After seeing the faces of the Konoha Sannin, a flash of surprise crossed Minato’s eyes.
He immediately composed himself, revealing a clean, warm, and pure smile like the gentle sun.
With a slight nod of acknowledgment, he calmly withdrew his gaze and continued to focus on the assessment.
That clear, gentle smile instantly warmed Jiraiya’s heart, inexplicably sparking a sense of fondness.
He stroked his chin and whispered thoughtfully: “This blonde kid gives off a very good vibe—clean, pure, and clear-hearted, like a little sun.”
“I can try interacting with him. If his character and talent meet my standards, taking him on as a disciple wouldn’t be out of the question.”
Fate is always a mysterious thing.
“Oh? That’s perfect!”
A flash of pleasant surprise crossed Tsunade’s eyes, and she immediately made the decision: “Since you’re interested, then Minato will be under your tutelage from now on!”
“Hey, hey, hey! Don’t just decide on your own!”
Jiraiya was instantly flustered, waving his hands in defense: “I only said I’d try interacting with him; I haven’t confirmed I’m taking him as a disciple yet!”
“I don’t care! Anyway, it’s settled!”
Tsunade completely ignored his defense and made the final decision.
Once her words fell, her figure flashed, and she leaped away from the rooftop.
Leaving Jiraiya standing there, speechless and stunned.
He turned to look at Orochimaru, who was gloating on the sidelines, and sighed helplessly: “Sigh, have I just ended up with trouble out of nowhere?”
“Well, who knows?”
Orochimaru shrugged, his eyes full of mockery.
After speaking, his figure faded, and he left quietly.
On the empty rooftop, only Jiraiya remained, left in a daze in the wind.
Jiraiya looked up at the sky, his face full of helplessness: “What kind of situation is this…”
Deep within the Senju Clan Compound, in a secluded and tranquil central courtyard.
Uzumaki Mito sat gracefully on the veranda, watching Tsunade walk slowly into the courtyard.
With a smile in her eyes, she softly asked: “You’re back? How was it? Did you see the two children Elder Makuma mentioned? How do their aptitude and character seem?”
Tsunade nodded gently, walked to Mito’s side, and stood still with a serious expression: “Judging purely from their surface state, the two have excellent foundations, far exceeding children of their age. However, their specific talent limits and practical combat skills will require me to test them personally before I can draw a conclusion.”
“But just based on the potential they have shown so far, they are already completely worthy of the clan’s focused cultivation and full support.”
“That’s good.”
Upon hearing this, a look of relief appeared in Uzumaki Mito’s eyes, followed by a soft sigh, her tone carrying a touch of indescribable heaviness.
“To be honest, I have never approved of the plan for the Senju Clan to integrate into the Konoha civilian system from the very beginning.”
“But this was a layout set by Tobirama before his death. Coupled with the fact that the Third Hokage and the others pushed for it vigorously, many in the clan were seduced by their rhetoric and blindly followed suit. I alone was powerless to stop it, nor was it appropriate for me to forcibly intervene.”
“If I were to strongly oppose it, after I pass away, the Senju Clan, which is already declining day by day, would only find itself in an even more awkward and difficult situation.”
To this day, the biggest dilemma for the Senju is that there is no one to preside over the big picture and no one to uphold the clan’s prestige.
Tsunade has exceptional talent and outstanding strength, but she has always had no interest in the trivialities of the clan.
Furthermore, being influenced by the Third Hokage’s teachings for years, her character is simple, and she cannot see through the turbulent undercurrents of the high-level power struggle, making her easily swayed or blinded by interpersonal relationships.
Originally, Mito intended to cultivate Nawaki to become the next pillar of the Senju.
However, after years of observation, she had long since seen that Nawaki’s personality was too naive and pure—even more straightforward and honest than Hashirama was back in the day.
He did not understand political maneuvering or the sinister nature of people’s hearts, and he simply could not shoulder the burden of revitalizing the clan.
In terms of Ninja talent, Nawaki could only be considered above average, far from the standard required to prop up the entire clan.
Precisely because of this, in order to protect Nawaki’s stability throughout his life, Mito had to compromise and concede regarding the integration plan.
She dared not strongly obstruct it, fearing that after she passed away, the naive Nawaki would become a sacrifice in the clan’s power struggles.
Just as she was feeling deeply worried about the future of the Senju, the news brought by Elder Makuma regarding Chiba and Minato made her long-dormant thoughts come alive again.
She desperately wanted to witness for herself whether these two children were truly as exceptionally talented and clear-hearted as Elder Makuma had described.
If it were true, she would devote all resources to cultivating them, polishing them into top-tier powerhouses capable of supporting the Senju, and completely rewriting the declining trend of the Senju.
Even if the two ultimately could not reach such heights, at least they could become Nawaki’s most reliable helpers and backers, protecting Nawaki and stabilizing the foundation of the Senju after she was gone.
In any case, for the current Senju, cultivating these two children was absolutely a win-win strategy.
“Oh, Grandma, you’re not allowed to say such things!”
Upon hearing this, Tsunade hurriedly stepped forward, affectionately grabbing Uzumaki Mito’s arm, with the coquettish tone of a young person: “You will definitely live to a hundred! With you here, the family has a backbone; we all cannot do without you!”
Uzumaki Mito smiled gently, raised her hand to stroke Tsunade’s hair, her eyes full of love, but her heart was heavy with worry.
Tsunade was, after all, still too simple and naive; she could not understand the deep undercurrents of Konoha, nor could she see the predicament the Senju were currently in.
Precisely because she could not set her mind at ease, she had been forcing herself to hold on, struggling to persevere, not daring to step down easily.
…
On the other side, the Ninja Academy assessment concluded.
Chiba and Minato passed all assessments with excellent results without any suspense.
Both had refined Chakra early on, their foundations far exceeding the new students of the same year, and they had long been internally designated by the school as key students of this year’s core class.
After leaving the Ninja Academy, the two went on their way with light steps, happily rushing to their exclusive secret training base.
After arriving at the base, the two separated with tacit understanding, each throwing themselves into their own exclusive training rhythm, polishing Ninjutsu, tempering Taijutsu, and solidifying their foundations.
Just as the two were engrossed in their training, a figure quietly arrived through the air, concealing their presence and landing on the branch of a towering ancient tree next to the base.
Jiraiya stood quietly on the treetop, suppressing all his presence, his gaze firmly locked on Minato Namikaze below, quietly observing his training state, meticulously examining his character and talent.
The next second, another light figure flashed over and landed steadily beside Jiraiya—it was Tsunade.
“How is it? After observing for so long, have you figured anything out? Have you made the decision to take him as a disciple?” Tsunade asked directly, lowering her voice.
“Huh? How is what?” Jiraiya was slightly stunned, reacting belatedly.
“Don’t play dumb!” Tsunade pursed her lips, her face full of disdain.
“Of course, I’m asking about the aptitude of these two brats, and about you taking a disciple!”
“Hey, how could it be that fast!” Jiraiya waved his hands, looking casual.
“Taking a disciple is no small matter. You have to carefully examine their character, talent, and perseverance. I’m not the kind of person who just accepts disciples casually!”
“Tch, when you get casual, you’re not even human.”
Tsunade couldn’t be bothered to bicker with him and said decisively: “What can you see from far away across the forest? It’s purely a waste of time. Let’s go down!”
Before her words had even faded, she had already leaped, rushing straight toward the training clearing below.
“Hey! Tsunade, you’re too impatient!”
Jiraiya wanted to stop her, but it was already too late.
He could only sigh helplessly and follow closely behind, flashing down to the ground.