A spiky-haired boy and a short-haired girl entered the BBQ restaurant, followed by a slightly shorter silver-haired boy wearing a black mask, a black tight-fitting combat outfit, and carrying a short sword on his back.
The spiky-haired boy kept turning to speak to the silver-haired one, who wore a dead-fish expression, clearly uninterested in the former's provocations.
Trailing behind the three was a blond-haired, blue-eyed man wearing a warm smile.
The man noticed Uchiha Yuan's gaze and turned his head to look over.
"Shibi-senpai? Ah, so these are the three the Hokage-sama specifically mentioned?" Minato Namikaze thought to himself.
"Obito, let's sit over there! One of your clansmen is there too," Minato said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Obito looked around the restaurant and only then noticed Uchiha Yuan.
"It's Yuan and Asana!" Rin exclaimed in surprise upon spotting them.
The three students followed Minato over to Uchiha Yuan's table.
"Long time no see, Shibi-senpai!" Minato greeted Shibi Aburame.
The taciturn Shibi merely nodded in response.
Clearly familiar with Shibi, Minato wasn't fazed by his coldness and instead smiled as he asked, "Shibi-senpai, may we sit next to you?"
"Go ahead."
With permission, Minato called for his students to sit down.
Uchiha Yuan looked at this humble, down-to-earth man—Konoha's future Fourth Hokage—and couldn't help but recall some of Minato Namikaze's legendary feats.
In the original story, Minato became the Fourth Hokage shortly after the end of the Third Great Ninja War and only served for one year.
Naruto and his classmates graduated from the academy at age 12, in Konoha Year 60, so Naruto must've been born in Year 48. This means Minato became Hokage in Year 47.
The Third Great War ended around Year 46 or 47.
Currently, it's Year 42—still 4 or 5 years before the war ends.
During this time, the battlefield was practically Minato's personal stage.
Not even twenty years old, he could face the A-B combo from the Hidden Cloud and instantly defeat 50 jonin. Due to his lightning-fast combat style, he was dubbed "The Yellow Flash." Other villages even issued standing orders to flee on sight—without punishment—for encountering Minato.
These feats made him the number-one hero of the war for Konoha.
Even as Hokage, he remained gentle and warmhearted.
Minato's attitude toward the Uchiha was unlike the other village elders, and even Uchiha Fugaku trusted him deeply.
Had Minato not sacrificed himself to seal the Nine-Tails, the Uchiha clan's fate might have been entirely different.
"Yuan, the meat's about to burn—aren't you going to eat?" Yamanaka Kagetsu's voice broke Yuan from his thoughts.
Yuan used tongs to pick up a piece of grilled meat, added some seasoning like Kagetsu had, and popped it into his mouth.
"Not bad."
"Heh! I'm pretty confident in my grilling skills," Kagetsu said proudly.
Since their team had arrived first, most of their meat was already eaten.
Then, Obito stood up and shouted toward Yuan, "Hey! Uchiha Yuan!"
"What?" Yuan turned his head, expressionless.
"Which battlefield is your team headed to?"
"Obito, we're not supposed to ask that kind of thing!" Rin tugged on his sleeve in warning.
Yuan had no intention of answering anyway.
Obito grew anxious, but just then Minato smiled and asked Shibi Aburame, "Shibi-senpai, your team is going to the Land of Bears, right?"
Shibi was briefly surprised—he hadn't expected Minato to bypass protocol and directly inquire about a mission, even for a new student.
If it were anyone else, Shibi would've declined to answer.
But since it was Minato asking, he replied without hesitation: "Yes, we're headed to the Land of Bears."
"Uchiha Yuan—the Seven Ninja Swordsmen are in the Land of Bears. Don't be reckless. Don't let your desire for revenge cloud your judgment," Obito warned.
"I know. Don't worry. Thanks for your concern," Yuan replied calmly.
After that brief exchange, Yuan's team lost their appetite.
Once they finished their remaining meat, Shibi stood and said, "Meet me at Training Ground Three at 8 a.m. tomorrow."
All three nodded in acknowledgment.
Meanwhile, back in the BBQ restaurant, Obito turned to Minato and thanked him for his help.
Minato waved it off with a smile. "It's a teacher's duty to help their students. But that Uchiha boy—his parents were killed by the Swordsmen?"
Obito nodded and shared what he knew about Uchiha Yuan.
"So he awakened his Sharingan from grief? That's a heavy price," Rin said sympathetically.
"Indeed. I doubt that's the kind of Sharingan he wanted," Minato replied.
Kakashi's expression shifted slightly too—clearly, Yuan's story had struck a chord.
...
The next day, Yuan's team arrived at Training Ground Three on time.
After yesterday's test, Shibi had more or less gauged their abilities.
Among the three, Uchiha Yuan was the strongest overall—his speed with the Body Flicker was astounding, his Fire Style well-practiced, and his chakra reserves far exceeded those of a typical genin. Aside from a lack of real battle experience, Yuan already had the strength of an average chunin.
Hyuga Asana, like most members of her clan, specialized in taijutsu. The Hyuga fighting style relied heavily on the Byakugan and the taijutsu techniques that accompanied it. Shibi guessed her Fire Style was recently learned, likely from Yuan.
Lastly, Yamanaka Kagetsu: his taijutsu was frankly abysmal, and his clan's mental techniques were only average for his age. But his redeeming quality was that he was obedient and willingly played support.
(To Be Continued...)