Second Shinobi World War

On the Konoha side, Jiraiya, who had been traveling abroad, was recalled to the village due to the escalating tension.

With all factions saber-rattling and brewing large-scale military operations, the flames of war were on the verge of erupting.

Finally...

In the 37th year of Konoha, the Second Shinobi World War broke out in full force.

The Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Wind bore the brunt of the conflict, and a massive number of Konoha troops surged toward the Land of Rain, which lay between the three nations.

Under these circumstances, the Konoha Academy was naturally affected.

Students were specially permitted to register early for the graduation examination, and those who passed could graduate immediately.

At this moment, in the fourth-grade classroom.

"Nagi, I plan to graduate early." A firm expression appeared on Namikaze Minato's face.

"Hm? You don't like keeping a low profile? Why the sudden urge to graduate?" Uchiha Nagi asked, though he already knew the answer; he was well aware that this was the year the other boy graduated.

"Because I want to become Hokage, so I believe that at a time like this, I shouldn't continue to hide away here." A look of determination shone in Namikaze Minato's usually gentle eyes.

"I see." Uchiha Nagi nodded, unsurprised.

"In that case, I'm graduating too!" Uzumaki Kushina widened her eyes and declared, "I'm going to be Konoha's first female Hokage!"

"Don't be ridiculous." Uchiha Nagi tapped Uzumaki Kushina on the head.

"Why?" Uzumaki Kushina covered her head, feeling indignant.

"I'm very strong, you know! I've already mastered the Three Basic Techniques, and I know many sealing jutsus. Maybe Nagi isn't even my match anymore!"

She had grown accustomed to Uchiha Nagi tapping her head; ever since their relationship had grown closer, she noticed he had become increasingly fond of doing so.

She had tried to resist in the past, but unfortunately, she never succeeded.

Later on, she simply accepted it as a form of intimacy between them.

However, Uzumaki Kushina pursed her lips, feeling like something was off.

He seemed to treat her like a child, even though they were the exact same age!

"That's not the reason. I don't think Lady Tsunade will allow you to graduate early," Uchiha Nagi said casually.

Although Uzumaki Kushina was not yet the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Konoha had been grooming her as such for a long time.

If she were to die on the battlefield, Konoha would need to cultivate a new Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

That wasn't the real problem; the key issue was whether Uzumaki Mito had enough time left to foster another suitable successor.

"Hmph, how would I know if I don't ask?" Uzumaki Kushina huffed. If Lady Tsunade and her grandmother didn't agree, she would find a way to make them.

However, her methods might fail this time.

Uchiha Nagi was lost in thought.

Over the past few years, his condition had eased. While his mental growth continued, the speed had slowed significantly, and his physical constitution had caught up.

Therefore, he only felt slightly sleepy lately, rather than suddenly falling into a deep, uncontrollable slumber.

At this moment, he was considering whether he should also graduate early alongside Namikaze Minato.

Although he had thought about early graduation before, the idea had gradually faded as time went on.

His life had stabilized, and with the income from the barbecue restaurant, Uchiha Eri no longer needed to work around the clock.

Uchiha Eri was spending more time at home now, though she still couldn't sit still, so she would go out on missions every few days.

If Uchiha Nagi chose not to graduate early, he could continue to coast through life for another two years.

This undoubtedly aligned with Uchiha Nagi's ideals.

But...

Even if he delayed it by two years, he would still have to participate in the war; the Second Shinobi World War would last much longer than just two years.

By then, who would his teammates be? It wouldn't be Uzumaki Kushina; it would likely just be two random strangers.

Wouldn't it be even more dangerous to go to war with two strangers?

If he graduated now, he could use his connection to Lady Tsunade to ensure he was placed on a team with Namikaze Minato.

Then, since they would only be newly graduated genin in this war, the missions they received shouldn't be too difficult.

With Namikaze Minato's strength, he could definitely carry him, even if he might actually be stronger than the other boy right now.

But since he wanted to coast, how could he just show off and steal the spotlight?

If all went well, having Namikaze Minato as a teammate meant he should be able to get by very easily.

This, too, aligned with his ideals.

It was just a matter of focusing on the present versus the future.

"Nagi, what are you thinking about again?" Uzumaki Kushina asked.

"I'm thinking about whether I should graduate early," Uchiha Nagi didn't hide it.

Upon hearing this, both Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina widened their eyes, staring at Uchiha Nagi in disbelief.

"What? Are you two really that shocked?" Uchiha Nagi saw the expressions on their faces and felt a bit displeased.

"Cough, no, it's just that Nagi, the way you've acted all these years didn't make it seem like you'd be the type to graduate early." Namikaze Minato's tone remained gentle.

Kushina nodded from the side, fully agreeing with Namikaze Minato's words.

"I just thought that if I graduated early, I could be placed in the same squad as Minato. Then, with Minato around, missions and such would be easy to finish," Uchiha Nagi said.

Namikaze Minato was stunned for a moment, then revealed a helpless, wry smile.

Although he knew that Uchiha Nagi's strength was likely very formidable, but...

If they were placed in the same squad, the other party might actually dare to dump all the mission work onto him.

However, even so, having such a powerful teammate at his back probably wasn't a bad thing.

After all, Uchiha Nagi was just lazy, not truly incapable of taking action.

"But, squad assignments are supposed to be random, right?" Namikaze Minato suddenly raised this question.

"Don't worry, I have a way," Uchiha Nagi said, arching an eyebrow.

Kushina stuck out her tongue; she had a rough idea of what Uchiha Nagi's "way" was—wasn't it just asking her older sister?

Thinking of Tsunade, Kushina looked down at herself with a bit of gloom; why hadn't she developed yet?

Every time she saw Uchiha Nagi's gaze drift downward whenever he saw Tsunade, she found it absolutely detestable!

"Since that's the case, then I also want to be teammates with Nagi," Namikaze Minato said with a smile.

Uchiha Nagi looked at Namikaze Minato, remained silent for a moment, and then sighed: "Minato, with you saying that, doesn't it mean I absolutely have to graduate early now?"

To this, Namikaze Minato only smiled and did not respond.

"Hmph, then leave the third spot to me!"

Kushina also declared, feeling quite confident at this moment.