165. Long Forgotten Task

At dawn, as the faint light of morning broke through, a tall figure busied himself in the kitchen of Uchiha Gin's home.

As the aroma wafted out, a sleepy Uchiha Gin descended from upstairs, scratching his messy hair with one hand and covering his mouth with the other as he let out a big yawn, "Haaah~"

His eyes, ringed with dark circles, twitched a little as he sniffed the air. His brows perked up, suddenly invigorated as he caught sight of Senju Itama bustling around in the kitchen.

“Quite the feast so early in the morning?” he asked with a hint of surprise.

With his long, smooth black hair tied up, exposing his youthful, fair neck, Itama glanced back slightly. “Hmph! This is your meal for the whole day,” he replied, with a touch of disdain in his eyes and a clear voice that belied his age.

“Wait, are you going somewhere?”

This jolted Uchiha Gin wide awake.

He hurriedly questioned the young man, watching his slender figure intently, fearing that his long-raised “little piglet” might be lured away by some dubious person.

“I'm going to Haruka's place.”

“Phew~ For a moment, I thought you’d reached that age where love starts blooming.”

Relieved, Uchiha Gin sighed, thinking that if anyone tried to deceive this kid, things could turn dire.

“If I didn’t have to cook for you, I’d already be at Haruka’s.”

Itama stopped his work, carrying a rich breakfast out of the kitchen and placing it in front of Uchiha Gin. The aroma made Gin's mouth water, and without further comment, he eagerly began to devour the meal, praising it between bites.

“Not bad, not bad, almost as good as my cooking back in the day.”

“Heh.”

“Oh yeah, where’s Hikari? Still lazing around?”

Gin, his mouth full, suddenly remembered the other person staying with him.

“That old woman left before sunrise,” Itama grumbled through clenched teeth as he cleared the morning's trash, preparing to take it out.

Despite his complaints, he dutifully shouldered the task.

“Do you still need this?”

Just as Gin felt satisfied with his own success in raising such a “good kid,” he heard Itama’s puzzled voice behind him.

Turning around, Gin saw him holding a worn-out scroll that seemed vaguely familiar.

“Oh, that? I’d nearly forgotten about it. Don’t throw it away; it might still be useful.”

With memories stirring, Gin slapped his forehead.

But Itama gave him a disgusted look, raising the scroll with just two fingers as if it were contaminated. He aimed it toward the stove and tossed it with precise disdain.

“You brat! What filthy thoughts are running through your head?!”

Gin dashed toward the kitchen, but it was too late. The scroll landed in the flames, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

“Ah~ That was a gift from two old buddies!”

Too late, Gin could only watch as the flames devoured the scroll.

But just as he was lamenting, he noticed a faint blue glow in the ashes, and with curiosity, he quickly extinguished the fire.

“Still intact?”

Clearing the smoke, he carefully retrieved the scroll, now softly glowing with a blue hue. Its cool touch assured him it wasn’t ordinary.

“Disgusting!”

On her way out, Itama cast a scornful glance at Gin, who was holding the scroll with an entranced look, then stomped out the door with a bag of trash.

Uchiha Gin was used to Itama’s cold manners—after all, he’d raised the kid, and a bit of indulgence wasn’t a big deal.

“Got some spare time on my hands… might as well have some fun.”

Gin pocketed the scroll, leaving a brief note for Hikari and Itama before heading out. His first stop was the clan leader’s office, where he greeted the guards casually before knocking on the office door.

“Come in,” a familiar voice replied. Gin smiled as he entered.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the old veteran, still burning the midnight oil! Weren’t you supposed to be out there, feeding the birds and tending to flowers?” Gin joked, grinning.

“It’s you, Gin. What do you need?” Uchiha Tajima glanced up, adjusting his reading glasses. “If you’re here to request early retirement, I’m not approving it. You’ll be working in the dungeons until the end!”

Gin patted his chest earnestly, “Don’t worry! I’m fully committed to a lifetime of service in the Uchiha prison.”

Tajima, still irked, responded, “Then why are you here? Madara and Izuna are out chasing Senju, so if you’re seeking something official, ask the acting clan leader.”

“I just wanted to see if there’s any mission available,” Gin explained, spreading his hands.

“A mission?”

Tajima, slightly surprised, flipped through the task list until he found a long-overlooked mission. “If you’re up for it, you could investigate a tribe called Roran in the Land of Wind.”

“The Land of Wind? Perfect, I’ll take it!”

Moments later, task list in hand, Gin left the clan building, buying a few supplies before heading toward the clan’s gates. The guards, familiar with him, turned a blind eye as he strolled through.

“Let’s see where the Sage’s treasure is hidden…”

Walking through the forest, he took out the scroll his friend had given him and began reading. It described the Sage of Six Paths’ trial grounds, where he left his sword for those worthy among his descendants to find.

“Just this?” Gin frowned, wondering if this was all just a trap by the Hagoromo clan to lure others for plunder.

Shrugging, he tucked the scroll away, quickening his pace. His figure blurred into a shadow, moving through the quiet forest, until he reached the map’s destination by dusk.

“Here? Doesn't seem special.”

Surrounded by wild scenery, untouched by humans, Gin felt an eerie sense of familiarity resonating within.

Holding his giant double-bladed axe, he carved his way through the underbrush, driven by an unexplainable pull deep within his bloodline.

“Looks like there’s something here after all…”