Hokage's Office.
Jiraiya hesitated several times before speaking. "Sensei, Uchiha Jin's talent for ninjutsu is very high."
After all, Jin had never said he needed to keep it secret. And Jiraiya did not think it was something that should be hidden. At this point, even though Jiraiya had some reservations about Sarutobi Hiruzen's actions, he still had no intention of breaking with the village. So he decided to tell the truth. A talented ninja and a talentless ninja were not the same thing.
"Hm?!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. "So he's been hiding his ninjutsu talent the entire time he was at the Academy?"
Hiding talent from the village from the moment he entered school... this boy is terrifying. And he's an Uchiha on top of that. It seems we can't let him grow. Otherwise, he could cause unforeseen harm to Konoha.
Jiraiya, unaware of what was going through Hiruzen's mind, scratched his head. "It's not exactly like that either."
"Hm?!" Hiruzen was thrown off by Jiraiya's answer. "What do you mean, it is and it isn't? First you say he has talent, now you say the opposite. Are you the one who's sick, or is he?"
"He's a genius. A genius who might even be comparable to the Second Hokage."
Jiraiya took out the small notebook Jin had given him. While washing dishes at the yakiniku restaurant, he had read it over and over, and he had been stunned every time. His mind was full of disbelief. Was it really possible that an Academy student had created this? That level of ninjutsu research and development... not even Orochimaru compared. Only the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, could rival an achievement like that.
"The reason for everything is in here."
Hiruzen shot Jiraiya a sideways look. He really knows how to hook curiosity. No wonder he's been talking about writing novels lately. Hiruzen casually flipped through the first pages.
"Fūinjutsu?"
The content only made him more curious. Creating a normal ninjutsu was already difficult, and creating Fūinjutsu was even more complex. He turned a few more pages. The Fūinjutsu described there made him frown.
"This is a chaotic patchwork."
The seals were familiar to him, but they had been stitched together in a disorderly way, with nothing new. To him, that kind of Fūinjutsu was useless. The activation speed was slow, and because it fused multiple seals, the number of hand seals required went beyond a hundred. And the final effect was only to restrict the enemy's ability to use ninjutsu.
"Completely useless Fūinjutsu."
Hiruzen's verdict made Jiraiya scratch his head. If he only looked at the first pages, he would think the same. But the real content was further in.
"Sensei, you should look at the next pages."
The real secret started at the second layer. Hiruzen frowned, but trusting his disciple, he kept reading.
Using Fūinjutsu to circulate and accumulate chakra, increasing the amount of chakra to strengthen the seal while also reinforcing the physical body. That effect caught Hiruzen off guard.
"It's a truly ingenious idea."
He had to admit his admiration. It was a bit crude, but the underlying line of thought was something he had never seen before.
"So that's why he couldn't use ninjutsu."
If the effect of the first layer were applied to one's own body, the result would be an inability to release ninjutsu. That put Hiruzen in an awkward position regarding Uchiha Jin. They could not kill him, but... they also could not simply let him roam free.
"Jiraiya." Hiruzen lifted his head, his gaze deep. "If I asked you to remove Uchiha Jin from Team 7, would you do it?"
The smile on Jiraiya's face froze. His expression turned extremely serious. He planted both hands on the desk and leaned forward. "Old man, Uchiha Jin is my student."
Jiraiya's stance was clear. No.
Hiruzen massaged his forehead. Things were getting complicated. He had hoped Jiraiya would take in an untalented Uchiha, not a genius. The goal was to build a bridge to the Uchiha, not allow their rise. The good news was that Uchiha Jin was unpopular even within his own clan. Maybe he could be drawn to the village's side.
As for that Fūinjutsu...
"The first two layers of this Fūinjutsu will be added to the village's ninjutsu reward list. The last layer will be sealed away in the Scroll of Seals as a forbidden technique." Hiruzen's voice turned firm. "Tell Uchiha Jin not to spread it carelessly." It was a jutsu that could raise the village's baseline strength.
"Yes."
Ninjutsu Exchange Center.
A massive scroll lay open. As long as you spent merit points, you could exchange for jutsu at the counter. Katō Dan's gaze was drawn to the Basic Internal Energy that had appeared out of nowhere.
"Fūinjutsu: Basic Internal Energy. Strengthens overall physical constitution. Risk of temporarily being unable to use ninjutsu." There was also a partial description of the usage method.
"Tsunade!" Dan called out. Tsunade, still a little depressed, walked over. "What is it, Dan?"
"Look at this. It feels a lot like your Yin Seal, the Byakugō." Dan pointed at the Basic Internal Energy entry.
Tsunade only needed two glances before she frowned. "They look similar, but they follow different lines of thought." "My Yin Seal focuses on storage. This jutsu focuses on the seal itself."
