11. Nicknames

Tsukuyomi Space

Uchiha Gin had been stabbed so many times that he lost track of how long it had been. His nerves had stopped reacting to the pain, and he stared numbly as the many Uchiha Itachis in front of him kept cutting into him, one slash after another.

"It feels like they're chopping up meat for stuffing."

Even though he couldn't break free, Uchiha Gin tried to amuse himself in his misery, teasing the Itachis,

"Aren't you guys eating enough? Put a bit more strength into it, will you?"

"Don't just chop the front. If you're getting tired, flip me over and make it even. You can't play favorites here."

The Uchiha Itachis, hard at work, heard Uchiha Gin's constant nagging.

They had originally been following a set rhythm, but now it was like they had been wound up tighter, and each one of them doubled the speed of their attacks.

[Speed x2]

"Hey, hey, hey, don't stab me there! I'm still pure! I'm 24, a student!"

Uchiha Gin, who had been stabbed into a state of delirium, began rambling incoherently.

No one knew how much time had passed, but the Uchiha Itachis finally paused.

Uchiha Gin, who had been enjoying his weird form of relief from the pain, felt his hands being freed.

He collapsed, landing on one knee. Struggling to open his eyes, he looked up at the clear, crescent moon hanging in the sky and felt so emotional that tears streamed down his face.

It had been too much.

"Damn it, I finally made it through." Uchiha Gin grumbled.

"What's wrong with you?"

Senju Itama, who had been tied to a nearby post, gave a strange look at Uchiha Gin, who was kneeling on the ground.

A moment ago, after tying Itama up, Gin had taken a few steps and suddenly dropped to his knees.

Itama had been curious to see what Gin was up to this time.

But in the next second, Gin had burst into tears, crying, "I made it through!"

What a weird guy.

"It's nothing, just thinking of something sad."

Knowing the nature of Tsukuyomi, Gin didn't dwell on it.

He got up, wiped his tears, and turned around.

"What do you have to be sad about? Shouldn't I be the one feeling sad?"

Just as Itama was about to complain more, he looked at Gin and exclaimed,

"Why'd you activate your Sharingan out of the blue? Are you planning to hypnotize and interrogate me? Truly, Uchiha are born evil. But…"

Gin, stunned by Itama's words, then noticed his vision had improved—he could see clearly even in the darkness.

The chakra in his body, which had felt blocked before, now flowed smoothly to his eyes, bringing a cooling sensation, like enjoying a bite of ice cream on a hot summer day.

"Say what?"

Uchiha Gin, now overjoyed, didn't care about Itama's snarky comments,

"You're trying to interrogate me with just one tomoe? What a joke. Using genjutsu to hypnotize me?"

Gin knocked Itama hard on the head, leaving a large bump.

"Here's some physical hypnosis for you!"

Gin, who wasn't one to hold grudges for long, didn't let the insult slide.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Itama cried out in pain from the hit.

After dealing with Itama, Uchiha Gin looked around the area but found everything to be normal.

He checked the post and found no trace of anyone else.

Confused, he returned to his tent, pulled out a small mirror, and examined his eyes. Sure enough, his Sharingan had awakened, though it was only a single tomoe.

"After suffering through all that, I only unlocked a one-tomoe Sharingan? Was the original owner of this body just that trash?"

Gin felt it wasn't worth all the torment he had endured, but he hadn't yet thought about how rare it was for anyone to unlock the Sharingan after being subjected to Tsukuyomi.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in his head—the system's voice, which he hadn't heard in a while:

"Backyard daily refresh: Random Skill [Genjutsu: Tsukuyomi]. You have received 1 Tsukuyomi fragment."

It turned out that the system had treated the fenced-off area behind his tent as his "backyard" and had refreshed a Tsukuyomi skill for him.

Remembering the skill description, Gin reflected:

"Backyard Daily Refresh: Every day, a random skill will be refreshed in the host's backyard. The skill appears as an NPC-cast ability. The host cannot control it, and the skill cannot kill the host. Once the skill ends, there is a chance to drop the skill or a fragment of it. Collect enough fragments to learn the skill."

"It can't kill me, but it can torture me!"

Gin cursed internally, but then realized that after the skill ended, he hadn't actually suffered any physical damage.

Thinking back to how Kakashi had been knocked out for days after experiencing Tsukuyomi, Gin considered himself lucky.

"Maybe I'm just lucky? I got a Mangekyo-level skill on my first refresh."

Out of curiosity, he clicked on the "Tsukuyomi Fragment" icon in his mind.

[Tsukuyomi Fragment (1/40): Collect 40 fragments to unlock the Genjutsu Tsukuyomi skill. Requires Mangekyo Sharingan.]

"Forty fragments??? Are you kidding me?!"

Seeing the "1/40" glaring at him, Gin felt utterly drained.

"I still need to endure Tsukuyomi 39 more times to collect the fragments for this skill? No way. I'm not spending any more on this—give me my money back!"

Realizing he would need to face Uchiha Itachi at least 39 more times to unlock the skill, Uchiha Gin collapsed into his bed, exhausted, and immediately fell asleep.

---

The Next Day

As the first light of dawn appeared, Uchiha Taro, who had spent half the night on watch, yawned as he made his way back to camp.

But before he could reach it, someone suddenly appeared in his path.

