Taking a Master?

In the Hokage's office!

Hearing the Third Hokage's words, Yemo's eyes narrowed slightly. He knew they had reached the heart of the matter. It seemed that the strength he had revealed when facing death in the battle with the Eight-Tails had drawn the attention of Konoha High Command through Orochimaru.

"Don't be nervous. First, my first question." Seeing that Yemo was somewhat uneasy, the Third smiled and spoke gently. "Orochimaru told me that when the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer B, discovered him, he had no idea anyone else was hiding nearby. He only discovered you during his battle with the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. How did you manage that?"

It was no wonder the Third was curious. A child only a few years old had managed to evade the notice of both Orochimaru and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, remaining hidden in the shadows. Even the Third found it hard to believe.

"I was able to stay hidden under Lord Orochimaru's nose and evade his detection mainly because I used the Uzumaki Clan's secret family technique, Mind's Eye of the Kagura." There was nothing to hide about this question, so Yemo admitted it openly.

"Mind's Eye of the Kagura?" the Third murmured, then slowly nodded.

Seeing the Third nod, Yemo understood that he had accepted the explanation. The Third evidently knew about Mind's Eye of the Kagura. After all, even the Third had heard of such an ultimate detection Ninjutsu.

Still, the Third was surprised that Yemo could master such a powerful Ninjutsu at his age. The technique required more than mere talent.

The Third continued, "Next question. Does your Chakra, like your sister's, possess a special power that can suppress the power of a Tailed Beast?"

"Yes!" Yemo answered.

Those two words alone gave the Third an idea of what to do. It seemed Yemo was not merely an exceptionally gifted youth, but also a suitable vessel for a Tailed Beast.

Although the Nine-Tails was currently inside Kushina, and for her safety she spent most of her time in the village, with Anbu secretly protecting her and monitoring her condition,

even so, there was no way to be completely certain that the Nine-Tails inside Kushina would not go berserk. If something happened and the Nine-Tails inside Kushina went berserk, Konoha would have a backup plan.

Cruel. If anyone knew what the Third was thinking, they would surely use that word to describe it. But in the Third's mind, as long as it was for the village's safety, what did it matter if it was cruel? Even if he had to sacrifice his own life, he would not hesitate.

The Third cleared his throat and slowly voiced his final question, which was also the real reason he had summoned Yemo. "Yemo, from Orochimaru's account of last night's battle, at the critical moment when the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Blue B, attacked you, you used a Ninjutsu that caused countless tree roots to burst from the ground and form a wall of Wood Release to block his attack."

Wood Release carried enormous significance. It was a Kekkei Genkai created by the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. Its power went without saying; otherwise, the First would not have been known as the God of Hokage.

Unfortunately, the Wood Release created by the First had not been passed down. Even Tsunade, one of the Sannin and a direct relative of the First, had not inherited this Kekkei Genkai. Since then, Wood Release had vanished from the world.

If Yemo could truly use Wood Release, both its significance and the reason behind it warranted a thorough investigation.

So that really is why he summoned me, Yemo thought. After pondering it for a long time on the way over, he had suspected that what truly intrigued High Command was the Wood Release-like effect he had produced using Yin-Yang Release to create a boat.

Since he had anticipated this, Yemo clearly had an answer ready. He explained, "Lord Third, I think I should explain that Ninjutsu of mine. It wasn't Wood Release, merely a Ninjutsu that manipulates things. I didn't create the roots; I only manipulated the roots underground and brought them together to form a shield. In fact, that Ninjutsu has nothing to do with Wood Release."

At Yemo's explanation, both the Third's and Orochimaru's expressions changed slightly, showing both relief and disappointment.

After a pause, the Third smiled faintly. "In that case, that's good."

Then the Third abruptly changed the subject. "Yemo, do you have any thoughts about your future arrangements?"

Though somewhat puzzled by the Third's sudden question, Yemo answered honestly, "Not for now, but my sister plans to send me to the Ninja Academy first."

The Third thought for a moment. "With your talent and strength, there's really little need for you to enter the Ninja Academy. It would have little left to teach you, and attending it would be something of a waste of your time. How about I make arrangements for you?"

Yemo found the Third's words very strange. What exactly was the Third planning? Why had he suddenly become so concerned about Yemo's future, even offering to make arrangements himself?

Though thoroughly puzzled, Yemo replied, "I'll leave everything to you, Lord Hokage!"

Smiling and nodding, the Third looked at Orochimaru, who stood beside Yemo, and said mildly, "In that case, how about this, Orochimaru? Jiraiya and Tsunade have both taken disciples, but you haven't. Why not take Yemo as your disciple and teach him Ninjutsu? What do you think? You have no objections, Orochimaru?"

Orochimaru was evidently unaware of the Third's plan as well. He was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "I have no objection to having such an exceptionally gifted disciple. I just don't know whether Yemo agrees."

Yemo was utterly stunned by the Third's arrangement. The Third actually wanted Orochimaru to be his teacher. An ordinary person would surely have been too overjoyed to speak.

But Yemo was different. According to Naruto, what kind of person was Orochimaru? He was a true villain who had single-handedly devised the Konoha Crush Plan and even killed his own teacher, the Third Hokage. Such a cruel, cold-blooded man, who could be said to have no humanity at all, was going to become his teacher. Yemo could hardly find words to describe how he felt.

Orochimaru was one of the Sannin, renowned throughout the Shinobi World. Countless people wanted to become disciples of the Sannin. Even many of Konoha's prominent clans had tried to place their young members under the Sannin's tutelage, but none had succeeded. So far, Jiraiya had taken one disciple, Minato Namikaze, and Tsunade had one disciple, Shizune. Only Orochimaru had no disciples.

The Third was also somewhat surprised that Orochimaru had answered without any hesitation. Orochimaru was the most gifted and talented of his three disciples, and at times the Third had trained him with the intention of making him Hokage.

As Orochimaru was his most outstanding disciple, the Third had previously introduced some young members of the Sarutobi Clan, hoping Orochimaru would teach them, but Orochimaru had refused them all.

This time, when he introduced Yemo, the Third had even worried that Orochimaru would put it off. He had not expected him to agree without a second word. Although he could sense from their conversation that Orochimaru appreciated Yemo, had his appreciation reached such a point? The Third was very surprised.