The Origin Initial Sutra was a unique cultivation method, an intricate fusion of Daoist internal energy and the Chakra system of this world.
Its defining feature was the seamless use of Chakra to advance through four great realms; Refining Essence to Transform Qi, Refining Qi to Transform Spirit, Refining Spirit to Return to the Void, and Refining the Void to Join the Dao.
After all, to discard Chakra after reaching such heights of mastery would be wasteful beyond reason.
Another key strength of the Sutra lay in the free transformation among three kinds of energy: ordinary Chakra, Sage Chakra, and pure natural energy.
The ninjutsu techniques built upon Chakra weren't to be discarded—they were to be refined, transcended. Only once a method was discovered to reproduce or surpass those effects with natural energy could they be left behind.
The stage known as Refining Essence to Transform Qi—the "Hundred-Eye Pass," or the Small Heavenly Cycle—was the first after foundational work.
It required that the Eight Extraordinary Meridians be completely unblocked, allowing the flow of both essence and Chakra to refine into pure Qi.
In most people, the meridians, though passable, were not truly clear. Like rivers cluttered with stones and silt, they needed purification to reveal their full brilliance.
But for Uchiha Gen, whose Chakra cultivation was already at extraordinary heights—those channels were long since purified. Now he sought not just movement of Chakra, but the profound resonance of Refining Essence into Qi.
The profundity came when one reached a state beyond the body: light as a newborn, serene as drifting air. The body softened; awareness turned inward, until even the boundary between existence and nonexistence blurred.
Eventually, only the mind remained—a calm, self-aware flame hovering in stillness.
At its peak, a sudden illumination seemed to burst through the Byakūi and Hyakuei points atop the skull, like a skylight opening to sunlight.
A rush of pure, ethereal energy descended, flooding the body in clarity and joy.
The ancient Daoists called this state "Guanding" the descent of enlightenment.
Upon completing Refining Essence to Transform Qi, one advanced to Refining Qi to Transform Spirit, also known as the Ten-Month Pass, or Grand Heavenly Cycle.
Here, Qi and Spirit intertwined—each nurturing the other. Postnatal breath gave way to prenatal, embryonic breathing, nurturing a spiritual embryo within the Dantian.
This stage was mysterious and symbolic: the union of dragon and tiger, lead and mercury, male and female, all fusing into the Golden Elixir—the true seed of the Dao within the body.
From this process emerged the Yang Spirit, the "True Self," formed over a metaphorical ten months of gestation.
It was said that when the spirit fully merged with Qi, and Qi returned to Spirit, the body became light, the mind boundless. Life and death ceased to apply.
Stillness deepened until breathing itself stopped, the six pulses fading to silence.
One appeared dead, yet was closer to the source of life than ever before.
Thus began the stage of forming the spiritual embryo, a sacred stillness that demanded companions to guard the body lest the meditator awaken prematurely.
To the untrained eye, such stillness looked like death—but to the cultivator, it was rebirth in progress.
The Origin Initial Sutra's stages of Refining Essence to Transform Qi and Refining Qi to Transform Spirit were vast and profound.
As for the later two realms—Refining Spirit to Return to the Void and Refining the Void to Join the Dao—Gen had yet to verify their feasibility in this world. For now, he and his circle would continue their theoretical deductions.
Still, the results were undeniable: the ancient Daoist systems, reinterpreted through Chakra, worked flawlessly.
After half a month of disciplined practice, Uchiha Gen finally experienced the full depth of Refining Essence into Qi—transforming Chakra itself into a purer, subtler life energy.
Even during this time, his daily life continued as usual. The Chakra-based substitution in his cultivation meant physical intimacy or rest had little impact on progress.
Over the next five months, Gen rarely visited the Police Force, perhaps once a month at most.
He showed no sign of meddling in Konoha's political affairs, but that very restraint made Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others uneasy.
The less Gen interfered, the more they feared that once he ascended to Hokage, he would settle every old score at once.
Under pressure from the top, the powerful families behind Konoha's elders reluctantly surrendered the benefits they had previously absorbed. Even the Ino–Shika–Chō clans returned part of their share.
Those reclaimed profits and positions flowed toward the Uchiha, Hyūga, and several allied clans.
Beyond Konoha, the entire ninja world had heard the news: Uchiha Gen was officially designated as the Fifth Hokage.
Pakura, now the Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure, even sent gifts in formal congratulations. Other great powers remained silent, conserving strength and waiting.
Obito, too, had gone quiet—abandoning the idea of recruiting Gen altogether.
To him, Uchiha Gen was hidden too deeply, his growth seemingly plateaued.
If Obito's group had known that Gen could now summon the Complete Body Susanoo, they would have moved heaven and earth to eliminate him because such a Gen would be their greatest threat in collecting the Tailed Beasts.
....
Five months later, Uchiha Gen's cultivation reached another milestone; the feedback from the Eternal Mangekyō had stabilized, and his control over the Complete Body Susanoo was absolute.
