Different Uchiha

"You mean Lady Tsunade is coming to teach tomorrow?"

Yakushi Nonō nodded. "Starting tomorrow afternoon. By the time you and Minato get here, you should still be able to catch an hour and a half of her lesson."

The Medical Class finished later than the regular ninja classes.

After the ninja classes let out, the Medical Class went to Konoha Hospital to observe and lend a hand. It was basically a practical lesson.

But the Medical Class was only in its first year, so for now, the main focus was memorizing textbooks. The schedule stayed the same, though, so if there was no practical lesson, they just had to buckle down and memorize.

After classes ended tomorrow, Uchiha Chonhua and Namikaze Minato would hurry over and still be able to catch the second half of Tsunade's lesson.

"I'll ask Teacher Kinoshita for permission."

What was the point of only catching the second half? If he was going to listen, he wanted to hear the whole thing.

Tsunade, the person he'd been thinking about so much, was coming. How could he possibly sit still? He naturally wanted to make a good impression on her.

With that in mind, Uchiha Chonhua discussed it with Namikaze Minato, and they both agreed that Tsunade's lesson was not to be missed.

The two of them asked Teacher Kinoshita for permission to miss class tomorrow afternoon. As expected, their request was approved.

They were both top students, ranked first and second in the cultural subjects.

Those weren't just the class rankings; they were the rankings for the whole year.

Incidentally, Uchiha Chonhua was first in the year. To become Hokage, he'd worked hard at memorizing his textbooks, applying himself no less than he had for the college entrance exams in his previous life.

That was because his opponent was Namikaze Minato. If he didn't give it everything he had, he never knew when Minato might catch up.

Minato was the future Fourth Hokage. You couldn't be too careful about him.

Although the two got along well at present, close friends could still be rivals.

Uchiha Chonhua saw Namikaze Minato that way. And how could Minato not see Chonhua as his rival?

They competed with each other, encouraged each other, and grew together.

Both of them dreamed of becoming Hokage.

Sometimes, Namikaze Minato couldn't help thinking that the two of them had a lot in common. They even seemed to handle things the same way.

If Uchiha Chonhua had known what Minato was thinking, he would have grumbled:

Obviously. I learned it from you.

With a ready-made model of the future Fourth Hokage to follow, Uchiha Chonhua naturally intended to milk it for all it was worth.

The following afternoon.

Uchiha Chonhua and Namikaze Minato arrived at the Medical Class.

At a glance, Uchiha Chonhua froze.

Who did he see? The Ninja Academy's resident celebrity, Nawaki, Tsunade's younger brother, was talking with Yakushi Nonō.

"Chonhua, Minato, you're here."

Yakushi Nonō stood up and introduced them. "This is our senior, Nawaki. He's a year ahead of us."

"I know you. You're famous throughout the Ninja Academy."

"Hehe, I know you two, too." Nawaki chuckled, looking a little silly.

Uchiha Chonhua took a good look at him. He really did resemble Naruto Uzumaki.

Their faces weren't alike, but that goofy air was exactly the same.

"Nonō told me the Medical Class got two top students who can memorize textbooks really fast."

Nawaki looked at them with admiration. "I really respect how you can get through books that are so thick, so hard to read, and so... so hard to understand."

His older sister had once tried to teach him Medical Ninjutsu, but he'd gotten stuck at the very first step: memorizing the material.

"It's all right. I've managed to understand some of it."

Uchiha spoke modestly, about to say more.

A honey-sweet voice rang out.

"Nawaki, your big sister's here to see you!"

Uchiha Chonhua turned toward the voice, his gaze burning.

Tsunade was here!

Chapter 9: Different Uchiha

Tsunade was still flat-chested at this point, with hardly any curve to her bust.

Her delicate face wore a radiant smile. Compared to the decisive, sharp-edged woman she would become, the Tsunade of today looked young, fresh, and vibrant.

"Nawaki, your big sister's here to see you!"

Tsunade rushed over and wrapped Nawaki in a hug. He awkwardly pushed her away.

"Big sis, there are so many people watching."

"So what if they're watching? We're siblings. What's wrong with hugging?"

Tsunade muttered in displeasure, then looked at the people beside Nawaki.

She knew Yakushi Nonō. They'd met when Tsunade came to teach before.

She also knew Namikaze Minato, the kid Jiraiya was always praising. From the looks of it, there was a good chance he'd become that guy's student.

Tsk, poor handsome kid, having to deal with a perverted teacher.

Tsunade's sympathetic gaze left Namikaze Minato completely baffled.

Next...

Tsunade turned her gaze to Uchiha Chonhua.

"Teacher Tsunade, my name is Uchiha Chonhua. I look forward to learning from you."

When he saw Tsunade looking at him, Uchiha Chonhua introduced himself at once, humble and polite.

At the same time, Uchiha Chonhua watched Tsunade. Seeing no sign of displeasure, he felt relieved.

It seemed Tsunade wasn't prejudiced against the Uchiha Clan. She regarded them as equals.

Nawaki was the same. Neither descendant of the Senju Clan seemed to have been influenced by their ancestors' way of thinking.

People born after Konoha was founded received a different kind of education from those influenced by the lingering traditions of the Warring States era, so they viewed things differently.

