Tsunade, Be His Teacher

Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya were all Hiruzen Sarutobi's disciples, and he trusted them. Now that all three had grown into capable ninjas in their own right, it was time to give them more responsibility—and tell them a few things they needed to know.

"Uchiha Yi? Kushina seems pretty close to him. I've heard her mention him before.

"But is that kid really so talented? He can actually be compared to Kagami?" Tsunade knew Kagami Uchiha too. Any Uchiha who had earned her second grandfather's approval, despite his distrust of the clan, had to be impressive.

As Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi could not lead them on missions himself. Kagami Uchiha had taken them on many of those missions instead, and he had taught them a great deal along the way.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly and looked toward Uchiha Yi, who was chatting with Kushina Uzumaki, Minato Namikaze, and the others. "Yi awakened his Sharingan earlier than anyone in the Uchiha Clan's history.

"He's already quite skilled in Fire Release and Lightning Release. Even without the Sharingan, he's strong enough to graduate early.

"If he'd applied, he might have broken your record as the youngest graduates.

"And now, I suspect he may already have the strength to match a Chunin."

"Oh? A six-year-old Chunin?" Orochimaru watched Uchiha Yi with interest, running his snake-like tongue over his lips.

"I said he might have strength comparable to a Chunin. Whether he can become one still depends on the assessment. And since he hasn't applied for early graduation, I won't make him graduate," Hiruzen Sarutobi clarified with a soft cough.

Tsunade followed his gaze to Uchiha Yi. For some reason, she felt an odd sense of familiarity with the kid.

What was it about this Uchiha?

"Tsunade, would you be interested in becoming his teacher?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, pointing toward Uchiha Yi.

"Me? His teacher?" Tsunade blinked. She had just been wondering why Uchiha Yi felt so familiar, and now Hiruzen Sarutobi was making this suggestion. "I may not have the Senju name, but I still have Senju Clan blood. He's an Uchiha!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi took out his pipe and drew on it, smiling. "What's wrong with that?

"Didn't Teacher Tobirama take Kagami as his disciple? The First Hokage even joined forces with the Uchiha to found Konoha.

"The Senju Clan has disbanded, and the Uchiha are part of the village. Yi is part of the village too. Why shouldn't you take him as your disciple?

"It might even become a story people tell for years. He needs you to protect him while he grows."

He could have had Uchiha Yi become Orochimaru's disciple, but after some hesitation, he had chosen Tsunade.

Deep down, Hiruzen Sarutobi still favored Orochimaru as the next Hokage. If Yi became Orochimaru's disciple, Uchiha Yi might well end up a candidate to succeed him.

Nawaki's talent probably could not compare with Uchiha Yi's.

Of course, with the Senju Clan behind him, even ten Uchiha Yis could not compete with Nawaki. The people of Konoha would rather support the Senju Clan.

But that would likely throw the Uchiha Clan into even greater turmoil.

Making Tsunade Uchiha Yi's teacher avoided that problem. To make it up to Yi, Hiruzen Sarutobi could have Uchiha Mikoto become Orochimaru's disciple. The Uchiha doves would then have two pillars to rally around, with Uchiha Yi leading and Uchiha Mikoto supporting him.

That way, Uchiha Yi would belong to the Hokage's circle but would be unlikely to become Hokage himself. To Hiruzen Sarutobi, that was the best outcome.

It was not that Hiruzen Sarutobi disliked Uchiha Yi or wanted to scheme against him. An Uchiha simply was not suited to the role.

As friends and comrades, the Uchiha were dependable. But if an Uchiha became Hokage, who knew what might happen?

He might declare war on the entire Shinobi World the day after taking office, and then Konoha would be finished!

Tsunade fell silent. If Uchiha Yi became her disciple, it would probably stir up trouble within the Uchiha Clan again. The hardliners in particular would see him as a thorn in their side.

Kagami Uchiha had become Tobirama Senju's disciple because Tobirama had the strength to back him. But what did Tsunade have?

Besides, Tsunade knew she was not the best person to teach Uchiha Yi.

Orochimaru was!

As for Jiraiya, she dismissed him outright.

"Think it over. Things are hard enough for the boy as it is," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a sigh. "If you take Uchiha Yi as your disciple, I'll also let you take Kushina Uzumaki as one later."

"Kushina?" Tsunade looked surprised. She knew something of what might await Kushina.

Tsunade had assumed Kushina might never be allowed to leave Konoha for the rest of her life.

She had not expected Teacher Sarutobi to agree to let her take Kushina as a disciple.

"Yes. Kushina is a good child, and she's found people to care about here in Konoha. As her older cousin, you can't just ignore her, can you?

"And you're the best person to teach her, aren't you?

"If she learns Lady Mito's Sealing Jutsu, along with your Cherry Blossom Impact and Medical Ninjutsu, she could hold her own in the future, even if she remains an ordinary ninja." Hiruzen Sarutobi was pleased with the current students at the Ninja Academy.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke, Nawaki, Uchiha Mikoto, Uchiha Yi, Kushina Uzumaki, Hyuga Hiashi, Hizashi, and the next generation of Ino-Shika-Cho were all among Konoha's most promising young ninjas.

If they grew into their potential, Konoha's future would be bright!

Tsunade had to admit she was tempted. She knew Kushina Uzumaki well: the younger cousin her grandmother had taken under her wing.

Her grandmother had said Kushina's talent for Sealing Jutsu was no less than her own.

And with the Uzumaki Clan's physique and vitality, Kushina Uzumaki could surely learn Cherry Blossom Impact and Medical Ninjutsu without much trouble.

The more Tsunade thought about it, the more tempting the offer became.

By then, Minato Namikaze had stepped onto the training ground. His opponent was a member of the Sarutobi Clan. Minato showed off his solid fundamentals and sharp sense of timing, defeating his opponent with a steady, controlled rhythm.

"Old man, do you know that blond kid?" Jiraiya's eyes lit up when he saw Minato Namikaze.

Having come from an ordinary family himself, Jiraiya had a natural soft spot for ninjas without clan backing. In Minato Namikaze, he saw a glimpse of his younger self. That kid's just like me.