Uchiha Yuzuru munched on tricolor dango as he strolled leisurely through the commercial district.
As for Mitarashi Anko, she naturally had no way of tracking his whereabouts.
By the time afternoon rolled around, an Anbu suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Lord Yuzuru, the Hokage has already sent word to Uzuki Yugao, Yugito, Anko, and Samui. Please head to Training Ground No. 43 shortly. They will be waiting for you there."
Hearing the report, Yuzuru nodded. "Understood."
The images of the four women surfaced one by one in his mind, and his figure vanished from where he stood.
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Konoha.
Training Ground No. 43.
Located at the edge of the village and closed to the public, this was a rarely visited training ground.
As time passed, two female shinobi arrived one after the other.
"Samui, were you also summoned by the Hokage?" Yugito asked, delight flashing across her face when she saw a familiar figure.
Samui raised a finger lightly to her lips and said flatly, "Calm down."
Seeing that Samui did not deny it, Yugito grew even more excited. She stepped forward and grabbed her hand. "How can I not be excited? We're being assigned as Lord Yuzuru's guards!"
"Do you even realize how much of an honor that is?"
Samui smiled faintly. "Of course I do. That's precisely why we need to restrain our emotions."
"As Lord Yuzuru's guards, we must strive for excellence in every aspect."
Yugito nodded and took a deep breath. "You're right."
Seeing her calm down, Samui said with a hint of emotion, "Come to think of it… the reason we were even chosen as Lord Yuzuru's guards is thanks to you."
"If you hadn't been learning to control the Two-Tails Matatabi back then, we wouldn't have had the chance to cross paths with Lord Yuzuru."
While the two were chatting, a tall kunoichi with long purple hair walked into the training ground.
Seeing Samui and Yugito, she paused for a moment before stepping forward briskly. "Hello. My name is Uzuki Yugao. I was sent by Lord Fugaku to serve as one of Lord Yuzuru's guards."
Hearing this, Samui and Yugito also offered brief introductions.
"Yugito."
"Samui."
Samui smiled. "Lord Fugaku mentioned there would be four guards. Choosing two from the Cloud and two from Konoha—very thoughtful."
Yugito asked curiously, "Where's your other teammate?"
Yugao shook her head. "I'm not sure. I came as soon as I received the order."
After a brief pause, she asked somewhat nervously, "Pardon me, but… when you were in the Cloud Village, did you know Lord Yuzuru well?"
"Could you tell me a bit about his personality and preferences?"
Yugito smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. Lord Yuzuru is very easygoing—gentle, patient, and always willing to teach others."
Samui added, "The strength we have today is largely thanks to Lord Yuzuru's guidance."
Hearing this, Yugao felt a little more at ease.
She had originally been just an ordinary Anbu operative, only a chūnin in Konoha's hierarchy.
Being suddenly told she would become Lord Yuzuru's guard had truly startled her.
Just then, space rippled, and a man appeared out of thin air behind the three of them.
Samui immediately grasped the short blade at her waist and said sharply, "Who are you?"
Faced with their wary gazes, Yuzuru suddenly remembered that he had been using a Transformation Technique while wandering the streets.
"Release!"
With a quick set of hand seals, he returned to his original appearance.
"Lord Yuzuru!"
Upon seeing him, Samui and Yugito immediately dropped to one knee, lowering their heads.
Yugao followed suit, kneeling respectfully with her eyes fixed firmly on the ground.
"That's enough. You don't need to act like this in the future. I don't like overly rigid interactions."
"Yes."
As the three stood back up, the smile on Yuzuru's face deepened.
After several years, Samui's cool, pale complexion was still striking at first glance, like translucent jade radiating a chilly aura.
Towering peaks supported by an even more massive foundation exuded an air of dominance over all else.
The two complemented each other perfectly—so much so that even with Yuzuru's self-control, he found it difficult to look away for a moment.
Beside her stood Yugito, her long braid hanging down to her waist.
Perhaps influenced by the Two-Tails Matatabi within her, Yugito now carried a colder, prouder air than she had as a child, like a wild beast that stirred an instinctive urge to conquer.
Next to her was Yugao.
Tall and elegant, with red lips and white teeth, her arms and legs longer than those of ordinary people. Though she appeared somewhat restrained, she still carried the poise of a mature, commanding woman.
Yuzuru nodded in satisfaction.
Fugaku, your path just keeps getting broader.
Seeing that none of them dared to raise their heads, he said gently, "I've already reviewed your files. You're all outstanding shinobi. I'll be relying on you from now on."
Hearing this, Samui, Yugito, and Yugao were all a little flustered and quickly replied, "It's our honor."
Waving a hand, Yuzuru said, "Let's have dinner together tonight. My treat—roast chicken."
Yugito immediately beamed. "That's great!"
Samui also smiled. "Lord Yuzuru, before that, could I ask you to give me some guidance in swordsmanship?"
Back in the Cloud Village, he had once taught Samui, Yugito, and Mabui, so compared to Yugao, the two of them were clearly more relaxed around him.
Hearing Samui's request, Yuzuru nodded. "Very well. Let's begin."
At that, Samui drew her short blade and charged straight at him.
She had no illusion of actually injuring him, so she attacked with everything she had.
"Cloud Style · Rising Dragon!"
"Cloud Dragon · Flash Step!"
"Swallow Roost!"
"Sparrow Run!"
"…"
Blade light flashed again and again, sparks flying intermittently.
Yuzuru handled each strike with ease. Feeling that things might continue to escalate, he finally used his long blade to forcefully knock her short blade aside, then held it horizontally at her throat.
"Cloud Style swordsmanship is indeed solid, but the transitions between techniques aren't smooth enough. If you fail to land a decisive blow, it's easy to lose the initiative in real combat."
"I have a scroll containing my personal insights from training in Hatake swordsmanship. Take a look, and try combining it with your own style."
Samui panted heavily, her chest rising and falling sharply.
She accepted the scroll with delight and bowed deeply. "Thank you very much, Lord Yuzuru!"
Seeing this, Yugao—who also practiced swordsmanship—was filled with envy.
In the shinobi world, receiving guidance from a strong expert was already exceedingly rare, let alone obtaining that expert's personal training insights.
And this was Lord Yuzuru's experience—the strongest shinobi alive—something money could never buy!
Samui… was simply too lucky.