In the process, he would avoid as much unnecessary trouble as possible and keep a low profile whenever he could. He certainly wasn't trying to make himself look like an idiot; he simply didn't want to draw so much attention. Sometimes, appearing too weak wouldn't do either.
"Of course I'm going!"
Nawaki answered without hesitation. He didn't suspect Araki's reason for asking, assuming a junior was simply asking a senior who had already become a Genin. Smiling, he said, "I'm going to the battlefield to win honors for Konoha!"
"Could you... not go?" Araki asked weakly.
"No!"
Nawaki shook his head outright. His smile faded somewhat as he gave Araki a long look and said seriously, "My dream is to become Konoha's Hokage and protect the people in the village with my own hands. Anyone in the village can be afraid of going to the battlefield, but I'm the one person who absolutely cannot be afraid!"
"..."
After hearing Nawaki's resolute tone, Araki understood his stance. Speaking vaguely wouldn't accomplish anything at all.
Not only that.
Even if Nawaki didn't go this time, there would be a next time.
As a ninja, he would have to leave on missions eventually.
As long as the war hadn't officially ended, danger would always exist. Escaping it once didn't necessarily mean he could escape it a second time.
Besides, Araki didn't know whether Nawaki would actually be killed tomorrow. Before transmigrating, he hadn't paid attention to the exact timing of Nawaki's death.
Right now, it was all blind guesswork.
There was something else Araki wasn't clear about: whether Nawaki's death really happened the way he understood it, or whether all of that was merely on the surface, with something deeper underneath.
But those weren't things to consider right now. First, he needed to confirm Nawaki's stance. Only then could he truly put that somewhat risky plan into action.
"If I'm afraid of going to the battlefield, how can I protect the people in the village? How could I ever take the Hokage position?"
Seeing that Araki hadn't spoken, Nawaki added another remark.
When he mentioned the Hokage position, Nawaki's face filled with anticipation and longing. It was his heartfelt dream, the goal he would strive and work toward throughout his life.
"Wh... what if... I mean... what if... you went out this time... and died?"
Araki suddenly raised his head and stared at Nawaki without blinking, wanting to clearly catch the most genuine changes in his eyes.
The eyes were windows to the soul. To a certain extent, they reflected a person's state of mind.
What he saw was...
Nawaki's gaze was firm, without the slightest hesitation.
"If I die, I die!"
Nawaki showed no fear of death whatsoever. He even smiled, setting down his unfinished tri-colored dango and raising a hand to pat Araki's head. Like an older brother explaining something to a younger brother, he was especially gentle throughout.
"Death is the ultimate destination for all of us ninja!"
"No one can escape it. Even someone as powerful as Grandpa died in the end!"
"Every ninja's ending is already decided, so what determines our worth is the journey!"
"A ninja's life isn't defined by how he lives, but by how he dies!"
"If I could die fighting for Konoha on the battlefield, I'd be incredibly proud. That's the ending I've always dreamed of. I'm willing to shed my very last drop of blood for Konoha!"
"From the moment I decided to become Hokage..."
"I was already prepared to sacrifice myself for Konoha!"
"It's just like how you're willingly studying medicine for Konoha's rise!"
"At heart, we're the same kind of person. We just stand in different positions and see things from different angles. I know you can understand me!"
Stroking Araki's head, Nawaki spoke passionately, one sentence after another. As he said those words, he seemed to shine with a brilliant halo. At such a young age, he had already willingly shouldered the heavy responsibility of Konoha.
That spirit earned Araki's heartfelt admiration.
Sigh...
We're not the same kind of person!
You're willing to sacrifice yourself for the village, while I'm willing to sacrifice everything for myself. We're precisely two opposite extremes.
But...
That doesn't stop us from becoming friends!
"N... Nawaki... study... Medical Ninjutsu with me..."
Araki raised his right hand and caught Nawaki's hand as it stroked his head, speaking with extraordinary determination despite his stammer.
"???"
Araki's words left Nawaki with a head full of question marks.
Study medicine? What for?
Medicine can't save Konoha!
Saving Konoha takes fists!
A nation has to be won through fighting!
As the grandson of Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, Nawaki had a profound understanding of power. You could choose not to use it, but you absolutely couldn't afford not to have it.
But...
Before Nawaki could say anything more.
Araki spoke again, saying something that shocked him even more.
"Tonight... come with me..."
Araki's stammered words left Nawaki dumbfounded. He instinctively tried to pull his wrist free, only to discover that Araki's grip was unexpectedly strong.
"To see... Teacher Tsunade..."
Only after Araki finished speaking did Nawaki breathe a sigh of relief. Remembering his momentary misunderstanding, he couldn't help blushing slightly.
"What do you want to see my sister for?"
After a brief pause, Nawaki voiced his question, saying, "Your lessons don't officially start until tomorrow!"
"T... tomorrow... will be too late..."
Araki shook his head, his gaze exceptionally determined. Right now, there was only one person who could stop Nawaki from leaving, and that was Tsunade.
Now he could only pin his hopes on Tsunade's love for her younger brother.
As for the process...
Araki felt it would be a huge gamble!
It would be his boldest move since coming to the ninja world. But for the sake of the bond that had formed between him and Nawaki with lightning speed, he was willing to try.
Whatever the final outcome.
As long as he did his best, he would have no regrets, and he would have repaid Nawaki's kindness.
But...
Coming back to it.
Nawaki's words just now had stirred Araki deeply, and he had a very strong premonition.
The effect produced by the flapping of his butterfly wings could bring about an enormous chain reaction.
If Nawaki really survived...
Then the future Fourth Hokage might not be Minato Namikaze!
Chapter 45: Come In, You Two
Nawaki looked utterly bewildered. He had no idea what Araki was planning. They had only just left his sister's place, and now they were going to see her again tonight. Wasn't that far too soon?
Most importantly...
He was going to be dragged along too!
Nawaki truly didn't want to become a medical-nin. In his fundamental understanding, becoming Hokage meant having the ability to fight across the world. That required formidable strength, not gentle healing abilities.
Otherwise, he would have agreed to his sister's request long ago.
His sister had offered to teach him Medical Ninjutsu more than once or twice, and he had refused every time.
Now Araki actually wanted him to study Medical Ninjutsu together.
"No!"
"I'm not going!"
"I'm not learning Medical Ninjutsu!"
"I'm not going with you!"
Nawaki shook his head repeatedly. He vaguely felt something was wrong here. Araki had been acting a little strange ever since they entered the shop, but he couldn't put his finger on exactly why.
"You... have... to... go..."
An unquestionable determination came through in Araki's stammer. What he needed to do now was get Nawaki back to Tsunade, then take a gamble on the plan he had envisioned.
If he still couldn't change history after this attempt, then the burden on Araki's conscience wouldn't be so great. After all, he would have done everything he should.
"I'm not going!"
Nawaki spoke stubbornly. At this point, their conversation and the expressions on their faces truly made them look like two children.
Nawaki was only twelve. Even if the environment of the ninja world had made him relatively precocious, he still hadn't outgrown his childishness.
The sun sank toward the west, and the evening glow spread across the sky.
Araki and Nawaki had spent most of the afternoon sitting in the tri-colored dango shop. Their stalemate had continued until now, with neither giving way.
"Nawaki... do you really... think of me... as a friend?"
Seeing that it was about time, Araki suddenly grew serious. Over the long afternoon, he and Nawaki had gone back and forth countless times.
It was time to end this!
In fact.