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

Chapter 982 I Will Protect My Cousin's Eyes

"boom!"

As a sharp, high-pressure jet of water precisely struck the wig atop the wooden dummy's head, Yahiko, falling from mid-air, didn't even bother wiping the water from his mouth. He stared at his hands in disbelief, exclaiming, "I did it... I did it... I finally mastered water-wave breaking!"

[Training dummy experience points +1, current upgrade progress (49527/99999)]

Almost simultaneously, Uchiha Gin, who was enjoying a massage from Konan not far away, heard a system notification in his mind: "Congratulations, Yahiko."

Nagato, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately handed him a towel. "It's all thanks to the Gintoki textbook. Without it, I might never have mastered such a profound water escaping technique in my life."

Wiping his sweat, Yahiko shook his head, his eyes filled with admiration as he looked at Uchiha Gin. In just one week, he had mastered the Second Hokage's unique technique—something he would never have dared to dream of before.

Waaaaah, why didn't you tell me sooner that you had such great ninja tools?

"Your turn next, Nagato."

"I have a strong feeling that I will break through my Five Elements Combined Ninjutsu today!"

"Yin San San, can't you let us use the mannequins for a little longer each day?"

Watching Nagato, his feet firmly planted on clods of earth, a water sphere above his head, lightning in his left hand, sparks in his right, and a wind blast already formed in his mouth, charge towards the isolated training dummy, Konan, who was massaging Uchiha Gin's back, pouted and pleaded. She had already used up her sparring opportunities with the dummy for the day. Although she felt her Paper Release techniques had improved, she hadn't fully mastered the new technique like Yahiko. "You're still young, at the age where you're growing. Don't push yourself so hard. What if you end up with stunted growth? How am I supposed to explain that to all the netizens?"

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Gin tilted his head and glanced at Konan, whose little face was puffed up like a bun. His gaze swept over Konan's nascent figure, and he shook his head seriously. "Gin-san, what are online friends?"

Don't worry about such unimportant details.

Taking advantage of Konan's momentary daze, Uchiha Gin straightened up, picked up a pastry from the side and popped it into his mouth. His eyes then fell on the dummy being tortured by the Five Spirit Kings. Based on his feedback from using the tools over the years, Uchiha Gin had also summarized some details that the dummy had not written in the instructions. For example, the dummy had a daily limit on the proficiency it could provide to the user. Once that limit was reached, even if the dummy was beaten like this again, no further feedback would be received.

With this mechanism in place, it's no wonder that training dummies for so many years hasn't yielded enough experience points for leveling up.

"what!"

Just as Uchiha Gin was perfunctorily dealing with the inquisitive Konan, Nagato, who was locked in a fierce battle with the dummy, suddenly let out a piercing scream. The man who had been full of life just a moment ago was now kneeling in agony, clutching his eyes, his body convulsing uncontrollably. "Nagato!"

Yahiko, who was standing guard to the side, rushed over first, but before his hand could even touch Nagato's shoulder, he was thrown several meters away by an inexplicable repulsive force.

"What the hell?"

Yahiko shook his arm, which had gone numb from the shock, and stared blankly at Nagato, who was radiating an eerie purple light. Having spent so many years with Nagato, this was the first time he'd encountered something like this. "What's going on?"

"What happened? What happened?"

The commotion Nagato caused quickly attracted the attention of the Dawn Organization members nearby. Among them, the sharp-eyed Kyusuke frowned and pointed to the faint, shadowy figure behind Nagato. "Look, isn't there something behind Nagato?"

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Gin immediately perked up, looking at Nagato, who had awakened some new ability, with a strange expression. Could it be that this kid has awakened Limbo?

Thinking of this, a faint red light appeared in Uchiha Gin's eyes. Sure enough, there was something behind Nagato, but it was not the Limbo clone he had thought of. Instead, it was a giant purple chakra dragon with bared fangs and claws.

Is it possible to communicate with the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path already?

Uchiha Gin thoughtfully closed his Sharingan. Others might not know what this giant chakra dragon represented, but how could he, someone who had personally visited the Gedo Mazo tourist attraction on the moon, not know?

"Huff...huff...Yahiko, I'm alright."

Panting heavily, Nagato slowly stood up. Noticing that his eyes had regained some strength, he waved to Yahiko, who was standing beside him with a worried expression. A faint smile appeared on his pale lips. "I feel great now."

"Congratulations, Nagato, you've become stronger again."

Sensing that his friend's aura had become even stronger than before, the kind-hearted Yahiko excitedly stepped forward and sincerely congratulated him, "Mr. Gin, I would like to spar with you."

