"I've already agreed."
Faced with Utatane Koharu's anger, Hiruzen Sarutobi simply replied calmly.
"What?!" ×2
"Hiruzen! How could you agree to something like this?"
"You fool, Hiruzen."
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were both stunned. They couldn't understand why Hiruzen Sarutobi would agree to something like this.
Didn't he know this would encourage the Uchiha to try to seize even more power?
"Calm down, Koharu, Homura. The Uchiha are part of the village—that was Lady Mito's exact wording. Besides, we're only letting a few Uchiha children study in the Medical Department. It has nothing to do with power."
Hiruzen Sarutobi brought his pipe to his lips, his expression composed.
He knew exactly what his two friends were thinking, but he had to obey Mito Uzumaki's "orders." Besides...
He also knew about Tsunade and that Uchiha Gen. If... if Tsunade really could build a bridge of communication with the Uchiha, he didn't mind giving her a hand.
Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's firm attitude, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura didn't know what to say. They weren't Shimura Danzō; they had no intention of going against Hiruzen Sarutobi.
After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi was the Hokage.
The Senju Compound.
"Evil Tobirama Senju really understood the Uchiha."
Uchiha Gen flipped through Tobirama Senju's notes and couldn't help but marvel.
During this time, aside from studying Medical Ninjutsu, Uchiha Gen had spent his remaining hours reading the Senju's collection. It included the notes Tobirama Senju had left behind.
Of the entire notebook, besides records of Water Release Ninjutsu and the development plans and progress of various techniques, the remaining sixty percent concerned research into the Uchiha and ways to counter them.
However, the Senju's collection contained no records of those forbidden techniques. That made sense. Tobirama Senju was a pure political creature. Anyone else, even after becoming Hokage, would have left copies or something else for their clan. But Tobirama Senju...
To him, the title of Hokage had always taken precedence over his clan. That was something Tobirama Senju had always believed in. After all, the Senju Clan's present circumstances were the work of Tobirama Senju himself.
"Haaah~ That was a great nap. Hey, kid, interested in coming to the hospital to do some practical training with me? You've studied enough Medical Ninjutsu by now. It's time to put it into practice."
As Uchiha Gen flipped through Tobirama Senju's notes, the door behind him opened. Tsunade emerged with her hair in a mess, yawning. After stretching, she casually smoothed her hair and spoke to Uchiha Gen.
"Not interested."
Uchiha Gen kept reading and rejected her without even looking up.
After spending this time with Tsunade, Uchiha Gen had gotten a general idea of her personality. There was a good chance she just wanted a free laborer to help her at work.
Besides, he was studying Medical Ninjutsu purely to train his chakra control, and...
"Medical Ninjutsu really is useful. Just as I suspected, combining Yang Release's nature transformation with my own Yin Release Chakra can affect my Golden Light Spell cultivation to some extent. Yin-Yang Release..."
As he read Tobirama Senju's notes on the Senju's theories and experiments concerning the Uchiha's Yin Release Chakra, Uchiha Gen became absorbed in his thoughts.
Unlike the Yin Release Chakra of other people, which required special secret techniques to refine, the Uchiha's Yin Release Chakra came naturally from their Sharingan. Moreover, this unique chakra was quite unusual: it had the ability to grow.
"Tch. What a nasty kid."
Realizing he'd seen through her intentions, Tsunade pursed her lips. Then she walked over, plopped down beside Uchiha Gen, and looked at the notebook that almost nobody in the Senju Clan had ever read.
"You'd be better off reading the medical theories I gave you than staring at this every day. Oh, right. You left early yesterday, so I forgot to tell you: you wanted your second grandfather's Flying Thunder God Technique, and Grandma brought it for you.
"But Grandma said the Flying Thunder God Technique is incomplete and requires a certain level of skill in Sealing Jutsu, so you'll have to wait until she's improved it before she can give it to you."
After only a few glances at the notebook, Tsunade's head started to ache, and she immediately looked away. Tobirama Senju's notes weren't something just anyone could understand.
As she looked away, Tsunade suddenly remembered Mito Uzumaki's instructions and spoke up.
"...Please thank Lady Mito for me."
Uchiha Gen was taken aback. After a moment of silence, he spoke softly.
Mito Uzumaki had been far too kind to him. He didn't know how to respond to that kindness.
"If you want to thank her, do it yourself. I'm busy. Where's my food today?"
Tsunade pursed her lips and held out her hand to Uchiha Gen.
"Let's eat out today. I got up late too... It's my treat."
Uchiha Gen closed the notebook, shook his head slightly, and stood up.
While studying Medical Ninjutsu with Tsunade, Uchiha Gen had always brought his own food. Tsunade's schedule really was something else.
But after Tsunade tried the food he'd brought once, Uchiha Gen started bringing two portions every day.
"Really? Great! Let's go, I want barbecue!"
At his words, Tsunade immediately stood up and headed for the entrance. She knew Uchiha Gen was loaded. Those old Uchiha were so afraid he'd go hungry in the Senju Compound that they practically smothered him with food.
Unfortunately, she'd tried for ages and still couldn't get any money out of him.
"Hey, Gen. I don't know what you're carrying that makes you work so hard to move forward, but you really don't have to push yourself so much. You have those old people in your clan and my grandma looking out for you. You can relax a little. And I'm here too, aren't I? Who could bully you with me watching over you?
"As for the feud between the Uchiha and the Senju, it ended back in Great-Grandfather's time. As for Second Grandfather, Grandma said that even though he didn't like the Uchiha, after he became Hokage, he treated every clan in the village—including the Senju—by the same standard as the Hokage.
"So neither Grandma nor I expect you to repay us for anything we give you. That's why, when we get barbecue, I'm going to order the best and most expensive."
Standing at the entrance to the Senju Compound, Tsunade suddenly turned around and called out to Uchiha Gen.
"...Okay."
Uchiha Gen stood silently for a moment, looking at Tsunade at the entrance to the Senju Compound. Then he nodded and followed her.
Before you continue