264. Teaching

In the courtyard,

Uchiha Gin and Sarutobi Hiruzen stood facing each other. Senju Hashirama, accompanied by the other kids, observed from the sidelines, curious to see if the newly appointed “Teacher Gin” truly had any real skills to show.

“Shuffle, shuffle~”

“It's 10,000 ryō, but you only have 9,527 ryō,” Uchiha Gin remarked with a sly smile, counting the wrinkled bills in his hand. Opposite him, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked pained—this was his hard-earned New Year’s money.

“With a clear price of just 10,000 ryō, you can surpass your father and become the greatest Sarutobi!” Gin declared, shamelessly pocketing the money and extending his hand for the remaining 473 ryō.

“Danzo, lend me 500,” Hiruzen muttered, having emptied all his pockets.

“I’ve got nothing but coins,” Danzo replied. His funds had been mercilessly confiscated by his family, leaving him penniless.

The rest of the kids offered no help either:

Akimichi Torifu had spent his money on snacks.

Koharu guarded her purse, refusing to lend.

Homura claimed he’d forgotten his wallet.


Only Uchiha Kagami sighed and handed over a single coin, murmuring, “Use it well, Hiruzen.”

“Thank you, Kagami! From now on, you’re like a father to me!” Hiruzen declared dramatically, clutching the coin as if it weighed a thousand pounds.

“Well, seeing your sincerity, I’ll waive the 27 ryō. Keep the change,” Gin said generously.

“...” Hiruzen glared, wishing he could retrieve his lost 27 ryō.

“Don’t worry,” Gin assured him, adjusting his glasses. “My course will be worth every penny.”

Gin then began, “Your five-elemental affinity is impressive, but sticking to regular ninjutsu training is a waste of your talent.”

“But that’s how my father taught me!” Hiruzen retorted, confused.

“Have you heard of combination jutsu?” Gin asked, leaning forward meaningfully. “It's also called compound ninjutsu. With your affinity, mastering this will make your potential limitless.”

“Combination jutsu?” Hiruzen echoed, unfamiliar with the term.

“To demonstrate,” Gin said, walking to an open area.

Hashirama’s eyes lit up in surprise. “Brother Gin is demonstrating himself? This is rare!”

Even Uchiha Kagami admitted, “I’ve never seen Uncle Gin fight or even spar before.”

In the center of the courtyard, Gin cracked his knuckles. “Pay attention, Hiruzen. I’ll only demonstrate once. Any repeats will cost extra!”

“...” Hiruzen silently cursed the scam artist but held his tongue.

Gin began with a hand seal. “Earth Style: Mud Dragon Bullet!”

A massive earthen dragon emerged from the ground, launching mud projectiles at a distant target.

“Just a Mud Dragon Bullet?” Hiruzen frowned, unimpressed.

“Patience,” Gin replied with a grin. “Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!”

Flames erupted, merging with the mud projectiles mid-air.

“Compound Ninjutsu: Fiery Earth Dragon Torrent!” Gin announced.

Boom! The combined attack obliterated the target, leaving behind a roaring blaze.

The kids stared in awe, especially Hiruzen, who was dumbstruck.

“Well?” Gin asked, raising an eyebrow at Hiruzen. “Still think it’s not worth it?”



Uchiha Gin looked at the massive crater caused by the combined jutsu, nodding in satisfaction. He wasn’t as careless as some others—a single compound jutsu, and he hadn’t even damaged the roof.

“How did you do that?”

Hiruzen Sarutobi was amazed. He had seen the Earth Dragon Bullet and Fire Dragon Bullet techniques before, but seeing them combined like this was a first. The resulting power was far greater than the sum of its parts.

“Tsk~ Brother Gin really has some skills!”

Even Hashirama Senju, witnessing this for the first time, was impressed. Though he was also a genius capable of using all five chakra natures, he had never considered combining techniques like this. Most shinobi who mastered multiple chakra natures focused on fusing them to create Kekkei Genkai for future generations, rather than exploring new jutsu combinations.

“Nothing much, just practice,” Gin replied casually, reaching out to realign Hiruzen’s dislocated jaw with a smile.

“That’s it?”

Hiruzen was skeptical but realized that it was indeed straightforward. Performing compound jutsu required deep familiarity and mastery over each individual jutsu involved.

“Want to learn?” Gin grinned like a fox, waiting for his prey to take the bait.

