Hizure's face darkened.
He had been extremely careful with this matter—how could it have been leaked? The entire operation had involved only himself.
Although he had prepared for the possibility of discovery, he hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
His eyes, filled with gloom, fixed on Uchiha Kin standing before him.
Being discovered at this stage was problematic. He wasn't ready to defect yet.
Should he kill Uchiha Kin right here?
His fists clenched tightly as he wrestled with the decision.
But Kin's research talents were unparalleled. Whether it was the Basic Internal Energy Technique, the Six Styles, or the Three-Colored Haki, all were innovations capable of strengthening the entire village.
No matter what, the village would never allow harm to come to Uchiha Kin. At most, they might suppress him.
As for Kin's strength…
He was just a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy. How powerful could he possibly be?
In the end, Hizure loosened his fists.
"Kin-kun, you must be joking. Why would I ever violate the village's禁令?"
Hizure forced a strained smile.
"In that case, Hizure-san, why don't you take a look at this?"
Kin had already dropped the polite honorifics. He extended his hand, and a wooden branch began to grow from his palm.
"Wood Release!?"
Hizure's pupils contracted. This was the legendary technique of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. He knew Orochimaru had been ordered by the village to research Wood Release.
But to think they had succeeded—and why was an Uchiha the one to achieve it?
The Uchiha were hardly favored by the higher-ups. There was no way they would have been involved in such a project.
"Shh." Kin pressed a finger to his lips.
"As of now, only three people in the village know about this."
Perhaps Orochimaru had guessed some of it, but he hadn't exposed Kin.
"So, Hizure-san, do you understand what I'm implying?"
Hizure finally regarded the young man before him with solemnity.
At this moment, he realized that this boy held no loyalty to the village whatsoever.
A wave of relief washed over him. If that was the case, Kin clearly had no intention of reporting him.
But still…
"What is your goal?"
Hizure's voice was heavy with suspicion.
By revealing Wood Release, Kin was signaling his desire to form an alliance.
Yet Hizure wasn't foolish enough to blindly trust someone he barely knew.
"My goal?"
Kin fell into thought, though the answer had long been clear. He looked up at the ceiling.
"Hizure-san, don't you think the shinobi world has stagnated for too long?"
Hizure frowned, not quite following.
"Since the deaths of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, the world hasn't seen anyone who could even compare to them."
"Shinobi fight only for money, territory, or fame. Over all these years, the only progress made has been a handful of new jutsu—barely more than what existed during the Warring States period."
"This world… is far too dull."
A bunch of power-hungry fools, wasting their potential. They'd be better off researching his Basic Internal Energy Technique, pushing its limits so he could reap the benefits.
Right now, all five major villages possessed the Basic Internal Energy Technique.
Yet after all this time, only a handful had managed to advance it.
How was he supposed to progress like this?
Even the Chakra Internal Energy research still fell on his own shoulders.
At this rate, when would he ever step through the gates of true immortality? Even if he reached the third layer of Chakra Internal Energy, the best he could hope for was a few extra centuries of life.
And if the shinobi world remained stagnant…
How much effort would he need to expend to develop a true method of eternal life?
So he wanted to set the world in motion.
Unfortunately, his current strength wasn't enough. For now, he could only bide his time.
"I want the entire shinobi world to progress—relentlessly, desperately, to the absolute limit."
And pave the way for his own immortality.
"What a grand dream."
Even Hizure was deeply moved by Kin's ambition, though he also detected the thick scent of blood lurking beneath it.
"Then I'll take my leave."
Hizure understood the path Kin envisioned would require countless corpses as stepping stones. He had no intention of becoming one of them.
"It seems I'm not much of an orator."
Kin sighed and rubbed his face. He had thought his impassioned speech might sway Hizure, but reality had proven otherwise.
Hizure stood up to leave.
But Hyuga Kiyoshi blocked his path.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Hizure turned his head slightly, a kunai already in hand, and glared at Uchiha Kin.
"Are you really going to stop me? You wouldn't want to draw the village's attention, would you?"
Kin cradled a teacup in his hands, blowing gently on the steam. His smile was warm as he regarded Hizure.
"Hizure-san, you misunderstand."
"Then tell your man to step aside! Let's not escalate this misunderstanding."
Hizure's voice was icy.
Kin shook his head, chuckling.
"What I mean is…"
"Dealing with you won't attract the village's attention at all."
Kin raised his head. The whites of his eyes turned pitch black.
Darkness spread behind him, swallowing tables, chairs, and the floor itself. Before Hizure could react, the shadows consumed him whole.
Hokage Building.
The administrative staff had just finished filing the team's registration documents.
Kin clapped Hizure on the shoulder.
"Starting today, we're teammates, Hizure-san."
Hizure's face was pale with suppressed fury. He said nothing.
He had never imagined Uchiha Kin could be this strong.
"Next, we'll report to Orochimaru-sensei."
Kin turned to Hizure.
"Hizure-san, who's your current mentor?"
At this question, Hizure fell silent for a long moment before answering, "I don't have an elite jōnin mentor."
He had always operated alone.
After all, most elite shinobi were his former classmates. He couldn't bring himself to swallow his pride and ask for guidance.
The two advisors only mentored their own clansmen and showed no interest in taking on outsiders. Danzo had extended an olive branch, but Hizure had refused.
His prickly personality made him an undesirable teammate, leaving him as one of the village's few lone wolves.
"Then we'll have to rely on Orochimaru-sensei's guidance from now on."
Kin stroked his chin and led the two out of the Hokage Building, heading toward Orochimaru's new hidden laboratory.
Orochimaru's lab was located near the forest at the village's edge.
This time, it wasn't built in the Forest of Death—that place was periodically used for the chūnin exams. Instead, he had chosen a secluded spot on the village's outskirts.
After navigating the complex terrain and bypassing security measures, Kin, Hyuga Kiyoshi, and Hizure entered Orochimaru's lab.
"Yo, Orochimaru-sensei! I've brought the team."
Kin greeted Orochimaru casually.
Orochimaru nodded at Kin, then turned to Hizure, his long tongue flicking across his lips.
"Well, well. If it isn't Hizure-kun? I never expected you to join Kin's squad."
"Orochimaru…" Hizure's expression was complicated as he regarded one of the Legendary Sannin—a man who had long since left him in the dust.
Even Orochimaru's student could overpower him effortlessly.
But wait…
Wasn't Uchiha Kin supposed to be Jiraiya's student?
...
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(End of Chapter)