After giving all the charred fish to Uzuki Yugao, Yuzuru Uchiha carried the lively fish the other party had caught and returned home.
The moment he stepped inside, Gaara came running over excitedly.
"Wow! Dad, you caught such a big fish! That's amazing!"
Yuzuru smiled as he patted Gaara on the head and handed him the fish. "Gaara, take it to Mikoto and have her prepare it."
"Mm."
Gaara obediently slung the fish over his back and jogged off toward the backyard.
The next second, loud laughter burst out from behind him.
"Dad, take this!"
Yuzuru spun around sharply. Naruto was already midair, swinging a whipping kick straight at him.
Yuzuru raised his arm to block. Using the rebound, Naruto twisted his body in midair and followed up with a fierce kick from his other leg.
Bang!
Yuzuru sidestepped, but a sharp gust of wind swept down from above.
"Lion Barrage!"
Sasuke leapt into the air, his right leg slamming downward toward Yuzuru's head.
Yuzuru raised his arm to block, producing a dull thud.
Before he could counterattack, Sasuke flipped backward with the momentum and landed neatly behind Naruto.
"Old man, accept our challenge!"
Watching Naruto and Sasuke standing shoulder to shoulder, Yuzuru sneered. "Just how confident are you two, daring to challenge me together?"
Naruto and Sasuke both lifted their chins proudly.
"Don't underestimate us, Dad! The two of us working together almost took down big brother!"
Hearing that, Yuzuru couldn't help pressing a hand to his forehead.
Just how much was Itachi holding back to give them this kind of illusion…
But fine. Since Itachi had been going easy on them, there was no need for him to crush their confidence head-on.
At that thought, Yuzuru suddenly changed expression and looked past them.
"Itachi—who injured you like this?"
Naruto and Sasuke immediately turned around, only to find nothing there.
"Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!"
Their bodies suddenly sank, leaving only their heads sticking out of the ground.
Yuzuru clapped his hands and laughed. "Looks like I win."
"That's cheating! You tricked us using big brother!"
"Old man, do you dare fight us fair and square?"
Looking at their furious expressions, Yuzuru tapped his temple and said teasingly, "This is called using your brain, my dear~"
"When you fight others in the future, don't be this stubborn."
With that, Yuzuru strode away, leaving Naruto and Sasuke stuck there, glaring at each other in mutual dissatisfaction.
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After dinner, Yuzuru patted his stomach contentedly. "Mikoto, Kushina—your cooking just keeps getting better."
Hearing that, Karura smiled. "Yuzuru, Mikoto uses the Sharingan, and Kushina uses the Uzumaki clan's delicate sensory abilities. The dishes they make together could compete in a cooking championship."
Yuzuru nodded. "By the way, why haven't I seen Tsunade lately?"
While clearing the dishes, Kushina sighed. "Sister Tsunade has been swamped lately. She hasn't been home for days."
"Is that so?" Yuzuru raised an eyebrow. "Then I'll go see her."
As Yuzuru prepared to leave, Kushina spoke up quickly. "Yuzuru, Obito came looking for you a few times. He said he has a colleague at the Ninja Academy named Rin Nohara who isn't very fond of learning. He wanted to ask you to help find her a new job."
"I see… got it. I'll talk to Obito about it personally."
For him, that was just a casual word—nothing to fuss over.
"Oh, right." Yuzuru suddenly thought of his two troublesome sons. "Naruto and Sasuke are still in the yard. Remember to check on them."
"Huh? Why aren't they eating dinner? I thought they ran off to play again."
Seeing the confused looks from Kushina and Mikoto, Yuzuru shrugged. "Who knows—maybe they're cosplaying ginseng."
With that, he activated Kamui and vanished from the room.
He soon arrived at Konoha Hospital and found Tsunade in the top-floor office, looking worn down.
"Yuzuru?"
Seeing him, a hint of joy appeared on Tsunade's face.
"Tsunade, what's wrong? You look exhausted."
She sighed. "Don't get me started. I've basically finished setting up Konoha's medical system, but we're severely understaffed."
"Learning medical ninjutsu requires exceptional talent. After all these years of being run down by Sarutobi and the others, plus several wars, Konoha has no real talent reserves left."
"Even after transferring some people from Kumogakure, it's still not enough."
Yuzuru's eyes flickered as he spoke. "I do know a good ninja—someone with high potential in medical ninjutsu."
Tsunade's eyes lit up. "Yuzuru, who is it?"
Yuzuru smiled. "Rin Nohara."
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Inside a Konoha tavern, Obito Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, Rin Nohara, Kurenai Yuhi, Ebisu, and the others were chatting together.
Rin asked curiously, "Obito, why did you suddenly invite us out to eat?"
Obito laughed loudly. "Rin, haven't you always said you don't like learning at the Ninja Academy?"
"I asked Lord Yuzuru about it. He said he can help arrange a new job for you."
Rin looked at Obito in surprise. "Obito… you actually went to see Lord Yuzuru?"
"Wh-what did Lord Yuzuru say?"
Obito picked up a bite of food and stuffed it into his mouth. After a long pause, he spoke slowly.
"Lord Yuzuru said he'll arrange for you to work under Lady Tsunade."
"If you perform well, you might even become her personal disciple."
"Really?!"
Rin covered her mouth in disbelief, her face filled with joy.
Her lifelong dream had been to become an outstanding medical ninja, saving lives.
But with limited resources, she had only mastered the most basic medical techniques.
Tsunade, however, was recognized across the entire ninja world as the strongest medical ninja, possessing countless advanced medical techniques.
She had even created the entire medical ninja system, which other villages rushed to imitate.
And now… she had a chance to become Tsunade's disciple?
Not only Rin—Kurenai, Ebisu, and the others were equally shocked.
Though they were already considered mid-tier pillars of the village, Lord Yuzuru remained an untouchable existence to them.
To think Obito could actually get Lord Yuzuru to help—this was incredible.
Seeing their looks, Obito waved his hand casually. "Lord Yuzuru is my big brother. I've been following him since before I even entered the Ninja Academy. If you need anything in the future, just come to me."
Hearing that, Kurenai's eyes shimmered as she raised her cup with a smile. "Obito, then I'll thank you in advance."
"I'll drink to you."
The others followed suit, drinking until Obito's face flushed red.
After several rounds, Obito found a chance to lean closer to Rin and whispered, "Rin, I did you such a big favor. You've got to show some appreciation."
Rin froze, lowering her head in flustered confusion.
She nervously twisted the hem of her clothes. "Obito… h-how do you want me to show it?"
"Just stay a bit farther away from Kakashi from now on."
"Huh?!"
Rin snapped her head up, staring at Obito, then at Kakashi, completely stunned.
What was going on?
Seeing Obito still waiting for her answer, Rin forced a bitter smile and waved her hands.
"Obito, I think you might have misunderstood. I don't have any... um... feelings for Kakashi. I definitely won't interfere with the b-bond—yes, the bond—between the two of you!"