Tsunade is Too Idle, Let Her Move

The next day, just as Hyuga Hane expected, Uchiha Yakumaru did not show up, having requested leave.

Shadow Clones cause cumulative fatigue; having practiced taijutsu since childhood, Hane only ever dared to use five clones for training at most. Uchiha Yakumaru's approach could only be described as courting death.

Not everyone is Naruto, possessing the Uzumaki Clan's constitution and the Nine-Tails' chakra as a safety net.

In the morning, with Kushina's Nine-Tails chakra assisting his training, he was fine and could even manifest more clones.

But after getting a taste of that sweetness, Uchiha Yakumaru clearly didn't just increase his limit incrementally upon returning home; he had gone straight to manifesting the maximum number of clones for training.

And then... he ended up playing dead.

For several days, Minato's Shadow Clone, who hadn't paid much attention at first and assumed Yakumaru was just busy, couldn't help but suggest going to check on him.

He hadn't expected to receive such an answer from Hane.

"I warned him."

Facing Minato's Shadow Clone, Hyuga Hane explained calmly, "But he didn't listen."

"..."

Looking at your calm and indifferent expression, it would be strange if he did listen, Minato thought. He would only stubbornly insist on maintaining more clones than you during training.

Minato smiled and shook his head. "You will all be members of the same squad in the future; you should get along well."

"I don't believe I have ever provoked him," Hyuga Hane said. "I merely stated the facts."

"..." Minato fell silent again.

Strictly speaking, that was true, but your demeanor and the facts themselves were the greatest provocation to him.

"I never expected Hane's personality to be quite so interesting." Kushina, standing to the side, giggled. "I think he'll be able to handle Kakashi."

Glancing at Kushina, Hyuga Hane said nothing.

Everyone wears a mask to some degree, and he didn't feel tired from wearing one himself.

But occasionally revealing one's true side is more effective at gaining trust.

Because when a person shows a different version of themselves to someone, it indicates that they have opened up a part of their heart to them.

And sincerity... is the best weapon.

However, he did not deny that getting along with the Minato couple and Yakumaru was easy, especially the latter.

In this Shinobi World, which reeks of cannibalism at every turn, Uchiha Yakumaru, who spends his days wanting to surpass him, seems truly simple.

Because he is upright and forthright.

"Kakashi, huh..."

Thinking of his disciple, Minato's Shadow Clone's eyes dimmed slightly. His gaze landed on Hyuga Hane, and he changed the subject.

"Come to think of it, there is something I haven't asked for your opinions on yet. My Shadow Guard will be a standard three-man squad. Do you have any thoughts on who the third person should be?"

"Lord Minato, the Shadow Guard is a squad meant to protect your safety; there is no need to consult our opinions," Hyuga Hane frowned.

"The problem is that among Konoha's current Jonin and Special Jonin, there aren't many suitable candidates. I have already conducted a selection once."

Although he had managed to fool the advisors using the Flying Thunder God, Minato truly hadn't found anyone suitable among Konoha's younger generation.

That's right, the younger generation.

His prerequisite for the Shadow Guard was that the ninja had to be under 16 years old.

The Flying Thunder God holds great strategic significance, and Minato wanted to leave a legacy for Konoha. Originally, he had intended to teach it directly to his disciples, Kakashi and Obito.

However, the latter died in battle, and the former was wallowing in despair.

That plan had to be aborted.

Therefore, he intended to teach it to the younger generation of Konoha, which would also fulfill a long-held wish.

Minato: "Both you and Yakumaru have excellent talent. If the third person is too inferior, it wouldn't be appropriate from any perspective."

In his heart, Hane and Yakumaru were both the future backbone of the village, the elites among Jonin.

If the gap with the third person were too large, the sense of disparity in the future would crush them.

"Are you looking to cultivate the younger generation?"

Hyuga Hane understood Minato's intentions and spoke up to offer a reminder: "Ever since your title of Yellow Flash spread throughout the Shinobi World, many Konoha Jonin have harbored the desire to learn the Flying Thunder God."

"But to this day, not a single ninja has mastered the Flying Thunder God technique. Neither Yakumaru nor I have grasped it yet."

"Since that is the case, why not consider cultivating other areas? Neither Yakumaru nor I possess medical ninjutsu. If you, Lord Hokage, were to be injured, we would have no ability to treat you."

