"Adults' business. Kids shouldn't pry."

Gin rapped Izuna's head as the boy leaned closer, his face stern. Truth was, he didn't know how much longer he'd have to raise this brat. In the worst case… he'd end up counting on the kid to take care of him in his old age.

At the table, Itama heard him but didn't talk back for once. Quietly, he got up and went to fetch two extra sets of chopsticks from the kitchen.

"Alright, enough with the sulking. Eat up first."

Gin helplessly nudged his brooding older cousin into his seat. Madara, his brows still furrowed, finally relented and sat down at the corner.

"Eat more, big cousin!"

Gin plucked a piece of tofu and dropped it in Madara's bowl. Then he tilted his head curiously and asked:

"Still fighting these days?"

"Mm. The Senju clan received aid from the Uzumaki. The front's stalemated."

Blowing on his steaming tofu, Madara carefully ate before replying.

"The Uzumaki?"

Gin's long-buried memories stirred — he pictured a sturdy, clean-featured figure. So the Uzumaki joined this early? I wonder how Mito is doing.

"Yeah. The commander of their reinforcements is their young clan head, Uzumaki Hanamichi. That guy's taijutsu is strong, and his fuinjutsu isn't bad either. Big brother exchanged a few blows with him and didn't come out ahead."

Izuna, who'd been glaring daggers at Itama, turned to Gin and added with a sour laugh:"That guy's weird too — whenever he meets an Uchiha, he asks some strange question first."

"What question?"

Gin's brow rose. That guy didn't have this odd habit before.

"He always asks: 'Do you know a curly-haired Uchiha?' Haha! Weird, right?"

Izuna banged the table, laughing uproariously.

"Haha, what a strange man indeed."

Gin forced a chuckle, lowering his head to hide the flicker of smugness in his eyes. Deep down, he still remembers who saved his life, eh?

From the side: Itama: "Stare -_-"

"Cousin, that mark on your forehead looks cool," Izuna suddenly said, spotting the diamond-shaped seal on Gin's forehead. "Just like a third eye. Teach me how to get one too!"

…Not the kind of compliment he wanted. He wasn't exactly that kind of flashy type.

"Heh. Sure, sure. I'll even throw in some tiger stripes to match."

Changing the subject, Gin asked:"So why are you two back so soon this time? Last campaign you were gone six months. This one's not even a month."

"Senju Butsuma is dead."

Madara set his chopsticks down and locked eyes with Itama, who was still eating silently. His words dropped like a thunderclap.

Crack!

Itama's chopsticks snapped, but he kept his head down, as though nothing had happened.

"These cheap chopsticks. Go grab another pair."

Gin caught sight of a tear sliding down the boy's cheek and used the excuse to send him to the kitchen, giving him a moment alone.

The thin back quivered as he left.

"Was that necessary?"

Gin sighed, shaking his head at Madara.

"Leaving him alive is already me showing you respect, cousin. Letting him live comfortably while our kin die on the battlefield? How would their spirits rest?"

Madara's face hardened again. He'd never agreed with Gin's tolerance of the Senju brat.

"Wars don't start because of one man's thoughts. And they won't end because one man dies."

Gin's dead-fish eyes narrowed as he stared back at Madara.

"The life of one child won't sway the course of war. A world that can't understand each other will always fight."

Madara fell silent, mulling over his cousin's words.

Whew. This big cousin's harder to sway these days… His supply of toxic wisdom was running low.

After dinner, Madara — still deep in thought — dragged a reluctant Izuna back home, leaving Gin to clean up alone.

"These two have learned bad habits. Used to help me clean. Now they run faster than rabbits."

After tidying up, Gin went to Itama's door and knocked softly. No answer. He sighed.

"Don't do anything stupid, kid."

Creak~

The door opened. Itama looked up with red, puffy eyes, his frail figure pitiful. His voice was thick with tears.

"When can I go home?"

"After the war's over."

Gin felt his heart soften at the sight. No, no — he couldn't let himself be swayed by a little tragic beauty. He shook off the strange thoughts and made a promise.

"My father's dead now. You have no reason to keep me here. Kill me."

Itama gave a bitter smile. Wars between Uchiha and Senju had raged for a thousand years. There was no end. That promise was nothing but a lie.

Bonk!

A firm chop to the head shut him up. Gin steadied his temper and said:"All these years and you still haven't learned to be positive. Just sulk, huh?"

After doing some mental math, Gin looked down and promised him again:"Ten more years. That's about all it'll take for this war to end. Then I'll send you home."

Itama pouted but didn't argue. He'd heard this kind of talk countless times before.

"You were supposed to meet Osamu later, right? Here. Take this money. Buy whatever you want."

Gin stuffed a fat wad of cash into the boy's hand to cheer him up.

Once the emo little guy had quieted down, Gin slumped in his room, sighing. Raising this kid was just like being a dad already — and he wasn't even married yet.

He lay down, hoping for a good night's sleep. Just as he was about to drift off, the long-silent system flared faintly and a familiar voice rang in his head:

"Ding. Host has reached age thirty. System ready to unlock. Confirm unlock?"

Gin bolted upright. Surprised, he didn't rush to answer.

He remembered when he first transmigrated — recklessly choosing "yes" to every prompt, getting himself saddled with this half-baked system and its life-or-death missions.

Now, faced with another choice, the older and wiser Gin scoffed.

"No, no, no, no!"

This time, I'm not falling for your crap again.

"Host's strong rejection detected. System entering cooldown. Complete tasks to unlock. In the meantime, host's age will remain at thirty."

…Huh?

What a deal!

(Yes, it's perfectly reasonable for a War Era MC to awaken an ancient system, right?)

(End of Chapter)

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