A Three-Way Choice at the Start in Konoha

"Where are the clothes you wore last night?" Liuyun asked, surprised.

"Y-you said those clothes were only for wearing at night!" Mikoto lowered her head, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"Heh heh! Right, right! I'm the only one who needs to see how beautiful you are!" Liuyun grinned shamelessly.

"All right! Hurry up and eat! We still have to go see Tsunade!"

"Okay!"

At the Uchiha Clan Compound, inside the ancestral hall.

Whenever the Uchiha Clan discussed important matters, they gathered here.

Uchiha Fuchu sat at the head of the room, with three gray-haired elders beside him.

"Fuchu! Everyone's here, aren't they? Why haven't we started? Who are we waiting for? It's been almost an hour!"

Third Elder Uchiha Miyamoto spoke up in displeasure.

"Please wait a little longer, Third Elder! He should be here soon!"

Uchiha Fuchu smiled despite Miyamoto's complaint.

"Hmph! Then I'll wait. I'd like to see who could keep so many of us waiting!" Uchiha Miyamoto snorted.

Just then, the door opened and Uchiha Shentong walked in.

He went straight to Uchiha Fuchu and leaned toward his ear, about to speak.

A mocking voice rang out. "Everyone here is a pillar of the Uchiha Clan. What can't you say in front of us?"

The speaker was the clan's second elder, Uchiha Musashi.

He had once been an Elite Jonin, but after losing both legs in battle, his fighting strength had plummeted. Now he barely matched a Chunin.

By rights, Uchiha Musashi should not have held the position of second elder. But he had a powerful older cousin.

Everyone knew the man: Madara Uchiha.

"Go ahead. There are no outsiders here," Uchiha Fuchu said at last.

"Lord Liuyun doesn't want to come. He also asked me to tell the clan head not to send anyone to bother him again!"

Uchiha Shentong steeled himself and answered truthfully.

"Oh! So that's what we get after waiting an hour! Looks like the clan head went out of his way for someone who couldn't care less!"

Uchiha Musashi spoke again, his raspy voice thick with undisguised scorn.

"And who is Uchiha Liuyun, anyway? Do you know, Third Elder?"

"Heh! I do. Just a ten-year-old boy with a little reputation!" Uchiha Miyamoto chimed in.

The two played off each other, and Uchiha Fuchu's face darkened.

The other clan members kept their eyes down and pretended not to notice. They were used to it.

Still, a trace of resentment toward Liuyun crept into their eyes. If not for him, they would not have waited here so long.

"Enough, both of you!" said the elder beside Uchiha Fuchu.

"Fuchu, tell me about Uchiha Liuyun."

The elder was Uchiha Oda, one of the few older members who truly put the Uchiha Clan's interests first.

He had once fought Tobirama Senju and lost by a narrow margin. He was also the clan's ultimate trump card.

The moment he spoke, the two bickering elders fell silent. They clearly feared his authority.

"Uchiha Liuyun is an extraordinary talent in our clan. A year ago, he defeated Minato Namikaze, who had held the top spot at the Ninja Academy for several years!"

"Not long ago, during the Genin assessment, the Third Hokage wanted to see what Liuyun and Minato Namikaze could do!"

"As soon as they began, Minato Namikaze fell under Liuyun's Genjutsu and lost instantly!"

Uchiha Fuchu slowly brought the reclusive elder up to date on Liuyun.

"That's wonderful! The Uchiha Clan has produced another extraordinary talent! With the Sharingan and Ice Release, the boy might even rival Ancestor Madara someday!"

Uchiha Oda laughed heartily. Then he narrowed his eyes at Uchiha Fuchu, and his cloudy gaze suddenly grew as deep as a black hole.

Every hair on Uchiha Fuchu's body stood on end. He felt as though he had no secrets left.

"There's something you haven't told me, isn't there? Why does the boy harbor such resentment toward you—even toward the Uchiha Clan?"

"He had a hard life before this." Uchiha Fuchu slowly recounted what Liuyun had been through.

"Ah. The strong prevailing over the weak has always been our clan's way. No one expected the boy to awaken his abilities so suddenly."

"I can't blame you for that. What a pity. Do what you can to make it up to him. At the very least, give him some sense of belonging to the clan."

"Understood, First Elder!" Uchiha Fuchu nodded.

Ever since learning Liuyun's true strength, he had wanted to win him over. The elder's wishes suited him perfectly.

"The boy has graduated, hasn't he? Have you transferred him to our clan's guard force?"

"No. Tsunade is teaching him."

"Tsunade? Hiruzen Sarutobi's disciple?"

"Hiruzen Sarutobi has it all worked out, doesn't he? Does he plan to turn Liuyun into another Kagami Uchiha?"

