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

Chapter 208 Curly-haired Uchiha Mirror

"Tick-tock~ Tick-tock~"

In the dark and deep dungeon, flickering candlelight illuminated the silent corridors, and water droplets dripped from the ceiling, creating subtle splashes on the uneven floor.

This cold environment made the prisoners in the cells on both sides feel extremely depressed, and an unnamed fear enveloped their hearts.

"Ah! Ah! Ah~~~"

Deep within the dungeon, a heavy door lay ajar, a faint yellow light emanating from the crack, accompanied by mournful wails so agonizing that they chilled the hearts of the prisoners who heard them.

Inside the room, three men sat in a circle, and the miserable sound came from one of them. It was unknown what kind of torture he had suffered to be able to let out such a heart-wrenching scream.

"Ah! I can't afford it~"

The man, still groaning in pain, clutched his last two cards, his fingers turning slightly white. He glanced at the two men before him with a threatening glare in his dull, lifeless eyes.

"Brother E'yin, you can't even afford 5?"

The honest-looking man who had just discarded a 5 was filled with disbelief. The 5 was already the lowest card in his hand, and he really had no other way to play it safe.

"Erlang, hello!"

Uchiha Gin scratched his fluffy curly hair vigorously, then shifted his gaze to another person in the arena, his eyes filled with even greater threat.

"Um, Master Yin, your remaining two cards aren't a pair, are they?"

Holding a winning hand, Uchiha Lucha wasn't excited by his good cards. Instead, he looked at his superior with a bitter expression, hesitated for a moment, and cautiously asked, "..."

"."

Uchiha Gin didn't answer, but from his lifeless, almost dull eyes, Uchiha Ryūza saw a glimmer of hope. He immediately felt reassured, drew his largest single card, and slammed it down.

"Wang! Erlang, you can't afford it, can you?"

"I can't afford it! I can't afford it!"

Still clutching his last four 2s, Uchiha Jiro nodded hastily, secretly relieved to have escaped unscathed.

"I can't afford it either."

Uchiha Gin pursed his lips, signaling the other person to continue.

"Hehe, right, 4!"

Full of confidence, he disassembled the toy plane in his hand, dropping the two smallest 4s. On Uchiha Lucha's old face, he forced a smile like a chrysanthemum.

Finally, Lord Yin can win a round!

"."

"I can't afford it."

Uchiha Gin's face was extremely ugly. The three words he slowly uttered instantly immobilized the entire crowd for ten seconds.

Finished!

Uchiha Lucha's vision went black. What kind of card did Lord Gin have? Wasn't it supposed to be a pair?

"Damn it, I'm not playing anymore!"

Ten seconds later, Uchiha Gin, his face dark with anger, threw the two cards he had been squeezing out of shape onto the table, cursed as he got up, kicked open the office door, and disappeared into the dark corridor of the dungeon.

"Phew~ That was close, I almost thought Lord Yin was going to lose his temper."

With a long sigh of relief, Uchiha Lucha showed an expression of relief, patting his heart, which had almost given way.

"Brother Lü, have you noticed that Brother Yin has been a bit irritable lately?"

Beside him, Uchiha Jiro, who had the same expression, waited until Uchiha Gin had walked away before quietly asking Uchiha Ryuzaki, who was sweating profusely, what was going on next to him.

"Haven't he always been like this?"

Wiping the cold sweat from his face, Uchiha Lucha, seemingly unfazed, rolled his eyes at Uchiha Jiro beside him and continued,

"Didn't you notice? We should settle the accounts after this game. Master Yin has been putting on a really good act to avoid paying."

"Huh? What about that aura just now?"

Belatedly realizing what had happened, Uchiha Jiro scratched his head in confusion, recalling the man-eating aura that Uchiha Gin had just exuded, and cautiously asked,

"You don't actually think that Lord Yin became warden because of nepotism, do you?"

Having followed Uchiha Gin for many years, Uchiha Ryuzaki is now an elite captain-level figure. However, even so, long ago, he couldn't see through his superior's true nature.

Unable to see through it = Unable to beat it

"Huh? Isn't that right? Doesn't the clan leader dote on Brother Yin quite a bit?"

"Second Brother, watch your words!"

Upon hearing Uchiha Jiro's words, Uchiha Lucha's heart tightened, and he hurriedly tried to stop him, but it was too late. A cold voice drifted in through the slightly ajar door.

"Erlang, your collection is gone."

"Ah! No, Brother Yin, that's my life!"

Surprisingly, even after Uchiha Gin had been gone for so long, he was still eavesdropping on their conversation. Compared to Uchiha Ryōza's relief, Uchiha Jūrō was utterly despondent. He immediately knelt on the ground and begged for mercy at the top of his lungs.

That mournful sound was even more devastating than the one that had just come from, finally putting an end to the anxiety of the prisoners in the cell who were unaware of the truth.

"Hmph! A mere Erlang dares to slander me."

Uchiha Gin, having slipped out of the dungeon, snorted coldly, glanced back at the gloomy gate, and had no intention of continuing to be a slave laborer.

But it was too early to go home, so he rolled his eyes and headed in the opposite direction from home.

"Hey, why isn't it over yet? My little cousin's Flying Thunder God mark on his waist is almost like a QR code."

