Tsunade Comes Calling, Chiyue's Choice

It was better not to drag Kushina into this. Otherwise, once Minato found out, he probably would not know how to face Kushina either.

He might even refuse to learn the Shadow Clone Technique.

Did he think he could reap a round of benefits just by using a name?

Dream on. He would rather let Tsunade benefit than let him have it.

"But why did Lady Tsunade give you a ninjutsu scroll? When did that happen? How come I didn't know?"

Minato was even more confused.

Chiyue raised a hand and brushed back his silver hair. "Obviously because I'm handsome. Did you really need to ask such a simple question?"

Minato: "..."

I don't know whether you're handsome, but I do know your skin is definitely thick.

Forget it. The important question was whether to learn the technique.

Minato looked at Chiyue in conflict.

Chiyue gave his shoulder a hard pat.

"Learn it. Why wouldn't we learn a ninjutsu scroll that was handed to us? Even if we don't learn it, the reward has already been recorded. After we graduate, we'll have to carry out missions to pay it back. Are you stupid?"

"Come on, let's skip class and go learn ninjutsu by the river. I'm sure the teacher will understand."

With that, Chiyue decisively chose to skip class, bringing Minato along.

After thinking it over, Minato followed Chiyue over the wall and made his escape.

"You two little brats!!"

When the teacher entered the classroom for the lesson and saw Chiyue and Minato's empty seats, his eyelids began twitching wildly.

Good grief. He had only just handed them their reward ninjutsu scrolls, and they immediately skipped class?

The Shadow Clone Technique was only a B-rank ninjutsu and was not particularly difficult to control. Chiyue and Minato quickly mastered it.

"You go attend class for me. I'm going to train."

Chiyue directly sent his shadow clone off to class while he himself lay at home sleeping in.

Before, he had had no choice but to sit in the classroom.

Now that he had a shadow clone, who would still want to sit in class spacing out and dozing off?

Having lots of Chakra meant he could be willful.

"If Minato finds out I sent a shadow clone to school while hiding away to train myself, he'll probably be furious."

Sitting by the small river where he usually trained, Chiyue held a grilled fish skewered on a branch and grinned wickedly.

He felt that the longer Minato spent with him, the more Minato's values drifted off course.

Minato had originally worshipped the Third Hokage, but under Chiyue's influence, that admiration was now plummeting.

Chiyue himself had no idea what impact this would have in the future.

"So this is what you learned the Shadow Clone Technique for?"

Tsunade leaped out of the woods and landed in front of Chiyue.

"How did you find out?"

Chiyue turned the grilled fish over and asked.

"What nonsense. Can a shadow clone be exactly like the original? I knew your intentions weren't pure when you wanted to learn the Shadow Clone Technique. Caught you, didn't I?"

Tsunade sat down carelessly, her eyes fixed on the grilled fish in Chiyue's hand without hiding in the slightest that she wanted some.

"..."

Your fists are bigger, so whatever you say goes.

Chiyue handed her the grilled fish, then started roasting another one.

Tsunade did not stand on ceremony. She picked up the fish and began eating in huge bites.

Seeing how boldly she ate, Chiyue was genuinely afraid a fish bone would get stuck in her throat.

"Did you come to see me about something, Lady Tsunade?"

Tsunade was not the sort to wander around idly. If she had that kind of free time, she would rather sleep in or spend it enjoying herself at the casino.

"The Old Man called Jiraiya and me to see him."

"Lord Hokage?"

"Because of me?"

Chiyue did not think he was worth the Third Hokage making such a fuss over.

"Because of you and that brat Minato."

Tsunade did not hide it. She casually tossed aside the fish bones and stick, clapped her hands, and said, "The Old Man wants Jiraiya and me to become Jonin Instructors."

This soon?

There was still some time before this year's students graduated. Was the Third Hokage already assigning people so early?

Chiyue did not care whose team he was assigned to, as long as he could be with Sister Mikoto.

It would be best if the remaining teammate was Minato.

If not, he could not force it.

As long as the Jonin Instructor was not Orochimaru, Chiyue could accept anyone.

He truly could not accept Orochimaru's behavior, especially when that long tongue shot out with a whoosh. It was enough to make one's scalp tingle.

The most outrageous part was that Orochimaru's tongue was forked!!

"So, Lady Tsunade, will you be Sister Mikoto's and my Jonin Instructor?"

"It's possible."

Tsunade folded her arms and reminded him, "But only for you. Uchiha Mikoto isn't being considered, since she belongs to the Uchiha Clan."

"Hm?"

As she spoke, Tsunade noticed something off about Chiyue's gaze. Looking down, she could not help but laugh in irritation.

"Seen enough? Want to come closer? You'll be able to see more clearly that way."

"Ahem!"

Chiyue coughed and rubbed his nose. Being caught peeking was indeed rather awkward.

He did not know whether Tsunade had entered some rapid growth phase, but the scale of her chest was becoming more exaggerated by the day. They had not met for just a month, yet it had grown another size.

Chiyue had inadvertently looked a few extra times and been caught red-handed.

"What about Sister Mikoto? Why isn't she included?"

Chiyue changed the subject.

Uchiha Mikoto had repeated a year for his sake. If they could not be assigned to the same team, what would have been the point?

Tsunade looked at Chiyue but did not answer.

Chiyue could guess some of it himself.

After all, this was the higher-ups' decision—more precisely, the Third Hokage's decision. It had nothing to do with Tsunade herself.

He could not blame Tsunade.

"Then Sister Mikoto and I will form our own team and find a suitable teammate."

Shinobi graduates fell into three categories. The first were those who graduated early.

After graduation, the village would arrange a team for them, or they could find one themselves. Such teams were usually unstable.

The future Kakashi was like that, switching from one team to another.

He was always unable to get along with his teammates.

The second category was students from the same year graduating together, being assigned to the same team, with the village appointing a Jonin Instructor as captain. Lesser teams could only have a Chunin.

The final category was those who refused the village's arrangements and made their own way.

If he had to be separated from Uchiha Mikoto, Chiyue would rather refuse the team arranged by the village.

He would rather make his own way with Mikoto.

Chiyue did not believe that without a Jonin Instructor, he would starve to death.

At worst, they would be a restricted two-person team. He would take the Chunin Exam as soon as possible. As long as he passed, all the problems would be easily resolved.

A powerful shinobi could take on all kinds of missions alone, let alone as part of a two-person team.

Besides, Mikoto herself was no weakling.

A team made up of just Chiyue and Mikoto would still be stronger than an ordinary Chunin team.

Since that was the case, why accept the village's arrangements and be forcibly separated?

"If we can't be assigned to the same team, then Sister Mikoto repeating a year and me skipping a year will become completely meaningless. There's no need to say anything more, Lady Tsunade. After graduation, Sister Mikoto and I will form a two-person team. As for Minato..."

Dragging Minato into something like this would be unfair to him.

Even though Chiyue believed that if he asked, Minato would definitely come running over eagerly.

"I respect his choice."

Tsunade frowned at him. "Are you really going to do this?"

"Yeah."

Chiyue nodded. "I don't want to be separated from Sister Mikoto, and I don't feel at ease letting her be assigned to another team. If we can't be together, then I'll give it up. I choose to form a team with Sister Mikoto ourselves."