Nagato nodded to him, then turned his gaze to Uchiha Gin, who was holding pastries not far away, a hint of fighting spirit flashing in his purple eyes hidden under his bangs.

"Want to spar with me?"

Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. He didn't remember ever provoking Nagato, that little girl. Why did the other party always seem to harbor some kind of hostility towards him? "Nagato, Gin is too old. Let me spar with you instead."

Upon hearing his friend's intention to assault an elderly person in the street, Yahiko immediately shielded Gin Uchiha behind him, saying, "Yahiko, you..."

99

Nagato's face darkened upon seeing this. Ever since this curly-haired guy appeared, Yahiko had been talking about Gintoki every day, neglecting even his longtime bedmate.

"It's alright. I just wanted to exchange ideas with Nagato and improve together."

Uchiha Gin placed his hand on Yahiko's shoulder and nodded with a smile. It was true that Nagato was hostile towards him, but it hadn't reached the point of malice. Perhaps he was just jealous because he saw Yahiko and Konan being too close to him lately.

"Gintoki, be careful, Nagato's eyes..."

99

Standing behind Uchiha Gin, Konan was worried that something might happen to him, so she stepped forward to offer some advice.

"I know."

Uchiha Gin calmly patted her little head, turned around and walked to Nagato's side, looking down at the red-haired Konan who was standing tall and trying to act like an adult.

Please enlighten me.

Nagato knew the details of the battle between Uchiha Gin and Hanzo from Konan, so he did not underestimate the person in front of him. Nagato cautiously raised his hand and assumed a starting stance that Uchiha Gin looked somewhat familiar with, and his bangs began to move without wind.

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

As expected of Jiraiya's disciple.

Seeing Nagato's posture, which bore a striking resemblance to Jiraiya's, Uchiha Gin, who had received a long-awaited system notification, smiled and nodded, saying, "It's alright, feel free to do whatever you want."

However, his smug, triumphant smile, radiated satisfaction after a series of defeats, appeared utterly mocking to Nagato. "Ha!"

Thinking about how Yahiko had just stood up for this man, Nagato felt a pang of guilt. Instantly, dazzling lightning and scorching flames materialized in his hands. "Holy crap, Five Spirit Kings!"

Uchiha Gin dodged the fireball Nagato threw, turned around and looked at the berserk Konan, who was bathed in lightning. He raised an eyebrow slightly. Appearances can be deceiving. To be able to master the five chakra nature transformations at such a young age, Nagato's talent was almost on par with Hiruzen Sarutobi. Even without the Rinnegan, he could have become a famous figure in the ninja world if he had grown up smoothly.

"Lightning Release Chakra Mode, activated."

After stretching his neck, which had been rusty for years, Uchiha Gin's body emitted a striking burst of lightning, with plasma surging and crackling as if it were real. "Wow! So cool!"

Watching Uchiha Gin transform into a Super Saiyan, Yahiko, who was watching the battle, drooled with envy. "Sigh! Why don't I have lightning attribute?!"

Despite his envy, due to his own congenital defects, Yahiko could only slap his thigh in disappointment, "Wind Release: Vacuum Ball".

Nagato scrutinized Uchiha Gin with apprehension. Following the principle of elemental advantage, he tentatively unleashed a Wind Release technique. "Whoosh!"

However, in Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Uchiha Gin's speed had already reached the limits of his physical body. Facing the oncoming blue wind bullet, he slightly bent his legs and transformed into a bolt of lightning, disappearing from the spot. "Hmm?"

As the target disappeared from his sight, Nagato, who could only barely catch a glimpse of Uchiha Gin's trajectory in his senses, immediately felt alarmed. What kind of speed was that? Even the Rinnegan couldn't lock onto it.

"Are you just going to give up already?"

Just as Nagato was rapidly scanning his surroundings for Uchiha Gin's whereabouts, a mocking voice rang in his ears, "Ha!"

Without turning his head, Nagato slammed his hands on the ground, and countless earthen spears immediately erupted from the ground around him. "Gin San-san, watch out!"

Konan, watching the battle, was so nervous her palms were sweating. Seeing that Uchiha Gin behind Nagato was about to be pierced by a sharp earth spear, she couldn't help but shout, "Whoosh!"

"Your reaction speed is pretty fast. Your combat skills are much better than that careless brat Yahiko."

Uchiha Gin, who had transformed into a bolt of lightning and landed not far away, revealed himself and looked at Nagato with admiration. "If you're a man, don't keep hiding."

