"That is indeed the case..."
Minamikawa Yuu spoke softly, letting out a long sigh. "Lord Tobirama likely foresaw this situation, which is why he began making preparations."
Senju Tobirama was a smart man.
As the Hokage, it was impossible for him not to foresee the potential situations that could arise. Thus, making preparations in advance was perfectly normal.
Whether it was agreeing to Minamikawa Yuu's proposal to establish the Medical Department early or doing other things, everything was essentially preparation for what was to come.
The Uchiha Clan Head remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.
"You have been smart since you were a child. I don't want to say anything unnecessary."
After a long silence, he looked up again at Minamikawa Yuu. "If you need anything, just let me know."
"Never forget, we are of the same clan."
"Yes, I understand."
Minamikawa Yuu smiled. "I will always keep that in mind and will not forget your teachings, Clan Head."
He certainly wouldn't forget the Uchiha.
After all, he still needed to rely on the power of the Uchiha Clan to compete for the position of Hokage.
He was born into the Uchiha Clan; as long as he managed them properly, the clan's strength would be his most solid backing.
Naturally, he couldn't let go of that.
After chatting with the Uchiha Clan Head for a few more moments, he turned and left.
In the days that followed, he was busy with the construction of the Medical Department.
This was a rather complicated process.
It was equivalent to building an entire medical system. Besides establishing the Medical Squad, there was also the daily operation of the Konoha Hospital.
Of course, the most important task was to build a training system for Medical Ninja. Only then could they train enough personnel to avoid a shortage of talent.
And this was the most difficult part at the moment.
Since Konoha had not been established for very long, there weren't many Medical Ninja in the entire Village. Forget making the whole system run; even finding enough teachers was difficult.
Out of necessity, Minamikawa Yuu had to step up himself.
He opened medical tutoring classes, specifically training civilian Ninjas to serve as teachers for Medical Ninjutsu.
During this process, there were some unexpected surprises.
Tsunade would often come by to join the fun.
Although she was young, she had a great interest in Medical Ninjutsu and frequently attended the lectures.
In this regard, her learning speed was incredibly fast, placing her among the top of the entire medical training class.
Her talent for Medical Ninjutsu was beyond doubt, even superior to Minamikawa Yuu's own.
To be honest, while Minamikawa Yuu's Medical Ninjutsu was outstanding, it was mostly due to the passage of time and the fact that he had obtained a complete training system much earlier.
But even so, his speed in learning new Ninjutsu was not as fast as Tsunade's.
Fortunately, his accumulation of knowledge was solid, and since Tsunade was still quite young, he could still hold his own for the time being.
"The Yin Seal, huh? This technique isn't of much use to me."
Inside the Medical Squad, Minamikawa Yuu looked at the scroll in his hand, various thoughts flashing through his mind.
Establishing the Medical Department had many benefits for Minamikawa Yuu.
Besides being able to lead a department and build his reputation and influence, the greatest benefit was the free access to various Medical Ninjutsu scrolls.
While there weren't many Medical Ninja in Konoha, there were quite a few recorded Medical Ninjutsu.
Most of these techniques were recorded in the Hokage's exclusive Scroll of Seals, which ordinary people had no right to view.
But now that Minamikawa Yuu was the head of the Medical Department, he naturally had the qualification to view these techniques.
He could choose one from many top-tier Medical Ninjutsu to learn.
Among them, the Mystical Palm Technique was a good choice; it could stimulate cells through Chakra to complete a series of physical recoveries.
Even for Minamikawa Yuu, this technique would have a good effect.
However, for Minamikawa Yuu, another technique was even more attractive.
The Yin Seal.
This was a unique technique that fell under the categories of both Sealing Techniques and Medical Ninjutsu.
This technique could store the Chakra within the body during normal times and release it when needed.
Not only did it have the ability to store Chakra, but it also had effects like delaying aging and maintaining permanent youth.
In the future, Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred Technique and Mitotic Regeneration were both performed based on the Yin Seal.
Minamikawa Yuu valued the Yin Seal not for its basic effects, but for its potential for modification.
As the Heavenly King of the Land of Ancestors, he possessed a series of Chakra application and storage technologies developed by the Land of Ancestors.
If he could obtain the Yin Seal, he could completely use it as a foundation to develop a technique unique to himself.
Moreover, the effect of being able to store his own Chakra was very attractive to Minamikawa Yuu.
After a bit of thought, he ultimately chose this technique.
"The Yin Seal?"
Senju Tobirama nodded after learning of Minamikawa Yuu's choice. "A good choice."
He didn't hesitate and directly handed the scroll for the technique to Minamikawa Yuu.
After receiving the scroll, Minamikawa Yuu was about to leave.
