Talent System In The Naruto Universe-Chapter 164. S-Rank - Yin Seal

In a quiet, spacious estate in Konoha...

"Ugh! Why won't you all listen to me?"

"Your position is here! Stop running around!"

"You, and you two, go over there!"

Anko Mitarashi stood before a group of snakes, pointing and shouting in frustration.

Ever since she became Orochimaru's apprentice, her days had been filled with dealing with snakes. After all, the jutsu she learned heavily relied on them.

"Little girl," a cold voice suddenly interrupted her. "Where is Orochimaru?"

"Who are you? You startled me!" Anko instinctively stepped back and turned toward the gate.

"I am Danzo Shimura, the leader of Root," Danzo said with a slight frown.

However, his heart ached immediately after saying that.

Root... no longer existed.

For over a decade, he had served as its leader, only to be stripped of his position over a minor issue.

Danzo could hardly bear it, but facing Hiruzen Sarutobi, he dared not show his anger.

Still, he knew that doing nothing was akin to a slow death.

Thus, he turned his gaze toward the next Hokage.

Although Tsunade was currently riding high in popularity, she wasn't without competition. Orochimaru was also a strong contender.

As one of the Three Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru was Tsunade's equal in both strength and reputation.

More importantly, Danzo had worked with Orochimaru multiple times before, and they both held secrets that could destroy them if exposed—like the Hashirama Cell experiments, also known as the Wood Release experiments.

If Sarutobi ever learned of these, both of them would be doomed.

Because they were on the same side, if Orochimaru became the Fourth Hokage, Danzo could regain control of Root.

"Who's Danzo Shimura?" Anko tilted her head, trying to recall, but couldn't place him.

"..."

Danzo's face darkened immediately.

How could Orochimaru train a student who didn't even know who he was?

But since he needed help, he held back his frustration.

"Anko, let him in," a white snake slithered between them, speaking in human language.

"Yes, sensei," Anko said, waving her hand casually. "Go ahead."

"..."

Danzo felt a strong sense of humiliation, as if a tiger had fallen from grace and was now mocked by dogs.

Suppressing his emotions, he followed the white snake into the living room and then to a basement.

"Orochimaru," Danzo said, scanning the room filled with equipment.

"What is it?" Orochimaru's raspy voice replied without looking up.

"I want to collaborate," Danzo said directly. "I can help you become the Fourth Hokage."

"Oh?" Orochimaru chuckled mockingly. "Hoping to use me to reclaim Root?"

Though he spent most of his time at home conducting experiments and studying forbidden jutsu, Orochimaru was well-informed about Konoha's affairs.

"Yes," Danzo admitted reluctantly.

"I have no interest in becoming Hokage," Orochimaru declined. "Competing with Tsunade is too much trouble."

As her teammate, he knew better than anyone how easily Tsunade could secure the position of Hokage. Competing with her would require immense effort, disrupting his experiments and pursuit of immortality.

"If Tsunade becomes Hokage, do you think she'll tolerate you after learning about your experiments?" Danzo asked gravely.

The room fell into silence.

"Are you threatening me?" Orochimaru's gaze turned cold, locking onto Danzo.

"This is not a threat," Danzo shook his head. "It's a highly likely scenario for the future."

"Is that so?" Orochimaru's presence grew more intimidating. "In that case, I can just leave Konoha."

"You can leave Konoha," Danzo countered, "but will you find the wealth and resources you need for your experiments elsewhere?"

Orochimaru frowned.

Danzo had a point.

"If you become Hokage, you'll have access to anything you want," Danzo said persuasively.

"Competing with Tsunade is still troublesome," Orochimaru said flatly.

"Under normal circumstances, yes. But this is wartime," Danzo said, shaking his head. "All you need is a few major victories."

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, pondering the suggestion.

His reputation as one of the Legendary Sannin largely stemmed from his achievements during the Second Shinobi World War.

Danzo's idea had merit.

"Even though Root has been disbanded, its members and influence remain intact," Danzo added.

Danzo Shimura continued, "With my support and your abilities, you'll definitely be able to compete with Tsunade!"

Orochimaru remained silent.

