235. Double Trouble

“Boom!~”

In the training ground, two figures were sparring at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye. The shockwaves from their clashes stirred up clouds of dust, forcing the spectators nearby to shield their faces.

“This is impossible! How could he learn it so quickly?!”

As someone with a keen understanding of combat, Hyūga Sōusuke, his face still streaked with drying blood, stared in disbelief. He watched as Uchiha Gin flawlessly executed the Hyūga clan's signature Gentle Fist technique, exclaiming in shock.

“Strange... No matter how advanced the Sharingan's copying abilities are, seamless replication like this shouldn’t be possible, right?”

On the other side, Senju Tobirama furrowed his brows deeply, his crimson eyes flickering with complex emotions. As one of the few who understood the Sharingan better than even the Uchiha themselves, he was utterly baffled by Uchiha Gin’s uncanny mastery of the Gentle Fist.

“Ah, don’t overthink it! After all, he’s Madara’s older cousin. A bit of special talent isn’t all that surprising,” Senju Hashirama laughed and patted his brother's shoulder. Watching the identical techniques displayed by the two combatants in the ring, Hashirama dismissed the phenomenon as a matter of exceptional lineage.

“Smack!!”

As the spectators chatted, the battle in the ring reached a fever pitch. Hyūga Tenya’s calm demeanor gradually gave way to astonishment. Finally, when Uchiha Gin unleashed the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, his face was etched with shock. Seeing Gin adopt yet another familiar stance, Tenya immediately stepped back several paces and exclaimed in disbelief, “How do you know the Sixty-Four Palms?!”

“I just told you—I learned it on the spot,” Gin replied with a smirk, withdrawing from his Gentle Fist stance. If Tenya pushed him further, Gin mused, he might have to use the One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms next. After all, with the frequent visits from the Hyūga kids to his backyard, he’d already mastered much of their Gentle Fist techniques.

“You…”

Hyūga Tenya frowned, his white eyes locking onto Gin’s scarlet Sharingan. Confidence in his clan’s bloodline had always been a point of pride for him, and he had believed the Sharingan to be overhyped. But today’s sparring session had shattered that belief. The Sharingan's insight and copying abilities were undeniable. Not only had Gin replicated the clan’s secret techniques with ease, but he had also perfectly mimicked the Gentle Fist’s nuanced power. If not for the Sharingan's lack of X-ray vision, the Hyūga clan's Byakugan would have no advantage left.

“Ha~ That’s enough. It’s lunchtime.”

Noticing Tenya inner turmoil, Gin deactivated his Sharingan. His black pupils regained their usual laziness as he stretched and yawned, tousling his curly hair before speaking.

“Well, then, we’ll end the sparring here. Thank you, Mr. Gin, for allowing me to witness the power of the Sharingan. It’s truly a worthy rival to the Byakugan,” Tenya said, taking the opportunity to bow out gracefully. Although things hadn’t gone as he expected, he appreciated Gin’s tactful conclusion.

“Hahaha, we’re all part of the same village now. There’ll be plenty of opportunities to spar in the future,” Hashirama chimed in as he walked over, laughing heartily and implicitly welcoming the Hyūga clan into Konoha.

Senju Tobirama also joined, more concerned about the strategic advantages the Hyūga clan would bring to Konoha than the sparring itself. He invited Tenya to discuss further details over dinner.

Gin, however, waved off the invitation. “I’ll pass. I’ve got family waiting for me at home.”

As the crowd dispersed, Gin turned to leave. However, before he vanished into the distance, Tenya called out to Hashirama, “Senju clan leader, once everything is settled, could you inform me of Mr. Gin residence? I have matters to discuss with him.”

“Of course!” Hashirama replied with a hearty laugh.


---

Later, Gin sat atop a rocky outcrop overlooking Konoha, gazing at the scattered lights of the village below. “With the Hyūga clan joining, the Konoha puzzle is finally complete,” he murmured as he leaned back, hands behind his head, and admired the half-risen moon.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the forest behind him. A tall figure emerged, slowly making their way toward him.

“Hikari? Is dinner ready?” Gin asked casually, sensing a familiar scent. But as he looked up, he saw an unexpected coldness in the woman’s gaze.

“Are you staring at the moon, thinking of someone?” Her voice, usually playful, was now icy.

Gin stiffened. He carefully studied her features and noted the dark red diamond mark on her forehead, different from its usual purple. “What are you doing out here? It’s not time yet,” he asked cautiously.

“She pushed herself too hard today and fainted. I couldn’t just leave her to be carried off by wild animals, could I?” the woman replied, sitting beside him with an air of indifference.

“Thanks for the trouble, Kuroko,” Gin said with a sigh of relief. Though her appearance was identical to Hikari's, her demeanor left no doubt as to her true identity.

“You don’t have to pretend to be so close. I know everyone wishes I’d just disappear,” Kuroko retorted, her tone as cold as ever.

“Hey, come on, we’re all family. You’re just... different,” Gin said with a resigned smile.


---

After some lighthearted bickering, GinHikari'sHikari regain consciousness, dismissing Kuroko's earlier presence as a fleeting concern. As the two headed back home, Gin glanced at the lively girl beside him and sighed internally. One life, two souls—it wasn’t easy being with someone like her.



