183. Let Me Protect You

“Oh~ is that so? Then it must be painful for you, isn’t it?”

Ōtsutsuki Tsukihime, who has a heart as pure as a little white rabbit, easily believed Uchiha Gin’s lies. Her white eyes were full of sympathy, and she spoke carefully, afraid of hurting the blind man’s fragile heart.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked like that.”

“It’s alright, I’m used to it.”

Wrapped in a long robe, Ōtsutsuki Tsukihime had let down her guard, which made Gin, who was pretending to act pitiful, almost overwhelmed by a surge of emotions.

“Sigh, I’m sorry. Even though you’re blind, I have to ask you to endure for the sake of reviving the Ōtsutsuki clan.”

Ōtsutsuki Tsukihime looked at Uchiha Gin’s gentle smile on his handsome face, and her heart tightened.

This man had such a tragic background; not only had he lost his sight at the peak of his youth, but he had also ended up on the moon, destined to spend his days laboring here.

It was truly heart-wrenching.

“Huh? It’s no problem, I’m a ninja! Whatever task you have, just leave it to me!”

Gin, his attention captivated by Tsukihime’s enticing figure, hardly listened to her words.

Seeing her apologetic expression, he acted as if he’d been generously rewarded, eager to complete any task she needed.

Feeling overheated in her long robe, and assuming Gin wouldn’t notice since he was blind, Tsukihime casually tossed it aside, revealing her sweat-dampened figure.

In that moment, Gin’s vacant eyes seemed to come to life.

Less than a meter in front of him, Tsukihime fanned herself, her damp tank top and shorts clinging to her body.

Chanting “Do not look” in his heart, he lowered his head, yet the intense scene before him left a pink-colored explosion in his mind.

With a sudden rush, he felt blood begin to flow from his nose uncontrollably.

“Huh? Why is your nose bleeding?”

Loosening her collar to cool off, Tsukihime noticed that Uchiha Gin’s previously composed face was now drenched in a torrent of blood.

She hurried over, concerned. “Wait, let me heal you!”

Gin snapped back to reality, realizing he was on the brink of fainting from blood loss, about to earn the dubious title of the most embarrassing death in the history of reincarnation.

Quickly, he reached into his bag and pulled out what he assumed was a handkerchief, pressing it to his nose to stop the bleeding.

“Wait, is this a handkerchief? Why does it smell so good...?”

“Hold on, let me heal you!”

Seeing Gin drenched in blood, Tsukihime panicked, abandoning all concern for propriety. Green healing energy appeared in her hand as she rushed forward to treat him. But as she noticed what he was holding, her steps froze, and the healing energy dissipated.

A moment later, the green light in her hand turned into a fierce blue flame filled with destructive power, aimed straight at Gin, who was blissfully oblivious.

“You thief, die!”

“Huh?”

Startled by her sudden shift, Gin dodged her furious strike, his black eyes filled with confusion.

Watching Tsukihime prepare another attack, he curiously asked, “My acting should be flawless. How did you spot the flaw?”

Gin was confident in his acting, having once won third place in a academy ninja contest and directed his own play, The Tragedy of Uchiha Itachi

There was no way this seemingly naive girl should have noticed anything.

“You despicable thief, give me back my panty!”

Ōtsutsuki Tsukihime, her anger making her attacks sloppy, continued to lash out in rage. Her white eyes burned with fury as she pointed accusingly at Gin’s face, seething through clenched teeth.

To think she’d felt guilty for him just moments ago! Today, she would make sure this thief learned the true might of the Rabbit Goddess!

“What? Hold on!”

Following her gaze, Gin looked down, and as he examined the unfamiliar “handkerchief” he held, he froze. Ignoring the blood trickling from his nose, he spread it out.

“Huh? A bunny?”

On the fabric was an adorable, cartoonish bunny embroidered onto soft pink material, giving off a subtle, unfamiliar fragrance.

As he relished the lingering scent, he frowned, waving the “handkerchief” and looking at the now trembling Tsukihime.

“It’s just a handkerchief. Is that really a reason to attack me?”

“Die!”

Tsukihime’s face flushed so red it looked like it might drip blood, her reason vanishing as she watched Gin wave her “little bunny” in the air.

