Mixed Blessings, Limb Regeneration

Northwest Front.

Konoha Camp.

In the tent at the very center of the camp, the high command was holding a combat meeting.

The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat in the main seat, with his eldest son Sarutobi Shinnosuke, and Minato Namikaze sitting to his left and right, respectively.

The Northwest Front was originally defended by only Minato Namikaze, and it was already showing signs of decline in the face of the repeated attacks from Iwagakure. However, after Sarutobi Hiruzen personally took charge, the situation has stabilized.

In recent large-scale battles, Minato Namikaze faced the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, while Sarutobi Hiruzen fought against Five-Tails Jinchuriki Han of Iwagakure.

The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, possessed the Kekkei Tōta, his Dust Release Ninjutsu was unstoppable, and he also had the extremely rare ability to fly.

Even Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was proficient in five types of ninjutsu and knew thousands of Ninjutsu, could not gain an advantage against Ōnoki.

Conversely, Minato Namikaze, having mastered the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, possessed unparalleled speed in the Shinobi World. While he was at a disadvantage against the Third Raikage, he could still hold off Ōnoki.

The battle between Ōnoki and Minato Namikaze was a situation where neither could gain the upper hand.

Among Kage Level shinobi, Sarutobi Hiruzen may not be the most outstanding in every aspect, but he is close to the top level in every aspect, whether it is Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, or Sealing Jutsu.

As Kage Level ninja, he has no weaknesses. His only weakness might be his age. He is nearing the end of his prime, and his Chakra reserves have decreased, so he can no longer engage in prolonged battles like he did when he was younger.

Five-Tails Jinchuriki Han, was known as the "Steam Ninja." He enhanced his taijutsu (Taijutsu) by manipulating the power of steam, and his Taijutsu was said to be comparable to that of the Third Raikage.

This type of Taijutsu ninja, with its high speed, strength, and defense, is precisely the type that Minato Namikaze is currently not good at dealing with.

On the contrary, after Sarutobi Hiruzen summoned Enma, he transformed Enma into the Adamantine Staff, which allowed him to fight Han head-on in hand-to-hand Taijutsu.

After successfully repelling three large-scale attacks by Iwagakure, the Iwagakure has begun to engage in small-scale harassment in recent months, no longer engaging in large-scale direct combat with Konoha.

"Everyone's here, let's begin the meeting." Sarutobi Hiruzen around and nodded to Minato Namikaze to his lower right.

He was very satisfied with this grand-disciple, even more so than Orochimaru, who had truly inherited the Will of Fire, and everyone unconsciously gathered around him.

If it weren't for their long-standing master-disciple relationship and his recognition of Orochimaru's abilities, Sarutobi Hiruzen would have even thought that Minato Namikaze would have been more suitable to be the Fourth Hokage.

Of course, Sarutobi Hiruzen was just thinking about it. Putting Jōnin, Minato and Orochimaru were quite different in terms of battle achievements and seniority.

Minato Namikaze earned the reputation of "Yellow Flash" with his Flying Thunder God Jutsu, and now he is even able to face the Third Tsuchikage directly.

However, Orochimaru from the Western Borderlands deserves more credit.

Orochimaru was isolated and helpless in the Western Borderlands. Facing more than twice the number of Sunagakure, he not only blocked the Sunagakure's fierce attack, but also showed signs of a counterattack. If he hadn't been at a disadvantage in terms of top-tier combat power, Orochimaru might have already recaptured Kikyō Castle.

To be fair, Sarutobi Hiruzen still preferred Orochimaru at this point.

As for Minato Namikaze, he might be able to compete for the Fifth Generation in the future.

His eldest son Sarutobi Shinnosuke, is unlikely to become the Fourth Hokage among many excellent competitors, but he has a chance of becoming the Fifth Generation or Sixth Generation.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke Sarutobi Hiruzen assigned Shinnosuke the position of Anbu Captain (Anbu headquarters).

