160. Stepping Down

"Huh?"

Uchiha Gin had just tossed an apple into the trash when he heard Uchiha Tajima’s odd question, which referred to the deceased elder. Momentarily taken aback, Gin was speechless.

"As I suspected!"

Seeing Gin's hesitation, Tajima assumed he had guessed right. Sighing with regret in his eyes, he decided not to press the matter further.

But before Gin could clarify, Tajima already wore an expression that said, "I understand everything," leaving Gin without the chance to refute.

"Are you saying Uchiha Igaku taught me this?" Gin asked cautiously.

"Who else? Such a profound secret technique isn't something a young man like you could develop. It would require years of focused experimentation to create something so miraculous," Tajima shook his head, reminiscing about his knowledgeable teacher. "This technique seems like it was designed to save your body. I can’t imagine anyone other than Igaku creating such a jutsu for you."

Who would have thought the old man was so good at filling in the blanks?

"If I'm not mistaken, a long time ago, Uchiha Igaku must have come to you, noticed your poor physical condition, and developed the 'Yin Seal' specifically for you."

No, don’t pin this on me.

"Fine, if you say so."

Gin rolled his eyes as Tajima’s imagination ran wild.

Alright, alright. You’re the clan leader; you’re always right.

Since there was no way to verify, Gin decided not to argue further and allowed him to believe it, saving himself a lot of trouble.

"Although my teacher made mistakes near the end, his love for you was genuine. I hope you don’t hold it against him," Tajima said comfortingly, assuming Gin's denial of the secret technique was due to Igaku's rebellious actions before his death.

Aw, Uncle, you’re actually a nice guy, Gin thought as he peeled a banana, finding nothing wrong with it before popping it into his mouth.

"Uncle, now that my cousins have unlocked their Mangekyou Sharingan, what's your plan?"

Watching his nephew munching like a hamster, Tajima sighed inwardly, wondering if he could rely on him.

"Actually, I had an idea before we set out. Initially, I wasn’t certain, but seeing Madara and Izuna’s progress, I feel confident in it now."

Tajima turned to the window, looking at the new dawn rising over the floating city. His tone was laced with a strange feeling.

"What is it? It’s not like you to be so hesitant."

Gin swallowed his banana, turning to face his uncle, whose face was full of intrigue.

"I want to step down and let Madara become the clan leader."

Tajima turned his gaze back to Gin, dropping this bombshell news.

"What? Uncle, you're still in your prime. Why are you thinking about stepping aside?"

Gin looked at Tajima in shock. With his eye power above average, and no issues with his vision, why was he contemplating retirement?

"I've thought about this for a long time. I first considered it when we saved Uchiha Hikari," Tajima confessed without hesitation.

Even though a certain girl in Gin’s family had a special status, she couldn’t escape the duty to fight for the clan.

"Oh, you're not afraid I'll run away with Hikari?"

Gin’s deadpan expression betrayed his understanding of Tajima's hidden implications.

"Hmph! Our Uchiha clan hasn’t fallen to the point where we need to force our people into things they don’t want to do," Tajima’s gaze was sharp, filled with pride in his clan.

"Well said! Bravo!"

Gin praised his uncle enthusiastically, admiring his upright conduct, which was surprising given his scheming appearance.

"I just didn’t expect that son of Senju Butsuma to become that strong. Previously, Madara wasn’t his match, so I couldn’t step down just yet," Tajima muttered, rubbing his eye as he remembered his intense battle with the Senju monk, the aching scar in the corner of his eye throbbing faintly.

"However, now that Madara has Izuna’s support, he should be able to handle that Senju boy."

Recalling his sons’ progress, Tajima nodded approvingly.

Although their Mangekyo Sharingan was still immature, with some focused training, their strength would surpass his in the future.

No, no. They’re still in the newbie phase; when the Senju gets their full abilities, Madara will still end up getting crushed.

Gin thought of the future Shinsuu Senju and the mighty Nine-Tails as a mere kitten in front of him, imagining Madara struggling to handle it.

"What do you think?" Tajima asked as he saw Gin deep in thought, assuming he was considering his words.

"Absolutely! With my cousins working together, the Senju clan is nothing more than a flock of chickens!" Gin replied insincerely, drawing a pleased nod from Tajima.

"Though I’m confident, I’d still like you to assist them if needed."

"Huh? You want me to fight Hashirama?"

"Cough! No, of course not. I was thinking of Hikari and our other supporters," Tajima corrected, not expecting Gin to fight directly.

“Alright, alright. That scared me!”

Gin relaxed, relieved Tajima was referring to Hikari and others. Fighting Hashirama should be left to those with more substantial powers.

“No problem! I’ll make sure Hikari and our allies are well-prepared,” Gin assured, patting his chest confidently.

"Great! With your support, I feel assured Madara will do well as the clan leader."

"In that case, I’ll start drafting the announcement. You just take your time to recover."

Tajima didn’t waste any time. He turned and left as Gin watched, realizing they’d had a prior agreement.

"Hey, Uncle! Didn’t you say I could retire to the back lines after this was done?"

"End of the year!"

"It's only January!"

Gin raised a middle finger at his uncle's retreating back.


---

The next day...

"My dear cousin! I’m here!" Uchiha Izuna burst through the door, arms full of gifts.

"Can you stop with the lines like that? People might misunderstand us!" Gin poked his head out of the blankets, squinting at Izuna.

"Fine, fine! Here, have an orange!" Izuna took out some familiar-looking fruit.

"Hold on, is that an orange?" Gin asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice.

"Yeah! The doctor said you need vitamin C. The shopkeeper said this is the best. I bought a ton—make sure you eat them all!"

Izuna peeled the fruit expertly, revealing the golden flesh inside, proudly presenting it to Gin.

"Try it, cousin! It’s really good."

"Go away! You eat it first! I've told you before—that’s a lemon!"

Gin recoiled at the sour scent.

"Huh? It’s not an orange?" Izuna looked puzzled, holding the fruit. “It peels just like an orange…”

"Even the Mangekyo can’t fix your vision. I give up!"

“Fine, if you’re not eating, I’ll eat it!”

Izuna took a bite, instantly regretting it as his face twisted with regret.


---

"Cousin, there’s big news! Do you want to hear it?" Izuna’s expression was mysterious.

"Did you fall in love?"

Gin didn’t even look up, throwing out a guess.

"Wha—no! It's about Big Brother Madara."