"You are..."
Looking at the young man before him, Namikawa Yū froze for a moment before quickly catching on. "Mr. Minato?"
Handsome, with blond hair, so approachable, and close to Kakashi...
Who could someone like that be but Namikaze Minato?
At Namikawa Yū's words, Namikaze Minato looked a little surprised as well. "You know me?"
"Senior Kakashi told me a little about you."
Namikawa Yū smiled, his face showing just the right amount of admiration. "These days, I doubt there's anyone here who doesn't know you."
As word spread of Namikaze Minato's battle against the A and B Brothers, his name had already become known far and wide, reaching everyone in the surrounding area.
Even the most ordinary ninja in Konoha knew the name Yellow Flash.
It was also from that battle onward that the Yellow Flash truly rose to the pinnacle, becoming a powerful ninja worthy of being mentioned alongside Konoha's White Fang and the Sannin.
"I see."
Namikaze Minato wore a smile.
In a sense, he was somewhat like Namikawa Yū. Most of the time, he wore a smile, looking gentle and approachable.
Unlike Namikawa Yū, however, his smile was brighter, like a rising sun, and he treated everyone equally, whereas Namikawa Yū was more selective.
Although he smiled at everyone, he only showed concern for a small number of people. His thoughts also ran somewhat deeper, unlike Namikaze Minato before him.
Overall, though, they could probably be considered the same kind of person, with only slight differences.
Meeting now, both immediately developed a little goodwill toward the other, feeling as though they were old friends.
Kakashi was not in the room at the moment.
Namikaze Minato seemed to have something to see Kakashi about, but like Namikawa Yū, he had found him absent.
With Kakashi away, the two simply began chatting.
"What do you think of the current state of the war?"
Namikaze Minato looked at Namikawa Yū as he asked.
"It's almost over."
Namikawa Yū spoke softly, his tone certain. "Before long, this war will end, and peace will return to the Ninja World."
"Oh?"
Namikaze Minato's interest was immediately piqued. "What makes you say that?"
Although the fighting in the Ninja World was less intense than before, the shadow of war still hung over every region.
In the Sand Village, the Fourth Kazekage had already been selected, and they were lurking in a corner of the Ninja World, itching to act and ready to join the fighting at any moment.
Although Kumogakure had signed an armistice with Konoha, its strength had not been diminished.
As for Iwagakure and Kirigakure, they were still at war with Konoha.
Given the current situation, even if the Shinobi World War would eventually end, by any reckoning it would have to continue for a long time before that became possible.
"The Sand Village won't send troops."
Namikawa Yū spoke softly. "Their Kazekage has only just been selected and is currently facing internal political struggles. Add their previous losses to that, and how much energy could they have left to devote to external affairs?"
"Kumogakure has just signed an armistice with Konoha."
"As for Iwagakure..."
At the mention of Iwagakure, he paused before continuing. "The Third Tsuchikage is a very sensible man."
"Since it's clear that he can't gain much from Konoha, he won't waste any more time here."
"If I'm not mistaken, an envoy from the Land of Earth will probably arrive to negotiate an armistice before long."
"Or perhaps negotiations are actually already underway?"
As he listened to Namikawa Yū, a look of surprise appeared on Namikaze Minato's face.
Indeed, just as Namikawa Yū had said, the envoy Ōnoki had sent had already arrived in Konoha.
The two sides had actually signed an armistice in secret; they simply had yet to announce it publicly.
"How did you figure that out?"
Looking at Namikawa Yū before him, he could not help asking.
Iwagakure's dispatch of an envoy and the secret armistice were undoubtedly confidential matters.
Namikaze Minato knew about them because he had already entered Konoha's core decision-making circle and was also an important figure on the front lines.
But Namikawa Yū was merely a Medical Ninja. How could he know any of this?
"I just deduced it from the details."
Faced with Namikaze Minato's puzzlement, Namikawa Yū merely smiled. "The number of wounded being sent to the medical unit from the front lines has dropped considerably lately."
"Even so, they could tear up the agreement at any moment."
Namikaze Minato shook his head. "An armistice is only a piece of paper. In itself, it has no real binding force."
"Kumogakure and Iwagakure might join forces again at any time and go to war with Konoha once more."
This was precisely what concerned Konoha most.
History had shown that there was no trustworthiness to speak of between ninja villages.
A former ally might tear up an agreement for greater benefits later, then turn around and attack you.
Under these circumstances, even though Kumogakure and Iwagakure had both temporarily halted their offensives, Konoha still dared not let its guard down.
If this was a tactic the enemy was using merely to make Konoha lower its guard before stabbing it in the back at a critical moment, the situation would undoubtedly become even more troublesome.
So at this moment, neither Namikaze Minato nor the Third Hokage and the others dared let their guard down.
They were already prepared to fight again at any time.
"Under normal circumstances, that would indeed be the case."
Namikawa Yū shook his head. "But Ōnoki is no ordinary man."
"If he truly intended to stab Konoha in the back, he wouldn't secretly send someone to arrange an armistice with Konoha. He should instead send people to publicize the agreement with great fanfare and make sure everyone knew."
"An armistice in secret while maintaining the appearance of hostility is actually aimed at someone else."
"You mean..."
Namikaze Minato's eyes lit up. "Kumogakure?"
"Yes."
Namikawa Yū nodded. "If my prediction is correct, the Tsuchikage has probably already laid a trap and is just waiting for the Raikage to step into it."
"Given the Tsuchikage's style, that trap will certainly pack quite a punch."
"Once the Raikage falls for it..."
"The Land of Lightning's strength will be badly damaged, and there will be no room for reconciliation between Kumogakure and Iwagakure."
Namikaze Minato looked thoughtful. "When that happens, the pressure on Konoha will be greatly reduced."
By this point, his impression of Namikawa Yū had changed completely.
At first, his impression of Namikawa Yū had remained that of an elite Medical Ninja.
But after their conversation, he had formed an entirely new view of him.
This was a genius with a strong ability to assess strategy, someone who could gauge the situation across the entire Ninja World from mere scraps of information.
That was quite rare in the Ninja World.
After all, in the ninja profession, what most people excelled at was killing and concealment.
As for talents in other areas, there was little need to elaborate.
It was not that they did not exist at all, only that they were very rare.
At that moment, Namikaze Minato looked at Namikawa Yū as though he were looking at a rare giant panda.