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

"Knock knock knock~"

"Curly-haired baboon, go open the door!"

Hearing a crisp knock, Senju Itama, who was washing dishes in the kitchen, poked his head out and gave the order to Uchiha Gin, who was lying dead on the sofa, to open the door.

"With so many people in the family, why did they choose me to go?"

Having finished his meal, Uchiha Gin shifted his head, his listless gaze sweeping over the two women drinking after-dinner tea beside him, his handsome face filled with resentment.

"Tsukihime is a guest."

Uchiha Hikaru took a small sip of the fragrant and sweet tea and replied calmly.

"And you, you're still a criminal. Just do what I tell you to do, why all the nonsense?"

Gin Uchiha wasn't given a chance to appeal. Hikaru Uchiha narrowed her eyes, and the fierce glint in her beautiful eyes made Gin Uchiha break out in a cold sweat.

"I'll go, I'll go!"

Forced by circumstances, Uchiha Gin struggled to his feet and staggered to the front door.

dong dong dong~

creak!

"We don't subscribe to newspapers."

Opening the door, Uchiha Gin didn't even glance at her, simply tossed out a sentence, and then prepared to close the door.

Seeing the door about to close, the figure who had been knocking for ages outside jumped up and down in frustration, trying to make himself known.

"Grandpa Gin! Grandpa Gin! It's me~"

"Oh? It's Misaka Mikoto! I thought you were a door-to-door salesperson. Please come in!"

Following the familiar voice, Uchiha Gin scratched his head without any apology, opened the door a crack, and welcomed in Uchiha Mikoto, whose face was flushed with pink.

"Hello, Hikari-neechan! Hello, Banzi-neechan! And this one too!"

Upon entering, Mikoto greeted the people in charge of the house very politely, until her questioning gaze fell on the indifferent Tsukihime, at which point her greeting faltered.

"Tsukihime".

"Hello, Tsukihime-neechan~"

"Light, could you give me this adorable creature?"

Hearing Mikoto's sweet voice, Tsukihime, her face expressionless, turned her head and asked Uchiha Hikaru in a serious tone,

"Uh, I'm sorry, that probably won't work."

Uchiha Hikaru hesitated for a moment, then decisively refused. Mikoto was the cutest child in the entire Uchiha clan; how could she be given away to someone else so easily?

"That's such a pity."

Tsukihime shook her head regretfully, the disappointment in her eyes clearly visible.

"Oh~ Mikoto, what brings you to my place today?"

Just then, Senju Itama, having finished tidying everything up, came over. Seeing the adorable little Mikoto, he immediately smiled and went over to pat her little face.

"They have something important they want to consult with Grandpa Gin about!"

Despite being roughly handled by Senju Itama, Mikoto wasn't angry. Instead, she replied earnestly. Uchiha Gin, who had just sat down, was taken aback, his half-closed, dead-fish eyes filled with confusion.

"Important matter?"

Slightly straightening his posture, Uchiha Gin, whose eyelids were drooping, shook his head half-jokingly.

"Just so you know, I'm not good at questions about relationships~"

He didn't take Xiaomeiqin's words to heart. What big deal could a mere six-year-old child possibly make?

"No, it's about this."

Having escaped Senju Itama's clutches, Uchiha Mikoto straightened her slightly flushed face, and a flash of red light appeared in her tightly furrowed black eyes.

"ha?"

An unfamiliar eye power instantly emanated from him, and Uchiha Gin, who had been sprawled on the sofa, immediately sat up, his lifeless, dead fish eyes wide open.

"Holy crap!"

Before he could utter a word of extreme surprise in C programming language, Uchiha Hikaru, sitting next to him, interrupted him first.

"Don't say those kinds of things in front of the children, it will set a bad example for Mikoto."

Slowly withdrawing his slender hand that had just delivered a sharp rap to Uchiha Gin's forehead, Uchiha Hikaru gave a calm warning.

"But."

Uchiha Gin, clutching his head, pouted and turned his gaze back to Mikoto, whose eyes were now bloodshot.

"It's just the Sharingan, what's so surprising about that?"

"But she has three tomoe!"

Uchiha Hikaru curled her lip. So what if she has three tomoe? She's already awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan at her age!

"Do you think everyone is like you?"

As if guessing what Uchiha Hikaru was thinking, Uchiha Gin frowned slightly and said with a serious expression,

For Mikoto to awaken her Sharingan at such a young age, and to possess the highest level of three-tomoe Sharingan among ordinary Uchiha, must have experienced a life-or-death ordeal.

Could it be that Lü Cha got into trouble in prison?

Thinking of this, he deliberately softened his tone, trying not to further upset the young girl who had already opened her eyes at such a young age.

"Mikoto."

"Um?"

Looking at the suddenly gentle Uchiha Gin, Mikoto blinked, a little unaccustomed to it, her six slowly rotating tomoe filled with confusion.

Although your grandfather has left you, his spirit will always be with you.

"Smile. Even Lu Cha's spirit in prison wouldn't want to see you with that expression."

