"You've been eating fish for days—aren't you sick of it?" Uchiha Gin asked, eyeing Senju Banma, who was scarfing rice with fish. The kid ate a ton for his age, devouring their rice stock in days.
Banma paused, lifting his stuffed face, pondering. "Is there food tastier than fish?"
The kid's soul-searching question stumped Gin. Has this brat never had good food?
"Are the Senju that poor?" Gin asked.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Banma bared his teeth, offended.
"There's a world of delicacies out there—why fixate on fish?" Curious, Gin pressed, ruling out poverty.
"I just like it, okay?" Banma, done explaining, dove back into his meal. Gin, bored, dropped it.
Unseen, Banma's eyes welled up as he chomped fish, memories flooding in: his brothers fishing by the river. His second brother, a fish fanatic, grilled their catches on the spot, the siblings eating till stuffed. Those days were gone forever.
Overwhelmed, Banma's body shook with sobs. Gin, confused, jumped up, rushing over, prying open Banma's mouth, grumbling, "Told you to eat slower—fishbone stuck, huh?"
Gin dug into Banma's throat, the kid gagging, eyes rolling, thinking, This guy's nuts!
After fishing out only saliva, Gin frowned. "Swallowed it? Now what?"
Spotting vinegar on the table, recalling an old trick, he grabbed the jug, pouring it into Banma's retching mouth.
"Gurgle!" Banma flailed, too weak to resist, downing the whole jug.
"Phew, that should do it," Gin said, wiping sweat, addressing the dazed, waving kid. "No need to thank me, it's my duty."
"I'll thank… you…" Banma roared, fainting.
"Polite kid," Gin nodded, approving.
He tossed the unconscious Banma into the bedroom, eyeing the cramped space. Clapping his hands, he decided to expand.
Sleeping on the couch was killing his back. A young shinobi like him couldn't afford to burn out.
Outside, he studied the original host's old house, mentally sketching renovations. Hands clapped.
[Wood Release: Four-Pillar House]
Chakra surged, wood sprouted from the bare ground, weaving and stacking per Gin's blueprint, climbing high.
Smoke cleared, revealing a sleek two-story building beside the old house. Gin, hands free, admired his work.
Inside, the door opened to Wood Release-crafted decor—wooden furniture, fully equipped.
"Worthy of the house-building jutsu," Gin said, patting sturdy furniture, grinning. He'd left a secret door in the wall; a hole in the old house would link them.
Just needed bedding and essentials for move-in. Gin jotted a list, grabbed ryo, and headed to the clan market.
At the familiar general store, the owner, recognizing his regular, greeted warmly. "Lord Gin, what do you need?"
"Got everything on this?" Gin handed over the list.
"Just daily goods—all in stock," the owner said, scanning it.
"Good. Deliver to my place," Gin nodded, pulling a jagged gold chunk from his pocket.
"Too much!" The owner, weighing it, panicked.
"Keep the change, put it on my tab. I'll buy more," Gin said, unfussed.
"Understood, Lord Gin," the owner said, relieved, pocketing the gold.
Leaving, Gin bumped into Uchiha Madara. "Cousin, shopping?"
Madara looked preoccupied, only noticing Gin when addressed. "Uh… buying… ninja tools."
His shifty eyes and lame excuse screamed lies. As the clan head's son, Madara could grab top-tier tools from the clan's armory, no need for market junk.
"Gift shopping?" Gin teased.
"I'm not giving him anything!" Madara snapped, then froze, red-faced, realizing his slip. "Cousin! You're skipping work to loaf—I'm telling Father!"
"Didn't see a thing," Gin said, smirking, his playful gaze making Madara's face burn redder.
"Hmph!" Madara huffed, storming into the shop.
"Youngsters, so lively," Gin chuckled, savoring their youthful energy.
A few steps later, he spotted a sneaky figure at a corner. Creeping up, he whispered, "Little cousin, what's up?"
Slapping a hand on Uchiha Izuna's shoulder, he startled the boy, who was peeking through the shop window at Madara, nearly wetting himself.
"Aaah! Mmph!" Izuna yelped.
"Shh, don't want others hearing," Gin said, swiftly covering Izuna's mouth, keeping the noise down.
"Uh… secret mission," Izuna said, brow furrowed, fumbling.
"Stalking your brother?" Gin guessed.
"How'd you know? Did Father tell you?" Izuna gasped, shocked. Wasn't this his exclusive task?
"Your plan's too obvious—no guesswork needed," Gin said, exasperated.
"No worries, silence the witness, and no one'll know," Izuna muttered, eyes blank, pulling a kunai from behind.
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