Teacher, there is one more thing I want to tell you. Kushina and I plan to graduate early. Minato told Tsunade about his decision to graduate early.
Graduate early? Sure! Tsunade agreed without a second thought. Before, Minato was too young and needed more contact with peers his own age. But with Minato's current strength, staying in school would just be a waste of time. If he got into a conflict with a teacher and ended up one-shotting them, how embarrassing would that be? Kushina's strength also met the graduation standards. With her usually by Minato's side, Tsunade didn't have much to worry about.
Also, I just ran into Nawaki's Squad-Leading Jonin, and we had a bit of a conflict. Minato briefly explained the situation: I planned to have Nawaki leave his squad temporarily to train with me for a while. That guy was a bit difficult, so I gave him a beating and now intend to have Nawaki leave the squad permanently.
Tsunade nodded. I understand. I'll go talk to the Old Man about it. No questioning, no asking more. Tsunade had absolute trust in Minato. Although she was curious about why Minato hit him, since Minato didn't elaborate, she would not ask at this time.
After that, I'll form a team with Nawaki, Kushina, and Sister Mikoto. Minato continued, The current situation is getting more and more tense. I plan to give everyone special training for a period of time.
Mm... Although she felt a bit conflicted, Tsunade still nodded in agreement. The situation in the Land of Rain was dire, which could be seen from the number of casualties in the hospital recently. War could break out at any moment, and she also felt that instead of doing missions, they should focus on increasing their strength.
In that case, I'll leave Nawaki to you. Tsunade looked deeply at Minato, an indescribable emotion flashing in her eyes. At this moment, she wasn't saying this from the perspective of a teacher; she believed Minato would understand her meaning. And Minato indeed understood her meaning. He didn't say anything, just gave a gentle smile. Their eyes met briefly before looking away in tacit understanding, and Tsunade felt completely at ease.
Then she slapped the table briskly. Alright! To celebrate the formation of your squad, lunch is on me. Let's go eat sukiyaki!
Yay! Hooray for Sis! Kushina and Nawaki cheered.
The group arrived at the restaurant. The sukiyaki was steaming, and the atmosphere at the table was relaxed and lively. Minato sat on one side with Kushina and Mikoto. Naturally, Kushina sat in the middle; if Minato had sat in the middle, the atmosphere might not have been so lively. The sukiyaki broth was shallow, and only a few slices of meat could be cooked at a time. Minato controlled the speed of his chopsticks so that the others wouldn't miss out.
Though Tsunade had a smile on her face, she wasn't in the mood to eat. She discreetly observed Mikoto sitting opposite her. With her smooth black hair and graceful manners, the intellectual charm she showed just by gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear while eating was enough for a girl like Kushina to spend half a lifetime trying to learn. Tsunade glanced at Kushina, who was holding a large mouthful of meat, stirring it frantically in the pasteurized egg wash before shoving it all into her mouth with a carefree, satisfied smile.
Sigh... The meal cost $15,000$ Ryo, $10,000$ of which went into Minato's stomach. Seeing Minato's appetite for the first time, Mikoto was quite shocked. She didn't expect Minato to be such a big eater! No wonder he's so strong! Although there wasn't necessarily a connection between the two, she just felt it was impressive.
After the meal, Tsunade made an excuse to find the Third Hokage to apply for Minato's early squad withdrawal and parted ways with the group for a while. Then she went all the way to the Eastern Forest and kicked open the doors of the Root Base.
Who's there?! Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—four figures appeared, blocking Tsunade's path.
Lady Tsunade? Seeing who it was, the squad leader's Aura immediately weakened. The four were a guard squad for the Root Base and knew that Minato and Orochimaru were in close contact. Since Tsunade was not only Minato's teacher but also Orochimaru's teammate, they didn't dare to be too offensive even if her attitude was bad. Tsunade's almond eyes flared with anger, but she didn't make things difficult for them. She simply asked coldly, Take me to see Orochimaru!
The squad leader breathed a sigh of relief. One moment, I'll go report.
Soon, after winding through the underground corridors, Tsunade finally saw Orochimaru, who was in the middle of an experiment. He stood under the surgical lights, skillfully dissecting a corpse. Seeing this, Tsunade frowned. Forgetting about Mikoto for a moment, she questioned, Are you performing human experiments?
You're still the same as ever, Tsunade. Impatient as always. Hearing the movement behind him, Orochimaru unhurriedly put down his scalpel, took off his gloves, and slowly turned around. With a mysterious smile on his face, he waved for his subordinates to leave. His tone was calm and casual. This is Root, the darkest place in Konoha. Aren't human experiments perfectly normal here? Besides, it's just a dispensable prisoner. You didn't think the Second Hokage researched all those Forbidden Jutsu using his own body, did you?
... Hearing this, Tsunade's expression softened slightly, but thinking of his close contact with Minato, she was still uneasy. You haven't dragged Minato into this, have you?
Orochimaru's expression suddenly became intrigued. What if I told you that this experiment was actually Minato-kun's idea?
What do you mean? Tsunade's expression changed. Though she trusted Minato implicitly, the idea of human experimentation was still somewhat beyond her expectations.
We are exploring the connection between the body and the Soul. Based on the Edo Tensei and the Spirit Transformation Technique, we are creating a technique that can transfer a Soul into a young body even if the original Physical Body has decayed. Orochimaru said calmly, From a worldly perspective, this is indeed a Forbidden Jutsu, but it offers life another possibility.
The cost? Tsunade's brow furrowed. It's not by means of seizing someone else's body, is it?
That's what I originally thought, yes, but Minato-kun insisted on the path of cloning. Orochimaru smiled. I think he has a point. How could a stolen body be as suitable as one you've cultivated yourself? But don't worry, I never let Minato-kun get his hands dirty with the actual experiments.
Tsunade's face relaxed slightly, and she finally remembered her purpose for coming here. That Uchiha Mikoto—is she a Disciple you took on?
Orochimaru nodded. Yes. What do you think? She's quite beautiful, isn't she?
Don't give me that! Tsunade's face darkened. What do you mean by this? Do you also want to interfere in that boy's life like the Old Man?
Why else? Orochimaru tilted his head, his tone sounding very innocent. I can't exactly enter the game personally like you did, can I?
?!!! Tsunade froze for a brief second. Once she realized what he meant, her face turned bright red. You bastard, what nonsense are you talking about?!
See? You're getting worked up again~ Orochimaru spread his hands, looking like there was nothing he could do with her. I just introduced my Disciple to him. If even that counts as interfering in his life, then what about a mixer? And if you really want to count it, I'm actually helping you...
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