Chapter 35: The Eerie Old Jailer, A Battle Without Substance

"Combat detected for the host. Heart of Steel chest accumulation has begun."

The sudden system notification interrupted Uchiha Gin's thoughts. Without time to overthink, his eyes quickly shifted into the Sharingan as he stared warily at the eerie old jailer before him.

"Hehehehe, I mean no harm. I only wish to..."

The old jailer opened his mouth, his terrifying smile stretching from the corners of his mouth to his ears.

"...see your growth."

With that, the old jailer's figure vanished before his eyes like smoke.

Uchiha Gin immediately mobilized the superior dynamic vision of the Sharingan, searching up, down, left, and right for the vanished jailer. However, the cramped cell had no blind spots; the man had vanished as if he had evaporated into thin air, leaving no trace behind.

"Where are you looking?"

The old jailer's raspy voice rang in Uchiha Gin's ear, a cold aura creeping up his spine from behind.

The jailer's words felt like the gaze of a Reaper, making his limbs stiffen as if they were cast in lead.

Gritting his teeth, he channeled his monstrous strength into his elbow, throwing a thunderous elbow strike toward the elder behind him. Uchiha Gin felt his back loosen, and his strike missed, as expected.

The old jailer had vanished again. The candlelight on the wall flickered slightly, and in the reflection, Uchiha Gin could only see his own shadow; the old jailer's appearance felt like a dream.

*A special concealment technique? Or a genjutsu?*

Assumptions raced through Uchiha Gin's mind. He took a deep breath and reached for the Flying Thunder God Kunai hanging at his waist. The moment he touched the kunai, something bizarre happened.

The old jailer was actually standing upright on his shadow, his pale pupils staring directly at him, that same slightly crazed smile still on his lips.

The sudden scene caused Uchiha Gin's heart to skip a beat. His hand instinctively released the kunai, and the moment he let go, the eerie old jailer vanished from his sight as if erased by an eraser.

In his surprise, he tried to grip the kunai again, and the old jailer's figure reappeared. He let go again, and the jailer vanished.

He recalled the description of this Flying Thunder God Kunai

[Flying Thunder God Kunai] A weapon used by Minato Namikaze, containing trace amounts of space-time power. Note: Wearing it can accelerate the comprehension of space-time ninjutsu.

*Space-time power! Could the methods of this old jailer be related to space-time power?*

As one of the most mysterious power systems in the Naruto world, the original text only provided a few brief mentions of it, yet the abilities related to it were incredibly broken.

The Flying Thunder God Technique of the Second and Fourth Hokage, Obito Uchiha's Kamui, Sasuke's Amenotejikara used with the Rinnegan, and Kaguya Otsutsuki's Amenominaka—each was a heavyweight skill.

Speculation was speculation, but Uchiha Gin feigned panic, his eyes darting around wildly while his hand gripping the Flying Thunder God Kunai secretly gathered strength.

Taking advantage of the fact that the old jailer remained motionless, he lunged with the kunai toward the man's head with lightning speed.

For the first time, a look of astonishment appeared on the old jailer's bizarre face. Just as the kunai was about to pierce his face, the old jailer rapidly ducked and submerged into Uchiha Gin's shadow under the boy's incredulous gaze.

*It's over. There's something unnatural here.*

For the first time, Uchiha Gin doubted whether he had actually transmigrated into a "normal" Naruto world; he had never heard of such eerie methods.

"You can actually see me? Since when did you possess such a talent?"

The old jailer's head emerged from Uchiha Gin's shadow, his grayish-white eyes staring hollowly at him as he asked slowly.

"You seem to know a lot about me?"

Answering a question with a question, Uchiha Gin did not address the jailer's inquiry but instead turned it back on him.

"Hehehehe..."

The old jailer did not answer, merely letting out his signature eerie laughter.

"Was it you who intentionally leaked information to Uchiha Ryosha just to pique my interest and lure me here?"

Uchiha Gin changed the subject. "Then, that information you told him..."

