65. Plot Armor

At this moment, within Uchiha Gin's sea of consciousness, Yamanaka Jōshirō had locked his consciousness in a dark room. The entirety of Uchiha Gin's mind was taken over by Yamanaka Jōshirō's spirit, who laughed wildly while surveying the consciousness he had seized.

Everything here looked the same as those he had invaded before—a vast, empty void. Uchiha Gin's sea of consciousness was no different. Feeling completely unconcerned, Yamanaka Jōshirō was preparing to manipulate Uchiha Gin's body to commit suicide.

Suddenly, he noticed something flickering in and out of sight within Uchiha Gin's consciousness. Curiosity piqued, Yamanaka Jōshirō, who had never encountered such a situation before, pushed aside the fog around it.

A strange, black door slowly appeared before his eyes. The door was entirely black, tightly sealed by a large lock.

Yamanaka Jōshirō stepped closer to inspect the lock. It was made of bronze, but oddly, there was no keyhole. The surface of the lock bore the pattern of a windmill, faintly glowing red and emitting a strange, subtle allure.

Having encountered this situation for the first time, Yamanaka Jōshirō, despite his advanced age, was still driven by a strong sense of curiosity. Temporarily setting aside the plan to make Uchiha Gin commit suicide, he began investigating the lock in front of him.

Touching the lock, it didn't feel as cold as he expected; instead, it was burning hot. Stroking the pattern on the lock, Yamanaka Jōshirō was surprised to find a few small cracks on its surface.

As a master of mental techniques from the Yamanaka Clan, he could easily tell that someone had placed a seal in this Uchiha's mind.

"What secret could this seal be hiding?" Yamanaka Jōshirō couldn't resist using his mental power to probe the cracked lock.

The moment his mental power made contact with the lock, a pair of scarlet eyes suddenly appeared in front of him, and a powerful force emanated from the lock's pattern, throwing him backward.

The backlash from the mental energy instantly reflected onto his physical body. Previously controlling Uchiha Gin's body, Yamanaka Jōshirō was so shaken by this force that he felt dizzy and was forced to retreat from Uchiha Gin's consciousness.

In the real world, the kunai that Yamanaka Jōshirō had been controlling stopped just short of piercing Uchiha Gin's throat. After a brief struggle, the hand holding the kunai fell limp.

Meanwhile, Yamanaka Jōshirō's physical body, which had been unconscious moments earlier, suddenly jolted awake, eyes wide with shock.

"What on earth is inside your mind?"

"Huh?"

Regaining control of his consciousness, Uchiha Gin looked utterly confused at the panting Yamanaka Jōshirō clutching his chest.

Earlier, after being hit by the Mind Body Switch Technique, Uchiha Gin's vision went black. He lost control of his body, and his spirit was locked away in a dark corner of his sea of consciousness by the warlord-like figure of Yamanaka Jōshirō.

As Uchiha Gin considered using his Tsukuyomi Experience Card to unleash a massive counterattack on Yamanaka Jōshirō's mental body—knowing full well that facing the Mangekyō Sharingan's genjutsu would have devastating effects on the mental plane—he suddenly saw Yamanaka Jōshirō stop mid-action and venture into the depths of the void.

In a few breaths' time, while holding the Tsukuyomi card and watching events unfold, Uchiha Gin saw the once-overconfident Yamanaka Jōshirō get hurled out of the void, crashing heavily to the ground.

"No way, no way, is that it? Are you seriously tapping out midway? You seemed so fierce just a second ago!" Uchiha Gin's first instinct, after regaining freedom, was to continue mocking.

"Uchiha brat, don't get cocky! I haven't used my full strength yet. My next move will grind your bones to dust!"

Despite the injury from the mental backlash, Yamanaka Jōshirō, a veteran in the use of secret techniques, had managed to minimize the damage in a short time.

"Truly worthy of a Yamanaka Clan elder—your resilience is impressive! I, Uchiha Gin, proclaim you the strongest in mind control jutsu! I bow down to your greatness, master."

With a sudden shift in tone, Uchiha Gin flashed a thumbs-up, his face full of admiration.

"???"

Yamanaka Jōshirō, who had been bracing himself for another barrage of insults, was caught completely off-guard by this abrupt 180-degree change in attitude.

The stark contrast left him so stunned that his breath caught in his throat. Overcome by a fit of rage, he blacked out.

"Host defeated the opponent, earned 10 Heart Energy, and after three more battles, the Steel Heart Chest reward will be unlocked. (Current Heart Energy: 10)"

The delightful sound of the system notification filled Uchiha Gin with satisfaction. He nodded, then walked over to securely tie up the unconscious Yamanaka Jōshirō, humming a cheerful tune as he locked the prison cell door.

"Today's a perfect day for an easy win!"

After calling out to Uchiha Tanaka, who was standing guard, Uchiha Gin, having completed his daily Steel Heart routine, had no interest in sticking around any longer.

As he prepared to slip away from his duties like yesterday, he unexpectedly encountered someone who caught him by surprise.

"Elder Haru, good morning."

In the distance, Uchiha Gin spotted the familiar, haggard figure of Uchiha Haru. With his usual indifferent expression, Uchiha Haru was heading toward the prison. Uchiha Gin, feeling obligated to be polite, stepped forward and respectfully greeted him.

"Gin?"

Uchiha Haru was also surprised to see him there. "What are you doing here?"

Uchiha Gin quickly explained how he had been reassigned to handle records in the prison. After listening, Uchiha Haru thought for a moment and said,

"This task suits you—keeps you from going on missions or mingling with the clan."

Uchiha Haru had heard about Uchiha Gin's notorious reputation. Even someone as composed as he was couldn't help feeling a bit of disdain for the seemingly harmless Uchiha standing before him, though he kept it hidden behind a calm facade.

"Are your eyes feeling alright?"

Uchiha Haru suddenly asked, staring at Gin's eyes.

"No problem at all! I've awakened my Sharingan—my vision's sharper than ever!" Uchiha Gin boasted.

"The Sharingan, huh? If you have time, come to the lab for a check-up," Uchiha Haru remarked, turning and walking deeper into the prison without another word.

Uchiha Gin was left scratching his head. From what Uchiha Igaku had told him, his current pair of eyes wasn't originally his, and Uchiha Haru was likely the one who had transplanted them. He should have been fully aware of their condition, so why did he seem curious?

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Uchiha Gin left the prison. Not far away, Uchiha Haru, watching him disappear through the gates, emerged from the shadows.

"I specifically told Hiro to use an ordinary person's eyes—how could they have awakened the Sharingan?"

Puzzled, Uchiha Haru decided to confront Uchiha Hiro, the one who had provided the eyes.

"Also, I wonder if that Senju boy has woken up yet. I should give him the gift I prepared to lift his spirits."

Uchiha Gin felt anxious knowing that Senju Itama's life was tied to his own. As long as the boy wasn't returned to the Senju clan, Uchiha Gin would remain unsettled. Feeding him was to prevent starvation, and the gift was meant to keep the boy from spiraling into depression.

"I really am a saint of the Uchiha Clan!"

Feeling extremely self-satisfied, Uchiha Gin nodded approvingly at himself.

"Hey, Cousin! What are you doing wandering around instead of going to work?"

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