c69: The Art of Spiritualization
Although he drank very late last night and ended up quite drunk, Uchiha Gen still woke up on time thanks to the sharp rhythm of his biological clock.
There were no headaches or other lingering effects. Firstly, his young body was in peak condition due to continuous chakra training. Secondly, the sake Orochimaru provided wasn't the cheap, harsh kind but a refined blend—possibly from the same stash Sarutobi Hiruzen occasionally sipped from during war conferences.
After waking, he prepared a simple breakfast of grilled fish, rice, and miso soup, which he shared with Orochimaru and Anko. Once done, Gen took out a bundle of ryo, jotted down a detailed list of chakra-sensitive research equipment, and handed it to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru glanced over the list, his golden eyes narrowing slightly, and estimated the cost at about ninety million ryo—equivalent to forty-five million yen. Gen was surprised but not alarmed; the figures aligned with his expectations.
According to Orochimaru, had Gen attempted to acquire the equipment himself through standard Konoha channels, he would have paid at least one hundred and twenty million ryo due to middlemen and red tape. Having Orochimaru as a partner shaved off a substantial margin.
With the transaction settled, Gen didn't linger. He quietly excused himself and made his way back to the Uchiha district.
On the way, members of the Uchiha clan who were more familiar with him offered words of encouragement or casual conversation. The aftermath of the Third Shinobi War had left many on edge, and Gen's efforts during the conflict had earned him subtle but growing respect. Not one to brush aside sincerity, he paused to respond before continuing home.
Barely had he sat down on his engawa when a clan messenger arrived with a summons from Uchiha Fugaku. Gen followed the messenger and found Shisui and Itachi already present in the council room.
Bracing himself, Gen prepared for another round of exhausting discussions. Ever since the conflict ended, he had been grilled endlessly by elders, ANBU, and clan heads. He had repeated the same narratives at least a dozen times. Dealing with Shisui's idealism and Itachi's precocious insight didn't make things easier.
Three days later, the highly anticipated jōnin vote of confidence was held. Almost all of Konoha's elite jōnin gathered in the large council hall at the Hokage Tower. Uchiha Gen, officially a jōnin since the war's final phase, also attended.
It's worth noting that Orochimaru, despite being one of the Sannin and a major war hero, was conspicuously absent.
Upon arriving, Gen noticed many jōnin glancing at him—some subtly, others more openly. The expressions varied: sympathy, curiosity, even schadenfreude. Some still whispered about his closeness to Orochimaru, whose fall from Hokage candidacy had become public.
Unfazed, Gen walked calmly to his seat, ignoring the stares.
During this lull, Yuhi Mabei, the father of Yuhi Kurenai, approached Gen with a brief but sincere thanks. He appreciated Gen's care for Kurenai during the war, especially during the Tanigakure border defense mission, where Kurenai's genjutsu had played a key role under Gen's leadership.
Gen, ever tactful, praised Kurenai's genjutsu acuity and potential, causing Mabei to smile and Kurenai, seated nearby, to blush faintly in embarrassment.
Soon after, the atmosphere changed as Namikaze Minato arrived, flanked by Sarutobi Hiruzen, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane. The vote of confidence officially commenced.
The process was straightforward: first, a review of Minato's credentials—his achievements in the Second and Third Wars, his Flying Thunder God mastery, his tutelage of Kakashi Hatake, and his diplomatic success. Curiously, this portion was handled not by an advisor but by Hiruzen himself.
Then came Minato's own speech. Calm, concise, and charismatic, he expressed his desire to bring stability and innovation to Konoha, emphasizing protecting the Will of Fire.
To reinforce that message, Hiruzen personally stood once more to vouch for Minato's integrity and ability, lending his authority to the younger shinobi. It was clear the outcome was all but guaranteed.
The secret ballot was conducted, and in the end, nearly two-thirds of the jōnin voted in favor of Minato. While not unanimous, it was enough for the position to be formalized.
Gen Uchiha cast a dissenting vote—not out of disdain for Minato, whom he admired—but as a subtle show of loyalty to Orochimaru, whose disappointment still hung in the air, even though the man himself had never asked for anything.
With the vote confirmed, Sarutobi Hiruzen wasted no time. The Fire Daimyō's envoy was already in Konoha, and the next day was deemed auspicious. Rather than delay and risk complications, the succession ceremony was scheduled for the following morning.
