Meeting Minato

"I... I understand, Lady Tsunade."

Hearing Tsunade's words, Hatake Dansui gazed deeply at Uchiha Yue before him, a bitter smile appearing on his face.

At that moment, Hatake Dansui knew he had truly lost, and that he had lost to Uchiha Yue. He no longer had any chance of turning things around.

Even setting aside the fact that Uchiha Yue had just defeated the combined attack of him and Hyuga Anihiko, the fact that Yue had become a disciple of one of the Sannin alone meant Dansui could no longer challenge him. After all, the gap between their abilities had grown enormous. Once Uchiha Yue became Tsunade's disciple, Dansui felt his strength would improve by leaps and bounds. What chance did he have of challenging him then?

At the same time, Hyuga Anihiko, still kneeling there, was just as bitter. Unless he could find a teacher like Tsunade, he too would have no right to challenge Uchiha Yue again. Moreover, Anihiko's situation was far worse than Hatake Dansui's. Two defeats had cost him all support from the Hyuga Clan. From then on, he might have to rely on his own efforts as he struggled within the clan.

When Uchiha Yue saw the bitter looks on Hatake Dansui and Hyuga Anihiko's faces, he immediately understood Tsunade's true intentions.

Clearly, Tsunade was using Hatake Dansui and Hyuga Anihiko to tell everyone in Konoha that Uchiha Yue would grow under her protection.

Although Tsunade had been away from the village for a full year, no one should underestimate her influence in Konoha.

Aside from the support of the Senju Clan of the Forest, Tsunade's reputation as one of the Sannin alone was enough to intimidate anyone who might cause trouble in Konoha. Watching Hatake Dansui and Hyuga Anihiko, Uchiha Yue suddenly realized that becoming Tsunade's disciple wasn't without its benefits. At the very least, anyone who wanted to scheme against him would have to consider what this powerful figure in the Shinobi World might think.

Then, with Hatake Dansui supporting him, Hyuga Anihiko left Tsunade's residence in a sorry state.

It probably wouldn't take even a day for news of Uchiha Yue becoming Tsunade's disciple to spread throughout Konoha. His name would be etched in the minds of countless shinobi and villagers.

What surprised Uchiha Yue a little, though, was that after the matter of his apprenticeship had been settled, Tsunade didn't pay him any attention. Instead, she had Shizune take him to a guest room to rest. Clearly, when she had just stopped Uchiha Yue's attack, Tsunade had touched him and noticed that his chakra was running low.

That was right. Even though Uchiha Yue now had as much chakra as an average Genin, using the Rasengan twice in a row had still drained him completely. He had barely managed to defeat Hatake Dansui and Hyuga Anihiko in their fight. If his final Rasengan hadn't taken down Hatake Dansui, he would have been the one to lose.

Fortunately, Hatake Dansui had already lost confidence after seeing Hyuga Anihiko's crushing defeat.

And Tsunade had stepped in to stop Uchiha Yue, sparing him the embarrassment of running out of chakra completely.

Uchiha Yue quickly recovered his chakra in the guest room. Then, accompanied by Shizune, he went to Tsunade to formally become her disciple.

Jiraiya had clearly come to Tsunade's residence at her invitation, to witness Uchiha Yue's apprenticeship.

Perhaps Tsunade had long guessed that Uchiha Yue could complete the Rasengan. At least, that was what Uchiha Yue thought.

After Uchiha Yue officially became her disciple, Tsunade didn't keep him there any longer. Instead, she told him to get some rest and come back to train with her the next day. Uchiha Yue was about to graduate from the Ninja Academy, and once he did, he wouldn't need to go there to train every day. Training with Tsunade would naturally be the best choice.

What's more, all of this was Tsunade's arrangement, so Uchiha Yue had no grounds to object.

He did feel a little regretful that he hadn't had the chance to talk with Jiraiya or his disciple, Minato Namikaze.

Still, this was no great loss to Uchiha Yue. After saying goodbye to Shizune outside Tsunade's residence, he headed home to continue training. Even with the strength of an average Genin, he knew he was still far from strong enough. In the world of shinobi, unless one became a powerhouse like the Sannin, there was no way to control one's own fate.

Just like Hyuga Anihiko, who had just been defeated, Uchiha Yue didn't want to become a failure like him, abandoned by his clan in the end.

That was why Uchiha Yue was so driven to become stronger. He naturally had to keep training hard.

However, Uchiha Yue never expected that just as he left Tsunade's residence and was about to head home to train...

A figure suddenly dashed out of Tsunade's residence and called to Uchiha Yue from a distance. "Yue, please wait!"

"Hm?"

Hearing a voice behind him, Uchiha Yue slowly turned around. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

The person hurrying out of Tsunade's residence was none other than Jiraiya's beloved student, Minato Namikaze. Uchiha Yue had regretted not getting to know the future Fourth Hokage, but now that Minato had gone out of his way to find him, a smile immediately appeared on Yue's face.

Uchiha Yue could already guess why Minato had come. Clearly, he was here because of the ninjutsu Yue had just used: the Rasengan.

Minato hurried over to Uchiha Yue, clearly very interested in the Rasengan.

As a disciple of Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, Minato had impeccable manners, much like someone from a great clan.

When Minato reached Uchiha Yue, he first waved to him, then said, "Yue, I'm sorry to bother you so suddenly. I'm just really interested in the ninjutsu you used earlier. It was called the Rasengan, right? What inspired you when you developed it?"

As he spoke, Minato seemed to realize that his question was a little too blunt. He suddenly regretted asking and scratched his head sheepishly.

After all, every shinobi regarded the jutsu they created as a treasure and wouldn't reveal its secrets easily. Minato asking Uchiha Yue about the Rasengan was like a stranger suddenly showing up at the Uchiha Clan and asking about the secrets of the Sharingan. If Yue had been more hot-tempered, they might already have come to blows.

However, Uchiha Yue had developed the Rasengan only because he knew the original story, so he didn't think much of Minato, the true creator of the technique. Besides, Uchiha Yue had long wanted to befriend the future Fourth Hokage. As soon as Minato finished speaking, Yue smiled and said, "Minato, I only started developing the Rasengan to improve my control over chakra. You don't need to worry about it too much. How about we find somewhere to talk?"

"That would be wonderful!"

Seeing that Uchiha Yue wasn't the least bit annoyed, Minato's impression of him improved greatly. The two found a teahouse and began chatting about the Rasengan.

As they discussed the Rasengan, Uchiha Yue didn't forget to ask Minato for advice on training Wind Style Chakra. Minato had deep expertise in training with Wind Style Chakra, and as Jiraiya's disciple, he naturally had some unique insights to share.

Moreover, Minato was easy to get along with. And since Uchiha Yue hadn't held anything back when discussing how to train with the Rasengan, Minato had no reason to be guarded around him.

And so, Uchiha Yue and Minato spent four whole hours chatting at the teahouse, and each came away having learned something.

Over those four hours of conversation, Uchiha Yue and Minato formed a deep bond.

Even Uchiha Yue himself hadn't expected that he would become friends with the future Fourth Hokage that day.

What Uchiha Yue could never have expected, though, was that their conversation at the teahouse flowed so easily that, without meaning to, he drew the attention of a terrifying figure.