There Will Always Be Noobs Who Want to Die! (Two-in-one)

The shouting from outside the dojo caused Tsunade's previously beaming expression to darken instantly, and even Mito's face grew troubled. This little grandson of hers was truly a source of endless worry.

Before long, the dojo doors were pushed open. Standing outside was a boy of eleven or twelve with black hair that took on a brownish tint under the sunlight. He wore a headband bearing the Konoha symbol, and at only about 155cm tall, he was not particularly large even among his peers.

"Nawaki! Instead of training properly at home, where have you been running off to?"

Tsunade's expression was far from pleasant; the mere thought of her younger brother clamoring to head to the battlefield ruined her mood. This was compounded by the fact that she had just witnessed Jiuming's talent and maturity, which only made her feel more dissatisfied with her brother's behavior.

"Oh! I was practicing with Sarutobi Kotaro."

"As soon as I heard you were back in the village, I came straight here!"

Nawaki's appearance was almost identical to a young Naruto Uzumaki, and he possessed the same boisterous personality. Completely oblivious to Tsunade's current expression, he continued with an innocent look on his face:

"Sister, the battlefield in the Land of Rain must be so exciting, right? When you go back to the front lines, take me with you!"

As Nawaki spoke of the battlefield, a trace of irrepressible excitement flickered across his face.

"Brother Nawaki, why do you want to go to the battlefield?"

Before Tsunade could flare up, Jiuming, who had been standing to the side, spoke up. It had been seven years since the siblings arrived in Konoha and moved into Mito's home. Both Tsunade and Nawaki had long since come to view them as family, so Jiuming's question did not seem out of place.

"Oh! Kid Jiuming, you aren't in the study?"

Nawaki greeted Jiuming with a smile. He was slightly surprised to see him out, as in his mind, Jiuming was a homebody who loved reading in the study as a child and continued to bury himself in books the moment classes ended.

However, Nawaki didn't dwell on such trifles and replied:

"Why go to the battlefield? Because I want to become Hokage, of course! How can I become Hokage without any war merits?"

Nawaki's answer was instantaneous, showing that the title of Hokage was already etched into his heart. Just like Naruto, he told everyone he met that he wanted to be Hokage; it had become his catchphrase.

"Become Hokage, you say?"

"Brother Nawaki, then why do you want to become Hokage?"

Hearing his response, Jiuming continued to probe, his face showing a look of genuine inquiry.

"I want to be like my grandfather, a great Hokage. I want to restore the glory of the Senju Clan."

"That is my dream!"

"But a kid like you probably wouldn't understand what a dream is."

A look of nostalgia crossed Nawaki's face as he tried to imagine himself becoming a Hokage just like Hashirama.

"Does Brother Nawaki mean that to become Hokage, one must have war merits?"

"You want to go to the battlefield to earn them?"

Jiuming's expression turned playful. Tsunade and Mito remained silent, both curious to see what Jiuming was planning.

"Of course, is there a problem with that?" Seeing Jiuming's strange expression, Nawaki wondered for a moment if he had said something wrong.

"There's no problem, I just wonder what kind of merits you could possibly earn on the battlefield with your current strength, Brother Nawaki."

"Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama were the great ninjas who ended the Warring States period, and the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was a hero who helped end the First Shinobi World War."

"Do you think you can do that, Brother Nawaki? With your current strength, can you end the current war?"

"One should consider matters appropriate to their position. Since you aren't even a Chunin yet, shouldn't you be taking on C-rank missions and working hard to improve your strength?"

"Shouldn't matters like going to the battlefield be left to more experienced ninjas?"

Although Jiuming maintained his innocent expression, he didn't hold back in the slightest when it came to crushing Nawaki's delusions. He simply couldn't fathom why a kid of Nawaki's age would want to go to the front lines to die. Was there really such a thing as rushing to be cannon fodder?

Jiuming avoided the battlefield like the plague, yet here was this stubborn kid actively seeking it out. He couldn't wrap his head around that logic.

"Jiuming is right. With your scrawny arms and legs, what could you possibly do at the front lines?"

"If you truly want to become Hokage, then focus on improving your strength. Once you become a Chunin, high-difficulty missions will naturally be assigned to you."

"You can prove yourself then."

"As for now, just stay in the village."

Tsunade chimed in at the right moment. Initially, she had been gratified that her brother was striving toward the goal of becoming Hokage, and she had truly supported his efforts.

But ever since she had seen the battlefield herself, she knew how cruel war truly was. Compared to large-scale warfare, the missions she had previously undertaken were mere child's play. Compared to the life-or-death reality of the front lines, commissioned missions were far safer.

