Tsunade Had Too Much Free Time-Let's Get Her Moving

The next day, just as Hane had expected, Uchiha Yakumaru took the day off and didn't show up.

Shadow Clones accumulated fatigue. Hane had trained in Taijutsu since childhood, and even he had only dared to use five clones at most for training. Yakumaru's approach could only be called reckless.

Not everyone was Naruto, with the Uzumaki Clan's physical advantages and the Nine-Tails Chakra to back him up.

With Kushina helping him train using the Nine-Tails Chakra that morning, he'd been fine—and had even managed to make more clones.

But after getting a taste of the benefits, Yakumaru had evidently made no gradual attempts to increase the number of clones when he got home. Instead, he'd immediately made as many as he could and started training.

And then... he'd collapsed.

After several days had passed, Minato's Shadow Clone—which had initially assumed Yakumaru was simply busy—couldn't help suggesting that they go check on him.

He hadn't expected to get this answer from Hane.

"I warned him."

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

"..."

Yakumaru looked at your calm, indifferent expression. No wonder he hadn't listened. It would only make him want to prove himself by maintaining more clones than you.

Minato smiled and shook his head. "You'll be on the same team in the future. You should get along."

"I don't think I've ever provoked him," Hane said. "I only stated the facts."

"..." Minato fell silent again.

Strictly speaking, that was true. But your expression, along with the facts, was the greatest provocation of all to him.

"I didn't expect Hane to have such an interesting personality," Kushina whispered with a giggle. "I think he'll be able to handle Kakashi."

Hane glanced at Kushina but said nothing.

Everyone wore a mask to some extent, and he didn't find it tiring to keep his on.

But occasionally showing his true self made it easier to earn people's trust.

When someone showed a different side of themselves to another person, it meant they had let down their guard, at least a little.

And sincerity... was the best weapon.

Still, he couldn't deny that it was easy to get along with Minato and Kushina—and with Yakumaru in particular.

In this Shinobi World, where everything seemed to carry the threat of being devoured, Uchiha Yakumaru, who spent all day trying to beat him, seemed remarkably simplehearted.

Because he was straightforward.

"Kakashi..."

Thinking of his student, Minato's Shadow Clone looked a little downcast. His gaze fell on Hane, and he changed the subject.

"By the way, there's something I haven't asked you about. My Shadow Guard will be organized as a standard three-person squad. Do you have any thoughts about the third member?"

"Lord Minato, the Shadow Guard is meant to protect you. There's no need to ask for our opinions." Hane frowned.

"The problem is, there aren't many suitable candidates among Konoha's Jonin and Special Jonin right now. I've already held one selection."

Although he'd managed to fob off the advisors with the Flying Thunder God Technique, Minato still hadn't found anyone suitable among Konoha's younger generation.

That was right—the younger generation.

His search for members of the Shadow Guard was limited to shinobi under the age of sixteen.

The Flying Thunder God Technique had great strategic value, and Minato wanted to pass it down in Konoha. He'd originally planned to teach it directly to his students, Kakashi and Obito.

But the latter had died in battle, while the former had lost his will.

He'd had to put that plan on hold.

So he intended to teach Konoha's younger generation instead, which would also let him put one of his worries to rest.

"Both you and Yakumaru have excellent talent. If the third member falls too far behind, it won't be suitable from any perspective."

In Minato's eyes, Hane and Yakumaru would both become pillars of the village in the future—elite Jonin.

If the third member fell too far behind, the gap would eventually crush him.

"You want to train someone from the younger generation?"

Understanding what Minato had in mind, Hane reminded him directly, "After your title of Yellow Flash became famous throughout the Shinobi World, many of Konoha's Jonin wanted to learn the Flying Thunder God."

"But even now, not a single shinobi has managed to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique. Yakumaru and I haven't mastered it either."

"If that's the case, why not train someone in a different field? Neither Yakumaru nor I know Medical Ninjutsu. If you're injured, Lord Hokage, we won't be able to treat you."

"If the third member were a medical ninja, they could surely be a great help too."

Minato fell into thought.

Hane's suggestion followed the standard four-person squad structure.

The only difference was that the squad leader would be Minato, the Hokage himself.

It would have two Jonin and one medical ninja. Hane would also provide sensory abilities.

It was a well-rounded team.

Seeing Minato thinking it over, Hane continued:

"Besides, if the medical ninja had exceptional combat ability, the team wouldn't have any obvious weaknesses. Konoha's strongest medical ninja is in the village right now. We should be able to train someone."

"Besides... Lady Tsunade seems to have plenty of free time. I saw her at an izakaya all afternoon yesterday."

"At an izakaya? All afternoon?"

Before Minato could react, Kushina narrowed her eyes and looked at Hane thoughtfully. "How do you know that?"

"I happened to have something to do on that street yesterday afternoon, so I walked past twice. She was there both times." Hane didn't bat an eye.

"Is that so?"

Kushina gave him a knowing look, but it was completely wasted on the stone-faced boy. She could only look away in exasperation and turn to Minato's Shadow Clone.

"You put Kakashi in Anbu and keep him by your side, but it'll be harder to figure out what to do about Rin, won't it? Why not let her study under Lady Tsunade?"

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

"Hmm..."

Minato's Shadow Clone fell silent in thought, then suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke. Only a sentence lingered in the air.

"I'll pass the message on to my real body and discuss it with the advisors. We'll see if we can get Lady Tsunade to reopen the Medical Corps."

Only Kushina and Hane remained.

She looked at him, then suddenly gave him a warm, sincere smile.

"I think you and Yakumaru haven't mastered the Flying Thunder God because you haven't had enough pressure. Let me help you out."

Mikoto had taken her son to the battlefield to see Fugaku, while Minato was often away from home because of work. She'd been bored out of her mind on her own for ages.

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

Watching Kushina's grin grow increasingly unrestrained as a golden glow shone around her, Hane calmly raised two fingers.

"Release!"

Bang!

Hane instantly vanished in a puff of smoke, just like Minato's Shadow Clone. Only a sheet of paper with some writing on it fell to the ground.

Kushina froze, then stepped forward in disbelief and picked up the note.

It was incredibly difficult to fool both her and Minato with a Shadow Clone.

"Lord Minato, Lady Kushina, I'm sorry, but I've had some new insights into the Gentle Fist. Please allow me to use a Shadow Clone in place of myself for today's training."

"So he was a Shadow Clone from the start..."

Kushina sighed helplessly. She didn't think Hane had done anything wrong.

The Flying Thunder God relied on skill and experience, so it could be learned with clones. But improving at Taijutsu required the real body.

She put the note away, let her gaze linger for a moment on a certain corner, then headed toward the village.

Another half day alone.

Aside from the people assigned to watch over and protect her—who had been replaced with some faces she knew at Minato's arrangement—everything else seemed to be the same.

The people who held power in Konoha were still the same clans and higher-ups.

Although Hane and Uchiha Yakumaru had won Minato the partial support of their clans, the Uchiha and Hyuga had long remained outside the village's inner circle, so their help was limited.

The Hokage still couldn't take all the power back into his own hands.

"The Third really is a hands-off leader," Kushina muttered.

Although the Third had handed the Hokage Position to Minato, Kushina instinctively didn't like him much.

Now that he'd stepped down, why couldn't he remove those advisors and the Hokage Assistant?

To put it bluntly, had he left a group of old men behind to divide Minato's power?

They were all veterans of Konoha. Minato couldn't deal with them, whether you looked at his achievements or his seniority, and he still had to consult them on everything.

Although Kushina didn't know much about this kind of thing, she knew that a Hokage without enough authority was bound to invite disaster!