Hokage's Probe, Joining Konohagakure

At the top floor of the tallest building in the Hidden Leaf Ninja Village was the Hokage's office.

Led by a middle-aged ninja, Long Ye arrived outside the door.

The ninja was just about to knock when a voice came from inside:

"Bring him in."

The door opened under the force of a gentle, invisible power.

Long Ye looked inside and immediately saw an old man wearing a white Hokage cloak and a red hat. The old man had a full head of white hair and a somewhat slender build.

Although Long Ye had only seen his back, there was no one else it could be besides Hiruzen Sarutobi.

There was another person standing inside as well, someone far more familiar to him. It was Minato Namikaze, who had once saved him and brought him to Konoha.

At that moment, Minato Namikaze was looking at him with a gentle smile.

Long Ye was not intimidated in the slightest. He strode inside.

"Long Ye pays his respects to the Hokage!"

He performed the standard ritual of the Shinobi World, then saluted Minato Namikaze as well to show his respect.

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned around with a pipe in his hand and an amiable smile on his face. Without revealing anything, he looked Long Ye over.

Likewise, Long Ye sized up this legendary figure.

"Minato told me that you possess an extremely rare Kekkei Genkai. I was curious, so I ordered someone to bring you here and wanted to see it for myself."

Long Ye said nothing more. He knew the other party wanted to see his value. He extended his right hand, palm facing down, and a vortex of white light emerged from his palm before he suddenly pressed down.

The room stirred without any wind. Accompanied by a vortex of air that spread in every direction, a hemispherical barrier of light formed and enveloped the entire room.

"This is... a barrier!"

With the pipe already at his lips, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly froze when he saw this. A trace of doubt appeared in his expression.

Minato Namikaze nodded. "It does look like a barrier, but... strange! This kind of power usually requires several people to cast together. This is the first time I've heard of anyone releasing it with a mere wave of the hand."

Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, "There's a strange power within this barrier. I'm not even certain whether it comes from chakra, but I can feel that anyone inside will be suppressed to a certain degree."

Minato Namikaze nodded in emphatic agreement.

Long Ye said at the appropriate moment, "I call this the Surgical Barrier. Anyone I cut apart within it will not die or bleed, regardless of how many pieces they are divided into. They will not even feel pain."

"It truly is an inconceivable power."

Hiruzen Sarutobi had clearly heard about it already. He nodded, then looked toward the ninja who had brought Long Ye here.

That ninja was one of the Hokage's guards. He understood the meaning in a single glance and stepped inside.

"Kid, use me to demonstrate your Kekkei Genkai for the Hokage. Let him see whether it's really as inconceivable as you claim."

As he spoke, he tossed the samurai sword in his hand toward Long Ye.

Long Ye raised his hand and caught the hilt, drawing the blade in one smooth motion.

Slash!

With ease, he cut off the ninja's head. It rolled to the ground.

The brutal sight made both the Hokage and Minato's eyelids twitch.

The head on the ground began to speak.

"Hokage-sama, just as he said, I'm experiencing only slight pain. But to a ninja, this level of pain is practically negligible."

Hiruzen Sarutobi walked over and examined his severed neck. The cut was smooth as a mirror, without a single trace of blood escaping.

"My, my! Truly inconceivable. Who would have thought such a Kekkei Genkai existed in this world? This is absolutely an extraordinary discovery for the Shinobi World. However..."

Confusion appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face.

Minato Namikaze understood his doubt and continued for him:

"However, this ability feels like the embryonic form of some greater power. You said that within the barrier, you can freely piece the human body together like building blocks. If they were parts of another person's body, could you piece them together as well?"

At once, Long Ye understood the implication behind Minato Namikaze's question.

If he could do that, it would undoubtedly mean admitting that he possessed the ability to transplant other people's Kekkei Genkai. If word got out, it would be utterly astonishing.

Long Ye naturally knew that it was far too early to reveal everything.

If he told them, it would bring him disaster rather than fortune. He might even be confined and turned into a tool for certain people to realize their ambitions.

Long Ye said candidly, "I don't possess that ability at present. As for whether I'll have it in the future, I don't know. After all, no one can predict the future."

He was not lying entirely. His current self truly did not possess that ability. At the very least, he would have to advance to become a One-Star Devil before he could modify the human body.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze nodded at the same time, making it impossible for Long Ye to discern what they were thinking.

Hiruzen laughed heartily. "Long Ye, Konohagakure welcomes capable people. You're an extraordinary person with limitless potential. Would you be willing to join Konoha?"

Long Ye answered without hesitation, "Hokage-sama, I should have died already. It was Minato-sama who saved me. The village has given me a new life, so I'm willing to join Konoha and give it everything I have, including my life."

Long Ye was highly practiced at swearing allegiance. Moreover, such an oath was not judged by what one said, but by whether one hesitated.

Long Ye's oath, given without the slightest hesitation, greatly satisfied Hiruzen Sarutobi. He nodded repeatedly.

"Excellent! Starting today, you're a member of Konoha. Minato..."

Minato Namikaze took out two items from somewhere and walked over to Long Ye.

"These two items represent your identity as a ninja of Konoha. The first is a Konoha forehead protector, and the second is a Konoha ninja flak jacket. The moment you accept them, you'll truly become a member of Konohagakure."

Long Ye had already decided to join, so he did not hesitate. He respectfully accepted them with both hands.

Hiruzen Sarutobi walked to the window, smoked his pipe, and blew out a ring of smoke as he looked down at Long Ye's departing figure outside. His expression was somewhat solemn.

He remained silent in thought. Minato stood behind him and did not dare say anything, quietly waiting.

"Minato, where did you encounter him back then? I've lived this long, but this is still the first time I've heard of a Kekkei Genkai like his." Hiruzen Sarutobi asked calmly.

"Hokage-sama, at the time, I saw him not far from a village that had been destroyed. The village was very small, with only a dozen or so households. From what I could tell then, it had probably been destroyed by a band of robbers."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly.

"His Kekkei Genkai gives me the feeling that it's far more than this. It may be a rare ability capable of continually evolving, just like the Sharingan."

He paused, then continued in a grave voice, "This Kekkei Genkai may very well be a rare transplantation ability. The most frightening possibility is that he may one day gain the ability to transplant other people's Kekkei Genkai!"

Minato Namikaze's expression changed dramatically. "Perfectly transplanting a Kekkei Genkai? If that's true, it could absolutely trigger a massive upheaval throughout the Shinobi World."

"Hm? That boy seems to have run into a little trouble."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked out the window as he spoke.

Minato Namikaze stepped forward and looked outside.

He saw that Long Ye had been blocked by a man.