an elite captain.

He might be considered a powerful figure within the small circles of the Land of Wind, but when faced with a true master, he'd only get utterly humiliated.

At this moment, Uchiha Gin was extremely hesitant, unsure whether he should tell Shamon this cruel truth.

The outside world may be colorful and exciting, but your skills are really lacking.

"Mr. Yin, please speak freely."

Seeing the struggle on Uchiha Gin's face, Shamon waved his hand generously, indicating that the other party could praise him as he pleased, as he felt unworthy of such praise and it would be disrespectful to refuse.

"I have traveled to many countries and met many powerful people. To put it bluntly, if you throw a brick into a large family, you can hit several guys who are just as good as you."

High emotional intelligence: They are equally matched.

Low emotional intelligence: average level.

"What?! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Shamon, who had been expecting compliments, was suddenly doused with cold water by Uchiha Gin's words. He jumped up and down excitedly, his small eyes widening in disbelief.

"It seems I have to teach you a lesson so you can understand the dangers of the ninja world."

Facing the arrogant and ignorant Shamon, Uchiha Gin sighed inwardly, raised his head, and spoke with a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"You want to have a fight with me? Mr. Yin, I don't want to hurt you."

Thinking that Uchiha Gin wanted to fight him, Shamon, who hadn't yet grasped the extent of Gin's strength, quickly waved his hand in refusal. Although what Gin had said earlier had startled him, he hadn't really taken it to heart.

Hmph! How could anyone just randomly pick out be better than me? They're all fake!

"I didn't intend to fight you either."

Uchiha Gin scratched his head, feeling somewhat troubled. He found it difficult to gauge the strength of his opponent's current level, given how terrifyingly powerful Gin was.

If he uses too much force and makes the monk's brother depressed, then the first Five Kage Summit will be missing a bald guy.

"Hey! Oh right, I almost forgot about that thing~"

Just as Uchiha Gin was stroking his chin, considering how to gently teach him, he suddenly remembered the spoils he had secretly collected under the cover of darkness on the moon. His eyes immediately lit up, and his excitement was palpable.

"Mr. Yin, aren't you going to give up? Fighting me might get you hurt."

Faced with the enthusiastic Uchiha Gin, Shamon appeared uninterested. He didn't believe that the seemingly calm Gin could match his strength.

"No, no, no, I won't fight you."

Uchiha Gin waved his hands repeatedly, indicating that he would not participate, as a lower-dimensional attack was not advisable.

"That's good, then."

Upon hearing this, Shamen breathed a sigh of relief, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. He had just observed that Mr. Yin carried a harmless wooden sword at his waist. It was truly difficult for him to harm such a gentle person.

"I'll let it have a go at you."

Before Shamon could finish speaking, Uchiha Gin fumbled behind his back and pulled out a scroll.

After feigning opening his eyes, he closed them and muttered a few words under his breath, secretly opening the gate to the Shadow Realm.

"Come out, Zuo Ling!"

As a puff of fake white smoke rose, a figure dressed in a white kimono was pulled out of the black hole unfurled on the scroll by Uchiha Gin.

With a smile in his eyes, Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow at the dumbfounded Shamon and said very seriously,

"As a seasoned traveler, it's perfectly reasonable for me to have a bodyguard, right?"

"What exactly is this thing?"

Shamon ignored Uchiha Gin's words, instead looking warily at Zuo Ling, who was dressed in a white kimono.

Even with his crude senses, he could feel waves of pressure emanating from the strange, lifeless woman before him.

The kimono-clad woman that Uchiha Gin pulled out was one of the two puppets he had accidentally taken from the moon. Because the two puppets were identical in build and appearance, he named them Zuo Ling and You Ling to better distinguish them.

"Master, what are your orders?"

This time, it was Zuo Ling who was selected. This puppet with self-awareness had a hint of human-like surprise in its yellow pupils. After looking around at the desolate scenery, it coldly questioned its master, Uchiha Gin.

"Brother Shamen, my strength is, to put it mildly, hard to describe, but luckily I brought a bodyguard. You can spar with her then~"

Pushing a bewildered Zuo Ling forward, Uchiha Gin, looking troubled, shouted at the furrowed brows of Shamon.

