The Hyuga clan was divided into the Main House and the Branch House. The Main House had always controlled the Branch House.
Hiruzen was well aware that many Branch House members harbored resentment toward the Main House.
Now, with the ninja world only just emerging from war, if the Branch House were suddenly freed from the Caged Bird Seal, internal conflict would inevitably erupt within the Hyuga clan.
That would destabilize Konoha's already fragile situation.
And that was something Hiruzen would not allow.
That was why he had summoned Hyuga Arin and made this request.
"That's not really something I can control," Arin said, looking troubled. "You know me—I'm the giving type. If they kneel down and beg me, and offer money and gifts, I might not be able to resist."
What kind of "giving type" requires kneeling and bribes?!
Apologize to every selfless person in the world, you bastard!
Hiruzen rubbed his temples.
"Fine. State your conditions."
He could tell from Arin's tone that the boy wouldn't budge without compensation.
"Impure World Reincarnation."
"Then go ahead and remove the Caged Bird Seal from the Branch House."
Hiruzen rejected him instantly.
That technique was absolutely not something that could be handed out casually.
"Tch." Arin clicked his tongue. "Then let me select eight genjutsu from the Ninjutsu Library."
He already had two genjutsu.
With eight more, he could max them out and synthesize Yin Release—
Turning nothing into something.
Aside from genjutsu, the other viable path was something like the Nara clan's Shadow Imitation Technique.
But he had no way to farm that.
When synthesized, Yin Release would inherit all the traits and characteristics of the ten contributing techniques.
Shadow Imitation was, in its own way, extremely powerful.
"That's acceptable," Hiruzen agreed without hesitation.
Exchanging war merits for techniques was a trivial matter for him.
Seeing how readily Hiruzen agreed, Arin pressed further.
"I also want access to the Scroll of Seals."
"Absolutely not!" Hiruzen snapped.
It was obvious Arin was still aiming for Impure World Reincarnation.
If he wanted something else, Hiruzen might consider it.
But that technique?
Never.
"Then open the Ninjutsu Library to me."
Hiruzen hesitated, then nodded.
There was an old saying—
If you want to open a window, first say you plan to tear down the house.
He had asked for something outrageous first, so now the reasonable request seemed harmless.
"So you were researching Fire Release just fine—why suddenly study genjutsu?" Hiruzen asked curiously.
He understood Arin's talent well.
Even if he hadn't seen Arin conduct formal research, the results spoke for themselves.
A Substitution Technique comparable to Flying Thunder God—yes, weaker and harder to execute, but still groundbreaking.
Fire Release: Nine-Headed Dragon Technique—an S-rank technique, arguably the most complex Fire Release in Konoha's archives.
And a synthesized bloodline limit.
If that didn't qualify as a research-oriented ninja, what did?
"I'm not very good at genjutsu. I plan to study it thoroughly," Arin said sincerely.
After all—
Dealing with Uchiha genin and chūnin was easy.
But Uchiha jōnin?
That was another story.
His genjutsu foundation was practically zero.
And Uchiha genjutsu was notoriously difficult to break—even with Genjutsu Release.
Of course, he couldn't say that aloud.
"Old man, I'm planning to counter the Uchiha, so I need to specialize in anti-genjutsu."
Hiruzen would lock him up on the spot.
It was Danzō who truly targeted the Uchiha.
Hiruzen merely looked the other way.
Fire Release.
Genjutsu.
If Arin mastered both—
"Are you sure you don't have Uchiha blood?" Hiruzen muttered. "All you're missing is a Sharingan."
He actually had one.
Arin subconsciously touched his forehead protector.
Since the Sharingan functioned like equipment, he could hide it.
If he revealed it—
Hiruzen might genuinely question reality.
"Will you accompany me to select the techniques, or bring them to me?" Hiruzen asked.
He still remembered that Arin had only selected C-rank Fire Release techniques before. He trusted him.
"After my jōnin exam," Arin replied.
He wasn't in a hurry.
He barely had two hundred thousand experience points.
Nowhere near enough.
"Very well."
Arin could only silently apologize to the Branch House members.
It wasn't that he didn't want to remove their Caged Bird Seal—
The Hokage was simply offering too much.
…
After thorough preparation—
The jōnin exam finally began.
The location was the Hokage's office.
The entire written portion was conducted under the supervision of the Hokage, the three Hokage Advisors, and ten jōnin observers.
Hyuga Arin sat alone at a desk in the center.
All eyes were on him.
This prevented cheating.
Normally there would also be a combat evaluation, but Arin's combat strength was already well established.
The written exam was the real focus.
He skimmed the test.
Most questions covered ninja operations, village policy perspectives, and essay responses.
He exhaled in relief.
At least they weren't probing his loyalty with genjutsu.
He might actually fail that.
"The exam begins."
Hiruzen pressed the stopwatch.
Arin lowered his head and began writing.
Promotion from genin to chūnin required broad comparative evaluation.
But jōnin candidates were different.
Anyone selected already had distinguished battlefield achievements.
Their combat ability and overall competence were known.
This exam was simply a detailed confirmation of judgment and strategic thinking.
The stopwatch beeped.
Arin set down his pen and handed over the paper.
Hiruzen and the three advisors graded it immediately.
"Not bad," Hiruzen nodded.
Danzō nodded as well.
Arin's score was just above passing.
The jōnin written exam was notoriously difficult.
Passing was enough.
"I'm not convinced," Koharu Utatane said.
Homura Mitokado added smoothly,
"As a jōnin, one must serve as a model for others."
"But Hyuga Arin openly opposes his own clan and frequently contradicts superiors. His character is questionable."
The real issue—
He talked back.
They had no intention of letting him pass easily.
As long as they were alive—
He would not become jōnin.
"Hyuga Arin has passed the jōnin examination."
Danzō spoke firmly.
He grabbed the Hokage's seal and stamped the document.
Finalizing it.
He looked coldly at the two advisors.
"Do you have objections?"
✨ Bonus Chapter Goals ✨
10 Reviews = 1 Bonus Chapter
100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◇ You can read 90+ chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/CanonBreaker