Namikaze Minato was, without a doubt, a treasure of a teacher.
Shien had known that from the very beginning.
It wasn't just that Minato was powerful and good-natured—his connections were also god-tier.
His teacher was none other than Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, directly under the Hokage faction, the strongest political group in Konoha.
His girlfriend, Uzumaki Kushina, was a prodigy in the art of fūinjutsu, standing on an entirely different level from her peers.
Having such a sensei? Absolute blessing.
At the very least, the two branches of ninjutsu knowledge Shien most desired—seal arts and advanced chakra theory—were now within reach.
Back at the Uchiha compound, there was still no sign of Uchiha Mei.
Since graduation, she'd spent most of her time on missions outside the village.
If the ninja ranks gave out "Model Worker" awards, she would've been a top contender.
But she didn't have much of a choice.
She had to rise to the rank of Jonin as soon as possible.
With Danzo scheming from the shadows, and Uchiha Shu eyeing her family's position, it wouldn't take much—a so-called "accident"—for the clan's young genius to be eliminated.
It was worth noting:
The current clan head hadn't moved against Mei only because of Shien—the "outsider" she was engaged to.
A marriage alliance with someone outside the clan meant she could hold her household headship, but she'd be ineligible for the position of clan leader.
That was exactly why her grandfather had arranged the engagement—to ensure her safety.
As long as she wasn't a threat to the leadership, the new clan head was more than willing to "show generosity."
Whether Mei could truly grow to her full potential, but was another matter entirely.
Still, her absence had its perks.
At least Shien could work on his research undisturbed.
And locating his lab within the Uchiha compound made it one of the safest places in the entire village.
The Uchiha district was practically a Root Division no-go zone.
At this time, the Uchiha were still powerful—this was long before the Nine-Tails' rampage forced them to the village outskirts.
Just as Shien finished sorting through the materials brought back from the mission, a message arrived: he was summoned to the Hokage's Office.
The Hokage's Office—though only on the second floor of the Hokage Building—was not a place many could enter.
Even among Jonin, few had that privilege.
Of course, Namikaze Minato was an exception.
After he submitted their mission report and turned in the confiscated ninja tools, the Hokage's office processed their reward almost immediately.
Shien, who had long been anticipating this moment, wasted no time heading there.
The streets of Konoha were livelier than usual—
The Chunin Exams were approaching.
This was always one of the busiest times for the village.
Nobles and dignitaries from every country would soon arrive, bringing with them enormous economic benefit.
That was why the Five Great Villages took turns hosting the event—not just to flaunt power and prestige, but also to rake in profit.
The exams weren't held jointly every year, but every few years—and this year, it was Konoha's turn.
Along the streets, patrols of the Police Force could occasionally be seen.
And wherever they appeared, the villagers scattered like birds before a storm.
Their reputation was terrible.
The Uchiha Police were infamous for their harshness and arrogance.
And of course, Danzo and his allies had long been fanning the flames behind the scenes, spreading rumors and slander.
When it came to political manipulation, Danzo was several versions ahead of the Uchiha.
Meanwhile, the proud Uchiha clan couldn't care less, refusing to bend even slightly.
As the saying went:
Weakness isn't the true danger to survival—arrogance is.
Shien arrived at the Hokage Building just as his two teammates approached from the other direction.
"Shien."
Yamanaka Koji, now in fresh clothes, gave a small nod in greeting.
Kakashi, as usual, wore the same expression as a corpse—cold, unreadable.
After closing off his emotions, it had become nearly impossible for anyone to reach his heart.
"Let's go. Minato-sensei is waiting for us inside," Shien said, leading the way.
The first floor of the Hokage Building bustled with villagers and merchants; a few shinobi could be seen coming and going.
None of that concerned them. They headed straight for the side stairwell.
Two guards stood at the entrance, already informed of their arrival. One of them silently guided them upward.
Even though the building's layout was simple, protocol demanded an escort.
Only members of the Hokage's inner circle could bypass that rule.
Before long, they reached the Hokage's Office.
"Hokage-sama, Team Three has arrived!"
The escort knocked and announced.
"Enter," came the calm voice of Sarutobi Hiruzen from within.
The guard stepped aside, leaving them to enter alone.
No one feared them causing trouble inside the Hokage Building—though it looked empty, ANBU operatives were always watching.
Even a bird couldn't fly in unnoticed.
They entered a spacious, sunlit office.
The first thing that caught the eye was the large, semi-circular Hokage desk, buried under stacks of paperwork, and the figure behind it—Sarutobi Hiruzen, wearing his Hokage hat.
Namikaze Minato stood respectfully before him.
"Hokage-sama!" all three of them said in unison, bowing deeply.
They wouldn't dare treat the Hokage the way Naruto would years later.
Naruto had special privileges—being the village's jinchūriki and son of legends.
They had no such luxury.
"No need for formality," Hiruzen said kindly.
"You did well on your mission. On behalf of the village, I'll be granting you rewards."
That was the purpose of the summons.
And truthfully, there was a reason Hiruzen had managed to keep Konoha unified for so long—
He was a master of soft power, of ideological persuasion.
It was easy to PUA an entire generation with the Will of Fire when you combined warmth, charisma, and the occasional handout.
"The rewards may take the form of a B-rank jutsu, or something else of equivalent value," Minato added with a faint smile.
That was the advantage of having a good teacher present—
Without him, they might not have known what sort of requests were acceptable.
But now they did.
"Hokage-sama," Kakashi was the first to speak.
"I'd like resources to enhance my physical strength."
He had no shortage of jutsu. His only weakness was his body.
With his father White Fang's suicide, the Hatake family hadn't received any compensation from the village, leaving him short on resources.
"Understood," Hiruzen said.
"Hokage-sama, I'd like a way to increase my chakra reserves," said Yamanaka Koji next.
There were many ways to enhance chakra.
That was why the so-called "ninja clans" had always been far superior to ordinary civilians—those secret methods were the difference.
Such knowledge was usually top-secret, inaccessible to lower-ranked shinobi.
Asking for it now was the smartest choice.
Why not a B-rank jutsu?
Because even if he received one, his current chakra capacity wouldn't let him use it.
Finally, it was Shien's turn.
"Hokage-sama, I'd like to gain access to medical ninjutsu knowledge."
Given that he was now under Namikaze Minato's tutelage, such a request was perfectly reasonable.
But it was important to clarify—
What he received as an individual did not extend to the Uchiha clan.
Village-granted techniques could not be passed on without explicit permission.
That clause was what made this request safe.
Without it, he'd never dare ask for something so restricted.
After listening to all three, Hiruzen nodded.
"Very well. Your requests are approved. You may go."
He gestured for them to take their leave.
To him, none of their demands were significant.
Even access to medical ninjutsu didn't concern him—so long as they didn't receive high-level techniques, it wasn't an issue.
After all, among shinobi, knowledge itself wasn't what mattered most.
What mattered was usable skill.
Ninjas were like ordinary workers—most only needed to know how to run the program, not how to write the code.
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