Minato, do you want to become Hokage?

"All right. Since you all have plans, I won't say any more. I have something else to do, so I'll be leaving!" Hatake Ziyan said as he stood up.

"Take care, Lord Ziyan!" They all rose to their feet.

Hatake Ziyan nodded and walked out with Sakumo.

After leaving, Hatake Ziyan parted ways with Sakumo and headed to the Training Ground, where three people were waiting for him.

When Hatake Ziyan arrived at the Training Ground, he saw the three who had come early to wait for him.

"Grandpa Ziyan!" the three called out.

Hatake Ziyan nodded and looked them over.

Kushina was now over a hundred and sixty centimeters tall, with long red hair draped over her shoulders. She had grown into a real beauty.

Nawaki, standing beside Kushina, had also grown into a strapping youth.

"How have you three been these past few years?" Hatake Ziyan asked.

"Great! We've learned all the ninjutsu you taught us! But since you weren't here, the village assigned us other teachers. I already had a teacher, so I stayed with Orochimaru-sensei!" Nawaki said cheerfully.

Hatake Ziyan wasn't at all surprised that Hiruzen Sarutobi had assigned them new teachers and teammates.

"Then whose squads are you two on now?" Hatake Ziyan asked, though he already knew the answer.

Kakashi gave Kushina a dead-eyed look and said, "I'm on Minato Namikaze's squad now! We're heading to the battlefield in a couple of days!"

Kushina deliberately smacked Kakashi on the head and teased, "Where are your manners? You should call him Minato-sensei!"

"Oh? You just want me to call you my teacher's wife, don't you?" Kakashi said, still wearing that dead-eyed look.

Kushina patted Kakashi's shoulder and grinned. "Mm-hmm! Come on, Kakashi. Let me hear you call me your teacher's wife!"

Nawaki ran up to Kakashi as well. "If you call Kushina your teacher's wife, you'll have to call me Uncle too! Come on, let me hear you say Uncle Nawaki!"

Watching the three fool around, Hatake Ziyan clapped his hands. "All right, all right! Stop messing around. I originally wanted to test your strength, but it looks like you all have good teachers now, so you've probably improved quite a bit! And since you're heading to the battlefield, I won't crush your confidence!"

The three stopped fooling around and quietly listened to Hatake Ziyan.

"Nawaki, you'll be heading to the battlefield with the food supply convoy too, right?" Hatake Ziyan asked him.

"Yes! Orochimaru-sensei thinks I need some experience on the battlefield!" Nawaki said with a grin, rubbing the back of his head.

"Good. Some battlefield experience will do you good!" Hatake Ziyan said. "Your strength is decent now, but remember that danger is everywhere on the battlefield, so you must stay alert at all times. Sometimes danger doesn't just come from the enemy. Sometimes your teammates can be dangerous too!"

Nawaki understood the first part of what Hatake Ziyan said, but what did that last sentence mean? Did he have to watch out for the teammates fighting alongside him too?

"Here! This is for Orochimaru. Deliver it to him for me. He'll know what arrangements to make!" Still uneasy, Hatake Ziyan wrote a letter to Orochimaru, though he included some other matters he wanted Orochimaru to handle as well.

"Yes, Grandpa Ziyan!" Nawaki took the letter and tucked it safely inside his clothes.

Hatake Ziyan turned to Kushina. "How long can you maintain Nine-Tails Mode now?"

"Five to ten minutes if I go all out. It depends on the enemy!" Kushina said.

Hatake Ziyan nodded, then said, "Then your own safety shouldn't be a problem. There aren't many people in the world right now who can kill you while you're in Nine-Tails Mode!"

Kushina knew very well how strong she was in Nine-Tails Mode. Though she was powerful compared to most people, that strength really didn't amount to much before this grandfather of hers!

"By the way, can you contact Minato? I'd like to see him!" Hatake Ziyan asked.

Kushina nodded with a blush, then took out a kunai and channeled a little chakra into it.

A few seconds later, a yellow flash appeared. As the light faded, Minato stood before Kushina.

"Kushina, what's wrong?" Minato asked, taking both her hands.

Looking at the anxious Minato holding her hands, Kushina, whose face was already a little red, now blushed all the way down to her neck.

"Ahem! Minato!" Hatake Ziyan called out after clearing his throat twice.

Only then did Minato Namikaze notice his surroundings. Everyone around him was staring at him.

Minato quickly let go of Kushina's hands and said awkwardly, "Lord Ziyan, when did you get back?"

"Just now!" Hatake Ziyan said. "Minato, are you free right now? There's something I want to ask you!"

"Please ask, Lord Ziyan!" Minato grew serious and answered immediately. It seemed Lord Ziyan had specifically asked Kushina to summon him.

Hatake Ziyan motioned for the others to step away. Taking the hint, they immediately moved aside to give the two some space.

"Minato, do you want to become Hokage?" Hatake Ziyan asked.

Upon hearing Hatake Ziyan's question, Minato Namikaze nodded without the slightest hesitation. "Becoming Hokage has always been my dream!"

"I have a way to make you Hokage now. Are you willing?" Hatake Ziyan asked.

Minato Namikaze stared into Hatake Ziyan's eyes for a while before saying, "May I ask how you intend to get me into the Hokage position, Lord Ziyan? The current Lord Hokage's strength has hardly declined, and he isn't particularly old either. There's no reason for him to step aside for a successor!"

Hatake Ziyan chuckled. "Don't get the wrong idea. I intend to make you Hokage through legitimate means. I've never considered simply killing Hiruzen Sarutobi, so you don't need to worry. Put down that kunai! If I wanted to kill him, you couldn't stop me anyway!"

Hearing Hatake Ziyan say this, Minato awkwardly lowered the kunai in his hand and asked again, "What are you planning to do, Lord Ziyan?"

"It's simple. I'll help you quickly earn enough military merit and fame to force Hiruzen Sarutobi to step down!" Hatake Ziyan said.

Minato frowned in confusion. "How can I earn that much military merit as I am now? I'm only a squad leader on the front against the Land of Earth! Earning enough military merit to become Hokage is impossible for me right now!"

Hatake Ziyan patted Minato's shoulder. "You don't need to worry about how to earn military merit. I'll arrange that myself. But there's one thing I need to confirm with you! Can you use Flying Thunder God proficiently now?"

"Yes! With the pointers you gave me a few years ago and my own hard training, I can already use Flying Thunder God Level One proficiently, and I've more or less mastered Level Two as well!" Minato said.