Chapter 20: Squad Leader and Teammates!

When Shūichi Hoshita returned home that evening, he washed up and ate dinner before starting his attempt to fully convert the Memory Palace into a ninjutsu or sealing technique.

This task was no easy feat, but fortunately, Shūichi had a solid grasp of basic sealing techniques thanks to his work on explosive tags, and he was also well-versed in talismans.

Moreover, Shūichi wasn't aiming to immediately turn the Memory Palace into an A-rank or S-rank technique. His initial goal was simply to store the memories returned by the Shadow Clone Jutsu directly into the Memory Palace.

This application was actually similar to the explosive tags he had been working on.

However, since it involved his brain, Shūichi proceeded with extreme caution and refrained from any reckless experiments, focusing instead on designing the technique.

He decided that once he had made some progress, he would consult Tsunade for guidance.

The night passed uneventfully.

Konoha Year 39, March 16th.

After his morning training and a hearty breakfast, Shūichi wrapped medical bandages around his forearms and calves. These bandages, soaked in a special medicinal solution, helped alleviate muscle fatigue and could also be used to stop bleeding.

Next, he donned a black combat outfit, followed by a black jacket with white stripes. The jacket bore similar to the Uzumaki clan's swirl pattern on the shoulders, arms, and back.

He also equipped himself with iron bracers and armguards, as well as his ninja tool pouch, with the Totsuka chakra blade sheathed at his back.

Once fully prepared, Shūichi left his house, moving swiftly through the village to the front of the Hokage's office, where he waited.

It wasn't long before he noticed a somewhat familiar figure approaching.

"Uchiha Shisui?"

Shūichi blinked.

The boy across from him seemed to notice Shūichi staring and offered a friendly smile.

Shūichi smiled back, then decided to approach and introduce himself. "Hello, I'm Hoshita Shūichi."

"Hello, I'm Uchiha Shisui," Shisui responded warmly. "I've heard of you, Shūichi-kun. Graduating from the Ninja Academy at six years old is quite impressive."

Shūichi replied, "There are many who graduate at this age. Sometimes, graduating early isn't necessarily a good thing."

If he had come from a ninja clan with abundant resources, he wouldn't have chosen to graduate early. He would have preferred to stay in the academy for the full six years.

Shisui paused at Shūichi's words, then thoughtfully nodded in agreement. "You're right, Shūichi-kun."

At that moment, a figure landed beside Shisui. "Shisui, you're early as usual."

The newcomer then turned to Shūichi. "And who might this be?"

Shisui smiled and introduced them. "This is Hoshita Shūichi. I think he's our new teammate."

The boy gasped. "Hoshita Shūichi, the one who graduated at six?"

Shisui then introduced him to Shūichi. "Shūichi-kun, this is Sanyō Kurama, from the Kurama clan."

An Uchiha and a member of the Kurama clan as teammates?

Shūichi was a bit surprised but politely greeted Sanyō. "I'm Hoshita Shūichi. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sanyō-senpai."

Sanyō quickly waved off the honorific. "No need to call me 'senpai.' Shisui and I only graduated a year ago; we're still newbies ourselves."

Only a year of experience?

So, Shisui might be two years older than me?

Shūichi was a bit surprised.

His impression was that Shisui wasn't much older than Uchiha Itachi.

But then again, considering Shisui's reputation for his Shunshin no Shisui (Body Flicker Shisui), it was likely that he earned his fame during the Third Shinobi World War and after the Fourth Hokage's death, especially during the clashes with the Hidden Mist.

Even if Shisui was five years older than Itachi, he would have been only around ten years old at that time.

A ten-year-old jōnin with a fully matured Sharingan? That's pretty terrifying.

Additionally, Uchiha Shisui is a descendant of Uchiha Kagami, who died quite early and was significantly younger than the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's grandson, Konohamaru, is much younger than Naruto and his friends.

Therefore, it's most likely that Shisui is the son of Uchiha Kagami.

When did Uchiha Kagami die?

The most probable time would be during the Second Shinobi World War.

So, it makes sense that Shisui is a year or two older than Kakashi and the others.

Shūichi quickly came to accept the fact that Uchiha Shisui was older than him. The three chatted casually and soon became quite familiar with each other.

Clearly, none of them were difficult to get along with.

"It seems you all get along well."

A voice suddenly called out.

Shūichi and the others quickly looked over.

"Minato-sensei!"

Shisui was the first to step forward and bow respectfully. Sanyō Kurama followed suit, excitedly bowing as well. "Minato-sensei, are you our new squad leader?"

Looking at Minato Namikaze, Shūichi was even more surprised than when he saw Uchiha Shisui.

Minato was still very young, around 15 years old.

Having Minato Namikaze as his team leader was completely unexpected for Shūichi.

He had thought of Jiraiya, or even Kakashi's father, Sakumo Hatake, or perhaps a jōnin from the Sarutobi clan, but never Minato Namikaze.

However, thinking about Minato's identity, it seemed quite reasonable.

So, Shūichi, though a bit delayed, stepped forward and bowed. "Minato Sensei, I am Shūichi Hoshita."

All of them were polite and amiable, without any of the arrogance that often accompanies geniuses.

Minato Namikaze reflected on this privately and smiled. "Hello, I'm Minato Namikaze. From today on, I'll be your team leader."

"Let's find a place to talk!"

With that, Minato vanished.

Although Minato knew from Hiruzen Sarutobi that he was primarily assigned as the team leader due to Shūichi, Minato did not show this.

The three exchanged glances and quickly used Body Flicker Jutsu to follow him.

On a rooftop.

Minato watched as Shūichi and the others arrived and said with a smile, "Let's start with introductions so we can get to know each other better."

"I'll go first."

"You already know my name. I specialize in taijutsu, Body Flicker Jutsu, and Wind Release."

Uchiha Shisui then added, "I'm Uchiha Shisui. I excel in swordsmanship, genjutsu, Fire Release, Body Flicker Jutsu, and I have a single tomoe Sharingan."

Sanyō Kurama followed up, "I'm Sanyō Kurama, and I specialize in genjutsu."

Finally, everyone turned to Shūichi.

Shūichi immediately said, "I'm Hoshita Shūichi. I specialize in Fire Release, Transformation Jutsu, and have a basic proficiency in Medical Ninjutsu."

His Medical Ninjutsu proficiency included the basic Healing Jutsu and a fundamental understanding of the more complex Mystical Palm Technique, though he was far from being proficient.

He was certain that even without the "Fire Release Expert" tag, he had some natural talent in Fire Release, which, combined with the "Scholar" tag, made the effects more pronounced.

Medical Ninjutsu was different, as his talent was relatively weaker, and the effort required was much greater.

Being able to learn the Mystical Palm Technique in such a short time was thanks to the boost from his tags.

Minato smiled upon hearing this. "Then, from now on, Shūichi will be our team's Medical Ninja."

In a team, the Medical Ninja is often the one who is protected.

Of course, from the enemy's perspective, the Medical Ninja is also the first to be targeted.

(End of Chapter)

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