Uchiha Yorin and Elder Yakumi broke up on bad terms.
The latter stormed off cursing, muttering, "This Uchiha clan is done for," and turned on his heel.
The former kept a straight face and headed to Konoha's orphanage, where he dropped off most of the money he'd earned as a donation to that smiling, bespectacled lady. He declined her invitation to eat together, then went back to the Uchiha training grounds to hone his skills.
The glasses lady was great and all, but over time it really wore him out. She'd been so shy and green at first; now Yorin sometimes wondered if she'd seduced him rather than the other way around.
…
At the same time, the Third dispelled his Telescope Technique.
"Really not bad—inside and out, the same. A good kid. That boy Yorin is worth cultivating."
He turned and looked at Namikaze Minato, who seemed about to speak.
The latter probably felt this kind of peeping from behind the scenes was a bit unseemly. How naïve.
If you don't quietly watch a little more, how do you judge whether Uchiha Yorin truly loves Konoha—or is a plant the Uchiha clan sent to infiltrate the Hokage's faction?
Sure enough, the Fourth was still too young, too naïve. Thinking that, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt even more strongly that he should remain as Hokage advisor and keep shining for Konoha.
"Then there's no problem. Do as you intend, Minato."
Hiruzen smiled. "There's nothing wrong with showing goodwill to the Uchiha and winning them over—but that goodwill needs to be directed at the right person. This Yorin kid seems good, doesn't he?"
"Yes…"
"I recall you and Yorin get along decently. It's good for young people to interact more."
"That's true… we've crossed paths because of Kakashi, but…"
"Then it's decided."
"Ah… mm. Decided."
Minato nodded to the Third, but doubt lingered in his heart.
If you encourage and reward Yorin whenever he clashes with the Uchiha, sure, he'll feel more warmth and reliance toward the Hokage's side—but won't the Uchiha grow more resentful of the Hokage, convinced Yorin betrayed the clan to side with the village?
For the umpteenth time, Minato questioned the Third's plan—and even his intentions.
Driving a wedge between an ally's clan, deepening the rift between village and Uchiha—is that wicked, or just foolish?
He didn't want to believe the Third was a scoundrel, but he didn't think the Third was an idiot either.
Very soon, Minato arrived at the same conclusion as Uchiha Yorin: the Third was going senile.
"An elder's experience is valuable, but a new era has its own character."
He thought, "Maybe I should do something different—even if it displeases Lord Third this time, still…"
Still—Hiruzen, I'm the Hokage.
For some reason, Minato really wanted to say that to Hiruzen.
He even caught himself looking forward to Hiruzen's face twisting as he got the news, finally losing it and shouting, "Minato, you'll regret this!" and venting all his anger on the office door.
"No, no—don't think like that. That's awful."
As a good boy, a top student, a gentle, henpecked husband, Minato felt a huge pang of guilt.
But he wouldn't back down.
Because he was the Hokage.
…
At the same time, as Yorin stepped into the Uchiha training grounds, the Dumb System chimed in right on cue.
[Permanent Quest · Train Hard: Work for the Senju's tomorrow, young man! Objective: Train. Reward: Training effectiveness doubled.]
Along with the quest, it thoughtfully displayed—
Uchiha Yorin: "Ohoho! Double effect? Hell yes, I'm fired up!"
…
Some say if you let grade-schoolers see a progress bar, their study efficiency skyrockets.
Yorin didn't know whether progress bars or a leather belt with a metal buckle worked better, but he knew his willpower beat a grade-schooler's.
At least he didn't need to cast Sharingan·Genjutsu·Harem Technique on himself during practice—imagining Tsunade, Hinata, Hanabi, Terumi Mei, Konan, Ino, and Kurenai in cheerleader outfits, dancing and shouting "Go! Go!"—just to get motivated.
He was a man who'd seen Konoha at four in the morning, after all. He reaffirmed that saying no to the orphanage director's dinner invite was the right call. If he exhausted himself there, how was he supposed to train hard?
With that thought, he started today's regimen.
First, Body Flicker drills. Then kunai throws, then senbon, then shuriken. After that, a long run, then kenjutsu—cut, hack, thrust, pick, flick… heck, even "lick"; bottom line, he was going to "slay" ten thousand rolls of tatami. He mixed in footwork and more Body Flicker throughout.
To finish, a Dragon Flame Release Song or a Great Fire Annihilation. Another full day~
Uchiha Yorin: "Wait."
After letting loose a Great Fire Annihilation, Yorin realized he still had chakra left—enough for another Dragon Flame Release Song or Great Fire Annihilation. Must be the extra juice from completing the system quest.
Chakra is a beautiful thing; you can never have too much. At a critical moment, even an E-rank can take down a Kage-tier opponent. Right, Third Old Codger who face-planted to the Sexy Technique?
With that in mind, Yorin flopped flat on the training ground, limbs sprawled like the character "木." Then he heard a "clap clap clap" not far away. He turned his head to see a perfectly ordinary-looking Uchiha clan head.
"So diligent, Yorin. I'd heard you were the hard-working-genius type, but hearing and seeing are two different things."
"Genius? I'm no genius. Shisui—or Itachi—that's genius." Yorin kept lying on the ground, answering him. Rude, sure, but he was exhausted. "I just spend the time other people use to sip coffee on drinking plain water."
"Heh, and witty to boot… Anyway, Yorin, you and Elder Yakumi had a spat—what was that about?"
"Different routes, Clan Head. You heard my analysis—the Uchiha need to change. I think the Fourth's rise is an opportunity. Elder Yakumi doesn't seem to agree."
"Mm… it's reasonable for young men to have their own ideas… But, Yorin, that 'newspaper' you mentioned…"
Yorin pulled a draft from his tool pouch and handed it over. "Have a look. This is tomorrow's headline for the Uchiha Times."
"Oh… oh… oh?!"
Uchiha Fugaku took the draft and, after two glances, couldn't keep a straight face.
"Yorin, explain to me—what do you mean by 'The Uchiha, a Clan of Love'?"