Chapter 48 – Reserving Sasuke as My Future Disciple
"Come on, Clan Head… isn't Shisui already Itachi's teacher?"
Uchiha Yujiro spoke with the gentlest tone he could manage, trying to sound as sincere and diplomatic as possible.
"You know Shisui's strength. He's definitely not weaker than me.
With someone like him teaching Itachi, you really don't need me too, right?
Wouldn't that be… a little redundant?"
Fugaku paused.
He had to admit — that did sound logical.
His mild irritation over Yujiro's repeated refusals began to fade.
So that was it — Yujiro wasn't rejecting them out of arrogance, but out of consideration for Shisui's position.
Ah, what a thoughtful young man.
…Or so Fugaku told himself.
---
Of course, the "one student, one master" rule wasn't exactly set in stone in the ninja world.
Just look at Naruto — he trained under Kakashi and Jiraiya, and still considered Iruka his true mentor.
He even had Iruka act as his representative at the wedding.
So if the protagonist himself could juggle three sensei, why couldn't Itachi have two?
But Fugaku wasn't great at debating, and Yujiro had already tossed him that perfectly reasonable-sounding excuse.
So the conversation just… stalled.
---
As the clan head struggled to come up with a response, Yujiro walked right past him and started chatting with Fugaku's wife — gentle, pregnant Mikoto.
Judging by the size of her belly, she was only a few months away from giving birth.
And that meant—
The second lead of the entire Naruto timeline, Uchiha Sasuke, was about to make his grand debut.
---
Yujiro couldn't help but smirk as an old Buddhist verse flashed through his head — one that, oddly enough, described Sasuke's personality perfectly:
"No good karma cultivated in life,
Forever chasing what's out of sight.
Summons Amaterasu to show his might,
But when Naruto's Rasengan hits — no place to hide."
Tragic, poetic, and undeniably accurate.
Still, Yujiro had to admit — even with all that, the "second pillar" was way tougher than his brother ever was.
And while the original story might've made Sasuke a main character, here in this timeline —
he'd be more of a side dish.
"Forget your little 'Valley of the End' melodrama," Yujiro thought.
"This world's got bigger problems — like Ōtsutsuki aliens. You and Naruto can save your emotional fireworks for the invasion arc."
He sighed, then smiled slyly to himself.
"Alright then. Decision made."
He turned to Fugaku and Mikoto, his voice suddenly earnest.
"When the baby's born, let me take him as my disciple.
I'll raise him properly — train him myself."
Mikoto blinked in surprise. Fugaku's expression softened into satisfaction.
"If that's your wish… then we'll be counting on you, Yujiro."
And just like that, the deal was sealed.
Sasuke Uchiha's fate had officially been pre-booked.
---
After that, the families chatted a bit longer — mostly about Yujiro's upcoming mission with the Sannin.
Fugaku, ever the cautious father, reminded him to stay safe several times before finally leading his family away.
Yujiro watched them go, then turned back toward the training field to continue honing his Lightning Armor.
---
A short distance away, little Itachi finally spoke up, his voice quiet but uncertain:
"Father… I think Brother Yujiro doesn't like me very much."
"Don't talk nonsense," Fugaku replied, dismissing the thought with a wave.
"He has no reason to dislike you."
Of course, Fugaku had noticed Yujiro's indifference toward his son.
But to him, it was nothing more than the natural aloofness of adults toward children.
After all, not everyone shared his philosophy of "start ninja education in kindergarten."
He himself had taken Itachi to the Third Shinobi War before the boy even hit puberty.
To Fugaku, that was "proper life experience."
Itachi fell silent.
He disagreed — but didn't argue.
That quiet, dignified pride unique to the Uchiha clan had already begun to bloom within him.
So he simply replied with a soft:
"...Understood."
---
Meanwhile, back at the training ground, Yujiro was still refining his Lightning Armor, sparks crackling across his body like living serpents.
"The Second Pillar's temperament is better than his brother's," he thought.
"With some proper grinding, that kid's gonna turn out great."
