Imparting Knowledge

Inside the Hokage's Office.

In the prime of his life, Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a long stream of smoke, while his other hand held recent intelligence on the Land of Fire's border.

"Hiruzen, I don't understand. Why put such trash in Class A? That's a waste of teaching resources."

Mitokado Homura looked completely baffled, while Utatane Koharu also cast Hiruzen Sarutobi a questioning look.

The news that the Uchiha Clan had produced a ninja incapable of using ninjutsu had already spread throughout Konoha.

After all, an unprecedented failure had appeared among the Uchiha, a clan known for producing geniuses. It was bound to draw some attention.

What the two did not understand was not Uchiha Jin being placed in Class A, but the fact that Hiruzen Sarutobi had personally given instructions for it.

And since it concerned the Uchiha, they had no choice but to ask.

In a sense, the Uchiha were the village's unstable element.

"The Uchiha and the village need a channel of communication." Hiruzen set down the document in his hand, his tone grave. "Perhaps he will be our chance to communicate with the Uchiha."

More importantly, he posed no threat.

A Uchiha who posed no threat was the best bridge between the village and the Uchiha Clan.

Though he would make one bad decision after another in his later years, and even now was overly concerned with grand achievements, Hiruzen Sarutobi truly wanted to unite the village as one. Even the Uchiha were part of the village, weren't they?

"Let's hope so." Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu did not hold much hope.

After all, those prideful Uchiha had themselves refused to interact too much with the village. Though that was also partly due to the system left behind by their teacher, Tobirama Senju.

And partly because people like them had targeted the Uchiha a little—but how could the fault possibly lie with them?

"Where's Danzo?" Mitokado Homura curiously looked around.

Under normal circumstances, whenever anything involving the Uchiha came up, he would be the first to appear. Yet this time, he was nowhere to be seen.

He was the one who had truly inherited their teacher's hostility toward the Uchiha.

"His threat level is too low," Hiruzen Sarutobi said meaningfully.

Uchiha Jin's talent was utterly meaningless to Danzo. Not only could he not cast ninjutsu, he had not even awakened his eyes.

Danzo could not even be bothered with such trivial matters.

He also had no interest in taking part in something like building a bridge with the Uchiha. In any case, Danzo believed it was impossible.

Just then, a figure suddenly appeared in the office.

The masked Anbu knelt on one knee and respectfully reported, "Lord Hokage, Uchiha Jin has made contact with the Jinchūriki."

Everyone's expressions turned grave at that moment. The incident of Madara Uchiha controlling the Nine-Tails to attack the village was still fresh in their memories.

The moment an Uchiha approached the Nine-Tails, it crossed their line of alert.

"Don't interfere."

Yet Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone was calm, as though he did not care in the slightest about a threat like Madara Uchiha.

What a joke.

What threat could an Uchiha who could not even use ninjutsu possibly pose?

"Yes!"

The Anbu figure dissolved into smoke and vanished from the spot.

"Hiruzen, I hope your choice is the right one." Utatane Koharu stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi with a dark look in her eyes.

The fact that he would not even interfere when an Uchiha contacted the Nine-Tails showed just how determined he was to support Uchiha Jin.

But the Uchiha Clan might not accept it. They might even see it as an insult.

That possibility was very great.

Unfortunately, none of them was the Hokage.

"After all, you're the Hokage."

"Let's hope so."

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to look out the window. Konoha lay spread out before his eyes, and compared to its former bustle, it now seemed somewhat desolate.

Compared with the era of the Second Hokage, the village had indeed declined considerably.

"The village..."

Jin led Minato Namikaze and the other person to an open area beside a stream.

His gaze casually swept over the distant trees, but his keen five senses had already detected several figures hiding among them.

He merely pretended not to notice. After all, they would never imagine he possessed such an ability.

This place had been deliberately chosen. Anyone who wanted to monitor them could not reveal themselves, and the surroundings here were wide open. The stream was clear to the bottom, leaving virtually nowhere to hide.

Unless it was See-Through Release. But the Gekkō Clan was already sparsely populated; they would not use it for something like guarding—or rather, monitoring—the Jinchūriki.

The main reason he had specifically chosen this place was naturally to conceal the contents of the three of their conversation.

"Um, isn't it bad for us to learn Uchiha ninjutsu?"

Minato Namikaze was deeply uneasy. The moment he heard they would be taught ninjutsu, he had followed Jin here in a daze. As a civilian-born ninja, he had no ninjutsu available to learn beyond the academy's Three Basic Jutsu.

Hearing that there was ninjutsu to learn had left him somewhat lightheaded.

But once they arrived, he regretted it a little. Would learning Uchiha ninjutsu count as secretly stealing it? Wouldn't that be immoral?

His sense of morality and anticipation tangled together, leaving his emotions a complete mess.

"Relax. It isn't Uchiha ninjutsu. It's something I inherited from my parents."

Jin reassured Minato Namikaze.

If he said he had created it himself, he would probably scare the two of them off.

"But didn't they say you couldn't use ninjutsu, Senior?" Minato Namikaze was somewhat confused as well. He had heard of Uchiha Jin's reputation.

