"I'm going back," Chiba, who had just left the classroom, said eagerly to Hirohiko Uchiha and Yukina Hyuga, bidding them farewell.
After all, they were to work together in the future, necessitating some level of interaction. Moreover, both possessed considerable strength, making it safer to handle missions. Having fought alongside Yukina Hyuga, and with her risking her life for him, Chiba placed his trust in her. Trust among ninjas was paramount.
Furthermore, neither seemed to care about him being labeled as a traitor's offspring, comforting him. Should a future mission or situation demand a sacrifice, he knew his unfortunate title wouldn't lead to him being forsaken first.
Hirohiko Uchiha nodded, his tone cool. "I'll be looking forward to working with you."
He then departed in a different direction, evidently not heading home.
Yukina Hyuga added, "I'm going back too, see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow," Chiba responded, turning to leave with an eagerness in his step.
Hirohiko Uchiha, upon hearing their exchange, paused before finally saying, "See you tomorrow," his response delayed by several seconds.
As Chiba walked away, Yukina Hyuga also turned to leave, leaving Hirohiko Uchiha watching their retreating figures.
At that moment, at Konoha Village's gate, a man and woman dressed in Konoha ninja attire paused. The man, with blond hair smiled warmly at the Konoha insignia, its presence reassuring.
Beside him, the woman, with her eye-catching red hair and stunning features, stood out. Together, they made an extraordinary pair.
"We're back, Konoha Village," the woman exclaimed with a broad, enchanting smile.
"Kushina, let's report back on our mission first," the man suggested.
"Hmm," the woman, Kushina, agreed.
These two were Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki returning from a mission.
"Lord Third, Minato and Kushina have returned," announced an assistant ninja as he opened the door to the Hokage's office.
The Third Hokage, who was busy examining some documents, brightened at the news. "Let them in immediately."
"They have..." the assistant began.
"Lord Third, we're back!" Kushina burst in with a radiant smile before the assistant could finish.
"Oh! Kushina!" The Third Hokage greeted, his hand instinctively going to his hair.
"Lord Third, we have returned," Minato announced, stepping in behind Kushina, his blond hair and blue eyes as distinctive as ever.
"Welcome back, Minato. You've done well," the Third Hokage acknowledged.
"How's the situation?" the Third Hokage inquired.
The assistant ninja discreetly exited, closing the door behind him.
Minato stepped forward, his expression grave. "The Hidden Stone Village is mobilizing, and based on intel gathered from a ninja seven days ago, it seems imminent."
The Third Hokage, taken aback, asked, "Are there other possibilities?"
Kushina's smile faded as she listened, looking towards Minato as he continued.
"It's unclear when, but soon. We need to prepare for war," Minato advised.
The Third Hokage nodded, a sigh escaping him. "This complicates things."
A silence followed, the Third Hokage contemplating, Minato thoughtful, and Kushina scanning the room, her gaze landing on a document on the table.
"What is this?" Kushina Uzumaki stepped forward, picked up the information sheet on the desk, and saw three photos printed on it, as well as the profiles of three Ninja Academy students.
Chiba Taki, Hirohiko Uchiha, and Yukina Hyuga.
"These are three students who were approved to graduate early," the Third Hokage said. "They are very promising young talents."
"Let me take a look, let me take a look," Kushina Uzumaki said as she examined the sheet closely. "High-speed movement, Shadow Clone, and Gentle Fist techniques, and they're only seven years old? These children are truly capable!"
"Third Hokage, have you chosen a good teacher for them?" Minato Namikaze asked, slightly surprised when he heard this.
The Third Hokage took a breath and said, "I originally planned to assign them to Tsunade, Orochimaru, or Jiraiya, but all three of them are on missions and haven't returned to the village. Minato, are you interested?"
Minato Namikaze shook his head and said, "I already have Kakashi, Rin, and Obito with me."
"Oh..." The Third Hokage sighed and said, "Then we'll have to see which other ninja in the village can train these three geniuses."
"Three geniuses... this is really rare. Forming a team of three geniuses will be quite the challenge for any teacher," Minato Namikaze said with a smile.
"Yeah, given enough time, these three will definitely become great ninjas," the Third Hokage remarked, tapping his pipe.
"Leave them to me," Kushina Uzumaki suddenly suggested.
"Kushina?" The Third Hokage was startled.
Minato Namikaze smiled and said, "Kushina, you're still a Chunin, and you can't take on apprentices."
"So what? I also have the strength of a Jonin. It's just that you haven't let me take on missions, so I haven't been promoted to Jonin," Kushina retorted.
Indeed, Kushina's sealing techniques and the immense chakra of the Uzumaki clan, coupled with the fact that she is the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, make it difficult for her to leave the village. Generally, she is more than a match for Jonins.
And... these three children are very talented. Chiba Taki has talents on par with Minato. Having the three of them with Kushina could also serve as a way to protect her.
However, the current abilities of the three children are still lacking, and without excellent guidance, they won't be able to reach their full potential.
The Third Hokage thought about it and glanced at Kushina, who was arguing with Minato. He saw that Minato could only smile but couldn't convince her. Her red hair fluttered, showing her growing impatience.
"Third Hokage, I'll be their teacher!" Kushina Uzumaki was already staring at him, her red hair fluttering, as the Third Hokage pondered.
"I will definitely train them to become the greatest ninjas! Anyway, you don't plan to let me out anymore!" Kushina Uzumaki said, her eyes slanted.
Looking at Kushina, the Third Hokage smiled helplessly. Indeed, he couldn't let Kushina go out anymore. This time, letting her take on this responsibility, he felt a little headache coming.
'Alas... Forget it, I'll tell Minato to pay more attention from time to time.'
The Third Hokage looked at Minato, who understood and nodded helplessly.
So, the Third Hokage nodded and said to Kushina, "Well, you can meet them tomorrow."
Hearing the affirmative answer, Kushina smiled again.
"Thank you, Third Hokage."
Regarding this, the Third Hokage could only laugh bitterly.