Let the Tattoo Era Begin Early?

"So..."

Deep beneath Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Hyuga Makoto with the corner of his mouth twitching.

After a long while, he finally forced the words out.

"Have you really mastered the Yin Seal?"

But the moment he said it, even he could barely keep a straight face!

Because he had already asked that question...

After seeing Hyuga Makoto's transformation through the crystal ball, he had been completely stunned. But he had soon hurried over.

So far, only two people in all of Konoha had mastered the Yin Seal!

One was Mito Uzumaki, and the other was his disciple, Tsunade.

This technique placed nearly impossibly strict demands on chakra control, and it also required a solid foundation in Sealing Jutsu!

Moreover, even after successfully learning it, one needed a relatively long time to accumulate chakra.

Yet Hyuga Makoto had learned it in a single afternoon. He had even completed the chakra accumulation?!

How could that not leave him shocked and astonished? How could it not make him desperate to come over?

"Hokage-sama, didn't I just say that?"

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi like this, Hyuga Makoto found it somewhat amusing, but he could only explain himself again.

"I really have mastered the technique. It's just that my chakra doesn't seem to be all that plentiful, so I still need to accumulate more."

"..."

"..."

A single sentence from Hyuga Makoto left both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Kakashi speechless.

His chakra wasn't all that plentiful?

He had condensed the Yin Seal for the first time and could even use it normally, yet he claimed his chakra wasn't all that plentiful?!

Kakashi truly didn't want to say anything anymore. His "available" chakra was the least of them all...

Hiruzen Sarutobi, meanwhile, stroked his chin. He seemed to have thought of some of Hyuga Makoto's reports.

This fellow had even dared to break apart the fixed patterns of the Gentle Fist and use them separately. That also proved how powerful his chakra control was!

Still, there was one more thing he wanted to ask.

"Makoto, have you studied Sealing Jutsu before?"

"Well..."

Hearing the question, Hyuga Makoto immediately put on a troubled expression.

But under Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze, he still let out a "melancholy sigh."

"That's right. I secretly studied it before. After all, I'm from the Branch Family..."

"I understand."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and interrupted him before he could finish.

He naturally understood why someone from the Hyuga Branch Family would study Sealing Jutsu.

But this only made him even more amazed. Hyuga Makoto had studied Sealing Jutsu on his own, yet he had actually reached the level required for the Yin Seal?

Even someone hailed as the "Professor of Ninjutsu" couldn't help sighing over such talent!

"Work hard, Makoto."

With that thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi reached out and gently patted Hyuga Makoto on the shoulder.

He hesitated for a moment before finally adding in a low voice,

"The Yin Seal still has a great deal of room for development."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

Hyuga Makoto smiled, then slowly dispelled the Curse Mark of the Yin Seal.

"I'll do my best."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded without saying anything else. Being able to offer this reminder was already enough.

He knew about it because Tsunade had said something similar before leaving. He didn't know the specifics either.

However, he was willing to provide Hyuga Makoto with some resources and see how far he could go!

After all, he couldn't bear to see such talent go to waste.

And if Hyuga Makoto really managed to reach that stage, it wouldn't be a bad thing for Konoha either...

After chatting for a while, Hiruzen Sarutobi reminded them once more about their mission. Then they said their farewells and parted ways.

Hyuga Makoto walked very slowly. Especially after the two figures behind him disappeared, a smile finally spread across his face!

This time, I really made a fortune...

Even if there truly weren't many forbidden techniques left in the secret vault, the secret techniques of those clans were all basic.

But my bloodline is genuinely cheating!

He had really learned those secret techniques at a single glance. It wasn't an illusion created by his brain; his body had truly responded to them.

As someone who was inherently a "yin-yang person," learning techniques that relied on the power of Yin Release and Yang Release was ridiculously easy for him.

Just like with his Medical Ninjutsu, he had a high-level understanding of these techniques.

Their operating logic, their methods of use, and their most fundamental principles—he could understand all of them instantly!

Sometimes, his mind hadn't even understood them yet, while his body had already begun copying them by imitation...

"Five Layered Rashomon, Adamantine Sealing Chains, Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, and so on. Those were all my gains!"

Recalling what he had gained this time, Hyuga Makoto truly felt as though he had gone to the secret vault to stock up on goods...

He might not have any use for all of these techniques, but the most important thing was using their principles to create techniques of his own!

The only real regret was that Tobirama Senju had left behind too few techniques. At least, he hadn't found the Flying Thunder God Technique.

"Oh, and the Expansion Jutsu..."

Hyuga Makoto pursed his lips. Kakashi was still nearby, after all, so he couldn't go too far.

"But the greatest gain this time was actually the Yin Seal!"

He lowered his head and looked at the diamond-shaped mark on his hand. A smile involuntarily curled up at the corner of his mouth.

He hadn't placed the mark on his forehead. Instead, he had inscribed it on his palm.

"And the Third Hokage really did remind me..."

The Yin Seal stored chakra and could greatly increase one's combat power when released. At the same time, the technique truly possessed excellent potential for further development.

Tsunade had used the Yin Seal to develop the Regeneration Technique and the Hundred Healings Technique herself!

So if Hyuga Makoto developed it a little, allowing more members of the Branch Family to "escape the control of the Caged Bird," wouldn't that be perfectly reasonable?

"I wonder if the Caged Bird is a technique from the moon. I can erase it, but I can't decipher it..."

But being unable to decipher it didn't mean there were no other ways to affect it and render it ineffective!

"In some ways, the Yin Seal is somewhat similar to Orochimaru's Curse Mark."

The difference was that the Yin Seal stored one's own power. It couldn't be transplanted, but its explosive effect was extremely stable.

The Curse Mark, on the other hand, stored power from an outside source and could be attached to someone else.

However, the difference in power, along with Orochimaru's "little tricks," made its performance extremely unstable.

"But I have mastered both of these things, so..."

Hyuga Makoto could completely combine the two and create different versions!

The version he used himself could contain his chakra, the Lunar Tenseigan's chakra, and natural chakra.

On the surface, this could greatly increase his strength while allowing him to escape the Caged Bird, all with a perfectly valid explanation!

"The Hyuga version can combine my chakra with a trace of lunar chakra, then use Sealing Jutsu as a pretext to affect the Caged Bird..."

The Yin Seal was essentially a Curse Mark. With a little "development" of his own, he was confident he could definitely accomplish this!

"Then the main storyline progress provided to me by the entire Hyuga Clan will increase dramatically once again..."

Besides that, he also planned to create a version that contained only natural energy.

That version was meant for bodies with other attributes. In the end, he needed to condense a Kekkei Genkai, so he couldn't lack a life-saving measure.

"I never expected a single Yin Seal to help me this much!"

The more Hyuga Makoto thought about it, the happier he became. But as he continued smiling, his face suddenly stiffened.

Because he suddenly realized something.

Damn it, am I about to bring forward the start of the "Tattoo Era"...