Yellow Flash

"How are things with Kurama, Kushina?"

"Not bad, though if that stinky fox cooperates, I can enter the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. That state is terrifyingly strong." Kushina said happily, "Earlier, that old geezer Danzo brought a squad over, saying the Nine-Tails jinchuriki should be under village control and shouldn't move about as she pleased."

"I could feel the malice in his heart, so I just synced up with the stinky fox, turned into a streak of golden light, and in a few moves, I had that whole Root squad running for their lives."

"After the old man Sarutobi saw I could stably use the Nine-Tails' power, he didn't say much, just told me I couldn't leave the village. Haha, he even said I'd far surpassed the average jonin and gave me a title—the Yellow Flash. Pretty impressive, right?"

"Yellow Flash? Wait, if you're the 'Yellow Flash,' then Minato..." Genichi couldn't help but interject.

"What does that sissy have to do with anything? Oh, speaking of Minato Namikaze, he's come to ask about you several times. It seems he's already learned that 'Flying Thunder God' technique and wants to spar with you. He's always muttering, 'I've finally caught up to you, Genichi.'"

Due to a childhood first impression, Kushina had called Minato a sissy, a habit that had stuck ever since.

"Caught up to me? Perhaps." Feeling the power surging within him, Genichi brought his thumb and index finger almost together before his eyes, observing them closely as if they contained a miniature universe, then said, "Minato is only this far away from my level."

Hearing this, and not knowing the meme, Hana couldn't help but roll her eyes at Genichi.

In his previous letters, he'd written that his strength was enough to convince the Hyuga clan, telling her not to be impatient and that they would discuss breaking the Caged Bird Seal when he returned; he'd claimed that aside from Hashirama and Madara, he had no rivals in the world, that life was lonely at the peak, and that it was cold at the top; he even boasted that he could suppress all nine tailed beasts with one hand and carry the entire Konoha on his back, remaining invincible in the Ninja World.

Now, he was suddenly acting so humble.

Completely unaware that Hana, who possessed the Byakugan, was actually rolling her eyes, Genichi said, "Actually, I already have some ideas regarding the 'Caged Bird.' Have you two heard of the... Tenseigan?"

Hana and Kushina looked blank. At this point in the Ninja World, the only ones who knew of the Tenseigan were likely Genichi and perhaps that little black creature, though it was uncertain if even it knew.

"The Rinnegan, the Sharingan, and the Byakugan are known as the three great dōjutsu of the Ninja World. In terms of practical performance, the Byakugan leans toward functional support and is far inferior to the Sharingan, let alone the legendary Rinnegan."

"But there's a reason they are ranked together. You know the White Snake Sage, right? She's lived for over a thousand years. I learned from her that the brother of the Sage of Six Paths—the ancestor of the Hyuga clan—possessed an evolution of the Byakugan: the Tenseigan."

"The Caged Bird can control the Byakugan, but compared to the Tenseigan, it likely amounts to nothing."

It sounded like a myth. Did the Sage of Six Paths really exist? And he had a brother? Hana and Kushina looked at each other in disbelief.

"It seems that is indeed the case. If one had the power of the old man and his brother, this tiny seal could be broken with a flick of the finger." Because a preliminary trust had been established with Kushina, Kurama could usually perceive the outside world and used the jinchuriki to speak.

However, Kurama had only heard the Sage of Six Paths mention his brother; by the time the tailed beasts were born, Hamura Otsutsuki had long since gone to the moon to accompany his mother.

"In two years, I'll take you to the moon." Calculating the plans in his heart, Genichi promised Hana.

Some feelings are cultivated slowly. If, at the beginning, Genichi had only chosen to nurture Hana because he felt it was pitiful for her to be trapped by the "Caged Bird Seal" and wanted a medical ninja to assist him, then after so many years of being together—like when she would gently care for him and carefully bandage his wounds back when he was still unskilled at Lightning Release body tempering—the two had gradually entered each other's hearts.

Now, only a "seal" stood between them, preventing their feelings from being spoken aloud.

