Chapter 19: Farewells Pave the Way for Better Encounters

Uchiha Gin, having just arrived, watched the two children with a strange expression. It was only when Itama Senju looked like he was about to pass out that he finally spoke up to intervene.

If Mito Uzumaki were to accidentally play this Senju brat to death, he would end up kicking the bucket right along with him.

"Oh! You’re back? How is my brother?"

Seeing that it was Uchiha Gin, the young girl tossed the branch in her hand aside, circled around him twice, and then proceeded to pat him down from head to toe.

"You aren't even hurt? Did you not go at all?"

Uchiha Gin extended a finger and flicked the chattering girl on the forehead.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

Clutching her reddened forehead, Mito Uzumaki asked with tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

[Men and women should keep their distance, unless she’s a mature beauty in black silk stockings.]

Ignoring her nonsense, he reached out and produced the black-red orb that was still trembling, handing it over to her.

The girl, still teary-eyed, was dumbfounded upon seeing it, her speech faltering.

"You... you actually succeeded?"

Even without relying on her sensory abilities, Mito Uzumaki could discern from the aura emanating from the orb that her older brother, Hanado Uzumaki, was sealed inside.

"What are you planning to do with him?"

The girl asked with a pout, her voice laced with anxiety. She truly hadn't expected her brother to be defeated by this unreliable Uchiha. Although her innate talent told her that he was by no means an evil person, sometimes the conflicts between their factions outweighed individual morality.

Squinting, Uchiha Gin rubbed the orb in his hand a few times. Without a second thought, and to the girl's worried expression, he tossed the orb toward her.

"Huh?"

Mito Uzumaki hurriedly caught the orb, looking at Uchiha Gin in utter disbelief.

"You're just giving him back to me, just like that? My brother is an important figure in the Uzumaki clan. If you turned him over to your clan, you would surely receive a generous reward."

"You're quite precocious for your age."

Uchiha Gin looked at the girl. He knew that if he followed her suggestion and returned, the clan leader would certainly have him dealt with, but doing so would create an irreconcilable blood feud with the Uzumaki clan.

"As the saying goes, 'More friends, more paths; more enemies, more walls.' In case I can't make it in the Uchiha clan anymore, I might still be able to ask you to take me in."

Uchiha Gin rolled his eyes and said with an air of indifference.

Hearing this, Mito Uzumaki gave him a strange look. She tucked the orb into her bag, walked over to Uchiha Gin, and took his left hand.

Uchiha Gin was startled by her sudden grip and noticed a blue light emanating from her hands. Just as he was about to pull away, she stopped him.

"Don't move. I'm using a secret technique of the Uzumaki clan to place a chakra mark on you. If you ever really find yourself homeless, you can use this mark to seek help from the Uzumaki clan."

As the girl diligently performed the technique, she was caught off guard when a powerful red light repelled her.

"What happened? Why did it fail?"

Interrupted by the strange force, the girl leaned in again, grabbing his left hand and examining it repeatedly. Yet, even with her sensory powers, she couldn't find anything amiss.

***

It actually failed? Uchiha Gin pulled back his left hand, clenching and unclenching his fist to test it, but he felt no discomfort. Perhaps the girl wasn't skilled enough with the technique yet.

"If that doesn't work, should we try the other hand? Or maybe a foot?"

Uchiha Gin made a move to extend a foot, which frightened Mito Uzumaki into grabbing his right hand instead. This time, it went smoothly.

As a cool sensation seeped into his left hand, Uchiha Gin saw a vortex-shaped mark appear on the back of his right hand—the crest of the Uzumaki clan—which vanished after a few seconds.

"What are your plans now?"

Having been branded with the Uzumaki mark, Uchiha Gin lowered his head to look at the girl's two swaying buns.

"Only my father can undo my brother's seal. I've played away from home for long enough; it's time to go back."

Knowing how important her brother was to the clan, she had no choice but to return, even though she wanted to continue wandering the world.

"So, is this where we part ways?" Uchiha Gin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"In the world of the ninja, one is not always the master of one's own fate," Mito Uzumaki said, sighing with the feigned seriousness of an adult.

