In the inner courtyard.
Uchiha Gin stood facing Sarutobi Hiruzen, while Senju Hashirama led the remaining kids to the side to watch. They all wanted to see if this newly appointed "Gin Sansan" actually had any real skills.
"Shua shua shua~"
"It's exactly ten thousand ryō, but you only have nine thousand five hundred and twenty-seven."
With a merchant's smile, Gin counted the crumpled bills again.
Across from him, Hiruzen wore an expression of deep pain. This was his hard-earned New Year's money.
"Clearly priced — just ten thousand ryō and you can surpass your father to become the number one Sarutobi!"
Without a shred of guilt, Gin stuffed the child's sweat-and-blood money into his pocket, then held out his hand for the remaining four hundred seventy-three ryō.
"Danzō, lend me five hundred."
After turning out all his pockets and finding not a single coin, Hiruzen had no choice but to call for help from the sidelines.
"No change."
It wasn't that Danzō was stingy. A certain Shimura elder had gone mad with gambling, and in a fit of insanity even seized his innocent son's New Year's savings, slashing his pocket money to just five hundred ryō.
"You know my family's situation, Hiruzen. My savings were confiscated long ago, and my allowance stopped too."
Watching his friend's plight, little Danzō's lips curved in a subtle smirk.
In truth, he had the money — five hundred ryō tucked into the grand canyon of his backside, reserved for candy. No way was he lending it to the monkey.
"Don't look at me, I spent my money on snacks along the way~"
Akimichi Torifu shook his head like a rattle drum, the bulging bag of snacks in his arms speaking for itself.
"Sorry, Hiruzen, I didn't bring my wallet today."
Mitokado Homura scratched his head apologetically. The honesty in his eyes behind his glasses made Hiruzen believe him.
"Don't look at me, how could you spend a girl's money?"
Koharu Utatane pouted, clutching the pouch at her waist.
"Here, take it, Hiruzen. Pay me back whenever."
After a sigh steeped in good morals, Uchiha Kagami pulled the smallest coin from his shiny gold wallet and handed it to the desperate Hiruzen.
"Ah? Thank you so much, Kagami — from today on, you're my godfather!"
Clutching the heavy five-hundred-ryō coin as if it were a priceless treasure, Hiruzen was moved to tears. Truly, you see who your real friends are in hard times — and Danzō's lot were clearly just fair-weather companions.
"All right~ seeing how sincere you are, I'll round it down for you. No need for change."
Taking the coin, Gin generously "waived" the twenty-seven ryō difference.
"…"
Give me back my twenty-seven ryō! That's a steamed bun, damn it!
"Don't get worked up. My course will be worth every cent."
Gin ruffled Hiruzen's hair, then pushed his glasses up seriously.
"I see you have all five chakra natures, and you handle all five elemental jutsu with ease."
"That's right."
Hiruzen, about to demand his twenty-seven ryō, couldn't hide the trace of pride in his expression.
"But if you keep practicing the five elements in the usual way, you'll waste your talent."
Gin shook his head at the boy's puzzled look.
"But that's how Father taught me."
Raised under Sarutobi Sasuke's elite tutelage, Hiruzen's daily routine was all about the clan's treasured five-element techniques.
"Have you heard of Combination Ninjutsu?"
Gin pushed his glasses with a meaningful glint in his eyes.
Yes, he was going to use Hiruzen's future signature to justify this tuition. After all, he was the most "caring" Uchiha — he wouldn't just take a kid's money without giving something back.
"Combination Ninjutsu?"
This was Hiruzen's first time hearing the term.
"It's also called Compound Ninjutsu. With your aptitude for the five elements, you're perfect for it. If you master it, your future will be limitless."
With an unreadable gleam in his eyes, Gin clapped his hands and walked to the open space in the courtyard.
"No more talk — I'll just show you."
"Hah! Gin-aniki is going to demonstrate himself?"
Hashirama's voice carried clear surprise.
"Kagami, does your uncle… not usually fight?"
The kids, who'd thought little of it before, perked up at the Hokage's tone and asked the only other Uchiha present.
"Mm… come to think of it, I've never seen Uncle fight, not even spar."
Rubbing his chin, Kagami shook his head, eyes full of curiosity as Gin warmed up.
"All right, Hiruzen, watch closely. I'll only show this once — if you want to see it again, that'll cost extra."
Flexing his fingers, Gin warned the boy.
"…?"
One scam isn't enough? You want to milk him long-term? Are you even human?
"Let's see… first, Doton: Doryūdan (Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet)."
Forming the tiger seal, Gin called out the technique.
The kids held their breath, eager to see his strength.
The ground beside him swelled, a huge dragon head of packed earth rising larger than a man. With a roar, it spat a volley of earth bullets the size of balls at the target dummy.
"Just Earth Dragon Bullet?"
Hiruzen frowned. If this was it, he was ready to demand a refund.
"Don't rush — it's not over yet."
Gin smiled at the boy's impatience, then inhaled deeply.
"Katon: Karyūdan (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet)!"
Heat washed over the space, making Hiruzen sweat as flames burst from Gin's mouth.
"Compound Technique: Earth Dragon Flame Flow!"
"BOOM!!!" The hapless target exploded instantly.
