Become a Disciple

"Fourth Hokage?"

"Hokage Minato!"

Initially seeking refuge and intending to train diligently at Uncle Nara's house, Yasuke truly hadn't expected the Fourth Hokage to personally pay him a visit. Even though he had encountered renowned figures from the original storyline and had even clashed with the revered Itachi, when Yasuke saw the Fourth Hokage for the first time under the guidance of the servants, he couldn't help but feel a bit excited! After all, this was the legendary Fourth Hokage!

He was one of the three major figures in the Ninja War!

However, as Yasuke observed the Fourth Hokage, clad in his signature golden hair and a white cloak bearing the title "Fourth Hokage," he suddenly realized that the Fourth Hokage was far less serious than he had imagined. In fact, amidst the friendly conversation with Uncle Nara, the Fourth Hokage didn't display the demeanor one would expect of a Hokage. Occasionally, he even cracked some dry jokes in front of Uncle Nara, leaving Yasuke with a very positive impression of the Fourth Hokage.

It was hard to imagine that the man before him, amiable and even a bit mischievous, was the renowned Flash of Konoha!

Furthermore, it was inconceivable that in the ninja world, there existed an unspoken rule that encountering the Flash of Konoha meant one could immediately abandon their mission and face no punishment.

However, while Yasuke was observing Uncle Nara and the Fourth Hokage conversing with each other, he failed to notice that the Fourth Hokage was also secretly evaluating him, the young prodigy whose fame had spread throughout Konoha.

After exchanging pleasantries with Uncle Nara, the Fourth Hokage turned his gaze towards Yasuke and asked with a smile, "Yasuke, you look quite worn out. Have you encountered many troubles?"

"Huh?"

Yasuke was taken aback by the sudden question from the Fourth Hokage, not immediately realizing that he was being addressed.

Nodding subconsciously, he replied to the Fourth Hokage's query.

At this moment, neither Uncle Nara nor the Fourth Hokage blamed Yasuke for his rudeness. In order to leave a good impression on the Fourth Hokage, Uncle Nara quickly explained with a smile, "Minato, don't blame Yasuke. It's probably because it's his first time conversing with someone of your stature. It's also my negligence. I should have brought Yasuke over this morning to spare him from the constant challenges by the new generation of various clans, which deprived him of any time for training."

With that said, Uncle Nara shifted his gaze to Yasuke and asked with a smile, "Yasuke, after such a tiring day, do you have any thoughts? Feel free to share!"

"Just feeling that it's not easy carrying the title of prodigy," came Yasuke's weak reply, eliciting smiles from both Uncle Nara and the Fourth Hokage.

Especially the Fourth Hokage, once a student of the legendary Sannin Jiraiya, who also bore the title of prodigy, understood Yasuke's feelings.

Then, shaking his head with a smile, the Fourth Hokage explained that he had many important matters to attend to and didn't linger further. Instead, he turned to Uncle Nara and said, "Nara, to be frank, I've come here this time for Yasuke. You probably know the likelihood of prodigies falling during times of war. Yasuke is the prodigy of our village, and I don't want to see him harmed in any way. So, the real purpose of my visit this time is to take him as my disciple!"

"Disciple?"

Upon hearing the Fourth Hokage's words, Yasuke's eyes widened in astonishment. He hadn't expected the Fourth Hokage's purpose of coming here to be to take him as his disciple!

On the other hand, Uncle Nara, who had known the Fourth Hokage's intention to take Yasuke as his disciple since his arrival, smiled knowingly.

Firstly, the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clans had been the guardians of the Hokage for generations. It was quite normal for the Fourth Hokage to establish good relations with the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clans to consolidate his position as Hokage. If he could win over the talents of the three clans and have the new generation of "Ino-Shika-Cho" trio as his disciples, it would undoubtedly be beneficial for the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clans, as well as the Fourth Hokage himself.

Secondly, upon hearing that Yasuke had slapped the face of the prestigious Uchiha clan, Uncle Nara knew that some of the high-ranking figures in Konoha would definitely take action.

The conflict between the Uchiha clan and Konoha was no secret.

Since the time of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, suppressing the Uchiha clan had been on the agenda. For example, the Konoha police force, which seemed to promote the Uchiha clan, was actually part of Tobirama's plan to isolate the Uchiha clan from the center of power. Now, to counter the Uchiha clan, the Fourth Hokage couldn't act directly and had to find a spokesperson.

And Yasuke, who had angered the Uchiha clan, was undoubtedly a good candidate.

In other words, the Fourth Hokage's desire to take Yasuke as his disciple was also an indication that he wanted to find a "weapon" to deal with the Uchiha clan!

As for the final reason, it was undoubtedly the Fourth Hokage's affection for talents and his desire to nurture the new generation of talents in Konoha.

Yasuke, who was hailed as the number one of Konoha's new generation, had become a potential target for taking as a disciple of the Fourth Hokage.

However, while Uncle Nara and the Fourth Hokage had the intention of having Yasuke as his disciple, Yasuke, on the other hand, harbored some reluctance to become a disciple.

Not to mention becoming the disciple of the Fourth Hokage and prematurely getting involved in the power struggles of Konoha.

Even in terms of the benefits of becoming the Fourth Hokage's disciple, Yasuke couldn't see any!

"Forget it! The Nine-Tails' attack is about to break out, and the Fourth Hokage will soon sacrifice himself for the village. What can he teach me in just a few months?"

"Having the Fourth Hokage take me as his disciple is no better than having the Third Hokage do it! At the very least, I am also a senior brother of the three Sannin. There can't be much difference in seniority!"

Filled with resentment, Yasuke couldn't voice his thoughts.

Under the influence of Uncle Nara and the Fourth Hokage's intentions to have him as a disciple, Yasuke's decision to become the Fourth Hokage's disciple was hastily made. As for the formalities of becoming a disciple, they would have to wait until after the Fourth Hokage completed his strategies with the Mist Village. In simple terms, while Yasuke had agreed to become the Fourth Hokage's disciple, after that, he would only have the title of disciple, but wouldn't receive any guidance from the Fourth Hokage.

With a reluctant expression, Yasuke reluctantly agreed to become

 a disciple, knowing that there would be almost no difference between becoming one or not. Then, he went with Uncle Nara to see off the Fourth Hokage.

Little did he expect that as Yasuke and Uncle Nara escorted the Fourth Hokage to the door, Yasuke would finally receive his first surprise from the Fourth Hokage!

"Sorry, Yasuke, I've been busy lately and haven't had time to guide your training."

"However, I've heard that you have great talent in 'jutsu.' So, I'll leave a scroll personally written by me with you!"

"Practice according to the methods recorded in the scroll. After three months, I'll test you!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------

10 Advance Chapters: patreon.com/ReadingOasis

Make Sure to give a Review!