Chapter 33

The thoughts churning inside Hiruzen Sarutobi were far more turbulent than his expression suggested. The young man before him was no longer the greenhorn he had been three years ago. He had read the Anbu reports. During his three years training away from the village, Minato Namikaze's strength had advanced by leaps and bounds. Supposedly, he could already fight Xuan Zhe of the Hatake Clan to a draw.

Seventeen years old.

Born a commoner.

No ninja clan backing him.

Extremely close to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Kushina Uzumaki.

Those three things together made him the perfect pawn-no, the perfect candidate.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked the beard on his chin, his smile deepening.

"Starting today, you will resume your position in the village."

Minato Namikaze dropped to one knee and bowed his head. "Yes, Lord Hokage."

But to his surprise, Hiruzen had not finished speaking.

"A position as an ordinary Anbu member no longer suits your current strength." Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke as casually as if he were commenting on the pleasant weather. "You will serve as ANBU Commander."

Minato Namikaze's pupils abruptly contracted.

ANBU Commander?

That position had been vacant ever since White Fang stepped down!

Jiraiya had indeed told him on the journey that the Third would definitely entrust him with important duties once he returned. But wasn't this a little too important? A position second to only one man, right off the bat?

Watching his stunned expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled even more kindly.

"White Fang once held this position, but unfortunately, he resigned. It's been giving me headaches all these years."

He paused.

"But that won't be a problem anymore."

The old man's gaze swept over Minato Namikaze, his tone certain.

"Standing before me is someone even more outstanding than he was."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's words sounded like appreciation, but he was actually laying the praise on a little too thick.

Rather than feeling pleased, Minato Namikaze only grew more tense.

Such an enormous favor... wasn't this an obvious attempt to bind him firmly to the elders' faction?

Besides, Jiraiya had mentioned more than once that relations between Lord Hokage and Lord Xuan Zhe were strained.

Could he be planning to groom him into... a secret weapon against Xuan Zhe?

"Don't bother trying to turn it down. You won't be able to anyway."

Jiraiya's face suddenly appeared in his mind, along with those words his teacher had spoken earlier.

"Then... I'll do my best not to disappoint you, Lord Hokage."

With no real alternative, Minato Namikaze could only lower his head and accept the assignment.

"I have faith in you. I hope that, like your code name, 'Light,' and like the Will of Fire, you will become a light that illuminates the entire village."

With a satisfied smile, Hiruzen Sarutobi took an Anbu mask he had prepared long ago from his drawer and held it out to Minato Namikaze.

Several months later.

Beside the little house where Xuan Zhe lived.

"Lord Xuan Zhe, could you teach me ninjutsu?"

The little girl before him gazed up with wide eyes, her bright irises glittering like two rubies whenever she blinked.

Xuan Zhe looked at Kurenai Yuhi for a while, remaining silent for quite some time.

She was the daughter of his older brother's close friend. He really couldn't bear to discourage her.

Thinking it over carefully...

Did Kurenai Yuhi have any achievements worth mentioning in the original story?

When most people mentioned her ninjutsu, wasn't their strongest impression of her getting taken down by Uchiha Itachi in a single move?

As for Xuan Zhe's memories of her... they were even more straightforward.

He only remembered that she had quite the figure once she grew up.

"You... could actually try Medical Ninjutsu too, besides genjutsu."

Only after mulling it over for ages did Xuan Zhe manage to squeeze out something less hurtful.

By the later stages of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Super Kage Level fighters were everywhere. Even Kage Level wasn't worth much anymore.

You didn't even have a Kekkei Genkai, and you still had the nerve to be a ninja?

"Really? Then I'll ask Lady Tsunade for more guidance too!"

Kurenai Yuhi seemed quite satisfied with that answer and decided to come learn from Tsunade whenever she had time.

Who knew what she was really up to?

There was already Rin Nohara, who loved trailing after Tsunade everywhere. And now another little girl was coming around Xuan Zhe's place.

