Naruto: Uchiha Madara's Cousin

"Impossible! My brother isn't like that!"

Uchiha Izuna immediately raised his voice, defending his older brother against Uchiha Gin's slander.

"I was just joking. Why are you getting so worked up? Or... did you actually do it?"

Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow, his tone teasing.

"W-What? No way! I don't even know what you're talking about!"

Hearing this, Izuna's face flushed red, and his eyes started darting around, his tone becoming hesitant.

Huh? I was just joking. Don't tell me he really did it?

Uchiha Gin was shocked. If his little cousin was getting into that kind of thing at his age, how could he ever defeat that white-haired Senju? No, he had to put an end to this bad habit immediately.

"Who taught you this?"

Righteous fury flashed in Uchiha Gin's eyes, making the guilty Izuna feel even more nervous until he finally gave in.

"I swear I didn't do it! I just looked!"

Izuna started to come clean.

"Huh? You watched someone else do it?"

What the heck? This habit must be stamped out, even if I have to use the Uchiha clan's Kotoamatsukami to do it!

"What are you even talking about? I just looked at... those magazines!"

Realizing Gin had misunderstood, Izuna's face turned beet red as he raised his voice in protest.

Clang!

Senju Itama, who had just brought breakfast out from the kitchen, fumbled and dropped a bowl of porridge on the floor with a loud crash.

Thud!

Uchiha Hikari, who had just woken up and was walking down the stairs yawning, stumbled when she heard Izuna's outburst and nearly fell.

In that moment, the atmosphere became eerily silent.

After a brief but heavy pause, Izuna felt a rush of blood to his head. His eyes involuntarily turned blood-red as his breathing quickened.

Gin raised an eyebrow, noticing a dark aura rising from his little cousin.

Izuna, who had been hanging his head in shame, suddenly lifted it with a terrifyingly calm expression. His crimson eyes stared at everyone in the room, and he muttered quietly, "Heh, if I kill them all, no one will ever know..."

Thud!

Hearing those all-too-familiar words, Gin wasted no time. He quickly knocked some sense back into Izuna with a swift smack to the head, pulling him back from the brink of madness.

"Calm down! If you unlock the Mangekyo for a reason like this, it'll be the worst reason ever! Better not get it at all!"

"You're way too old to still be pulling this 'chuuni' nonsense."

"Ugh..."

Izuna, snapped out of his dark thoughts by Gin's physical intervention, was now on the verge of tears. How could he ever show his face again after saying something like that?

"I might as well die," he muttered, drawing his knife as if to end his shame on the spot.

"Hey, stop with the death wish. When I was your age, I was curious about these things too. It's only natural for men."

Seeing his cousin about to commit seppuku, Gin hurriedly intervened, speaking from experience to offer some guidance.

!!! *2

"Really?"

Tears welled in Izuna's eyes as he looked up in surprise. He hadn't expected his older cousin to understand.

"Of course!"

Feeling the piercing gaze of those behind him, Gin had no choice but to continue his bluff.

"I love those magazines! There's nothing wrong with a man looking at that kind of stuff. The real problem is with the men who don't!"

Having reached this point, Gin decided to just go all in, staring at his cousin and imparting his "wisdom" with conviction.

"Then... I'm normal! And so is Jiro!"

Izuna's once-dull eyes suddenly lit up after hearing Gin's heartfelt words.

Tch!

So that kid from the dungeon ended up like this? He used to be such a goody-two-shoes, but now he's corrupted my little cousin!

"Naturally!"

Gin couldn't worry about placing blame right now; keeping the mood calm was the priority. If both his cousins fell into darkness—or worse—Uchiha's future would be bleak.

"So, Cousin, which ones do you like?"

It was clear that Izuna was becoming obsessed.

"Heh, of course, I'm a fan of that magazine."

Despite the burning stares behind him, Gin kept his cool and continued the conversation as if nothing was amiss.

After an intense exchange of opinions...

"Whew! I had no idea you were so knowledgeable, Cousin. I'm impressed! We should exchange notes sometime."

At the end of their conversation, Izuna suddenly remembered why he came and quickly shifted gears.

"Definitely! Next time for sure!"

Gin wiped the sweat from his forehead, relieved the conversation was finally over. Who knew his younger cousin, so young, already had such vast experience?

If it weren't for the 100TB of HDD he'd accumulated from his past life, he might have been exposed.

"So, what's going on with your Big Brother?"

Now in a more rational state, Gin returned to the topic of Uchiha Madara, looking at Izuna curiously.

"You know about Big Brother's defeat, right?"

