Uchiha Gin arrived, his expression odd as he watched the two kids' antics. He only spoke up when Senju Itama was on the verge of passing out.
If Mito accidentally killed the Senju kid, Uchiha Gin's mission would fail, and he'd be done for.
"You're back? What happened to my brother?" Mito exclaimed, spotting Uchiha Gin. She tossed the stick aside, circled him twice, and patted him down.
"Not even a scratch? Did you not go?" she asked, incredulous.
Uchiha Gin flicked her forehead with a finger.
"Ouch! What was that for?" Mito whined, rubbing her reddened forehead, tears in her eyes.
Ignoring her complaints, he pulled out the trembling black-red pearl and handed it to her.
Mito's teary eyes widened, her words stumbling. "You… you actually did it?"
Even without her sensory gift, she could feel her brother Uzumaki Hanami's presence sealed within the pearl.
"What are you going to do with him?" she asked nervously, unable to believe her formidable brother had lost to this unreliable Uchiha.
Though her gift told her Uchiha Gin wasn't evil, clan conflicts often trumped personal character.
Squinting, Uchiha Gin rubbed the pearl in his hand, then, under Mito's anxious gaze, tossed it to her without hesitation.
"Huh?" Mito caught it, staring at him in disbelief. "You're just giving it back? My brother's a key figure in the Uzumaki clan. Turning him over to your clan would earn you huge rewards."
"Little schemer," Uchiha Gin said, eyeing her. Handing Hanami over would curry favor with his clan leader, but it'd make the Uzumaki clan sworn enemies.
"As the saying goes, 'More friends, more paths; more enemies, more walls.' If I ever get kicked out of the Uchiha, I might need you to take me in."
Uchiha Gin shrugged, his dead-fish eyes nonchalant.
Mito gave him a strange look, tucked the pearl into her bag, and grabbed his left hand.
Caught off guard, Uchiha Gin noticed blue light emanating from her hands. As he tried to pull away, she stopped him.
"Don't move. I'm using an Uzumaki secret jutsu to place a chakra mark on you. If you're ever homeless, this mark will let you seek the Uzumaki clan's help."
As she focused, a sudden red light repelled her.
"What happened? Why'd it fail?" Mito muttered, grabbing his left hand again to inspect it. Even with her sensory skills, she found nothing.
It failed? Uchiha Gin clenched and unclenched his left hand, feeling no discomfort. Maybe her technique wasn't polished.
"Try the other hand? Or my foot?" he teased, extending a foot.
Mito, startled, grabbed his right hand and tried again. This time, it worked smoothly.
A cool sensation flowed into his right hand, and a swirling Uzumaki clan emblem appeared on the back, fading seconds later.
"What's your next move?" Uchiha Gin asked, eyeing her swaying twin buns.
"My brother's seal can only be undone by Father. I've been out playing long enough. It's time to go home," Mito said, knowing her brother's importance to the clan meant she couldn't linger.
"So, this is goodbye?" Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow.
"In the ninja world, we're swept along by fate," Mito said, mimicking an adult's solemn tone.
"Uh… whatever makes you happy," Uchiha Gin replied, exasperated, waving as Mito hefted her massive pack.
At the last moment, she paused, tilting her head at a forty-five-degree angle, her gaze drifting. "Mr. Kidnapper, we'll meet again, right?"
"Definitely," Uchiha Gin nodded firmly, knowing her future role in the story.
"Oh." Mito turned, a faint smile curling her lips, and skipped toward home.
Watching her fade into the distance, Uchiha Gin returned to the cave and nudged the unconscious Senju Itama, who was faking it. "Stop playing dead, little brother. Time to go."
Caught, Itama opened his eyes, pleading silently.
"Keep quiet on the road, and I'll remove the sock," Uchiha Gin offered.
Itama nodded frantically, tears welling.
Pulling out the foul sock, Uchiha Gin watched as Itama gulped fresh air, then curled up, gagging violently as if recalling the ordeal.
When Itama was nearly spent, Uchiha Gin hoisted him and headed to join Uchiha Ryoichi's battlefield.
He moved swiftly, a far cry from the panting struggle of carrying Itama initially. "The Uzumaki bloodline is incredible. No wonder they inherited the Sage's body in the manga," he thought, feeling his explosive strength and abundant chakra.
"Ding! Host successfully saved Uchiha Fuka's team in crisis. Reward: 50 points, 4 random orbs."
The sudden prompt halted Uchiha Gin. He hadn't reached the battlefield—how was the mission complete?
Without pausing, he sped toward the site.
Arriving with Itama, he found only Uchiha Fuka's team.
Uchiha Fuka stood guard, Uchiha Tsuru bandaged Uchiha Ryoichi's injured arm, and Uchiha Dairo, with minor scrapes, meditated to restore chakra.
"Uchiha Gin! You're alive?" Ryoichi, informed by Fuka of Gin's stand against Hanami, was stunned to see him unharmed, scanning him with his Sharingan.
"Got lucky," Uchiha Gin replied, curious. "Where are the Uzumaki?"
"The long-haired Uzumaki seemed to sense something mid-fight and unleashed a strange ability," Dairo explained, opening his eyes.
"What kind?" Uchiha Gin pressed.
"He erupted, sprouting chakra chains from his body—tough to handle. But he didn't stick around. He grabbed the injured Uzumaki and fled," Fuka added, approaching.
"Gin, how'd you escape?" Fuka asked, knowing Hanami's strength. Gin should've been crushed in one blow, yet he stood unscathed, in peak condition.
Fuka felt relief but mostly confusion.
"He wasn't after my life—just his sister. The girl I captured was his sister. I told him I hid her in a secret spot during my first escape, rigged with a genjutsu that'd kill her unless he gave the right code," Uchiha Gin said calmly, reciting his rehearsed excuse.
"And he let you go?" Fuka asked.
"Yup."
"The Uzumaki are as stubborn as the rumors say," Fuka muttered, recalling their reputation.
"Enough. Full speed ahead—we reach the clan grounds by tomorrow!" Fuka ordered, waving his hand.
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