Seeing Nawaki clamoring to go to war, Tsunade realized that his understanding of the "Hokage" position was skewed; her brother's path seemed to be veering off course.

"But Kotaro and I already promised to compete and see who can earn more merits on the battlefield."

Seeing Tsunade's opposition, Nawaki immediately said, agitated.

"Kotaro? Great, he's dragging others along to die with him. That kid is something else."

Jiuming recognized the name. Sarutobi Kotaro was the eldest son of the Third Hokage and already a Chunin. As the pressure on the front lines increased, his father had begun assigning him logistics and supply transport tasks.

Strictly speaking, Sarutobi Kotaro was already on the battlefield. Jiuming hadn't expected Sarutobi Kotaro to be the one fueling Nawaki's desire to go.

Currently, the backbone of Konoha's front-line forces were the Chunin. Jonin were few in number and usually served as commanders or squad leaders. Most of the ninjas engaged in direct combat were Chunin, which meant that as the war dragged on, the casualty rate for Chunin was the highest.

Because Jonin were individually stronger and fewer in number, their casualty rate was lower than that of the Chunin. So far, the ninjas Konoha sent to the front lines were mostly veterans over the age of 20, while younger Chunin and teenage Genin were generally relegated to support roles, such as transporting supplies within the country.

The danger was relatively low.

For boys of Nawaki's age with family backgrounds, Konoha would not send them to the battlefield unless absolutely necessary—unless someone in their family took it upon themselves to bring them along under the guise of "training."

"No 'buts' about it! I said no, and that's final!"

Seeing Nawaki still trying to argue, Tsunade landed a solid punch right on top of his head, causing him to wince and grimace in pain, unable to utter another word.

"That hurts!" Nawaki clutched his head with both hands and let out a low cry. He was sensible enough, however, not to bring up the battlefield again in front of Tsunade. But judging by the look on his face, it was clear he hadn't abandoned the idea.

"Alright, enough bickering. Let's go eat."

Watching Nawaki sulk, Mito smiled, reached out, and gently ruffled his hair. Under Uzumaki Mito's soothing touch, the pain in Nawaki's head faded. He made a face at Tsunade and bolted out of the dojo.

Tsunade's brows shot up, ready to explode, but Nawaki had already vanished without a trace.

"That brat! I'm going to teach him a real lesson!" Tsunade said, her voice laced with frustration.

"It's alright. It's normal for a child his age to admire the predecessors. I've already had a word with Sarutobi; there is no way Nawaki will be sent to the front lines for the time being."

Mito seemed incredibly confident regarding the issue of Nawaki. Yet, looking at her optimistic expression, Kuming felt a secret sense of alarm. It was true that Nawaki didn't die on the main battlefield; he was sent out only when the war was nearing its end.

It was less of a deployment and more of an arrangement for him to gain experience. Moreover, thanks to his connection to Tsunade, Nawaki had entered the battlefield as a subordinate of Orochimaru. Who could have known that during a mop-up operation, Nawaki would stumble into a pre-laid enemy trap? Orochimaru hadn't even had time to save him before he perished.

If Nawaki had stayed safely by Orochimaru's side on the battlefield, there wouldn't have been any accidents. He would have easily gained experience and added some impressive credentials to his resume. Nawaki's own carelessness, Tsunade's carelessness, and Orochimaru's carelessness had led to Nawaki's untimely death. One could only say that it was fate.

"If only Nawaki were as steady as Kuming," Tsunade sighed, looking back at Kuming after hearing Mito's reassurance.

"Big Sister Tsunade, everyone has a different personality. I actually wish I were as lively as Brother Nawaki."

Uzumaki Kuming watched Nawaki's retreating back and said softly.

Nawaki leaving without eating cast a pall over everyone's mood. The lunch ended in a stifling atmosphere. Afterward, Tsunade hurried out of the house, and Kushina, seemingly having received some news, left as well.

After the meal, Mito appeared weary, and with Kuming's support, she returned to her room to rest. What was supposed to be a happy family meal had ended in a cold, empty house.

Having just completed the Yin Seal, Kuming didn't immediately plan to start his next training session; he hadn't yet decided which direction to focus on.

Feeling bored after the meal, Kuming left the house after helping Mito to her room and wandered aimlessly through the streets of Konoha.

Walking along the roads of Konoha and looking at the bustling shops on both sides, Kuming began to seriously consider the direction of his training.

First, he was certain about his taijutsu training. The current intensity could not be lowered, because taijutsu was something that had to be accumulated drop of sweat by drop of sweat. Besides, he was still young and growing, and his chakra levels had not yet fully stabilized.

