"Compared to Minato Namikaze, anyone else would appear less than exceptional."
Jiraiya's statement was by no means an exaggeration. From the moment Minato used the Body Flicker Technique to enter the hospital room, radiating killing intent, to grasping the current situation, easing the tension, and proactively showing goodwill toward Hyuga Yu—the entire process took less than half a second. Minato Namikaze did not hesitate for a moment. His emotional intelligence and capacity for action were maxed out, and his reaction speed was fast enough to border on the absurd.
However, Yu stared at the hand Minato extended toward him—which had first scratched the back of his head before transitioning into an offer to shake hands—hesitated for a brief moment, and did not take it.
Of course, it definitely wasn't because Yu suspected there was dandruff between those fingers... It was... it was his professional discipline as a Root ninja.
"Yes, I know who you are."
Yu nodded expressionlessly at Minato Namikaze, and then... he fell silent.
At this moment, Minato could see that Yu seemed somewhat dissatisfied. Though he didn't read any hostility in Yu's eyes, the cold shoulder was visible to the naked eye.
Ultimately, for the first time in his life, Minato found himself completely unable to read the Tianren standing right in front of him.
Minato's hand remained suspended in midair for three seconds, the bright smile on his face freezing slightly. But he did not give up; instead, he immediately shifted his gaze toward Director Shiraishi at the doorway of the hospital room, casting a silent glance for help.
Director Shiraishi, who was well aware of Yu's habits, caught on instantly. Unable to keep from chuckling, he reminded them, "Just now, young... Tianren was likely performing a pre-operative check on Rin Nohara. This is already considered a part of the surgery."
Hearing this, Minato suddenly understood. If he viewed this first encounter with the Tianren as interrupting an ongoing surgery, ignoring Yu's identity as a Root ninja and treating him strictly as a doctor, then everything made sense. His sudden arrival by flying directly into an operating room was practically dancing on a medical ninja's last nerve. On top of that, attempting to shake hands without any sterilization...
With that thought, Minato's figure shifted, instantly vanishing from the spot. A few seconds later, Minato reappeared in the room, having completed the entire process of washing, disinfecting, and changing clothes, even donning a pair of nitrile gloves.
He stared at Yu, offering another bright smile as he extended his hand once more. "Tianren, I look forward to working with you."
Yu glanced at Minato's extended hand. The expression on his face softened slightly, and he reached out to give Minato's hand a brief shake.
The atmosphere in the hospital room instantly relaxed.
Directors Shiraishi and Matsumoto walked over to Rin Nohara's bedside. Seeing that Rin had regained consciousness and was even murmuring incoherently, both displayed expressions of slight surprise. The Three-Tails' chakra inside Rin was violent and dangerous; once the seal was undone, she would unconsciously go on a rampage and harm others, making this a highly problematic situation for the Leaf Hospital to handle.
At this moment, Director Shiraishi, who was deeply dedicated to medical research, asked directly, "Yu, did you undo the seal just now to help her regain consciousness?"
"How did you manage that?"
"I temporarily purged the Three-Tails' chakra from her body, but that's as far as I can go for now..." Yu turned to look at Rin Nohara on the hospital bed, frowning slightly as he continued, "Without further intervention, the Tailed Beast chakra will quickly regenerate inside her, causing further damage to her body."
Hearing this, Kakashi Hatake, who was standing in the back, couldn't help but speak up, "Then... can Rin still be saved?"
"Yes," Yu answered succinctly. He then turned to the two directors beside him and asked, "Directors, you should have already clarified her current condition, right?"
Director Matsumoto frowned and said, "We understand the basics."
"Full-body burns, skeletal deformation, and deeply afflicted by the rampaging Tailed Beast chakra."
"Our initial surgical plan was to dispatch medical ninja with top-tier surgical capabilities to purge the Tailed Beast chakra from her body. Combined with medical jutsu, we would repair the injuries she sustained in this current state. Finally, we would hand her over to ninja skilled in sealing jutsu to reinforce the seal that allowed the Tailed Beast chakra to leak in the first place."
"That way, her life can be preserved."
Yu nodded, speaking calmly, "However, that only treats the symptoms, not the root cause."
"Setting aside the risks of the surgery itself, even if it succeeds, Rin Nohara won't be able to return to a normal human physique. Furthermore, her consciousness has already been eroded by the Tailed Beast chakra. When she regains clarity, the one controlling her consciousness won't be the Rin Nohara of the past. It will be a rampaging Jinchūriki devoid of power, sanity, and common sense."