"From now on, I'll treat this place as my home."

"Don't be stubborn, just cry your heart out in Grandpa's arms!"

"."

"ha?"

Seeing Uchiha Gin lost in his self-pity, Mikoto looked completely bewildered.

Has something happened to Grandpa?

How come she didn't know?

"Ignore this idiot, come into your sister's arms."

Senju Itama, his face full of heartache, pulled Mikoto into his arms.

"Ugh, help me!"

Mikoto, struggling to breathe from the face wash, frantically tried to get up. Luckily, there was a normal person nearby.

"Do you want to kill her, Mother Strength?"

Uchiha Hikaru couldn't help but roll his eyes, then reached out and pulled the barely alive Mikoto out of the crevice between the Senju plates.

"Thank you, Sister Xie Guang."

Mikoto, who had almost been sent to see her great-grandmother, took a while to recover. She gave Uchiha Hikaru a grateful look before...

"Mikoto, how did you even open your eyes?"

For someone to awaken their Sharingan at such a young age, aside from the death of their parents, Hikaru Uchiha couldn't think of any other reason.

But Mikoto Uchiha's parents had already gone to the Land of Waves long ago. Could it be that her grandfather really died?

"I opened my eyes while watching Fugaku and Nawaki fight."

"Huh?" *2

As soon as Mikoto finished speaking, Uchiha Gin and Senju Itama both screamed in surprise.

"Fugaku is dead?"

"Is Rope Tree dead?"

"."

"Slurp~ Huff. I have a question I'd like to ask."

Just as the scene was about to descend into chaos, Tsukihime, who had been calmly sipping her tea the whole time, suddenly spoke, drawing everyone's attention.

"Does someone have to die here for your eyes to open?"

"Uh, no, not really."

Uchiha Gin paused for a moment, then replied with a strange expression.

If that were true, the Uchiha clan would have been wiped out long ago.

"Then why do you keep talking about death?"

"Learn from the mistakes of the past~ Learn from the mistakes of the past~"

Scratching their heads sheepishly, Uchiha Gin and Uchiha Hikaru exchanged a glance, a knowing, barely perceptible sadness showing between them.

"Young Master Fugaku and Nawaki are fine. They even went to eat ramen together after their fight!"

To clear up the misunderstanding, Xiaomeiqin quickly added...

"That's good, that's good~"

Uchiha Gin immediately breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, he became even more curious about how Mikoto had awakened the Three-Tomoe.

"And your eye?"

"Nobody knew, it just suddenly opened."

Xiao Meiqin shook her head. She only noticed her eyes were red when she secretly made dumplings after getting home.

"Besides opening your eyes, is there anything else unusual about you?"

Does this count?

Upon hearing Uchiha Gin's question, Mikoto hesitated for a moment, then slowly stretched out her two small hands, which were outstretched upwards. Amidst the puzzled gazes of everyone in the room, a sudden burst of wind and thunder appeared.

"Buzz~"

"Chirp chirp chirp~"

"."

"Someone, please tap me."

After a few seconds of silence, Uchiha Gin turned his head and said expressionlessly,

"I'll do it!"

Senju Itama, his face beaming with excitement, rolled up his sleeves and unleashed a powerful punch, slamming it heavily into Uchiha Gin's stomach.

boom!

"Pfft!~"

"I told you to knock, not to pound!"

Trembling, Gin Uchiha wiped the sour taste from the corner of his mouth, and after confirming that he hadn't been under a genjutsu, he gritted his teeth and said...

"This is what I call knocking."

Senju Itama confidently waved his little fist.

"Phew, I'll settle the score with you later."

If it weren't for more important matters at hand, he would definitely have punished this rebellious brat severely.

"Mikoto, how did you learn these two ninjutsu?"

Composing himself, Uchiha Gin asked with a serious expression.

"Nobody knows either, they just suddenly figured it out after taking one look."

Seeing that Mikoto's expression didn't seem fake, Uchiha Gin stroked his chin thoughtfully, his unfocused gaze inadvertently sweeping over the heart-shaped ruby ​​hanging on the girl's chest.

That is

"Mikoto, when did you put this necklace on?"

Recognizing that it was the birthday gift he had once given to Mikoto, Gin Uchiha vaguely understood the answer in his heart.

Dispersing the dumplings and chibi in her hands, Mikoto looked down in confusion at the jeweled necklace emitting a faint glow on her chest.

"Well, I just started wearing it recently."

"Can I take a look?"

"This is a gift from you, Grandpa Yin, of course I can accept it!"

Without the slightest hesitation, the girl unfastened the necklace from her chest and handed it to Uchiha Gin.

The necklace came into his hand, its surface smooth and warm to the touch. Gently stroking the heart-shaped ruby ​​inlaid on its surface, an item information message appeared before Uchiha Gin's eyes.

[Heart of Steel]: Health +9%, Chakra recovery speed +100%.

Its attributes are unremarkable, either increasing health or restoring mana; in Uchiha Gin's equipment inventory, it would just be considered a run-of-the-mill item.