Maintaining good exercise would help him develop a stronger physique in the future and increase his chakra ceiling. Therefore, Kuming could not abandon his taijutsu training.

He hadn't neglected his study of sealing jutsu over the past two years. He had already mastered many B-rank sealing jutsu and a great number of C-rank ones. He had even mastered a few A-rank sealing jutsu, and the Yin Seal could even be considered an S-rank technique. Thus, Kuming decided to slow down his study of sealing jutsu for now.

"The most urgent priority is to improve my immediate combat effectiveness. Children the age of Sarutobi Kotaro are already being sent to the battlefield. The most brutal phase of the Second Shinobi World War is likely coming soon."

"When that time comes, people my age might be forced onto the battlefield. I must master a few high-damage ninjutsu. I can handle defensive techniques with my seals, but where should I learn offensive ones?"

"The techniques in the Scroll of Sealing are not things I can learn in a short amount of time."

While pondering, Kuming passed a dango shop and saw a middle-aged man with white hair walking out with a woman who had a large baby bump. It wasn't quite accurate to call the man middle-aged, though; he looked to be about thirty, still a fair distance from being middle-aged.

"Is that... Hatake Sakumo?"

Seeing Hatake Sakumo, a flash of inspiration crossed Kuming's mind. He thought of a technique suitable for his current stage.

"That pregnant woman must be Hatake Sakumo's wife. Then the one in her belly is Kakashi, right?"

Uzumaki Kuming noted the woman with Hatake Sakumo, guessing her identity. However, Kuming didn't go over to greet them; he didn't have a deep connection with Hatake Sakumo, and it would be rude to interrupt him while he was on leave.

Still, looking at Hatake Sakumo, Kuming thought of a ninjutsu suitable for him to learn at his current stage: the hand-seal-less ninjutsu invented by Kakashi, the Chidori. Although Kuming didn't know exactly how to learn the Chidori, he already had some basic ideas about the technique in his mind.

With that thought, Kuming left quickly, intending to find an empty training ground to test his theory. He couldn't experiment with a high-explosive technique like Chidori in the home dojo; he didn't want to destroy his own house.

"Hmm?" Hatake Sakumo seemed to sense someone watching him, and he looked up to spot Uzumaki Kuming, who had just turned to leave.

"Uzumaki Kuming? That super genius." Hatake Sakumo felt strange, wondering why the boy was watching him.

"What is it, dear?" The woman beside Hatake Sakumo noticed her husband's reaction and asked.

"Nothing, just saw an acquaintance."

"Let's keep walking."

Hatake Sakumo wore a gentle smile, placed a hand softly on his wife's belly, and explained in a soft voice.

"Okay!" The woman smiled sweetly, and they continued their stroll.

After leaving the street, Kuming quickly arrived at an unused training ground. Due to the war, many of the village's shinobi had been sent to the front lines, so most of the training grounds in the village were currently empty.

After checking that no one was around, Kuming quickly set up a barrier around the perimeter of the training ground. This barrier could isolate sound and chakra fluctuations from the inside and outside, and it also had a sensory function; he would know the moment someone intruded.

This way, his training here would not be easily observed.

Having found a suitable training site, Kuming suddenly found himself at a loss for how to begin.

"The Chidori should be similar to the Rasengan, right? The Rasengan is a hand-seal-less ninjutsu that compresses and gathers chakra into a sphere, with its lethality relying mainly on the immense power generated by rotation. It should focus primarily on chakra shape transformation."

"The essence of the Chidori should be chakra nature transformation, relying on the speed and piercing power provided by Lightning-style chakra to create formidable destructive force."

"The essence of this technique is somewhat similar to the Third Raikage's Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite. Though the power of the Hell Stab might be greater..."

As Uzumaki Kuming thought this, he tried to attach chakra to his palm. Although it was his first attempt, his Lightning-style chakra attached to his hand quite easily. Tiny sparks of lightning circled his hand, looking somewhat dazzling to Kuming.

"Why is it that you can't use Chidori without the Sharingan? I never saw the Third Raikage activate a Sharingan when using the One-Finger Nukite. In terms of speed, the Third Raikage's One-Finger Nukite should be faster, right?"

Kuming had some doubts, and then he used the hand gesture of the Third Raikage's One-Finger Nukite to strike a giant boulder nearby. He didn't use super strength; he just poked it with force.

Thud.

The rock didn't budge an inch.

"Hsssssssss~~~~~"

The intense pain from his fingertip caused Kuming to curl up like a shrimp. He gripped his right hand tightly with his left, sucked in a sharp breath, and then began to roll on the ground with a grimace.

"Damn it!" The intense pain made it impossible for Kuming to control his emotions, and he let out a curse.