260. Taken Care Of

"No! Stay away from me!"

Startled by just one look from Uchiha Gin, Isobu was left speechless in terror for a moment. Watching the man walk toward him step by step, Isobu resembled a frightened, betrayed child with his wild curly hair.

Uchiha Gin, however, paid him no mind. With a swift slash of the wooden sword in his hand, Isobu's thick tail was sliced off like it was soft tofu, with a good portion cleanly severed.

"Ahhh!"

Isobu screamed in pain. The agony felt like his very soul was being cut—something he'd only experienced at the time of his birth. To endure such torment again after a thousand years was beyond his comprehension.

"Ugh, I'd rather go back to solitary confinement," he groaned internally.
The severed tail, however, continued writhing on the ground as though it possessed a life of its own. Intrigued, Uchiha Gin activated his advanced sensory abilities to examine it. A moment later, his eyes flashed with surprise.

Who would have thought that the Sword of the Sage of Six Paths not only cut through a tailed beast's chakra but also retained a fragment of its soul? The result was similar to the Uzumaki clan’s Reaper Death Seal technique.

Curious, Uchiha Gin grabbed the still-moving tail and threw it into the Amber Purifying Pot.

"Huh? How can you seal things without shouting their name first?"

The writhing Isobu, momentarily distracted from his pain, gawked in disbelief at Gin's casual action. His face twisted with astonishment, his tone brimming with confusion.

Such a feat was something he’d only seen the Sage of Six Paths himself perform. How could this seemingly ordinary human do it too?

"I never said it had to be done by shouting a name," Uchiha Gin replied teasingly, patting the wooden sword in his hand and raising an eyebrow at Isobu. "Aminos!"

Isobu: Completely losing it.
"Alright, this big turtle's no use anymore," Uchiha Gin said, ignoring Isobu's rage, and turned to the women nearby.

"Got it," one of them responded.

Uchiha Haruka, sharp and quick to understand, fixed her gaze, and the Three-Tails immediately quieted down.

Seeing such an obedient disciple, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but smile in satisfaction. He then walked over to the Amber Purifying Pot, peering down at the tailed beasts roaring within it. With some curiosity, he asked, "Have your illusions been broken?"

"Yeah, as soon as they were sealed inside, my chakra link was severed," replied Uchiha Hikari, who was standing nearby with her arms crossed.

Seeing the thoughtful look on Gin’s face, Hikari, concerned she had disappointed him, offered, "Gin, should we try again?"

"No, no, no," Gin replied gently, placing a hand on Hikari's head. "You’ve fought hard enough; it’s time to rest and enjoy some afternoon tea. I’ll take care of what’s next."

His warm smile calmed her as he reassured her.

Meanwhile, Haruka stood to the side with slight envy in her eyes, speaking with a hint of worry. "Gin-san, are you sure?"

"Relax, Haruka," interrupted Senju Itama, who was rummaging through their belongings for snacks. "Gin’s no fool; he never picks fights unprepared."

"Oh, by the way, where’s my box of red bean pastries?!" Itama suddenly exclaimed, looking around.

"Huh? What red bean pastries? I’ve never heard of such a thing," Gin said, turning around mid-stretch with an overly innocent face. A smudge of red near his lips betrayed him, though.

"Then what’s that on your mouth? An alibi?"

Itama: Officially losing it.

"You little thief! You can’t just falsely accuse people!"

Gin, avoiding eye contact, hastily wiped his mouth to destroy the evidence. However, in his haste, a half-eaten pastry fell from his sleeve.

Thud.

The red bean pastry hit the ground, its sweet aroma wafting through the air. Silence fell over the group as all eyes fixed on Gin.

"Didn't the doctor tell you to avoid sweets, Gin?" Hikari asked, glaring with exasperation.

Even Haruka, his ever-diligent disciple, chimed in with a disappointed expression, "Gin-san, what am I going to do with you?"

Gin, still trying to maintain his innocence, declared dramatically, "I’ve been framed! This is a conspiracy!"

"Ha! Liar! Let me show you what happens when you mess with my pastries!" Itama snapped, rolling up her sleeves.

"Stay calm! I’ll be right back!" Gin shouted, leaping into the Amber Purifying Pot before anyone could stop him. He gave them a reassuring smile before disappearing inside.


---

Inside the bottle’s space, Gin found himself in a dim environment with an oddly sour and spicy scent in the air.

"Is this my imagination?" he muttered, sniffing the air.

"How disgraceful for a human to use such underhanded tactics—even against his own kind," came a deep, disdainful voice.

Gin looked up to see six massive figures—the tailed beasts—emerging from the shadows. The Eight-Tails, breathing heavily, glared at him with contempt, assuming Gin had been sealed in the bottle as punishment, just like them.

"You seem awfully familiar with this place," Gin said nonchalantly, ignoring their hostility.

"Hmph! Of course we are. We’re frequent visitors here," one of them replied.

As the tailed beasts bickered about their confinement, Gin pieced together the history of the Amber Purifying Pot. It seemed the Sage of Six Paths had originally designed it as a container for food, possibly for fermenting pickles. Later, it was repurposed as a tool for imprisoning tailed beasts and other threats.

"Wait, where’s Isobu?"

The beasts looked around, only now realizing that one of their own was missing. Following the scent of seafood, the Two-Tails discovered the still-twitching severed tail in a corner.

"Ah! It’s just half a tail now!"