"It is true," the old jailer said in a raspy voice, his laughter ceasing upon hearing Uchiha Gin's question.

"Then what is your purpose in bringing me here?" Uchiha Gin frowned, switching questions again.

Without receiving the desired answer, the old jailer suddenly struck, grabbing Uchiha Gin's legs. A massive gravitational pull began to drag him uncontrollably into the man's shadow.

Startled by his legs being pinned, Uchiha Gin lunged with the Flying Thunder God Kunai toward the man's hands.

But a bizarre scene unfolded: the sharp kunai passed through the man's withered hands as if there were no resistance at all.

*A miss? The lack of sensation of hitting a physical object made Uchiha Gin's heart sink. Can this guy actually become immune to physical attacks?*

"Hehehehe..."

Seeing Uchiha Gin's failed strike, the old jailer laughed again.

"If this is all you are capable of..."

"...then drown in your own shadow!"

Feeling the pull on his legs grow more violent, a sense of despair crept into Uchiha Gin's heart. Was he going to die here?

Just then, a faint breeze blew through the empty dungeon from an unknown source.

It was so slight it was almost imperceptible, but the candlelight on the wall wavered precariously. The swaying flame instantly caused Uchiha Gin's shadow to dance erratically.

Seeing his shadow flicker, Uchiha Gin felt the pulling sensation on his legs momentarily vanish.

*Could it be?!* He snapped his head toward the candle on the wall, a bold hypothesis forming in his mind.

He suddenly channeled strength into one hand and swung, sending a gust of wind toward the candle.

The powerful gust instantly extinguished the cell's only source of light, plunging the room into darkness. Simultaneously, Uchiha Gin felt his legs loosen; the previous pulling force vanished without a trace.

"Hehehehe, you actually saw through my technique."

The old jailer's figure emerged from the dark corner. With the candlelight gone, only the faint light filtering through the small cell window allowed them to see one another.

"Thanks to Senior's mercy."

Uchiha Gin stared at the old jailer, his previously furrowed brow relaxing.

"?" The old jailer sounded somewhat bewildered.

"Senior, you... you aren't a physical entity, are you?" Uchiha Gin stated.

The old jailer fell silent. After a long pause, a hint of doubt was hard to hide in his grayish-white pupils. "How did you know?"

This statement was a tacit admission. Uchiha Gin did not beat around the bush; he pointed to the ground in front of the old jailer. Where the faint light from the window should have cast a shadow, there was nothing.

The old jailer had no shadow!

"From the very beginning, you haven't launched any substantive attacks against me. Even when you reached out to grab my legs, I only felt a pulling force rather than the sensation of being physically dragged," Uchiha Gin explained his analysis.

"Not bad. As expected of my—"

The old jailer stopped mid-sentence, looking at him with a strange expression before continuing, "Since you have seen through me, I shall answer any further questions you have truthfully."

"Host has won. Gained Mind Energy *1. The Heart of Steel chest will unlock after one more combat. (Current accumulated Mind Energy: 23)"

*The losing streak was broken.* Uchiha Gin lamented inwardly. He hadn't even had a chance to perform his act before the opponent surrendered, breaking the hard-earned losing streak he had been building.

Though it was a pity, if he could obtain useful clues from the old jailer, it wouldn't be a total waste of effort.

"May I ask, Senior, what is your purpose in bringing me here?"

Organizing his thoughts, Uchiha Gin wanted to know why the man had released information to lure him.

"Don't you want to know who that person imprisoned in the jail six years ago was?" the old jailer asked strangely.

"That is the next question," Uchiha Gin shook his head, indicating he only wanted to know the man's motive—why him, specifically?

"..."

The old jailer's eyes dimmed, and he lowered his head in silence.

Seeing the jailer stop speaking, Uchiha Gin turned to leave.

Then, the old jailer's familiar raspy voice drifted over. Within his normally calm, well-like tone, an inexplicable ripple appeared.

"I just wanted to see you."

(End of Chapter)