"On this day of springti cypress and heaven-shared mourning, we gather with heavy hearts to bid farewell to a loved one, a respected brother, a family elite taken from us far too soon…"
Uchiha Tajima spoke with tear-filled eyes and trembling hands as he smoothed the folds on Uchiha Gin's "corpse." His voice was choked with sorrow—but his inner thoughts were anything but.
Gin, how long are you planning to keep playing dead? Your uncle's running out of lines here!
Tajima had just been added to the drama troupe group chat, and after a brief mont of curiosity, he ntally tore into Gin's spiritual projection with a scolding.
"Almost ready!"
Sheesh, with how little knowledge you have and you're still clan head? The Uchiha have truly fallen.
Gin rolled his eyes inwardly as chakra, long cooled within his body, began to stir again at his command.
"Father, please don't grieve. I'm sure big cousin wouldn't want you to suffer like this from the afterlife."
Madara, who had just wiped away his own tears, stepped forward and placed a hand on Tajima's shoulder, speaking in a low, comforting tone. Despite having awakened the legendary Mangekyō, Madara felt no joy—only sorrow for Gin's sacrifice.
Lowering his eyes, his dark pupils reflected uncontainable sadness. In his mind, a looping logic ford:
If it weren't for , Gin wouldn't have organized the special training. If not for the training, we wouldn't have co to the Nanga River. And if we hadn't co to the Nanga River, Gin wouldn't have…
It was all his fault. Madara dropped to his knees and fell into a deep emo spiral.
"Big cousin…"
Izuna was even worse—muttering Gin's na like a broken record as tears stread like an unpatched Water Release dam.
"…Uh."
Only Uchiha Chiri stood silently to the side, her beautiful eyes half-lidded, expression unreadable. She debated whether she should start crying too. Her emotionless face made her seem out of place in such a sorrowful atmosphere.
"Gin aaaaahhhh—"
Tajima wailed like a dying bird, his overly dramatic performance giving the girl goosebumps.
I can't. His acting is too cringe. I need to disappear.
Hurry up, Gin, I can't take this anymore.
She clasped her hands in silent prayer.
"Chiri, don't be so sad… Big cousin, he… huh? HUH??!"
Tear-streaked Izuna, trying to comfort her with lines borrowed from Madara, turned his gaze toward Gin's corpse—and then gasped loudly at what he saw.
"Izuna, we're in mourning. Don't shout like that!"
Madara, recovering a little, scolded him.
"No no no, look! Big cousin's forehead—the Ten Eye tattoo!"
Madara frowned, recalling the strange blackish-red tattoo on Gin's forehead. It hadn't seed that unusual in this era; tattoos were common. He had even considered getting one on his chest soday.
"…Huh?"
But when he looked at Gin's forehead again, he made the sa shocked sound as Izuna.
Everyone turned to look at Gin, their eyes locking onto the sa thing.
Uchiha Gin, lying peacefully as if asleep, now had glowing red marks emanating from the black tattoo on his forehead. Twisted tendrils like sprouting roots spread outward from the design, creeping over his pale skin.
Dark-red patterns ford across his face, interweaving into an eerie, srizing motif.
With the patterns spreading, the group suddenly felt a powerful surge of life force radiate from Gin's body. They instinctively activated their Sharingan to seek the cause.
"What is that…?"
Izuna spoke first, eyes wide. With his Sharingan, he could clearly see massive amounts of chakra brimming with life energy erupting from Gin's tattoo and coursing into his dried-out body.
"This chakra…"
Madara looked horrified. Not only could he see the chakra flowing into Gin, but he could also see the previously lifeless body beginning to regenerate.
Gin's wounds began healing rapidly. The massive gash on his chest vanished in a puff of white mist, leaving flawless skin behind.
Thump.
!!!
A soft heartbeat echoed in their ears. All four ninja, with their finely honed senses, imdiately stopped breathing to listen.
Thump. Thump.
They each paused their own heartbeats to avoid interference. The sound grew stronger and steadier.
"Hah…"
After confirming the rhythm of the heartbeat, all four exhaled together. Looking down, they noticed Gin's lips were no longer pale but a healthy red.
Izuna leaned down, ear pressed against Gin's chest, feeling the faint rise and fall.
His voice trembled with excitent:
"Big cousin… he's alive!"
Tajima instantly flickered to Gin's side, placing a hand on his forehead. While pretending to probe his condition, he ntally observed the strange new patterns on Gin's face and muttered:
Wow, Gin, this looks pretty convincing!
Convincing? This is peak dical ninjutsu! Ever heard of Sōzō Saisei (Creation Rebirth)? I could be sliced in half and still live!
Gin, annoyed by the sarcasm, shot back. He'd finally unlocked so of Tsunade's abilities now that he had the chakra seal and support.
"Heh, so impressive~"
Tajima mocked again.
"Enough already. Get out of here. This scene's over."
Gin urged him to leave quickly. The battle earlier had drawn a lot of attention—if the Senju ca snooping, the whole script would fall apart.
"Father, how is big cousin?"
Madara asked anxiously.
"His spirit is stable. His body just began recovering, but he's still unconscious. We need to bring him back to the village for dical attention."
Tajima relaxed his expression and gave a reassuring smile.
"Let's go then!"
Overjoyed, Izuna hoisted Gin over his shoulder. Feeling the warm breath from Gin's nose, his heart swelled with joy.
Yes! He's alive—my red envelope money is saved!
"Careful, Izuna."
Madara frowned at his brother's rough handling and stepped in to help. Together, they carried Gin off toward the clan's territory.
Behind them, Tajima and Chiri followed silently—each lost in their own thoughts. Chiri, especially, looked pensive as her eyes lingered on the marks on Gin's face.
In the opposite direction, two figures slowed their pace. Half-naked Tobirama flung a battered Hashirama to the ground and stretched with relief.
"Ugh, finally done acting. I'm exhausted."
"Oi oi, I'm still injured here! My foolish aniki~"
Hashirama rolled his eyes and teased, nothing like the dignified warrior from before.
"Cut it out. We're alone now."
Tobirama gave him a deadpan glare of utter disgust.
"Shouldn't we cancel the clones now? Our main bodies told us not to be seen by anyone."
Hashirama looked uneasy. They were close to the Senju camp—if anyone spotted them, they'd be exposed.
"Hmph, no way. This is probably the only ti we'll get out. I'm gonna enjoy it!"
Tobirama's eyes glead with mischief. He clearly had no intention of going back yet.
"My foolish aniki, this is not—"
Hashirama's clone still retained his real counterpart's cautious nature. He grabbed Tobirama's arm, trying to stop him.
"Clan head? Second-in-command? You two—?!"
A voice rang out nearby.
Crap. Of course it had to happen now.
From the forest erged a squad of kunoichi, led by a tall, sharp-eyed woman with long hair and a cold deanor. She looked at them with clear suspicion.
"…Ahem. We were just… wrestling. Right, Tobirama?"
(End of Chapter)
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