Walking along the main road of the clan's territory, Uchiha Gin looked around at the deserted streets, sighed inwardly, and then calculated the days. According to the normal timeline, the founding of Konoha should be happening this year without a doubt. However, his little cousin was still full of energy, fighting Tobirama with his white hair to a standstill.

On the other hand, my younger cousin's eyes really can't take it anymore. In the past few years, his win rate against Hashirama Senju has dropped from 50/50 to below 30/70.

Even with the sea being released, and without using any magic, they still managed to pin their younger cousin to the ground and rub him against the wall.

As for the method to advance the Eternal Eye, Madara Uchiha already knew about it, but he just refused to accept it. He felt that it was a power obtained by relying on external objects, and even if he used this power to defeat Hashirama Senju, it would be an unfair victory.

Heh, you're suffering from chuunibyou, aren't you? You need to be given a little shock!

"Bang Bang Bang~"

After circling around a few times, Uchiha Gin finally stopped in front of a rather grand mansion. He stepped forward, knocked familiarly on the red gate, and called out loudly,

"Open the door! Open the door!"

"Crunch~"

After knocking for a while, the red door was finally opened a crack, but no one appeared. Just as Uchiha Gin was wondering what was going on, a childish voice came from below.

"Hello, Uncle Yin~"

"Hehe, good boy/girl, here's some candy!"

Hearing that soft, sweet voice, Uchiha Gin smiled and squatted down, looking at the delicate, round face peeking out from the crack in the door. He took a large lollipop from his pocket and handed it to her.

"My great-grandfather said that I can't eat the candy you give me, or my teeth will rot."

This child, who looked only three or four years old, had a thoughtful glint in his eyes. Looking at the tempting lollipop in Uchiha Gin's hand, he slurped his drink, gritted his teeth, and refused.

"Tsk! Elder Miao is too strict!"

Uchiha Gin pouted and complained, but his hands didn't stop. He tore open the lollipop wrapper, ignored the child's protests, and popped the candy into the child's mouth. Afterward, he patted his chest and assured him...

"Jingzai, don't worry, eat it. If anything happens, I'll take care of it. It's just a rotten tooth; it'll just grow back. It'll be fine."

"Mmm~ So delicious!"

Uchiha Kagami, who was about to spit out the candy in his mouth, showed a hint of struggle in his eyes after hearing Uchiha Gin's words.

But in the end, young and ignorant, he still succumbed to the god of sugar and devoured it with great relish.

"That's more like it! Kids should eat lots of candy!"

Uchiha Gin looked at the scene before him, nodded in satisfaction, then, with an air of familiarity, pushed open the door and slipped inside.

"Uncle Yin, are you here to see Great-Grandpa?"

Uchiha Kagami, licking a candy, had a look of confusion in his small eyes.

"Yes, Elder Miao is home?"

Gin felt a surge of affection as he ruffled Kagami's curly hair. Sure enough, curly hair was a recessive gene; in such a large clan, only he and Kagami had naturally curly hair.

"Yes, Great-Grandfather is talking to the old clan chief."

Sucking on a lollipop, Uchiha Kagami restlessly dodged Uchiha Gin's sinisterly large hand. This Uchiha, who claimed to be his uncle, always ruffled his curly hair whenever he came over.

Hmph! You have your own, why don't you rub your own?

With a pair of small eyes staring resentfully at Uchiha Gin's fluffy curly hair, Uchiha Kagami muttered to himself.

"Hey, what a coincidence! Saves you from making an extra trip. Jingzai, here you go."

Upon hearing that his uncle was also there, Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow. He happened to have something to discuss with Uchiha Tajima, so this was certainly a case of timing being better than being early.

With this in mind, he reached into his bag and took out a small, pre-cut gold brick, placing it in Uchiha Kagami's hand.

"what?"

Uchiha Kagami looked completely bewildered, clutching the heavy gold brick in his small hands, tilting his head, and looking at Uchiha Gin with a questioning gaze.

"It's almost Chinese New Year, so I'm sending you a red envelope in advance~"

"Thank you, Uncle Yin."

Holding a gold brick and with a lollipop in his mouth, Uchiha Kagami waved his thanks to Uchiha Gin.

"Chief Tajima, I cannot fully guarantee success, after all, there is too little experimental data."

Uchiha Gin stood in front of the door to Uchiha Miao's reception room. Before even pushing the door open, he could keenly hear the sounds coming from inside. Sensing that only Uchiha Miao and Uchiha Tajima were inside, he stopped eavesdropping and confidently pushed the door open and entered.

"I'm coming in~"

Uchiha Miao and Uchiha Tajima, who were having a private conversation, were startled by the sudden sound of the door being pushed open. They instantly became alert, their crimson eyes fixed on the uninvited intruder, ready to give him a good scolding. Unexpectedly, they saw the languid-looking Uchiha Gin instead.

"A-Yin? What are you doing here?"

Wearing reading glasses, Uchiha Tajima frowned, his forehead lines deepening, after recognizing the person who had approached him, and asked, "..."

"If nothing unexpected happens, my goal should be the same as yours, Uncle."

Uchiha Gin scratched his head, looked at the two old men with displeased expressions, and answered truthfully.

"You'd like to donate your eyes too?"

(End of this chapter)