He chuckled to himself.
"And if Itachi ever decides to act up again… I'll just have Sasuke beat him down.
Perfect plan."
Just imagining the reversal of the classic "brother duel" —
Sasuke utterly demolishing Itachi instead of the other way around —
was enough to make Yujiro grin like a madman.
A violent surge of violet-red lightning wrapped around his body, his chakra roaring like thunder.
Lightning Chakra Mode — Complete. ⚡
---
The next morning, under Minato's eager blessing, the Search-for-Tsunade Squad officially set out.
Its members: Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Uchiha Yujiro.
Once they found the legendary slug princess, they'd transform into the Rain Village Assault Team —
and take the fight straight to the Akatsuki's doorstep.
Originally, Kakashi had planned to join them too…
After thinking it through, Minato finally decided—
his talented student Kakashi should stay in the ANBU for now.
After all, the position suited him perfectly.
Just like his father, the legendary White Fang of Konoha, who once served as ANBU's commander.
Although Sakumo Hatake was long gone, the network he left behind in ANBU still lingered—old connections, loyal subordinates, quiet respect.
Yujiro could already see the outline of Minato's plan:
He wasn't just keeping Kakashi in ANBU for convenience.
He wanted Kakashi to rebuild influence there, gather allies, and eventually fold that entire assassination corps neatly under his command.
It was a clever strategy.
Konoha's three great power centers would soon align:
The Ninja Army, Minato's main support base.
The Police Force, run by the Uchiha—close allies of the Fourth.
The ANBU, soon to be integrated through Kakashi.
Once that happened, the Hokage's power would become absolute—
a perfect trinity of strength, loyalty, and control.
Yujiro couldn't help but grin.
"Good luck then," he said with casual cheer, though deep down he doubted things would go that smoothly.
---
Because if there was one thing Yujiro understood,
it was that Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō were not the kind of old men to sit quietly and wait for death.
There was no way they'd just watch their power slip away.
The upcoming raid on Orochimaru's secret labs was bound to get messy.
And it wasn't just Yujiro who thought so.
Even Orochimaru himself shared that same sense of foreboding.
As they left the village, the pale, snake-eyed genius spoke softly, his tone a strange blend of amusement and melancholy.
"This will probably be my last time leaving Konoha."
"Don't jinx it, you bastard!" Jiraiya barked, visibly annoyed.
"We'll have plenty more missions together, yeah?"
Yujiro smiled, ever the picture of relaxed confidence.
"Of course. We'll definitely team up again."
Then, as if remembering something important, he turned toward Jiraiya.
"By the way, Jiraiya-sensei, do you happen to know where Lady Tsunade is these days?"
Jiraiya scratched his chin.
"Not exactly. But if you check a few taverns, gambling dens, and bathhouses, you're bound to find her sooner or later.
Don't underestimate my information network!"
He finished his boast with a grin so smug it practically glowed.
A truly classic Jiraiya moment.
Yujiro chuckled quietly.
So this is it, huh? The legendary Sannin trio finally reuniting.
For Jiraiya, it was a nostalgic mission.
For Minato, a political operation.
But for Yujiro…
Well, let's just say his motivations were slightly different.
---
As Konoha's newest rising star, Yujiro had already decided to use Orochimaru's human cloning technology to strengthen the Uchiha bloodline.
But artificial methods could only go so far.
"After all," he mused with a wicked grin,
"natural reproduction has its own… irreplaceable advantages."
His eyes gleamed with mischief.
"Heh heh heh heh… the Legendary Three, huh?"
Jiraiya and Orochimaru exchanged puzzled glances, both slightly unnerved by the strange laugh echoing between them.
No matter how intelligent they were, neither could have imagined what was going on in Yujiro's head.
Because even the sharpest minds in Konoha wouldn't guess that—
Uchiha Yujiro's true reason for finding Tsunade…
was not for alliance, not for strategy, not even for power.
It was because, deep down, the man had a very specific, very lust-driven plan.
And that, more than anything else, required not genius—
but imagination.