The entire Anbu department only has about seventy ninjas, but this is the Hokage's direct force.

Most ninjas consider it an honor to be able to enter the Anbu for training. This is a department that can connect elites from various clans and commoners, and it is of great significance.

With Sarutobi Shinnosuke's abilities and accumulated battle achievements, he is certainly qualified to become the Anbu Captain.

This was also the way out that Sarutobi Hiruzen left for the Sarutobi Clan.

"Gentlemen, the main topic of this meeting will be a summary of the past month's battles, including records of casualties and achievements, as well as recent deployment changes." Minato Namikaze stood up and said, "Recently, Iwagakure has begun to launch frequent nighttime attacks against us, so our nighttime deployments need to be adjusted."

"Report! An urgent message has arrived from the Northeastern Front! It was delivered by Lord Jiraiya's liaison frog!"

As Minato Namikaze was explaining the changes to the deployment, the voices of Anbu Ninja came from outside the tent.

"Come in!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen an eyebrow and said in a deep voice.

"Yes!"

Anbu Ninja entered the camp and delivered the intelligence scroll to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Minato Namikaze sat down again, looking at Sarutobi Hiruzen with a tense expression.

Everyone's attention was focused on the scroll, and no one dared to breathe loudly.

Compared to the 'evenly matched' battles on the Northwest Front, the Northeastern Front was the most crucial of the four battlefields.

Orochimaru also faced an army of more than twice the size of the Sunagakure army in the Western Borderlands, and his top combat strength was also at a disadvantage.

However, Kumogakure was the village that sent the most troops in this war, with nearly three times the number of Konoha's troops, and it also had the Third Raikage, the strongest of the Five Kage of the Era.

Perhaps if Sarutobi Hiruzen were ten years younger, he might be able to First Shinobi World War the Third Raikage, but he is definitely no match for him now.

Some of the Jōnin present have witnessed Kushina unleashing the Nine-Tails Chakra, but her true combat strength remains unknown.

Furthermore, the Kumogakure Village also possesses Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.

Of the four fronts Northeastern Front was the one that could not afford any problems.

"How's it going?!"

"Didn't Kushina defeat the Third Raikage a while ago?"

"Has the Kumogakure also sent Jinchuriki to the front lines?"

"Could there be a problem at the front?"

Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen's solemn expression, everyone's hearts sank.

Please, please, it can't be bad news!

"The Kumogakure has withdrawn!" Sarutobi Hiruzen down the scroll and breathed a sigh of relief.

"What?!"

"The troops have withdrawn!"

"Lord Jiraiya have driven back Kumogakure!?"

"Very good!"

"This is truly the best news I've heard in years!"

The Jōnin exclaimed excitedly.

"Lord Third Hokage, what exactly happened? Why did Kumogakure suddenly withdraw its troops? Could it be Kushina?" Minato Namikaze couldn't help but ask, the Third Hokage's expression was very strange.

"It's Kushina, and Shiraha." Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded and said, "Kumogakure deployed the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, but they were defeated by Kushina. Shiraha suddenly appeared and displayed great strength, gaining the upper hand in the battle against the Third Raikage, so Kumogakure chose to withdraw."

Even now, Sarutobi Hiruzen still hasn't recovered.

Leaving aside why Shiraha's strength suddenly increased so dramatically.

The mere thought of leaving Konoha with Kushina to rebuild the Uzumaki Clan filled Sarutobi Hiruzen with a profound sense of defeat.

He truly regretted the Sakumo incident.

People's hearts have already fallen.

All the contributions he has made to Konoha since becoming the Third Hokage cannot outweigh this enormous mistake.

Minato Namikaze "Shiraha," looked surprised.

He was also present when Shiraha unleashed his true power to protect Kushina last time.

Although he was surprised by Shiraha's power at the time, he believed that he was still stronger than Shiraha with his Flying Thunder God Jutsu, and there was a certain gap in their strength.

