Shizune

"Swish!"

Like a gentle breeze, a golden light and shadow meandered through the forest.

"Snap!"

He didn't choose a good spot to land and broke a dry branch on the ground.

Minato stopped, looked at the broken, withered tree branch at his feet, and scratched his head.

He was quite proficient in using the Flying Thunder God Technique, but this could not satisfy the boy's desire to become stronger. He made the most of his vacation time, not wasting a single second. Apart from necessary rest periods, he devoted all his energy to cultivation.

The boy was well aware of his own shortcomings. Compared to Kushina and Katsuki, his Chakra reserves were pitifully low, and he had witnessed firsthand how powerful Otoha and Otome's Sharingan were on the battlefield.

He was well aware of his ordinariness and lack of a powerful Kekkei Genkai. Although he had a good master, he always remembered that cultivation was ultimately his own responsibility. His teacher's guidance could point him in the right direction, but in the end, it was up to him to walk that path.

Flying Thunder God Technique!

Having learned this precious Ninjutsu from the Scroll of Seals, and after careful consideration and firsthand experience on the battlefield, he quickly decided to make the Flying Thunder God Technique his core Ninjutsu. From then on, he focused on studying the Flying Thunder God Technique as his primary task, and his training in other Ninjutsu was also carried out in a way that complemented the Flying Thunder God Technique.

He even wanted to develop a special offensive Ninjutsu to complement the Flying Thunder God Technique, a Ninjutsu that could be activated quickly and keep up with the speed of the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Now, he can only use Kunai to fight using the Flying Thunder God Technique, and he relies on Wind Release nature transformation to fight. When he fought against the Sand Village Jonin, he discovered the shortcomings of this method: insufficient attack power. It was more than enough to deal with Genin, but it was not so easy to deal with Jonin.

However, the development of new Ninjutsu is still elusive. Creating Ninjutsu from nothing is extremely difficult, and he clearly wouldn't be satisfied with simple tricks. Therefore, he can only struggle with this dilemma.

The Second Shinobi World War has been fully ignited.

When the Cloud Ninja also stepped into this quagmire, most of the world was drawn into war. Apart from the Land of Water, which remained inactive in a remote corner, the Land of Iron, which remained permanently neutral, and a few small countries far from the battlefield, the flames of war spread across half the world, and the Shinobi World War broke out once again.

However, aside from the period of decline at the start of the war, Konoha has now recovered its former prosperity. The benefits of the war have injected strong momentum into the village. Because of the war, residents of small countries in the war zone have fled to relatively peaceful large countries, Land of Fire's relaxed environment has absorbed a large number of refugees.

This delighted the nobles of the Land of Fire. In this era, population was a precious asset. Just by looking at the endless primeval forests within the Land of Fire, one could see how low the land utilization rate was. The reason for the insufficient land development was the lack of manpower.

With the noble lords happy, Konoha naturally benefited as well, with stacks of commissions arriving one after another. Commissions meant money to be made, and few people would be unhappy about money.

"There are so many more people in the village!"

"There's a war! Anyone with a brain would want to go to a safe area. Is there any place in the Land of Fire safer than Konoha? Even the Daimyo's Mansion's defenses are weaker than a village. Every time there's a war, the Daimyo has to hire a bunch of Jonin as guards."

Katsuki and Nawaki strolled slowly through the main gate and onto the street.

"However, with so many noble gentlemen around, there's nowhere to eat these days. Every restaurant is packed. Just looking at them from the doorway makes me lose my appetite. It's such a downer."

"Just bear with it. The village rules are so strict; those noble lords who've had their fun won't stand it for long. Besides, there's been a constant stream of good news from the front lines. As long as they're sure it's safe to stay in their own territory, the noble lords will probably leave soon, and then things will be fine."

"Hey, Katsuki, Nawaki!"

The young man had his hair down, but instead of looking unkempt, he was exceptionally pleasing to the eye and easy on the face.

"Teacher Dan, are you alright?"

Katsuki saw Dan Katō, he was taken aback. Even he wouldn't monitor the surroundings all the time; that would be too much trouble. He usually only monitored a ten-meter radius around him, so he hadn't noticed Dan's arrival.

"Teacher Dan, when were you discharged from the hospital? Why didn't you tell us?" Nawaki complained.

After retreating from Black Tail Mountain, Dan has been hospitalized in Konoha Hospital. He overdosed on Ration Pills, severely depleting his life force. Although Tsunade provided emergency care, his mangled body still needs time to recover.

"I was discharged yesterday." Duan smiled. "Besides, what's the point of talking about this? I'm completely healed. Why would I tell you? Let's not talk about this anymore. Did you two come back from your cultivation?"

Looking at the tattered hems of Katsuki and Nawaki's clothes, it was clear that they had been in a fight.

"Uh-huh?"

"Uncle, I'm so bored."

A little girl, about four or five years old, tugged at Dan Katō's pants. Her round face was puffed up with anger, and her black hair was tied into a dozen small braids, making her look quite cute.

"Teacher, what is this...?"

Katsuki stared at the little girl curiously.

"This is my niece, Shizune." Duan bent down, picked up the little girl, and introduced her to the two with a smile.

"Shizune?"

Katsuki raised an eyebrow. "He's a future celebrity, Tsunade's disciple, and one of the pillars of Konoha's future medical unit!"

Hello! Shizune sister.

Just as Katsuki was pondering, Nawaki forward and struck up a conversation with the little girl. This guy had an innocent-looking face, and his silly grin gave off an aura of being easy to bully. The little girl, Shizune, wasn't shy at all and soon started playing on Nawaki's shoulder.

"Hello······"

"Wah wah--"

Just as Katsuki approached Nawaki, preparing to greet the little one, the little girl burst into tears, desperately struggling in the opposite direction from Katsuki.

"······I······"

Katsuki was stunned. She couldn't believe that a child disliked her to this extent. She opened her mouth, but had no idea what to say.

The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.

Nawaki carried Shizune a couple of steps away, and the little girl immediately stopped crying.

The atmosphere became even more awkward!

"Your murderous aura is too strong, kid. You've been in the village for two months now, how come you still haven't controlled it?" Dan Katō broke the awkward atmosphere.

In fact, similar situations are not uncommon. Ninjas who have just returned to the village from the battlefield have often frightened their own children to tears. Similar incidents have occurred frequently, and Dan himself has experienced it. Many times, he has to leave Shizune in the care of caregivers, even though he himself is in the village.