"Huh? Is Lady Tsunade not here?"

Kurenai Yuhi looked around but saw no sign of Tsunade.

The fact that those two lived together had long since stopped being a secret in Konoha.

"That money-burning woman took Rin to the neighboring village's ** first thing this morning."

Xuan Zhe shrugged, long accustomed to it.

Xuan Zhe was just wondering why Rin Nohara looked more and more like someone whose sole job was following Tsunade around cleaning up her messes.

"Quick, let me inside to hide!"

The words had barely fallen when two adolescent girls came charging down the woodland path. The one in front wore her golden hair in a ponytail, her green eyes like gemstones, youthful energy radiating from her entire body.

The moment she opened her mouth, she sounded like a born **.

Her chest, though, was flat enough to land a plane on.

Following behind her was none other than Rin Nohara.

Xuan Zhe couldn't be bothered with her. He turned and headed for the training ground. The voice in his head had been growing clearer lately, and he needed to make the most of his time to comprehend it.

Two hours later, Nawaki dragged himself over, looking utterly drained. With a mournful expression, he said, "My sister racked up a debt of fifty million, two hundred and forty thousand ryo this time. I had to hand over Grandfather's Jade Buddha Statue, the one Dad loved most when he was alive, as collateral before they'd leave."

"Hmph! Those people must have cheated! How else could I possibly have lost so much?"

The blonde girl shouted angrily.

Xuan Zhe and Nawaki both shut their mouths.

With gambling luck as rotten as Tsunade's, probably only her grandfather Hashirama Senju could have matched her if he came back to life.

"Can you change back now?"

Xuan Zhe abruptly asked.

"Oh! I almost forgot!"

The blonde girl smacked her forehead, then raised the index and middle fingers of both hands and stacked them to form a seal.

With a poof, white smoke dispersed.

An A-cup turned straight into a G-cup.

Beside her, Rin Nohara and Kurenai Yuhi stared so hard their eyes nearly popped out.

The two rushed forward from either side and clamped their hands onto Tsunade's shoulders, their excitement almost frightening.

"Lady Tsunade, what exactly did you eat growing up?!"

"Did you develop some strange medicine?!"

"Or is there some secret technique?!"

"Please, tell us already!!!"

Shaken dizzy by the two girls, Tsunade's temper flared. "You two, that's enough!!!"

Leaving aside the drama those three women were putting on.

Nawaki suddenly remembered something. His expression turned serious as he told Xuan Zhe, "Brother-in-law, the Anbu has a new commander filling Mr. Sakumo's vacancy. I think his code name is... Light?"

Xuan Zhe raised his eyelids slightly.

He really hadn't been paying attention to such trifles.

It wasn't that he didn't care.

The voice in his head was simply growing clearer and clearer, and he spent all day immersed in comprehending Kenjutsu.

Even Tsunade had complained-"You bastard, how long has it been since you did your husbandly duty?!"

But the next thing Nawaki mentioned did catch Xuan Zhe's interest-

Kakashi had applied to graduate early.

Inside the Hokage's office, the Third was looking at Minato Namikaze, who had just returned from a mission, his face wreathed in smiles.

The lad truly hadn't disappointed him. At only eighteen, he had already reached the threshold of Kage Level.

His Flying Thunder God was becoming increasingly polished, no worse than the Second's back in the day. At least where speed was concerned, he had it down.

"Thank you for your hard work on the mission, Minato."

The Third began with a round of official pleasantries.

"You're too kind, Lord Hokage. It was only an A-rank mission."

Wearing his Anbu mask, Minato Namikaze forced a smile.

To be honest, the Third's lavish praise only made him uneasy.

Where in this world could you get a free lunch?

The more effort the other man put into cultivating him, the colder Minato Namikaze felt down his back.

"But Minato, I think it's about time you took off that mask and stepped into the public eye as a regular ninja."

The Third added another remark.

At those words, Minato Namikaze's heart lurched.