"Besides," Danzo added with a sly smile, "don't you want the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan? War is the perfect opportunity to acquire them."

"You've convinced me," Orochimaru finally responded, his gaze flickering.

Whether or not he could become Hokage was uncertain—Tsunade was a formidable opponent. However, obtaining new experimental materials was entirely feasible.

"Good," Danzo exhaled in relief. "Pleasure working with you."

He had even considered using Yamato, the young wielder of Wood Release, as leverage if Orochimaru refused. Thankfully, it hadn't come to that.

"Call me if you need me," Orochimaru said with a dismissive wave.

---

Two Months Later

Outside Tsunade's residence, Hanekawa stood still, closing his eyes.

Through his efforts, chakra flowed like water, gradually gathering at his forehead.

As time passed, it finally reached a critical point.

A blue-violet hue emerged on his forehead, spreading to form a vertical rhombus-shaped seal.

The system's notification followed:

[S-Rank Jutsu Term: Yin Seal]

[Trigger Condition: Successfully perform the jutsu.]

[Effect: The jutsu automatically achieves proficiency level.]

No surprise, the Yin Seal was an S-Rank term and his first one.

Hanekawa exhaled deeply. After nearly a year and a half of effort, he had finally mastered the Yin Seal.

Though the process was lengthy, it was worth it.

He touched his forehead, finding it smooth as before. However, upon closer inspection, he could sense the enormous amount of chakra stored within the seal.

Interestingly, the Yin Seal had no storage limit. During his regular training, he could continue to store chakra in it.

In essence, the Yin Seal acted like a bank—unlimited deposits and withdrawals, offering immense convenience.

With a thought, Hanekawa adjusted his physical state.

Fatigue disappeared instantly, leaving him refreshed as though he had just awoken from a deep sleep.

Of course, mastering the Yin Seal wasn't the end.

It needed to be paired with another S-Rank jutsu: Creation Rebirth – Strength of a Hundred Technique.

This jutsu acted as a power amplifier, enabling the Yin Seal to operate at maximum capacity.

Its advantage was automatic healing of any injuries, while its drawback was extreme chakra consumption.

Hanekawa stretched, squinting at the radiant sun above.

With June's arrival, Konoha's temperature had risen sharply.

He glanced at Kurenai Yuhi and Rin Nohara, who were diligently training nearby.

The jutsu they practiced were the ones they had exchanged for two months ago: Darkness Technique and Spirit Transformation Technique.

Kurenai's talent was superior, and since the Darkness Technique was less challenging, her progress was significant. Hanekawa estimated she'd master it in another two weeks to a month.

Rin's progress, however, was much slower.

In two months, she had barely scratched the surface. She hadn't managed a single instance of soul projection, let alone long-distance traversal or spiritual attacks.

"It's noon. I'm heading out to find our sensei," Hanekawa called out, turning to leave before the two could respond.

But instead of heading to the casino, he went to the Hokage's office.

Since the intelligence report delivered by the ANBU ninja, Haru, two months ago, it had become routine for updates to be shared.

It almost felt like Hiruzen Sarutobi had tacitly acknowledged Tsunade as the next Hokage.

When the ANBU were too busy to deliver reports, Hanekawa would go to the Hokage's office himself to retrieve information.

In the past two months, the battles between the Sand and Cloud Villages had intensified.

Though both sides exchanged victories, the Cloud Village had the clear upper hand.

Given enough time, the Sand Village was bound to collapse—the only question was how long they could hold out.

Hanekawa soon arrived at the ANBU office in the Hokage's building.

"Long time no see, Hanekawa," an ANBU ninja wearing an elephant mask greeted him.

Hanekawa had become a regular visitor, and as Tsunade's student, he was well-known among the ANBU.

This familiarity stemmed partly from the fact that ANBU members, unlike Root operatives, weren't brainwashed.

While Root ninjas were stripped of humanity and absolute loyalty to Danzo, ANBU ninjas were simply highly skilled and otherwise normal.

"Uncle Shin," Yuchuan greeted with a smile.

Shin, like Haru, was just a codename. What he looked like or what his real name was, Yuchuan had no idea.