Kushina could not help perking up her ears as well.

"It's a long story." Jin let out a sorrowful sigh, raising his head to gaze at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle as his mind rapidly searched for an excuse.

He quickly came up with something.

"The requirements for learning this ninjutsu aren't high, but the conditions are harsh. Unless you reach a certain level, you won't be able to cast ninjutsu."

"That's why I ended up like this. But I'm close to breaking through now. Once I do, I'll be able to use ninjutsu."

"If you're afraid your talent is too low, then forget it."

The contempt on Jin's face instantly set Kushina ablaze with anger.

"Who are you calling untalented? Take it out. I'll surpass you right away!"

"Wait, Kushina." Minato Namikaze hurriedly grabbed the furious little pepper, then smiled awkwardly at Jin. "Senior Jin, what does this ninjutsu do?"

Minato Namikaze was confident in his talent, but he still had his concerns. If it resulted in being unable to cast ninjutsu, that would be awful.

Ninja made their living through ninjutsu. Without it, they were no different from tigers with their teeth pulled.

Jin chuckled. "You've already seen part of its effects."

Minato Namikaze fell into thought.

"Strength, speed, reaction time... they all seem to surpass that of an ordinary genin."

In that earlier match, Jin had been letting him win the entire time. He could feel it. That speed at which Jin effortlessly evaded his attacks was simply impossible for him to deal with.

"Not just that. It can also preserve your looks and extend your lifespan. If you break through, your control over Chakra will reach one hundred percent."

Both of them widened their eyes at the same time.

Minato Namikaze said, "One hundred percent Chakra control?!"

Kushina said, "Preserve your looks?!"

Why was this getting more and more outrageous? Could ninjutsu really accomplish something like that?

Jin had prepared for this long ago. He pulled a small notebook from his pocket and handed it to Minato Namikaze.

"Take a look first."

The two of them flipped through it together, carefully reading the writing on each page and the human body diagrams at the back.

There was a great deal of explanation about ninjutsu within it, and Minato Namikaze had a hard time understanding it.

Kushina let out a soft sound of surprise.

"This is Fūinjutsu?"

"Mhm."

"So Fūinjutsu can be used like this."

Unlike Minato Namikaze, Kushina had inherited a great deal of Fūinjutsu knowledge from the Uzumaki Clan, making it easier for her to understand what was written.

Moreover, it included detailed methods of use. After calculating the effects in her mind, she did not know whether it could truly preserve one's looks and extend one's lifespan, but it really could achieve the other effects.

"But why does your Fūinjutsu link three together?"

Of course, there were parts she could not understand as well.

"That's the key to breaking through. At its core, it's a fusion of three Fūinjutsu. Every time you complete one Fūinjutsu, there will be a qualitative breakthrough."

Minato Namikaze could not help asking, "Kushina, can this technique really be completed?"

Though he could not understand the concepts written inside, the steps were explained in great detail. It could practically be called foolproof instruction.

"In theory, there shouldn't be a problem. As for practice, I don't know."

Kushina glanced at Jin. This guy should be proof of the actual results.

After considering it for a moment, she said, "If it truly works as described, then it can achieve the effects he mentioned. There are three Fūinjutsu in total. The first is simple, the second is ten times more difficult, and the third is another ten times harder."

Minato Namikaze clutched the notes. For commoner ninja like them, the most important thing was undoubtedly ninjutsu. No commoner ninja could remain calm in the face of ninjutsu.

And this one was so miraculous.

The more excited he became, the calmer he grew. He looked up at Jin and asked, "Senior, what is your purpose in teaching this to us so easily?"

He wanted to believe that everyone in the village loved one another like family, but reason told him that if the other party was willing to reveal this ninjutsu, he must have an ulterior purpose.

What could a commoner like him possibly have that the other party desired? Glancing at Kushina, who was still deep in thought, he stepped in front of her first.

However, Jin did not notice. He was merely pondering.

All he wanted was to find someone to learn ninjutsu from, then hurry up and break through so he would not have to keep maintaining this awkward situation.

What could he do about this goddamn restriction?

But he could not reveal the matter of the Golden Finger. If they were shameless enough, they could read it, then turn their backs on him and go home to cultivate on their own.

It would not really affect him, but he still preferred someone as self-aware as Minato Namikaze.

He had to come up with another explanation.

He raised one finger.

"Minato Namikaze, I think highly of your future. So as long as you promise me that, in the future, so long as it does not violate your bottom line, you will do one thing for me."

Minato Namikaze fell into thought. What the other party said was reasonable and well-founded... my ass!

Something like this had never happened in the ninja world before... right?

At least, he had no memory of it.

Still, if that was all it was—

"I agree. As long as it does not violate my principles, I can do one thing for you in the future."

Jin held out his hand.

"Then it's a deal."

Minato Namikaze held out his hand as well.

"A deal."

Both of them smiled happily. Yet Minato Namikaze felt a slight heaviness in his heart.

Jin, on the other hand, was overjoyed.

The Chakra Basic Inner Cultivation that had restricted him for so long.

Hope for a breakthrough.

Had appeared.