"That is our sacred technique, passed down through generations. Sharing that knowledge with outsiders is unacceptable. And now you're suggesting he be allowed to pass it on to his students? Absolutely not!"
Inside the great hall of the Fire Temple, a group of elder monks raised their voices in outrage.
While they argued, Chiriku, the current head monk, stood quietly off to the side, hands folded, expression unreadable, eyes half-lidded in contemplation.
The heated debate echoed throughout the ancient chamber.
Several seconds passed before the noise began to subside. Everyone present had grown accustomed to this argument. It wasn't new. In fact, even before Garou's proposed collaboration had been formally approved, many of these elders had voiced their disapproval.
They were stubborn. Traditional. Deeply entrenched in their ways.
At first, Chiriku had found their resistance frustrating, draining, even. But by now, he had grown numb to the cycle.
Yelling wouldn't change anything.
"Elder Hakuseki," Chiriku finally spoke, his voice calm but firm, "I believe you once attempted to master the Gift of the Sages, didn't you?"
The monk named Hakuseki flinched. His face flushed red with shame. He opened his mouth, but no words came. In the end, he lowered his head in silence.
"I mean no offense," Chiriku added gently. "I only ask that you take a look at this notebook."
He held it out with both hands, respectful, composed.
Hakuseki hesitated, then accepted the notebook. He flipped through its pages, and almost immediately, his eyes widened.
'This… a comprehensive analysis of the Gift of the Sages?'
"Gift of the Sages… at its core, it is a fusion of natural energy and chakra, refined and repurposed."
"As long as one can sense this energy and understand how to channel it, training becomes possible…"
He muttered the words aloud as he read, mind drifting back to his own failed attempts to master the technique.
He remembered the flickering sensation he once felt, subtle, elusive, impossible to grasp. But now…
'So that's what it was.'
He had spent years meditating, clearing his mind, believing that was the essence of the path. But it wasn't that his talent had failed him. It was that he had never truly understood how to manipulate the energy he had sensed.
"…You've been working on this research all this time, Head Monk?" Hakuseki asked, astonished.
Chiriku shook his head. "Hardly. I wouldn't take credit for something I didn't do. That notebook you're holding was written by none other than Garou."
"Impossible!"
Hakuseki's face darkened instantly.
He had been one of the loudest opponents of Garou's involvement in the temple's training. In his eyes, the boy was just a child.
How could someone so young possibly understand something as profound as the Gift of the Sages?
Even seasoned jōnin struggled with sealing arts and senjutsu control. Many never managed to master them at all. To him, the entire proposal had felt like Konoha attempting to infiltrate and steal their sacred teachings under the guise of cooperation.
He had believed that completely.
Until now.
"You simply don't know enough about Garou," Chiriku said quietly from the side.
"You've all practiced the two techniques we received recently, yes?"
"Though Konoha is always scheming," another monk chimed in from the center of the room, "those two jutsu are truly remarkable."
"One enhances physical control and muscular feedback. The other... some kind of advanced Gentle Fist variant, unlike anything I've seen."
He was one of the neutral monks, skeptical, but not hostile. He had trained using both techniques. Though he hadn't mastered either, the more he practiced, the more impressed he became with their design.
Suddenly, something clicked.
"Wait… don't tell me…"
"You're right," Chiriku replied before the monk could finish. "Both of those techniques were created by Garou. At first, I doubted him too. But…"
He gave a faint smile, a trace of self-mockery behind it.
"Every generation in Konoha produces at least one extraordinary talent. This generation's prodigy is him."
Hakuseki opened his mouth to object, but when he looked down at the notebook in his hands, the words caught in his throat.
If those techniques, and this notebook, really were Garou's work… then perhaps the deal wasn't as one-sided as he had thought.
From what this child had demonstrated, the Fire Temple was indeed giving something, but they were gaining much, much more in return.
"You've all trained in the Gift of the Sages. Pass the notebook around, but take care not to damage it. If it's torn, we'll need to send it back to Konoha for repair," Chiriku said, casting them all a pointed look.
If any of them, in their excitement, slipped up, the loss would be immeasurable.
The monks exchanged awkward glances. Then, one by one, they began passing the notebook along.
Silence fell.
Earlier, Chiriku had shared Garou's conclusions aloud. But at the time, the monks had dismissed them as hypothetical musings, mere speculation from a child.
Now, reading Garou's precise observations and detailed step-by-step methodologies, each supported by logic and empirical data, they understood.
He had written exact procedures for refining the energy and integrating it into their training regimen.
That alone was invaluable.
Even if Konoha harbored ulterior motives, the knowledge itself was worth the risk.
Some of the monks began to cry.
"If I'd had this years ago… maybe I could've succeeded," one whispered.
They had all sensed the natural energy in the past but never knew how to absorb or refine it. They had clung to outdated doctrine, meditating endlessly, searching for enlightenment that never came.
If only this had come sooner...
Chiriku said nothing. He simply watched.
Eventually, when everyone had composed themselves, he finally spoke.
"We've all tasted the bitterness of failure. So ask yourselves. What value do these techniques hold if no one can master them? What's the point of guarding secrets that can't be used?"
"…But it's still a sacred technique," Hakuseki said at last, voice torn with internal conflict. "Shouldn't we keep it within the temple?"
His respect for Garou had grown, but allowing him to pass the knowledge on to others still felt like a step too far.
"You're letting your greed and ego cloud your judgment," Chiriku said firmly.
"You see only what we stand to lose, not what we've already gained. If not for Garou's research, would we even understand this much?"
"No," Hakuseki admitted quietly.
He couldn't deny it.
If the monks had been capable of unraveling this themselves, they wouldn't still be stuck after all these years.
The truth was simple: they had failed.
Garou had succeeded.
"And that's the point," Chiriku continued. "Garou's analysis suggests that our Gift of the Sages is merely a specialized expression of natural energy manipulation."
"So why stop at Thousand-Armed Murder? Why not use this understanding to explore other ancient techniques?"
Another heavy silence settled over the hall.
The monks exchanged uncertain looks.
That idea… had never occurred to them.
Chiriku sighed.
Perspective.
That was the difference.
Had he never met Garou, he might still be fixated on those ancient scrolls and outdated meditations. But witnessing Garou's ability to modernize forgotten jutsu, to distill their essence and build something new, had changed his mindset entirely.
Now he understood: the true strength didn't lie in the technique itself, but in how one approached it.
Hakuseki stood still, eyes slowly closing in realization.
Garou wasn't simply offering jutsu.
He was sharing an energy system. A refined methodology. A means to modernize, reinterpret, and revive long-lost arts. In other words, Garou didn't need their techniques. He didn't even covet them.
What he valued was understanding, application, and innovation.
And in truth, the Fire Temple hadn't discovered natural energy exclusively. It had always existed, beyond their walls, beyond their doctrines.
This wasn't theft.
It was partnership.
"…Very well," Hakuseki said, his voice steady. "I have no objections anymore. But if he shares this knowledge, I believe it should be restricted to Konoha shinobi. And the Fire Temple must be kept informed."
"Of course," Chiriku replied.
"He stated that himself in the letter. He even outlined the details of his agreement with the Aburame clan."
He handed over the letter.
After reading it, no one raised another complaint.
The elders quietly dispersed.
Chiriku remained alone in the hall, holding the notebook, sighing softly.
In the end, it wasn't only Garou's brilliance that moved the monks.
They agreed… because they saw what they stood to gain.
Greed. Desire. Pride. Ignorance.
Even monks are not free from worldly attachments.
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