The Tsunade Squad Is Formed

Uchiha Yi could clearly sense that this woman was as rigid as the rest of the Hyuga Clan—perhaps even more so.

She had approached him to say hello, yet he still felt a distance beneath her politeness.

She would not be easy to get along with. Fortunately, she did not seem inclined to make trouble for him either, and that was good enough for Yi.

Besides, the Uchiha and Hyuga had never been particularly close. After the Senju Clan disbanded, Tobirama Senju's maneuvering had set the two clans competing for the title of Konoha's foremost clan.

Frankly, comparing the Hyuga to the Uchiha was an insult to the Uchiha. However far the clan had fallen, it had not sunk so low as to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Hyuga.

But what could the Uchiha do about the rivalry? Beat up the Hyuga?

When Yi had first entered the Ninja Academy, members of the Hyuga Clan had challenged him. He had dealt with them easily, establishing his reputation as the Uchiha's top prodigy.

These days, an Uchiha could hardly call himself a prodigy if he could not beat a few Hyuga. The trouble was, quite a few Uchiha genuinely could not.

The Hyuga trained in Taijutsu, after all. In childhood, when Chakra was still limited, ninjas who focused on Taijutsu held a real advantage.

Yi sat down a short distance from Hyuga Rinka and took out the comprehensive guide to basic Sealing Jutsu that Mito Uzumaki had given him.

Sealing Jutsu was every bit as troublesome and difficult to learn as he had expected. The basics were hard enough; advancing beyond them was harder still.

If not for the Flying Thunder God Technique, Yi would not have wanted to study so much Sealing Jutsu. Once he awakened the Rinnegan, could he not use Chibaku Tensei to handle most sealing problems?

Unfortunately, the Flying Thunder God Technique demanded exceptional skill in Sealing Jutsu, forcing Yi to spend a great deal of time studying it.

At least he had Mito Uzumaki, a master of Sealing Jutsu, to guide him personally. Otherwise, he might truly have given up.

Then again, Kushina Uzumaki had remarkable talent for Sealing Jutsu. If he could someday acquire her talent—or Mito Uzumaki's—that would be perfect.

After Yi sat down and stopped moving, Rinka kept stealing glances at him.

Rinka had asked to join Tsunade Squad herself. If she had not wanted to, the Hyuga Clan would not have forced her.

As a member of the Main Family, she enjoyed the finest resources, including training opportunities the branch family could only dream of. She lived comfortably, with servants or branch family members attending to her every need.

It seemed all members of the Main Family had to do was rule the branch family and produce more descendants. Any other effort seemed pointless.

Rinka did not want that life. Deep down, she had a faint sense that the Hyuga Main Family was not supposed to be this way.

She had never shared those thoughts with anyone. When the chance to join Tsunade Squad arose, she applied at once.

She wanted to change her life and become strong—not someone protected by the branch family, but someone who could protect the entire Family.

Rinka was also curious about Yi, the Uchiha's top prodigy. She wanted to see just how talented he was.

Yi felt a little helpless under her stare, but what could he do? He could hardly tell her she was not allowed to look at him.

Fortunately, Tsunade and Kushina Uzumaki did not keep him waiting long. A little over ten minutes later, they both arrived at the training ground.

"Yi!" Kushina ran over to greet him as soon as she saw him.

"Kushina." Yi nodded to her, then said, "This is our teammate, Hyuga Rinka."

Only then did Kushina notice Rinka beside him. A flash of admiration crossed her eyes. What a cute girl.

Kushina immediately grew wary. Uchiha Mikoto already put enough pressure on her. If Rinka joined the competition too, how was she supposed to stand a chance?

"All right, you're all members of Tsunade Squad now!

"I'm not asking you to become best friends, but I don't want you getting along too badly, either." Tsunade shot Yi a fierce glare, then said, "Introduce yourselves. You'll be carrying out missions together, so you need to know one another."

Kushina knew Tsunade was hinting at her, but she was not afraid. She raised her hand and called out, "How should we introduce ourselves? Why don't you go first, Big Sister Tsunade?"

"I'm your captain in this squad. Call me Teacher Tsunade when we're on the team." Tsunade gave Kushina an exasperated look, but introduced herself anyway. "I'm Tsunade, an Elite Jōnin of Konoha. I specialize in Taijutsu and Medical Ninjutsu. I like drinking and gambling, and I dislike troublesome things. My dream? To win a bet against everyone in the world."

Now that's an extravagant dream, Yi thought. If Tsunade ever won against everyone, the price would probably be the end of the Shinobi World.

He looked at Kushina and Rinka. Neither seemed ready to go next, so he spoke up. "I'm Uchiha Yi, six years old. I specialize in Fire Release and Lightning Release. As for hobbies, I suppose I like good food. I don't want to see my friends leave me.

"As for my dream, it's world peace. Does that count?"

"Of course world peace counts as a dream. I hope you can make it happen someday!" Tsunade nodded approvingly. She could tell Yi was not lying. He truly wanted peace. Who said all Uchiha were crazy? Yi was a good kid!

"My turn, my turn! I'm Kushina Uzumaki. I specialize in Taijutsu and Sealing Jutsu, and I know a little Medical Ninjutsu too. I like living alongside the friends I care about, and I don't want to see anyone parted from their loved ones by death.

"My dream is to live happily with the people who matter to me."

As she said those last words, Kushina glanced at Yi, then quickly fixed her gaze on Tsunade.

"Don't worry. We'll protect our home together." Tsunade understood what Kushina meant. Her heart aching for her, she stroked Kushina's head. Such a sweet girl.