In mid-September of Konoha Year 48, young people who had recently become Chunin began to take on frontline missions.
Due to their age, most of their missions are still mainly patrol and escort, and there is no need for newbies to fill the gaps on the front lines.
Compared to the front lines in the Land of Grass and the Land of Hot Water, the battlefield in the Land of Rain is safer. Currently, the main concern is preventing the Sunagakure from sabotaging supply lines, and direct confrontation has completely disappeared.
Minato Namikaze recently returned to the village not only to treat his right-hand injury but also to take on the responsibility of Jonin.
The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, was quite considerate of the village's talented ninjas. Knowing that Minato and Kushina's relationship was blossoming, he took advantage of Minato's recovery time to give the young man a "vacation."
Minato was very grateful for this, and when leading Team 7 on missions, he always chose safe missions. Even after three members of the team were promoted to Chunin, he had no intention of increasing the difficulty of the missions.
--
In the evening, after completing another C-rank escort mission, Minato Namikaze noticed Obito Uchiha's dejected expression and immediately comforted him with a smile:
"You all did a fantastic job! Ichiraku Ramen, it's on me!"
" Obito, you guys are still young. Even if you're promoted to Chunin, there's still a lot you need to learn."
Minato Namikaze's smile was incredibly infectious; Rin Nohara nodded repeatedly, Namiashi Raidō even echoed his admiration.
" Minato-sensei is right! First, accumulate experience through C-rank missions to learn how to become a captain. Later, as your strength improves, you'll naturally be able to take on higher-level missions."
"This is thanks to the Lord Hokage for taking care of us. Even the front lines of the Land of Rain are not a place for rookies like us."
Despite the two men's words of advice, Obito Uchiha remained unwilling to give up. Under the watchful eyes of the three, he could only lower his head and mutter to himself:
"Teacher, I'm just a little unwilling to accept it."
"Many members of the clan have awakened the Sharingan, the youngest being only 8 years old. It is said that they are all training on the front lines."
" Kakashi has been active in the Land of Grass all along. I'm already Chunin, not a coward."
The Uchiha Clan's insane actions were truly difficult for Minato Namikaze to comment on. Rin Nohara, noticing her teacher's troubled expression, took the initiative to speak, gently pulling Obito to soothe him:
"Genius ninjas have their own path, but we will grow too."
" Obito, a C-rank mission is already very good. Let's keep up the good work!"
Just moments ago, Obito looked dejected, but after the girl grabbed his hand, he instantly perked up and gave a cheerful "Mmm."
Minato Namikaze's lips twitched at the sight; Obito was completely different from Uchiha he had ever met.
Ichiraku Ramen's business has been getting better and better in recent years, Minato Namikaze often delivers "takeout" to Kushina, making him a regular customer of the restaurant.
"Hey buddy, do you need any more takeout today? Some ingredients are almost sold out, I can reserve some for you if you need it."
With Teuchi smile, Minato Namikaze smiled happily in gratitude. Although they weren't officially living together, he and Kushina were already secretly engaged.
" Minato- kun, it's rare to see you in the store. Did you just finish a mission?"
Shu Furukawa turned his head to greet them, and Tsunade, who was standing next to him, also looked at the group.
Minato gestured for the three people beside him to bow, before responding with a smile:
"This is the team's last mission. I'll be leaving the village soon. Please take care of me then!"
Tsunade ate several bowls of food, and only after seeing her juniors present did she torment her wild behavior somewhat. When Minato mentioned the mission, she pursed her lips and muttered a disapproving remark.
" Jiraiya always causes trouble for you, his disciple, and just dumps you on him whenever he encounters a problem."
The Kumogakure boldly split its forces into two groups: one to plunder in the Land of Earth, and the other to sabotage Konoha's overly long supply lines in the Land of Hot Water.
During the recent Jonin meeting, Jiraiya suggested from the front lines that Minato be sent to the Land of Hot Water to suppress the Kumogakure AB Duo, making his disciple practically a "panacea" on the battlefield.
"The teachers are causing problems too, but thankfully the temperature is about to drop!"
" Lady Tsunade's Three-Color Pills was a great help; our casualties this year are far lower than those of other major powers."
Minato Namikaze spoke up for Jiraiya, and at the end, he didn't forget to praise this year's batch of new medicine, saying that even ordinary ninjas could make a final stand, which would be of great help to the front lines.
Tsunade slightly, secretly giving Shu Furukawa a sidelong glance. Because of the medication, she had been so busy that she had even reduced the number of times she drank alcohol.
Seeing that the other three were a little uncomfortable, Shu Furukawa immediately took out two portions of the Three-Color Pills:
"Same here, Obito. A belated Chunin gift: a newly improved secret medicine. You can ask Rin how to use it."
"Don't overexert yourself during the mission; it's safer to stay in the village for now."
Knowing that these secret medicines required an application, Namiashi Raidō immediately expressed his sincere gratitude. Obito, upon seeing the Three-Color Pills, recalled the medicines his clan supplied to geniuses and awkwardly uttered a few words:
"I can awaken the Sharingan even without these secret medicines!"
"As long as I have the Sharingan, I'm sure I can catch up with you..."
" Obito!"
"Xiu, thank you so much!"
Rin Nohara pulled Obito aside to express her gratitude, knowing that these drugs were still laboratory versions with fewer side effects.
When Shu Furukawa and Tsunade left, Minato looked at the silent, head bowed Obito and sighed softly, only able to offer another word of comfort:
" Obito, trust your comrades. There's no need to constantly pursue individual strength."
"A ninja is someone who can endure. For a ninja, the most important talent is not how many Kekkei Genkai or ninjutsu they possess, but rather unwavering perseverance!"
Obito lowered his head and responded, subconsciously tightening his grip on the Three-Color Pills.
The teacher might be right, but he genuinely admired a genius like Kakashi.
--
When Tsunade returned to the Apartment, she saw Shizune eating ramen in small bites, behaving like a lady, which gave her a headache. She realized that Shu Furukawa didn't have a particular fondness for girls.
The two were so different that they had very few things in common.
"That brat Shisui Uchiha is indeed extraordinary; he's completely different from the rest of the clan."
"In contrast, Obito Uchiha around Rin, seems more like a normal child."
Tsunade, resting her chin on her hand, changed the subject. The Uchiha genius seemed to greatly admire Shu Furukawa, and had been visiting him frequently lately; the two had even trained together.
Shu Furukawa had prepared char siu rice for Shizune. Hearing Tsunade's words, his expression turned strange. In his opinion, both of these Uchiha were a bit problematic, but it wasn't a good time to explain.
" Shisui only witnessed bloodshed too early. I remember on the battlefield in the Land of Rain, his beloved senior sacrificed himself to protect him."
" Obito is unpopular within his clan; he should care more about external recognition."
Speaking of her Peer, Shizune, as before, secretly glanced at Shu Furukawa. Tsunade sighed inwardly, looked at her disciple's profile, and suddenly a strange thought popped into her head:
"I think I've become dependent on him too..."
"Teacher, what's wrong?"
Tsunade upon hearing Shu Furukawa's voice, realizing she had been staring for too long, and crossed her arms to hide her embarrassment.
Prepare me a plate of char siu rice too! It looks delicious.