231. Gacha Day

“What are you planning to do?”

In the dim backstage area, the silhouette of the guard stood against the light, obscuring their features. Only a head of wild, curly hair gleamed under the glow. Yamanaka Soichiro, filled with doubt and fear, gripped his collar tightly with one hand while the other covered himself protectively. His voice trembled with apprehension.

In this isolated room, he was alone. The other former inmates were all left behind. If anything inappropriate were to happen here, there would be no one to know.

“Hey, Brother Soichiro, you wouldn’t want to appear before everyone in such a shabby state, right?”

The figure stepped into the room. The wooden clone assigned to guard the prisoners wore a mocking smile. Seeing Soichiro’s evident nervousness, he spoke with a reassuring tone.

“Whew... It’s just you, kid. You’re quite attentive. This outfit indeed doesn’t fit well.”

Hearing Uchiha Gin’s explanation, Yamanaka Soichiro relaxed a bit. He looked down at the worn prison uniform on his body. While it was made of fine, comfortable material, wearing it out in public would indeed be undignified.

“Exactly! So why wait? Take it off quickly. Your clan members are waiting anxiously outside!”

Soichiro, trusting the explanation, wasted no time. With a sudden motion, he tore the outfit to shreds, revealing a well-fed belly nurtured over the years.

“And your underwear—take that off too!”

Uchiha Gin’s sly smile made Soichiro hesitate.

“Is that really necessary? I just changed into a fresh pair this morning.”

“Of course! We can’t take anything from the prison with us. It’s bad luck.”

Gin’s serious tone made the argument sound perfectly logical.

“Well, we’re all men anyway.”

Convinced, Soichiro nodded and discarded his last layer, leaving himself entirely exposed.

“Impressive, Brother Soichiro! Still strong as ever.”

Feeling proud, Soichiro placed his hands on his hips, even striking a pose to show his vigor.

“Click, click! Yes, hold that pose. Now try a few others—these are for the recruitment posters!”

As Soichiro waited for new clothes, he suddenly heard the sound of a camera shutter.

Looking up, he saw Gin holding a camera, taking rapid, 360-degree pictures of him from every angle.

“You!!! What are you doing?”

Realizing the situation, Soichiro’s face flushed with rage as he tried to cover himself, shouting at Gin.

“Sorry, Brother Soichiro, but a man’s got to make a living. What you’ll wear to leave depends entirely on how generous your clan is!”

With an apologetic smile, Gin left with the camera, leaving Soichiro trembling in the cold room, hoping his clan members would at least provide him with underwear.


---

Outside, Gin, standing on the stage, handed a stack of photos to a Yamanaka clan representative, Minako. Her face paled as she flipped through the images, her eyes widening in shock.

“Minako, what’s wrong?”

Akimichi Shinji, standing nearby, noticed her reaction and leaned in to see.

“Nothing!”

Minako quickly hid the photos, her expression flustered.

Gin explained with a grin, “We provide a full record of the prisoner’s current condition. Transparency is key.”

Shinji misunderstood, thinking the photos depicted gruesome torture, and began radiating anger. However, Minako stopped him, gritting her teeth as she addressed Gin.

“Start the auction, Uchiha Gin. The Yamanaka clan will do what’s necessary.”

“Great! I love straightforward clients.”

Gin smirked and continued, unfazed by the commotion. Minako glared at him, her heart simmering with a mix of rage and humiliation.


"Heh heh, my lady, you wouldn't want your elder to become a 'bird-walking grandpa' in front of everyone, would you~?"

Seeing the beautiful woman from the Yamanaka clan bowing her head submissively, Uchiha Gin's excitement surged. He leaned closer, whispering softly near her delicate earlobe,


"Don't! I'll agree to anything!"

Bewitched by the devilish whisper, Yamanaka Minako's eyes filled with panic, and her usual decisiveness evaporated.

Trembling, she gripped Uchiha Gin's sleeve tightly, resembling a virtuous housewife about to succumb.

"Uh, don't look at me like that. I'm an upright person."

Suddenly feeling sharp gazes from the crowd piercing his back like needles, Uchiha Gin immediately dropped her hand with righteous indignation. His dead-fish eyes radiated purity, as though holy light shone behind him.

