Kin and Namikaze Minato exchanged insights on the fundamentals of internal energy cultivation.
Most of the time, Kin did the talking while Minato listened intently. The details covered how to accumulate chakra, enhance combat power, and gradually strengthen the body over time. Kin generously shared his own experiences.
Minato pondered the intricacies with a serious expression, while Uzumaki Kushina also listened attentively. She had struggled immensely to master the first layer, as the Nine-Tails' chakra within her constantly disrupted her progress—she had yet to subdue the beast. Surprisingly, the foundational internal energy technique helped stabilize the seal, making her even more invested in this secret art.
Kin had gone to great lengths for these two. If even one of them succeeded in advancing, he would also progress. Moreover, teaching others the knowledge he derived came with benefits beyond mere advancement. The insights gained from their cultivation would inexplicably appear in his mind, forming the foundational logic for future deductions—a revelation he only discovered last night after Minato and Kushina began their training.
The first layer didn't offer much to discuss, so the conversation soon concluded. With hopes for the future, Kin bid them farewell.
"See you tomorrow."
Minato waved with a smile, while Kushina turned her head away, pouting exaggeratedly. Annoyed by Minato's friendly gesture, she grabbed his arm and dragged him toward home. She felt her "little brother" was being stolen by some detestable Uchiha, and it infuriated her.
"Tsundere girl and gentle guy, tsk tsk."
Kin stroked his chin as he watched the distant pair, amused. This dynamic was such a cliché, except the roles were reversed—the girl was the tsundere one.
"Well, I guess that's innovation in its own way."
Not that he minded. He wouldn't mind finding a tsundere blonde and a gentle black-haired beauty for himself—just as long as he kept them from meeting.
The sky darkened as a cool breeze swept by. Kin made his way toward the Uchiha clan's territory.
Currently, the Uchiha district still occupied a prime location in Konoha. Although they had been moved from the village center after the Second Hokage's era due to a rebellion, they remained in a prosperous area. Their eventual relocation to the outskirts would come later—thanks to the Nine-Tails incident. After all, the Sharingan eyes glaring from the Nine-Tails' face would make it impossible for the Uchiha to explain themselves.
As soon as Kin entered the clan grounds, he was stopped.
"That's him, Yashiro-nii!"
Uchiha Hiru pointed angrily at Kin, addressing a brown-haired man with distinctive markings around his eyes. Not only had Kin escaped their bullying, but he'd also slept soundly through class, resulting in a zero evaluation score.
These three brats were here to pick a fight—and they'd brought a jōnin along. This wasn't just a petty squabble; they were out for blood. And they'd targeted the wrong person.
"Yashiro-nii, they bullied me!"
Kin immediately switched to a pitiful expression, tears welling up effortlessly. Anyone would've felt sorry for him—except Yashiro.
"Kin, you've used this trick too many times. At least switch it up, will you?" Yashiro scratched his cheek awkwardly.
Kin pulled this stunt at least five or six times a year. Yashiro was no longer the gullible fool he once was.
"Tch." Kin clicked his tongue.
"Yashiro-nii, he 'tch'-ed at you!!" Hiru frantically pointed at Kin, his face twisted in desperation like a dog denied a bone.
Yashiro patted Hiru's head. "Hiru, Uchiha don't bully the weak. It's wrong."
Unfortunately for them, Yashiro was too kind-hearted.
"Alright, alright, Uncle Yashiro, if you've got nothing else to do, scram. We kids can handle our own problems." Kin waved him off impatiently.
Yashiro sighed. When Kin needed him, he was "Yashiro-nii." When he didn't, he became "Uncle Yashiro." This kid was ruthlessly pragmatic.
"At least show me some respect."
"Are you leaving or not?" Kin bared his teeth threateningly.
Yashiro had no choice. If he interfered here, Kin would surely badmouth him to his wife—something the boy had done plenty of times before. Though that was before Yashiro got married. Now, as a jōnin, he couldn't afford to let this little troublemaker stir up trouble again.
"Fine, fine, I'm leaving."
Yashiro had only recently married and couldn't risk Kin's mischief. Besides, he'd been dragged into this against his will.
"An Uchiha must reclaim what they've lost on their own."
He wasn't worried about Kin. Despite being unable to use ninjutsu, Kin's taijutsu was formidable. Yashiro had seen him battling wild beasts in the forest during his patrols. The kid worked hard—it was just his talent that held him back.
"Don't go too far," Yashiro warned before leaving.
