Hokage Building.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, still in the prime of his strength, exhaled a long stream of smoke while holding the latest reports from the Land of Fire's border in his other hand.
"Hiruzen, I don't understand. Why put that kind of trash in Class A? That's a waste of teaching resources."
Mitokado Homura's face was full of disbelief, and Utatane Koharu also cast Hiruzen a doubtful look. News that the Uchiha clan had produced a ninja incapable of using ninjutsu had already spread throughout Konoha. After all, coming from a clan famous for producing geniuses again and again, the appearance of an unprecedented useless case was bound to draw attention.
What the two advisors couldn't understand wasn't only why Uchiha Jin had been placed in Class A, but the fact that it had been Sarutobi Hiruzen's direct, explicit order. And because the matter involved the Uchiha, they felt obligated to question it. In a certain sense, the Uchiha were considered unstable elements within the village.
"The Uchiha and the village need a channel of communication," Hiruzen said, setting the document down and speaking in a deep tone. "Maybe he's our opportunity to open a dialogue with the Uchiha."
The key point was that Jin posed no threat. A harmless Uchiha was the perfect bridge between the village and the Uchiha clan.
And although later in life he would make frequent mistakes and chase empty glory, at this moment Sarutobi Hiruzen genuinely wanted to bind the village together as one. Besides, the Uchiha were part of the village too, weren't they?
"Let's hope so," Homura and Koharu replied, with little optimism.
After all, that arrogant bunch of Uchihas had voluntarily refused to interact too much with the village—though there were also institutional reasons left behind by their teacher, Senju Tobirama. And of course, there was also the fact that they, the advisors, had tightened the leash a little… but that couldn't possibly be their fault, could it?
"And Danzo?" Homura asked, glancing around with curiosity. Normally, whenever an Uchiha-related issue came up, he'd be the first to appear, but this time he was nowhere in sight. He was, after all, the one who had truly inherited Tobirama's hostility toward the Uchiha.
"His threat level is too low," Hiruzen replied, making the obvious implication.
Uchiha Jin's talent meant nothing to Shimura Danzo. Not only could he not use ninjutsu, he hadn't even awakened the Sharingan. Danzo wouldn't bother dealing with such trivia. And as for building bridges with the Uchiha, he had no intention of participating—he believed it was impossible anyway.
At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared in the office. An ANBU member, mask on, knelt respectfully and reported, "Hokage-sama, Uchiha Jin has made contact with the Jinchūriki."
Everyone's expression turned heavy in an instant. The incident where Uchiha Madara had controlled the Kyūbi to attack the village was still fresh in everyone's memory. An Uchiha approaching the Nine-Tails was the equivalent of stepping over a crimson red line.
"There's no need to intervene."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's tone remained calm, as if he didn't care in the slightest about the threat Uchiha Madara had once represented. It was almost laughable. An Uchiha who couldn't use ninjutsu… what kind of threat could he possibly pose?
"Yes!" The ANBU figure dissolved into smoke and vanished.
"Hiruzen, I hope your choice is the right one," Koharu said, her gaze deep and shadowed as she looked at him. The fact that he wouldn't even interfere when an Uchiha contacted the Kyūbi showed just how determined he was to support this Uchiha Jin.
The only problem was that the Uchiha clan wouldn't necessarily accept it. They might even see it as an insult. And the chance of that was quite high.
Unfortunately, none of them were Hokage.
"After all, you're the Hokage."
"Let's hope so."
Sarutobi Hiruzen turned his head and looked out the window. The scenery of the Hidden Leaf filled his view; compared to the bustle of the past, there seemed to be a little more desolation now. Compared to the era of the Second Hokage, the village was indeed far emptier.
"The village, huh…"
Jin led Namikaze Minato and the other person to the edge of a stream, in a wide, deserted area. His gaze swept casually over the distant trees; his sharpened senses had already detected several figures hidden among the leaves. He simply pretended not to notice. They would never imagine he could do that.
He had chosen this spot on purpose. Anyone who wanted to monitor them would have to do it without exposing themselves, and with the area wide open—and the stream clear all the way to the bottom—it was practically impossible to hide nearby. Unless they used "Transparency Release" (Tōton), but the Gekkō clan had very few members, and they wouldn't be assigned to watch or protect a Jinchūriki.
By choosing this specific location, his main objective was naturally to keep the content of the trio's conversation concealed.
"Um… is it really okay for us to learn Uchiha ninjutsu?"
Namikaze Minato looked uneasy. The moment he heard the words learn ninjutsu, he had followed Jin here in a daze. Being a civilian-born ninja, he didn't have access to many techniques beyond the Academy's Three Basic Jutsu. The idea of learning something new had dazzled him.
But once they arrived, regret started creeping in. Learning techniques from the Uchiha… wouldn't that count as stealing secret arts? Wasn't it unethical? His moral conscience tangled with expectation, stirring a complicated blend of emotions.
"Relax. It's not an Uchiha clan ninjutsu. It's something I inherited from my parents," Jin reassured him. If he said he had invented it himself, he'd probably scare the two of them into running.
"But, Senpai… aren't you the one who can't use ninjutsu?" Minato asked, still confused. Uchiha Jin's reputation was something he knew well.