"Huh?"

Almost succumbing, Minako snapped out of it upon hearing those words. Her flushed cheeks turned crimson, and her gaze at Gin gained a strange depth.

"Eh-hem. If you don’t want Brother Souichiro to come out completely disgraced, you'll need to spend some gold."

Clearing her throat, Minako dispelled the ambiguous atmosphere and began explaining the "rules."

"Spend gold?"

Unfamiliar with the term, Minako raised her elegant brows in confusion.

"16,800 coins per draw. With a stroke of luck, you could win exclusive high-end apparel immediately~"

Uchiha Gin straightened, hopped back onto the stage, and raised his microphone, shouting:
"Do you want your clan's heroes to return to the shinobi world in dazzling fashion?"


"Do you want your hard-working elders to undergo a miraculous transformation in their twilight years?"

"Think of their love and guidance—why hesitate?"

"For just 16,800 coins, you could dress them in Land of Wave's trendiest designer outfits!"

"What? I thought this was an auction for prisoners. When did it turn into selling clothes?"

The bewildered crowd murmured, unsure of what Gin was up to.

"That Uchiha—200,000 per person, plus 16,800 for an outfit? What is he playing at?"

Shimura Kenichi jabbed Sarutobi Sasuke in the ribs, frowning.

"I don’t know. Let's see how Minako handles it," Sasuke replied, equally clueless but willing to wait and see.

"I'll draw! Right now!"

Knowing the stakes, Minako couldn't hold back, raising her hand in determination to "spend gold."

"Wait, bring out the machine!"

With Gin's command, guards wheeled out a high-tech screen onto the stage, drawing gasps from the crowd.

"Hey, Tobirama, what's that thing?"

Senju Hashirama leaned in, curious but clueless, and asked his tech-savvy brother.

"No idea~"

Even in the Land of Fire, such technology was unheard of.

With a flourish, Gin channeled chakra into the screen. As the dull screen lit up with a catchy tune, a familiar gacha interface appeared. A sweet, animated girl greeted the crowd cheerfully:
"Today is another day full of hope~!"

Gin pointed to the probabilities on display:
"Look, a 16% chance for grand prizes! Very generous!"

"Give me one draw!"

Minako, confident in her luck, tossed her purse to Gin.

"One draw? Are you sure?" Gin teased, feeling the warmth of the purse.

"Hmph, my luck is legendary!" Minako retorted proudly.

"Alright, but just so you know, there's a guaranteed prize for ten draws."

Minako ignored him, slapping the animated girl's face on the screen.

"Ahhh~"

A coquettish sound emanated as a brilliant blue light filled the screen.

"Congratulations! Random clothing fragment ×1!"

Seeing the result, Minako's confidence faltered.

"Forty draws? At 16,800 each, that’s nearly 700,000!"

Gin shrugged with mock sorrow. "Ah, such generosity might leave me broke."

"Fine, ten draws!" Minako declared, her resolve firm.

One dazzling light show later...

"Congratulations! Clothing fragment ×2! Shoes fragment ×1! Underwear fragment ×2!"

"What?! You're splitting the outfit into pieces?!" Minako exploded in frustration.

"These are designer works—every part is crafted by a different master. Of course, they’re separate!" Gin replied smugly.

"And my guaranteed prize?" Minako demanded, furious.

"Right here—summer exclusives only!" Gin gestured to a glowing box labeled "Summer Limited."

"...Fine!" Minako begrudgingly opened the box, revealing—

"Congratulations! Spicy Bikini (Summer Exclusive) ×1!"

"Refund me!!"

"You sure?" Gin smirked.

"Ugh... give me another ten draws!"

After many rounds of relentless spending and countless fragments later, Minako finally unlocked an outfit:

"Congratulations! Leopard-Print Bikini (36D Edition) ×1!"

"Kenichi, Sasuke, lend me money!"

"Nope. We're saving for later."

Left with no options, Minako turned to Gin.

"Do you offer loans?"

"Of course—35% interest~" Gin beamed.

Thus, amidst the chaos, the cursed gacha continued. On the screen, the animated girl waved joyfully:
"Today is another day full of hope~!"