But Senju Tobirama called out to him, "How has Tsunade been performing recently?"
"Very well."
Minamikawa Yuu nodded. "Lady Tsunade's talent for Medical Ninjutsu is excellent; she's the most outstanding one I've ever seen."
"If given enough time, she might become the most prominent Medical Ninja in the entire Ninja World."
"Is that so?"
Hearing Minamikawa Yuu's evaluation, a smile appeared on Senju Tobirama's face. "That's good then."
"What do you think of my proposal from a while ago?"
He looked at Minamikawa Yuu and continued to ask.
Sometime ago, Senju Tobirama had made a suggestion.
He hoped that Minamikawa Yuu could become his disciple, a student of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Without a doubt, this move carried strong political intentions.
As his student, although Hiruzen Sarutobi had not been officially announced, he was already the intended next Hokage.
By placing Minamikawa Yuu under Hiruzen Sarutobi as a student, there were several implications.
One was to have Minamikawa Yuu serve as a representative of the Uchiha Clan, becoming a force that would support Hiruzen Sarutobi in the future.
This was both a help to Hiruzen Sarutobi and a way to appease the Uchiha Clan.
It was just as he had taken Uchiha Kagami as his own student; the purpose and result were the same.
Besides Minamikawa Yuu, he also planned to place Tsunade under Hiruzen Sarutobi as a student.
This way, with the support of both the Uchiha and Senju Clans, Hiruzen Sarutobi's ascension as the next Hokage would be well-deserved, and no one could question it.
Beyond that, there was another meaning.
That was to cultivate Minamikawa Yuu, giving him the status of a Hokage's disciple so that he would be qualified to inherit the position of Hokage in the future.
Over years of observation, Senju Tobirama was very satisfied with Minamikawa Yuu.
This child was not only an absolute genius but also possessed abilities that ordinary people did not.
Such a person was naturally an excellent candidate for Hokage.
At the same time, making him Hokage could allow the Uchiha Clan to fully integrate into Konoha.
Just like the current Senju Clan.
Senju Tobirama understood the Uchiha Clan all too well.
He not only understood the temperament of the Uchiha Clan but also knew what their grievance was.
Since the Uchiha Clan wanted a Hokage from their ranks, he would give them that opportunity.
Minamikawa Yuu was not only outstanding in ability but also a member of the Uchiha Clan.
Once he became Hokage, it would surely resolve the discord between the Uchiha Clan and the Village.
"Alright."
Facing Senju Tobirama's proposal, Minamikawa Yuu only thought for a moment before nodding.
He understood Senju Tobirama's meaning and had no intention of rejecting it.
Seeing Minamikawa Yuu nod, Senju Tobirama said no more and simply let him leave.
The next day, at a training ground, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minamikawa Yuu officially met.
This was not the first time the two had met.
They had seen each other many times in the past.
Relatively speaking, their temperaments were quite compatible, and they had a very pleasant conversation this time.
"Haha, is that so?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was currently in his prime, arguably at the peak of his life.
He stood there, laughing happily. "So that girl Tsunade actually has a day like this."
"Does teacher know Tsunade?"
Minamikawa Yuu asked with a smile.
"Ah, I've seen her many times in the past."
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and said, "She's quite a troublesome child. It's rare that you can keep her in check, Yuu-kun."
As Senju Tobirama's disciple, he had many interactions with Tsunade and was naturally very familiar with her temperament.
Because of this, he was very curious about how Minamikawa Yuu and Tsunade got along.
"Tsunade isn't actually bad at heart."
Minamikawa Yuu smiled and then spoke, "It's just that her hobbies are a bit peculiar."
"But as humans, who doesn't have a few peculiar hobbies?"
"Wouldn't you agree, Teacher Sarutobi?"
He looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi as if implying something.
"Ahahaha, yes, indeed."
Meeting Minamikawa Yuu's gaze, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked a bit awkward, as if he had thought of something.
As the future teacher of the 'Three Prohibitions,' Hiruzen Sarutobi himself couldn't be called clean.
Using the Telescope Technique for peeping was something the future him did more than once or twice.
Because of this, he felt somewhat guilty when facing Minamikawa Yuu's gaze.
In general, Minamikawa Yuu and Hiruzen Sarutobi got along quite well.
The current Hiruzen Sarutobi in his prime was a very approachable person.
Not only was his character good, but he also lacked Senju Tobirama's serious style; he could chat with anyone.
It was because of this unique charisma that he was able to stand out among many candidates and become the undisputed successor to the Hokage.
The two of them got along quite well and worked together with a certain unspoken understanding.
Of course, there were occasional small interludes.
"You old pervert, don't corrupt Yuu-kun!"
In the quiet classroom, Tsunade's youthful voice rang out.
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