Promotion

The next morning.

Facing the rising sun, Uchiha Yuzhen and Namikaze Minato met at the appointed location.

Together, they arrived at the Hokage Building.

Guided by Namikaze Minato, who was well-acquainted with the path.

Uchiha Yuzhen entered the Hokage's office.

"So you are Uchiha Yuzhen? Not bad, a handsome lad," Sarutobi Hiruzen said to Yuzhen with a warm expression.

Hearing this, Uchiha Yuzhen did not act conceited and bowed slightly: "Thank you for the compliment, Lord Hokage."

He actually had a good impression of this Sarutobi Hiruzen.

After all, when a group leader greets you so gently.

It would be strange not to have a good impression.

"No need for such formalities. The reason I called you here today," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, deciding it was time to talk business as he set down his pipe, "is mainly to bestow a reward upon you."

As he spoke, he picked up a letter of appointment from his desk.

"In light of your outstanding performance during this mission, you are hereby specially promoted to the rank of Special Jonin."

"Furthermore, you are permitted to learn one forbidden jutsu from the Forbidden Jutsu Library."

This reward was something he had discussed with Minato.

Special Jonin was a very subtle rank.

It sat above Chunin and below Jonin.

It existed between the two.

It was a title designated for those who had reached or surpassed the level of a Jonin in a specific field.

One could enjoy most of the benefits of a Jonin.

The only exception was the lack of recommendation rights held by a full Jonin.

That was correct; in Konoha, Jonin possessed the right to recommend and advise.

After all, nominally speaking.

The Jonin of every ninja village were considered high-level officials.

Yet for Uchiha Yuzhen at this moment.

This promotion was a massive leap!

He had jumped from Genin straight to Special Jonin.

To be honest, it was quite exaggerated.

One had to remember that in the original story, Nara Shikamaru had gone through the Chunin Exams rescue mission and the operation to retrieve Sasuke.

Even though he had been promoted to Chunin through the exams.

He did not become a Special Jonin, let alone a Jonin, despite those achievements.

Furthermore, being able to learn a forbidden jutsu from the Forbidden Jutsu Library.

That was truly excellent news.

There were two main ways to learn forbidden jutsu in Konoha.

One was the Scroll of Sealing, but how should one put it.

Its symbolic significance was greater than its practical value.

Why?

It was simple; the forbidden jutsu in the Scroll of Sealing were all present in the Forbidden Jutsu Library.

At this moment, Uchiha Yuzhen's mind.

Turned to Orochimaru.

He thought of that scene in the anime.

Where this true genius stole forbidden jutsu from the Forbidden Jutsu Library.

By now, Yuzhen had already decided which forbidden jutsu he wanted to learn.

Cutting off his train of thought.

He suppressed the excitement in his heart and spoke to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Solemnly, he said:

"I am deeply grateful for the village's trust. From now on, I will serve Konoha with my heart and soul, until my dying breath!"

Inside the Forbidden Jutsu Library.

Uchiha Yuzhen sat cross-legged on the floor.

He slowly unfurled a scroll.

As the scroll opened, the image of an eight-headed giant serpent began to appear.

"Eight Branches Technique... how impressive!"

This was no empty praise.

The Eight Branches Technique—a jutsu whose creator remained unknown.

It could be said to touch upon the core secrets of the Otsutsuki!

The essence of this technique was that, once mastered, you could transform your own thoughts and soul

into a stream of chakra imbued with your obsession.

In terms of combat, that was actually the less important aspect.

As long as this technique was combined with a jutsu capable of transferring one's body, does it sound familiar?

Orochimaru's Cursed Seal of Immortality, the Otsutsuki's Karma for reincarnation.

In principle, weren't they all based on this same logic?

This was exactly what Uchiha Yuzhen valued.

Once the Eight Branches Technique was mastered, he would absolutely be able to digitize his own existence!

Only in this way could he delve deep into the core of chakra.

This energy system was not some metaphysical nonsense like spiritual power, mana, or true qi.

If you enjoy this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.

Chakra—

It was the tangible manifestation of the Otsutsuki clan's technological prowess!

