The Youth's Progress

In the blink of an eye, three months had passed since arriving at the front lines.

During these three months, while no large-scale decisive battles had erupted on the front, small-scale skirmishes and infiltration operations had never ceased.

For ordinary ninja, this was a long, drawn-out ordeal.

But for the three members of Team Five, it was a golden period of rapid growth.

Behind the camp, in a specially designated training ground.

"Sealing Technique: Five Elements Seal: Modified!"

With a low shout, Nishikawa Tetsu's fingers ignited with a faint glow of five different chakra natures, pressing heavily into a wooden post used for testing.

"Buzz—"

Complex black sealing marks instantly crawled across the wooden post. The chakra flowing inside the post, simulating the body's network, was forcibly severed in an instant, coming to a halt.

"Whew..."

Nishikawa Tetsu wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking at the result before him.

"Sealing strength improved by 15%, hand seal speed compressed to 1.2 seconds. It's still not at the level of the Uzumaki Clan's instantaneous release, but it's enough to disrupt an enemy's chakra flow in combat."

During these three months, Nishikawa Tetsu hadn't devoted all his energy to those bottles and jars.

After realizing that his chakra deficiency couldn't be completely resolved in the short term, he decisively requested to learn sealing techniques from Jiraiya.

Sealing techniques—those that let the weak overcome the strong, the small defeat the large—were practically tailor-made for a ninja like him.

Although Jiraiya was easygoing, he held nothing back in teaching, even imparting some basic sealing theories from the Uzumaki Clan.

However, the Five Elements Seal was originally an A-rank technique, and its consumption was still too great for Tetsu's chakra reserves. So he modified it, greatly reducing its power, but at least he could now release it.

Currently, Nishikawa Tetsu was also experimenting with inscribing sealing techniques onto Explosive Tags and kunai, creating what Uchiha Fugaku described as "all sorts of strange and insidious weapons."

"Tetsu! Watch out!"

Suddenly, a golden flash shot out from the forest.

Namikaze Minato's figure was so fast it left only an afterimage, his kunai thrusting straight at Nishikawa Tetsu's back.

"I've been waiting for you."

Without turning his head, Nishikawa Tetsu flung his left hand backward. A specially made kunai engraved with the character "Bind" flew out, exploding midair into a net woven from chakra threads.

"Too slow!"

Minato's body folded impossibly in midair, using a falling leaf as a foothold to instantly bypass the chakra net, appearing at Nishikawa Tetsu's side.

In the palm of his right hand, a pale blue vortex of energy was spinning wildly.

Though still unformed, only the size of a ping-pong ball, and not yet stable, the screeching sound of it tearing through the air was already enough to make one's scalp tingle.

"Rasengan... still in the first stage?"

Nishikawa Tetsu's eyes sharpened. Instead of meeting it head-on, he used the Explosive Tag array he had laid at his feet earlier as a reverse thrust, sliding backward five meters, narrowly dodging the attack.

"Boom!"

The vortex in Minato's hand slammed into the ground, instantly pulverizing the dirt and leaving a spiral crater half a meter deep.

"Still not there yet."

Namikaze Minato looked at the dissipating vortex, scratching his head in frustration. "Maintaining the rotation and compression is too hard. The moment I get distracted, the chakra collapses. There's still a long way to go before it's combat-ready."

"Being able to do this in three months is already insane."

Nishikawa Tetsu walked over and examined the crater. "At least you've grasped the trick of the chaotic rotation. As for your Body Flicker Technique, that midair direction change—your neural reaction speed's improved again, hasn't it?"

"Heh, of course." Minato flashed his signature sunny smile.

Just as the two were exchanging insights, Uchiha Fugaku emerged from the depths of the forest.

Compared to three months ago, the young clan heir's demeanor had undergone a dramatic transformation.

Before, he had been a blade with its edge exposed, ready to wound at any moment.

Now, he was more like a sword sheathed in its scabbard—steady, restrained, and introverted.

Over these three months, Team Five had carried out over a dozen missions of varying sizes.

From intelligence gathering to counter-infiltration, even assisting the main force in flanking attacks.

Every life-and-death experience deepened the trio's synergy.

Uchiha Fugaku was no longer the arrogant captain who only gave orders. He had learned to use genjutsu to cover Minato's advances, and to employ fire release to force enemies into Tetsu's traps.

After all, he often had to look after these two genin—oh, now they were chunin.

In wartime, there were no exams, and with their achievements, no one would object.

"Take a break."

Uchiha Fugaku tossed over two canteens, then sat on a large rock, staring blankly at the overcast sky.

"What's wrong, senpai?"

Nishikawa Tetsu took the canteen and keenly sensed that Fugaku's mood was off. "Did the family letter you just receive bring more bad news?"

Uchiha Fugaku was silent for a moment before slowly speaking.

"The elders are very dissatisfied with my performance on the front lines."

"Dissatisfied?" Namikaze Minato was somewhat surprised. "We've accomplished quite a lot—even Jiraiya-sensei praised us."

"Precisely because we've accomplished things, they're dissatisfied."

Uchiha Fugaku let out a cold laugh, a trace of self-mockery flashing in his eyes. "In those old men's eyes, the Uchiha Clan is noble and shouldn't be used as someone else's blade, especially not a blade that answers to the Hokage's faction."

He turned to look at the two of them, his tone carrying a rare hint of weariness and honesty: "They think I'm currying favor with the Hokage, selling out the Uchiha's dignity. Some have even suggested transferring me back to the Police Force."

Namikaze Minato furrowed his brow. At this moment, the Little Sun couldn't grasp this kind of clan politics. "But if we don't fight, how do we protect the village? Aren't we all members of Konoha?"

"In some people's eyes, the clan's interests come before the village's."

Nishikawa Tetsu interjected flatly.

He understood all too well the root of the Uchiha Clan's tragedy—that awkward mix of wanting to integrate while refusing to lower themselves, compounded by the deliberate isolation imposed by the village's high-ranking officials.

"Fugaku-senpai."

Nishikawa Tetsu walked over to Fugaku, looked him in the eyes, and said seriously:

"Prejudice is like a great mountain. Trying to move it with explanations and compromise is useless."

"Then what does it take?" Fugaku asked.

"Strength, and undeniable achievements."

Nishikawa Tetsu pointed toward the camp. "When your name resounds throughout the shinobi world, when you become an indispensable hero on the front lines, those elders' idle gossip becomes a joke. By then, it won't be you needing the Uchiha's approval—it'll be the Uchiha needing you."

"And besides." Nishikawa Tetsu smiled and patted Minato's shoulder. "You still have us."

Uchiha Fugaku looked at these two companions before him.

One was a civilian, the other an orphan.

They had no background at all, yet they shone brilliantly on this brutal battlefield.

In comparison, his own entanglement with the disgusting affairs of his clan did seem a bit melodramatic.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Uchiha Fugaku's mouth. He stood up, the gloom in his eyes swept clean.

He pulled a freshly delivered mission scroll from his chest, his expression turning cold once more.

"Jiraiya-sama's latest mission: A-rank. There's a good chance the rank will go up."