In a small grove, Yue and Shisui were locked in a fierce back-and-forth exchange.
After a long bout, both boys collapsed against a tree, panting heavily, drenched in sweat.
"Yue, you're really strong. Without using genjutsu, I might actually lose to you," Shisui said sincerely. It was his full acknowledgment—no peer he had ever met possessed Yue's level of strength.
Hearing the praise, Yue didn't feel especially thrilled. The boy in front of him, aside from his bizarre body-flicker technique, was most fearsome for his genjutsu. Kotoamatsukami was a walking cheat code. Beating him in ninjutsu or taijutsu meant little.
"Yue, with your strength… you must come from a pretty incredible clan, right?"
Shisui finally voiced the question in his heart. A kid this young with such strength couldn't be from an ordinary background. No civilian, no matter how gifted, could reach this level at this age—especially not with so many jutsu and such polished taijutsu… not to mention those weirdly named taijutsu moves.
Yet none of Konoha's major clans matched Yue's situation, which made Shisui even more curious.
"…I guess you could say I'm from a major clan."
Yue answered vaguely, but Shisui's confusion only deepened.
"Our clan helped found Konoha alongside yours. But afterward… we hid our name."
Yue finally revealed the Senju banner.
Shisui froze. Shock flooded his face. Of course he knew exactly which clan Yue was referring to. The Senju—the clan Konoha revered above all. The shock lingered in his chest for a long time.
When he finally calmed down, he felt a strange sense of gratitude and respect. A Senju… had chosen to befriend him.
No wonder Yue's resolve to protect Konoha was so genuine. Coming from a Senju, those words carried a weight few could match.
"Yue… I didn't expect you to be from that clan."
Yue let out a quiet sigh. "That's why I need to become stronger. I'm not worthy yet to carry my clan's name."
Shisui seemed to understand his feelings. He got up and placed a hand on Yue's shoulder.
"I'll help you train, Yue. I'll help you become strong enough to bear that honorable name—and to protect our shared ideals."
Yue nodded firmly. In that moment, he accepted Shisui as his true friend. His original motives had been mixed… but those thoughts faded. Shisui had become the first person he genuinely cared about in this world.
"Yue, how do you want to train next?"
"My biggest weakness is genjutsu. Against illusion techniques I'm nearly defenseless. Shisui… please teach me how to break them."
Of course, Yue wanted to learn Shisui's Body Flicker Technique even more. In their bout, Shisui had clearly been holding back—he hadn't used his signature move at all.
"The essence of genjutsu is disturbing your chakra flow to disrupt your five senses. I'll start by teaching you how to restore your chakra balance once you're caught."
And so the two began Yue's long road toward resisting illusions.
---
That evening
After a full day of training, Yue dragged his exhausted body home—unaware that Yamato had been waiting inside for quite some time.
As soon as Yue stepped through the door, Yamato rushed forward, dropped to one knee, and bowed deeply.
"Lord Yue, my name is Yamato. The Hokage has assigned me as your protector. I humbly ask for your guidance in training!"
Yue froze.
…What?
He stared at Yamato in disbelief. Wasn't he just joking earlier about how Yamato only did landscaping with his Wood Release?
And now this guy was his personal guard?
Then he immediately understood the Third Hokage's intention. Hiruzen had given Yue the Wood Release Scroll. If Yamato didn't follow Yue, where would he learn Wood Release? How else would he contribute to the world's "greenification efforts"?
"There's no need to be so formal, Yamato. You don't have to bow like that," Yue said warmly, accepting Yamato's new role.
---
Yue's days became even busier.
In the morning, he attended the Academy.
After dinner, he alternated between taijutsu training with Ueda and Wood Release training with Yamato.
On weekends, he met with Shisui to study genjutsu resistance.
More than once, Yue felt tempted to ditch the Academy entirely and focus on training. He didn't mind the negative marks on his file—but the Third Great Ninja War was only a year away.
If he remained a student, he probably wouldn't join the war. But his growing strength made him want to experience it firsthand. This war would shape Konoha's future—and the entire world's.
Minato would earn fame as the "Yellow Flash."
Obito would become Uchiha Madara's successor.
So much would begin here.
Yue wanted to change something… anything.
If Obito didn't "die" at Kannabi Bridge, he could never inherit Madara's will.
If Yue could save Rin later, Obito wouldn't fall into darkness.
And if Konoha became stronger, Yue could safely "coast" and prepare for future threats—Pain, and even the terrifying Otsutsuki.
Someday, when all the chaos ended, he wanted nothing more than to grow old peacefully in Konoha. That was his ideal.
But ideals required strength. Without strength, he would have no influence—no voice. Even with the Senju name, he could be killed like a nameless extra. One strike from Pain, and he'd be dust.
After long thought, Yue decided:
He would stay at the Academy for one more year and then apply for early graduation.
By then, Hiruzen would have no reason to refuse. Keeping Yue in school would be a waste.
---
Konoha Year 47
The day finally arrived.
"Yue, tomorrow is Konoha's New Year Festival," Rina said with a smile. "You've been training so hard—you should relax a little. Let's go together."
Yue blinked, then nodded. It had been over a year since he arrived in Konoha, yet this was his first festival. The war would begin soon—moments of peace like this would become rare.
His strength had grown dramatically. In sparring, he could now completely overpower Ueda when going all out, especially when using Wood Release.
But Ueda's Rotation Technique was annoyingly tough to crack. If Yue used his strongest Wood Release techniques, he estimated he had a fifty-percent chance of defeating Ueda outright.
Such was the power of a natural bloodline limit.
At this age, Yue could already fight a jōnin.
His early graduation request was approved easily. There was no point keeping someone at the Academy who could beat a veteran jōnin into the ground.
However, arranging Yue's team after graduation gave the Third Hokage a massive headache.
~------------------------------------
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