Minato Namikaze

The next day, just as the sky began to pale with the first light of dawn, Aragaki Yasushi and his two teammates packed their gear and hurried on their way.

After all, every extra second spent in enemy-occupied territory meant an extra layer of danger; only by returning to the Konoha camp could they truly breathe a sigh of relief.

They pushed hard throughout the journey, and by the time the sun was at its peak at noon, the three of them finally caught sight of the Konoha camp's silhouette, the heavy weight in their hearts finally settling.

After reporting the mission regarding the destruction of the Iwagakure supply depot, the ninja in charge of registration mentioned in passing that their instructor, Akimichi Doto, was also currently in the camp.

The three exchanged a glance and immediately decided to go see their teacher first.

Upon arriving outside a certain tent, Aragaki Yasushi instantly spotted three familiar figures.

They were none other than Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and Nohara Rin.

At this moment, Kakashi still wore his usual aloof and arrogant expression; he swept a glance over the three of them and said in a flat tone, "The teachers are in a meeting. Wait outside for now."

Aragaki Yasushi and his teammates didn't stand on ceremony and obediently stood outside the tent to wait. Bored, they naturally began chatting with their three old classmates.

After all, they had all graduated in the same year and had been close since their time at the Ninja Academy; even though they had been assigned to different squads, their bond hadn't faded.

Before long, Asuma couldn't help but start showing off: "Obito, we just finished another mission. How many has your squad completed this month?"

Stung by the provocation, Obito stiffened his neck and shouted, "We've definitely completed more than you!"

"We've already finished two missions this month!"

Asuma smiled even more smugly, deliberately drawing out his tone: "Oh? Only two? We've already finished three!"

"That's impossible!" Obito jumped up in agitation. The two went back and forth, arguing incessantly.

On the other side, Yuhi Kurenai and Nohara Rin huddled together, whispering in low voices and sharing occasional smiles; the scene was quite harmonious.

Just then, Kakashi, who had been putting on his usual cold and aloof act, suddenly walked up to Aragaki Yasushi and got straight to the point: "How is the development of your Paper Style secret technique coming along?"

Aragaki Yasushi raised an eyebrow, laughing inwardly.

Oh, so you couldn't hold back, huh? Here to scout out my intel?

It made sense; the current Kakashi had lost his father and had entered his "obsessive" phase.

Beyond getting stronger and completing missions, he didn't care about anything else.

And during this period, in order to scrape together enough for a second ten-pull, Aragaki Yasushi had been grinding missions like a madman and had even developed his Paper Style secret technique.

Among this group of peers, he was indeed considered quite eye-catching, so it was normal for Kakashi to have his eye on him.

Aragaki Yasushi smiled, his tone casual: "No major progress. I've just been researching the Paper Clone Technique lately; it's still in the exploratory stage."

Hearing this, Kakashi nodded slightly. His tone remained cold, yet it carried a trace of hard-to-detect anticipation: "I've been researching a Lightning Style ninjutsu recently. Once I finish patching its flaws, I'll find you for a spar."

Aragaki Yasushi felt a stir in his heart, though he remained calm on the surface: "Sure. If there's an opportunity, I'd love to see this Lightning Style ninjutsu of yours, Kakashi. Don't let me down."

Lightning Style ninjutsu...

He guessed Kakashi had likely already developed the Chidori.

Furthermore, Aragaki Yasushi had heard that Kakashi had recently been promoted to Jonin.

If that was the case, then the upcoming plot...

That's right, it should be the Battle of Kannabi Bridge from the original story.

Aragaki Yasushi pondered to himself. If that were true, then inside the tent, their teacher Akimichi Doto and Minato Namikaze were likely discussing reinforcements for the front lines.

The Battle of Kannabi Bridge...

He felt both joy and anxiety. The joy was that if this triggered a system mission, the points would surely be substantial.

The anxiety was that this mission was far too dangerous.

Based on Aragaki Yasushi's experience grinding missions lately, the more dangerous the mission, the more points the system awarded.