This "Shin" had a small role in the original story, appearing during Orochimaru's battle against Hiruzen Sarutobi in the Konoha Crush arc as the commentator standing outside the Four Violet Flames Formation.

"You came at the right time. Something big just happened on the Frost Country battlefield," Shin said, handing him a scroll.

Curious, Hanekawa opened it and raised an eyebrow.

Just yesterday, Rasa led the Sand Village's puppet forces to destroy the Cloud Village's largest supply depot in the Frost Country.

In war, logistics are as crucial as frontline combat.

This supply point could have sustained the Cloud Village's ninja forces for two to three months, and its destruction was a significant blow.

Additionally, Rasa dealt a severe blow to the morale of the Cloud Village by engaging and suppressing Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, in a brief skirmish.

In the ninja world, few could suppress a jinchūriki or tailed beast, but Rasa was one of them.

His Magnet Release: Gold Dust had incredible offensive and defensive capabilities, as well as wide-area attack potential.

In the original story, he repeatedly suppressed the rampaging One-Tail Shukaku.

Since the Two-Tails Matatabi's strength was comparable to or perhaps weaker than Shukaku's, it was no surprise that Rasa managed to suppress Yugito for a short time.

Hanekawa shook his head.

It seemed Pakura's position as acting Kazekage was in jeopardy.

Previously injured by the Third Raikage, Rasa had been recovering for two months.

Now, with such a display of strength, he had matched Pakura in reputation.

However, this was an internal matter for the Sand Village and had nothing to do with him.

Hanekawa's interest in the intelligence was solely to estimate how much more training time they had left.

From the looks of it, the Sand and Cloud Villages would continue fighting for a while.

"I'll head out, Uncle Shin," Yuchuan said, returning the scroll before walking toward the casino.

No matter the time, the casino was always lively.

Hanekawa scanned the room and quickly spotted Tsunade at a gambling table, wearing a sour expression.

As expected, it was loss after loss.

"Hanekawa?"

Tsunade's eyes lit up as she pulled him in front of her with excitement. "You're just in time!"

Caught off guard, Hanekawa bumped into her side, feeling a soft pressure on his shoulder.

He glanced down, realized the cause, and thought to himself, No wonder.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Tsunade, engrossed in gambling, didn't notice the accidental touch. Instead, she suddenly smiled and declared, "Finally, I've got a winning streak!"

"Sensei," Hanekawa said with a straight face, "it's time to go back for lunch."

"Don't ruin the mood... huh? You've learned the Yin Seal?"

Tsunade's eyes widened as she noticed the diamond-shaped mark on his forehead.

"Yes," Hanekawa replied, casually picking up the remaining money from the table. "Let's eat first; you can come back later."

"Wait!" Tsunade instinctively grabbed his hand. "Just give me another half hour!"

"No." Hanekawa shook his head firmly.

Tsunade tried to pry his hand open but failed after a brief struggle. Frustrated, she bit his hand.

"...?"

Hanekawa felt the warmth and sting of her bite, reflexively letting go.

"Hmph!"

Tsunade took the money and returned to the table.

"Sensei, are you half dog?" Hanekawa quipped, looking at the faint bite marks and saliva on his hand.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Tsunade shot him a glare. "Just wait quietly for thirty minutes!"

"You're impossible," Hanekawa sighed.

Half an hour later, Tsunade stood up, satisfied, and left the casino with her winnings.

Thanks to Hanekawa's "lucky charm" effect, she had recovered most of her morning losses.

"How's your hand?" Tsunade suddenly asked, grabbing his hand to check.

"It's fine," Hanekawa said, showing her his hand.

With his B-Rank "Markless Healing" term and the fact that Tsunade hadn't bitten too hard, the marks had healed within seconds.

"I'll teach you the Strength of a Hundred Technique tomorrow," Tsunade said, letting go of his hand with a sigh. "You learned the Yin Seal much faster than I did."

She felt as though she was being surpassed, but oddly enough, she didn't dislike it.

As a teacher, she genuinely wanted her student to excel beyond her.

Before meeting Hanekawa, Tsunade had thought this dream unlikely, given her overwhelming lead in medical ninjutsu over other medics.

"Got it," Hanekawa nodded.

_

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