Senju Banma, fleeing with all his might, spotted an Uchiha blocking his path. Despair washed over his face.
At just five years old, no matter how gifted, he stood little chance against an adult Uchiha.
This Uchiha had curly hair wrapped in bandages, his lifeless dead-fish eyes showing no excitement at Banma's approach. Instead, his faintly handsome face twisted in conflict.
No time to think—Banma gripped his kunai and charged the dazed Uchiha Gin, resolute.
Seeing Banma's do-or-die resolve, Gin reluctantly drew his samurai sword to meet him.
Clang!
Their weapons collided with a dull thud. The impact sent Gin flying back several meters, landing face-first. Scrambling up, he gaped in shock.
"This kid's that strong?"
"This guy's that weak?" Banma stood stunned, staring at his kunai, unable to believe he'd repelled an adult Uchiha.
Gin swore he hadn't held back. It was his first fight sinceing, and instinct drove him to use full force—yet a five-year-old had sent him sprawling.
Banma's eyes sparked with hope as he watched Gin stumble up. Brandishing his kunai, he charged again with renewed vigor.
Just then, the system chimed in Gin's head.
"Detected host in combat. Heart of Steel Chest accumulating…"
The chest in his mind quivered, then blared an energetic BGM like a speaker.
Gin's brain twitched at the familiar tune. Could this ancient system's junk be any less reliable?
Back to the fight—Banma, limited by height, aimed his kunai at Gin's lower body. Ignoring the obnoxious BGM, Gin barely dodged the groin-threatening strike.
He countered with a classic Uchiha sword slash, only for Banma to parry it with his kunai. Gin stared, dumbfounded, as his full-strength blow was effortlessly blocked by a five-year-old.
Now he was certain: the original owner of this body was an utter weakling.
Twenty-plus years wasted—his combat level matched a background genin from the future, not even close to the Twelve Guardian Ninja tier.
Still, he couldn't give up. Uchiha Fuka and Ryoichi might finish their fights soon. Even if he let Banma go now, they'd kill him next—and Gin's task was to save Banma from them. Letting him escape solo might not count, and failure meant game over.
They traded blows, a pathetic deadlock of incompetence.
"Not bad for a Senju prodigy. I, Uchiha Gin, dub you the taijutsu king," Gin panted to the winded Banma.
"You're not bad either, Uchiha Gin. I, Senju Banma, acknowledge you," Banma replied, his soft, childish voice dripping with chuunibyou flair—a classic Senju airhead.
As they stalemated, Fuka's group wrapped up. Senju Koji took a direct hit from Fuka's "Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu" and went down, fate unknown.
Great Fireball killed someone? That's wild, Gin thought.
The three Senju guards fell to Ryoichi's trio, bloodied and sprawled on the ground.
Seeing Gin hadn't finished Banma, they encircled him.
Gin and Banma, locked in their "epic" duel, had even sparked a mutual respect.
But Banma, only five, couldn't match Gin's adult stamina. In a clash, his limbs faltered, and Gin knocked him back into a jutting rock. He slumped, unable to rise.
"Host victorious. Gained 1 heart energy point. Three more battles to unlock Heart of Steel Chest rewards. (Current total: 1)"
The exhausted, fallen Banma was deemed defeated by the system.
As the fight ended, Fuka and the others joined Gin, forming a five-man ring around the struggling Banma—the iconic scene from the original.
Banma, trembling with his kunai, stared hopelessly at the adult Uchiha surrounding him. He knew he might join his third brother today.
Ryoichi, toying with him, flicked a shuriken past Banma's face, embedding it in the rock behind.
The taunt shattered Banma's last defenses. The five-year-old shook, tears welling up.
"Let's wrap this up. Senju reinforcements are close," Fuka said, his eyes strained from overusing his Sharingan after Koji's desperate counter.
The others turned to the silent Gin.
Gin had been the most zealous for this mission, even charging solo into Senju turf. Though weak, his "Uchiha oath" had swayed them to think he should finish it.
Reading their stares, Gin guessed their intent. Without hesitation, his face a mix of emotions, he drew his sword and approached the defeated Banma.
Blade raised, then fell—under their stunned gazes, he struck Banma unconscious with the flat of the sword.
"???"
"Uchiha Gin, what's that mean?" they questioned, baffled by his mercy.
"A living Senju heir is worth more than a corpse," Gin said flatly, sheathing his sword and hoisting the Banma over his shoulder.
"Our mission was to eliminate the Senju seedlings. Don't complicate things—kill him, and we leave," Fuka snapped, irked by Gin's defiance. As captain, he couldn't tolerate insubordination.
"I said, a live Senju is more valuable," Gin insisted.
Tension flared—then Uchiha Hizuru's face paled.
"My traps were triggered. Senju reinforcements are near!"
Hizuru had set perimeter traps before the fight, alerting him instantly when tripped.
"Withdraw!" Fuka ordered. Injured, he couldn't risk lingering—further delay would worsen their odds.
"Yes!"
The team bolted away from Senju territory, Gin exhaling in relief.
He couldn't ditch Banma yet, so he carried the kid, trailing the group.
They sprinted until the pursuit faded, then holed up in a cave to rest. Gin bound the unconscious Banma with iron chains.
Lacking chakra-sealing skills, he wrapped Banma like a dumpling, layer upon layer.
"Uchiha Gin, I want a damn good explanation," Fuka demanded, glaring at the trussed-up Banma as Gin wiped sweat from his brow.
Expecting this, Gin rolled out his prepped excuse.
"I kept him alive for the clan head," he said.
The team exchanged confused looks. Their orders from Tajima were to kill, not capture.
Gin's bullshit began.
"It all started that time I stood guard at the clan head's door…"
---
If you want to read more than 20 chapters early feel free to visit pa tre on . com /Archus