Uchiha Gin had a deep conversation with Minato Namikaze about the basics of internal chakra cultivation.
Most of the time, it was Gin speaking while Minato listened attentively.
Gin shared all kinds of details: how to gather chakra, how to boost one's combat ability, and how the body gradually strengthens over time with practice.
He passed along his own experiences without holding back.
Minato was serious, thinking hard about every point Gin made.
Kushina Uzumaki was just as focused. Completing the first stage had been extremely difficult for her because the Nine-Tails' chakra constantly disrupted her flow. She hadn't subdued the Nine-Tails yet.
However, she found that this internal technique actually helped stabilize the seal within her body — making her even more determined to master it.
Gin was really putting his heart into guiding these two.
As long as even one of them succeeded in advancing, Gin would be able to advance too.
Besides, teaching others the results of his theoretical work had benefits beyond just leveling up.
Whenever someone else trained under his teachings, the knowledge they produced would somehow, mysteriously, appear in Gin's mind, becoming part of the foundational code for his future techniques.
He had only realized this last night after Minato and Kushina completed the basics.
The first layer didn't have much content, so it didn't take long to finish explaining everything.
Bidding farewell to them with high hopes for the future, he smiled.
"See you tomorrow!" Minato waved warmly.
Kushina, however, turned her head away with a pout so high it could scrape the ceiling. She glared at Minato angrily, then grabbed his arm and dragged him back home.
She felt like her little brother was being stolen away by a rotten Uchiha.
It made her fume with frustration.
"Tsundere girl, gentle boy… tsk tsk," Gin muttered, rubbing his chin while watching the two walk off.
This type of dynamic — where the emotionally clueless one was actually the girl — was a new twist.
"Guess you could call it innovation," he chuckled.
Still, he wouldn't mind finding his own tsundere blonde, or a sweet black-haired, straight-laced beauty — as long as they didn't meet each other.
The sky was dim, and a cool breeze swept by.
Gin turned toward the Uchiha clan compound.
At this time, the Uchiha compound was still located in a prime area of Konoha. Although after the Second Hokage's era there had been an incident that forced them to move slightly away from the center, they were still in a bustling, important district.
Their later move to the village's edge was because of the Nine-Tails incident.
After all, seeing the Nine-Tails with a pair of Sharingan eyes was like watching mud fall from your pants — impossible to explain cleanly.
As soon as Gin stepped into the compound, someone blocked his path.
"That's him, Big Brother Hachidai!" Uchiha Hiru barked angrily, pointing at Gin. Beside him stood a man with short brown hair and unique markings beside his eyes.
Not only had they failed to mess with Gin during class — he had actually slept peacefully through it!
Their own evaluations had tanked because of it.
Now they were here to stir up trouble, having even dragged a Jonin along. It was obvious they weren't just looking for a fight — they were out for blood.
And they got the wrong guy.
"Big Brother Hachidai, they bullied me!" Hiru whined pitifully.
Gin immediately switched to a wounded expression, his eyes filling with tears almost instantly. No hesitation, pure instinct.
Anyone seeing him would feel sorry — anyone but Hachidai.
"Little Gin... you've pulled this act so many times already. At least come up with something new," Hachidai scratched his head awkwardly.
At least put some effort into it.
Gin pulled this stunt five or six times a year; Hachidai wasn't so easily fooled anymore.
"Tch," Gin clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Big Brother Hachidai, he just tched at you!!" Hiru pointed furiously, as desperate as a dog who could see a bone but couldn't reach it.
He had thought Hachidai wouldn't help them punish Gin, but now he saw hope.
Hachidai patted Hiru's head gently. "Uchiha don't bully the weak. That's not our way."
Unfortunately for Hiru, Hachidai was a gentle soul.
"Alright, alright. Uncle Hachidai, if it's nothing important, you should go. Let us kids sort out our own problems," Gin said impatiently, waving him off.
Hachidai sighed heavily. When Gin needed him, it was "Big Brother Hachidai"; when he didn't, it became "Uncle Hachidai."
This kid was brutally practical.
"At least show me some respect."
"Are you leaving or not?" Gin bared his teeth in mock threat.
Hachidai had no choice. If he stayed and interfered, Gin would run straight to his wife and talk bad about him — something Gin had often done before Hachidai got married.
Now that he was married, he couldn't afford such scandals.
"Fine, fine, I'm going!" Hachidai left in a hurry, not wanting more trouble.
"Uchiha must reclaim what they lose by themselves," he muttered as he walked away.
He wasn't worried about Gin — the boy might not be able to use ninjutsu, but his taijutsu was no joke. Hachidai had seen Gin wrestling wild beasts in the forest.
The kid worked hard, even if his talent was poor.
"Don't go too far," Hachidai said one last time.
"Relax, Big Brother Hachidai, we won't overdo it," Hiru and his two friends sneered. This wasn't school — no rule said fights had to be one-on-one.
