The hunched, frail body of Yao suddenly stood tall, straightening like a spear. The crumbling jailer at his side disintegrated into gray-white dust, swirling toward him in a fierce storm.

In no time, he was mummified in pale wrappings, and a yawning maw of shadow behind him devoured him whole — leaving nothing behind.

Ka-thunk. Ka-thunk. Ka-thunk…

As black light flared, a towering figure stepped out of the void, cloaked in suffocating darkness and pressure.

"…Sorry to keep you waiting."

A young voice rose from the shadow. As the light faded, a wholly unfamiliar figure revealed itself to Gin's sight.

The man was clad in a close-fitting grayish-white bone-like armor, marked with ancient, arcane seals. His joints sprouted cold, gleaming spikes.

His full helm left only air holes around the mouth and nose, letting faint puffs of breath escape. Around his neck fluttered a flame-pattern scarf. His eyes were now two huge, black, insect-like compound eyes, with a V-shaped antenna atop his forehead.

Most striking of all was his belt — branded with a Mangekyō pattern, black light flickering faintly across its surface.

Gin's envy shot through the roof. His fists clenched tight enough to creak, and his reddened eyes nearly bulged.

Goddammit that's cool! Grandpa! Teach me to transform too!!

His worldview shook to the core at the sight of this absurdly flashy transformation. How could he not be jealous?

Why the hell did this old man get such a badass power-up while he, the main character, got nothing like this?!

"This is… my ultimate fusion technique with Wangliang."

The youthful yet low voice emanated from behind the mask. The fully-revitalized Yao lifted a hand, pointing coldly at Gin.

"Now… let's tally your sins."

"W-Wait! Grandpa?! Grandpa!! Open your eyes! It's me! Your beloved grandson!!"

Gin tossed pride aside in an instant, sliding to his knees. He was a hair's breadth away from kowtowing.

"Grandpa, if you'd told me you had this in your bag I'd have rebelled right alongside you already!!"

Desperately eager to bask in that flashy power himself, Gin made an unthinkable decision.

"Pointless. Do you really think you can trick me again with those words? I've fallen for that once already — never again."

Yao, now fused with Wangliang, sneered dismissively. He'd seen through this act before and wouldn't be fooled again.

Gin felt a pang of regret. If only he'd brought a few more gifts and visited the dungeon more over the years — if not out of kindness, then at least to keep good relations with the elder.

Never mind if this dōjutsu was strong or not. Strength only lasts for a moment — but being cool is forever.

"This second stage of my fusion with Wangliang allows me to wield all his abilities perfectly while my body is restored to its peak condition… and awaken new powers as well."

Clenching his fist and relishing his rejuvenated body, Yao declared proudly. In this form — his prime at thirty — he was virtually unmatched in the Uchiha clan.

"Come, Gin. Take this."

Striking a bizarre starting pose, Yao vanished from Gin's sight.

"…Where'd he go?"

Even with his mutated Byakugan fully active, Gin's 360-degree vision failed to catch Yao. Not even space-time techniques could evade his eyes — yet here he saw nothing.

A voice whispered by his ear.

"Where are you looking?"

Startled, Gin turned — and there stood Yao right beside him, arms folded, compound eyes cold.

"Surprised you couldn't see me?"

Seeing Yao's obvious desire to show off, Gin helpfully nodded. Even he was curious now.

"It's simple. Speed. Move faster than time itself and leap past the current second into the next — and no one can see you."

Yao's tone brimmed with pride as he casually flicked his gauntlet.

You smug bastard. I should sue you for copyright infringement.

Gin's expression darkened slightly. So this was no space trick — it was time itself. If you outsped time, of course nothing could track you.

No wonder his Byakugan failed — it wasn't the eye's fault, the opponent was just cheating.

"Well then… now you know my secret. Time to die."

Yao's voice echoed faintly, but his figure had already vanished again.

Tch. What a busted ability. If you'd used this earlier you wouldn't have gotten clowned by Uncle. Why's everyone gotta save their trump cards till the last second?

Gin grimaced. He had no counter to time manipulation. His own skill list was full of standard moves, utterly useless against something like this.

Boom!

Even fully focused, Gin still caught a devastating blow and went tumbling, barely managing to right himself before hitting the ground.

Good thing his mixed bloodline of Senju and Uzumaki gave him insane vitality — most injuries healed before he could even bandage them.

But no sooner had one wound closed than Yao struck again. Over and over, Gin was cut up and healed, cut up and healed, while Yao reappeared on a distant shadow, visibly irritated.