“Yes, yes, yes!”

“Since you’ve already paid your tuition, come by my place tomorrow to pick up the learning materials. And don’t bring any gifts—especially not strawberry milk.”

Gin ruffled Hiruzen’s brown hair three times before dismissing him.

“Got it!”

With Hiruzen gone, it was Akimichi Torifu’s turn. The chubby boy hesitated nervously, avoiding eye contact.

“So, Akimichi Torifu, huh? Unfortunately, I don’t have much to teach you,” Gin said, scratching his chin. Teaching secret clan techniques was tricky business, and he had no desire to cross the Akimichi clan.

“Hmm…”

Torifu lowered his head in disappointment. Gin’s demonstration had been unforgettable, and Torifu had hoped to learn something new. But as a member of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, he was bound to his family’s techniques.

Gin never lets a student leave disappointed.

“While I can’t teach you much about jutsu, here—try this.”

Gin rummaged through his bag and handed Torifu a cookie.

“What’s this?”

Torifu looked at the ordinary cookie with some doubt, but the enticing aroma was undeniable. He quickly accepted and popped it into his mouth without a second thought.

“Crunch, crunch~ Delicious!”

Torifu’s eyes lit up as he savored the sweet, crisp cookie.

“More?”

He quickly swallowed and reached for another.

“Greedy little glutton, didn’t you notice something different?” Gin smacked away Torifu’s oily hand with a chuckle.

The cookie Gin gave Torifu wasn’t ordinary—it was a Poro Cookie from his system.

[Poro Cookie: Slightly enhances physical attributes upon consumption. May cause side effects. (Maximum limit: 10 cookies)]

Side Effect: Body size increases by 10%.

“Other than sweating a bit, I feel normal,” Torifu said, patting his warm body.

“Torifu, you’ve grown bigger!”

The other children gasped. Torifu had grown noticeably taller, his sleeves now slightly short.

“Ah? What the heck!”

Torifu finally noticed and exclaimed in disbelief.

“Lucky you~” Gin smirked, recalling how it took him ten cookies to see this side effect. His dream of growing another 20 centimeters was dashed after that single instance.

“Uncle Gin—no, Teacher Gin! Here’s all my money. Please, just one more cookie!”

Torifu pulled out a thick wad of bills from his waistband and handed it over reverently.

Satisfied, Gin smiled as he took the cash, which amounted to tens of thousands of ryo—an enormous sum for a child.

“These cookies are made by a legendary pastry chef I met in the Land of Honey. It’s said they have miraculous properties for growth and strength,” Gin lied with a straight face.

“Unfortunately, after making this batch, the chef retired to serve desserts to the Sage of Six Paths himself.”

“Please, Teacher Gin, I beg you!”

Torifu knelt, pleading earnestly.

Seeing his sincerity, Gin relented. “Fine, come to my house tomorrow. I have one last piece left. Consider it yours.”

“Thank you, Master Gin!”

Torifu bowed repeatedly in gratitude.

“Oh, and no gifts. Especially no strawberry milk!”

After Torifu left, Gin turned his attention to Mito Menma, the glasses-wearing boy.

“Mito Menma, huh? You’ve got some talent—strong affinity with space-time techniques.”

Gin adjusted his glasses, genuinely impressed by Menma’s potential.

“Teacher Gin, here’s my tuition,” Menma said, handing over a bulging money pouch despite claiming earlier he had no wallet.

“Menma, you—!”

Hiruzen felt betrayed, his sense of justice shaken.

“Does your clan have any related secret techniques?” Gin asked, curious about Menma’s heritage.

“No, my family doesn’t,” Menma replied respectfully.

So, it’s a genetic anomaly. You might want to ask your mom if she’s been meeting white-haired strangers… Gin mused.

“Here, try summoning with this.”

Gin handed Menma a storage scroll laced with a small seal to test his potential.

“Yes, Teacher Gin!”

Menma accepted the scroll with trembling hands, determination shining in his eyes.

“Release!”

Smoke filled the air as Menma successfully unsealed the scroll. Gin watched with approval, impressed by the boy’s quick mastery.

“Teacher Gin, I did it!” Menma waved a massive rod-like object with childlike glee.

“Since you’ve succeeded, you can keep the scroll.” Gin smiled. The scroll contained junk tools looted from defeated enemies, perfect for gifting to kids.

“Teacher Gin, why does this tool… vibrate?”