From Uchiha Gin’s tone, it was clear that his secret hadn’t been revealed. Uchiha Hikari breathed a sigh of relief, then stared at Uchiha Gin and said slowly,

"If this continues, your burden will only grow heavier. You must sever it as soon as possible."

Uchiha Gin shook his head, frowning as he looked at the visibly exhausted Uchiha Hikari.


"Let’s wait a little longer; there must be a better way!"

The girl’s face showed a trace of struggle. After years of companionship, she had come to see the "other version" of herself as a close friend with whom she could share everything.

"Alright, since you refuse to use Uncle’s method, I’ll think of something else," she finally said.

Not forcing the girl, Uchiha Gin relaxed his expression and looked at Uchiha Hikari’s delicate face, filled with exhaustion. He nodded and replied,

"Thank you, Gin~"

"Let’s head home."

"Uchiha Hikari" was what they called her primary self, while her alternate self was referred to as "Uchiha Kuroko." The latter was a dark personality created when Hikari fell victim to Uchiha Igaku's Mangekyo Sharingan technique.

This dark persona normally lurked deep within the primary consciousness, waiting for psychological weaknesses to emerge so it could take over and engage in unspeakable deeds.

Initially, when Gin rescued Hikari from her seal, Kuroko frequently caused trouble but was always subdued, much to her humiliation. After Hikari obtained the system's cloak from Gin, Kuroko lost her opportunities to emerge, relegated to bantering in Hikari's subconscious. Over time, the two personalities developed a strange camaraderie.

However, in recent years, as Hikari mastered the Yin Seal and paired it with the Blue Mark for chakra regeneration, her chakra reserves grew vast. This allowed Kuroko, as a spiritual entity, to flourish by drawing from this chakra pool. Their balance shifted from 1:9 to an even 5:5.

Now, Kuroko had become a near-equal co-personality. During the day, Hikari controlled the body, but at night, when Hikari fell asleep, Kuroko would awaken to take over, spending her time staying up late.

This unexpected development heavily burdened Uchiha Gin. He had to care for Hikari during the day and Kuroko at night, leaving him sleep-deprived and drained.

His exhaustion was so severe that he struggled to perform his usual duties in the Uchiha clan’s dungeons.

"Sigh~ It’s clear that spending too much time together makes cutting ties harder."

Back home, Uchiha Gin was eating a delicious meal prepared by Senju Itama. Casting a glance at Hikari, who was enjoying her soup across the table, Gin muttered under his breath,
"This is so troublesome."

"What are you mumbling about? Not happy with my cooking?"

Senju Itama, spatula in hand, planted her hands on her hips. Her pink lips puckered with indignation, her pretty face brimming with suspicion.

"No, no, I love it! I could eat this every day and never get tired of it~" Gin replied hastily, shoving food into his mouth.

"Hmph, if you beg me, I might consider cooking every day."

Itama blushed and turned her head shyly when Gin’s lavish praise caught her off guard.

"Then I’ll leave it to you~" Gin teased, knowing better than to let her catch on.

"Don’t push your luck!"

Amused, Hikari wiped her mouth and raised an eyebrow. "Gin, you have no idea the effect your words have on a girl, do you?"

"How big an effect?" Gin asked innocently, scratching his head.

"Big enough to match Susanoo—three of them!"

"...Huh?"

The Next Day


After another sleepless night, Gin dragged himself out of the house, exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes. Walking toward the Uchiha clan’s new settlement, he muttered,
"Sigh~ Kuroko's getting harder to handle. If this keeps up, I’ll die young..."

"Lord Gin, what brings you here today?" a friendly clansman asked.

"I came to see if my cousin is out of seclusion," Gin replied.

"You’re in luck! The clan leader just came out this morning!"

Surprised, Gin’s tired eyes widened. "He’s finally out? Great, I have some business to discuss."

At Uchiha Madara’s Residence
Gin barged in with no hesitation. "Cousin! I missed you so much!"

"How are you?"

Madara, startled and still mid-meal, raised an eyebrow.

"Barely surviving, thanks to you."

"Looks like you’ve prepared plenty of food for my visit!" Gin remarked, grabbing chopsticks and helping himself.

"That’s Izuna’s meal," Madara reminded him.

"No worries, I’ll leave some for him," Gin said dismissively, pointing to the leftover garlic and chili peppers.

"How’s your enlightenment going? Honestly, that ominous tablet should be tossed into the sea."

Madara’s gaze grew distant, but he shook his head. "The tablet is our clan’s legacy and cannot be discarded. Besides, I’ve deciphered more this time."

Gin waved dismissively. "Just old ancestral boasts, I bet."

Madara’s tone grew serious. "No. This time, I’ve glimpsed a new path:

‘A single god, seeking peace, divides forces of yin and yang. Opposing powers become one, creating all things.’"

Suppressing a sigh, Madara avoided delving deeper into the stone tablet’s revelations. For someone without the Mangekyo, explaining would only add confusion.

Gin then updated Madara on the village’s progress, including the influx of ninja clans. Madara was overjoyed to hear about the dream of Konoha being realized.

However, when Gin revealed his "bad news"—losing his dungeon-guard job—Madara was unimpressed.

"I’ll find you a better position within the clan. You’ll get double the pay."

"But I loved that job!" Gin protested.

Madara sighed. "Fine, I’ll ask Hashirama if the village prison needs staff."

Thus, another day began for the sleepless Gin, as chaos followed him wherever he went.