Uchiha Oda's eyes flashed, and he sneered coldly.

"He is no Tobirama Senju, and Liuyun is no Kagami Uchiha! That old monkey thinks far too highly of himself."

"I'll handle this myself. The rest of you stay out of it!"

Uchiha Oda rose and walked slowly toward the exit.

At the doorway, his cloudy eyes swept over every Uchiha present. His wrinkled face was imposing.

A powerful pressure rolled off him like a wave, and his cold voice carried an order no one dared refuse.

"From today on, Uchiha Liuyun receives the clan's highest level of support for a young talent!"

"When you see him, show him respect! And since that boy cares so much about Uchiha Mikoto..."

"Assign two of the clan's Jonin to protect Uchiha Mikoto in secret!"

"I'll leave the choice to you. From now on, treat Uchiha Liuyun like the clan's most honored elder!"

"If he asks for a star from the sky, you'd better find a way to bring it down for him! Understood?"

"Understood, First Elder!" Uchiha Fuchu replied respectfully.

The others answered as well. Even Uchiha Miyamoto and Uchiha Musashi spoke up, though reluctantly.

With the elder's words, Liuyun's peaceful life was about to become anything but peaceful.

His standard of living was about to change dramatically.

At the Senju Clan Compound!

After breakfast, Liuyun and Mikoto made their way through the familiar corridors.

The Senju they passed knew who they were and no longer stopped them.

When they reached Tsunade's room, she was yawning over breakfast.

Her eyes were bleary and she looked listless, clearly having just woken up.

The silk pajamas did little to hide her striking figure.

"You're here this early?" Surprise flickered in Tsunade's sleepy eyes when she saw them.

"What do you mean, early? The sun's already high in the sky!" Liuyun said irritably.

"We'd usually be at the Ninja Academy by now!"

"Brat! Could you show your teacher a little respect?" Tsunade demanded, her mouth twitching.

"My teacher? Who was it that forgot about us yesterday and slept in at home?"

Liuyun curled his lip, giving Tsunade no quarter.

After one jab too many from Liuyun, Tsunade lost her appetite. Damn it, why does this brat annoy me more every time I see him? I want to give him a good beating!

"Please don't take it to heart, Tsunade. Liuyun's just blunt. He says whatever's on his mind!"

Mikoto stepped between them, hurriedly trying to smooth things over.

"Liuyun! Mikoto! Grandma Mito told me you were here, so I came right over!"

Kushina ran in, a little breathless, and called out excitedly.

She slipped both hands around Liuyun's arm as naturally as ever, her eyes full of affection when she looked at him.

Well, damn!

Tsunade's expression darkened further. Being talked back to by Liuyun had already put her in a foul mood!

And now all three of them were flaunting their closeness right in front of her. Were they trying to rub it in?

She was already in her twenties and still single!

She had had enough. Maybe someone else could put up with this, but Tsunade certainly couldn't!

Smack!

Tsunade slapped the table and ordered sternly, "Meet me on the hill behind Konoha in half an hour!"

With that, she vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.

Kushina and Mikoto exchanged baffled looks. Everything had been fine a moment ago, so why had she suddenly gotten angry?

Oblivious as ever, Kushina asked, "What's wrong with Tsunade?"

Liuyun chuckled. "I think that hit a sore spot."

"Let's head to the hill behind Konoha. It'll take us a while to get there!"

"Okay!" both girls said at once.

On the hill behind Konoha, Tsunade leaned against a large tree in a Jonin flak jacket.

Her expression kept shifting as her eyes darted about. She was clearly plotting something.

"Hmph! Brats!" she muttered through gritted teeth. "I'm going to teach you a lesson today! Then you'll think twice before flaunting that lovey-dovey nonsense in front of me!"

A few minutes later, Liuyun and the two girls came into view.

"You're on time? I'm surprised," Liuyun said, feigning confusion.

He sneered inwardly. Tsunade's intentions were written all over her face. He didn't even have to guess.

"Good! You arrived on time!" Tsunade coughed and nodded with feigned approval.

"As your teacher, I'm going to design a training plan tailored to each of you."

"So I need to know what you can really do!"

"Kushina! We'll start with you!"

"Okay, Tsunade!" Kushina blinked, then answered with excitement.

"You two, stand aside and watch!"

Liuyun took Mikoto's hand and quietly led her to the side.

He looked at Kushina with pity. The oblivious girl probably still had no idea what Tsunade had in mind!

"Good luck, Kushina!" Mikoto called, making an encouraging gesture.

"Thanks! I'll do my best!" Kushina's eyes shone with fighting spirit.

"Then let's begin!" Tsunade said with a smile.

"Okay! Here I come!" Kushina shouted.