Konoha: The Thirty-Year-Old Uchiha Can’t Be Bothered

The instant the system notification rang out, Gin felt a cool sensation sweep through his hands. The soul-searing pain of amaterasu vanished without a trace.

His body felt normal, as if the whole ordeal just now had been nothing but a bad dream.

Well… except for the inexplicable throbbing in his right eye. The twin tomoe in his crimson Sharingan spun rapidly, gathering a strange, cold energy that made his chest feel tight.

Gin tried to guide that strange chakra outward, and instinctively released it at the empty space before him.

A small "blossom" of black flame appeared in midair, consuming his chakra at an alarming rate.

Warm blood began to drip from the corner of his eye. Startled, Gin quickly deactivated his Sharingan.

The tiny, lighter-sized flame gradually faded from the air as his eyes returned to normal.

Panting, he wiped the fresh blood from his face, feeling a twinge of unease.

How could he, with only a mere two-tomoe Sharingan, possibly cast a Mangekyō-exclusive ability?

"…System's doing?"

Unable to find a better explanation, Gin simply shoved the blame onto the system.

After resting a while, he rubbed his still-aching right eye.

Amaterasu neatly patched the one glaring hole in his kit — long-range damage. His super strength was powerful, sure, but against agile enemies it was almost useless.

"That said, in the original story… amaterasu only ever really managed to kill a few white zetsu, didn't it?"

Gin couldn't help but grumble to himself at its underwhelming kill record.

Heading back inside, he found Itama still snoring in the bedroom. Gin lay down on the couch, staring at his hands with a serious expression.

When the flames had engulfed him earlier, he'd been fully ready to cut off his own hands — but then, unexpectedly, that strange protective effect had triggered.

The Uzumaki crest on his right hand he could more or less explain: it was the sealing mark Mito had placed on him, probably designed to automatically activate against fire damage.

"But the left hand…"

He turned his gaze to his left palm. There was nothing to see. Even probing it with his chakra yielded no reaction at all — only slow, steady depletion.

Trying to recall that fleeting, alien seal he'd glimpsed, Gin dug through the original host's memories… and found nothing.

Ever since transmigrating, he'd searched those memories more than once. Childhood was a blur, perhaps because of trauma. The attack on the camp in his teens was a patchwork of broken images, his mind refusing to recall it in full.

And everything after that was simply the daily life of a useless loser — until Gin himself took over.

Screw it.

Unable to figure it out, Gin simply decided to lay flat and stop thinking about it. He'd get some sleep; he had work tomorrow.

Relaxing, he quickly drifted off.

At dawn, Gin yanked the blanket off Itama, who was clutching Gin's old clothes even in his sleep.

The boy woke up instantly, clutching his head and yelling:

"Oi, what was that for?!"

Ignoring the brat's familiar petulant tone, Gin simply said:

"I've got work today. There's food in the kitchen. Don't even think about running off — the whole place is crawling with Uchiha, and you know what'll happen if you're caught."

Itama pouted but nodded reluctantly.

"I'll pick up some hair dye tonight and deal with that attention-grabbing hair of yours."

Gin threw the line over his shoulder and left.

Following the original host's memories, Gin strolled toward the dungeon.

Along the way, he encountered a few clansmen and raised a hand to greet them — but each of them reacted like they'd seen a wild beast, quickly turning and scurrying away, leaving Gin standing there baffled.

Recalling the original host's reputation, Gin could only shake his head. Changing that wouldn't be easy.

Eventually he arrived at a gloomy door and knocked.

The little hatch opened, revealing the sallow, creepy face of the same Uchiha who'd summoned him yesterday.

After a glance, the hatch shut and the door creaked open. Gin stepped in.

Following his silent guide down a narrow, pitch-black corridor, then through another door, they came to a wider, better-lit space lined with torches.

"From now on, I'm your supervisor."

The man finally spoke, his voice cold and dry like it came from a grave.

"What should I call you?"

Not sure what attitude to take, Gin asked politely.

"Uchiha Ryu'ei."

The man tossed his name over his shoulder.

They walked and walked, until finally Ryu'ei stopped before a small door labeled Archive Room.

Inside was a chaotic mess of scrolls piled on tables, shelves, and the floor like the place had been looted.

Catching Gin's questioning look, Ryu'ei explained:

"The previous archivist was killed on assignment. His catalog was lost with him. You'll be reorganizing everything."

Gin learned that the previous keeper's death and the loss of his records had made it a nightmare to find prisoner files.

Now the clan needed someone to re-inventory and reclassify the inmates.

Looking at the mountain of scrolls, Gin felt a headache coming on. So that was Tajima's real intent — to ground him here, buried in paperwork.

This task was going to take forever.

"…Do I get any help? This is a lot of work…"

"No extra manpower."

Ryu'ei's lifeless gaze never wavered.

"…Fine."

Gin reluctantly accepted.

"What about meals? And where do I sleep?"

"There's a cafeteria here. You can go home at night."

Ryu'ei's clipped reply was a relief — Gin couldn't leave Itama unattended for long.

"For convenience, you'll have full access to the cells while checking records," Ryu'ei added flatly.

"Be warned: although the prisoners are sealed and restrained, they're all highly dangerous."

Gin was a little surprised at the man's rare display of concern.

"Don't die. It'd be troublesome for me to explain to Elder En."

Why, thank you very much.

Without another word, Ryu'ei turned and left Gin standing there.

Shaking his head, Gin got to work — picking up scattered scrolls and stacking them on the desk.

The first one he opened read:

"Kaguya Jousuke: rogue shinobi, killed two Uchiha, suspected of mental instability, immune to genjutsu interrogation, background unknown. Currently held in Cell No. 2."

Kaguya, huh?

Curious about the clan so infamous in the original story, Gin decided he'd pay this one a visit.

(End of Chapter)

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