Minato Namikaze

The next day, just as dawn broke and the eastern sky began to glow pale, Aragaki Yasushi and his two teammates packed up and hurried on their way.

After all, every extra second spent in enemy territory meant more danger. Only after they made it back to Konoha Camp could they finally breathe easy.

They rushed along as fast as they could. By noon, with the sun blazing overhead, the three of them finally saw the outline of Konoha Camp, and the weight on their hearts lifted at last.

After reporting that they had destroyed an Iwagakure warehouse, one of the shinobi handling the paperwork casually mentioned that their instructor, Akimichi Doto, was also at the camp.

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

When they reached a tent, Aragaki Yasushi spotted three familiar figures at once.

It was none other than Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and Nohara Rin.

Kakashi still wore his usual aloof, cocky expression. After glancing at the three of them, he said coolly, "The teachers are in a meeting. Wait outside for now."

Aragaki Yasushi and his teammates didn't make a fuss. They obediently waited outside the tent, and, with nothing else to do, started chatting with their three old classmates.

After all, they had graduated in the same class and had been close since their days at the Ninja Academy. Even though they were now assigned to different teams, their friendship hadn't faded.

They hadn't been talking for long before Asuma couldn't resist bragging. "Obito, we just finished another mission. How many has your team completed this month?"

Obito took the bait and shouted back, chin raised, "We've definitely completed more than you!"

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

Asuma grinned even more smugly and deliberately drew out his words. "Oh? Just two? We've finished three!"

"No way!" Obito jumped up in a panic, and the two of them argued back and forth without stopping.

Nearby, Yuhi Kurenai and Nohara Rin huddled together, whispering. Every so often, they shared a smile, making for a peaceful scene.

Just then, Kakashi, who had been putting on airs with his aloof attitude, suddenly walked up to Aragaki Yasushi and got straight to the point. "How's your Paper Style secret technique coming along?"

Aragaki Yasushi raised an eyebrow, amused.

Well, well. He couldn't hold back and had come to fish for information?

That made sense. Kakashi had lost his father and had entered his obsessive phase.

All he cared about was getting stronger and completing missions. He didn't care about anything else.

Aragaki Yasushi had been grinding through missions lately to save up for his second ten-pull, and had even developed a Paper Style secret technique.

Among their peers, he really did stand out, so it was only natural Kakashi had taken an interest in him.

Aragaki Yasushi smiled and answered casually, "Not much progress. I've just been working on the Paper Clone Technique lately. I'm still figuring it out."

Kakashi gave a slight nod. His tone remained cool, but there was a hint of anticipation that was hard to detect. "I've been working on a Lightning Release Ninjutsu lately. Once I've fixed its flaws, I'll come find you for a spar."

Aragaki Yasushi's heart stirred, but he kept his expression calm. "Sure. If we get the chance, I'll look forward to seeing your Lightning Release Ninjutsu, Kakashi. Don't disappoint me."

Lightning Release Ninjutsu...

Kakashi had probably already developed Chidori.

And Aragaki Yasushi had heard that Kakashi had recently been promoted to jonin.

Then the next part of the story...

That was right. It should be the Battle of Kannabi Bridge from the original story.

Aragaki Yasushi pondered to himself. In that case, his teacher, Akimichi Doto, and Minato Namikaze were probably inside the tent discussing how to reinforce the front lines.

The Battle of Kannabi Bridge...

He was both excited and worried. If the mission triggered a system quest, it would surely reward him with plenty of points.

But the mission was far too dangerous.

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

The Battle of Kannabi Bridge involved Iwagakure jonin like Mahiru and Taiseki. If he could complete a related mission, he might earn enough for several ten-pulls at once.

But no matter how tempting it was, his better judgment told him that this wasn't a job he could take on right now.

With his current strength, he'd be killed in no time if he went.

He did have his Origami form, but it had a major weakness: it was vulnerable to Fire Release.

The Energy Scroll was powerful, but his enemies weren't idiots. They wouldn't just stand there and let him take aim and fire.

Besides, jonin had lightning-fast reflexes. They might even ambush him before he could make a move.

He'd be better off taking on some simple missions instead, like stealing information or destroying an outpost, and safely farming points while he grew stronger.

Once he drew items like Talismans, demonic energy, or a mask, he could get stronger before taking on such dangerous missions.

But it was wartime, and orders were absolute. If they really sent Aragaki Yasushi on a mission related to Kannabi Bridge, he'd have no choice but to grit his teeth and go.

It wasn't as if he could just defect on a whim, right?

Defecting wasn't easy, either. He might not even get away before Konoha's shinobi took him out.

Besides, this wasn't necessarily a guaranteed death sentence. If he was careful, he might be able to get through it.

As he pondered, several jonin walked out of the tent, their faces all tense.

Still, as they passed Aragaki Yasushi and Kakashi, they couldn't help glancing at them a couple of times.

Geniuses attracted attention wherever they went.

Aragaki Yasushi had developed Paper Style at a young age, and Kakashi had become a jonin while still young. Of course people would take notice.

As soon as they saw the jonin leave, Aragaki Yasushi quickly put his thoughts aside and led Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai into the tent. Kakashi and the others followed right behind them.

The moment he entered, Aragaki Yasushi spotted a dazzling blond young man.

Who else could it be but Minato Namikaze?

That head of bright blond hair really stood out.

This wasn't the first time Aragaki Yasushi had met Minato, either. After all, he was on good terms with Kakashi and the others, and his own teacher, Akimichi Doto, often fought alongside Minato on the battlefield.

During one of their clashes with Kumogakure, Akimichi Doto had even accompanied Minato to face Kumogakure's AB Duo.

That was the Fourth Raikage A and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.

As it happened, Minato hadn't needed his teammates' help in that battle. He had handled the whole thing himself, while Akimichi Doto had simply gotten to share in the credit.

But thanks to his teacher's connection, Aragaki Yasushi got to see Minato regularly and occasionally hear him offer pointers on ninjutsu.

When Minato saw them enter, he immediately greeted them with a warm smile. After exchanging a few words with the group, his gaze soon settled on Aragaki Yasushi.

"Yasushi, how's your Paper Style ninjutsu coming along?"

"If you've run into any problems, would you like me to give you some pointers and help you come up with a name for the technique?"

"I'm pretty good at naming my own techniques."

Aragaki Yasushi nearly lost his composure. The corner of his mouth twitched.

Give me a break. Who didn't know how bad you were at naming techniques?

"Spiral Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style Three." It was a mouthful to say and so awkward it made you want to curl up from embarrassment.

And you still dared to say you were good at it?

If you named my Paper Style technique, I'd never be able to use it again!

Although Aragaki Yasushi had complained about Minato's naming skills eight hundred times in his head,

he still readily agreed. "Thank you, Minato-sensei. I'll be sure to come ask for your advice when I have the time."

After all, Minato's talent for ninjutsu was undeniable. He was a prodigy among prodigies.

He had developed plenty of techniques himself, too. Getting his advice would be a huge help with Aragaki Yasushi's Paper Style.

Even if he had to put up with an embarrassing name, it would be worth it.

He could always just avoid using the name Minato came up with and secretly change it later.