Hearing the system's feedback, Gin quickly entered his system space. The moment he arrived, he noticed something unsettling — the slot machine on the chessboard was gone. That was the device he'd used for lottery draws with task points, and now the system had outright eaten it.
Panicked, he turned his gaze to the other side. The Heart of Steel Chest was still there, noisily playing its BGM as always. A quick click confirmed it was functioning normally. Gin finally let out a long sigh of relief. Seemed like even though the system had gone into standby, the Heart of Steel Chest was unaffected.
Summing things up, it looked like the system was completely offline now — no more missions, no more points. But the beginner's gift, the Heart of Steel Chest, was still his. And since that chest came with the Daily Random Skill from the Backyard as part of the gift, that should still function too.
Looking at the dimmed mission panel, he saw the same single task sitting there: Save Senju Itama. Recalling the system's earlier message:
"System entering cooldown. Complete the mission to unlock."
Gin's eyes suddenly lit up. If the so-called "mission" here was this very first task, then as long as he never finished it, the system would stay dead. Meaning no more life-or-death missions suddenly forced on him. And the kicker? While the system was offline, he stayed thirty years old — until the task was done.
But… right now, as far as he was concerned, there was nothing forcing him to finish it.
Me, Uchiha Gin… immortal! Achieving the lifelong dream of eternal youth!
Thrilled, Gin rolled off the bed and began pacing excitedly. From now on, as long as that kid Itama stayed alive, not only would Gin never die, time itself wouldn't touch him.
And to think — giving Itama that Metabolic Accelerator by accident turned out to be a stroke of genius. With that +2 HP per day buff, the little brat could probably live forever.
While Gin basked in the joy of immortality, in a dark dungeon elsewhere, an old man slowly opened his eyes.
In the old No.0 prison…
"Wangliang… I don't have much time left. Has Uchiha Tajima still not made his move?"
Eyes clouded and gray, Uchiha Yao could feel his end approaching. It had already been six years, and yet Tajima still hadn't done what Yao expected.
"Uchiha Tajima has been focused on his sons these past years. He shows no signs of unsealing anything," came the hoarse reply from the black-eyed jailer lurking in the shadows.
Yao's face was cold as he mentioned the grandson who hadn't visited in years.
"That brat spends every day mingling with prisoners in the dungeon. I have no idea what he's thinking."
Wangliang, who'd monitored Gin for a while, shook his head. He didn't understand what the kid was playing at either.
"We can't wait any longer. Bring him to me."
Yao frowned. If this dragged on any further, he'd die before getting his revenge. He had to force Tajima's hand while he still could.
"Yes," Wangliang murmured, his black eyes flickering as he melted into the floor.
The next morning, Gin woke up groggy, dark circles under his eyes from a whole night of excitement. No sooner had he gotten up than he was summoned to Tajima's office.
"What's the matter, uncle?"
Yawning, he entered to find Tajima, now visibly aged at forty-two, holding a file.
"There's a mission. Wanted to see if you're willing to take it," Tajima said casually.
"What kind of mission?"
Gin arched a brow. Tajima had clearly declined in vigor these last few years, all his focus on Madara and Izuna.
"This," Tajima said, handing him the file. Gin skimmed through it and raised his head in surprise.
"Who's this 'Nameless'?"
Though he already knew the answer, he feigned ignorance.
Tajima's eyes flashed with something complex. He sighed and explained:
"Nameless was a weapon our clan cultivated. Years ago, he was ambushed and sealed by the Senju and Sarutobi. He disappeared after that."
Seeing Gin's blank expression, Tajima continued:"A few years ago, we captured a Sarutobi elder who revealed where Nameless is sealed. Back then, we were too busy fighting the Senju to retrieve him. But now…"
Tajima took a sip of tea, his eyes lighting up slightly.
"Now that Senju Butsuma is dead and their clan is scrambling for a new leader, we can seize this chance to recover Nameless. He'd be a great asset to our clan."
"Who else is going on this mission?"
"Just you and me," Tajima said simply.
Gin raised a brow. So his uncle trusted him this much?
"Get ready. We leave tomorrow."
Dismissed with a wave of the hand, Gin left the office.
Since it was still early, he wandered down to the dungeon.
"Richa, mind holding things down today? I'm going to patrol the cells."
Punching in at his office, Gin waved to the busy Richa and headed off to his favorite pastime: steel farming.
Richa watched Gin's carefree back with a bitter smile. He really was stuck on a sinking ship.
"Sir, your punches are powerful as tigers and your speed like roaring dragons. I'm humbled!"
Gin clutched his chest dramatically, staggering back and pretending to wheeze.
The newly imprisoned man stared at his own hands in shock. Since when had he gained such strength, to send a scary Uchiha flying?
Confidence surging, the man raised his fists to press his advantage — only to see Gin smirk, turn, and casually walk away.
"Don't run! Eat my divine fist!"
The prisoner lunged, but Gin barely even glanced at him.
Naraku-ken no Jutsu (Hell's Grasp Technique).
The man dropped like a stone, clutching his throat and gasping.
"Tch. That curly-haired bastard's at it again, bullying the newcomers…"
An old-timer in another cell sneered.
"Yeah, always playing his weird games. Doesn't he get bored?" another chimed in.
They'd long gotten used to Gin's odd ways — the old cons wouldn't fall for his tricks anymore. Nowadays, he could only farm newbies for his "steel."
Humming a little tune, Gin strolled through the hallway, feeling satisfied — until a sudden chill shot through him.
A familiar voice spoke behind him.
"Uchiha Gin. Grandpa wants to see you."
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