The loan business could wait for now. Qingye went to welcome Minato Namikaze inside.
"Is there something you need from me, Jonin Minato?"
Minato smiled warmly. "Just call me Minato. With your ability, Qingye, I imagine it won't be long before you surpass me by a wide margin."
"You're too kind. I still have a long way to go." Qingye felt a little embarrassed.
His current strength was something he'd only unlocked recently.
Meanwhile, Minato had been going full throttle ever since he was born!
And he was only twenty-two!
Even the Sannin had been no match for Hanzō at that age, earning a title as a consolation prize for their defeat. Yet Minato had already made a name for himself throughout the Shinobi World!
Minato shook his head and looked at the young man before him, who was about the same age as Kakashi. "I'm not exaggerating. You captured Kitsuchi at your age. Your future accomplishments will absolutely surpass mine."
What had he been like at twelve?
He'd only managed to rescue Kushina from a few Kumogakure Jonin.
But this boy had killed who knew how many Jonin during the Battle of Kannabi Bridge—not to mention capturing Kitsuchi!
The scene still amazed him whenever he thought back on it: flames raging everywhere, storm clouds gathering, and Iwagakure Ninja falling like grass beneath a scythe!
Was this what a true Uchiha Clan prodigy looked like?
The Uchiha Clan really was a clan that had carried on for a thousand years!
"Enough about that. Minato, was there something you needed my help with?"
"Well..."
Minato seemed a little awkward. "It's about Obito."
He'd learned from Kakashi and Rin what had happened to his three students.
Rin had been captured by an Iwagakure Jonin, and Obito had chosen to abandon the mission and rescue his teammate. After hesitating for a while, Kakashi had followed him.
As their teacher, he was proud of his students' choices.
But as a Konoha shinobi, he knew that Obito and the others' actions had gone against Konoha's requirements for its shinobi.
After hearing Minato out, Qingye understood.
"I see. Obito...and Rin, too. They're both excellent shinobi who contributed to the war. We should recognize our heroes."
Put simply, Minato had come to get their stories straight.
They were comparing accounts so they could put a favorable spin on Team Kakashi's mission report.
That sort of thing was common during wartime, and Qingye was happy to do him a favor.
Minato's eyes lit up. He stepped back and bowed deeply. "Thank you on Obito and the others' behalf, Qingye!"
"Don't mention it. They're my classmates, and Obito's from my clan."
Qingye waved it off.
"There's one more thing I need to warn you about, Qingye." Minato's expression turned serious. "It was Aburame Ryoma who personally selected your team for the Kannabi Bridge mission!"
But Qingye didn't seem to react at all.
"Uh, you know who Aburame Ryoma is, right?" Minato started to explain.
"I do. Shimura Danzō's right-hand man in Root." Qingye gave a scornful laugh.
Given how outstandingly he'd performed over the last few months, it was only natural that Danzō had set his sights on him.
But it didn't make much difference to Qingye.
In this life, Qingye's parents were people he'd never met. His father had been an elite Jonin with three Tomoe, and had once served as a squad leader in the Konoha Military Police Force.
His mother had been a little less capable. She mainly handled the Uchiha Clan's Explosive Tags, ninja tools, and other clan businesses.
More importantly, they had both belonged to the Uchiha Hawk Faction!
Qingye was a thoroughly Uchiha Hawk Faction descendant, the sort who'd been on Shimura Danzō's blacklist since birth.
It was only a matter of time before Shimura Danzō took an interest in him.
Now that news of his achievements in the Kannabi Bridge mission had made it back, a classic scene might already be playing out in the Hokage Building!
Besides!
Who did Danzō think he was?
Uchiha Madara had already set his sights on Qingye, and someday there might even be Obito with Double Kamui!
And Qingye had captured Kitsuchi this time...especially as an Uchiha. He was bound to have become a thorn in Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki's side, too!
What was Danzō compared to them?
He didn't even rank among the people keeping an eye on Qingye!
"Good. I'm glad you know what you're dealing with." Minato breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, as though he'd just remembered something, Minato added:
"By the way, Qingye, you're still a Chunin, right?"
"Given your recent achievements and mission record, you should be able to apply for the Jonin exam once you get back. How about it? Would you like me to submit a Jonin recommendation for you?"
Qingye blinked. "Then I'd appreciate it, Minato."
He saw Minato out. Not long afterward, a small head suddenly popped up at the entrance to the tent.
"Qingye?"
Yūhi Kurenai poked her head inside. "Can I come in?"
"...You're already inside, aren't you?"
"Hehe, don't worry about the details."
Kurenai smiled mischievously and walked in, looking a little disappointed.
She'd thought she might get to see Qingye without his clothes on.
"I saw Jonin Minato come by earlier. Was he here to see you, Qingye?"
"Yeah, he was."
"Huh? Don't tell me there's another mission?"
Kurenai's expression changed. That last mission had nearly left her with a psychological scar.
"No, nothing like that."
Qingye thought it over. "Well, Minato wants to become Hokage. He came over to win me over and asked me to support him in the future."
"...Huh?"
Kurenai's mouth fell open.
What was that supposed to mean?
How had this suddenly become about something as important as the Hokage Position?
"Did he really come to talk about that?" Kurenai asked incredulously.
"He didn't say it outright, but that was the gist of it."
"That's nice..." Kurenai sighed. She pulled up a chair and sat down, fiddling with the little vial of blood on the table. "You'll probably be promoted to Jonin once we get back, Qingye."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"It is, but...I can't help feeling like I'm just dead weight on our team." Kurenai sounded dejected.
You noticed?
Qingye almost said it out loud, but managed to stop himself.
When Qingye didn't respond, Kurenai looked up and met his gaze for a few seconds. Then she said, a little annoyed, "Hey, aren't you supposed to deny it, or at least say something to cheer me up?"
Don't just act like you agree!
"Fine. I really am a little dead weight!"
Kurenai gave up and admitted it herself.
On their team, Qingye was the main fighter, while Hyuga Himon was primarily responsible for reconnaissance—a crucial support role.
But her specialty was Genjutsu...
She even suspected that Qingye had deliberately left the interrogation work to her.
"Don't say that."
Qingye tried to think of something reassuring. "You lighten my workload and help me conserve Chakra. That's important, too... Besides, you haven't held the team back, and your teamwork is perfectly fine!"
Kurenai blinked.
Not holding the team back counted as a strength?
It sounded ridiculous, but maybe it wasn't entirely unreasonable.
Especially when she thought about Team Kakashi...at least she hadn't been captured by Iwagakure Ninja!
Though that wasn't exactly something to be proud of, either.
After Qingye soothed Kurenai's wounded feelings and saw her out, he heard another voice outside.
"Qingye, would it be all right if I came in?" Nohara Rin asked politely.
Qingye: "..."
Was this ever going to end?
Why was there so much going on!
Before you continue