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations had made this point clear.

That group of cloned deities possessed such immense power.

As for talk of "state of mind" or "realms of cultivation," Yuzhen felt it was all nonsense.

He only saw that when the technology was in place and the chakra energy was sufficient, strength naturally followed.

"The trouble is, even Orochimaru lamented that it takes a month to learn this technique."

"I wonder how long it will take me? It seems I'll have to rely on the system."

With that thought, he put the scroll away.

He paced out of the Forbidden Jutsu Library and returned to the Hokage Office.

"Are you sure you want to choose this technique?" Sarutobi Hiruzen held the scroll of the Eight Branches Technique in his hand, feeling somewhat bewildered.

As the Professor of Ninjutsu, he was familiar with the Eight Branches Technique.

This technique...

How should he put it?

In terms of combat, it was said to be able to contend with a Tailed Beast.

But he had long since discovered that once you actually activated it, it only made you incredibly clumsy.

You simply couldn't keep up with the agility of a Tailed Beast.

As for the ability to strengthen one's obsession, he didn't think an Uchiha with the Sharingan needed such a thing.

Facing Sarutobi Hiruzen's inquiry, Uchiha Yuzhen nodded very seriously in response:

"That's right! Lord Hokage, I want to learn this technique."

To be honest, he would have preferred to go straight for Impure World Reincarnation.

But he knew that was impossible.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was, after all, still a man of reason.

He hadn't even taught such an immoral technique

to Orochimaru, his most beloved disciple.

It was something Orochimaru had learned by stealing the technique himself.

For him to suggest it himself was even more impossible.

"Very well, take this scroll back with you then. Remember to return it once you've learned it." Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head, sighed helplessly, and tossed the scroll to Yuzhen.

Yuzhen caught the scroll and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Lord Hokage!"

The benefits of being part of the Hokage's lineage were becoming apparent.

For an ordinary person, if you wanted to learn this technique, you would have to memorize the scroll yourself.

After that, you would just have to go back and practice it slowly on your own.

But as a descendant in the line of Sarutobi Hiruzen's students, he could simply take it home to study.

Namikaze Minato, who had been silent for a long time, patted Uchiha Yuzhen on the head.

"Alright, now that you've been promoted and obtained the technique you wanted, hurry back and start learning."

"I still have some matters to discuss with Lord Hokage."

That was a lie.

The reason he had remained silent for so long was that he wanted to observe his student, Uchiha Yuzhen, closely from the sidelines.

He wanted to see how he would behave from start to finish when faced with the temptation of a forbidden technique.

Judging by the results, he was very satisfied.

Faced with a forbidden technique, his student was not overly greedy.

As for his studies, he only wanted to learn techniques that aligned with his own interests.

That was right; he had also glanced at the Eight Branches Technique earlier.

He could only say that it was a technique of personal interest.

He couldn't fathom why Yuzhen, who followed the same speed-based style as him, would want to learn such a massive and clumsy technique.

However, it didn't matter; he was very satisfied today.

Next, he and Lord Third would be discussing his "educational policy."

Naturally, it wouldn't be appropriate for Yuzhen to hear these things.

It was better to just find a random excuse to send him away.

Hearing this, Uchiha Yuzhen stepped out, overjoyed.

He walked toward the clan compound with a cheerful gait.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Fugaku had also received the relevant intelligence.

Since Namikaze Minato had not hidden Yuzhen's achievements, the village would certainly notify the Uchiha clan leader that one of his clansmen had been promoted to Special Jonin.

At this moment, upon hearing the report from his team members that Uchiha Yuzhen had returned to the clan compound, he hurriedly sent someone to summon Yuzhen for a meeting.

Regarding this, Uchiha Yuzhen remarked:

"Just when I was feeling sleepy, a pillow appeared. This is fantastic!"

He had been racking his brain over how to ask Fugaku for a loan to upgrade his equipment.

Looking at Fugaku's urgent demeanor now, it seemed his own expenses might be a little lower.

In this regard, Yuzhen felt that...

The move to become part of the Hokage's lineage had truly been the right one.