Nagato, furious that his skills had all failed to land a single point, turned red with anger. Seeing that ordinary ninjutsu was ineffective against Uchiha Gin, his Rinnegan, hidden beneath his bangs, emitted a strange aura. "Oh?"

Feeling a powerful gravitational pull, Uchiha Gin paused, his admiration for Nagato growing stronger. "He can already use gravity and repulsion so skillfully? My cousin was right about him."

"Come here!"

Nagato unleashed the full power of his Rinnegan, a power he rarely dared to use. A visible purple aura emanated from his body. "Nagato, calm down! Calm down! Gintoki is one of us!"

Seeing this, Yahiko was terrified and broke out in a cold sweat. He had spent many years with Nagato and had witnessed him unleash this terrifying and mysterious power several times in desperate situations. No matter how powerful the enemy was, they all ended up with a tragic death.

"Don't worry, Yahiko, I know what I'm doing."

Glancing at the nervous Yahiko on the sidelines, Nagato promised expressionlessly that he wouldn't really hurt Uchiha Gin. At most, he would beat him until he was speechless and his eyes were closed, completely shattering the childhood image of Gin in Yahiko's mind.

On the other side, Uchiha Gin, who was being lifted up by gravity, showed no sign of panic. In fact, to more directly experience his younger cousin's power, he deliberately dispersed the Lightning Release chakra cloak that was being frantically devoured by the power of the Rinnegan. "Is he going to admit defeat already?"

Nagato, who was raising one hand slightly, could not hide the disappointment in his eyes. This was Gintoki, whom Yahiko would talk about even in his sleep. He surrendered too quickly!

"I don't want to throw a match."

Uchiha Gin, floating upside down in mid-air, calmly shook his head. Based on his years of experience farming steel, surrendering now would easily be detected by the system as match-fixing, resulting in the system deducting all the mental energy points he had accumulated.

"Nagato, quickly put Gintoki down."

Seeing Uchiha Gin deliberately upside down in the air by Nagato, Konan's face began to turn like paper as she anxiously watched her master, her Shikigami Dance mode poised to be unleashed.

"Don't be nervous, I can handle this kind of small situation."

In mid-air, Uchiha Gin gave Konan a reassuring look, his aura rising steadily with the change in his pupils—Sharingan, activated.

The moment the three mysterious tomoe appeared before his eyes, a chilling and obscure chakra surged forth. "What's wrong with your eyes?"

Sensing the chilling eye power emanating from Uchiha Gin, Nagato's expression darkened. His Rinnegan exhibited a kind of stress response, as if he were extremely wary of this eye power, or rather, its owner.

"God has no fear!"

Despite the unusual nature of the Rinnegan, Nagato, unwilling to give up, channeled his abundant life force into chakra to power his eyes, ultimately converting it into profound ocular power to withstand the attack.

"Buzz!"

And so, two seemingly disparate yet somewhat similar eye powers collided in mid-air, creating a terrifying aura that was suffocating.

"Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has occurred! Quickly, inform Lord Ban! His eyes are fighting with my cousin!"

White Zetsu, who was lurking in the shadows observing the two locked in a battle of eye power, was sweating profusely with anxiety. "Shut up and focus on your surveillance mission. I'll report this to Lord Madara myself."

The Black Zetsu, who was lying in wait with the White Zetsu, glared at the meddlesome White Zetsu and coldly stopped it from tattling.

Turning his head to look at Uchiha Gin, whose eyes were bloodshot, Black Zetsu's eyes flashed with a cold light.

This strange man is a ticking time bomb. In order for my plan to save my mother to succeed, I must find an opportunity to bury him.

"Ugh—I will never lose!"

The two stared at each other for quite some time. Nagato, whose eyes were sore and swollen, gritted his teeth and persevered, believing that Uchiha Gin must be in even more pain than he was.

"Ha~ how long are you going to keep staring?"

He was right. Yawning, Uchiha Gin felt his eyes were getting dry. Under the questioning gazes of the people around him who were holding their breath, he pulled out a small bottle of blue eye drops from his pocket. "Wait a minute, let me put in some eye drops first."

Ignoring Nagato's murderous glare, Uchiha Gin, seemingly unaffected by the terrifying impact of the Rinnegan's power, raised his head, expertly instilled a few drops of eye drops, and said, "That feels good~"

After rubbing the eye drops a few times to speed up absorption, he smiled and waved the eye drops in his hand at Nagato not far away. If he didn't protect his cousin's eyes, who would?

"Young Master Nagato, I see there are quite a few bloodshot veins in your eyes. Should we get some eye drops too?"