What Hyuga Rinka Meant to Uchiha Yi

"Yi, you were amazing! Those ninja were no match for you. You took them out just like that!" Once they reached the town, Tsunade treated the group to a delicious meal. Kushina Uzumaki exclaimed between bites.

"At the end of the day, they were only Rain Ninja. They're still a step behind Konoha's ninja.

"You two did well yourselves. You held off five ninja, and more than one of them was a Chunin." Uchiha Yi happily dug into a piece of beef as he praised Kushina Uzumaki and Hyuga Rinka. Then, as if remembering something, he pulled a Storage Scroll from his waist and tossed it to Hyuga Rinka across the table. "There are still plenty of Explosive Tags in there. They should come in handy later."

Come to think of it, Hyuga Rinka really was rich. Yi had thought he was wealthy and extravagant, but beside her, he realized he had underestimated what extravagance looked like.

That woman had at least five hundred Explosive Tags in her Storage Scroll!

What Genin brought more than five hundred Explosive Tags on a mission?

Yi certainly didn't. Even Uchiha Fugaku wouldn't bring that many Explosive Tags on a mission.

It wasn't that the Hyuga Clan was stronger or wealthier than the Uchiha Clan. In fact, two Hyuga Clans put together couldn't match one Uchiha Clan.

The difference was that the Uchiha Clan didn't bleed its members dry the way the Hyuga Main Family did.

If the Uchiha Clan Leader or its elders tried anything like that, ordinary Uchiha would probably drag them from power.

The Uchiha had no Caged Bird Seal. They had nowhere near the Hyuga's control over the rest of their clan.

In fact, no clan other than the Hyuga exerted such absolute control over its members.

Even the Ōtsutsuki Clan on the moon couldn't manage that. Otherwise, the clan wouldn't eventually be wiped out.

"Mm." Hyuga Rinka put away the Storage Scroll. She didn't ask how many Explosive Tags Yi had used or how many were left, much less worry that he might have pocketed some.

It seemed she trusted Yi in that regard. Of course, she might simply not care.

They were only Explosive Tags. How much could they cost? Probably no more than an ordinary Genin might fail to earn after a whole year of missions.

"Tsunade-sensei, how long do we need to stay in this town?" After putting away the Storage Scroll, Hyuga Rinka looked at Tsunade and asked the question pointedly.

A smile tugged at Tsunade's lips. Hyuga Rinka seemed to have figured something out. And unless Tsunade was mistaken, Yi had probably started suspecting it before they even left Konoha.

Then Tsunade glanced at Kushina Uzumaki, who was busy stuffing her face. She probably hadn't noticed a thing. The girl was a little too oblivious, just like Nawaki.

Thankfully, Yi was there with her. Otherwise, Tsunade would genuinely worry that someone might swindle Kushina one day.

Then again, Yi was the most dangerous one of all. Kushina had no guard up around him. If he sold her off someday, she might even help him count the money.

Forget it. Kushina isn't my responsibility. Grandmother thought highly of Yi—almost as highly as Nawaki—and turned a blind eye to whatever was going on between Yi and Kushina. She probably wouldn't stop them from getting together.

But Yi was still entangled with Uchiha Mikoto. Men who played with hearts like that were impossible to understand.

Whichever one Yi chose, the other would be left heartbroken.

Fortunately, there was no rule requiring monogamy in the Shinobi World. People simply followed the custom without thinking much about it. Tsunade couldn't even count how many women her grandfather, the daimyo, had.

"We'll rest for a day and leave tomorrow. Get ready for the second mission." Tsunade took a mission Scroll from her robes. "Since we've left the village, we might as well take on a few more missions.

"Uchiha Yi, Hyuga Rinka, you two have completed plenty of missions, and you're strong enough. Once we get back, it should be about time for you to advance to Chunin. I'll recommend you for the Chunin Ninja Exams."

"Hey, hey, hey! Why do Yi and Rinka get to take the Chunin Ninja Exams? What about me?" Kushina immediately protested, glaring at Tsunade.

"To become a Chunin, you first have to be a ninja. You may be coming on missions with me, but officially, you're still a student at the Ninja Academy. You aren't even a Genin.

"How are you supposed to become a Chunin?" Tsunade shot Kushina an exasperated look. The ungrateful little brat had no idea Tsunade was trying to protect her.

Once war broke out, Kushina would be the safest of them all.

If Tsunade had her way, Nawaki, Yi, and the others would stay in school forever and never become ninja.

"Uh..." Kushina froze. Right. She hadn't even graduated yet.

If Yi and the others became Chunin while she wasn't even a Genin, wouldn't that be embarrassing?

"What's the next mission?" Yi had little interest in the Chunin Ninja Exams. Even if he became a Chunin, he wouldn't be Konoha's youngest. In truth, his advancement had been held back somewhat.

If he'd applied for the Chunin Ninja Exams six months ago, Tsunade and the others wouldn't have allowed it.

It was a way of protecting Yi. At least they had given him half a year to grow stronger without that pressure.

Unless he was unlucky enough to run into an exceptionally powerful enemy, Yi could handle himself.

"We're going to the Land of Rivers to escort three nobles to the capital of the Land of Fire." Tsunade paused, then explained, "Relations between the major nations haven't been friendly lately. War could break out at any moment, and the smaller nations may become battlefields. Even nobles could get caught up in a shinobi war.

"Some nobles who favor Konoha and are close to the Land of Fire naturally want to take refuge in its capital."

"I see." Yi nodded thoughtfully. A mission like that wouldn't be too difficult for them.

But was it really all right for them to enter another country's territory?

Yi gave Tsunade an exasperated look. She was using them as bait and wasn't even bothering to hide it!

And they weren't the only ones who could draw enemy attention. As Hashirama's granddaughter and Konoha's foremost medical ninja, Tsunade was a target herself!