Continue reading...

Special effect [Giant Devour]:

When there are enemy or friendly units within 700 yards, it will consume the target's random ability value. When the ability value accumulates to the full progress bar, it will provide the equipment holder with one of the target's random abilities (two targets can be marked at the same time, and each target can only learn it three times).

From Uchiha Gin's perspective, the progress bar on the heart-shaped gem is at zero and waiting to be replenished, indicating that the girl has successfully activated the Heart Steel's devouring effect and has already successfully devoured it.

When Gin Uchiha first obtained this equipment from the magic orb, he was quite excited.

However, after careful calculation, he realized that he would need to grind for at least a hundred days to guarantee obtaining a random ability. He immediately tossed the equipment, named "Heart of Steel" (which sounds like "liver of steel"), into his inventory to gather dust.

There's no way around it; what he has no shortage of are all sorts of strange and unusual abilities.

Whether from magic orbs or randomly spawning in the backyard, his skill slots, which normally have 99 skills per page, are now almost 99+ pages long.

If it weren't for the fact that this Heart Steel is reasonably good-looking, he wouldn't have given it to Mikoto as a gift.

"I see."

With a strange expression, Gin Uchiha returned the Heart of Steel Necklace to Mikoto. He finally understood how the girl had mastered the Three-Tomoe technique at the tender age of six, and had also learned the extremely difficult Chidori and Rasengan at the same time.

"Have you been spending a lot of time training with Fugaku and Nawaki lately?"

"How did Grandpa Yin know? He's been bringing them sweet drinks to replenish their energy every day for the past few months!"

After taking the necklace and putting it back on, Mikoto nodded proudly.

"It's been three months, hasn't it?"

"Grandpa Yin, are you a fortune teller?"

Mikoto stared wide-eyed in surprise as she watched Uchiha Gin calculating the time with his fingers.

That's about right. Learning a new ability requires 100 ability points. Every time Mikoto delivers Sweet Water, she manages to absorb at least one ability point from Fugaku and Nawaki.

Over time, roughly three months, she would be able to learn at least one skill from those two boys.

Three-tomoe Sharingan, Rasengan, Chidori.

Besides these three, there might be other unrevealed abilities.

Uchiha Gin stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment, then his slightly scrutinizing gaze swept over Mikoto.

"Mikoto, after you opened your eyes, did you experience any other unusual sensations?"

"Hmm"

Xiao Meiqin frowned and thought for a moment.

Does a sudden increase in appetite count?

After opening her eyes yesterday, she felt constantly hungry. She ate ten large bowls of rice for dinner but still wasn't full. Her increased appetite startled her grandfather and young master Fugaku, who were sitting at the same table.

"How is Rope Tree's appetite?"

Uchiha Gin nodded with a puzzled look, then shifted his gaze to Senju Itama behind him and asked a rather unexpected question.

"ha?"

Senju Itama blinked in confusion, but still obediently replied.

"That kid is practically a reincarnation of a starving ghost; he can eat almost a whole bag of rice in one meal."

The case is solved; Mikoto's Heartsteel stole the most useless ability.

"Mikoto, I have a general understanding of your situation."

After figuring out the whole story, Uchiha Gin nodded earnestly to the anxious Uchiha Mikoto.

"Really? Then what about my eyes?"

No matter how mature Mikoto is, she's still just a six-year-old child who hasn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy. Faced with suddenly possessing a top-tier Sharingan, she inevitably feels a little uneasy.

"No problem."

Uchiha Gin smiled and gave Mikoto a thumbs-up.

"Because Mikoto, you're a true genius with amazing teeth!"

After a series of persuasive words, and seeing the elated Mikoto off, Uchiha Gin lay back down in his usual spot, staring dejectedly at the familiar ceiling.

Xiao Meiqin's problem has been solved, but what about his?

My cousin's chakra pills were all devoured by that gluttonous girl, Wang Jie, and I've waited three days without any news of him relieving himself. It seems my plan to retrieve my eighth brother is completely hopeless.

"I'm going back now."

Suddenly, Tsukihime put down her teacup and spoke calmly.

"Uh, are you leaving already? Why not stay a few more days?"

Uchiha Gin politely tried to persuade her to stay, after all, it wasn't easy for her to come all this way, and he hadn't even properly entertained his sister-in-law.

"Those guys could attack again at any time, I'd better go back as soon as possible."

Tsukihime gently shook her head, but a hint of cunning flickered in her beautiful white eyes.

Anyway, she had already decorated her own room, and inscribed a teleportation spell taught by her ancestor inside, so she could come anytime she wanted.

"Alright then, I'll take you."

Since Tsukihime was determined to leave, Uchiha Gin did not stop her and immediately got up to see her off.

"No need, I can teleport back myself."

After declining Uchiha Gin's offer, Tsukihime stood up. Amidst the puzzled gazes of the others, she slowly took out two small, antique-looking boxes from behind her back and tossed them into Uchiha Gin's hands.

"Consider these two items as maintenance fees for my room." (End of Chapter)