Finally Broke Through

Jin did not know many people in this era, and most of them had no chance to learn Basic Inner Cultivation.

After all, if he brought out a secret technique and told ninjas who had already developed combat strength that it could enhance their fighting ability—

They would believe it when pigs flew.

Only these few were easier to fool.

He put a piece of pastry into his mouth. Sweetness spread across his tongue, filling his chest with happiness.

"So sweet."

Just as he reached for another piece, a cat paw landed on the back of his hand, stopping him from taking more.

Blue feline eyes stared fixedly at Jin as it meowed.

"What about your promise?"

"What about your stretcher?"

"What kind of nonsense is that?"

Little Meow pounced at him and clawed wildly, only to be suppressed one-handed by Jin and pinned to the table, where it struggled frantically.

"Alright, a year's supply of cat treats. I'll buy them tomorrow."

Only then did Little Meow stop struggling. Jin held it in his arms and stroked its fur.

These days, even cats knew how to bargain.

It really wasn't easy.

Jin casually tossed Little Meow onto the floor. It twisted in midair and landed steadily.

"Go play on your own. You can stay here for now."

There were no Summoning Animals in Jin's house. Other than him, there was not even a ghost to be found, so having a cat live here made no difference.

Little Meow licked its paw pads, and it was impossible to tell whether it had heard him.

He went upstairs and opened the storage room.

"Less than a year... I need to raise my combat strength."

So he could deal with the battlefield he might face in the future.

His gaze swept over a bookshelf full of ninjutsu, its scrolls arranged neatly.

After all, this was a Jonin's home. Having more ninjutsu was only natural.

A small portion consisted of ninjutsu earned from missions, such as the Shadow Clone Jutsu. The rest was divided into two parts: one was ninjutsu collected by the Uchiha Clan, while the other was a wide variety of Fūinjutsu.

Yet this stockpile was nowhere near comparable to Konoha's stored ninjutsu.

As for the Uchiha Clan's ninjutsu reserves, while they were also far greater than what was here, Konoha's ninjutsu library had copies of them all.

Beside the bookshelf stood a round wooden table, with six ninjutsu scrolls arranged in a circle on top.

These were the ninjutsu Jin had spent a long time deducing.

It was not as though he had done nothing while restricted. His eyes flicked over the writing on the scrolls.

They were:

Soru, Kami-e, Shigan, Tekkai, Cat Language, Basic Inner Cultivation.

He had already realized four of the Six Powers from the world of One Piece. Rankyaku and Geppo simply could not be completed while Chakra could not be projected outward.

Unless his physique became ten times stronger.

To complete the four techniques, he had spent more than half his time on them. Only now had he begun teaching Basic Inner Cultivation to others.

If he wanted to teach others, he had to keep something in reserve for himself. Otherwise, he would simply become a fool giving away his fortune.

Once he acquired stronger techniques, these would be passed on.

"Thinking back, these past years really haven't been easy."

To complete the first four techniques, he first had to explore their possibilities bit by bit, then develop the theory, submit it for Deduction, and fail over and over again.

It had nearly been as difficult as writing a university graduation thesis.

Fortunately, he had finally succeeded. This was also his safeguard here.

As for Cat Language, he had spent some time communicating with cats, collecting their sounds, and completing its Deduction.

Basic Inner Cultivation was the foundation of everything he had now.

"Based on my current strength, dealing with an ordinary Chunin shouldn't be a problem. But if it's a Jonin, even a Special Jonin could easily kill me."

That was only in theory. He had never truly fought a Chunin, but his on-paper combat power was not a problem.

"But my advantage is close combat. Ninjas all fight at mid to long range, so I need a way to deal with long-range ninjutsu."

"Qinggong."

Jin had already made up his mind. Speed was power—he had always believed that.

Even if he could not win, at least he could run faster. Especially something like Light Footsteps, combined with Chakra-enhanced Light Footsteps that were more than ten times stronger.

If he used Soru to increase his movement range and distance, there was no way anyone could catch him or hit him.

He already had some theories in mind; he just had not had time to complete them.

"Use Kami-e for sensing, Soru for movement, then add the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams."

In his previous life, someone had led him into superstition for a while, which made him read through books like the Bagua and the I Ching.

Though his memories were blurry, he could bring them back through Deduction.

He first brought up Deduction's text box. With a thought, all the vague I Ching and Bagua material he wanted appeared on it.

Then he found some ninjutsu related to movement from the bookshelf and looked into the range of some large-scale ninjutsu.

First, he had to organize all of it, then sort out the details, add his completed concept, and finally enter it all back into the text box.

"Deduction."

The results would be ready soon.

Deduction failed

Uchiha Jin: (｀⊿).

"Honestly, are you some university professor in disguise, just trying to make me write a thesis?!"

"Do I have to check it for plagiarism too?! Damn it!!"

A system that made people write theses—no matter how he looked at it, something was wrong with it!

"What am I missing?"

Jin began reviewing his thesis... pfft... the theories he had organized.

Just then, his pupils shrank into black dots before quickly returning to normal, and a delighted expression appeared on his face.

