Naruto: Konoha Spring of the Uchiha Prodigies

"The current solution is just to give everyone an explanation. Lord Jiraiya did contribute to the village and was my senior. For that alone, he deserves this respectful address," Uchiha Touko said with a smile.

Jiraiya stared blankly at Uchiha Touko, who was wearing the Fifth Hokage's robes. The robes reminded him of his disciple, Minato Namikaze, who, when he took office as Hokage, was just as spirited as the young man before him.

But thinking of Minato Namikaze, and recalling what Touko Uchiha had said that day, Jiraiya's lips moved slightly before he asked, "Touko, have you always looked down on me?"

"Lord Jiraiya, let bygones be bygones. People have to learn to look forward," Uchiha Touko said calmly.

"Eh." Jiraiya understood Uchiha Touko's answer and sighed heavily. "Speak, what do you want from me?"

"I hope you can help me find Lady Tsunade and ask her to return to the village," Uchiha Touko said.

“Tsunade? If she wanted to come back, she should have already. The old man probably sent her more messages than he sent me,” Jiraiya said.

That's true. Given the situation Hiruzen Sarutobi was facing at the time, having Tsunade return was a million times more reliable than having Jiraiya return. However, Tsunade completely ignored him.

"If you find Lady Tsunade, please give this to her for me. She should be willing to come back," Uchiha Touko said, handing Jiraiya a document titled "Medical Ninja Special Training Program."

Jiraiya took the document and glanced at it, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Uchiha Tokō's plan included sweeping reforms to the existing medical ninja training program.

Firstly, during the ninja academy stage, students with talent in this area are selected to form a special academy for specialized training.

Furthermore, after graduation, these students with this talent will be further divided based on their combat abilities.

Those who have absolutely no talent for combat but are quite talented in medical ninjutsu are sent directly to the village hospital.

Those with a certain fighting talent will be incorporated into the combat sequence and given specialized training in ninjutsu for self-preservation and escape, to ensure that they will not become a burden to their teammates when encountering battles.

Those who excel in both areas will be nurtured by the village to become like Tsunade, capable of both fighting and healing.

It can be said that Uchiha Touko's plan has completely refined the village's original medical ninja training program, which was similar to an interest group. If this plan can be successfully implemented, Konoha Village will have many more talented medical ninjas in the future. Perhaps it will be able to truly realize Tsunade's original idea of ​​having a medical ninja in each team, thereby improving the survival rate of the village's ninjas.

And in this plan, the name of the dean of Konoha Medical College is Tsunade.

“Alright, I’ll give it a try.” Jiraiya nodded, accepting the task, and added, “I think she’ll be willing to come back once she sees this plan.”

“I’m counting on you.” Uchiha Touko nodded. “Also, I would like to ask you to continue the pursuit of Orochimaru. He has recently accomplished something remarkable.”

"What did Orochimaru do?" Jiraiya asked hurriedly upon hearing the news about Orochimaru, and even sobered up.

Seeing his expression, Uchiha Touko was speechless. He hadn't seen this much reaction when Tsunade was mentioned earlier. Orochimaru must be this guy's true love.

"Orochimaru assassinated a daimyo some time ago," Uchiha Touko said.

"What?" Jiraiya was so shocked by what he heard that he jumped up.

Afterwards, Uchiha Touko embellished and recounted the events that had occurred during this period to Jiraiya.

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya immediately made a decision: he would set off that day, find Tsunade, and then search for Orochimaru's whereabouts.

……

After seeing Jiraiya off at the Nakagawa Grand Hotel, Uchiha Tokō returned to the Hokage's office.

Removing Jiraiya from the village was a decision made by Uchiha Touko after careful consideration. After all, Konoha Village would become the new capital of the Land of Fire, and a large number of nobles would inevitably move to Konoha in the future. If this old lecher was allowed to wander around the village, and he happened to peep on some noblewoman, it would be a disgrace to him, the Hokage.

Not long after Uchiha Touko returned to his office, Hyuga Hiashi came to his door and asked to take Neji, Hinata, and Hanabi back with him.

During Uchiha Touko's time in the Land of Fire, Hyuga Hiashi was also busy dealing with clan affairs.

Because the target of the purge was the heads of several other main families, for the safety of the children, Hiashi Hyuga simply placed the three children in the care of the Fugaku Uchiha family for a period of time. Including Naruto, who was already familiar with the place and could easily bring his luggage after Kakashi went on a mission, the Fugaku family had now become a small daycare center.

Now that Hiashi Hyuga has finished dealing with matters within the clan, more importantly, he has finally found a way to release the Caged Bird from among a pile of ancient scrolls in the clan.

"It seems that Clan Chief Hiashi has already finished dealing with the clan's affairs?" Uchiha Touko said with a light laugh.

"Thanks to the Hokage's timely assistance, all members of the Hyuga clan involved in this incident have been dealt with," said Hiashi Hyuga.