In that moment, she had only one thought: to erase this man from existence and make sure this secret vanished forever.

“Tsk. To think this is the head of a clan. What a disgrace.”

After glancing at the two impressive, rounded shapes before him, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but think how the person’s “assets” and character strength were inversely proportional.

Ōtsutsuki Tsukihime, repeatedly provoked by Gin’s words, entered a furious mode.

Blue-green chakra flared from her body, and her white eyes radiated a powerful aura that made Gin sense an impending danger.

"Boom!!!"

With a wave of her small hand, the blue-green chakra formed several massive fists, which came crashing down toward Gin with overwhelming force. Realizing the mysterious intensity in her strike, he quickly used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge.

However, the chakra fists, unyielding in their momentum, instantly crashed into the heavy, tightly shut door behind him. With a thunderous noise, the thick, meter-wide door collapsed, revealing a figure outside, who had been eavesdropping with her ear to the door.

Ōtsutsuki Akemi, feeling guilty and concerned for Uchiha Gin, hadn’t actually left but had instead pressed her ear to the door, trying to listen in.


After a long stretch of silence, she had finally started to hear raised voices inside.

Nervous and worried, Akemi had just been planning to ask the clan leader to go easy on Gin, given his delicate constitution.

But just then, the door began to shudder violently, and with a loud crash, it fell, leaving Akemi standing awkwardly, still in her listening posture.

She looked at the tense duo inside, retracting her hand with a faintly embarrassed expression, her eyes brimming with confusion.

“Ōtsutsuki Akemi! Capture him!” Tsukihime, though enraged, hadn’t completely lost her mind. Gritting her teeth, she ordered Akemi to act.

“Clan leader, don’t involve me in this... Gin’s health is fragile; let’s be reasonable,” Akemi protested, torn between conflicting thoughts.

She finally chose the option she thought was best, adopting a sincere expression as she advised Tsukihime.

“Clan leader, I think you’ve been cooped up indoors for too long. Maybe it’s time for some practical experience, and less reading.”

“Ugh! You two have an affair together, haven’t you?” Tsukihime, her rationality nearly depleted, glared coldly at Akemi with her intense, blue-green eyes, feeling betrayed.

“Well... I mean, I’d like to, but this was supposed to be for everyone!” Akemi scratched her head awkwardly, inwardly noting her past thoughts about keeping Gin to herself.

However, now that this had all been laid out, she no longer had the option of “keeping” him.

“Ridiculous!” Tsukihime, her eyes flaring with an increasingly destructive energy, had no patience left.

Ignoring Akemi's strange tone, she stretched out her hands, wrapped in blue-green chakra, forming an intense orb of light in her palm and aiming it at Gin, who was still wiping his nosebleed.

“Gin, watch out!” Recognizing the power of Tsukihime’s technique, Akemi, with a sudden burst of speed, dashed forward and pushed Gin out of harm’s way just before the energy orb struck.

“Ōtsutsuki Akemi, what exactly are you doing?” Tsukihime’s voice was calm, but an ominous energy emanated from her as her fluctuating aura grew more fierce by the second.

“Clan leader, there must be a misunderstanding here!” Akemi, now realizing that Tsukihime’s rage was likely unrelated to serving Gin, cast a worried glance at the bloodied Gin before mustering the courage to speak.


Seeing Akemi's humble demeanor, Tsukihime’s rationality faded completely, replaced by an overwhelming urge to destroy anyone in her way.

“Enough!” With a cold expression, Tsukihime’s delicate hand once again glowed with the same energy, forming a small but immensely powerful orb.

This time, her target wasn’t just Gin but also Akemi, who was standing in front of him.

Despite the lethal threat, Akemi stood her ground, resolute in her decision.

She knew that if she backed down, Gin would be defenseless.

Meanwhile, Gin watched with curiosity as Tsukihime’s energy orb formed, finding it oddly familiar but unable to recall why.

“Uh, shouldn’t we dodge or something?” he asked, leaning forward and tapping Akemi's stiff shoulder.

“It’s too late for that, Gin,” she replied quietly. “Let me be the one to protect your smile.”

“Witness my transformation!”