With a plan in mind, Uchiha Gin didn't linger in the backyard. Returning to the old house, he started cooking. Soon, the aroma drew Senju Banma from the new house.
"Done cleaning?" Gin asked, frowning, spatula in hand, apron tied.
"No sweat! Easy peasy for a champ like me," Banma bragged, raising grubby fists, his face a mess of dust and sweat, undermining his boast.
"Go wash up first," Gin said, waving him off, nose wrinkled.
"Hmph!" Banma huffed, head high, but conceded he needed a bath. Before entering the bathroom, he poked his head out, warning, "No peeking!"
"Who'd spy on a brat like you?" Gin snapped, nearly dumping a whole jar of salt into the pan, annoyed.
Learning from last time, Banma was quick. By the time Gin served the final dish, Banma, steaming from the bath, was at the table, ready to eat.
"Useless at everything but eating," Gin mocked, noting the kid's speed.
"Quit yapping, let's eat!" Banma, driven by hunger, ignored the jab, eyes glued to Gin's sweet-and-sour fish, practically drooling.
"I'm digging in!" Banma attacked the fish, devouring it in a frenzy.
"Sweet-and-sour fish at lunch, sweet-and-sour fish at dinner—you'll get sick, kid," Gin said, sampling his sugary masterpiece, ignoring his own sweet tooth.
Finishing first, Gin set down his empty bowl, eyeing the still-eating Banma. Picking his teeth, he stood. "Got some work stuff. Clean up."
"Mmph!" Banma, mouth stuffed, could only grunt agreement.
Gin headed to the dungeon, his workplace.
Entering, he navigated to Dungeon Three's entrance, where two familiar teens stood guard.
"Jiro, you guys on duty again?" Gin greeted the square-faced, earnest boy warmly.
"You're… my brother's friend!" Uchiha Jiro blinked, recognizing Gin after a moment's thought.
"Right! Forgot to introduce myself last time—I'm Uchiha Gin," Gin said, grinning like a friendly older brother.
"Big Bro Gin, checking on prisoners again?" Jiro asked, recalling Gin's archivist role.
"Yeah, some file discrepancies. Mind letting me in?" Gin said, tossing out a flimsy excuse.
"No problem!" Honest Jiro opened the gate, letting him through.
"Thanks, you two," Gin said, waving as he passed.
Once Gin was gone, the silent Uchiha Hikan frowned. "Jiro, don't you think he's shady?"
"Shady? He's my brother's teammate. I asked Daigo—he's got curly hair, hard to miss," Jiro said. After their first meeting, Jiro had quizzed his brother, who confirmed Gin was legit, though oddly dismissive.
"Still, the name Uchiha Gin rings a bell, and not in a good way," Hikan said, rubbing his head, unable to place the unease.
"You been up too late, seeing things?" Jiro teased, his "honest" face hiding a sly grin, revealing his true colors.
"What's that mean?" Hikan asked, puzzled by the new term, curiosity spilling over.
"Heh, after shift, I'll show you something cool—swiped it from Daigo," Jiro whispered, checking for eavesdroppers.
Following memory, Gin navigated Dungeon Three's dim corridors, spotting his target.
A hunched figure swept the floor slowly. Approaching the familiar back, Gin said, "I need to see Grandpa."
The old jailer lifted a pale, gaunt face, expressionless. "Fine."
His voice, like nails on glass, sent shivers down Gin's spine.
As "fine" left his lips, the jailer melted into black sludge, slithering toward Gin, climbing his legs, enveloping him.
Suppressing discomfort, Gin took a deep breath, letting the sludge consume him. Darkness swallowed his vision, his body hurtling at high speed.
Light returned, and Gin stood in Uchiha Yao's cell. The old man, as before, was hunched over papers.
Hearing movement, Yao looked up, surprised. "Gin, back so soon? Did you handle Nameless?"
Assuming Gin had manipulated Uchiha Nameless, Yao was shocked when Gin shook his head. "No, Tajima hasn't made a move."
"Then why're you here?" Yao set down his pen, standing, his single eye fixed on Gin.
"I want to know about my Sharingan," Gin said bluntly. Within the clan, only Yao and Miao deeply studied Sharingan. Asking Miao risked Tajima's suspicion, but Yao was a safer bet.
Sensing Yao's ulterior motives but sticking to his "free intel" philosophy, Gin pressed forward.
"Vision fading?" Yao asked, frowning. He knew Gin's eyes—after transplanting Gin's Mangekyo to Nameless, Yan had swapped in eyes from a Kaguya corpse.
Yao vaguely recalled they belonged to a lackey of Kaguya Sosuke, killed by his boss.
"No, I'm wondering if these eyes can awaken Mangekyo," Gin said, his three-tomoe Sharingan flaring, pulsing with potent pupil power in Yao's gaze.
"Worthy of Kin's child, nurturing foreign eyes to this level," Yao murmured, impressed.
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