"Uh... as long as you're happy."

With a face full of black lines, Uchiha Gin waved goodbye to Mito Uzumaki, who had hoisted her massive pack once more.

Before leaving, the girl stopped after a few steps, tilting her head in a 45-degree angle, and said with a wandering gaze, "Mr. Human Trafficker, we will meet again, right?"

"Definitely."

Knowing the girl's destined path, Uchiha Gin nodded without hesitation.

"Oh."

Hearing this, the girl turned away, the corners of her mouth curling up behind his back as she skipped toward home.

Watching Mito Uzumaki's receding figure, Uchiha Gin returned to the cave and kicked the unlucky little brother, Itama Senju, who was still lying on the ground with his eyes closed.

"Stop playing dead, little brother. It's time for us to go."

Exposed, Itama Senju opened his eyes, which were filled with pleading.

"As long as you promise not to spout any more nonsense on the road, I'll take the sock out."

Understanding what he meant, Uchiha Gin said.

The boy nodded repeatedly, tears practically streaming down his face.

Once the stinky sock was removed, Itama Senju greedily inhaled the fresh air. Then, as if remembering something horrific, he curled into a ball and began to retch violently.

Only after the boy had vomited until he had nothing left did Uchiha Gin hoist him up and head toward the battlefield where Uchiha Ryoichi and the others were gathered.

He moved with great speed, a far cry from his earlier, breathless state while carrying the boy.

"The Uzumaki bloodline is truly practical. They are worthy of being the clan that inherited the Sage Body in the original lore."

Feeling the explosive power and vast chakra within his body, Uchiha Gin sighed inwardly.

"Ding! Host has successfully rescued the Uchiha Fūka team from a desperate situation. Reward: 50 points, 4 random orbs."

The sudden notification made Uchiha Gin pause mid-stride. He hadn't even arrived yet; how was the mission completed?

Not lingering, he picked up his pace, wind gathering at his feet as he rushed toward the battlefield.

When Uchiha Gin arrived with Itama Senju, only the members of the Uchiha team remained.

Uchiha Fūka was keeping watch, Uchiha Tsuru was bandaging Uchiha Ryoichi's injured arm, and Uchiha Taro, who had no major external wounds, was meditating to recover his chakra.

"Uchiha Gin! You're still alive?"

Uchiha Ryoichi, who had heard from Uchiha Fūka that Gin had chosen to hold off Hanado Uzumaki, was stunned to see him appear unscathed. He couldn't help but activate his Sharingan to scan him.

"Just lucky," Uchiha Gin replied. He, too, was curious about how the battle ended, as there were no Uzumaki corpses on the scene. "Where are the Uzumaki people?"

"That long-haired Uzumaki seemed to sense something during the fight and suddenly unleashed a strange ability," Uchiha Taro opened his eyes to explain.

"What kind of strange ability?" he asked, curious.

"He suddenly erupted, and many chains made of chakra emerged from his body. They were very troublesome. But he didn't seem interested in a prolonged fight; he took the opportunity to scoop up the injured Uzumaki and fled."

Uchiha Fūka walked over to continue the explanation.

"Gin, how did you escape?"

Having faced Hanado Uzumaki directly, Uchiha Fūka knew very well that with Gin's strength, he should have been crushed into dust in a single exchange. Seeing him not only unharmed but in excellent condition, his heart was filled with more confusion than relief.

"That Uzumaki wasn't out for my life; his main goal was his sister. As it happens, the girl I captured was his sister. I told him that when I first escaped, I had hidden her in a secret location and placed a genjutsu on her, and that if he didn't provide the correct code, she would die on the spot."

Uchiha Gin calmly delivered the excuse he had thought up on the road.

"And then he just let you go?"

"Exactly!"

"The Uzumaki clan really is as stubborn as the rumors say," Uchiha Fūka muttered, recalling the reputation of the Uzumaki.

"Alright, from now on, we move at full speed! Let's try to reach the clan territory by tomorrow!" Uchiha Fūka waved his hand and ordered.