The beasts collectively mourned the apparent demise of Isobu, while Gin stood silently, feeling slightly out of place amidst their melodramatic grief.

When asked who was responsible, Gin hesitated before shyly admitting, "Uh… I think that might’ve been me."

The room went silent as the beasts processed his words. Then, one by one, they turned their eyes toward him, their expressions darkening with menace.


From this human before them, the tailed beasts didn't sense any threat. Uchiha Gin was merely a weak descendant of Indra.

"Indeed, and not only that, I'll make sure each of you experiences what it has gone through."

Uchiha Gin, with a gentle smile, slowly drew out his black wooden sword. He gazed at the fierce-faced tailed beasts and softly said:

"Come on, we're all brothers. Sharing hardships isn't too much to ask, right?"

"That weapon belongs to the Sage of Six Paths! How is it in your hands?!"

At first, Matatabi dismissed the arrogant human, but when it saw the weapon Gin drew, its massive feline face displayed a very human-like expression.

"Isobu was killed by that weapon!"

The timid Saiken also let out a cry of alarm. The moment it saw the wooden sword, its entire body trembled as if recalling a terrible experience.

"What? That old man's sword? How could a mere human like you possibly have it?"

Even Gyūki, regaining his composure, looked shocked. The Heavenly Marsh Spear, a weapon forged by the Sage of Six Paths himself, embodied his wish for creation. Only those with unwavering willpower could wield it, and not even the Sage's two sons had earned its approval.

"Don't look at me like that. This weapon is mine through legitimate means~"

Gin, still holding the wooden sword, had no interest in explaining further to these petty-tailed beasts. With a faint smile, his black eyes suddenly turned blood-red.

The three tomoe in his Sharingan slowly rotated, emitting a chilling aura that suffocated the tailed beasts. Gin raised his head and, with a slight smirk, faced the six wary tailed beasts.

"Don't panic, everyone! Even if he has the old man's weapon, those eyes can't do anything to us. Let's stick together and avenge Isobu!"

Gyūki, as the strongest among them, gritted his teeth and encouraged the others, despite the oppressive aura radiating from Gin's eyes.

"Yeah, everyone, let's spit at him together!"

"Oh~ You think these eyes can't harm you?"

Gin, who had rarely shown his Sharingan, felt his mood sour as they mocked him. His expression darkened, and the three tomoe in his eyes began spinning rapidly before vanishing, leaving only a single point in the center.

"Ready to feel my wrath?"

Activating his Mangekyō Sharingan, Gin's voice turned cold as he declared to the beasts, "Gyūki, next time, make sure you get your facts straight before speaking."

Matatabi, trembling from the intensified oppressive force, swallowed nervously and stammered, "How was I supposed to know!"

Facing the impending threat, Gyūki braced himself and retorted, "Alright, let’s see what you’ve got."

Gin, seeing their nervous expressions, decided to "invite" them to his domain. He activated Tsukuyomi, and his Mangekyō Sharingan morphed again.

"Look, his eyes have changed again!"

The tailed beasts, though familiar with the Mangekyō Sharingan, had never seen one that could transform so dynamically.

"Tsukuyomi."

With a single glance, Gin transported them into his illusionary world. The dark ground beneath their feet transformed into a shallow lake, and a blood-red moon slowly rose in the sky, casting a cold light that chilled them to their cores.

"For the next seventy-two hours, enjoy yourselves~"

Gin's teasing voice echoed in their ears as they realized they were immobilized, unable to move a muscle.

In this illusory realm, Gin approached them with a sinister grin, holding his strange weapon, which emitted a menacing hum.

"What are you going to do? No, stop!"

In the real world, the tailed beasts stood frozen while Gin's Tsukuyomi subjected them to seventy-two hours of relentless psychological torment.

"Is that all it took?"

Gin scratched his head, puzzled that his illusion had so easily subdued the six beasts. "I barely used any of my other techniques. If I had known, I would’ve played around a bit more before using Tsukuyomi."

With a thud, the tailed beasts collapsed, frothing at the mouth and rolling their eyes as if their minds had been shattered.

"Hey, wake up!"

Frustrated, Gin attempted to rouse them, but no matter what he tried, they remained unconscious.

"Did I overdo it?"

This was Gin's first time using his Mangekyō's Tsukuyomi. He had never practiced it, as his techniques like Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi had been gathering dust. Unbeknownst to him, the beasts had recently suffered mental damage from other Uchiha clan members. Gin's attack compounded their trauma, leaving them utterly defeated.

"Since they're out cold, I might as well get to work."

Gin sighed and began methodically severing the beasts' tails, stacking them neatly into a pile.

"Not bad at all," he muttered, satisfied with his sword's performance, which seemed to hum in agreement.

"Alright, time to leave."

Gin called out, and a distortion appeared in the space above him, pulling him away.

Emerging back into reality, he was greeted by the familiar voice of Itama.

"That was quick. Did you fail?"

Before Gin could respond, the aroma of hotpot made him frown.

"Wait, you’re eating hotpot?!"

"Why not? You didn’t let us have red bean pastries, so we figured this was fair game," Itama retorted, nonchalantly tossing tofu into her mouth.

Gin sat down, grabbed a pair of chopsticks, and began eating.

"You’ve already resolved it?" Uchiha Hikari asked, surprised.

"Yep, all taken care of," Gin replied casually, enjoying his meal as the others exchanged astonished glances.