Izuna's expression turned serious, and his eyes filled with frustration as he spoke slowly.

"Yeah, Uncle told me everything."

Gin nodded, showing he understood the whole ordeal Madara went through at the hands of Senju.

"Even though Father saved Big Brother in time, since returning, he's been completely different. He locked himself in his room, refusing to eat, drink, or talk to anyone."

Izuna's eyes were filled with concern. He couldn't bear to see his once-proud brother become a shell of himself.

"Not a single sound from his room?"

Gin asked, puzzled. He could accept Madara refusing to eat or speak, but the total silence seemed odd.

"Well... not completely. I've heard some footsteps. Maybe Big Brother's pacing around, thinking."

Izuna pondered for a moment before responding.

"Footsteps?"

Gin furrowed his brow. His cousin was in there pacing? Could he be planning to switch tactics?

"So, you came to ask me to talk to Big Brother?"

Gin rubbed his chin, asking Izuna with a knowing look.

"Exactly! You and Big Brother have the closest bond. You're the only one who can bring him back!"

Izuna clenched his fists, determination flashing in his eyes. He was dead set on having Gin help.

Hah, that's why your father wants me to help you two unlock the Mangekyo. If I'd known this would be so much trouble, I wouldn't have been so good to you when we were kids!

Gin silently cursed, but finally extended his hand, giving Izuna a small nod.

"Alright. As your cousin, I can't refuse. Let's go."

"Right now? Isn't it a bit early?"

Seeing Gin already preparing to head out, Izuna hesitated.

Was he really ready to face Madara? What if he said the wrong thing and made things worse?

"No time to waste. I want to help your Big Brother out of this mess as soon as possible."

Gin's righteous tone left no room for argument, and he strode ahead.

"Huh?"

Izuna was left momentarily stunned, but quickly followed after him.

"Ugh, Gin is so dead when he gets back!"

Uchiha Hikai glared with her beautiful eyes at Gin's retreating figure, muttering angrily. Her heart ached, too.

It's all because of that seal. Gin's been lonely, which is why he got into those magazines.

"What even are those magazines?"

Itama asked, clueless about the earlier conversation. Now that both Gin and Izuna had left, he turned to Hikari for an explanation.

"Heh, such a child. That's not something you should know about at your age. Unlike me, I'm already old enough for those things."

Hikari smirked, her expression smug, as she flaunted her knowledge over the younger Itama.

Itama was stunned, veins popping in frustration as Hikaru strutted about.

"Hmph! If you won't tell me, I'll just ask Sister Haruka and Aunt Eimi!"

With that, Itama, recalling Gin's warnings, calmed himself down and left to seek answers elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Gin, after sprinting for several hundred meters, finally slowed down when he saw only Izuna following him. He took a deep breath and waited for his cousin to catch up.

"Alright, let's go see what's going on with your brother."

Gin patted Izuna on the shoulder with a smile, though his eyes held a flicker of mischief.

After all, this was some serious dirt on Madara. He had to make sure to remember every detail.

"Okay!"

Izuna didn't hesitate and led Gin back to the Uchiha clan's main residence.

They weaved through the estate until they reached Madara's personal courtyard.

Looking at the spacious and luxurious surroundings, Gin's heart filled with envy.

This is what comes with being the clan leader, huh? I'm so jealous.

Uncle! If my cousins both fail, I'm ready to take over!

I, Uchiha Gin, will be the next clan leader!

Shuffle... shuffle... shuffle

Before they even approached, Uchiha Gin, with his keen senses, could already hear the rhythmic footsteps coming from Uchiha Madara's bedroom. The sound puzzled him more and more as he listened.

What on earth was his older cousin doing, locking himself in his room? Secretly training his footwork?

"Knock, knock, knock!!! Big brother, open the door!"

Uchiha Izuna, growing impatient, rushed forward and started pounding on the door to Madara's room. As the knocking echoed through the corridor, the footsteps inside abruptly stopped, as if Madara didn't want anyone to know what he was doing.

"I told you already, don't disturb me."

Madara's cold voice came from within, showing that even for his beloved younger brother, he had no intention of opening the door.

Hearing his older brother's ruthless refusal, Uchiha Izuna turned to Gin with pleading eyes, hoping he would step in and help his dear brother snap out of his funk.

Seeing Izuna's expression, Gin didn't hesitate. When it comes to this kind of "illness," you can't coddle them.

Having made up his mind, he quickly stepped forward, channeling his strength into his hand, and gave a powerful knock on Madara's door while shouting loudly,

"Cousin, I'm coming in!"

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