At this point, Yu looked at Kakashi Hatake and Minato Namikaze, whose expressions had grown heavy.
He pointed at the monster-like Rin Nohara on the bed and said indifferently, "According to the Leaf Hospital's original plan, the goal was to purge the Tailed Beast chakra from her body. I've already completed that step for you. Next, you don't even need me. Just a few medical ninja who have mastered the Mystical Palm Technique can repair her physical injuries."
"Then, Minato Namikaze, who is skilled in sealing jutsu, can reinforce her Eight Trigrams Seal, and you can take her back."
"In this manner, she can survive, and you can ensure she spends her final days free of pain. But whether she is still the Rin Nohara you know will be entirely up to fate."
"Afterward, whether you forcibly keep her protected or hand her over to the village to extract the Tailed Beast and return it to the Hidden Mist in exchange for political achievements—that is none of my business. The choice is entirely yours."
Yu calmly observed Minato Namikaze and Kakashi Hatake standing beside him, as if he were not facing the future Fourth Hokage and Sixth Hokage, but rather an ordinary pair of a patient's family members, waiting for their response.
At this moment, Kakashi couldn't help but look up at his mentor, Minato Namikaze, wanting to say something to persuade him. In the end, however, he simply lowered his head in silence, clenching his fists tightly without uttering a word.
Minato listened carefully to Yu's explanation. After pondering for a moment, he asked without any hesitation, "To speak in this manner means that you have another plan, doesn't it, Tianren?"
"Yes," Yu nodded calmly without denying it. He looked at Minato and said indifferently, "The question is, are you truly prepared to bear the price of this plan?"
Minato took a deep breath, reached out to press down on the head of the Kakashi beside him, ruffled his messy white hair, and smiled gently. "Ninja exist to protect. Protecting every single comrade in the Leaf with my life is a resolve I made long ago."
"Please speak, Tianren."
Yu nodded, turned to look at Rin Nohara on the bed, and spoke calmly, "The fundamental reason Rin Nohara ended up in this state is because she possesses a Tailed Beast and became a Jinchūriki, yet she didn't obtain the abilities a Jinchūriki should have, and she herself lacks the qualifications to be one."
"Therefore, my second plan is—to make Rin Nohara a true Jinchūriki of the Three-Tails."
"So, first of all,"
Without even turning his head, Yu spoke in a tone so calm it bordered on cold, "The Leaf must reject the Hidden Mist's terms for peace, refuse to return the Three-Tails, and the war with the Hidden Mist will continue."
"Furthermore, Minato Namikaze, you should know exactly what it means to break the Tailed Beast distribution plan established during the first Five Kage Summit and seize another hidden village's Tailed Beast."
Minato fell silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "The geopolitical landscape will collapse, and the power balance established by the First Hokage will completely fail."
"The shinobi world will fall into turmoil, and all nations will feel endangered."
Yu nodded, as if what he had just heard was not a cataclysmic event that would alter the entire global landscape, but merely a trivial matter. He continued, "You are currently running for Hokage. If you do this, it is foreseeable that all the achievements and prestige you accumulated previously will have to be expended to settle this matter and compromise with various factions. Even so, are you willing?"
Without hesitation, Minato nodded directly, "If peace requires compromising the lives of fellow ninja from the same village, then such a peace is fundamentally wrong!"
Hearing the dialogue between Yu and Minato, Director Shiraishi and Director Matsumoto exchanged glances in the room, looking utterly bewildered. Did this mean... the Third Shinobi World War and the conflict with the Hidden Mist were going to continue?
Why did you two Hokage candidates suddenly start discussing the global landscape, war, and peace right here?
Is this—is this even something the likes of us are allowed to hear?!
Having finished discussing the grand cost, Yu finally turned around to face Minato Namikaze, transitioning to the more detailed surgical plan and bargaining chips. "From a medical ninja's perspective, Rin Nohara's situation is extremely troublesome."
"But from a ninja's perspective, her situation is actually not that complex. As long as she becomes a qualified Jinchūriki, masters Version 2 Tailed Beast Transformation, and gains the ability to self-heal, all these problems will naturally be resolved."
"And to accomplish this, two conditions must be met."
"Two conditions?" Minato's expression turned solemn as he asked, "What are they?"
