Not Exactly Kind-Looking

A few seconds later, the explosion subsided.

The churned-up lake water, however, continued to surge wildly.

Tsunade stood on a treetop, holding Minato, her eyes filled with astonishment.

This level of power was greater than any ninjutsu she had ever witnessed!

Minato remained relatively calm; this power was about on par with the kick Kizaru used to shatter the mangrove trees when he first arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago.

The difference was that he required time to charge up, whereas Kizaru's kick had been casual.

Minato did not know if he could inherit the monstrous physique of the One Piece World from the Kizaru figure, but judging by the fact that he had inherited Hashirama's constitution, it should be possible.

Rustle, rustle, rustle...

Figures moved rapidly through the forest.

Soon, several silhouettes appeared in their vicinity.

The arrivals were divided into two groups; one group wore gray plate armor and were clearly local Anbu.

The other group wore chunin vests and looked like typical village ninjas, except for the table-tennis paddle-shaped emblem on their clothing.

That was the crest of the Uchiha clan; the newcomers were the Uchiha Police Force.

"Lady Tsunade."

The Anbu squad leader landed on a nearby tree and gave a slight nod toward Tsunade. "May I ask what happened here just now?"

"Nothing of note, just practicing ninjutsu. The commotion was a bit large; you may report it to the Third as it happened."

Tsunade said, looking toward the members of the Uchiha Police Force. "Apologies for the trouble."

"You are too kind."

The squad leader was a youth of fourteen or fifteen. He looked a bit fierce, but his tone was very humble. "Then we shall not disturb you further."

Soon, both groups dispersed.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had also received the news from the Anbu. In fact, he had felt the previous explosion all the way from the Hokage Building.

"Oh my... did they really blow up the entire lake?"

According to the Anbu report, Tsunade had been with Minato at the time.

He knew Tsunade's level well; she was far from capable of causing such destruction, so it had to be Minato.

The characteristics of the explosion described by the Anbu were also identical to the laser blasts he had seen earlier.

It seemed this Light Release bloodline was far more powerful than he had imagined!

And this power, which surpassed many S-rank ninjutsu, was currently in the hands of a five-year-old child.

"Children these days are truly a headache..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his pipe and took a puff. "When you arrived, the members of the Police Force were there as well?"

"Yes."

The Anbu squad leader nodded. "The team was led by the current young clan heir, Fugaku Uchiha. We arrived at the same time."

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked again, "What was his reaction?"

"Unclear."

The Anbu hesitated. "He didn't look very happy, but his tone was very polite."

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in understanding, steadying his pipe. "That child has never looked very friendly."

In this light, it was highly likely that the Uchiha clan would assume the explosion had been caused by Tsunade.

The benefit of this was that such a powerful technique would inevitably serve as a deterrent to the Uchiha clan, keeping them settled for a while.

The downside was that the commotion caused by Minato's Light Release was too great; the Uchiha would eventually find out who was responsible, and by then, extremists might come to view Minato as a threat.

However, this was the only place in the village suitable for Minato's training, and he couldn't simply forbid Minato from training because of such concerns.

He wasn't at ease with him training outside the village, nor was he comfortable with him training in the outskirts; after all, Konoha only had this one Wood Release user!

Who knew if a dark-skinned Raikage would randomly spawn the moment he stepped out of the village and snatch Minato away...

"Suzume, I have a mission for you."

Glancing at the Anbu subordinate, Hiruzen Sarutobi thought for a moment and said, "You should have already seen the child who was with Tsunade today. His name is Minato Namikaze, and he is Tsunade's disciple."

"That child possesses two bloodlines simultaneously, one of which is the same Wood Release as the First Hokage."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said solemnly, "You should understand the importance of this matter."

Suzume nodded. He had served as a guard for a jinchuriki before, so he naturally understood what Wood Release meant for the village.

"For the next period of time, I need you to provide protection for that child."

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused. "You are permitted to reveal your status as Anbu, but do not interfere with the target's life or interpersonal relationships. You only need to ensure the target's safety. You may negotiate the details with Tsunade."

"Understood!"

Suzume felt a jolt of solemnity; this type of escort mission required him to be ready to sacrifice his own life to shield the target from harm if the situation demanded it.

"Mm, go ahead."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, already turning his attention to other matters.

Ten minutes later, the door was knocked upon once more.

Suzume, who had gone to carry out the mission, returned: "Lord Hokage, Lady Tsunade told me to get lost."

"...Since that is the case, you may return to your squad."

Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his temples, though he felt a sense of relief in his heart.

The fact that Tsunade had sent the Anbu back meant that Minato should already possess a certain level of self-preservation ability.

This was for the best; it saved him from worrying needlessly.

At the same time, at the Uchiha Police Headquarters.

Ken Uchiha listened to the report from Fugaku, his brows knitting together slightly.

"You are saying that the commotion just now was caused by Tsunade?"

"The only people present were Senior Tsunade and a child of about five or six years old."

Fugaku could not be certain who had caused the disturbance, but the possibility of it being Tsunade was significantly higher than it being a five-year-old child.

"What were the child's features?"

Fugaku recalled Minato's appearance: "Yellow hair, and he looked quite cute."

"A girl?"

"A boy."

"Oh... I remember now."

Ken Uchiha nodded in realization: "I heard before that Tsunade had taken on a disciple; that must be the child. I recall his name is Minato Namikaze. He even beat up the Third's son during the entrance examination. He is quite a talented individual."

As he spoke, he paused slightly: "Come to think of it, are there any children from our clan in this year's enrollment?"

"None."

Fugaku shook his head: "Does Father wish for the children of the clan to challenge him?"

"It is to build a rapport. Also, use titles when on duty; this is the Police Force, not our home."

Ken Uchiha shook his head.

As the clan head, he naturally could not be as extreme as the younger members of the clan.

Although he was also dissatisfied with the Hokage faction's wariness toward the Uchiha, the Uchiha had rebelled first, so it was only natural for the others to harbor resentment.

Moreover, from his position, he could see the disparity in strength between the two sides more clearly. For the current Uchiha, the only result of a rebellion would be the annihilation of the clan.

Therefore, ever since the Third took office, he had been intentionally trying to ease the relationship between the clan and the village, though the results had never been ideal.

On one hand, it was because the young people in the clan were too arrogant; on the other, it was because there had been no suitable opportunity.

The Hokage faction was too guarded against the Uchiha, making it difficult for them to be frank with one another.

But if they placed their hopes on the younger generation, it might just be feasible.

And then there was...

He did not remember Tsunade having such immense strength.

A single ninjutsu that could shake the Uchiha Police Headquarters from a kilometer away...

What a joke. Did she really possess that kind of power?