The next day, just as Hyuga Yuu had expected, Uchiha Yakumaru did not show up.
Shadow clones accumulated fatigue. From childhood, Yakumaru had trained primarily in taijutsu and had never dared to exceed five clones at once. What he had done yesterday was nothing short of suicidal.
Not everyone was Uzumaki Naruto—blessed with the Uzumaki physique and backed by the Nine-Tails.
That morning, with Kushina's Nine-Tails chakra supporting their training, things had been fine. They could even afford to create more clones. But clearly intoxicated by that taste of power, Yakumaru had gone home and, without restraint, created the maximum number of shadow clones to continue training.
And then—
He collapsed.
For several days in a row, Minato's shadow clone hadn't thought much of it, assuming Yakumaru simply had something else to attend to. It wasn't until later that even Minato felt it was appropriate to check in.
That was when Yuu calmly gave him the answer.
"I warned him," Yuu said flatly.
"But he didn't listen."
"..."
Looking at Yuu's serene, unreadable expression, Minato felt that of course Yakumaru wouldn't listen. To Yakumaru, Yuu's very calmness was the greatest provocation imaginable.
Minato smiled and shook his head.
"You'll be teammates from now on. Try to get along."
"I don't recall ever provoking him," Yuu replied. "I only stated facts."
"..."
Minato fell silent again.
Strictly speaking, that was true. Unfortunately, facts delivered with that expression were often more hurtful than insults.
Nearby, Kushina covered her mouth and laughed softly.
"Unexpectedly, Yuu's personality is kind of fun. I think he could handle Kakashi."
Yuu said nothing.
Everyone wore masks of one sort or another. Wearing one constantly didn't tire him.
But occasionally revealing a sliver of one's true self made it easier to earn trust.
After all—
Sincerity was the most effective weapon.
That said, Yuu couldn't deny it: spending time with Minato and Kushina, and even with Yakumaru, felt surprisingly relaxed. Especially Yakumaru.
In a shinobi world that devoured people whole, someone so single-mindedly focused on "beating him fairly" felt… almost pure.
Because Yakumaru was straightforward.
"Kakashi, huh…"
Minato's shadow clone's expression dimmed slightly as he thought of his student. Then his gaze shifted to Yuu, and he changed the subject.
"There's something I haven't asked your opinion on yet. My Shadow Guard will follow the standard three-man squad structure. Do you have any thoughts on the third member?"
"Lord Hokage," Yuu frowned slightly, "the Shadow Guard exists to protect you. There's no need to consult us."
"The problem is that among Konoha's current jōnin and special jōnin, there aren't many suitable candidates. I've already conducted one round of selection."
Even though he'd used Flying Thunder God to placate the advisors, the truth was that Minato couldn't find many appropriate choices among the younger generation.
Yes—younger generation.
From the start, his criteria for the Shadow Guard had limited candidates to shinobi under sixteen.
The strategic value of the Flying Thunder God was immense. Minato wanted to leave behind a true legacy for Konoha. Originally, he had planned to teach the technique directly to his students—Kakashi and Obito.
But Obito had died in battle.
Kakashi's will had fractured.
The plan had been forced to a halt.
So Minato turned his eyes to the village's next generation instead—both to pass on the technique and to settle a lingering regret.
"Both you and Yakumaru have excellent talent. If the third member is too far behind, it wouldn't be appropriate—no matter how you look at it."
Yuu and Yakumaru were, in his mind, future pillars of the village—elite among jōnin.
If the gap was too wide, the third member would eventually be crushed by the disparity.
"You're looking to cultivate the next generation," Yuu said, understanding immediately. Then he spoke again, gently steering the conversation.
"Lord Hokage, after you became known as the Yellow Flash, many jōnin in Konoha tried to learn the Flying Thunder God."
"But to this day, no one has truly mastered it. Yakumaru and I haven't either."
"Given that, why not develop the team in another direction?"
Neither Yuu nor Yakumaru knew medical ninjutsu.
If the Hokage were injured, neither of them could treat him.
"But if the third member were a medical ninja, they could still provide crucial support."
Minato sank into thought.
Yuu's suggestion resembled a standard four-man team composition—
Except the "team leader" was the Hokage himself.
Two combat-capable jōnin.
One medical ninja.
And Yuu himself doubled as a sensor.
A nearly flawless formation.
Seeing Minato thinking, Yuu continued calmly.
"If that medical ninja also possessed high combat ability, this squad would have virtually no weaknesses. And the strongest medical ninja in Konoha is currently in the village."
"Besides…" Yuu added casually, "Lady Tsunade seems rather idle lately. I saw her at an izakaya all afternoon yesterday."
"Izakaya? All afternoon?"
Before Minato could react, Kushina had already narrowed her eyes and looked at Yuu suspiciously.
"How do you know that?"
"I passed through that street twice for unrelated errands," Yuu replied without changing expression. "She was still there both times."
"Is that so?"
Kushina's smile carried a hint of mischief. Unfortunately, it had no effect on Yuu's stone-cold face, and she could only turn away in mild frustration, looking at Minato's shadow clone instead.
"You placed Kakashi in ANBU to keep him close, but Rin's situation is harder to deal with, isn't it?" she said.
"Why not send her to Lady Tsunade to train?"
"She's been blaming herself for dragging Obito and Kakashi down."
"…Hmm."
Minato's shadow clone fell silent, then suddenly dispersed into a puff of smoke. His final words lingered in the air.
"I'll relay this to my original body and discuss it with the advisors. We'll see if Lady Tsunade can be persuaded to reopen a medical training program."
Only Kushina and Yuu were left at the training ground.
Kushina turned to Yuu and suddenly smiled—warm, genuine, and dangerous.
"I think the reason you and Yakumaru haven't grasped Flying Thunder God yet is that you lack pressure. Let me help you with that."
With Mikoto away at the battlefield and Minato buried in Hokage work, Kushina had been bored out of her mind.
Now that Minato's shadow clone was gone, it was time for her to fulfill her duties as an "elder."
Watching Kushina's smile widen as golden chakra began to flare around her, Yuu calmly raised two fingers.
"Release."
—Poof!
Yuu vanished into white smoke, just like Minato's clone. Only a slip of paper drifted down onto the ground.
Kushina froze, then stepped forward and picked it up, eyes widening.
Deceiving both her and Minato with a shadow clone?
That was no easy feat.
"Lord Hokage, Lady Kushina, my apologies. I've had a new insight regarding Gentle Fist. Please allow me to substitute a shadow clone for today's training."
"So it was a clone from the very beginning…"
Kushina sighed helplessly. She didn't blame Yuu at all.
Flying Thunder God training relied on technique and experience—things clones could handle.
Taijutsu refinement, however, required the real body.
She folded the note away and glanced toward a shadowed corner before heading back toward the village.
Another half day alone.
Though Minato had replaced the surveillance and protection teams with people she trusted, everything else remained unchanged.
The village was still controlled by the same old clans and elders.
Although Minato had gained partial support from the Hyuga and Uchiha through Yuu and Yakumaru, both clans had long stood outside the village's true core of power. Their support was limited.
The Hokage's authority had not truly returned to his hands.
"Third Hokage, what a master of passing the buck…"
Kushina muttered under her breath.
He had relinquished the title, yet left behind the advisors and the Hokage's aides.
Wasn't that just leaving a group of old men behind to dilute Minato's authority?
Minato, whether by merit or seniority, had no real way to deal with them. He still had to listen to their opinions on everything.
Kushina didn't understand politics all that well—but she knew this much:
A Hokage without real authority was courting disaster.
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