"Satori-kun is thinking several steps ahead—he's already planning for the future."
Minato Namikaze looked at Satori Hyūga, a strange glint flickering in his eyes.
Is this what it's like being a disciple from a prestigious family?
Wait—other students in the class are also from Konoha's major clans, yet none of them show such foresight.
Then again… maybe Satori really is different.
At that moment, Satori's stature seemed to grow in Minato's eyes.
Seeing neither of them had come up with solutions, Satori wasn't discouraged. He was just throwing out ideas to see which ones stuck.
With all the profitable ventures from his past life, surely one would surface if he just thought harder.
If worse came to worst, he could always ask Teuchi to try developing instant noodles.
After all, this era hadn't seen instant noodles yet.
The trio went their separate ways, and by the time Satori got home, dusk was already setting in.
Standing outside, gazing at the warmly lit house, Satori stepped in slowly.
Pushing open the sliding door, he saw an old man wearing a white kimono—erect and commanding in posture, with grayish-white hair.
"Satori, you're back," greeted Hyūga Sounmei, kneeling on the tatami mat. Hearing the sound, he turned his gaze toward Satori.
Satori nodded and obediently sat across from him.
When Grandfather Hyūga Sounmei was this formal, it usually meant something serious was on his mind.
"Satori, did you meet with a red-haired girl this afternoon?"
Hearing those words, Satori immediately understood.
He'd interacted with the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, and someone from the clan had obviously taken notice.
Of course, it wasn't necessarily someone from the clan—it could have been an envoy from the Third Hokage himself, sent as a warning.
If the Hyūga Main House were seen associating with the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, it could be interpreted as a serious issue in the worst-case scenario.
What was the Hyūga Clan trying to achieve by interacting with the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki? Were they attempting to control the beast through her?
Naturally, this possibility was extremely slim.
The Hyūga Clan wouldn't act so recklessly or leave their plans so poorly disguised.
To avoid any misunderstandings, Satori decided to offer an explanation.
Of course, this explanation involved slight modifications to the actual events, making it seamless.
In effect, it concealed Satori's true intentions.
For example, he explained that initially clashing with Kushina was how their meeting happened.
Their match was simply due to childish competitiveness among children.
As for learning sealing techniques, Satori didn't hide anything—he straightforwardly said he felt sealing techniques could benefit him, so he decided to learn them.
Hyūga Sounmei nodded, a smile forming on his face.
His explanation was water-tight—enough to silence any objections within the clan.
Still, he gave Satori a gentle reminder.
"Satori, that girl is special. Don't get too close—just keep things casual, like ordinary friends."
Truthfully, the Hyūga Clan itself had considered approaching the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki before.
After all, that tailed beast possessed power capable of devastating destruction—a force comparable to natural disasters.
However, Konoha's current strength was overwhelming. The Hyūga Clan simply lacked the capability to resist it directly.
Causing Konoha to turn against them over this would be a costly mistake.
Satori Hyūga nodded. Naturally, he understood Kushina Uzumaki's uniqueness.
The Nine-Tails' jinchūriki—she was a crucial secret to the village and stood as a presence akin to a nuclear weapon.
If it weren't for his current lack of strength and insufficient knowledge and experience, he might have considered acquiring tailed beasts himself.
A few days later.
Within a quiet forest, a loud "Boom!" suddenly echoed out, kicking up dust and sending clouds of mist swirling.
"Hahaha! My Iron Fist is complete!" Kushina declared proudly, hands on her hips, her fiery red hair whipping in the wind, her face radiating smug satisfaction.
"Kushina, your talent for taijutsu is truly amazing. You've harnessed such tremendous power," Minato Namikaze said with a gentle smile.
"Of course! I'm from the Uzumaki Clan, naturally possessing immense strength. Training taijutsu is effortless for me!"
Kushina practically floated off the ground with pride after hearing the praise.
Before her lay a massive tree that had just collapsed, bearing a massive, fist-shaped indentation at its shattered base.
One could easily deduce this tree had been shattered by Kushina's single punch.
All this destruction was a testament to Kushina's mastery of the [Iron Fist] technique.
Thanks to the Uzumaki Clan's unique vitality and incredible physical strength, Kushina developed the [Iron Fist], a technique with unparalleled destructive power.
Her Iron Fist focused solely on destruction, channeling all her chakra into a single point, unleashing terrifying offensive power.
However, this came at a price—such singular pursuit of power greatly diminished her speed and reflexes.
Minato possessed slightly inferior stamina but astonishing speed and reflexes.
Using his speed and quick reactions, he could inflict severe damage on opponents.
One was born with immense inherited power; the other possessed unmatched natural talent. Watching them fight, Satori couldn't help but feel amazed.
Fortunately, he wasn't too far behind.
The blood limit ability of the Hyūga Clan granted him the Byakugan and above-average chakra reserves.
Plus, thanks to his adult-like thinking and knowledge carried over from a previous life, he was no slouch either.
Together, the three got along quite harmoniously.
Since beginning mutual training, this place became their secret training ground, where they often gathered to exchange techniques.
At that moment, however, a chilling, sinister aura crept over the area.
Each of the three exceptional individuals immediately sensed something and became alert, cautiously scanning their surroundings.
Satori even activated his Byakugan directly, using its powerful observational advantage to search the environment.
"Orochimaru-sama."
"Orochimaru-sama."
"Orochimaru?"
All three saw the approaching figure and were instantly stunned.
Satori was especially curious—he was laying eyes on Orochimaru for the very first time.
Orochimaru was dressed in a white kimono with a purple sash cinched at his waist, his long black hair draped over his shoulders, partially concealing his face, lending him a faintly sinister aura.
At this point, the Third Great Shinobi War hadn't yet begun, and Orochimaru hadn't fully committed himself toward pursuing the meaning of life; thus, he wasn't yet as unsettling as he would later become.
Still, from Satori's perspective, Orochimaru was already showing signs of heading down that path.
The deaths of his parents, the death of his disciple Nawaki, and the deaths of countless ninja made him realize how fragile life was. He wanted to grasp the ultimate truth of the world and achieve immortality.
I wonder if Orochimaru has begun human experimentation yet.
Satori Hyūga mused to himself.
Wait, why would Orochimaru be here? Did he hear something and come running?
If that's the case, then Orochimaru's lab is likely nearby.
"Your group's taijutsu techniques are quite fascinating," Orochimaru said, his gaze lingering on the three of them with interest, especially Satori Hyūga.
A Hyūga Main House member training alongside others out here—this intrigued him.
Those clear, pure Byakugan eyes were invaluable for his research.
Yet soon, he noticed something else unusual about Satori Hyūga.
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