Team Building, Kushina

In the end, the teacher and his students went to the barbecue restaurant across from the ramen shop, failing to patronize the legendary ramen shop of Otsutsuki Ichiraku.

After all, the team had just been formed, and the emotions of the team members and students needed to be fully considered; they would be facing life and death together from now on.

In Konoha, there are three types of teacher-student relationships, ranging from shallow to deep: the introductory teacher, the mentor, and the master.

The introductory teacher is the one from the Ninja Academy or a private tutor hired before enrollment, much like Iruka and Naruto in the original story.

A step further is the mentor, the Chunin or Jonin team leader who takes over when one first becomes a ninja, helping rookies adapt to this world as quickly as possible, such as Team 7 in Shippuden.

The final type is the master who imparts knowledge and teachings; this relationship is the most intimate, such as Jiraiya and Naruto, or Kakashi and Second Pillar.

The relationship between Tobirama and Danzo or the Third Hokage likely falls into the second category. The relationship between Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Sannin also counts as the second.

Ordinary team compositions change frequently, so the teacher-student relationship is not necessarily very close, and even if it is, it may not bring much benefit or capital.

Elite teams are different. Those who can enter an elite team are all young people with extraordinary aptitude, and the team leaders are basically all Jonin, with relatively fixed rosters.

Furthermore, because the captain's strength and status, as well as the members' talent, all surpass those of ordinary teams, the connections and networks woven between them are far more valuable.

Whether speaking from the perspective of sentiment or interest, the relationships within an elite team are well worth maintaining.

Master Minato asked the three little ones to wait a moment on the commercial street and specifically used the Body Flicker Technique to return home, his speed so fast that he left a golden afterimage on the street.

When Master Minato returned, a great beauty was by his side—none other than his girlfriend, Uzumaki Kushina.

Uchiha Mai guessed that Master Minato hadn't brought enough money and had gone back to request funds, and since he was too embarrassed to leave his girlfriend at home while he went to eat barbecue, he had brought Kushina along.

"Minato, are these your two new students? They're so cute."

Kushina clearly knew Kakashi; after nodding in greeting, she leaned down with a beaming smile and patted the heads of Mai and Might Guy.

"Hello, Mistress." Kakashi nodded in greeting; at this stage, Kakashi was not yet particularly reclusive.

Minato stood to the side like a younger brother following a big sister, introducing, "This is my girlfriend, Uzumaki Kushina. These are my two new team members and students, Uchiha Mai and Might Guy."

"Hello, Mistress." Might Guy followed Kakashi's lead and said.

"Hello, Sister Kushina."

Uchiha Mai was more cunning, instantly raising his seniority above the two "little brothers," Kakashi and Might Guy.

"Haha..."

Kushina's eyes narrowed into slits at being called "sister," and she punched Master Minato in the chest, saying, "This student of yours is quite interesting."

Amidst laughter and joy, the five of them crowded into the barbecue restaurant and indulged themselves. By the time they were full and satisfied, it was already eight or nine in the evening.

Kushina stayed at the restaurant to pay the bill and haggle, while Master Minato led the three out of the shop.

As moonlight spilled over the street, Master Minato said, "Our team's first gathering since its formation can be considered a complete success."

"Starting tomorrow, arrive at the small lake on the west side of the village at nine o'clock sharp. You will need to undergo three to five days of collaborative training before you can officially take on difficult missions."

"To achieve tacit cooperation, you must understand your teammates' strengths and characteristics. Tomorrow's training project will be an internal team exercise."

"Get some good rest tonight to prepare, and remember to eat breakfast tomorrow morning. Don't be late."

Master Minato was an honest man, unlike the later Kakashi, who always liked to pull some crooked tricks when leading Team 7.

Master Minato's honesty as a leader also had to do with the different era.

In the generation of Naruto and Second Pillar, the power and foundations of the major ninja villages had been almost hollowed out, and the situation was relatively peaceful; the nature of the Ninja Academy was naturally closer to a kindergarten or daycare.

Now, with undercurrents surging and the possibility of war at any moment, the nature of the Ninja Academy was closer to a reserve ninja training base.

As for the deceit and life-or-death struggles, even if Mai's generation hadn't seen it all at the academy, they were still well-informed.

A few days of intensive training would be enough to send them out to fight directly against other organizations.

"Understood."

"Kakashi, Mai, see you tomorrow!"

"Goodbye, Master Minato, Sister Kushina."

The team disbanded, and Uchiha Mai walked home, summarizing the day's gains and thinking about tomorrow's internal team exercise.

Having beaten Asuma and the others black and blue in front of Minato, his "Style Points" had risen from 35 to 167, which was passable.

If he wasn't mistaken, the Third Hokage and Clan Head Fugaku were likely in the office, watching the entire fight. Even though the quality of the opponents and the audience was better than the first time he beat up Asuma, the gains were far less.

There must be some mechanism like "drug resistance" or "diminishing returns" in place; after all, he couldn't just keep shearing the same sheep, Asuma.

Tomorrow's internal exercise would likely still be a sparring match, as only sparring could test a ninja's true strength.

The only difference would be whether it was a simulation of a real battlefield or something closer to a tournament-style match.

It seemed necessary to do another half-star draw to give Master Minato a "surprise," creating the illusion that his strength was improving rapidly every day, which would be more conducive to harvesting Style Points.

The prerequisite was that whatever he drew had to be useful.

Before long, Uchiha Mai returned home. Just as he was about to burn incense and bathe to adjust his mindset for some "metaphysical" luck, a knocking sound echoed at the door.

Uchiha Mai pushed the door open, glanced around, and seeing no one, habitually lowered his head. Sure enough, it was the little bean, Shisui.

The little brat had a runny nose, his mouth smeared with white sugar, and he held a skewer of red bean dumplings in each hand, saying, "Brother Mai."

"Uncle Clan Head asked me to tell you to head over to his place."

"Did you pass by the Clan Head's house again?" Uchiha Mai asked with a smile.

Shisui shook his head like a rattle, took a bite of a dumpling, and replied while chewing, "No, the Clan Head sent other uncles to my house. They gave me these dumplings and told me to come get you."

Uchiha Mai narrowed his eyes slightly. Once might be a coincidence, but twice is intentional. Fugaku is really pulling some strings.

When humans face creatures far larger than themselves, they instinctively become guarded and tense.

A seven or eight-year-old child who is already considered "grown up" would certainly feel even more nervous when told by adults who far outclass him in height, build, and strength, "The Clan Head wants to see you, come with us."

Especially since Uchiha adult ninjas have almost all worked in the Police Force, and every one of them wears a stone-faced expression, capable of making a simple greeting sound like a summons.

To be so meticulous even when dealing with a seven or eight-year-old child—it's no wonder Fugaku managed to gain the support of both the radical and moderate factions.

State is a bit poor, transitional chapter.