Red Trait?!

Hearing that, Kakashi raised his eyes.

He said calmly to Yuzhen:

"I haven't really thought about it. You're the first person who's agreed to keep taking missions with me after being assigned to my team."

Uchiha Yuzhen finally understood.

The Kakashi before him had been a complete loner before joining Team Minato, all because his father had taken his own life.

He was constantly being switched between teams.

Thinking of Team Minato reminded him of Affixes.

Namikaze Minato and Uchiha Obito.

Their "gold content" was bound to be outrageous!

There was no need to mention Namikaze Minato. At this point, he could already be considered complete.

Uchiha Obito was even more outrageous. He'd awakened with a pair of Tomoe!

That was even more impressive than Sasuke, the reincarnation of Indra...

Thinking of Team Minato, a flash of inspiration crossed Uchiha Yuzhen's mind.

If he remembered correctly, Kakashi had graduated early.

He'd joined Team Minato because, after Obito and Rin graduated, the team had been short one member.

It wasn't a proper three-man squad until Kakashi joined.

Hadn't Uchiha Fugaku said he was going to give him a gift?

He could bring it up then and see if Fugaku could help.

With that in mind,

Uchiha Yuzhen turned to Kakashi

and said his farewells:

"Then... Kakashi, call me when there's a mission. I still have clan business to take care of, so I'll be going."

"No problem." Kakashi replied indifferently.

Then, with a whoosh,

he vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.

Yuzhen probably had no idea yet.

While he and Kakashi had been meeting here,

inside the Hokage Building,

the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had been watching them with the Telescope Technique.

The Ninja Hero, still in his prime, pondered for a moment.

Then he wrote two scrolls at his desk.

He beckoned to the Anbu waiting nearby.

Handing over the scrolls, he said:

"Take one to Jonin Minato and the other to the Jonin Squad."

"Yes, sir!" The Anbu dropped to one knee, accepted the scrolls solemnly, and vanished from the Hokage Office in a flash.

Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up his pipe and walked to the window.

"Phew..." He exhaled a cloud of smoke.

His expression heavy, he murmured to himself:

"At long last, there's someone willing to accept Kakashi on their team..."

He cared deeply about Kakashi.

The genius had broken record after record, and Hiruzen didn't want to see him keep wasting away like this.

As it happened, Minato had just become a Jonin squad leader, and his team only had two members.

One was a mediocre Uchiha,

and the other was a sweet-natured Genin medic. The three-man team was still one short.

Hiruzen had planned to send Kakashi over after this mission if he wanted to change teammates again.

He hadn't expected Kakashi to take a special interest in this Uchiha.

In that case, they could both join Team Minato!

He was already taking one Uchiha, so one more wouldn't make a difference.

Besides, the village couldn't afford to be without Minato's strength at this stage.

He couldn't keep leading Genin forever.

Kakashi had become a Chunin at six. Four years had passed, and he was ten now.

He had plenty of strength and experience.

He was more than capable of serving as team captain whenever Minato wasn't around.

As for having two Uchihas become his granddisciples—

Would that cause any problems?

As the Ninja Hero, he wasn't so lacking in magnanimity!

Besides, no matter how Hiruzen looked at these two Uchiha boys, they'd always been mediocre at the Ninja Academy.

They wouldn't become a major threat!

The next day, around noon,

Uchiha Yuzhen headed to Fugaku Residence with a spring in his step.

He was looking forward to his gift.

If he wasn't mistaken, it would be a secret technique, a reward for choosing a side.

That would be perfect for an orphan like him.

From his memories before awakening his Past Life Wisdom, his late parents had been Nintaijutsu-type ninjas.

Uchiha Style Nintaijutsu was quite special.

It wasn't like Kumogakure's

brutish chakra mode.

It was a style that combined Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Shurikenjutsu, and Fire Release nature transformation.

Uchiha Shisui, who was still a three-year-old toddler, had already mastered it.

So right now, he lacked Fire Release Ninjutsu of B-rank or higher.

And then there was his idea about Team Minato.

Honestly, it would be great if Fugaku could help him out.

If he couldn't, Yuzhen would have to find a way to win Kakashi over and, ideally, forge the so-called Bonds with him!

Before long,

his mind full of thoughts, Uchiha Yuzhen arrived at Fugaku Residence.

Something unexpected greeted him.

Seven or eight Uchihas had gathered at the entrance to the residence.

There were old and young among them, including Fugaku.

There was also a boy in goggles whom Yuzhen vaguely recognized.

Goggles... Could that be Obito?

What was going on?

Before he could figure it out,

Uchiha Fugaku noticed Yuzhen's arrival.

His brows lifted. Though he'd been stern before, he was now all smiles.

"Yuzhen-kun, you're here..." After greeting him, he pulled the boy in goggles over.

With a beaming smile, he continued:

"This is Uchiha Obito. You two should get along from now on."

"Clan Head Fugaku? What's going on...?" Yuzhen was completely baffled.

Why was he suddenly so friendly? And...

Obito-bro? Why was Fugaku telling him to get along with him from now on?

"Yuzhen-kun, let's discuss this inside." Fugaku took Yuzhen by one hand and Obito by the other, and started leading them into his home.

Just then,

those few Uchihas—

who had gathered outside Fugaku Residence—

looked on. One elderly man with a spiky head lowered his eyes.

He said in a low voice:

"Fugaku... Are you really going to do this?"

He pointed at Yuzhen and Obito, who now had spirals in his eyes and looked completely dumbfounded.

"Everyone knows what these two are capable of... Are you really counting on them to fulfill our long-cherished wish?"

At that,

Uchiha Fugaku's expression darkened too.

He turned to the old man

and said, each word deliberate:

"That's the village's decision. It's not something we can interfere with as we please."

"Besides... I don't think Yuzhen-kun is all that bad."

"Lord Fugaku, what's going on?" Hearing this, Uchiha Yuzhen hurriedly asked him.

He had to ask. This situation... Surely they weren't...

Seeing Yuzhen's question,

Uchiha Fugaku sighed and explained what had happened to him.

"What? The village assigned me to be Obito's teammate?!"

Something completely unexpected had happened.

He hadn't even brought it up with Fugaku, and he'd already become one of Minato's students?

"So you understand now, kid. You should give up that spot."

"The village agreeing to let two Uchihas become disciples of the Hokage Lineage—

you don't need to know what an opportunity like this means, you Uchiha lowlifes.

"All you have to do is obey orders."

Uchiha Setsuna, seeing that Yuzhen and Obito had both heard Fugaku's explanation,

immediately began rattling off these words.

"Who do you think you are, looking down on?" Obito wasn't quick on the uptake, but he knew who was on his side.

Seeing the hostility across from him, he impulsively rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward.

"Bold of you!" A brown-haired youth beside Uchiha Setsuna

saw what was happening.

He shouted, darted forward, and moved so quickly that Obito couldn't react.

He raised a hand and swung at Obito's face!

Smack—

Their fists and palms met. Yuzhen opened his scarlet Sharingan

and blocked the brown-haired youth's attack on Obito.

"Phew..." Yuzhen exhaled, his voice icy. "What a rude person! Don't forget, this is Lord Fugaku's doorstep!"

Then he placed a hand on Obito's shoulder and pulled him behind himself.

At that instant,

a red glow visible only to him

lit up from Obito!

"Red Trait?!"