When he saw who it was, Taro, with his straightforward and honest face, looked confused.

"Uchiha Gin, what's up? The night shift's over, you don't need to switch with anyone."

The person blocking his way was none other than Uchiha Gin, who hadn't slept well all night.

After enduring 72 hours of Tsukuyomi, every time he closed his eyes, he saw a horde of Itachis stabbing him.

Although the system had healed his body, the psychological trauma wasn't so easy to shake off.

With dark circles under his eyes like Gaara, Gin had stationed himself on Taro's route for one reason—to open a treasure chest.

"Brother Taro, I've heard from Captain Fuka that your mastery of Fire Style is outstanding. You can handle B-rank Fire Style ninjutsu with ease and are even starting to delve into A-rank techniques. I truly admire your skill."

Gin began with the usual flattery.

Luckily for him, Uchiha Ryoichi and Uchiha Tsuruhiko hadn't told Taro about Gin's recent duel challenge.

So, when Taro heard Gin's praise, he bashfully scratched his head and replied humbly,

"Not at all, I've just used my free time to practice Fire Style. It's nothing special."

"I've had the privilege of receiving some guidance from the clan head on Fire Style techniques, and meeting you, Brother Taro, feels like the perfect opportunity. Now that our mission is complete, I can finally put my mind at ease. My last wish is to spar with the clan's Fire Style genius, 'Fire Master Taro.' It would be an honor to witness your incredible ninjutsu firsthand."

"Fire Master Taro" was Uchiha Taro's nickname within the clan.

For reference, Uchiha Ryoichi was known as "Ghost Sword Ryoichi," and Uchiha Tsuruhiko as "Twin Blades Tsuruhiko."

"But we're about to head out. How about we spar later tonight when we're resting?"

Though flattered by Gin's words, Taro was a mission-first kind of guy, and they still had traveling to do today.

He couldn't afford to waste energy on a sparring match right now.

"It won't take long, we can—"

Gin was just about to use the same persuasion tactics he'd tried on Tsuruhiko when suddenly, a voice interrupted him from behind.

"What's taking so long? We're leaving soon."

Uchiha Fuka appeared behind them like a ghost, frowning as he spoke to the two of them.

Both Gin and Taro broke into a cold sweat. They hadn't sensed Fuka's presence until he spoke.

Nodding quickly, they followed him.

On the way back, Gin, walking behind them, lamented the lost opportunity.

"I guess I'll have to wait until tonight to talk to Taro. But Fuka's stealth technique is impressive—I couldn't feel a single chakra fluctuation before he was right behind us."

It was only then that Gin remembered Fuka's reputation, not just within the clan but throughout the entire Warring States period.

"Ghost Walker Fuka"

Ghost Walker Fuka, as he was known, had mastered the art of stealth to perfection.

He had once infiltrated a mid-sized clan, bypassing the guards of over a hundred people to silently assassinate his target.

The victim's death wasn't discovered until the following day.

Fuka's mastery of chakra suppression made him a legend in assassination and stealth, known even outside the Uchiha clan.

Gin sighed in admiration as he remembered the stories.

"Being able to pull that off… it's no wonder he has that title."

As they prepared to continue their journey, Gin realized that despite his frustrations with the Tsukuyomi torment, there was still a long road ahead if he wanted to survive and grow stronger in this world.

Collecting Tsukuyomi fragments, awakening his Sharingan fully, and climbing the ranks within the Uchiha clan—all of this would require immense effort and strategy.

His current state—a single-tomoe Sharingan and incomplete control over his abilities—left him vulnerable, especially in this war-torn era.

But Gin knew he had one advantage: his system. Even if it tormented him, it provided opportunities others could only dream of.

"Enduring another 39 Tsukuyomis sounds like hell," he muttered to himself, "but it's better than being weak."

As he followed Fuka and the others into the forest, Gin's mind was already racing with plans for the future. He needed allies, more power, and a way to manipulate the system's random skill drops to his advantage.

In a world dominated by powerful clans, Gin understood that the key to survival wasn't just strength—it was strategy. And if he played his cards right, even the mighty Uchiha Itachi would be nothing more than a stepping stone on his path to greatness.

Later that Night

As the group set up camp for the night, Gin saw his chance to approach Uchiha Taro once again.

The campfire crackled as Taro finished his meal, sitting quietly by the fire, staring at the embers.

Gin walked over, wearing a casual smile.

"Brother Taro, how about that spar now?"

Taro, still humble despite his skills, hesitated.

"Well, we've had a long day. But I suppose a light spar wouldn't hurt."

Gin grinned, his tired eyes hiding the determination within.

"Great! Just don't hold back too much. I want to see your full power."

The two moved to a clear area a little distance away from the campfire, with the other Uchiha members watching from afar, their interest piqued. Uchiha Gin had a reputation for being unpredictable, and sparring against someone as skilled as Taro was bound to be interesting.

As they squared off, Gin's Sharingan spun lightly in his eyes.

Though it was just one tomoe, he had started to feel a deeper connection to the eye's power, sensing the chakra flow more clearly than before. He focused, determined to learn as much as possible from this fight.

"Ready?" Taro asked, entering a combat stance, his chakra already gathering for a Fire Style jutsu.

Gin nodded.

"Ready."

In the flickering light of the campfire, their shadows stretched long across the clearing, and in an instant, the spar began.