"Kushina actually broke through!!"

Time rewound slightly.

After seeing Minato Namikaze off, Kushina leaned her upper body against the window, resting her cheeks in her hands as she watched the raindrops falling outside.

"But why is my little brother so girly and stupid?"

She sank into her own worries. When Minato Namikaze left, he had looked dazed and wooden-faced, and he was always blushing.

Then she thought of that hateful Uchiha, and there was even less to say.

"You two definitely won't be able to find girlfriends in the future."

Kushina wore a look of utter disdain.

One was girly, and the other had a poisonous mouth.

After tidying the table, she returned to her room.

This house belonged to Mito. When the Nine-Tails had been sealed inside Kushina, Mito had passed away.

This place had become her home, yet it did not feel like home at all.

"I'm just an outsider here."

Kushina sat on the bed and immersed her mind within her body.

Perhaps this was the only way she could stop herself from overthinking.

The ninjutsu she had gotten from that Uchiha put her in a tranquil state whenever she used it, allowing her chaotic thoughts to gradually settle.

At the location of the dantian described by Basic Inner Cultivation, Chakra had woven itself into the shape of an egg there, occupying her entire lower abdomen. Any trace of Chakra that emerged would be drawn into the egg.

Even the Chakra leaking out from the Nine-Tails was the same.

Moreover, the Nine-Tails' Chakra, which had originally been difficult to control, could be completely controlled by her once it entered the egg.

It had also turned the originally blue egg into a golden radiance.

"Wasn't that fox red?"

Kushina was especially confused. Sometimes, she could enter the seal within her body and see that stinking fox imprisoned in the sewers.

Now, she could do so even more easily.

Inside the golden egg, an even more complex Fūinjutsu occupied the center. A red dot continuously seeped out red Chakra bit by bit, which then turned golden.

At first, there had been a great deal of this red Chakra, but now only thin wisps seeped out.

But even if it was only a tiny amount, the uninterrupted flow had already turned her golden Chakra egg into a solid egg.

According to Basic Inner Cultivation, as Chakra condensed, it would first form a sealing formula made of various Chakra Threads, then become a transparent light egg, and afterward its outer layer would become solid and opaque—the state it was in now.

"I think I've already completed the first stage."

Kushina pondered.

The first stage was essentially the process of accumulating Chakra. It was not particularly difficult, so anyone who possessed Chakra could complete it.

The difficult part was the second step.

"Use Chakra to seal the meridians through which Chakra flows throughout the entire body, and draw Chakra from the egg to construct the Fūinjutsu formula."

However, it did not specify exactly how much Basic Inner Cultivation was needed, nor had that Uchiha mentioned it.

"It should take quite a lot."

Kushina frowned slightly and sank her consciousness toward the center of the Chakra egg.

In the dark space stood a massive stone prison, surrounded by mountain ranges.

Within the darkness of the stone prison, a pair of scarlet eyes opened. They glanced at the little girl who had appeared there, then closed again.

Kushina was not afraid of him. She walked up to the sealed gate and saw the enormous fox lying on the ground as though sound asleep.

She went right up and kicked the bars twice, producing two clangs.

"Big fox, stop sleeping. Lend me some Chakra."

Kurama did not even raise his eyes as he clearly replied.

"No."

If it had been someone else, he definitely would have lent it to them. Then he could make the Jinchūriki lose control, tear apart the seal, and regain his freedom.

But this Little Bean, after acquiring that detestable ninjutsu, had actually started devouring his Chakra.

What kind of freakish ninjutsu was that? How had he never heard of such a bizarre technique? It was practically the natural enemy of Tailed Beasts.

She was even worse than Mito. At most, Mito would give him a few lashes when she was in a bad mood. This one was outright robbery!!

How was that borrowing? It was blatant robbery, okay?

"Stinking fox, are you lending it to me or not?" Upon being refused, Kushina's hair began to bristle wildly.

The Nine-Tails shifted his body and turned his rear toward her, making his meaning perfectly clear.

That only made Kushina even angrier.

"Stinking fox, you have to lend it to me whether you want to or not!!"

Three chains shot out from behind her back, crossed over the bars, and charged at Kurama.

By the time Kurama sensed that something was wrong and tried to turn around, the chains had already struck him from behind, making him howl in pain.

"Awoo!!"

Back in her body, Kushina blushed and unconsciously looked toward the ceiling as she softly apologized.

"Sorry, I didn't do it on purpose. Who told you to point your butt at me?"

(Kurama: I hereby recognize you as the most ruthless Jinchūriki.)

There was no time to think about that now. A massive amount of Chakra began pouring out of the Chakra egg, so much that even her Chakra egg could barely absorb it all.

She quickly calmed herself and began controlling the Chakra with all her strength. Fortunately, the suction of the Chakra egg within her body was strong enough to keep the Nine-Tails' Chakra from escaping.

Otherwise, the people outside would definitely notice.

"Use Chakra to seal the meridians throughout the entire body."

"The second realm of Basic Inner Cultivation, the 'Body Opening Stage,' achieved!"