"…What are you made of?"

Gin ignored him, conjured a wooden lounge chair, and lay back with a yawn — perfectly unharmed save for torn clothes.

"Not impressed anymore?"

His jab hit its mark. Yao's time-slashing was powerful but low-damage — he was basically a glass-cannon assassin. Gin's ridiculous body just tanked through it.

Enraged, Yao poured all his chakra into his Mangekyō, ignoring the strain as he vaulted high into the air.

"Don't underestimate me!!"

He flipped midair, adding momentum, and plummeted toward Gin with a single kick carrying the force of countless compressed seconds.

Gin's eyes widened. His Byakugan caught a glimpse of countless Yao silhouettes from different points in time, all converging into this final strike.

If he ate this one head-on, even he might be in serious trouble.

But before he could dodge, black shadow tendrils shot up and bound his legs tight.

Gin's blade cut through one after another, but they kept coming — binding him solid.

"This… is my ultimate technique!"

Even wheezing and strained, Yao still insisted on shouting the name of his finishing move.

Ultimate Secret: Instant Prison Shadow-Slaying Array!

Gin couldn't even mock the cheesy name — his mind was racing for a counter.

"Don't bother struggling. Only Mangekyō can contend with Mangekyō. You're finished here."

Even now, Yao took time to educate him. What a good grandpa.

Gin cursed himself. After all these years he still hadn't evolved past three tomoe, despite all the beatings and Tsukuyomi spam he'd suffered.

…Wait.

His eyes lit up. He did have something tucked away…

In his mind, a dusty, forgotten blood-red card appeared.

Tsukuyomi Trial Card: Use to cast Tsukuyomi once without cost, unaffected by target's strength.

Now or never.

With a thought, the card dissolved into a swirl of dark power. His Byakugan shut off as his left eye turned scarlet, tomoe spinning wildly.

Ding!

His vision cleared instantly, and strange new knowledge flooded his mind.

"…You… you actually…"

Yao's voice faltered mid-kick as his Mangekyō resonated and he caught sight of the new pattern in Gin's left eye.

"Heh. Eat my Big Tsukuyomi!"

With a wicked grin, Gin's left eye flared and the world froze — Yao locked in place midair.

A shift — and Gin found himself once again in his second home: the mirror-like lake under a blood-red moon.

Standing on the water, Gin let out a wistful sigh.

Guess I'm the one running this place now, huh?

On the cross loomed Yao, reverted to his elderly, hunched form, silent.

"…Nothing to say?"

Gin asked, curious — after all, everyone he'd seen dragged here had screamed themselves hoarse.

"Mm…"

Yao finally stirred, blinking in confusion at Gin. His eyes were clear again.

"…Gin? Where are we?"

The earnest tone, so unlike the vicious man before, made Gin narrow his eyes.

"That… bastard Wangliang. Where is he?!"

Yao's face twisted in rage as he struggled futilely against the bindings.

"That thing left behind a seed of darkness in me. Once it triggered, it crushed my mind completely."

Gin listened as Yao explained earnestly.

"What is this so-called darkness?"

Yao sighed and explained further. His Mangekyō's left-eye power was Wangliang, the puppet. The right eye — now blind — had wielded another power: Amaterasu-onna.

Gin raised a brow. "Amaterasu-onna?"

"It manifests the target's inner darkness and, when ready, lets that dark side take over completely."

That… actually sounded pretty damn cool.

"No way to undo it?"

"Not anymore. That eye's already blind. Unless you can suppress the darkness somehow… it'll just lie dormant."

Gin thought of the green cloak on the girl and his eyes gleamed slightly.

"How'd you suppress yours?"

"The darkness leaves the mind full of holes. A strong enough Mangekyō illusion can fill them temporarily."

Ah… no wonder one glance of his Tsukuyomi had shut Yao down.

"And Uncle? Why'd it work on him? His Mangekyō should've resisted."

"Two conditions: one, if the target's chakra can't sustain their Mangekyō. Two, if their heart suffers a major crack."

Gin scowled. Uncle had overextended himself showing off his ultimate light technique.

As for the girl… probably too giddy after being freed.

"And your darkness is back to sleep now?"

Yao glanced past Gin and hesitated.

"…Didn't you know? He's over there."

Gin turned to see — and sure enough, not far away stood another Yao, surrounded by hundreds of shadowy Gins.

"Hehehe… finally, my turn. Take my Noble Phantasm Blade!"

(End of Chapter)

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