"Those Sunagakure bastards are still so eager to get their hands on the Land of Fire's territory. Notify every clan and hold a wartime meeting to prepare them for the battlefield."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood and looked out the window at Konoha. His sharp gaze seemed to see all the way to Sunagakure, thousands of miles away. After a moment, he spoke in a low voice.
At this point in time, Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't the timid, hesitant man he would become later. In his prime, he feared no village's provocation.
"Understood. There's one other matter, regarding the new Nine-Tails Jinchuriki..."
"Put that idea out of your mind. Kushina is the successor chosen by Lady Mito."
Before Shimura Danzō could finish, Hiruzen Sarutobi cut him off.
He knew all too well what his old friend was thinking.
The Anbu Training Department Danzō had established was supposedly meant to train Anbu Ninjas, but from what Hiruzen had learned about it so far... Hah.
"Understood."
Shimura Danzō stared into Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes. After a moment, he looked away and spoke in a low voice.
He didn't dare get cheeky with Hiruzen Sarutobi now.
Senju Compound.
"Why?! Why did Uncle Hiruzen put me on a team with him? I can understand this little blond, but what did I do to deserve this?! Am I supposed to babysit them? Two kids, all at once!"
In the courtyard, Nawaki pointed at Uchiha Gen and Minato Namikaze, protesting indignantly.
"Shut up, idiot."
Tsunade didn't indulge her younger brother's blustering. She raised a fist and punched him.
One punch was all it took to quiet Nawaki down. Not that he had a choice—Tsunade had knocked him out cold.
"Gen... thank you."
After knocking out her foolish little brother, Tsunade looked at Uchiha Gen with complicated feelings. There was guilt and gratitude in her eyes, along with other emotions.
"My early graduation has nothing to do with you. The clan elders just think I should see what war is like. As for why I was put on a team with him, you'll have to ask the man sitting in the Hokage Office."
Uchiha Gen glanced at the idiot Nawaki lying peacefully on the ground and spoke calmly.
Though he had chosen to graduate early, he hadn't intended to form a team with Nawaki. The most likely explanation was that Hiruzen Sarutobi had arranged it himself.
"Either way, I should thank you. Don't worry, I'll protect you. I'll ask the old man to make me your team's jōnin instructor."
Tsunade shook her head gently, her expression resolute.
"Do as you like. But I don't need you to protect me."
Uchiha Gen lowered his head over the Yin Seal scroll in his hands and replied without looking up.
The more he learned about the Yin Seal, the more he felt that Mito Uzumaki truly was a genius. The Yin Seal might really be able to create an entirely new vessel for storing qi.
A Second Dantian?
"Yes, yes. Lord Uchiha is the strongest."
"That's a fact."
"Hmph. Why are you here?"
Nearby, Kushina Uzumaki was also glaring at Minato Namikaze with displeasure. She had no good feelings toward the blond boy who had taunted her when she introduced herself.
"Uh... well... Gen brought me here. He said I should meet my future teammates ahead of time."
"He said one of them was... um, useless, and that I had to keep an eye on him so he wouldn't get in the way of our missions..."
Minato Namikaze looked at Kushina Uzumaki nervously. He hadn't expected that coming to meet the idiot teammate Gen had told him about would lead to running into her.
"Gen? So that aloof guy brought you in, huh? Hmph. I haven't forgotten your Taunt that night."
At his words, Kushina Uzumaki immediately remembered the handsome boy who had barely paid her any attention that night.
"Ah? Okay—wait! What Taunt?! Hold on, is there some kind of misunderstanding between us?"
Minato Namikaze nodded woodenly, but a moment later, he realized something was wrong and hurriedly asked.
What Taunt?! Weren't they supposed to be kindred spirits?
"Hmph."
Kushina Uzumaki merely snorted and turned to leave.
Whether there was a misunderstanding or not, Lady Kushina Uzumaki would make that judgment herself. She wasn't about to listen to the words of this girly boy.
"Did I... really Taunt her?"
Watching the girl walk away, Minato Namikaze began to doubt himself.
"Why is Nawaki asleep on the ground?"
Mito Uzumaki came out of the house in the courtyard. She looked at Nawaki lying on the ground, then at Uchiha Gen sitting and studying the Yin Seal, and finally turned to Tsunade, asking gently.
"He's young. It's perfectly normal to fall asleep wherever you are, right, Gen?"
Looking at her grandmother, Tsunade grinned and raised her brows at Uchiha Gen.
"Mm."
Uchiha Gen simply nodded.
"You two..."
Mito Uzumaki knew what had happened. She smiled and shook her head.
"Gen, please look after Nawaki for me. He grew up surrounded by high expectations, and then there's the way I spoiled him, so he's become a little... arrogant.
"Because of his status, that kind of personality won't cause trouble for him in the village. But on the battlefield, no one will care that he's Hashirama's grandson."
Mito Uzumaki gazed fondly at Nawaki lying on the ground. He was the only boy left in Hashirama's line.
"No, the enemy will care. After all, being the First Hokage's grandson makes him quite a tempting target."
Uchiha Gen put away the scroll, looked up at Mito Uzumaki, and replied.
"That's true. I didn't expect you to know how to joke, Gen. Since you're here today, this is Tobirama's technique, just as you asked."
At his words, Mito Uzumaki raised her sleeve to cover her face as she smiled, then took a scroll from it and handed it to Uchiha Gen.
"I wasn't joking..."
"Thank you."
Uchiha Gen reached out and took the scroll.
The Space-Time Ninjutsu... was finally his.
"The Flying Thunder God Technique is very difficult. Until you've thoroughly mastered the fundamentals of the Uzumaki Sealing Technique I gave you, don't even think about trying to learn it."
Mito Uzumaki's smile faded as she looked at Uchiha Gen holding the scroll and gave him a stern warning.
Before you continue