Unlike the grand coronations of feudal lords, the Hokage inauguration was simple and focused. Under normal circumstances, representatives from Iwa, Suna, Kumo, and Kiri might have been invited, but tensions from the just-ended war made such diplomacy unwise.
The morning dawned clear and crisp, sunlight painting the village in warm hues despite the autumn chill. The square in front of the Hokage Tower was packed—jōnin, chūnin, genin, civilians, merchants, and clan representatives all present. Uchiha Police Force personnel were stationed along the edges, keeping the crowd orderly, while ANBU silently stood sentinel atop rooftops.
On the Hokage Tower's roof stood Sarutobi Hiruzen, Namikaze Minato, the two senior advisors, departmental heads from administration, education, and medical, the ANBU commander, Uchiha Mikoto from the Police Department, and notably, Uzumaki Kushina, the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki and Minato's wife.
Absent were Orochimaru and Shimura Danzō. Both had declined to attend, citing "pressing duties," but the truth was evident—they no longer held favor in the current political tide.
With a short address, Sarutobi Hiruzen officially passed the title to Minato. He removed the Hokage hat from his head and placed it into Minato's hands.
Clad in his iconic white cloak trimmed with orange flames, a dark green flak jacket underneath, Minato accepted the hat with a bow and declared, "I am prepared to give my life for the village." He then stepped forward and raised a hand, his bright smile illuminating the rooftop.
A wave of cheers swept across the square. For a moment, the worries of the past war were forgotten. People pinned their hopes on this young, brilliant Fourth Hokage—praying for peace and renewal.
Had fate not intervened, Minato might have fulfilled that hope. But in just over a year, the night of the Nine-Tails attack would come, shattering the dream and leaving behind scars that would linger for generations.
Gen Uchiha did not attend the ceremony. Instead, he remained at Orochimaru's lab, assisting in experimental research.
While part of him longed to witness history firsthand, he also understood the awkwardness of his presence. Orochimaru's recent defeat in the Hokage candidacy and Gen's ambiguous position between clan, village, and mentor made attending risky.
Using a Transformation Technique was out of the question. While it might fool civilians, Konoha was home to numerous sensory-type shinobi. Yamanaka, Hyūga, and Uzumaki sensory techniques would easily see through it.
Thus, Gen threw himself into research with Orochimaru until sunset. As he prepared to leave, Orochimaru, unusually casual, handed him two sealed scrolls.
After returning home and finishing dinner, Gen unrolled the scrolls. One contained a complex advanced snake summoning ninjutsu—likely a variation from Ryūchi Cave.
But the other—ah, the other—was the legendary Kishō Tensei no Jutsu, better known as the Art of Spiritualization.
Overjoyed, Gen put aside the snake technique and delved directly into the spiritual transformation scroll.
The snake technique was valuable, certainly, but merely expanded his repertoire. The Spiritualization Technique, however, promised fundamental transformation.
A forbidden S-rank jutsu long classified under Konoha's black ops research, the Art of Spiritualization allows the user's spirit to separate from their body, becoming an astral form capable of crossing great distances and entering another's mind.
Not only can it possess and kill an enemy from within, but it can infiltrate mental landscapes, gather intelligence, or disrupt enemy chakra flow—Yamanaka techniques pale in comparison in terms of power and danger.
The spirit body retains full consciousness and can, in theory, travel without limit. But the soul is tied to the body—too far, or too long, and irreversible brain death might occur.
The stronger the soul, the greater the distance and duration it can endure.
Gen's mastery of chakra control and mental fortitude made him uniquely suited to this technique. He saw countless potential uses: surveillance, infiltration, chakra support, or even transferring information without speech.
Because chakra is a fusion of physical and spiritual energy, the soul can attach to chakra—but not as stably as the body. This makes the technique powerful but risky.
Its fatal flaw? When the soul departs, the body becomes inert—fragile and helpless. Even a child could end a jōnin in that state.
Therefore, any use of the technique demands either extreme secrecy or an ally who can be trusted absolutely to guard the body.
Gen stared at the scroll's final line—a warning written by a long-dead researcher.
"To wield the soul is to gamble with death. Master it, or be mastered."
He smiled slightly. He was ready to take the risk.
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