Now, three people sat upright, each sporting a fresh set of bruises.
The first two had been beaten by the third, and the third had been hit by the newest arrival.
"Why, though?" Gin asked in utter confusion as he stared at Sakumo. Why was he here, in Gin's home?
Sakumo sipped gently at his tea, tea that Gin had personally brewed.
"Of course, I came to visit. As your team captain, I need to know where my subordinates live," Sakumo said with all the confidence in the world.
But what kind of guest arrives by beating up the host?
And where was his gift?!
Gin glanced over at Minato and Kushina. They both averted their gazes.
They didn't bring any gifts either.
Fine, fine. So, this was how things were now.
Gin ground his teeth in frustration.
Had he known, he wouldn't have bothered preparing tea and snacks.
Sakumo set his cup down, looking surprised.
"This tea is quite good."
In fact, he'd never had tea with such a pleasant aroma before.
Gin just rolled his eyes.
Of course it was good. This wasn't the kind of tea found in the ninja world. He had cultivated it himself in the backyard for his personal enjoyment.
It was leagues beyond the typical tea from around here.
"Yeah, Gin's tea is really something," Minato chimed in, taking a sip himself.
Among the three of them, Minato was the only one casually chatting with Sakumo.
Meanwhile...
Gin watched with a dark expression as Kushina cackled in the corner.
"You finally got what's coming to you!" she howled, pointing at Gin. "Hahaha!"
Gin, who usually beat her so badly, was finally on the receiving end. Though she hadn't been the one to do it, she was still overjoyed.
"Hahaha!"
Whack!
Suddenly, the room fell silent.
Kushina clutched the bump on her head, glaring at Gin with teary eyes.
That damn Uchiha!
How could he still be this arrogant after everything?!
She sulkily scooted over to sit beside Minato.
Staying any closer to Gin was just asking for trouble.
"You guys sure get along well," Sakumo remarked, watching the trio's interactions with a smile.
"Well, teammates have to trust each other," Minato responded, though his smile was a bit forced. After all, who else had teammates that fought with weapons?
Apparently, his did.
Watching Minato engage in cheerful conversation with Sakumo surprised Kushina.
Gin, however, wasn't fazed. He knew that Minato was a ninja with incredible charisma. It wasn't obvious yet, but once Minato grew older, his charm would be in full force.
This was just small stuff.
As for jealousy?
Jealous of what? He couldn't beat Minato anyway, and Minato would have to deal with this fiery redhead forever.
Humph.
Sakumo, too, seemed much warmer toward Minato than he was with Gin, laughing and chatting with him.
Suddenly, a familiar voice called from outside.
"Anyone home?!"
"Might Duy?!"
"Wow, it's lively today."
Gin stood up to greet the guest, finding Might Duy at the door with a pale, sickly complexion.
"Duy-san, what happened to you?"
Just looking at Duy's unhealthy color made it obvious something was wrong.
"I was poisoned. I'm back in the village for some recovery time," Duy said, giving a thumbs-up with a bright, white grin.
"Youth has only taken a short break. Soon, I'll charge forward even faster!"
"And I thought I'd drop by for a visit."
"Oh, and Orochimaru asked me to say hello to you."
As he spoke, Duy handed over a fruit basket and a notebook.
"This is a notebook of Orochimaru-sama's notes. He thought it might help you. The fruit basket is from me."
Gin was lost in thought as he watched the pale, poisoned man grin and hand him a fruit basket.
Wasn't there something odd about having a sick person visit and bring gifts?
Though he couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong, Gin still invited Duy inside.
They quickly exchanged names, and the conversation began around the table.
"You're the Green Beast, Might Duy-sama?" Minato asked, his face filled with admiration.
"Young Minato knows of me? Thank you for recognizing my efforts!" Duy responded, beaming.
The two hadn't returned from the battlefield at the same time, so they had never met before.
"Even in the most dangerous situations, you always rush to save your comrades. It's truly admirable," Minato said, clearly impressed.
To the enemy, Duy was a formidable elite ninja. But to the shinobi of Konoha, he was a beacon of hope.
On any battlefield where Duy appeared, the casualty rate plummeted. Even the bodies of fallen comrades were brought back.
Among the frontline soldiers, his reputation was extraordinary.
Everyone wanted to be on a team with someone like him.
Sakumo, too, was surprised as he looked at Duy. Since Duy had joined after Sakumo left the front lines, it was his first time hearing about him.
Sakumo's gaze softened with respect.
Any ninja willing to risk their own life to save others was deserving of admiration.
"I just want to protect everyone," Duy said with a signature pose.
He really was an incredible man.
Sakumo's smile widened. A man with such unwavering willpower would surely shine brightly.
Even Kushina joined in the conversation.
Meanwhile, Gin sat quietly at the table, munching on fruit.
He didn't really fit in with them.
Once everyone left, Gin finally let out a sigh of relief.
"So, why did they come, anyway?"
In the end, he hadn't managed to get a word in edgewise, just listening to their talk about protecting the village and valuing life and comrades.
Gin felt increasingly out of place among them.
After calming his thoughts, Gin made his way to his study.
On the desk lay a newly written chakra technique.
"Demon training techniques are really tough."
As for how he created it, it was, of course, thanks to the wonders of Fuinjutsu.
Though it seemed like the technique relied entirely on Fuinjutsu, in truth, Fuinjutsu merely played a supporting role.
The essence of Fuinjutsu lay in its three key functions: sealing, transformation, and adding attributes. These formed the basis of chakra internal techniques.
The core of these techniques was, as the name suggested, the use of chakra.
The remarkable aspect wasn't the Fuinjutsu but the chakra itself.
In theory, basic internal techniques accepted all forms of chakra, but when Gin ran his simulations, they were tailored for human bodies. The chakra internal techniques were more suited for human physiology.
For animals, however, the seals would leak, causing the chakra to accumulate much more slowly.
All it needed was an adjustment to fit animals better.
Thus, a demon training technique was born.
"Shiro!"
Gin called out, and the little white snake cautiously slithered out from a corner, glancing nervously around.
The cat in the house was too fierce.
Gin's forehead creased in frustration.
This little thing had come from the Ryuchi Cave, one of the three great sacred places, yet it was scared of a mere cat?
How embarrassing.
Shiro climbed up onto the table, raising its head to look at Gin.
"Come here."
Gin placed his hand on Shiro's small body.
(End of Chapter)