The Battle of Kannabi Bridge involved Iwagakure Jonin like Mahiru and Taiseki; if he could complete related missions, he might be able to gather enough for several ten-pulls at once.

But as tempted as he was, his reason told him that this was not a job he could just take on in his current state.

With his current strength, it would be easy to end up dead if he went out there.

Although he had his Origami form, it had a significant flaw: it was vulnerable to Fire Style.

His energy scrolls were powerful, but the enemies weren't idiots; they wouldn't just stand there and let him aim and fire.

Moreover, a Jonin's reflexes were incredibly fast; they might launch a sneak attack before Aragaki Yasushi even made a move.

It would be much better to find simpler missions—like stealing intelligence or sabotaging a base—to safely farm points and grow stronger.

Only after drawing items like talismans, demonic energy, or masks, and increasing his strength a bit more, should he get involved in such dangerous missions.

But this was wartime, and military orders were absolute. If he were actually ordered to execute a mission related to Kannabi Bridge, he would have no choice but to bite the bullet and go.

He couldn't just defect on a whim, could he?

Defection wasn't that easy; he might be taken out by Konoha ninjas before he even managed to escape.

Besides, this mission wasn't necessarily a death sentence. If he was careful, he might just be able to scrape by.

As he was mulling this over, several Jonin walked out of the tent, their faces all drawn tight.

However, as they passed by Aragaki Yasushi and Kakashi, they couldn't help but steal a few extra glances at them.

Geniuses attract attention wherever they go.

It would be strange if Aragaki Yasushi, who developed Paper Style at such a young age, and Kakashi, who was promoted to Jonin while still so young, didn't draw eyes.

Seeing them emerge, Aragaki Yasushi quickly reined in his thoughts and led Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai into the command tent, with Kakashi and his two teammates following closely behind.

Upon entering the tent, Aragaki Yasushi immediately spotted a dazzling blond youth.

Who else could it be but Minato Namikaze?

The man sported a head of yellow hair that was quite the eyesore.

It wasn't the first time Aragaki Yasushi had met Minato; after all, he had a good relationship with Kakashi's team, and his own teacher, Akimichi Doto, often fought side-by-side with Minato on the battlefield.

During the previous engagement with Kumogakure, Akimichi Doto had even followed Minato to confront the AB Duo.

That was none other than the Fourth Raikage A and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki of Kumogakure.

Come to think of it, Minato hadn't let his teammates lift a finger during that battle; he had spent the entire time showing off his skills, while Akimichi Doto had purely been there to pad his combat record.

But thanks to this connection through his teacher, Aragaki Yasushi was able to see Minato often and occasionally even receive pointers on his ninjutsu.

When Minato Namikaze saw everyone enter, a gentle smile immediately appeared on his face. He greeted them, and his gaze quickly settled on Aragaki Yasushi.

"Yasushi, how is the development of your Paper Style ninjutsu coming along?"

"If you run into any difficulties, would you like me to give you some pointers and perhaps help you name your technique?"

"I have quite a bit of experience when it comes to naming my own ninjutsu."

Upon hearing this, Aragaki Yasushi nearly lost his composure, his mouth twitching slightly.

Forget it; who doesn't know about your naming skills?

Spiral Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style Three—it's a struggle just to say it once, and it sounds so cringe-inducing it makes one's toes curl.

And you dare claim to have experience?

If I let you name my Paper Style, I'd never be able to use the technique again!

Although Aragaki Yasushi roasted Minato's naming skills eight hundred times over in his heart.

On the surface, however, he agreed immediately: "Thank you for your kindness, Minato-sensei. I will definitely come to seek your guidance when I have the time."

After all, Minato's talent for ninjutsu was undeniable; he was a genius among geniuses.

Having developed a whole arsenal of techniques himself, receiving his guidance would undoubtedly be of great benefit to the development of his Paper Style.

Even if he had to endure an embarrassing name, it would be worth it.

At worst, he could just ignore the name he gave and secretly change it later.