Knock, knock, knock! Uchiha Gin pounded his mansion's door, urging himself to stay calm.
"Coming!" A familiar voice called. The door swung open, revealing Senju Tobirama, face greasy from eating. "You're early! Where's the fish—"
Seeing Gin, Tobirama's eyes widened. Slam! The door shut.
Tobirama cowered behind it, heart racing. He's back?
Knock, knock, knock! The pounding grew frantic. Tobirama's shock turned to terror. With a crash, a fist smashed a hole through the thick wood. A head poked through, grinning eerily. "Here's Johnny!"
"Argh!" Tobirama, clueless about the phrase, fainted from fear.
Gin unlocked the door through the hole, eyeing the unconscious kid. "Didn't even pull out the real scares, and you're out? Too easy."
When Tobirama awoke, he saw Gin devouring his ordered grilled fish. Guilty, he swallowed hard, silent.
"Living large, huh? Got delivery service?" Gin asked, picking his teeth with a fishbone.
"Not really, just a few days," Tobirama mumbled, then hurriedly explained, "The shop offered delivery. I didn't want trouble, so I ordered a month's worth."
"Smart kid!" Gin stood, grabbing a broom.
"Damn right, I'm—" Tobirama started, puffing up, but Gin's broom swatted his backside, making him yelp. "Ow! Stop!"
After disciplining the kid, a refreshed Gin ordered him to clean both rooms. Gin headed to the long-neglected backyard.
Hospitalized recently, he hadn't "farmed" his NPC spawns. He hoped for a big drop today.
After waiting with no spawn, Gin frowned, wondering if the system glitched. A faint sound came from behind, and his vision inexplicably showed the scene.
A small figure emerged from a familiar rippling portal, warily eyeing him.
"Izuna?" Gin thought his cousin was visiting, but the figure's modern headband and attire marked it as a system NPC. "Sasuke!"
Big brother, now little brother?
The teenage Sasuke wore his classic blue shirt and gray shorts, a genin-era look.
What could he drop? Had he learned Chidori yet? Without it, his skills were meh.
Sasuke stared blankly, then charged, emotionless.
"Fine, let's play. Call it rehab," Gin sighed, not bothering with Sharingan, easily thrashing the young Sasuke.
One exchange, and Sasuke was down.
"That's it?" Gin taunted the NPC.
Sasuke struggled up, a flicker of awareness in his empty eyes. He gave Gin a complex look before a portal swallowed him.
"Backyard daily random skill refresh: [Indra's Chakra]. Obtained Indra's Chakra 1…"
[Indra's Chakra Fragment (1/). Collect fragments to synthesize Indra's Chakra.]
What?! Beating Sasuke dropped this?
The floating fragment stunned Gin with its Six Paths-tier implications. Was this a skill?
Swallowing hard, he studied it. No details, no fragment count needed.
Clenching his fist, Gin felt a new drive. He'd grind these fragments relentlessly.
A cool sensation washed over him, erasing the sweat from sparring. In high spirits, he returned indoors, sparing Tobirama further torment, and sorted his loot in his room.
In the system space, the once-empty board brimmed with spoils. After a week of "hard" battles, Gin had stacked two Heartsteels. Gold bars piled high, dulling his greed. He eyed a few items.
On the left, a Thornmail from days ago, joined by two more: a blue claw-shaped necklace and a golden card.
[Dragon's Claw]: Grants 9% max health, +5 health every two days.
[Metabolism Accelerator]: Grants +2 health daily. (Bound, unique)
Health? Gin queried the system.
"Health is your HP bar. Higher health thickens it, extending lifespan," the system explained.
"How much lifespan per health point?" Gin pressed.
"1:1. One health point equals one day."
"Holy—!" With both items, he'd gain 4.5 days of life per day lived. He could outlast Konoha's founding, maybe even Boruto's grandkids!
"Only one health-regen item or hex card can be equipped at a time," the system added, crushing his dreams.
Sighing, Gin nodded. Such a busted stat being limited made sense.
"Ahh!" He equipped the blue fang-shaped Dragon's Claw. Warm energy surged, tingling pleasantly, drawing a moan.
"Hey, keep it down with the handiwork! There's a minor here!" Tobirama's voice jolted Gin, who fumbled, dropping the Metabolism Accelerator card.
"Move, move, floor's trash!" Tobirama barged in, sweeping casually. "Tch, these papers are relics. Keeping 'em?"
Old scrolls, no value.
Spotting Gin's dropped card, Tobirama's eyes lit up. "Too good to lose. Mine!" He pocketed it and bolted.
His fluid theft stunned Gin, who snapped out of his buzz. "Give it back, you little thief!"
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