Hearing Orochimaru say that, Hoshiyomi couldn't help silently cursing his own impatience, but he also felt a hint of relief. Under his influence, Orochimaru truly had shed the evil tendencies he had in the original story.
Hoshiyomi briefly considered asking Fugaku for a pair of single-tomoe Sharingan to transplant into Shin as a compromise, but he quickly dismissed the idea—doing so would undermine the peace between Konoha and the Uchiha.
Seeing Hoshiyomi's slight disappointment, Orochimaru thought for a moment and said:
"Hoshiyomi-kun, there's no need to be so dejected. Judging from Shin's talent, three to five more years should be enough. Once he reaches around twelve years old, his body and mind should be strong enough to withstand the influence of a three-tomoe Sharingan, or even a Mangekyō.
We can verify our theories then—there's no rush."
Hoshiyomi also realized—the urgency wasn't real. There was no immediate need for Kuugetsu's eyes to evolve into the Eternal Mangekyō so soon.
When Naruto graduates at age twelve, the plot is only just beginning. Black Zetsu won't start enacting his plan until Indra's reincarnation—Sasuke—grows strong enough. Even with Hoshiyomi's butterfly effect, that part of the timeline wouldn't change.
Meaning: there are still ten peaceful years before the story truly begins. In such a span, nothing catastrophic is likely to occur. The shinobi world will be relatively stable.
There was no need to rush.
After thinking it through, Hoshiyomi shook his head:
"I was just speaking casually. No need to take it too seriously. Shin's safety comes first. He is effectively your adopted son now—and a physique like his may not appear again in a hundred years.
Better to wait until he's fully grown and the success rate is high before we even consider transplantation.
But Kuugetsu's Hashirama-cell transplant can be moved forward. I'll talk to her over the next couple of days. You can start preparing on your end.
Once I bring her here, we'll proceed with her surgery first."
...
Leaving Orochimaru's office, Hoshiyomi headed straight for the ANBU headquarters, planning to tell Kuugetsu about the surgery so she'd have time to think it over.
But when he arrived, he was surprised to find she wasn't in the commander's office. After stopping an ANBU member to ask, he learned that Kuugetsu was currently training in kenjutsu with Kakashi.
Hoshiyomi slapped his forehead. He'd arranged this and somehow forgotten.
Though he'd never joined ANBU himself, he was extremely familiar with the base thanks to Tsunade and Sakumo. He easily navigated to the training grounds—only to find that the place was packed.
Numerous ANBU in standard uniform stood in a wide circle, all watching the battle in the center with serious attention.
Hoshiyomi scanned the crowd and spotted a small purple-haired figure squeezed near the very front—clearly nervous, tiny fists clenched tightly as she watched Kuugetsu in the arena with intense focus.
That little girl must be Uzuki Yugao—the one who, in the original timeline, would become his daughter-in-law.
Thinking this, Hoshiyomi pulled out the mask he'd borrowed from Kuugetsu's office, slipped it on, and quickly maneuvered through the crowd until he ended up right beside Yugao. After glancing at the fight, he casually asked:
"So, who do you think has the better chance of winning—Kuugetsu or Kakashi?"
Upon hearing his voice, little Yugao immediately reacted. She turned and scrutinized him with displeasure, frowning:
"What's your codename? Why are you being so rude? How can you call Kuugetsu-sensei by name? You should be calling her Commander Kuugetsu!"
Seeing Yugao's displeased expression, Hoshiyomi found it amusing, but he deliberately showed a guilty look and said:
"My mistake. Then who do you think has the better chance—Commander Kuugetsu or Kakashi?"
Hearing that, Yugao nodded in satisfaction. She glanced at Kuugetsu darting around in the arena, then looked Hoshiyomi up and down with disdain:
"Judging from the way you carry your swords, you must be one of Lord Hoshiyomi's fanboys, right? I mean, you look the part, but you clearly have zero eye for swordsmanship.
Without using that disgusting Lightning Release chakra, Kakashi's kenjutsu is only barely stronger than mine by a tiny bit. He's no match for Kuugetsu-sensei at all. Just watch—Kakashi will lose within ten moves."
It wasn't surprising that Yugao mistook Hoshiyomi as one of Hoshiyomi's own fans. Hoshiyomi was practically a legendary figure in Konoha, and because of his astonishing achievements, many young people admired him.
A lot of youngsters studied kenjutsu just because of him, and regardless of their skill, they would equip themselves with two swords—one at the waist, one on the back—to cosplay like Hoshiyomi.
Being mistaken for his own fan didn't bother Hoshiyomi at all. In fact, Yugao's evaluation made him nod internally.
At first glance, the two in the arena looked evenly matched. But the only reason it appeared that way was because Kuugetsu had been defending the entire time.
Even while defending, her Sharingan paired with her exceptional swordsmanship put great pressure on Kakashi. He looked calm on the surface…
But his arms were subtly trembling—clear signs that he'd used up most of his stamina. Once Kuugetsu switched from defense to offense, Kakashi would indeed lose within ten moves.
To make such an accurate assessment at her age—Yugao wasn't boasting when she said her kenjutsu was only slightly inferior to Kakashi's.
By Hoshiyomi's memory, Yugao should be a year or two younger than Anko and Kabuto. According to what Kuugetsu said, she should be about thirteen this year.
Thirteen years old and already at mid-level kenjutsu—that meant his "former daughter-in-law" truly had excellent sword talent.
As Hoshiyomi was thinking about possibly giving this former daughter-in-law some pointers someday—just to mend a fate he himself had broken—the match between Kuugetsu and Kakashi concluded.
Kakashi had nearly exhausted all his stamina. Kuugetsu stopped defending, burst forward with Body Flicker Technique, and her Sword of Kusanagi: Chokuto slithered like a viper past Kakashi's White Light Chakra, thrusting toward his shoulder.
If both used swords of equal length, this would've been a mutual-injury exchange. But Kakashi's White Light Chakra was a short sword, while Kuugetsu's Sword of Kusanagi: Chokuto was a long sword—putting her at a decisive advantage.
Sure enough, with Kakashi's current experience, he couldn't block the strike and was cleanly defeated.
As cheers erupted around them, Kuugetsu instinctively turned around—and froze when she saw a familiar figure. She quickly dismissed the watching ANBU, then rushed over and said something that left Yugao completely stunned:
"Hoshiyomi-sensei, why are you here?"