Originally, Hiashi Hyuga might have faced some resistance in dealing with Hyuga Kazuki and the others, since they had a considerable number of branch family members supporting them. However, after witnessing the complete annihilation of the Utatane and Mitomon clans, the branch family forces under the main family all chose to join Hiashi Hyuga's ranks. Hiashi Hyuga took this opportunity to completely control the clan. Because of this, he could also use the pretext of replenishing the main family members to make an exception and release Neji from the Caged Bird Seal.

Although the potential dangers that will arise after Neji takes over will remain, at least for now, they won't have a significant impact on the clan's order. As for what to do in the future, Hiashi Hyuga decides to trust in the wisdom of future generations.

“In that case, let’s pick an auspicious day and get the apprenticeship ceremony done,” said Uchiha Touko.

"Understood," Hiashi Hyuga nodded and said.

……

During his time living with the Uchiha clan, Hyuga Neji felt better than ever before.

Although they are all prominent families in the village, the atmosphere of the Uchiha clan is much more relaxed compared to the strict and rigid rules of the Hyuga clan. At least here, no one from the main family will treat him with disrespect because of his status.

Even Uchiha Sasuke, the second son of the elder family and a disciple of the Hokage, treated him with great respect.

With Mikoto Uchiha's meticulous care, Neji felt a long-lost sense of home here.

Aside from his sister's constant, secret stares at a certain blond-haired guy, which annoyed him, Neji felt like he was living in a dream during this period.

Chapter 124 Tsunade Returns to the Village

However, when Neji saw Hiashi Hyuga appear at Fugaku Uchiha's doorstep, Neji knew that this dreamlike period was about to end.

However, after returning to the Hyuga clan with the head of the clan, Hyuga Hiashi suddenly called out to Neji.

"Neji, come with me," Hiashi Hyuga said.

Despite his confusion, Neji still followed in Hiashi Hyuga's footsteps.

The two arrived at the quiet room in Hyuga Hiashi's house, one after the other.

After the two sat down facing each other, Hiashi Hyuga got straight to the point: "Neji, the Fifth Hokage intends to take you as his student, so the clan will release you from the Caged Bird Seal."

As soon as Hiashi Hyuga finished speaking, Neji froze on the spot. He hadn't expected the surprise to come so suddenly. During his stay at Sasuke's house, Sasuke would occasionally mention his teacher to him. In his words, the Fifth Hokage, Tokō Uchiha, was a powerful and wise man. And now, this man was actually offering to take him as his apprentice.

More importantly, his family actually took the initiative to help him free the caged bird, something he hated terribly.

"Why me?" Neji asked, puzzled. The Hokage taking on disciples was such a good thing, it shouldn't be his turn as a member of the branch family.

"The Hokage values ​​your talent," Hiashi Hyuga said. "Before I release you from the Caged Bird Seal, there are some things I should tell you."

After speaking, Hiashi Hyuga took out a will from his pocket and handed it to Neji: "This is your father's will. I originally planned to give it to you when you were a little older."

"Father's last will and testament?" Neji took Hizashi's last will and testament, opened it, and began to read.

After a long while, Neji put down the suicide note and remained speechless for a long time. He had originally thought that his father was forced by the caged bird to become the scapegoat of the family head.

But little did he know that there was more to his father's death than met the eye.

"Alright, take off your headscarf. I'll release you from the Caged Bird Seal. As for what you want to do after that, that's up to you," Hiashi Hyuga said. "Also, although the Hokage will teach you other ninjutsu in the future, don't give up the Gentle Fist of your clan."

"Yes." Neji, his eyes bloodshot, nodded and removed his headscarf.

……

A few days later, Uchiha Touko brought Sasuke to the Hyuga clan. The Hyuga clan, which is known for its rigidity and adherence to etiquette, naturally did not make the apprenticeship process as simple as it was for Sasuke. The Hyuga clan made thorough preparations, and the entire ceremony took a whole morning.

"Teacher." Neji bowed respectfully to Uchiha Touko. It was only at this moment that he saw Uchiha Touko for the first time.

Uchiha Touko waved his hand with a smile and said, "No need for formalities, Neji. What are your goals for the future?"

"Goal?" Neji was taken aback. His greatest goal had always been to use his status as a member of the branch family to overpower his peers from the main family, in order to prove himself and seek justice for his father. But now that he knew the truth about his father's death, and the caged bird he used to hate was no longer there, he really didn't know how to answer when Uchiha Touko asked him this question.

"Hehe, no need to rush to answer." Uchiha Touko laughed. "You're only eight years old, you have plenty of time to figure this out. If you have any questions about training in the future, you can come to me anytime. However, the real teaching will only begin after you've figured out what you want to do in the future."

"I understand." Neji nodded.

……

Another month passed in this way. During this month, under Yamato's hard work, a palace of a scale no less than the original palace of the Fire Capital rose from the ground in the northeast of the village. However, under Uchiha Touko's deliberate arrangement, even the most important and tallest main hall used for court assemblies was three inches shorter than the Hokage Building.