Two days after achieving that mastery, Gen decided to act, visiting Kushina's home while Naruto was at the Academy.
A soft knock knock knock echoed at the Uzumaki household door.
Kushina opened it, surprised.
"Oh? Gen, what brings you here?"
She looked much like she had in her younger days—wearing a teal pinafore over a sleeveless white shirt, long crimson hair cascading behind her, held in place by a golden clip. Her fair skin glowed in the afternoon light.
"I came to discuss something with you," Gen said with an easy smile.
Today he wasn't wearing his usual dark Uchiha garb. Instead, he looked disarmingly casual—a white shirt under a green trench coat, light blue trousers, his composure sharp yet relaxed.
Kushina squinted slightly. "You feel… different today. Your aura."
"Oh?" Gen smiled. "Different how?"
She tilted her head, studying him. "It's hard to describe. Just… calmer. Wiser. Like you've been through something big."
Gen chuckled. The Sutra had indeed refined not only his body but his very presence, tempering his power into something quiet and transcendent.
"So," he said teasingly, "does that mean I've become more handsome?"
Kushina rolled her eyes. "Still vain as ever."
With a small smile, she turned and walked back into the house. Gen followed, closing the door behind him as though it were his own home. Kushina busied herself making tea.
"What were you doing just now?" he asked, settling on the sofa, one leg over the other.
"Laundry," Kushina said over her shoulder. "Ever since Naruto started the Academy, he's been a whirlwind of energy. His clothes are impossible to keep clean."
Gen chuckled. "Sasuke's the same. Boys that age are walking disasters."
Kushina came over, setting two cups of steaming tea on the table. Then, sitting beside him, she asked suddenly, "There's something I've been wondering."
"Oh?"
"You've got… so many women around you, but no children. Why?" She raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you have some kind of problem..."
Gen nearly choked on his tea. "Nonsense. I just don't want children yet."
"Why not? You're not exactly getting younger."
"The ninja world isn't truly peaceful," Gen replied evenly. "Having children now would only create vulnerabilities. Better to wait until stability is certain."
Kushina gave him a skeptical look. "Peaceful? Gen, apart from minor border skirmishes, there hasn't been war in years."
Gen sipped his tea and smiled faintly. "Your tea-making has improved again. I could drink this for a lifetime…"
Kushina's cheeks flushed slightly, and she tried to glare him down. "Smooth talker! I'm serious!"
He laughed. "Alright, alright. To be serious, this calm is deceptive. Beneath the surface, something is moving. A large conspiracy is forming."
"What kind of conspiracy?" she asked sharply.
"I'm not sure yet. But I do know this: the person behind the Nine-Tails attack is alive and has joined a secret organization."
Kushina froze. "What?! You found traces of that bastard?"
At once, her chakra surged—red hair rising like flames, eyes fierce, killing intent filling the air. The wind from her aura rattled the windows.
"Calm down!" Gen said quickly, standing and catching her shoulders. "Unless you want to destroy your house again."
Her scent filled the air, warm, wild, familiar. For a fleeting instant, his heart stirred.
"I can't calm down! Tell me where he is!" she demanded.
Gen met her eyes, steady but gentle. "I know the general region. But his organization moves constantly. Even its own members rarely see him."
"He's not even the leader—more like a collaborator. He appears and vanishes. If you went now, you'd gain nothing."
He didn't mention that Obito was likely hiding in the Mist Village. That knowledge, revealed too soon, could ruin his plans. He intended to strike only when both Obito and Black Zetsu were within reach, ending it in one sweep.
Kushina slowly steadied her breath, though her hands still trembled. "What's the organization called?"
"Akatsuki," Gen said simply.
As he spoke, his hand shifted, casually, instinctively, from her shoulder to rest at her waist.
Kushina, caught up in thought, didn't notice.
"You must not act alone," Gen warned. "The leader possesses the Rinnegan—the eye once held by the Sage of Six Paths himself. Every member is an S-rank rogue ninja, each with strange and deadly abilities. Even you could fall if you faced them unprepared."
Her eyes widened. "The Rinnegan…?"
Inside her, the Yin half of the Nine-Tails stirred.
"The Rinnegan of the old man of Six Paths has reappeared?" the beast muttered, its deep voice reverberating in the sealed space.
Kushina's eyes flickered. "The Nine-Tails just mentioned the Sage of Six Paths. Maybe it knows something. I should ask."
Gen's gaze sharpened. "I'll go with you. It might lie or refuse to speak. My genjutsu can make it tell the truth."
A spark passed between them—half tension, half unspoken understanding.
Kushina nodded. "Alright. Let's go together."
"Follow my Chakra," she said softly.
"Got it," Gen murmured.
As their consciousnesses began to link, he leaned slightly closer—his hand still resting against her waist, his voice low near her ear.
"Let's begin."