"I…" Tsunade looked at Uchiha Hikari on the training ground with a complicated gaze, hesitating for a moment before speaking: "I'll try, but I need to get to know this kid first.
If he can't meet my requirements, I won't hinder his growth."
Tsunade didn't have much confidence in teaching Uchiha Hikari.
If she could teach him well, that would be fine, but if she hindered him, then she would be misleading a promising talent.
Tsunade held no ill will towards the Uchiha; she had even carried out missions with Uchiha Kagami in the past, so she naturally didn't want Uchiha Hikari to be held back by her.
"As a teacher, you not only help them improve their strength, but more importantly, you pass on your experience to them and protect their growth, and you are not lacking in that area.
In the current Konoha, there are very few people stronger than you." Hiruzen Sarutobi was naturally very satisfied with his three disciples.
Tsunade's style was also different from his own, but didn't she still become his disciple?
However, with Tsunade leading Uchiha Hikari on missions, as long as they didn't encounter an insurmountable enemy, Uchiha Hikari would surely grow safely.
To say that Hiruzen Sarutobi was not good to Uchiha Hikari would be untrue; he directly assigned the ninja world's top medical-nin to escort Uchiha Hikari, and Uzumaki Kushina also had the potential to become a top medical-nin. If he still couldn't grow safely with all that, then it was simply Uchiha Hikari's fate.
Tsunade nodded thoughtfully. Isn't it just about protecting them? That's what she's best at.
If it weren't for her healing, Jiraiya and Orochimaru would have died long ago.
"I understand!" Tsunade took a deep breath, agreeing to the proposal, while also considering who the third member of Tsunade's team should be.
The most talented Uchiha Hikari from the Ninja Academy, Uzumaki Kushina, whose sealing jutsu talent rivals Uzumaki Mito; I wonder if Uzumaki Kushina has awakened the Uzumaki clan's terrifying sensory abilities, which would also provide a sensory ninja.
Uchiha Hikari's combat analysis skills are excellent, making him a candidate for the future team's strategist. So the last choice...
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a bit troubled. He really wanted to assign a civilian ninja, but civilian ninjas simply couldn't keep up with the other two. It had to be a genius.
Should Shinnosuke be included? Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly dismissed this idea. He planned to have Shinnosuke train in the Anbu, concealing his existence. This would be a protection for Shinnosuke; otherwise, hostile ninja villages would target him.
If Shinnosuke were to truly join Team Tsunade, the Kage of other villages would probably want to personally deal with this team.
Soon, Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze fell upon another clan, the Hyuga clan…
It wasn't that he was interested in Hiashi Hyuga or Hizashi Hyuga, but rather other Hyuga members. Since it was difficult to find children comparable to Uchiha Hikari and Uzumaki Kushina, assigning them a scout wouldn't be bad.
As for whether this would allow Tsunade to gain the support of the Uchiha and Hyuga, affecting his own position, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't care at all. If it were Nawaki, he might worry a bit, but that person was Tsunade!
Among his three disciples, Tsunade was the least interested in becoming Hokage; Jiraiya was even more likely to become Hokage than Tsunade.
Moreover, the Hyuga clan was also a subordinate of the Senju clan back then. Even without this, would the Hyuga not support Tsunade?
As for Orochimaru, he could certainly be assigned a clan member, even Hiashi Hyuga would be acceptable.
As for Jiraiya, besides Minato Namikaze, he could be assigned some talented clan members, and also some talented civilians; this would depend on Jiraiya's own ideas, he could only offer suggestions.
To be honest, Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted Jiraiya to form an all-civilian squad. Even if they only produced two Special Jonin in the end, it would still be a good thing for Konoha, as they would be trusted subordinates of the Hokage lineage.
As Hiruzen Sarutobi began to make plans, the battle between Uchiha Hikari and Minato Namikaze had already reached a fever pitch.
Minato Namikaze continuously attacked Uchiha Hikari. With not much chakra, he mainly used taijutsu. Minato Namikaze was constantly researching taijutsu; without ninjutsu inheritance, he was indeed suitable for this path, and with his excellent learning talent, he was already a top student in his class.
Spinning, jumping, blocking, kicking—no matter how Minato Namikaze attacked, Uchiha Hikari appeared to be at ease.
"Are you ready?" Suddenly, after feeling it was about time, Uchiha Hikari blocked Minato Namikaze's attack and suddenly spoke.
"Are you finally going to get serious?" Minato Namikaze didn't feel discouraged. He always knew there was a big gap between them, but he would close it.
He had already caught up with the other clan members, and next were Uchiha Hikari and Uzumaki Kushina.
Then let me see how many moves I can withstand from Uchiha Hikari now!
Uchiha Hikari: You are indeed a top genius, but sorry, I'm cheating.
Minato Namikaze's talent was visibly excellent. Jiraiya once said that anyone would pale in comparison to Minato Namikaze.
If it were Kakashi without the Sharingan, he might be comparable.
But here, we are talking about ordinary ninjas, not someone like Uchiha Hikari who is cheating.
Uchiha Hikari clenched his left fist and struck towards Minato Namikaze's face with lightning speed. Minato Namikaze quickly used his other free hand to block.
However, something that horrified Minato Namikaze happened: he had clearly reacted, but his body was a beat too slow. His face was already hit by Uchiha Hikari, and then, a sense of weightlessness came over him. It turned out that Uchiha Hikari had followed up with a sweeping kick, knocking him to the ground.
This sudden defeat caused a moment of daze in Minato Namikaze's mind.
Why did it feel like the gap between himself and Uchiha Hikari wasn't closing, but rather widening?
However, his gaze quickly became firm again. No, it wasn't that the distance between them hadn't closed; it was just that he hadn't seen Uchiha Hikari's full power before. He still needed to work harder.
His teacher called him a genius, but Uchiha Hikari was also a genius. If he didn't work hard, how could he close the gap?
"How was that? Are you alright?" Uchiha Hikari pulled Minato Namikaze up, asking in a gentle tone.
"I'm fine! You were very careful with your moves." Minato Namikaze chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I wonder how a monster like you trains. I'll have to work even harder in the future."
"Have you ever seen Konoha at four in the morning? I have! Young man, you still need to keep working hard!" Uchiha Hikari patted Minato Namikaze's shoulder, speaking earnestly.