Of course, the Uchiha's tendency to go off the deep end was an important factor, too.

Although he was born into the Uchiha Clan, after living among them for all these years, Uchiha Chonhua had come to disagree with certain people in the clan.

They were stubborn and extreme, enough to make anyone shake their head.

If there was a Shimura Danzō among Konoha's leadership, then the Uchiha Clan had a whole bunch of Shimura Danzōs.

That said plenty about how destructive Shimura Danzō could be.

You could say they were a perfect match, dragging each other along until one side plunged into the abyss.

Clearly, the side that fell into the abyss was the Uchiha Clan, and Uchiha Chonhua had no intention of going down with it.

Tsunade waved a hand. "I'm not your teacher."

"If you're teaching us, how can you not be our teacher, Teacher Tsunade?"

Uchiha Chonhua's words left Tsunade stunned.

"You mean... you're going to sit in on my lesson?"

Tsunade asked hesitantly. Then she noticed his use of "us" and looked at Namikaze Minato.

"Minato, you too?"

Namikaze Minato knew Tsunade. She was the person Jiraiya mentioned most often, and Minato had even been lucky enough to witness the legendary moment when Tsunade punched Jiraiya flying.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade. Chonhua and I both signed up for the Medical Class."

"...That's unusual. Minato, you chose to study Medical Ninjutsu? Judging by the look on your face, is it because you feel guilty about Jiraiya's arrangements for you?"

Tsunade could tell at a glance why Namikaze Minato was studying Medical Ninjutsu.

"Lady Tsunade is right." Namikaze Minato smiled sheepishly. "Besides that, I also think Medical Ninjutsu will be very useful for my training. Lady Tsunade, I really do want to learn it."

"And you, Uchiha boy?"

Uchiha Chonhua wore a warm smile. "If I'm injured, I'll be able to treat myself. And when I go on missions, I'll be able to help treat my teammates."

"Of course, it'll also help with my own training. I'll be able to control my chakra more precisely and avoid wasting any."

There was something about this Uchiha boy... Tsunade looked at Namikaze Minato.

She knew where that sense of familiarity came from. This was just the way Minato treated people.

He was very different from the Uchiha she'd met before.

"You're different from the other Uchiha."

Tsunade gazed intently at Uchiha Chonhua.

People from the Uchiha Clan carried a certain pride, a sense of honor bestowed by their Kekkei Genkai, the Sharingan, and the strength of their ancestors.

It wasn't unusual to take pride in one's family, but few were as overbearing about it as the Uchiha.

Uchiha Chonhua neither agreed nor disagreed with Tsunade's remark.

How many Uchiha had Tsunade even met?

There were wild and unstable people, but there were calm ones, too. Not every Uchiha enjoyed going off the deep end.

Take his desk mate, Mikoto Uchiha. She was gentle and kind. Then there was Uchiha Fugaku in the Military Police Force—a true shinobi emperor.

The clan's past glory might make them proud, but that didn't mean they had to lose touch with reality.

Just because my ancestors were once great doesn't mean I'm great. Tsunade thought he was different from the other Uchiha because too many members of the Uchiha Clan believed that their ancestors' greatness made them great, too.

They couldn't see reality, were arrogant, and kept making a scene.

No matter how conciliatory Sarutobi Hiruzen was, he couldn't stay soft in the face of idiots like them. And on top of that, the things those hotheads did played right into Pot Kage Shimura Danzō's hands.

Uchiha Chonhua took a deep breath. His ink-black eyes met Tsunade's amber ones.

"Teacher Tsunade, not every Uchiha is like the ones you have in mind."

Tsunade froze, her gaze turning thoughtful.

It was true that you couldn't judge someone by your preconceptions. But how many Uchiha Chonhuas were there in the Uchiha Clan?

Tsunade began her lesson. For a first-year Medical Class, she mostly taught them textbook material.

After that, she brought a half-dead fish back to life to open the students' eyes.

Nawaki fidgeted, shifting left and right in his seat, an expression of sheer misery on his face.

This was why he'd never wanted his big sister to come.

Every time she came, she'd make him stay in class and listen. And he couldn't even sneak off or she'd greet him at home that night with a loving punch.

It was awful. Truly awful.

All young Nawaki could think about was graduating as soon as possible and getting out of the Ninja Academy.

He looked toward the front row. Yakushi Nonō was taking notes, while beside her, Uchiha Chonhua and Namikaze Minato listened to the lesson intently.

I really admire them, Nawaki thought.

As a descendant of the Senju Clan, he always felt the need to compete whenever he met a child from the Uchiha Clan. But after learning that Uchiha Chonhua could memorize medical textbooks—the very books that terrified him—he no longer felt like competing.

In Nawaki's simple way of thinking, if he couldn't do something but someone else could, then that person was better than him.

Tsunade continued teaching while keeping an eye on the students. When she saw Nawaki fidgeting in his seat, her fists clenched as she thought about greeting him at home with a loving punch.

When she saw Yakushi Nonō, she felt pleased. Including this one, she'd only taught the Medical Class three times, but she thought highly of Nonō. She was sure Nonō would become an excellent Medical Ninja.