Since no one had developed this technique yet, Gin used it without a care. Watching the earth bullets ignite and blaze, he glanced at the stunned Hiruzen.
"Well?"
Looking at the crater, Gin nodded in satisfaction. Unlike a certain someone, one of his compound jutsu didn't just barely dent a roof.
"How did you do that?"
Hiruzen had seen both jutsu separately, but never together. The combined power was far more than the sum of its parts.
"Tch~ Gin-aniki really has some skill!"
Hashirama himself was impressed — as a five-element genius, he'd never considered combining jutsu like this. Most multi-attribute ninja tried to merge chakra natures into kekkei genkai for their descendants, not refine compound jutsu.
"Nothing special — just familiarity."
Gin pressed Hiruzen's dropped jaw closed with a grin, sharing his "secret."
"That simple?"
It really was that simple. Compound jutsu demanded mastery — only those with deep understanding of each technique could pull it off.
"Want to learn?"
Looking at the thoughtful boy, Gin smiled like a fox waiting for its prey.
"Yes yes yes!"
"Since you've paid, come to my house tomorrow for the materials. And don't bring gifts — especially not strawberry milk."
With a satisfied grin, Gin patted Hiruzen's head three times.
"Got it!"
"Akimichi Torifu, right? I don't have much to teach you."
Sending off the excited Hiruzen, Gin beckoned the shy, round boy next. Teaching a secret-technique ninja was tricky — give him the real stuff and the Akimichi would be at his door tomorrow.
"I figured…"
Torifu hung his head, disappointed. The compound jutsu was still vivid in his mind, but as a member of the Ino-Shika-Chō, his path was fixed to the clan's secret arts.
Gin Sansan never lets a student down!
"I can't teach you ninjutsu, but… try this~"
He rummaged in his bag and produced a cookie, handing it over.
"What's this?"
Though it looked ordinary, the sweet aroma was irresistible. Without hesitation, Torifu popped it in his mouth.
"Crunch crunch~ oishii!"
His eyes lit up — it was the best cookie he'd ever tasted.
"Got any more?"
He quickly finished it, reaching for another.
"You glutton, didn't you notice anything different?"
Gin batted away his greasy little hand. This was no ordinary cookie — it was a system item:
[Poro Cookie: Slightly boosts constitution; may cause side effect (max 10 per person).]
Side effect: +10% body size.
"Other than sweating a bit, not really."
Patting his now warm body, Torifu looked up in confusion — until his friends gasped.
"Torifu… you got bigger!"
The boy blinked, then looked at his slightly shorter sleeves.
"…Whoa!"
"Lucky you~"
Gin chuckled. This little fatty was blessed — Gin himself had eaten ten before triggering the side effect once, just enough to break his 20cm record.
"Gin-uncle — no, Gin Sansan! Here's all my money — give me another!"
After confirming there were no downsides, Torifu realized the change was permanent. For an Akimichi, whose Baika no Jutsu scaled with body size, this was priceless.
"Good eye."
Gin happily accepted the thick wad of bills — several tens of thousands of ryō, a fortune for a child.
"This cookie was made by a reclusive baking master I met in the Land of Honey. They say it has the magical effect of making you bigger and stronger."
Another clean deflection.
"Sadly, after making this batch, he went to bake desserts for the Sage of Six Paths."
"Please, Sansan, grant me one!"
Bowing deeply, Torifu begged.
"Since we're teacher and student, come to my house tomorrow. There's one last piece — I'll gift it to you."
"Thank you, Sansan!"
"Oh, and don't bring gifts — I don't like strawberry milk~"
When Torifu left, the only bespectacled kid left — Mitokado Homura — was pushed forward.
"Mitokado Homura, is it? You've got some talent — strong affinity for space-time."
Adjusting his glasses as he read the file, Gin was surprised.
"Gin Sansan, here's my tuition."
The boy, who'd just claimed he had no wallet, now produced a bulging pouch of money without hesitation.
"Homura! You—"
Hiruzen was struck speechless.
"Your clan has any related secret techniques?"
Laughing as he took the money, Gin asked.
"No, Gin Sansan. My family has none."
So a genetic fluke… kid, better ask your mom if she met any blondes or white-haired types.
"Here — try summoning this."
Gin pulled a storage scroll from his bag, added a little "extra," and handed it over.
"Yes!"
Trembling slightly, Homura took the scroll, steadied his breath, and focused with determination. His tiny clan had long been under the Sarutobi wing, and it had been years since they'd produced a talent. He would seize this chance to rise and lead them to glory.
"Release!"
Placing his hand on the intricate seals, he connected to the storage space. Finding the resonance point, he tightened his gaze and called out.
Poof!
A burst of white smoke appeared. Gin's eyes showed approval — he'd locked the scroll, but this kid broke it quickly. Not bad.
"Gin Sansan, I did it!"
Before the smoke cleared, Homura's delighted voice rang out. In the haze, a child waved a large, rod-shaped item in triumph. Gin chuckled.
"Since you succeeded, the scroll is yours~"
It was full of junk ninja tools he'd looted from enemies — perfect for placating kids.
"Huh? Gin Sansan, this ninja tool is weird… why does it vibrate?"
(End of Chapter)
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