Desperate to dodge work, Uchiha Gin unleashed his best persuasion tactics on Uchiha Ryusa, hoping to offload his duties.
"I can't decide that myself," Ryusa said, dizzy from Gin's spiel. Tempted but hesitant, he knew job changes needed higher approval.
"I'll report it to Elder Yan, don't worry!" Gin said, sensing Ryusa's concern and name-dropping Uchiha Ryuei's boss to seal the deal.
"Well…" Ryusa wavered, mentally weighing the risks.
"No hesitation—this is yours!" Gin shoved a stack of files into Ryusa's hands, flashing a "you've got this" grin before bolting. "You handle it, I'm off to interrogate a prisoner in the dungeon."
Free labor secured, Gin felt light as air, strutting to Dungeon Two's entrance with a swagger.
Today's guards were Ryusa and Uchiha Tetsutama, who hadn't escaped his post. With Ryusa roped into Gin's scheme, Tetsutama stood alone.
"Ryusa said he was hitting the latrine—how's he not back? Fall in?" Tetsutama muttered, bored out of his mind after hours solo.
"Brother Tetsutama, let me in to check something," a voice called. Startled, Tetsutama looked up, spotting his recent nightmare: Uchiha Gin.
"Uchiha… Gin!" he stammered.
"Problem?" Gin asked, raising a brow at the spooked clansman.
"Nope, come right in!" Tetsutama snapped to, hurriedly opening the dungeon gate with a bow.
"I'm looking for this prisoner. Lead the way," Gin said, handing over a file he'd grabbed randomly from Dungeon Two's records without reading.
"Uh, this guy… right, follow me," Tetsutama said, glancing at the prisoner's name and nodding.
"Ryusa's helping in the archives for a bit. I'll tell Lord Ryuei to assign you a new partner," Gin said, walking behind.
Tetsutama's heart sank, despair creeping in. Has my buddy been doomed? My fault! His mind spiraled as he led Gin to a cell, pointing inside. "Here."
"Heh, another Uchiha brat here to torture me? Bring it on—I, Yamanaka Soichiro, won't flinch!" A middle-aged man with brownish-blond hair and fierce indigo eyes glared from within, hands bound behind him, ready to bite.
"There's a fly on your forehead," Gin said out of nowhere, staring.
"Huh?" Yamanaka Soichiro frowned instinctively.
"See? He flinched!" Gin shouted, pointing triumphantly.
Silence swallowed the room.
Soichiro froze, speechless. Tetsutama, beside Gin, stared at his feet, counting toes to escape the awkwardness.
"Ahem, Lord Gin, you interrogate. I'll guard the entrance—nobody's there," Tetsutama said, fleeing the cringe.
"Man, people back then had no sense of humor," Gin sighed, shaking his head, disappointed.
"You mocking me, kid?" Soichiro snapped, finally catching up, teeth grinding.
"Just a joke. No tolerance at your age?" Gin said lightly, flipping through the file.
Yamanaka Soichiro: Skilled in mental secret techniques. Captured alongside Yamanaka Ichiya and others.
"Heard your Yamanaka clan's secret jutsu are something else," Gin said, circling the bound Soichiro, eyeing his tied hands thoughtfully. "But our Uchiha Sharingan counters them, huh?"
"Hmph! If you hadn't ganged up on us, we'd never have fallen. Face me one-on-one!" Soichiro roared, struggling.
"Alright," Gin said, stroking his chin, nodding seriously.
"What?" Soichiro blinked, his suddenly freed hands catching him off guard.
"What, all bark, no bite?" Gin taunted, noting the system's silence, stoking the fire.
"Detected host in combat. Heart of Steel Chest accumulating…"
Gin's lip curled. Provocation works every time.
"Filthy Uchiha, for freeing me, I'll make your end painless," Soichiro sneered, standing, hands forming a strange gesture.
Recognizing the Yamanaka clan's signature pose from the Naruto plot, Gin tensed. Their secret jutsu, Yin Release chakra techniques, targeted the mind—reading memories, controlling consciousness.
[Ninja Art: Mind Body Switch Technique]
Soichiro unleashed the Yamanaka's flagship jutsu.
The Mind Body Switch Technique let the user project their spirit to briefly hijack an enemy's body.
Every man's dream jutsu! Gin thought.
As Soichiro's mental energy surged, Gin instinctively activated his Sharingan. Whether due to its power, he faintly saw a wave of Yin Release chakra carrying mental force barreling toward his forehead.
Debating a fake surrender to game the system, Gin dodged the charged strike.
"Think you can just dodge?" Soichiro sneered, unsurprised, twisting his hands. The mental energy curved.
Caught off guard, Gin couldn't evade. He watched helplessly as Soichiro's mental force invaded his consciousness.
Normally, the Mind Body Switch Technique was a straight shot, but Soichiro, through years of grueling training, had mastered curving its path—a terrifying feat.
Gin's body locked up, unresponsive. A foreign mental force crashed into his mind, dizzying him like a three-day rollercoaster ride, nausea rising.
"Heh, foolish Uchiha. Didn't expect my jutsu to curve, did you?" Gin's mouth spoke, voice eerie, mimicking Soichiro's tone.
Soichiro's body slumped, consciousness gone.
"Let me end you painlessly!" Soichiro, controlling Gin, cackled, pulling a kunai from Gin's pouch, shakily aiming for his own throat.
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