Uchiha Yuan jogged forward and quickly caught up with Namikaze Minato and his group.
"Minato-senpai, please wait a moment!"
Hearing Yuan's voice, the three of them stopped.
"Oh, it's Yuan! Sorry, the setting just now didn't allow me to greet you," Minato said.
"It's fine, no need to worry, I understand," Yuan replied.
Minato nodded.
Kakashi, standing off to the side, felt a wave of guilt upon seeing Uchiha Yuan.
Based on what Obito had told him, Yuan was one of Obito's few real friends in the Uchiha clan. They had been classmates at the Ninja Academy, and it was Yuan who had taught Obito the Body Flicker Technique. Yuan had never looked down on him just because of his poor grades.
But after Yuan's parents passed away, his personality had changed. Obito had planned to talk with Yuan more deeply after the war… but now…
So Kakashi felt genuinely remorseful when facing Yuan.
Minato also assumed that Yuan had come to ask about Obito.
He understood Yuan not just from the two missions they'd shared, but also from Obito's positive attitude toward him.
Minato could tell that Obito considered Yuan a true friend. And since he himself had also formed a good impression of Yuan during their missions, he said:
"Yuan, I assume you're here to ask about what happened to Obito, right?"
Yuan was slightly stunned—he had been looking for an opening to bring it up, and Minato had just handed him one. He promptly went along with it:
"Yes, Minato-senpai. I'd like to know how Obito died."
"Let's find another place to talk. It's not quite appropriate to discuss this in the Uchiha compound."
With that, Minato placed his hand on Yuan's shoulder. Kakashi and Kushina quickly placed their hands on Minato.
"Whoosh!" The four of them vanished from the spot.
"This is my home. Welcome, Yuan," Minato said with a smile.
Kushina warmly welcomed him and offered him a seat.
Minato and Kakashi then recounted the events of the Kannabi Bridge Battle.
The details largely matched what Yuan knew from the original timeline. He listened and wore a somber expression.
"Kakashi, since Obito gave you his Sharingan, he must've wanted you to use it to understand the world in his place.
So if you ever have questions about how to use the Sharingan, you can come to me. After all, I'm a member of the Uchiha clan—I know a thing or two about how it works."
Hearing this, Kakashi was filled with gratitude.
Thanks to Obito's attitude before, Kakashi had already had a positive impression of Yuan. Now, seeing that Yuan—a true Uchiha—was willing to help him learn how to use the Sharingan, he was deeply moved.
"Thank you, Yuan."
"No need. Anyway, Minato-senpai, I'll take my leave. Let's talk again soon."
"Wait a second! Yuan, do you practice space-time ninjutsu?" Minato suddenly asked.
Yuan was startled. How had Minato figured out he could teleport?
"Last time, when we encountered the Four-Tails, I noticed something odd about your Body Flicker Technique. There were intense spatial fluctuations—it made me suspect you might have a space-time technique," Minato explained.
Yuan then recalled that moment during the encounter with the Four-Tails, where he had used teleportation in front of Minato.
He had assumed Minato hadn't noticed—but clearly, he had. He just hadn't brought it up until now.
Since Minato had asked directly, Yuan no longer hid it.
"You're right, Minato-senpai. I do have a space-time technique."
"I thought so. Yuan, your space-time ninjutsu and my Flying Thunder God Technique likely share similarities—both are speed-based.
I've developed a technique that doesn't require hand seals. It's ideal for ninja like us. You should try learning it."
With that, Minato handed him a scroll.
Yuan took it and found it was the Rasengan.
He was surprised. Honestly, his plan for approaching Minato and Kakashi had been to use Obito as an emotional bridge to get close to them—his real aim was to eventually learn the Rasengan and Chidori.
But now, Minato had given him Rasengan directly. Yuan was a bit stunned.
"Minato-senpai, this is such a valuable technique…"
"Yuan, I intended to give it to you the moment I found out you knew space-time ninjutsu. We just didn't have a chance while deployed on different fronts.
We're all Konoha ninja, and I can tell—you're not like the others in the Uchiha clan."
Yuan fell silent. Minato's inexplicable trust left him unsure how to respond.
"If you feel awkward accepting the technique for free, then consider this: help Kakashi master the Sharingan—that's all I ask."
Minato patted Yuan's shoulder.
After hesitating briefly, Yuan nodded:
"Don't worry, Minato-senpai. Even without this technique, I'd help Kakashi use the Sharingan to the best of his ability."
Minato smiled.
Yuan then left Minato's home and returned to the Uchiha compound.
After he was gone, Kushina came over and asked Minato:
"Minato, aren't you being a bit too nice to Uchiha Yuan?"
"I don't know why, but my intuition tells me… helping him won't bring us any harm."
"Intuition? Could it be connected to your sealed memories?"
"Maybe. Ever since then, I've felt Yuan has a special place in my heart. And he's clearly different from most of the Uchiha clan.
The Nine-Tails can sense ill will, Kushina—you didn't feel anything bad from him, right?"
Kushina shook her head. This was her first time meeting Yuan, and he truly didn't harbor any malice toward them.
"Then let's not overthink it. Maybe that sealed memory left me with a sense of purpose.
Kakashi, I don't know much about the Sharingan. Since Yuan is willing to help you, try to communicate with him more."
"Understood, thank you, Minato-sensei."
(To Be Continued...)