However, upon hearing that Shiraha had gained the upper hand in his battle against the Third Raikage, he was somewhat dazed.

Minato Namikaze's current mastery of the Flying Thunder God Jutsu still has room for further development and is not yet perfect.

Against a ninja like the Third Raikage, who had no weaknesses in either attack or defense and was without any blind spots, he not only didn't have much of an advantage in speed, but more importantly, the techniques he mastered were simply impossible to break through his defenses.

Even if he has mastered several powerful S-Rank Sealing Jutsu, it is meaningless if he cannot break through the Lightning Release Armor.

"Shiraha actually possesses this kind of strength?"

"It seems that Kumogakure knew that continuing the fight would only lead to defeat, so they chose to withdraw their troops?"

"This reduces our stress considerably."

"Yes, although the four villages attacked us at the same time, they also have conflicts with each other. With the withdrawal of the Kumogakure, the other three villages are likely to be affected, which will increase our chances of winning!"

The Jōnin were surprised by Shiraha's strength, but they were even more pleased that the war would definitely take a huge turn after the Kumogakure withdrew.

"Jiraiya guarding the border, while Tsunade, Shiraha, and Kushina are escorting the wounded back to Konoha. According to the agreement made beforehand, Kushina and Shiraha will leave Konoha together to rebuild the Uzumaki Clan, and the village will help them as much as possible."

After saying those words, Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed to have aged considerably.

The Jōnin who "left Konoha" to attend the war council were basically aware of this matter. However, at this moment, the joy of hearing that two top combatants were about to leave Konoha and that the war was about to be won was somewhat overshadowed.

"The rebuilt Uzumaki Clan will also be a steadfast ally of Konoha."

Sarutobi Hiruzen added a sentence, but he himself seemed somewhat unsure of himself when he said it.

I regret it now.

When the Land of Whirlpools was besieged, he neither sent his main force nor went to its rescue personally. The Uzumaki Clan was disheartened, Kushina must have always remembered this incident.

The Sakumo incident also caused Shiraha to drift away from the village.

But before many things happen, who could have imagined such serious consequences?

The reason for not saving the Uzumaki Clan was to preserve strength. Who could have imagined that Kushina would become the Perfect Jinchuriki of the Kurama in her early twenties? Who could have imagined that Sakumo would commit suicide simply because of the slander from others? And who could have imagined that Shiraha, a Medical Ninja, would possess strength comparable to the Third Raikage?

Unfortunately, there's no going back.

"Let's continue the war council," Sarutobi Hiruzen said dejectedly.

"Yes!" Minato Namikaze and nodded.

Konoha.

Compared to the sense of urgency on the front lines, things were much more peaceful in the village.

Ninja Academy.

Some of the Genin graduated in the previous batch may have already entered the battlefield.

For the newly enrolled sixth-grade students, the cruelty of war is not immediately apparent.

Even during wartime, they would graduate in four years.

Nawaki stood on the podium, holding chalk and writing on the blackboard.

Suddenly, he paused, turned around, and threw half a piece of chalk at a student in the back row who was secretly eating.

"Kenta! Are you testing the teacher's hearing?" Nawaki said helplessly, arms crossed.

These kids really don't know how lucky they are!

Just being enrolled means they have four years to grow, and if they're lucky, the war might end in four years.

Even if you're unlucky, the war four years from now certainly won't be as intense as it is now, but you'll still need to have some strength to survive in the war.

Even newly graduated Genin now have to carry out combat missions, which are at least tasks like dealing with bandits, robbers, and purging wandering ninjas within the territory.

Therefore, Nawaki is very strict with his students.

In recent years, Nawaki has mastered the Puppet Secret Technique he obtained from Sunagakure. Now, with his puppet prosthetics, he can perform normal actions just like a normal person.

If you didn't roll up his trouser legs, people who didn't know him would never guess that both of his legs were broken.

Nawaki's current strength is probably much stronger than Chunin, but compared to a normal Jōnin, his mobility is insufficient.