"Don't worry, Yashiro-nii, we won't." Hiru and his friends grinned maliciously. This wasn't school; they didn't have to fight one-on-one.
After seeing how Kin handled Ido, they weren't confident in solo combat—so they'd brought backup. But since no one was helping them now, they had no choice but to team up.
"He was talking to me."
Hiru's eyes widened as Kin's voice suddenly sounded right behind him. A hand chop came down—
Thwack!
Hiru collapsed, unconscious.
"You bastard!" Uchiha Mui charged with a kunai.
Kin sidestepped and drove a knee into his stomach. Mui's eyes rolled back as he hit the ground.
Kin then turned to Uchiha Ido, who was still holding a kunai.
The moment their eyes met, Ido dropped the weapon and lay face-down on the ground.
A wise Uchiha knew when to surrender.
"Smart."
Kin clapped his hands.
Yashiro, who hadn't gone far, glanced back. The fight was already over.
But a shinobi who relied solely on taijutsu could never become truly strong. Kin would face hardships in the future.
Kin didn't care what they thought. He stepped over the three unconscious bodies and headed home.
Back at his house, Kin prepared dinner, spending considerable time in the kitchen to recreate dishes from his previous life. The culinary options in the shinobi world were limited, and he'd grown tired of the same old meals. While most ninja survived on instant ramen, Kin, hailing from a land of gourmet cuisine, refused to lower his standards.
"If my path to immortality fails, I'll retire and open a restaurant. It'd be a goldmine."
His foundational internal energy technique was a stepping stone to immortality. This world had natural chakra—the Sages of the summoning realms had lived for millennia. Theoretically, achieving immortality through chakra was possible.
Especially with that thing in the sky—ageless, deathless, and only ever sealed, never killed.
"Immortality has great potential."
Carrying the dishes to the living room, Kin's cheerful mood vanished when he spotted a black-haired young man waiting for him. He set the plates down and sat stiffly across from the visitor.
"To what do I owe the pleasure, Fugaku-sama?"
Uchiha Fugaku, the clan heir and future leader who would steer the Uchiha toward ruin. As a marginal figure in the clan due to his lack of talent, Kin rarely drew Fugaku's attention. Though his parents had been well-respected, death erased such influence. Only a handful still treated Kin kindly—none from the main family.
"You've been associating with Uzumaki Kushina?" Fugaku's voice was heavy.
"And if I have? What does the clan care?"
Kin immediately understood the real reason for Fugaku's visit: Kushina, the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
Tailed beasts were strategic weapons, and many factions kept tabs on them—including the Uchiha. Hashirama's distribution of tailed beasts for peace had been well-intentioned, but their destructive power wasn't absolute. Every village had countermeasures, so while tailed beasts were feared, they weren't terrifying enough to deter war.
Replace them with nukes, though, and watch how quickly conflicts vanished.
Fugaku's expression darkened at Kin's indifference. "Stay away from her."
The Uchiha couldn't afford the village's suspicion. Kin might not know Kushina was the jinchūriki, but the higher-ups certainly did.
Kin's usual playful demeanor disappeared. He picked up his chopsticks and tapped the ends together.
"Who I associate with is none of your business. You're overstepping."
Fugaku frowned. He disliked Uchiha like Kin—those with weak talent who didn't understand the weight of their name.
"This is an order."
"An order?"
Kin grinned, but his eyes were cold. He slammed the chopsticks on the table.
"Fugaku-sama, you've got quite the ego. Don't think being called 'heir' makes you clan head already. Order me? What right do you have?"
Just as Fugaku disliked Kin, Kin held no respect for Fugaku—indecisive, blind to the bigger picture, and bearing half the blame for the Uchiha's future downfall.
The other half belonged to his son.
Without this family, the Uchiha might've survived another fifty years.
"You—!" Fugaku slammed his hands on the table, rattling the dishes. His face darkened like a storm cloud.
Unfazed, Kin continued his verbal assault.
"Does the mighty heir need to assert his authority by picking on a 'failure' like me? How impressive."
"I—!" Fugaku struggled to contain his anger. He rarely interacted with Kin and was no match for the boy's sharp tongue.
He couldn't win an argument, and beating Kin up would only humiliate himself.
"I won't keep you for dinner. I didn't set a place for you, after all."
Kin picked up his chopsticks and began eating, ignoring Fugaku entirely.
"Hmph!" Fugaku left in a huff.
Alone again, Kin plucked a peanut from his Kung Pao Chicken.
"Think you can control me? Not even as clan head!"
(End of Chapter)