Namikaze Minato's Problem

The girl was always so gentle when it came to her companions.

As for Obito, he was grinning like a complete idiot, seemingly having already cast the previous incident to the back of his mind.

Sen Chisato looked toward Namikaze Minato, who happened to be looking at him at that very moment.

Their eyes met; Minato offered a brilliant smile, and Sen Chisato simply shrugged.

Just like that, the tension seemed to have dissolved.

The group continued along the defensive line established by Konoha, and for every stretch they covered, the ninja stationed at each outpost would send someone out to report the situation.

Things were fine; no traces of Sand Ninja infiltration had been discovered in these sectors.

Throughout these exchanges, Sen Chisato remained silent.

The stationed ninja were cautious, patrolling their assigned areas meticulously every day. After all, with their lives on the line, no one dared to be careless.

However, Sen Chisato did not trust this intelligence lightly. Every few kilometers, he would stop to perform a sensory sweep.

He trusted himself far more than he trusted so-called companions.

Fortunately, the day remained calm and uneventful.

In the blink of an eye, the sun dipped below the horizon, night fell, and a campfire was lit in the forest.

Team Minato and Sen Chisato sat around the fire, beginning to consolidate the day's information and discuss their subsequent plans.

"As it stands, the information obtained by headquarters is largely accurate; there are no Sand Ninja infiltrating this area..." By the flickering firelight, Namikaze Minato pointed to a section of the map—the region they had traversed that day.

He paused, then added a reminder: "But we cannot be certain that the Sand Ninja won't infiltrate here later on!"

"There's no helping that. While we are moving, the Sand Ninja are moving too. Besides, if they encounter unexpected situations, they might change their routes," Sen Chisato nodded. After all, even now, Konoha had yet to determine the true objective of the Sand Ninja's infiltration.

As for cutting off support and supply lines, those were merely guesses, unsupported by any concrete intelligence.

"What do you think we should do?" Minato asked, rubbing his chin.

Although five people were participating in the discussion, including his three students, only he and Sen Chisato were truly capable of engaging in the strategic planning.

Kakashi was not weak, but he was currently only suited to be a blade—the type that would simply hack away when encountering an enemy.

Obito was careless and lacked a grasp of the big picture.

Nohara Rin, being a girl, was sensitive and thoughtful, but strategy and tactics were her weak points.

In short, they were all still too green.

There was no helping it; this group of subordinates had graduated right as the war broke out. While war could temper people and allow a new generation of ninja to grow rapidly—provided they didn't die young—it required someone to teach them.

He was more than willing to teach, with no intention of holding anything back, but he simply lacked the time.

If not for his daily "complaint" letters, combined with the fact that Orochimaru had suddenly announced he was leaving the village to join the war, finally "begging" his own teacher to return, he would have been even busier.

At this stage, Konoha's shortage of high-level combat power was far more severe than it had been during the Second Shinobi World War.

Looking back at the Second Shinobi World War, the Third Hokage was in his prime. Although he also remained in Konoha, he provided a sense of stability and ease.

As long as he was there, Cloud Hidden and Stone Hidden dared not easily cross the borders of the Land of Fire, and the battlefield was tacitly set in the Land of Rain, with Konoha primarily dealing with the Land of Rain and the Sand Hidden.

Back then, there were the Sannin, there was Hatake Sakumo, and the "Darkness of the Shinobi," Shimura Danzo, would pop up from time to time to stir up trouble.

But now?

The Third Hokage had grown old; Hatake Sakumo was dead; Lady Tsunade had left Konoha, a place of sorrow; Jiraiya, unable to tolerate certain issues within the village, had also left to embark on a solitary journey to find the "future."

The only one remaining in the village, Orochimaru, had also been affected by the war, his personality undergoing a drastic change. He almost never left his house, and if he did, it had nothing to do with anyone else; he was immersed in his own world, a pure "shut-in."

Then the war began, and people realized that Konoha had weakened, with its high-level combatants either dead, old, or gone.

As for the "Darkness of the Shinobi," he seemed to be subtly evolving into the "Darkness of Konoha."

At this time, Minato, who had stood out from the crowd, suddenly became conspicuous. Being exceptionally talented himself, and having mastered the Flying Thunder God, the heavy burden suddenly fell upon his shoulders.

He flew all over the battlefield, effectively becoming a firefighter.

He was the busiest person in all of Konoha.

