Space-Time Ninjutsu, Acquired

"Those fellows in Sunagakure remain as obsessed with the land of the Land of Fire as ever. Notify the various clans to convene a wartime meeting and have them prepare to head to the front lines."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up and looked out at Konoha through the window. His gaze was sharp, as if he could see all the way to Sunagakure thousands of miles away. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke in a deep voice.

During this period, Hiruzen Sarutobi was far from the indecisive man he would later become; in the prime of his life, he feared no provocation from any village.

"Understood. There is one more thing: regarding the candidate for the new Nine-Tails jinchūriki..."

"Drop that line of thought. Kushina Uzumaki is the successor chosen by Lady Mito."

Before Shimura Danzō could finish, Hiruzen Sarutobi cut him off directly.

He understood his old friend's intentions all too well.

As for the Anbu Training Department that Danzō had established, while it was ostensibly for training Anbu ninja for the village, based on what he currently knew—heh.

"Understood."

Shimura Danzō stared fixedly into Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes. A moment later, he looked away and spoke in a low voice.

He dared not challenge Hiruzen Sarutobi to his face at this moment.

Senju Compound.

"Why!! Why did Uncle Hiruzen have to put me in a team with him? I could deal with the little blondie, but what is this? Am I supposed to be a babysitter? And for two of them at once!"

In the courtyard, Nawaki pointed at Uchiha Gen and Minato Namikaze, shouting in protest.

"Shut up, you idiot."

Tsunade had no patience for her younger brother's clamoring and raised her hand to deliver a punch.

With that single blow, Nawaki instantly quieted down—not that he had a choice, as Tsunade had knocked him unconscious on the spot.

"Gen... thank you."

After knocking out her foolish younger brother, Tsunade looked at Uchiha Gen with a complex expression, her eyes filled with self-reproach, gratitude, and other unnameable emotions.

"My early graduation has nothing to do with you. The clan elders simply felt I should witness what war is truly like. As for why I was placed in a team with him, you would have to ask the person sitting in the Hokage Office."

Uchiha Gen glanced indifferently at the idiot Nawaki lying peacefully on the ground before speaking softly.

Although he had chosen to graduate early, he certainly hadn't intended to form a team with Nawaki; the current outcome was, in all likelihood, Hiruzen Sarutobi's own arrangement.

"Regardless, I should thank you. Don't worry, I will protect you both. I will petition the Old Man to have your jonin instructor replaced by me."

Tsunade shook her head gently, her expression firm.

"Do as you please, but I have no need for your protection."

Uchiha Gen looked down at the Yin Seal scroll in his hands, not even raising his head.

The deeper he delved into the Yin Seal, the more Uchiha Gen felt that Mito Uzumaki was truly a genius. The Yin Seal might indeed be the key to creating an entirely new vessel for storing chakra.

A Second Dantian??

"Yes, yes, Lord Uchiha is the strongest."

"That is a fact."

"Hmph, why are you here?"

On the other side, Kushina Uzumaki was looking at Minato Namikaze with visible annoyance. She had no favorable impression of this little blondie who had provoked her during her self-introduction.

"Uh... well... Gen brought me here... He said... he wanted to bring me to meet my future teammates in advance."

"He said he was a... well, a dead weight, and that I should keep an eye on him so he doesn't hinder our future missions..."

Minato Namikaze looked at Kushina Uzumaki nervously. He hadn't expected that just by coming to meet the "idiot teammate" Gen had mentioned, he would run into her.

"Gen? So that cold, aloof guy brought you here, huh? Hmph, I've noted that provocation from the other day."

Upon hearing this, Kushina Uzumaki immediately recalled the handsome boy who had been so dismissive of her that night.

"Ah? Right, wait—no!? What provocation?! Hold on, is there some kind of misunderstanding between us?"

Minato Namikaze nodded blankly, but a second later, he realized something was wrong and immediately asked for clarification.

What provocation!? Shouldn't they be on the same side?

"Hmph."

To this, Kushina Uzumaki merely let out a cold snort and turned to leave.

Whether it was a misunderstanding or not, she, Lady Kushina Uzumaki, had her own judgment. She wouldn't listen to the words of this effeminate boy.

"Did I... really provoke her?"

Watching the girl's retreating back, Minato Namikaze fell into self-doubt.

"Nawaki, dear, how did you end up falling asleep on the ground?"

Mito Uzumaki walked out from the inner room of the courtyard. She looked at Nawaki lying on the ground, then at Uchiha Gen, who was sitting and studying the Yin Seal, before letting her gaze fall on Tsunade nearby and asking in a gentle voice.

"Being young, it's normal to fall asleep the moment your head hits the pillow, wouldn't you agree, Gen?"

Looking at her grandmother, Tsunade chuckled and raised an eyebrow at Uchiha Gen.

"Mm."

To this, Uchiha Gen merely gave a slight nod.

"You two."

Knowing everything, Mito Uzumaki shook her head with a smile upon hearing this.

"Gen, I must trouble you to look after Nawaki. This child grew up under the weight of many expectations, and combined with my doting, he has become a bit... arrogant. Such a personality might not cause trouble in the village due to his status, but on the battlefield, no one will care whether he is the grandson of Hashirama."

Mito Uzumaki looked tenderly at Nawaki lying on the ground; this child was the only male descendant left in Hashirama's line.

"No, the enemy will care. After all, the identity of the First Hokage's grandson is quite attractive."

Uchiha Gen put away his scroll, looked up, and spoke to Mito Uzumaki.

"That is true. I didn't expect you to be capable of joking, Gen. Since you are here today, here is the jutsu of Tobirama that you requested."

Mito Uzumaki covered her face with her sleeve and laughed at his words, then produced a scroll from her sleeve and handed it to Uchiha Gen, speaking softly.

"I wasn't actually joking..."

"My thanks."

Uchiha Gen reached out and took the scroll.

Space-Time Ninjutsu... finally in hand.

"Tobirama's Flying Thunder God is extremely difficult. Do not attempt to practice this technique until you have fully mastered the general outline of the Uzumaki Sealing Jutsu I gave you."

Watching Uchiha Gen take the scroll, Mito Uzumaki set aside her smile and warned him with a serious expression.