Naruto: The Thirty-Year-Old Uchiha Can't Get Motivated"

Uchiha Gin had long lost track of how long he had been stabbed. His nerves had gone numb to the pain, and he now watched blankly as the countless Uchiha Itachis slashed at him over and over.

"Feels like they're making minced meat out of me…"

Unable to escape, Uchiha Gin began to joke in the midst of misery, mocking the Itachis around him:

"Haven't you eaten or something? Put a little more effort into it!"

"Don't just slash the front! Flip me over if you have to—make it even! Don't show favoritism!"

The hard-working Uchiha Itachis, listening to Gin's endless rambling, suddenly sped up as if someone had wound them up.

[Speed x2]

"Whoa, hey! Don't stab me there! I'm still pure, okay? I'm 24! I'm just a student!"

By now, Uchiha Gin was so delirious from the pain that he had begun spouting nonsense.

No one knew how much time had passed. Suddenly, all of the Itachis halted their movements at the same time. Gin, who had been closing his eyes and "enjoying" the stab-happy Tsukuyomi massage, felt the bindings on his hands loosen. He dropped down to one knee, struggling to open his eyelids.

Looking up at the gentle curve of the pale moon above, Gin was so moved that tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Damn… I finally survived," he muttered bitterly.

"What the hell's wrong with you?"

Senju Itama, still tied to a post, stared at Gin in disbelief. Just a moment ago, this guy had tied him up and walked a few steps away, then suddenly collapsed to his knees—and now he was crying and muttering things like "I made it through." Weird guy.

"It's nothing. I just… remembered something sad," Gin replied, brushing away his tears and standing up. He knew full well what the Tsukuyomi's mechanics were, so he didn't bother explaining.

"You're the one who should be fine. I'm the one still tied up here," Itama shot back. But then his expression changed in surprise as he looked at Gin and said,

"Why the hell are your Sharingan active? Trying to hypnotize me for an interrogation? Typical evil Uchiha. But…"

That sentence made Gin freeze.

It was only then that he noticed—his vision had improved. He could see everything clearly, even in the darkness.

His chakra, which had felt blocked earlier, now flowed smoothly, especially toward his eyes. It felt like taking a bite of popsicle on a scorching summer day—refreshing and invigorating.

"But what?"

Still basking in joy, Uchiha Gin didn't even mind Itama's rude tone.

"With just a single tomoe, what are you gonna interrogate me with? Hypnotize me with Genjutsu?"

Bonk!

A sharp knock landed on Itama's smug little head, leaving a huge bump.

"Let's try physical hypnosis then!"

Uchiha Gin never held grudges overnight—he paid them back on the spot.

"AAAHHH!!"

Itama howled in pain, his big, teary eyes brimming with tears.

After dealing with Itama, Uchiha Gin scanned his surroundings. Everything seemed normal. He even inspected the post Itama was tied to—there were no signs of anyone else having been there.

Baffled and with no answers, he returned to his tent and pulled out a small mirror to examine his eyes. As he suspected, he had indeed awakened the Sharingan—though only the single tomoe version.

"Taking a full blast of Tsukuyomi and all I got was one tomoe? Was the original owner's talent really that trash?"

Considering how much pain he had endured for it, Gin felt it was hardly worth it. What he didn't realize was just how rare it was to awaken the Sharingan under such circumstances. The last guy who unlocked a tomoe after eating Tsukuyomi… well, that guy was kind of a big deal.

Then suddenly—

"Backyard refreshed: Random daily skill — [Genjutsu: Tsukuyomi]. Tsukuyomi fragment +1."

The long-absent voice of the system echoed in his mind.

It was that skill—the one Gin had once drawn from a purple skill orb. It had seemed useless at the time, just a bizarre rule-type ability.

As it turned out, the system had recognized the fenced-off clearing behind his tent as his "backyard," and had refreshed a Tsukuyomi cast there.

He recalled the skill description:

"Tsk tsk tsk, does this count as being insanely lucky? My first refresh and I actually got a Mangekyō-level skill."