"Mr. Yin, what is this young lady?"

Unable to figure out who Zuo Ling was, Shamen cautiously asked Uchiha Gin, trying to find the answer.

"Things? Brother Shamen, I'm going to get angry if you say that! Zuo Ling is my good friend, how can you call her something?"

Hearing Shamon's question, Uchiha Gin retorted with displeasure, but the sincerity in his words moved even Zuo Ling, who was a puppet. A surge of black machine oil welled up within her mechanical heart.

"She's a piece of trash!"

"Boom!"

The mechanical heart collapsed instantly, and Zuo Ling's eyes, which had just regained some emotion, became empty in an instant. Fortunately, Uchiha Gin's chakra remained within her body, and in just a few breaths, she repaired the shattered mechanical heart.

"Master, spit it out."

In the end, she had given her heart to the wrong person, and she would never be easily moved again.

"Cough cough cough Zuo Ling is a gift from my distant relatives. Because they live in a very remote area, it's normal that you haven't seen this local specialty before."

Uchiha Gin's words are all true; there is not a single falsehood among them.

"Then it is..."

Seeing that the young monk's thirst for knowledge was practically glued to his forehead, Uchiha Gin stopped keeping him in suspense, thought for a moment, and then explained to him.

"Zuo Ling is a puppet. I control her every move by relying on chakra."

"A puppet? Interesting! Interesting!"

Upon first hearing this term, Shamen seemed to have a switch flipped in his mind. He circled around Zuo Ling several times, constantly clicking his tongue in amazement. Judging from his appearance, he must have developed a great interest in puppets.

Sure enough, men are boys until they die; no matter how old they are, they can't resist a toy they like.

"Want to give it a try?"

Seeing that Shamon's behavior was becoming strange, Uchiha Gin quickly spoke up, interrupting his continued investigation.

Oh no, it seems I've single-handedly brought about the birth of the first figure master in the ninja world.

Looking at the infatuated Shamon, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but think to himself,

"Come, come, let me witness the power of this puppet!"

Shamon, who was interrupted, was not angry. Instead, he looked at Zuo Ling, who had a cold expression, with great interest and responded to Uchiha Gin's challenge to a duel.

"Host detected to be in combat; Heart Steel Chest begins to accumulate."

The system is desperately trying to make its presence felt.

Um... it's been so long since the system last popped up that he almost forgot it existed.

"Zuo Ling, just play around with him, but stop when you've had your fill."

Although he had a general understanding of Zuo Ling's strength, Uchiha Gin was still somewhat worried, so he spoke up again to give her some advice.

"Yes."

As soon as she finished speaking, Zuo Ling transformed into a white lightning bolt and sped off towards the direction of Shamen.

"So fast!"

The monk, who had initially held a hint of disdain, felt his heart leap into his throat the moment Zuo Ling disappeared. His small eyes scanned his surroundings at lightning speed.

At the same time, a purple chakra emanated from his body, which, as it flowed throughout his body, formed a thin protective shield around him.

Immediately afterwards, Shamon clasped his hands together, and a surge of turbulent wind-attribute chakra condensed in his palms, waiting for Zuo Ling to appear so he could deliver a fatal blow.

"What are you looking for?"

Just as Shamen was searching for Zuo Ling's figure, a mechanical, cold voice rang out above his head.

"Wind Release: Gale Palm".

Startled, Shamon didn't even bother to look up. His hands, brimming with wind-style chakra, slammed directly towards the top of his head.

"Where are you hitting?"

Instead of the tearing sound he expected, the sound of something hitting its target didn't come. Shamen's heart sank. Just as he was about to form another hand seal, the voice sounded from behind him again.

This time, instead of using the smaller-range Gale Palm, Shamon quickly formed hand seals, and wind-attribute chakra instantly overflowed.

"Wind Release: Net".

A large net woven from yellow wind appeared around Shamen, covering a large area around him with no blind spots.

"Hmph~ Unless you sprout wings, you'll never escape my inescapable net!"

"Chirp chirp~"

(End of this chapter)