After news of the official relocation of the capital to Konoha Village spread throughout the Land of Fire, many merchants flocked to Konoha. In addition, nobles from the Land of Fire also arrived in Konoha to set up businesses, and the village experienced a significant period of development as a result.

The arrival of these nobles and wealthy merchants naturally brought about significant changes to the village.

The biggest change, however, is the dramatic improvement in the reputation of the security force.

As we all know, under the pampering of the previous Hokage, the arrogance of the Konoha Village people far exceeds the average level of the entire Land of Fire. Although the best among them have been imprisoned in the guard's jail, and Kakashi will be assigned to the Sansei Training Corps to receive both physical and mental education once he finishes his business in the Land of Fire, most of the remaining people are not so kind either.

So, at first, when those nobles and big merchants entered Konoha, these unruly commoners didn't take them too seriously. After all, they weren't even afraid of ninjas, so why would they be afraid of these stinking outsiders?

However, the noble lords would not indulge them.

A typical example is when a street vendor's stall blocked a nobleman's carriage, and the vendor even greeted the nobleman warmly, he was immediately met with the iron fist of the nobleman's personal warrior.

This was only because this nobleman from the City of Fire was a newcomer and because he was being considerate of Uchiha Touko. If this had happened in the City of Fire, his samurai would have immediately used this man as a test subject for their swords.

Finally, when the man was on the verge of death, the village's patrolling ninja arrived in time to stop the attack and punish both parties.

There were many similar incidents, which led to the villagers gradually shifting their hatred from the guards to these foreign nobles.

After all, while the guards might resort to violence, they only did so as a last resort after warnings proved ineffective. But the warriors under these nobles were truly capable of violence at the slightest provocation.

Uchiha Tokō, on the contrary, was happy to see this happen. These unruly villagers needed to be taught a lesson by professionals, otherwise how could he show his benevolence?

On the other hand, while the arrival of these nobles and wealthy merchants boosted the village's economy, it also led to a gradual increase in prices.

Uchiha Touko had anticipated this. As the new capital of the Land of Fire, it was normal for prices to rise after the influx of nobles and wealthy merchants. However, what displeased Uchiha Touko was that these nobles and merchants, after making their money, did not think about how to give back to the village. They simply hoarded their wealth. Only a few, such as Gato, were sensible enough to know that they should invest more money in the village to repay the Hokage's kindness.

Uchiha Touko watched all this with a cold eye. Once these people had completely settled down in the village, it would be time to use tangible kunai to rub against the invisible giant hand.

However, before that, Uchiha Touko had another matter to deal with.

That noon, Uchiha Touko also received a report from the guards at the village entrance that Tsunade had returned to the village.

Before long, Tsunade arrived at the Hokage Building with her disciple Shizune. After announcing her arrival, she strode into Uchiha Touko's Hokage office.

After entering the Hokage's office, Tsunade first took in the changes to the office, which she hadn't stepped into for several years.

Upon seeing the sword rack and the Thunder Strike sword displayed in the most prominent position in the office, Tsunade's eyes flickered slightly. However, when she looked up and saw the four large characters "Political Purity and Harmony" hanging on the sword rack, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Miss Tsunade, isn't it a bit impolite of you to barge into someone's office like this?" Uchiha Touko said with a hint of helplessness.

Only then did Tsunade turn around and look at Uchiha Touko. This was not the first time the two had met. During the Third Shinobi World War, after Uchiha Touko awakened his Mangekyou Sharingan, it was Tsunade who personally treated his injuries. However, Tsunade did not expect that when they met again, Uchiha Touko would be sitting in this office, wearing the Fifth Hokage's divine robe.

"Your office is quite nice, at least better than the old man's back then." Tsunade strode into the office, pulled up a chair, and sat down at Uchiha Touko's desk.

"If Miss Tsunade likes it, your office can be decorated like this in the future." Uchiha Touko got up, took a tea set from the antique shelf next to him, and boiled water.

"You have such refined hobbies? I didn't know that." Tsunade said, crossing her legs. The last time the two met, ten-year-old Uchiha Touko was covered in blood and was taken off the battlefield. Although he was unconscious, he was still tightly holding his Lightning Bolt. For Tsunade, it was hard to imagine that the young killing god she had seen before was the same person as the gentle and refined Fifth Hokage in front of her.

"Lady Tsunade is too kind," Uchiha Touko chuckled, brewing a cup of tea for Tsunade.

Tsunade casually picked up her teacup, tilted her head back, and drank it all in one gulp. Only then did Uchiha Touko ask, "Lady Tsunade, have you seen the things I asked Jiraiya to bring you? Are you preparing to return to the village to take up your post?"

“I’ve seen the things, but I don’t plan to stay in the village for the time being,” Tsunade said. “I came back this time to see what kind of person could drive the old man and that lecherous old man Jiraiya to such a miserable state. Now it seems that he lives up to his reputation.”