"If the third person were a medical ninja, I imagine the help would be just as significant."

Minato fell into deep thought.

Hyuga Hane's idea was a standard four-man squad configuration.

The only difference was that the captain had become him, the Hokage.

The members would include two Jonin and one medical ninja. Among them, Hyuga Hane also provided sensory capabilities.

A very well-rounded team.

Seeing Minato fall into thought, Hyuga Hane continued:

"Furthermore, if we have a medical ninja with extraordinary combat capabilities, this team would have no obvious weaknesses. The strongest medical ninja in Konoha is currently in the village, and she should be able to train others."

"Besides... Lady Tsunade seems quite idle; I saw her spending the entire afternoon at an izakaya yesterday."

"An izakaya? The whole afternoon?"

Before Minato could react, Kushina had already narrowed her eyes, looking at Hane with a thoughtful expression, "How do you know that?"

"I just happened to pass by that street twice that afternoon for some business and saw her there the whole time," Hane replied, his expression unchanging.

"Is that so?"

She looked at him with a half-smile, but it was useless against this poker-faced boy. Kushina could only shift her gaze away in silence and turn to look at Minato's Shadow Clone.

"You've arranged for Kakashi to join the Anbu and kept him by your side to look after him, but Rin's situation is a bit tricky, isn't it? Why not let her go learn under Lady Tsunade?"

"She has always blamed herself for holding Obito and Kakashi back."

"Hmm..."

Minato's Shadow Clone pondered in silence, then suddenly transformed into white smoke and vanished, leaving only a single sentence lingering in the air.

"I will relay this message to my original body and discuss it with the advisors to see if we can have Lady Tsunade re-establish the medical squad."

For a moment, only Kushina and Hyuga Hane remained at the scene.

The former looked at the latter and suddenly revealed a kind, sincere smile.

"I think the reason you and Yakumaru haven't been able to master the Flying Thunder God must be because you lack pressure. Let me help you with that."

Mikoto had taken her son to the battlefield to find Fugaku, and since Minato was rarely home due to work, she had been bored out of her mind.

Now that Minato's Shadow Clone was gone, it was time for me to properly fulfill my duties as an elder.

Watching Kushina's smile grow increasingly bold as golden chakra bloomed around her, Hyuga Hane calmly raised two fingers.

"Release!"

--Poof!

In an instant, Hyuga Hane transformed into white smoke just like Minato's Shadow Clone, leaving only a piece of paper with writing on it on the ground.

Kushina was stunned, stepping forward in disbelief to pick up the note and read it.

Deceiving both her and Minato by using a Shadow Clone was something very difficult to pull off.

'Lord Minato, Lady Kushina, I apologize. I have gained some new insights into the Gentle Fist, so please allow me to use a Shadow Clone for today's training.'

"So it was a Shadow Clone from the very beginning..."

Sighing helplessly, Kushina didn't feel that there was anything wrong with what Hane had done.

The Flying Thunder God emphasized technique and experience, which could be learned through clones, but taijutsu improvement required the original body.

She put away the note, let her gaze linger on a certain corner for a moment, and began walking toward the village.

Another half-day to spend alone.

Aside from the surveillance and protection personnel being replaced by people she was familiar with due to Minato's arrangements, nothing else seemed to have changed.

Those who held the reins of Konoha were, after all, still those ninja clans and the high-ranking officials.

Although Minato had gained partial support from the Uchiha and Hyuga clans thanks to Hyuga Hane and Uchiha Yakumaru, both clans had long remained on the periphery of the village's core, so their assistance was limited.

The power of the Hokage could never be fully consolidated into his hands.

"The Third is truly a hands-off manager."

Kushina muttered.

Although the Third had ceded the position of Hokage to Minato, Kushina instinctively had no fondness for him.

Since he had abdicated, why couldn't he have dismissed those advisors and the Hokage Assistant?

To put it bluntly, was he keeping a group of old men to dilute Minato's power?

These were the older generation of Konoha; Minato could not deal with them regardless of his achievements or seniority, and he still had to listen to their opinions on every matter.

Although she didn't understand such things well, Kushina knew that a Hokage without sufficient power was a recipe for disaster!