Yu spoke slowly, "First, awaken Rin Nohara, and awaken the true will of the Three-Tails inside her."
"Second, enable Rin Nohara, who lacks the qualifications of a Jinchūriki, to master the ability to suppress a Tailed Beast."
"To put it simply,"
"Find an Uchiha who possesses powerful visual prowess, and use their dōjutsu to enter Rin Nohara's mental world."
"Then, awaken the Three-Tails and split it. Combined with sealing jutsu, this will allow even an ordinary person like Rin Nohara to suppress the Three-Tails."
Hearing this plan, Minato's brow furrowed slightly, "Using dōjutsu to enter the mental world and splitting the Tailed Beast?"
Finding an Uchiha wouldn't be difficult, but the second condition... The first thing he thought of was the Sealing Jutsu: Reaper Death Seal. With the capability of that sealing jutsu, it would be enough to forcibly split the Tailed Beast, but the price would be exceedingly heavy.
Just as Minato fell into deep thought, Yu suddenly spoke up, "I can do all of this."
"Mm... wait, what?" Minato snapped his head up, looking at Yu in utter bewilderment. "You can do all of this?"
"Correct," Yu looked at him calmly and asked, "But why should I help you?"
"I am a ninja of Root. Extracting the Tailed Beast from Rin Nohara's body to exchange for the Hidden Mist's surrender and reparations doesn't align with my personal expectations, but it perfectly aligns with Root's interests."
"At the same time, right now, I am just like you—one of the candidates for the Fourth Hokage. It is already the height of benevolence that I haven't actively suppressed you, so why should I help you secure a disciple who is a perfect Three-Tails Jinchūriki?"
Hearing this, Kakashi Hatake's face initially lit up with joy, followed by a look of slight astonishment as he turned to Yu, speaking somewhat hesitantly, "But, Lord Tianren, didn't you say just now..."
"First of all, I never promised you anything."
Yu looked at him oddly, turning his body slightly so Kakashi could see Rin Nohara murmuring in pain on the bed. "Secondly, the surgery has already been performed. Although it was done quickly, I've already saved her life for you. She is no longer in critical danger."
"I've even openly told you the ninja methods required to cure her. What else are you dissatisfied with?"
"Hand over the breakfast."
Yu reached out his hand, pointing at the stuffed breakfast bag Kakashi was clutching in his arms.
"..." Hearing this, Kakashi fell completely silent, obediently handing the breakfast bag over to Yu.
It was exactly as Yu had said. Before Director Shiraishi could even explain, Yu had already deduced the surgical plan the Leaf Hospital prepared and directly saved Rin Nohara's life. His subsequent questioning of Director Shiraishi was merely to ensure they understood this point clearly. He had even transparently informed them how to cure Rin Nohara using alternative ninja methods.
The only difference was that Yu could accomplish this without paying an overly heavy price, whereas Minato's side would need to pay an immense price to save Rin Nohara's life.
Given that they were political rivals, Yu providing this much assistance was already the height of benevolence. How could Kakashi possibly stand on a moral high ground to condemn him?
Yu picked an tamagoyaki from the breakfast Kakashi bought, pulled out a cup of coffee, and unceremoniously began to eat right in front of everyone in the room.
Only now did Minato Namikaze truly realize what kind of person this Tianren—his fellow competitor for the position of Fourth Hokage—actually was.
Though he possessed a few minor eccentricities, the man was completely open and upright, incredibly capable, highly methodical in his actions, and, despite being a rival, had no qualms about laying out an open conspiracy right before him within moments of meeting.
A smile couldn't help but appear on Minato's face. He didn't dislike this kind of opponent—one whose style was completely different from the rest of Root, yet far more formidable.
At the same time, Minato also picked up on the underlying meaning in Yu's words. The plan Root previously supported to extract Rin's Tailed Beast was not what Yu expected. This proved that, regarding this issue, the two of them were at least aligned in the same direction.
With that thought, Minato looked at Yu and asked with a smile, "In that case, Tianren,"
"I would still very much like for you to save my student. What must I do to secure your assistance?"
Chewing on the egg, Yu recalled the Sage Mode training he had failed to complete before running into Kakashi earlier. He chuckled softly and said, "How about this,"
"I've been quite interested in cultivating sage arts recently. The Summoning Contract for Mount Myōboku—how about it?"
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