After a relaxing bath, Uchiha Gin, wrapped in a towel, felt refreshed. Spotting Senju Itama hesitating at the bathroom door, he teased, "Kid, need me to scrub your back? I'm famous for it."
"No way!" Itama yelped, shoving him out.
Uchiha Gin shook his head. "Such a shy kid. We're both guys—what's with the fuss?"
About an hour later, Itama, bundled up tightly, peeked out. Seeing Uchiha Gin still in the living room, his face tensed.
"Finally done? Took you forever to bathe. I nearly fell asleep," Uchiha Gin yawned, standing with the hair dye in hand.
"Stay back!" Itama clutched the door, blocking entry. Amused, Uchiha Gin smirked, leaning against it. "What, doing something naughty? Gotta take care of yourself at your age."
As he pushed harder, the door flew open. Itama, unclothed, tumbled back, hands covering himself, face flushed as he glared.
"No clothes, no big deal. At your age, I was running naked in the streets," Uchiha Gin teased, eyeing Itama's bare form.
"Shameless!" Itama shouted, red as a sauna-goer.
"Alright, alright. Dye's right there." Seeing Itama's embarrassment, Uchiha Gin dropped the teasing, set the dye down, and left.
"Didn't peg you for such fair skin," he tossed over his shoulder, dodging a thrown shampoo bottle with a laugh.
Outside, he reinforced the backyard fence, officially establishing his few-square-meter "training ground" for future skill refreshes.
With the backyard set and night falling, Uchiha Gin returned inside to wait for midnight.
Itama, now dressed, had dyed his black-and-white hair a uniform black. Uchiha Gin nodded approvingly. The new color made the kid look sharp and less conspicuous.
"No one'll notice you now," he said.
Still miffed from earlier, Itama huffed and turned away, ignoring him.
"Boring kid," Uchiha Gin muttered, unbothered. After a few instructions, he crashed on the sofa.
Itama watched the curly-haired Uchiha's back, expression complex, thoughts unreadable. Silently, he retreated to the bedroom.
In the dead of night, Uchiha Gin, feigning sleep, opened his eyes. Confirming Itama was out cold, he slipped to the backyard, standing in the clearing for the refresh.
Clouds veiled the moon. His remote shack, bordered by cliffs and forest, was far from the Uchiha's main grounds.
A breeze rustled the trees, and Uchiha Gin tensed as the air grew heavy—a familiar sign.
Ding. Amid the leaves' whisper, a faint bell rang. His sharp senses locked onto the source.
A figure in a straw hat and black cloak with red clouds emerged from the void. A hand with black nail polish lifted the hat, revealing emotionless crimson eyes.
Uchiha Itachi, again.
Having suffered twice before, Uchiha Gin reacted instantly, activating his Sharingan. His right eye's tomoe spun furiously, chakra surging into it.
Amaterasu.
Striking first, black flames sparked on Itachi's chest, larger than last time's lighter-sized flicker.
After being on the defensive, Uchiha Gin wanted to test what happened if he injured or defeated the skill's NPC.
Ignoring the flames, the summoned Itachi calmly removed his hat, his eyes now pinwheel-shaped Mangekyo Sharingan.
The growing Amaterasu fizzled, doused like a rain-soaked fire as Itachi's Mangekyo activated.
Before Uchiha Gin could react, he averted his gaze to avoid eye contact.
Looking down, he saw the green grass morph into a clear lake, reflecting his image. Above, a blood-red moon hung in the mirrored sky.
Damn it. He was already caught.
Genjutsu: Tsukuyomi.
Crucified in the illusion, Uchiha Gin knew it'd be a sleepless night. Sighing, surrounded by countless Itachis, he snapped, "Fine, come on! Don't hold back just 'cause I'm delicate!"
Knives rang out in the genjutsu space.
After 72 hours of torment, the countdown hit zero, freeing him. The illusion shattered, returning him to the familiar backyard. Itachi vanished.
Seventy-two hours in Tsukuyomi passed in an instant outside. Uchiha Gin's head throbbed, his overstimulated Sharingan shutting down.
Having endured Tsukuyomi twice, he noticed his left eye's pupil power grew each time, his Sharingan mastery improving.
"Daily backyard skill refresh: [Genjutsu: Tsukuyomi]. Acquired Tsukuyomi Fragments 4…"
[Tsukuyomi Fragments (5/40): Collect 40 to synthesize Genjutsu: Tsukuyomi, learnable with Mangekyo Sharingan.]
Stunned, Uchiha Gin marveled at the four fragments. "Pure luck, or based on battle performance?" he wondered.
The system's prompt cleared his fatigue, healing his Tsukuyomi-damaged mind and bloodied right eye, wiping all debuffs.
Standing easily, he checked his body—no issues. Sneaking back inside, he collapsed on the sofa and slept.
For the first time in ages, he dreamed: a dark hospital room, a bandaged-eyed teen on a bed, expressionless, manipulated like a puppet. A middle-aged man, 40 or 50, stroked his head, speaking inaudibly.
Uchiha Gin watched from afar, hearing nothing.
The man gazed at the boy with complex emotions. The door opened, and a younger girl entered, visibly distraught, sobbing at the boy's bedside.
As Uchiha Gin strained to see more, a ruthless force yanked his consciousness out.
He woke to morning light.
Scratching his head, he pondered the fragmented dream. After washing up, he began his shinobi wage-slave life.
Leaving money for the now black-haired Itama to fend for himself, Uchiha Gin noted his new look blended perfectly with the Uchiha crowd, easing safety concerns.
"Don't wander. If you run, I'll grab your brother," he warned, needling the kid.
"Yeah, yeah," Itama said, rolling his eyes at the curly-haired Uchiha. Already resigned, he wasn't fooled by the weak threat.
"What's with that 'you're an idiot' look?" Uchiha Gin growled, a vein pulsing. He raised a fist for a disciplinary flick, but Itama, wise to it, dodged.
Grinning cheekily, Itama stuck out his tongue. Uchiha Gin squinted, sensing a change in the kid but unable to pinpoint it.
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