"This…", Uchiha Fugaku's mouth couldn't help but twitch, but as the clan leader, he quickly adjusted himself and tightened his expression again.
Although reason told him that the rumor was false, given how it had already spread like wildfire, even if it was fake, it had pretty much become real.
The villagers just wanted to enjoy the spectacle and didn't really care whether the Third Hokage and Danzo had that kind of relationship or not.
For Sarutobi Hiruzen, it was just a minor hit to his reputation, nothing that would truly affect his prestige.
If it were really about reputation, which of the three Sannin had a good one?
"Father, brother, what's wrong?", Seeing the two suddenly go quiet, Sasuke didn't understand what had happened.
'Are they angry?'
"Cough, cough."
Uchiha Fugaku quickly cleared his throat twice and said to Sasuke with a stern face, "Sasuke, I hope you will remember this failure and then rely on your own strength to win it back."
Originally, Uchiha Fugaku had planned to give Sasuke a harsh lesson. After all, being beaten by an unknown civilian would have been a disgrace.
But now, finding out that he had lost to a disciple of one of the Sannin made it understandable, so his lecture turned into encouragement.
Sasuke's expression turned serious as he responded earnestly, "I will definitely win it back!"
However, Uchiha Fugaku's brows furrowed again. The voice was too small, "With such a weak voice, do you think you can defeat the disciple of a Sannin?"
Sasuke didn't hesitate and immediately shouted, "I will definitely win it back!"
"Very good, that's the spirit worthy of being my son, Uchiha Fugaku. Let's eat," Uchiha Fugaku nodded approvingly.
Then, the family of four sat together and enjoyed a peaceful dinner.
———
Tsunade suddenly taking on a disciple in the village had already become widely known by tonight.
Some, like Uchiha Itachi, learned through the Anbu's channels, while others found out simply because the three of them had openly discussed it at the restaurant.
For a moment, many people started having different thoughts.
After all, Tsunade's status was undeniable. One of the three Sannin, and the disciple of the Third Hokage.
The last disciple taken in by one of the Sannin had become the Fourth Hokage.
"Could there really be such a coincidence in this world?", Hyuga Hiashi couldn't help but mutter to himself. He never expected that Aoba would become Tsunade's disciple.
'Does this mean…'
The Hyuga Clan had maintained its position in Konoha by following the principle of staying neutral.
Whoever won, they supported.
Put nicely, it was called neutrality; put bluntly, it was opportunism.
Right now, the dominant faction in Konoha was obviously the Hokage's side, led by Sarutobi Hiruzen.
What he had said to Shirakumo Hayame earlier had actually gone against the Hyuga Clan's usual policy.
But now, with Aoba officially part of the Hokage's faction, his previous words might have actually been a good move.
Hyuga Hiashi then looked at Hinata, who was stuffing her mouth full of rice, and his lips twitched. His usual composed and far-sighted demeanor instantly collapsed.
He couldn't help but sigh deeply.
His daughter… was growing more and more off track.
———
[Early Morning]
Aoba stepped out of his house with dark circles under his eyes.
Although he had appeared calm while talking to Tsunade, the more he thought about it afterward, the more excited he became.
As a result, he couldn't sleep the whole night.
However, even without sleep, it didn't affect him much. Chakra was truly a mysterious thing.
Feeling refreshed, Aoba walked lightly toward the Senju Clan's ancestral home.
But after walking for a while, he had to stop.
Since he had been too excited in the morning, he had forgotten that the route from his house to the Senju residence passed by Ino's flower shop.
At this moment, little Ino was diligently moving colorful flowers outside the shop.
To his surprise, Sakura was also there, helping Ino move the flowers.
Amidst the blooming flowers, the golden and pink hues of their hair peeked through. Their smiles were as bright as the blossoms themselves.
Since he was already here, Aoba didn't intend to pretend not to see them and walked directly over.
The two, busy arranging the flowers, heard footsteps and instinctively turned toward the sound.
"Eh?" × 2
Both immediately abandoned their task and ran over with bright smiles.
"Aoba!"
"Ino, Sakura, good morning," Aoba greeted them with a smile.
Ino was the first to arrive.
"Aoba, did you come here to see me today? Are you done with training? Can we play together today?", Ino fired off a rapid string of questions, leaving Aoba unsure of which one to answer first.
Sakura, who had lagged behind, had also wanted to ask something, but Ino had already asked everything she had in mind. She could only pout slightly and wait quietly for Aoba's response.
At the same time, she felt a little disappointed. Since Aoba came to see Ino, if she hadn't come to help today, she might not have even gotten to see him.
But contrary to what she thought, Aoba was actually looking at Sakura.
He suddenly remembered that in the original story, the one who became Tsunade's disciple was supposed to be Sakura. Now, it seemed like he had snatched that opportunity.
However, Sakura's talent wasn't bad.
Shizune had followed Tsunade for years and barely learned some medical ninjutsu, yet Sakura managed to learn nearly everything Tsunade had to offer in just a few years.
It might be a good idea to have Tsunade teach Sakura as well. If Tsunade found it troublesome, he could teach her himself. He already had Tenten as a student, so taking on another wouldn't be a problem.
Besides, he suddenly found the idea of being a mentor rather appealing.
He also remembered that Sakura had an 'Inner Self,' and she had even managed to break free from Ino's Mind Transfer Jutsu.
If she ever got the chance to learn the Spirit Transformation Jutsu in the future, wouldn't she be unstoppable? Fists for the physical, and spirit slashes for the soul.
"Aoba? Aoba!", Just as Aoba was lost in his thoughts about Sakura's potential, a golden blur suddenly blocked his vision.
In front of him was Ino's delicate, slightly displeased face.
"Ino, what's wrong?"
"Weren't you here to see me? Why are you just staring at Sakura and not answering my questions?"
Aoba looked at the slightly angry Ino. Her soft golden hair and faintly flushed face gave off a lively, youthful energy.
Right now, though, she looked like an irritated golden kitten, slightly puffed up in annoyance.
Aoba quickly reached out and smoothed down Ino's hair. Just like a real kitten, she immediately calmed down.
Head pats worked wonders. Even villagers wouldn't get flustered from a simple pat.
He glanced at Sakura, who was already blushing and hiding behind Ino, confirming that there was no other issue before saying, "I was just thinking about something. Actually, I was just passing by today. I saw you two and came over to say hello."
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