Because the Puppet Secret Technique obtained from Sunagakure are incomplete, they might be insufficient for high-intensity combat.

Although Shiraha told him a few years ago that the development of Limb Regeneration technology would be completed soon, as the war gradually escalated, Nawaki gave up on this idea.

He no longer longed to regain his healthy and strong legs as he had before, and instead devoted his energy to education.

Compared to ordinary Chunin teachers, Nawaki's teaching is more in-depth and more patient.

Since the Senju Clan had already disbanded, Nawaki had no qualms. If a student was exceptional and asked for his advice, he would even teach them the Former Senju Clan's Ninjutsu.

Despite his strictness, Nawaki was always the most popular teacher at the Ninja Academy.

Many students now know his true identity: the grandson of the First Hokage, the younger brother of Three Ninja, one of the Tsunade medical expert, and a disciple of Orochimaru.

If he hadn't been injured in the war, his strength would be far greater than it is now.

When such a person came to teach at the Ninja Academy, many students knew what it meant to have a good relationship with Nawaki.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Nawaki, I was wrong!" The student named Kenta scratched his head, smiled sheepishly, and quickly wiped the grease from his mouth with his hand. "I overslept this morning and didn't have time to eat breakfast."

"Then you can't eat in class. I'll give you five minutes to eat outside the classroom and then come back in."

Nawaki pointed to the doorway and smiled helplessly.

"Thank you, teacher." Kenta picked up his lunchbox and walked out of the classroom.

"Hahaha, what a good-for-nothing!"

The students burst into laughter.

"Quiet down, continue the lesson." Nawaki's expression turned serious, and the students immediately fell silent.

After two classes, Nawaki said "Class dismissed" and walked out of the classroom.

He had just stepped out of the classroom when he saw the tall young man standing by the window and was immediately stunned.

"Shiraha?!"

Nawaki was overjoyed and rushed over in a few quick steps. He first punched Shiraha in the chest, and then hugged him.

"You rascal, when did you get back?! You didn't even tell me."

Shiraha patted Nawaki on the back and said with a smile, "I just got back this morning. I came to find you right after finishing up in the Medical Corps."

"You're smart enough to know what's good for you. Let's have a couple of drinks together after I finish my classes this afternoon!" Nawaki said happily. "Kushina shouldn't stop you from coming home late, right?"

"How could that be? You don't know my family's imperial status. Would Kushina dare to interfere with these things? I'd just go up there and..."

Seeing the strange smile suddenly appear on Nawaki's face, Shiraha realized what was going on and changed his words, saying, "My going up there was just a standard request for instructions!"

As he spoke, Shiraha turned around.

Not far behind him was Kushina, who had just asked for Nawaki for Nawaki.

"Right, Kushina? How about we grab a drink tonight?"

Shiraha remembered that he had come with Kushina and almost got into trouble.

"You two go ahead and drink. I'm going to talk to Tsunade tonight and sleep with her. I won't be back." Kushina said, "Shiraha, you're not going to stay out all night, are you?"

"How could that be? Am I that kind of person?" Shiraha waved his hands repeatedly.

"Okay." Kushina nodded. "Nawaki- nii, I'm going now."

"Goodbye." Nawaki waved to Kushina, then nudged Shiraha's chest with his elbow and teased, "Looks like you and Kushina have a pretty stable relationship."

"Okay." Shiraha said without changing his expression, then changed the subject and said, "Let's go to the hospital directly."

"What are you going to the hospital for?" Nawaki was taken aback by the question, then suddenly realized. "Could it be..."

Shiraha nodded. "Although the technique isn't fully mature yet, it's time to focus on training your legs first, let them recover first. I've already asked Kushina to help you get a two-month leave!"

"Shiraha... I really can." Nawaki looked incredulous. He had thought he had given up hope, but when he heard Shiraha's affirmative answer, he was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

"Let's go."

Shiraha patted Nawaki on the shoulder.