Being the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was no easy task.
As a Jinchuriki, one had to face the constant threat of backlash from the beast and the possibility of a rampage at any moment; the pressure was immense.
Although Uzumaki Mito did not fear these things, the daily pressure she felt was still significant.
Now that the Nine-Tailed's consciousness had been extracted, leaving only a mass of quiet Chakra within her body, Uzumaki Mito immediately felt much lighter.
"Then I shall take my leave."
Minamikawa Yuu said before turning to depart.
In the distance, within the Ninja Academy.
Tsunade, who was about to face her graduation exam, was somewhat absent-minded.
"It's been a long time since Yuu-nii came to see me."
She stared at the textbook in front of her, this thought involuntarily flashing through her mind.
Ever since they met as children, she and Minamikawa Yuu had never been apart for very long.
In the past, she was either following Minamikawa Yuu to learn Medical Ninjutsu at his side, or simply staying near him; in any case, the distance was never far.
While it didn't reach the level of seeing each other every single day, it was close enough.
But recently, she hadn't seen Minamikawa Yuu for a long time.
The turning point was when Minamikawa Yuu succeeded as the Hokage.
To be honest, Minamikawa Yuu was not the type of person who enjoyed being busy with official duties and was quite happy to delegate power. However, as the Hokage, some things were unavoidable.
Even though he had tried his best to delegate authority, the various affairs belonging to the Hokage still reduced his free time significantly.
It couldn't be helped.
In Minamikawa Yuu's eyes, the previous bureaucratic system in Konoha Village was too primitive, the efficiency of handling affairs was low, and the entire system was filled with many low-ability members.
The people who could enter the Konoha system were first and foremost excellent Ninjas.
Their ability to kill and gather intelligence was guaranteed, but their ability to handle political affairs was not.
Furthermore, Konoha was currently in a transition period. Because of the launch of various major projects, the amount of administrative work had increased significantly.
Therefore, until a new generation of officials was trained, Minamikawa Yuu had to spend his energy overseeing things himself.
Otherwise, problems could easily arise.
Just as everything was finally getting on track, the incident with the Kinkaku Brothers broke out.
He had to lead people to participate in this war, and his time was once again consumed by it.
In the end, he had been truly busy lately and really had no time to visit Tsunade's side.
"Tsunade, dazing off here again!"
In the distance, Jiraiya's lively voice rang out: "The graduation exam is almost here. If you don't hurry up and review, watch out or you'll be held back!"
"Idiot!"
Hearing Jiraiya's voice, Tsunade was instantly enraged: "You dare say I'll be held back!"
"I think the one who's going to be held back is you!"
Unlike Jiraiya, who was a perennial bottom-dweller, Tsunade was a genius overflowing with talent.
If Jiraiya could at least show off his Taijutsu against others, then against Tsunade, even his best skill, Taijutsu, was nothing.
With Tsunade's strength, she could easily knock him flat.
"You damn washboard, tomboy! At this rate, absolutely no man will dare to marry you!"
Jiraiya shrieked in the distance while enduring Tsunade's beating.
After finally driving Jiraiya away, Tsunade walked to the side alone.
She looked at her washboard-like figure and couldn't help but feel sorrowful.
"Yuu-nii probably wouldn't like this kind of figure."
""
She was a bit distressed.
Although she didn't care much about Jiraiya, she had taken his previous words to heart.
Men should all like a more curvaceous figure, right?
She thought with some uncertainty.
"What are you thinking about?"
Beside her, a gentle voice suddenly spoke.
Hearing this voice, Tsunade's body froze. Then she abruptly looked up, a look of pleasant surprise appearing on her face.
Behind her, Minamikawa Yuu had walked over at some point. He was now looking at her from behind with a smile on his face: "It's only been a while since we last met, why have you suddenly become so sentimental?"
He had specifically come to visit Tsunade because, calculating the time, it had indeed been quite a while since he last saw her.
He hadn't expected to witness this scene just as he arrived.
That usually cheerful Tsunade actually had such a sentimental day?
"Yuu-nii!"
Tsunade didn't say a word and lunged straight into his arms.
Seeing this, Minamikawa Yuu was surprised at first, but he quickly reacted.
He didn't say much, just smiled and took Tsunade into his embrace, gently stroking her forehead: "Sorry, I've been too busy lately and haven't come to see you for a long time."
"Don't say the word'sorry' to me."
Tsunade spoke with dissatisfaction: "Aren't you here now?"
"Remember to spend more time with me this time."
"Okay."
Minamikawa Yuu nodded.
Coming here this time, he did indeed plan to stay for a longer period.
On one hand, it was to accompany Tsunade, and on the other hand, it was to preside over the promotion of the Ninja Academy.
A few months had passed, and the relevant preparations for the Middle Ninja Academy had been completed. The day the first batch of students would graduate was not far off.
As the principal of the Ninja Academy, Minamikawa Yuu planned to come and see for himself to show his importance.
In passing, he could also see if there were any promising talents worth cultivating.
"Really."
In the distance, watching the intimate appearance of the two, Jiraiya grumbled dissatisfiedly: "Damn tomboy, acting so gentle in front of Hokage-sama."
"Why can't you be a bit lighter with me?"
"Tsunade has already gone easy on you."
Orochimaru, who was standing nearby, shook his head: "Otherwise, with her monstrous strength, if she really hit you with all her might, you'd probably find it hard even to speak right now."
This was actually true.
With Tsunade's strength, even though she wasn't an adult yet, if she really landed a full-force punch, it wasn't something an ordinary person could withstand.
Even with Jiraiya's physique, several bones would have to be broken.
"However, Tsunade and Hokage-sama's relationship is truly good."
Orochimaru stood to the side, watching the intimate scene between Tsunade and Minamikawa Yuu, feeling a bit envious in his heart.
He wasn't envious of Minamikawa Yuu, but rather of Tsunade.
Within the entire Konoha, Minamikawa Yuu was the person Orochimaru admired most.
Not only was he knowledgeable, having researched and understood many fields just like the Second Hokage, but he was also willing to guide his juniors.
Orochimaru had once interacted with Minamikawa Yuu by chance.
Back then, he was very naive in many aspects, and the views he proposed were impractical, but Minamikawa Yuu was still willing to communicate with him. He didn't view many of the ideas in his heart as heretical, but rather quite agreed with them.
That kind of validation was of great significance to the Orochimaru of this time.
Looking at Minamikawa Yuu, it was as if he saw a fellow traveler walking ahead of him, a true senior.
"It would be great if I could become Hokage-sama's student."
This thought couldn't help but flash through his mind.