Fortunately, Orochimaru had finally returned to the field, and Jiraiya had followed suit, allowing him to finally catch his breath.

Therefore, the look he gave Sen Chisato was filled with deep gratitude.

He had noticed some of the changes in Orochimaru, which even he found dangerous and unfamiliar. Given Orochimaru's personality, how could he easily change his mind? Once he had decided not to go to the battlefield, no one's persuasion worked—not even that of his teacher, the Third Hokage.

Yet, Orochimaru had truly changed his mind!

The only person who could influence him was one individual: Orochimaru's new disciple, Sen Chisato.

And the reason his own teacher was willing to return was also due to Orochimaru announcing his participation in the war.

So, for all of this, he had Sen Chisato to thank.

He was even more convinced that Sen Chisato, having spent years with Orochimaru and being taught by him personally, would certainly not be lacking in strategy and tactics!

Under his expectant gaze, Sen Chisato pondered for a moment before saying, "Our mission is to clear out the Sand Ninja who have infiltrated the rear. We just need to follow the plan and clear the designated areas. As for any scattered targets we might miss, they won't be able to stir up any trouble, so we don't need to worry about them."

As for a total sweep, they might encounter many Sand Ninja in the short term, which would allow him to quickly improve his strength, so he was naturally happy to do it.

But if he were really expected to push forward inch by inch, searching back and forth for every straggler, he couldn't be bothered.

The effort and the reward were simply not proportional.

With time like this, it would be better to return to the main camp and participate in other missions.

Moreover, while the plan for Team Minato was important, the large-scale battlefield was still the top priority at the moment.

"We should just fight our way through; there's no need to discuss it at all," Obito muttered.

"Obito, don't interrupt!" Nohara Rin warned sternly.

"Yes, yes!" Obito grinned and shut his mouth.

"But what if those Sand Ninja are pushed to the brink and infiltrate the Land of Fire directly?" Kakashi considered a possibility.

At this time, the Konoha defense line was built in the Land of Rivers, and the infiltrating Sand Ninja were scattered between the Konoha defense line and the Land of Fire. If the Sand Ninja were truly aiming to cut off Konoha's supply routes, it was not impossible for them to enter the Land of Fire to operate.

Namikaze Minato and Sen Chisato exchanged a smile.

"That is no longer our concern," Sen Chisato said.

"Don't forget, Konoha has the Hokage presiding over things," Namikaze Minato reminded him.

So that was it.

Kakashi nodded silently and said nothing more.

"Alright, the discussion is over. It's getting late, so let's get some rest."

Namikaze Minato put away the map and said with a smile, "The period ahead will be very tiring, so we need to get our energy up."

"I'll take the night watch," Kakashi volunteered.

"I'll take the first half of the night; you can decide the rest yourselves," Sen Chisato said, leaving no room for negotiation.

"I..."

Kakashi wanted to say something more, but Sen Chisato glanced at him sideways and said, "Don't overthink it. Since we left Konoha, I haven't had a proper rest, and I didn't sleep at all last night. The only reason I'm taking the first half is because I want to get a good night's sleep."

"Then Chisato will take the first half, and I'll take the second. It's decided," Namikaze Minato said, also hoping his three students would rest well.

As for himself, he was already used to it.

Once the assignments were made, Team Minato began to rest, while Sen Chisato sat alone by the campfire, closing his eyes to doze.

However, not long after, once Kakashi and the others were fast asleep, Namikaze Minato walked back and sat opposite Sen Chisato across the fire.

Sen Chisato did not react, as if he hadn't noticed, though in truth, he had expected it.

The forest at night was silent, save for the occasional crackle of the firewood.

"Can we talk?" Namikaze Minato said softly.

"About what?" Sen Chisato asked, knowing full well what he meant, his eyes still closed.

"Why did you keep provoking Obito today?" Namikaze Minato asked, then added, "This isn't an interrogation. I can tell that you don't dislike them. Of course, if you don't want to answer..."

"They have talent. Although they each have their flaws, they are all trustworthy companions," Sen Chisato opened his eyes and said slowly.

"That is why I don't want them to die... at least, I want them to live longer on the battlefield."

"Just consider it a lesson, nothing more!"

In the flickering firelight, Sen Chisato's youthful face shifted between light and shadow.

Namikaze Minato looked into Sen Chisato's eyes and saw nothing but sincerity.

It was a deep appreciation for his comrades!