Uchiha Gin clicked on the "Tsukuyomi Fragment":

[Tsukuyomi Fragment (1/40): Collect 40 fragments to synthesize Genjutsu: Tsukuyomi. Requires Mangekyō Sharingan to learn.]

"Forty fragments?? Are you kidding me? This is a total scam!"

Staring at the glaring "(1/40)" on the screen, Uchiha Gin felt completely drained.

"So I still need to get hit by Tsukuyomi 39 more times? Nope. I'm done. Give me my money back!"

This meant he would have to encounter Uchiha Itachi at least 39 more times to fully unlock the skill. The thought alone made the already-exhausted Gin collapse into bed.

The Next Morning

Just as the first light of dawn crept across the sky, Uchiha Dairō, who had spent half the night on sentry duty at a concealed spot near the camp, was yawning as he made his way back.

But before he could reach the camp, someone stepped into his path.

Seeing who it was, a look of confusion appeared on Dairō's honest, simple face.

"Uchiha Gin? What's up? Night watch is over—there's no need for a shift change."

It was Uchiha Gin, who hadn't slept a wink.

After being tortured for 72 hours by Tsukuyomi, every time he closed his eyes all he saw was an army of Itachis slashing at him—some even aiming directly at his lower half. Although the system had repaired his physical injuries, the mental trauma wasn't so easily healed.

After a short nap, Uchiha Gin—now sporting full-blown panda eyes like Gaara—got up early and waited on Dairō's usual route for one reason only:

To open a treasure chest.

"Brother Dairō, I heard from Captain Fuhō that your Fire Release training is exceptional. B-rank fire techniques are like second nature to you, and you've even started studying A-rank ones. I'm truly in awe."

It was his go-to move: start with heavy flattery.

Clearly, Uchiha Ryōichi and Uchiha Feihe hadn't told Dairō about Gin's recent duel challenges.

Hearing Gin's words of admiration, Dairō instinctively scratched his head in embarrassment before replying humbly:

"Oh no, no. I've just been using my rest time to train in Fire Release, that's all. It's really nothing... nothing at all."

"I once received personal guidance on Fire Release from the clan leader himself. Meeting you now feels like a true meeting of minds. I was delayed earlier by a mission, but that's all done now. There's just one last wish in my heart: to spar with our clan's fire-style genius—'Firestarter Dairō.' Not for anything else, just to witness your incredible jutsu firsthand."

"Firestarter Dairō" was Uchiha Dairō's nickname in the clan. (For the record, Uchiha Ryōichi was known as "Phantom Blade Ryōichi" and Uchiha Feihe as "Twin Blade Feihe.")

"But… we're about to regroup soon. How about we spar tonight during rest?"

Though flattered by Gin's praise, Dairō was a task-oriented kind of guy. Since they had to travel today, he didn't want to waste chakra or energy on sparring now.

"It's no problem, we can just—"

Gin, already half-rolling his dead fish eyes, was about to reuse the same smooth-talking routine he used on Feihe, when suddenly a cold voice rang out behind him:

"What are you two stalling for? We're moving out soon."

Unnoticed until now, Uchiha Fuhō had appeared like a ghost behind them, frowning at the two.

Gin and Dairō immediately broke into cold sweat. They hadn't sensed his presence at all and could only nod repeatedly in agreement.

On the way back, Gin trailed behind the group, secretly feeling a bit regretful.

"Looks like I'll have to wait till tonight to challenge Dairō. But seriously… Uchiha Fuhō's stealth skills are insane. I didn't even sense a ripple of chakra from him—he was just suddenly there."

It was then that he remembered—Uchiha Fuhō had a title too. And unlike the others, his nickname wasn't just known within the clan—it was famous across the entire Warring States era.

[Shin'in Fuhō] – "Phantom Seal Fuhō"

A man who had perfected the art of stealth to its peak. During an assassination mission, he once infiltrated a mid-sized clan, bypassed over a hundred guards, and took out the target without being discovered until the next day.

(End of Chapter)