In the Hokage's office.
Once again, the higher-ups of Konoha gathered, but the room was filled with silence.
No one spoke, as if something important weighed heavily on everyone's minds.
Hiruzen was not smoking his usual pipe this time. Instead, he frowned while looking at the report in front of him.
It contained a simple message:
"Basic Inner Technique has been leaked."
The report came from the Mist Ninja frontline. Over time, several dangerous figures had emerged from the Mist.
Messages from the frontlines indicated that, through observation with the Sharingan, the Mist Ninjas' chakra levels were found to be abnormal.
Eventually, the Uchiha clan captured a Mist Ninja and, after extracting information from his brain, learned of the leak of the Basic Inner Technique.
This was no small matter.
Currently, Konoha's ability to hold its own against the three great ninja villages was largely due to the Basic Inner Technique.
Now that the enemy had access to it as well, Konoha's advantage would eventually be overtaken.
"As the creator, Gin must be held responsible for this," Danzō spoke, immediately placing the blame on Gin.
"But if we do that, it will dishearten many," Koharu objected.
If the inventor of any new ninjutsu is held accountable for leaks, then who in Konoha would ever share their inventions again?
"Though Gin indeed bears some fault, it's impossible to pin everything on him," Homura agreed.
He couldn't quite explain why Gin was at fault, but being an Uchiha was enough of a reason.
Yet they couldn't act recklessly, as they had to consider the morale of other ninjas.
They needed to avoid creating a situation where others felt discouraged.
As for Gin's feelings, they didn't really care.
"This issue is due to my lack of proper oversight," Hiruzen took responsibility.
"If we blame Gin for this, what do you think the others will say?"
There was no easy way to handle this. If they used this as a threat against the Uchiha, it wouldn't matter, but other people would eventually find out what had happened.
This would significantly damage Hiruzen's reputation.
He couldn't take such a direct approach.
Rubbing his temples, he continued, "Let's have Gin upload all the ninjutsu and tools he's invented so far. That way, the village can at least minimize its losses."
"Hiruzen, isn't that letting Gin off too easily?" Danzō was dissatisfied, especially after Gin had refused his invitations twice and had even escaped from him.
Now that Danzō had an opportunity, he didn't want to waste it.
As for the matter of Hashirama's cells and the secret lab, Danzō wasn't exactly clean either, so if he targeted Gin for it, it wouldn't end well for him.
Thus, he chose to stay quiet about it.
"Even so, the Basic Inner Technique has contributed greatly to the village," Hiruzen firmly stated, locking eyes with Danzō.
"This decision is final."
Danzō's dissatisfaction grew.
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this."
"Danzō, I am the Hokage."
"Hmph!" Danzō snorted coldly and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Homura and Koharu followed closely behind.
Hiruzen remained, brooding in silence for a long time before letting out a heavy sigh.
"The Uchiha…"
He couldn't help but wonder why his teacher had been so hostile toward the Uchiha.
Though he had his suspicions, deep down, Hiruzen understood the reason.
The Uchiha clan had too many unstable elements, like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.
Moreover, the Sarutobi clan had once been defeated by the Uchiha.
All these factors combined had given the Konoha leadership reasons to target the Uchiha.
Sometimes, it wasn't even about whether he wanted to target the Uchiha—it was Danzō, Homura, and Koharu who often pushed him to do so.
"I hope Gin knows how to behave," Hiruzen muttered.
He truly didn't want to push the Uchiha further toward open conflict.
Meanwhile, completely unaware of this, Gin stepped out into his courtyard.
Clenching his fists, he could feel the surging power within.
The Senju clan's monstrous strength techniques were now within his reach.
Moreover, he now had the potential to possess the Senju's Sage Body, thanks to the cells of Hashirama.
But most importantly...
He spread his hands toward the ground.
A small sapling slowly pushed its way up through the earth, growing in a crooked fashion.
"Amazing," Gin murmured in awe.
With Hashirama's cells in his body, his previously pure Yin chakra now included Wood Release, a combination of Water and Earth elements.
However, due to the Yin nature of his chakra, the wood that grew was pitch-black.
Even more impressive, Hashirama's cells allowed him to freely use both Earth and Water-style ninjutsu.
This made it easier for him to take full advantage of his all-element affinity.
His gaze shifted to the sapling.
Soon, it grew to his height, its swaying branches giving off an eerie aura.
"Mokuton! Moku Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Black wood sprouted from Gin's body, rapidly growing.
In no time, the black wood formed into a figure identical to him.
This clone had more substance to it—while a shadow clone could be detected by an experienced ninja, this wood clone required something like the Byakugan to see through.
With a snap of his fingers, the wood clone instantly dissolved into countless branches, which could entangle an enemy in an instant.
Looking at the fallen branches, Gin nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad. While it's not on par with Hashirama yet, I think I could at least rival Yamato in the future."
Gin smirked.
As for where he got the Wood Release jutsu from?
Thanks to Madara's collection of Wood Release techniques.
From the Wood Clone to the Wood Golem Technique, he had it all.
There was no need to worry about a lack of Wood Release techniques.
However...
"Wood Release isn't my true path."
For Gin, the development of his inner techniques was the real way forward.
But now, he was a Uchiha with Wood Release as well.
And the benefits of transplanting Hashirama's cells didn't stop there.
His chakra production had increased threefold, and the excess chakra was being stored within his internal seal.
According to his calculations, the progress that would have taken decades to reach the third stage of his technique could now be completed in just over ten years.
Finally, his Tenma Technique had reached the beginner level.
The upgraded Chakra Inner Technique, derived from the Basic Inner Technique, had a unique characteristic.
It allowed him to merge a corresponding ninjutsu with it.
Not only could he instantly cast the jutsu, but the power of the technique would grow with the accumulated chakra.
Gin had been preparing for this for a while.
"Meiton: Kuroi Kiri no Jutsu" (Darkness Technique: Black Mist)
A layer of dark space enveloped his hand.
He no longer needed hand seals to use it and could even freely change its form.
Within the darkness, he could hide his Wood Release or even use techniques like the Shadow Imitation Technique without being detected.
Moreover, using the Shadow Imitation Technique in the dark would be even more powerful than Wood Release.
"The Bringer of Darkness Technique I'm using now is no longer the same as Tobirama's version."
"Mine is the Darkness Walker Technique."
Tobirama's technique only covered a fixed area with darkness, allowing him to control it.
But Gin's Darkness Walker Technique allowed him to bring darkness wherever he went.
"Elite Jōnin strength."
Achieved!
(End of Chapter)