"Wherever you go, we go together. This time, don't even think about leaving us behind, Genichi." Mikoto Uchiha, who had been busy in the kitchen, heard their voices and walked out.

To capture a man's heart, one must first capture his stomach. Mikoto had practiced her culinary skills since childhood, intending to prepare a sumptuous feast to welcome Genichi home.

Looking at the lavish spread and the three beautiful maidens beside him, Genichi's appetite was piqued. During his two years of cultivation at Ryūchi Cave, although the three snake princesses would meticulously prepare food, they weren't human, and their cooking couldn't truly satisfy him.

"Grandfather has missed you these past few years. You should go visit him at the Uchiha compound when you have time."

"I'll go when I can. The old man is still in good health, right?"

"He's more energetic than ever. He hasn't trained in years, yet for some reason, he's regained his passion recently." Mikoto asked, "What was that potion you had Orochimaru deliver? Why is it so effective?"

"That? It's a secret. I'll tell you when I become Hokage."

"You want to be Hokage, Genichi? Then Grandfather and I will certainly support you, but it seems Clan Head Fugaku also wants to run for the Fourth Hokage. I'm afraid most of the clan members will support him." Mikoto was both happy and worried.

"Don't worry. The Nine-Tails jinchuriki is the village's secret weapon, and I will support you too, Genichi. And there's sister Tsunade; she's been quite depressed since the war ended and doesn't seem to want to be Hokage. I'll go convince her to support you as well." After Kushina finished, she seemed to recall something:

"My childhood dream was to be the first female Hokage of Konoha. But if the Hokage is Genichi, that's fine too."

"It's alright, Kushina. When I become Hokage, you'll be the woman who became Hokage." Genichi whispered into Kushina's ear.

A ninja's hearing is incredibly sharp; even though Genichi's voice was low, everyone likely heard it. Thinking of this, Kushina closed her eyes in embarrassment, one hand instinctively reaching for Genichi's waist, pinching it tight, and twisting.

"Hiss~"

Watching the three of them bicker, Hana felt a pang of helplessness and envy, held back by the "seal" and her own concerns, as the Hyuga branch family had no say in the Hokage election. She then said:

"Speaking of the Hokage, the White Fang was recently bestowed with the Hokage's half-sleeve. He might be a very troublesome competitor."

"No, it's unlikely he'll become Hokage." Hearing this, Genichi shook his head. In the original story, Sakumo Hatake was driven to suicide by rumors. He was the type of ninja with a samurai-like spirit—a combat specialist who had no desire to be Hokage.

"A chef has a chef's talent, and a Kage has a Kage's talent. Sakumo is a simple-minded ninja. Even if he killed so many that other ninjas would abandon their missions just to avoid the White Fang of Konoha, earning him his reputation, the village elders likely don't trust him enough to let him become Hokage."

"Enough about the Hokage; it's not the right time. The Ninja World is in chaos again, and I fear the next war isn't far off." Genichi thought to himself. The White Fang had still killed Sasori's parents, and it was likely that Sasori would eventually assassinate the Third Kazekage, further setting the stage for the Third Great Ninja War.

"War again? It hasn't even been a few years since the last one ended." No one liked war, and they all looked worried at the mention of it.

"This time, I won't be hiding in the village alone. We will fight side by side, and I can help you too, Genichi." Not knowing what she was thinking, Kushina said firmly.

"Then we'll let the other villages witness our four-person, hot-blooded combo technique." Genichi replied, suddenly remembering that on his way into the village today, he had seen a commercial for a newly opened mixed-bathing hot spring.

"Uh~, does everyone have plans for tonight? I heard a new hot spring opened on the commercial street. How about we go soak and relax tonight?" Genichi felt a surge of heat at the thought of the scene in his mind.

"Hot spring? Um~~" Everyone felt a bit shy at the mention of bathing together and couldn't find the words.

"Haha, then we'll talk about it later, talk about it later." With no response, Genichi felt awkward, and the matter was dropped.

It wasn't that they wouldn't go; the time just wasn't right yet.