Kushina couldn't resist either; she sharpened her ears and listened closely.
"Ah, it's a long story…" Jin sighed dramatically, tilting his chin up at a forty-five-degree angle while his brain worked at full speed to fabricate an excuse.
Very quickly, he built a narrative.
"The technique I obtained… even though the learning requirements aren't high, the conditions are extremely strict. If you don't reach a certain level, it's impossible to release any ninjutsu at all." He paused, then continued with a grave expression. "That's what caused my current situation. But I'm about to break through, and when that happens, I'll be able to use ninjutsu again." He glanced at them with a faint, disdainful curve to his mouth. "Still, if you're worried your talent is too low, then forget it."
The contempt on Jin's face made Kushina's blood boil instantly.
"Who are you calling low-talent?! Show me! I'll surpass you in no time!"
"Wait, Kushina." Minato hurriedly held back the little raging pepper and, smiling awkwardly, asked Jin, "Senpai Jin, then what exactly does this technique do?"
Minato believed in his talent, but he also had concerns. If the outcome was ending up unable to use ninjutsu like Jin, that would be disastrous. A ninja lived on ninjutsu; without it, you were nothing but a toothless tiger.
Jin gave a mischievous little chuckle. "Part of it… you've already seen."
Minato fell into thought. "Strength, speed, reflexes… they all seemed above an ordinary Genin's level."
In their earlier spar, he had realized Jin had been holding back the entire time. That effortless dodging speed was something Minato had no answer for right now.
"It's not just that," Jin said. "It also rejuvenates your skin, extends your lifespan, and if you can achieve the final breakthrough… your chakra control becomes one hundred percent."
Their eyes widened at the exact same time.
Minato: "One hundred percent chakra control?!"
Kushina: "Rejuvenates your skin?!"
The conversation was getting more and more absurd. Could a single technique really do all of that? Jin had been prepared. He pulled a small notebook from his pocket and handed it to Minato.
"Take a look first."
The two of them began flipping through the notebook together, reading the text carefully on each page and examining the human-body diagrams at the end. There was a huge amount of ninjutsu theory inside, making it hard for Minato to digest.
But Kushina let out a surprised sound. "Eh? This is… fūinjutsu?"
"Mhm~"
"Fūinjutsu can be used like this?!"
Unlike Minato, Kushina carried a vast inheritance of sealing knowledge from the Uzumaki clan, so the content was far easier for her to understand. And the notebook included detailed application methods. She ran quick calculations in her head: she wasn't sure about the pretty skin and longevity, but the other effects did seem genuinely possible.
"But why does this fūinjutsu connect three different seals?" Of course, there were parts even she didn't fully understand.
"Those are breakthrough points. Basically, it's a fusion of three sealing techniques. Each time you complete one seal, you get a qualitative leap in power."
Minato couldn't hold back his question. "Kushina… is this technique really possible to complete?"
Even though the deeper meaning escaped him, the steps were written so clearly it felt like a beginner's manual.
"Theoretically, I don't see a problem. In practice, I don't know," Kushina replied, looking at Jin. That guy was living proof of the practical effect. She thought for a moment. "If we follow what's written, we can reach the effects he mentioned. There are three seals: the first is simple; the second is ten times harder; and the third is ten times harder than the second."
Minato tightened his grip on the notebook. For civilian-born ninja like him, ninjutsu was everything. No civilian ninja could treat a new technique with indifference—especially one as miraculous as this.
The more excited he became, the more he forced himself to stay calm. He raised his head and asked Jin, "Senpai… what's your goal in teaching us something like this so easily?"
He wanted to believe the idea that "the village is one big happy family," but reason told him that someone didn't share a technique like this without a motive. What could Jin possibly want from him, a civilian? Minato glanced at Kushina, still thinking, and stepped forward, subtly blocking her with his body.
Jin didn't even notice the protective gesture. He was lost in his own thoughts.
The truth was simple: he just wanted someone else to learn the technique and break through quickly, so he could stop being stuck in this embarrassing state. Damn system restriction—what else could he do? But he couldn't reveal the Goldfinger's existence. And besides, if they were shameless, they could just memorize the notebook, turn around, and train at home without owing him anything.
It wouldn't affect him directly, but he preferred dealing with someone like Namikaze Minato—conscientious, disciplined.
So he needed another excuse.
Jin raised one finger. "Namikaze Minato, I see a great future in you. So you only need to promise me one thing: in the future, as long as it doesn't violate your moral principles, you'll do me a favor."
Minato fell silent, thinking. The words made sense… except they didn't. Things like this didn't happen in the ninja world… did they? At least, he'd never heard of such generosity.
Still, if that was really all…
"I promise. As long as it doesn't go against my principles, in the future I'll do one thing for you."
Jin extended his hand. "Then we have a deal."
Minato extended his hand as well. "Deal."
Both of them smiled brightly, though Namikaze Minato's heart felt slightly heavy beneath the promise. Jin, on the other hand, felt his heart explode with joy.
That "Basic Chakra Internal Energy" that had restrained him for so long… the hope of breaking through…
It had finally appeared.