While barking orders at the little Senju brat to move all the supplies into his big fancy house, Gin had no intention of actually helping.

He excused himself, slipping away while Itama was still busy and strolled to the backyard, ready to face today's refreshed NPC opponent.

With a cup of tea in hand, Gin lay back on his chair, his mind still wandering to tomorrow's mission. Could it really be, as Yao suspected, a task to unseal Mitsu?

He took a slow sip of the warm tea. Just thinking about Yao's words was like a thorn in his heart, making it impossible to truly relax.

"They're here?"

The air suddenly froze. Far off, the familiar ripple of a light curtain appeared and a figure slowly stepped out.

"I knew it…"

Seeing his familiar old friend again, Gin sighed. If his luck held, today he might finally have enough shards.

"Come then! Let's have a good fight!"

Clapping his hands together, his chakra flared dramatically, swirling with the power of his Uzumaki-enhanced reserves.

"First, eat my merciful Fire Release!"

His hands flew through seals as searing chakra gathered in his chest. With the final seal, a massive fireball erupted toward Itachi.

Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)

Gin's Sharingan spun, fixed on Itachi, waiting for his next move.

But just before the fireball hit, wisps of black began to consume it.

Amaterasu's black flames quickly devoured the giant fireball, snuffing it out completely.

Gin gawked. Amaterasu can even eat flames?

He didn't hesitate though — taking advantage of Itachi's brief aftercast, Gin's right eye gleamed as black lotuses bloomed across his opponent's body.

Surely, this time it would hit…

But no — the burning Itachi shattered into a flock of crows, dispersing.

Classic Karasu Bunshin no Jutsu (Crow Clone Technique). Gin's eyes darted in all directions, tracking chakra traces.

After the crows scattered, the courtyard fell silent.

He tensed, then suddenly lashed back with a vicious elbow.

Uchiha Taijutsu Secret: Iron Elbow Strike

He felt solid impact and smirked.

Thanks to his Hyuga-enhanced vision, he could now see chakra traces clearly, even catching Itachi's sneak behind him through the crow distraction.

The elbow strike landed cleanly, sending Itachi flying dozens of meters before crashing into a boulder.

But no system notification came.

Frowning, Gin crept closer — only to see Itachi's body poof into smoke.

A clone.

Alarm bells rang in his head. Before he could retreat, an enormous orange hand closed around him.

"Cowardly! You sneak up on an old man with a Gundam of all things…"

Even the NPC was playing dirty now. Gin could only sigh.

But Itachi inside his Susanoo didn't look much better, blood dripping from his lips after that elbow strike.

Gritting his teeth, his Mangekyō spun, sending a cold, invasive chakra toward Gin.

Tsukuyomi.

Gin's vision went white.

Pinned to the cross once again in Tsukuyomi's world, he shook his head bitterly. He still wasn't strong enough to beat this NPC.

Glancing at the countless Itachis before him, he muttered hopelessly,

"One last time… could you at least not stab…"

But before he finished, the sharp blade had already found its mark.

"You little brat, just you wait. I'll live long enough to see you born, and then you'll see what happens."

His angry muttering only made Itachi work faster. Among the many cold Itachi clones, one wore the faintest of smirks as it stabbed a few more times and turned away.

At last, after another endless 72 hours, Gin collapsed in his yard, gasping for breath.

"Backyard daily refresh: random skill Genjutsu: Tsukuyomi. You earned Tsukuyomi Shards 10."

[Tsukuyomi Shards (40/40) — enough to synthesize Genjutsu: Tsukuyomi, usable with Mangekyō Sharingan.]

Gin's eyes welled up. Finally. Finally, he wouldn't have to endure this daily torture anymore. Trembling, he reached out and hit synthesize.

[Genjutsu: Tsukuyomi synthesis successful.]

The shards swirled and fused into a gleaming skill card.

"Learn it! Now!"

Gin slammed the learn button, already picturing himself dominating battles with his new skill.

[Learning failed.]

The big red X froze him in place.

Why? After eating so many Tsukuyomi, he'd earned those shards fair and square!

He erupted into a tirade of curses, spewing the most colorful language imaginable.

Only then did the system finally speak:

[Host has not awakened Mangekyō Sharingan. This skill cannot be learned.]

Oh right… the shard description had said "usable with Mangekyō Sharingan." He'd assumed it worked like Amaterasu and could be used without the eye awakening.

Sighing, Gin dusted himself off. This round had been pointless.

His eyes weren't even his originals — would they even awaken Mangekyō?

He rubbed them thoughtfully.

Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in his head.

There was still one person who could answer that question for him.

(End of Chapter)

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