Boy, Have You Ever Seen Konoha at Four in the Morning?

"I..." Tsunade looked at Uchiha Yi on the training ground, her expression conflicted. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "I'll try, but I want to spend some time with the kid first.

"If I can't give him what he needs, I won't hold back his growth."

Tsunade had little confidence that she could teach Uchiha Yi.

If she could teach him well, fine. But if she held him back, she would be doing him a disservice.

Tsunade bore the Uchiha no ill will. She had once carried out missions under Kagami Uchiha, and she certainly did not want to hinder Uchiha Yi.

"As his teacher, you won't just help him grow stronger. More importantly, you'll pass on your experience and protect him as he grows. You're more than capable of that.

"There are very few people in Konoha stronger than you three now." Hiruzen Sarutobi was naturally pleased with his three students.

Tsunade's style differed from his too, yet she had still become his student.

Besides, with Tsunade leading Uchiha Yi on missions, he would grow up safely unless they encountered an enemy she could not handle.

No one could say Hiruzen Sarutobi was treating Uchiha Yi poorly. He had assigned the Shinobi World's finest healer to watch over him, and Kushina Uzumaki had the potential to become a top-tier healer herself. If Yi still failed to grow up safely, that would simply be his fate.

Tsunade nodded thoughtfully. All she had to do was protect them? That was what she did best.

Without her healing, Jiraiya and Orochimaru would have died long ago.

"I understand!" Tsunade took a deep breath and agreed. At the same time, she began thinking about who should be the third member of the Tsunade Squad.

There was Uchiha Yi, the Ninja Academy's greatest prodigy, and Kushina Uzumaki, whose talent for Sealing Jutsu rivaled Mito Uzumaki's. Tsunade wondered whether Kushina had awakened the Uzumaki Clan's formidable sensory ability. If she had, that would give the squad a sensor too.

Uchiha Yi was excellent at analyzing battles, making him a candidate to be the squad's strategist. As for the final choice...

Hiruzen Sarutobi found himself in a bind. He wanted to place a civilian-born ninja on the squad, but an ordinary student could never keep pace with those two. The third member had to be a prodigy too.

What about Shinnosuke? Hiruzen quickly dismissed the idea. He intended to send Shinnosuke to train in the Anbu and keep his existence out of sight. That would protect him from enemy Ninja Villages targeting him.

If Shinnosuke joined the Tsunade Squad, the leaders of the other villages might want to come after it personally.

Hiruzen Sarutobi soon turned his attention to another clan: the Hyuga Clan...

He was not considering Hyuga Hiashi or Hizashi Hyuga, but another Hyuga child. If finding someone who could match Uchiha Yi and Kushina Uzumaki was too difficult, giving them a scout would work too.

Hiruzen did not care whether this might win Tsunade the support of the Uchiha and Hyuga Clans and threaten his position. If it had been Nawaki, he might have worried. But this was Tsunade!

Of his three students, Tsunade was the least interested in becoming Hokage. Even Jiraiya was more likely to take the position.

Besides, the Hyuga Clan had once followed the Senju Clan. Even without this squad, would the Hyuga really refuse to support Tsunade?

Orochimaru, meanwhile, could take a child from one of the clans. Even Hyuga Hiashi would be an acceptable choice.

As for Jiraiya, aside from Minato Namikaze, Hiruzen could assign him prodigies from the clans or talented civilian-born students. It would depend on what Jiraiya wanted; Hiruzen could only offer suggestions.

Truthfully, Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted Jiraiya to lead a squad made up entirely of civilian-born students. Even if he produced only two Special Jōnin, that would benefit Konoha and give the Hokage Lineage loyal allies.

While Hiruzen Sarutobi made his plans, the fight between Uchiha Yi and Minato Namikaze had reached a fever pitch.

Minato Namikaze attacked Yi again and again. With little Chakra to spare, he relied mainly on Taijutsu. He had been studying it relentlessly; without any ninjutsu passed down to him, it was a path that suited him. Combined with his outstanding ability to learn, it had already made him one of the best in his class.

Spinning leaps, blocks, kicks—no matter how Minato attacked, Uchiha Yi handled him with ease.

"Ready?" Yi suddenly asked after blocking another attack. He had seen enough.

"So you're finally getting serious?" Minato was not discouraged. He had always known there was a wide gap between them, but he intended to close it.

He had already caught up with the other clan children. Uchiha Yi and Kushina Uzumaki were next.

Let's see how many moves I can last against Yi now!

You're a top-tier genius, all right, Yi thought, but sorry—I've got an unfair advantage.

Minato Namikaze's talent was plain to see. Jiraiya had said anyone would pale in comparison to him.

Perhaps Kakashi, without the Sharingan, could have matched him.

But that was true of ordinary ninja, not someone like Uchiha Yi, who had an unfair advantage.

Yi clenched his left fist and struck at Minato's face with lightning speed. Minato hurriedly raised his free hand to block.

To Minato's horror, although he had reacted in time, his body was a beat too slow. Yi's fist struck his face. Then came a sudden feeling of weightlessness: Yi had followed through with a leg sweep and knocked him to the ground.

The sudden defeat left Minato dazed for a moment.

Why does it feel like the gap between Yi and me is getting wider instead of narrower?

But his gaze soon grew firm again. No. It's not that I haven't closed the gap. I just hadn't seen Yi fight at full strength before. I need to work harder.

My teachers call me a genius, but Yi is a genius too. How can I close the gap if I don't put in the effort?

"You okay?" Yi asked gently, pulling Minato to his feet.

"I'm fine! You held back." Minato gave a self-deprecating smile. "I don't know how you train to be such a monster. I'll have to work even harder."

"Have you ever seen Konoha at four in the morning? I have. Keep working hard, kid!" Yi patted Minato on the shoulder, his tone earnest.