After seeing Gin crush Budo earlier, they knew better than to fight solo. Not stupid enough for that.
"Actually, he was talking to me." Gin's voice whispered into Hiru's ear from right behind him.
When had he moved?
Smack! Gin chopped him neatly on the neck. Hiru rolled his eyes and collapsed unconscious.
"You bastard!" Uchiha Muteki roared, pulling out a kunai and charging.
Gin sidestepped casually, then slammed his knee into Muteki's gut.
Muteki's eyes rolled up as he hit the ground too.
Gin turned to the last one, Uchiha Budo, who had also drawn a kunai.
But seeing Gin looking at him, Budo dropped his weapon immediately and lay face-down in surrender.
Uchiha weren't fools — they knew when to cut their losses.
"Smart move," Gin said, clapping his hands.
Hachidai glanced back and saw the situation was already settled.
But he shook his head sadly — taijutsu alone wasn't enough to make it as a true shinobi.
Gin had tough days ahead.
Gin didn't care what anyone thought. He simply walked home, stepping around the fallen bodies.
…
Back at home.
Gin started preparing dinner, spending a good while in the kitchen making dishes from his previous life.
The culinary variety in the ninja world was terrible — always the same few things. He was sick of it.
While most ninja survived on instant ramen, Gin had come from a country of gourmet food. Living on cup noodles wasn't an option.
"If I fail at cultivation, maybe I'll retire early and open a restaurant. Bet it would make a fortune."
The whole point of creating his basic internal cultivation method was to lay the foundation for a future path toward true immortal cultivation.
After all, this world had natural chakra — the energy used by legendary sages who lived for centuries.
With chakra's mysteries, immortality wasn't just a dream.
Not to mention there was someone up there — not aging, not dying, and even after defeat, only sealed, not killed.
"Immortal cultivation is absolutely worth pursuing."
Carrying a plate of food back to the living room, Gin was ready for a satisfying meal.
But a shadow was waiting for him — a young man with short black hair sat quietly.
Gin's cheerful expression instantly disappeared.
He placed the food on the table and sat down across from the guest with a formal posture.
"And what brings the esteemed Young Patriarch Fugaku to my humble home?"
Uchiha Fugaku — the current clan head's only son and heir. In the future, he would become one of the major causes behind the Uchiha clan's downfall.
Normally, someone like Gin — a sidelined, low-talent Uchiha — wouldn't attract his attention.
Even though Gin's parents had been respected within the clan, after their deaths, few people still showed Gin much kindness — and certainly not Fugaku's family.
"You've been getting close to Kushina Uzumaki."
Fugaku's voice was low and heavy.
"So what? That's none of the clan's business," Gin replied coolly.
He immediately realized the true reason for Fugaku's visit: Kushina, the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki.
Tailed beasts were strategic weapons — naturally attracting all kinds of attention, including the Uchiha's.
While the First Hokage had distributed tailed beasts to maintain peace, the beasts themselves weren't destructive enough to create true terror.
Every village had forces strong enough to fight back, meaning tailed beasts couldn't serve as absolute deterrents.
Now, if they had nuclear bombs instead? Then nobody would dare make a move.
Seeing Gin's casual attitude, Fugaku's face darkened.
"Stay away from her."
The Uchiha couldn't afford to draw the village's suspicion. Gin didn't know about Kushina's true identity, but the higher-ups certainly did.
Gin's usual playful smirk vanished. He picked up his chopsticks, clinked them together lightly.
"Who I choose to spend time with is none of your business. You're overstepping."
Fugaku's frown deepened. He didn't like Gin — talentless trash who didn't understand the weight of the Uchiha name.
"This is an order."
"An order?" Gin sneered.
With a loud bang, he slapped his chopsticks onto the table.
"You think just because I call you 'Young Patriarch' you're actually the clan head? You're not qualified to order me."
Just as Fugaku looked down on Gin, Gin had no respect for Fugaku either — a man too hesitant and blind to lead.
Half of the Uchiha's future destruction would be Fugaku's fault.
The other half? His son's.
Without that family, the Uchiha could've lasted another fifty years.
"You—!!" Fugaku slammed his hands on the table, making the plates rattle. His face was as dark as burnt toast.
Gin didn't flinch, and continued mocking him mercilessly.
"Trying to make an example of me, the clan's 'dead weight'? You're really doing the Uchiha proud, huh."
"I—!!" Fugaku was trembling with rage, but he wasn't good with words. He rarely interacted with Gin and wasn't prepared for this kind of verbal battle.
If he fought, it would look even worse.
"I won't bother inviting you to dinner. Didn't set a place for you anyway," Gin said casually, picking up a piece of kung pao chicken with his chopsticks.
"Hmph!" Fugaku snorted and stormed out, furious.
Gin calmly sat alone, plucking peanuts from the dish one by one.
"Control me? Even if you become the clan head, you still won't have the right!"