Hokage's Office
Jiraiya sat there, arms folded, chewing on the same thought over and over."Sensei," he finally said, "Uchiha Jinzō's got serious talent with ninjutsu."
It wasn't a secret Jinzō cared to hide. And Jiraiya—though annoyed at some of Hiruzen's current schemes—wasn't the type to sit on something like this. Talent was talent, and it changed everything.
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. "So he's been hiding his skill the entire time he was in the Academy?"
That was dangerous. A boy who learned to hide from the village that early—and an Uchiha, no less—was a threat that couldn't be left unchecked.
But Jiraiya shook his head. "No."
Hiruzen frowned. "What do you mean, no? You just said—"
"I mean, yes, he's a genius. The kind you only see once in a generation. Honestly, he's right up there with the Second Hokage."
That got Hiruzen to sit up.
Jiraiya pulled out a worn pamphlet. He'd skimmed it while washing dishes at a barbecue joint, expecting doodles at best—only to be floored. Was this really something a student had written? Even Orochimaru would raise a brow. This wasn't just good; it was Tobirama-level innovation.
"Sealing technique?" Hiruzen muttered, flipping through. His interest sharpened. Creating ordinary ninjutsu was hard enough, but sealing techniques? That was another level entirely.
Then his face soured. Page after page looked like crude patchwork—bits of known seals stitched together in bloated, hundred-step rituals that ended in a glorified "no jutsu for you" effect. "Sloppy. Inefficient. Useless," he declared.
Jiraiya only scratched his head. He'd thought the same—at first. "Sensei… flip ahead."
With a doubtful grunt, Hiruzen turned further. The structure shifted. The seals weren't just for blocking jutsu—they were for cycling chakra inside the body, building strength and durability through reinforced flow. The crude surface masked something deeper.
"What a fascinating concept," Hiruzen admitted despite himself. Rough, yes. But unprecedented.
He understood now why Jinzō couldn't use normal ninjutsu—using the first layer on yourself meant you sealed away your own chakra output. Risky, yet brilliant. A boy like this couldn't simply be erased. But letting him grow unchecked? Dangerous.
"Jiraiya." Hiruzen's voice was low, heavy. "If I asked you to remove Uchiha Jinzō from Team 7… would you?"
The air went still. Jiraiya's casual grin froze, then cracked into a hard glare. His hands pressed into the pillar beside him."Old man… Jinzō is my student."
That was his answer. No hesitation.
Hiruzen sighed, rubbing his temples. Troubling. He'd hoped to hand Jiraiya a talentless Uchiha as a bridge between clan and village—not a prodigy. Still, Jinzō wasn't well-liked among his clan. That made him… recruitable.
"As for this technique," Hiruzen said at last, "release the first two layers as public rewards. Lock the last one in the Sealed Book. And tell Jinzō—this does not leave Konoha."
Jiraiya bowed his head slightly. "Yes."
Ninjutsu Exchange Hall
The great scroll unfurled, listing techniques available for merit exchange. Among them, one stood out:
Basic Internal Arts (Sealing Technique): Strengthens the body by circulating chakra. Risk: temporary inability to use ninjutsu.
Kato Dan blinked. "Tsunade! Hey, come here."
The blonde sannin trudged over, still sour from earlier. "What is it now?"
Dan jabbed at the scroll. "Tell me this doesn't look like your Yin Seal."
Tsunade's frown deepened. She skimmed the inscription, brow furrowing further. "…Similar on the surface. But the principle's different. Mine's storage. This one's sealing."
She leaned closer, grudging admiration flickering in her eyes. "Combining human physiology with sealing arrays… whoever made this is a genius. And it's not even overly complex."
Her gaze dropped to the signature. Uchiha Jinzō.
Her lips twisted. "Figures."
Not far away, a pale-haired man was reading the same scroll. Beiliuhu's fingers twitched around the parchment, veins standing out.
"This… this could make me stronger," he whispered. His eyes darted toward Tsunade, then burned with jealousy. "Ignored again. Just like always."
Border of Fire and Wind Country
Hatake Soshige traced red marks on a map—enemy sightings. Suna was probing for hidden routes toward Konoha. If successful, they could decapitate the Leaf from behind. But Soshige's watchful eye had already ruined their game.
White smoke puffed beside him. A courier appeared, hauling a scroll the size of his torso. "New ninjutsu updates, sir."
Soshige cracked it open, curiosity piqued. It had been years since anything worthwhile was added. His eyes landed on a name.
Basic Internal Arts — Uchiha Jinzō.
Uchiha Clan Compound
Elder Uchiha Hoko stood on the rooftop, watching the village skyline. "Madara was right," he muttered bitterly. "The Second always treated us as enemies. And we were blind."
A puff of smoke. Fugaku landed beside him, scroll in hand. "Elder, look at this."
Hoko opened it—and froze when he saw the name.Uchiha Jinzō.
"…Impossible."
Underground Laboratory
The air was cold, damp. Orochimaru slithered in, finding Jinzō and a cluster of shadow clones bent over Hashirama's cells.
"My, my," Orochimaru purred. "You've become quite famous, Jinzō-kun."
Jinzō blinked up from his notes. "Have I?" Between D-rank missions by day and late-night experiments here, he hadn't noticed.
"Your technique's spreading through the village. The third stage's even been sealed away."
Jinzō only nodded. "Not surprising. You said it yourself, didn't you? My ninjutsu represents change. Shock was inevitable. But you'll protect me, won't you, Orochimaru-sensei?"
That sly smile spread across Orochimaru's face. "Of course."
"Good." Jinzō turned back to his work, golden finger prompt flickering in his mind as theory and practice wove together.
[Deduction successful.][Eight deductions complete. Novice period expired.][Check details immediately.]
Jinzō: "…???"