"Phew! We ran into another Jonin, but this time it was all thanks to Minato," Nawaki said, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"No, this is thanks to the Rasengan Kyuushin taught me," Minato shook his head, then turned to Kyuushin, who was cleaning up the battlefield. "Kyuushin, are you sure you don't want to change the name of this ninjutsu? 'Rasengan' sounds too unheroic and uncool."
Nawaki was speechless upon hearing this and retorted, "The name you wanted to change it to before? Even I couldn't bring myself to say it."
Over there, Kyuushin finished cleaning the battlefield and walked over, smiling as he looked at the two, who were a bit disheveled but unharmed. "It's been less than half a year since we last encountered that Sand Village Jonin. Now, working together, dealing with a regular Jonin is no longer a problem. It seems we've made great progress."
"Hehe!" Nawaki scratched his head with a laugh.
By this time, three or four months had passed since the New Year. With their growth rate, they had indeed made significant progress. The Jonin they encountered this time was dealt with hardly any effort.
"The ninja world seems to be getting more and more restless," Minato said with concern. His lament was not unfounded. Almost every mission they had undertaken in the past few months was related to other ninja villages, whether it was spies gathering intelligence or ninja from other countries raiding the Land of Fire.
Kyuushin nodded. In the original story, the war between the Land of Rain and the Land of Iron was also considered part of the Second Great Ninja War. So, in fact, they were already at the time point of a world war.
"If a war really breaks out, will you go to the battlefield?" Nawaki suddenly asked.
Minato frowned. "According to our age, we shouldn't be within the conscription range. The village probably wouldn't let us go to the battlefield either."
Kyuushin, however, noticed the hidden meaning in Nawaki's words. "You only asked us but didn't mention yourself. What, you want to go to the battlefield?"
Nawaki nodded firmly. "I now have the strength of a Chunin. In a war, I'd be a main force, so of course, I want to go to the battlefield and contribute to the village."
Kyuushin shook his head. "Even if you want to go, your older sister and grandmother definitely won't agree."
"Then we'll find a way," Nawaki still said firmly. "Besides, aren't I asking you two? If you're also willing, with the three of us, we can fight a Jonin. In terms of combat power and survival ability, we're not weak."
Before Kyuushin could speak, Minato interjected. "Everything I have was given by the village, so of course, I'm willing to contribute. I can go with you then." Hearing Minato's words, Nawaki was pleased and then turned his gaze to Kyuushin.
Kyuushin waved his hand. "I don't care. As long as you can convince your sister and grandmother, I can go with you too." Kyuushin remembered that in the original work, Nawaki had died because he participated in this war. But what puzzled him was that, given Tsunade and Mito's personalities, they shouldn't have easily let Nawaki go to the battlefield. The higher-ups probably wouldn't dare to directly conscript him. It was more likely that Nawaki himself convinced them, which made Kyuushin very curious. If he could really convince them, Kyuushin wouldn't mind accompanying him. To be honest, with his current strength, unless it was a Kage-level expert, if he really wanted to run, an average Jonin couldn't stop him.
After receiving Kyuushin's "promise," Nawaki immediately became more confident. After a brief rest, the three set off on their way back to the village. Their mission this time was to the west of the Land of Fire, not too far from Konoha. The next morning, they returned.
However, when they went to the Hokage's Office to submit their report, they found that the atmosphere was very tense, as if something major had happened. The Third Hokage's brow was tightly furrowed, and he wasn't as amiable as usual. Nawaki stepped forward and asked, "Hokage-sama, has something happened?"
"This..." The Third Hokage hesitated for a moment, but finally told them, "Three days ago, I dispatched Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya to the Land of Grass to investigate Iwagakure's infiltration. However, I just received their distress signal. Their situation is still unclear."
Kyuushin frowned. No wonder the Third Hokage was so worried. If Tsunade and the other two were all trapped, it would undoubtedly be like severing one of the Hokage's arms.
"Ah?" Upon hearing this news, Nawaki visibly panicked. His older sister and his teacher were among the three.
In contrast, Minato was much calmer. He asked, "What will you do, Hokage-sama?"
"I have already ordered the formation of a special rescue team, which must depart for the Land of Grass before noon. So, you don't need to be too anxious," the Third Hokage said.
Hearing about the rescue mission, Nawaki instinctively asked, "Can we also join the rescue team?"
"No!" the Third Hokage flatly refused. "We don't know the situation in the Land of Grass right now, but for Tsunade and the other two to encounter difficulties, Iwagakure must have deployed elites. Such a dangerous mission is not suitable for you."
Nawaki urgently said, "The three of us combined are a match for a Jonin. We just took down another one this time. Besides, Kyuushin's sensory ninjutsu is excellent and would be a great help for the rescue."
"Oh? You encountered another Jonin?" the Third Hokage asked.
"That's right. The body is still in this scroll. Preliminary assessment suggests it's an Iwagakure ninja, but we don't know if it's related to our teachers being trapped," Kyuushin replied, taking out the scroll.
Upon hearing this, the Third Hokage immediately called an Anbu and ordered, "Hand this body to the Interrogation Department. We must obtain relevant intelligence before noon today." He then turned back to the three, his eyes now filled with satisfaction. "Well done! If there is indeed intelligence related to Iwagakure's operation this time, you have rendered a great service." But looking at the eager Nawaki, he added, "You are also considered participants in this mission. In principle, I shouldn't refuse, but you must still go back and ask for Lady Mito's opinion."
In fact, the Third Hokage was also conflicted. If they were ordinary ninja, he would have agreed long ago. But they weren't, so he had no choice but to throw the problem to Mito.
After hearing the Hokage's answer, Nawaki quickly returned home to find Mito and explained the situation.
"Are you sure you really want to go?" Mito asked him.
"Yes, Grandma. If I don't go, and something really happens to my sister, I'm afraid I'll regret it for the rest of my life," Nawaki said.
Mito shook her head, sighed, and after a long moment, said, "Then go." But then she sternly added, "However, you must not be reckless on this mission. You must obey Kyuushin's commands in everything. If you cannot comply..." She looked at Kyuushin beside her. "Then knock him out and bring him back. I know you can do it."
"Yes, I will definitely do it," Kyuushin immediately said.
Mito nodded, then went into the house and brought out a scroll, handing it to Kyuushin. "This is a healing scroll. No matter how severe the injury, as long as there's still a breath left, it can temporarily preserve a life. It's just a pity, this is the last one. If any of you are seriously injured, use this scroll to save your life, then immediately abandon the mission and return directly to the village. You will not bear any responsibility, understood?"
"Yes!" the three responded, and Kyuushin carefully put away the scroll. Watching the three depart, Mito sighed once more.
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