With her Fūinjutsu knowledge, she could grasp the direction and principles of the technique. "Combining the human body with Fūinjutsu... whoever created this is a genius." Tsunade could not help admiring the creator. What was even more impressive was that the learning difficulty was not that high.
Her eyes dropped to the signature at the end. "Uchiha Jin!"
Tsunade was not the only one who noticed Basic Internal Energy. A white haired man was also looking at it. Hiruko held the Basic Internal Energy scroll he had just exchanged for.
His eyes swept through the content quickly. "This ninjutsu should be able to increase my strength." "I have to say... worthy of an Uchiha?" The Uchiha clan was famous for producing geniuses, especially with the powerful Sharingan. "It's really enviable."
His gaze followed Tsunade and Dan as they walked away. The veins on the hand holding the scroll bulged. "You ignored me again, Tsunade."
Border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire.
Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang, stared at the red marks on the map. They were the locations where they had encountered Sand shinobi.
"These Sand shinobi are testing routes." The enemy's intent was subtle, but he had seen through it. The Sand was trying to find a stealth path to infiltrate Konoha.
"Decapitation tactic?" If they truly found a hidden route to get close to Konoha, then once war began, they could strike the rear. If they succeeded, they would deal devastating damage to Konoha. But the moment Sakumo uncovered the plan, their objective failed completely.
Suddenly, a cloud of white smoke appeared beside him, and a ninja in a green vest emerged. He carried a scroll half the size of his body. "Sir, these are the new supplies and the updated ninjutsu exchange list."
He pulled two ninjutsu scrolls from his sleeve. To make it easier to raise the frontline's strength, the common exchange scrolls were sent directly to the commander.
"Good work." Sakumo accepted the items. He opened the new ninjutsu scroll with curiosity. Konoha's jutsu lists were rarely updated. The forbidden techniques in the Scroll of Seals required massive merit, and he knew the others well.
Then he saw the content.
"Basic Internal Energy?"
"Uchiha Jin."
Naka Shrine.
Uchiha Hikaku, despite his advanced age, still had a vigorous body. Standing on the roof, he could see much of the village.
"This was won by Leader Madara." Unfortunately, there was no place for the Uchiha there. Back then, they had never imagined how much the Second Hokage hated them. The older he got, the clearer everything became. Every measure the Second Hokage took had one fundamental aim, to treat the Uchiha as potential enemies. Unfortunately, the clan members had been blinded by the power of the Police Force. And the upper ranks continued to boycott the Uchiha. Even if he could steer the clan for a time, he could not completely ignore what everyone else thought.
"If we had chosen to leave with Leader Madara back then, what would things be like now?" Unfortunately, they had chosen betrayal in exchange for a stable life.
POOF. A cloud of smoke appeared. Uchiha Fugaku's figure emerged beside Hikaku.
"Fugaku, you're here." Hikaku reined in his emotions.
"Great Elder, please look at this." Fugaku, his expression complicated, handed over the scroll he was holding.
"Did the village assign a mission to the Uchiha?" Hikaku did not understand, and he opened the scroll slowly. Inside was only a single ninjutsu.
"This kind of ninjutsu is rare." But he still did not understand what Fugaku meant, until he saw the signature at the end.
"Uchiha Jin!!"
Hikaku's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "How is that possible?!"
A cold, damp underground.
Orochimaru entered the lab and saw Uchiha Jin's Kage Bunshin working diligently.
"Young Jin, you've become very famous lately."
Jin, who was observing Hashirama's Cells under a microscope, lifted his head and looked at Orochimaru. "Have I?" Jin was confused. During this time, he spent his days doing D rank missions with Jiraiya, and his nights here learning ninjutsu and helping Orochimaru's research. He had not felt any fame at all.
"Your ninjutsu has started spreading throughout the village, and the third layer has entered the Scroll of Seals."
Hearing that, Jin nodded to show he understood.
"You don't seem surprised." Orochimaru ran his tongue over his lips, watching Jin with interest.
"Didn't you say my ninjutsu represented a revolution?" Jin smiled at Orochimaru. "No matter what shock it causes, I understand." "And I believe you'll protect me well, right, Orochimaru-sensei?"
Ever since he learned someone had begun practicing Basic Internal Energy, he had expected this. So he was not surprised.
Orochimaru chuckled. "Naturally." After all, he wanted to see just how far Uchiha Jin could go.
"Good." Jin nodded and returned to the experiment. He did not have time to worry about the impact of Basic Internal Energy. He was fully immersed in developing a new jutsu, inspired by Hashirama's Cells.
Silently, he entered the theory and practical effects he had in mind into the System's text box.
"Deduction Successful"
"Completed eight deductions. The Beginner Period has expired."
"Please check the details in time."
Jin: "???"
(End of Chapter)