The next morning, after breakfast, Minato left a Wood Clone to keep an eye on Nawaki and returned to Root. He went straight to Orochimaru's laboratory.
When in doubt, consult Orochimaru.
Since Orochimaru had taken over Root, it had practically become his personal garden.
He showed no dissatisfaction with this arrangement; in fact, he seemed to welcome it.
For researchers, exploring the unknown was like searching for a path in the dark.
For Orochimaru, Minato served as a guiding light. Though he offered little technical assistance, he consistently brought fresh inspiration or unexpected delights, like the "Pea Love Story" incident.
"Surveillance Ninjutsu?" Orochimaru looked up from his experiment when he heard Minato's request.
"Yes, Senior. Do you have any recommendations?" Minato asked. "Something that allows direct observation."
"The old man has a Telescope Ninjutsu, but it requires the Konoha Barrier to function and you need to know the target's Chakra signature. Even if you learn it, you can't use it without the Barrier Team's authorization."
Orochimaru shook his head, indicating his inability to help. "There are very few direct observation ninjutsu, and Konoha only has this one. Who do you want to monitor, Minato-kun? I could send someone to help you directly."
"It's a personal matter, and it might be inconvenient."
Minato paused, then decided to confide in Orochimaru. "It's like this: Nawaki graduated a few days ago, and Teacher gave him the First Hokage's necklace as a gift."
Orochimaru's eyes lit up with understanding. "Oh? That necklace... I didn't expect Tsunade to give it away. But isn't that a good thing?"
Minato gave an awkward laugh. "Senior, you know about Teacher's... peculiar luck, right?"
"Ah, that..."
Orochimaru's hands, which had been working on an experiment, froze.
After a moment of contemplation, he replied with a complex tone, "Your concerns aren't unreasonable. As a researcher, I believe in science, but Tsunade's luck defies scientific explanation—it completely shatters my understanding of probability."
"However, if you're only worried about Nawaki encountering danger, he could simply use the Summoning Technique to have a Slug reverse summon you to his side."
Minato's voice turned somber. "What if he accidentally steps on a detonating tag?"
"..."
Orochimaru frowned, considering that given Nawaki's reckless nature, it wasn't impossible.
After a moment's thought, his brow slowly relaxed. "There's a solution. We just need to train him to develop the habit of using Shadow Clones to scout ahead."
"Besides, Minato-kun, you're worrying unnecessarily. After all, there's a non-zero chance of someone being struck by a meteorite while at home. None of us know whether tomorrow or an accident will come first, and you can't protect him forever."
"So instead of worrying endlessly, it would be better to give him some rigorous training. Let him experience the fear of near-death. That will cultivate a cautious habit."
"Hmm..."
Minato nodded thoughtfully.
Indeed, Orochimaru was right. He had been too fixated on this one issue.
"Heh heh heh... Trusting companions... I never thought I'd say such a thing. In the past, that kind of hot-blooded fool was always Jiraiya's role."
Seeing Minato's gradually relaxing expression, Orochimaru chuckled.
"Fearing for a companion's safety, yet unwilling to trust the strength of others... Perhaps geniuses are always arrogant. In that regard, we're quite similar, Minato-kun."
Minato grinned sheepishly.
It wasn't that he didn't trust his companions; it was just that Nawaki's combat record was so abysmal—the only named character to be killed by a single Exploding Tag!
If it were Tsunade, he would have no worries at all. At least in the original story, she never lost a life-or-death gamble.
"Speaking of which, I have a small favor I'd like to ask of you, Minato-kun," Orochimaru said. "It might take up some of your free time."
"No problem, I'm quite free these days," Minato replied with a smile. "Besides cooking and training, I don't have much else to do."
"Is that so..." Orochimaru chuckled and clapped his hands softly. "Come in, Cat."
Cat?
Minato glanced toward the door, but he didn't recognize anyone in Root with that codename.
The moment Orochimaru finished speaking, the door swung open, and a graceful figure materialized outside.
She was about half a head taller than Minato, her black hair cascading like a waterfall over her shoulders. A cat mask concealed her face, but her upright posture and the serene, gentle aura she exuded were unmistakable.
"This is Cat," Orochimaru introduced with a smile. "My newest disciple, from the Uchiha Clan."
"Uchiha?" Minato was surprised. He hadn't expected Orochimaru to recruit an Uchiha into Root.
"Senior, why did you suddenly take an Uchiha as a disciple?"
"As the leader of Root, I have my duties to attend to."
Orochimaru said calmly, "If the Uchiha Clan continues to be excluded from the core of the village, they will inevitably become a threat. With war approaching, I must quell internal conflicts first."
"After negotiating with their clan leader, I decided to open this door. In exchange, the Uchiha will gradually relinquish control of the Police Department and fully integrate into the village."
Orochimaru gestured toward the girl at the door.
"Neko is my chosen disciple, one of the most promising young members of the Uchiha Clan. She became a Chūnin at the age of twelve. More importantly, her gentle nature sets her apart from the clan's radical tendencies. She's the perfect bridge between the village and the Uchiha."
"However, Root's missions have been overwhelming lately, and we're short-handed. I won't have time to personally train her. Minato-kun, if it's convenient while you're training, could you guide her a bit and assess her current strength?"
"Of course," Minato nodded, turning to the girl. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Namikaze Minato. Please guide me."
The girl cast a questioning glance at Orochimaru, who nodded slightly. "In Root, Minato-kun's words are my own."
"I understand."
Meanwhile, the girl codenamed "Cat" silently observed the boy before her, her eyes filled with curiosity. She wondered why their Teacher valued him so highly.
"Mikoto, my name is Uchiha Mikoto. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Mikoto... Uchiha Mikoto?!
Minato paused momentarily before smiling gently. "I've heard of you. You must be four years ahead of me, right?"
"I've heard of you too, the Wood Release prodigy."
A hint of amusement colored her tone. Minato had used Wood Release more than once, not out of showmanship, but because the ability was simply too convenient.
Initially, the Third Hokage had tried to suppress the news, but when that proved impossible, he simply let it be. After all, no one could really do anything to him.
Yet most people only knew the Wood Release user as Namikaze Minato, Tsunade's disciple, without knowing what he looked like.
She recognized Minato because his striking good looks had spread through the school far more widely than his skills.
Please Support me by becoming my patreon member and get 10+ chapters.
[email protected]/Ajal69
change @ with a
Thank You to Those who joined my Patreon