In just half a morning, the three of them collapsed in exhaustion at the valley entrance.
"At this level, you'd probably be wiped out on the battlefield," Minato said, standing before them with a hint of teasing in his voice.
"The traps were too dense!" Nawaki sat up, already eliminated eighteen times, sixteen of which were single-handedly caused by Exploding Tags.
"How many traps do you think there are on a battlefield?"
"But battlefields are never short on traps—especially in places you don't expect," Minato emphasized. "The battlefield isn't a game of make-believe. There are always clever people out there. Even a genius like Kakashi nearly died on his first mission."
"With me here, you don't need to worry about enemy threats. But if you die to a trap, you might as well die by the enemy's hand. I'd rather you die heroically than foolishly."
"That makes sense," Mikoto replied with a wry smile. "If word of this gets back to the clan, they'll laugh us out of the village."
She understood Minato's intentions. He wasn't expecting them to fight; as long as they could avoid being eliminated by traps, he would ensure their safe return.
This was absolute confidence in his own strength!
He might as well have been spoon-feeding them.
"What a drag. I was hoping to take down a few more enemies."
Nawaki was somewhat disappointed, but he knew his skinny arms stood no chance against Minato's powerful legs.
"With your current strength, your primary mission on the battlefield is to focus on staying alive."
Minato shook his head. "In the end, ninjas are still human. Humans die when they're killed. That's the same for everyone."
"Exactly!"
Whoosh—
Tsunade suddenly appeared beside Minato, casually patting his yellow hair.
"Nawaki, don't underestimate the battlefield."
"Big Sis, what are you doing here?"
Nawaki was surprised by Tsunade's arrival.
"Bringing something."
As she spoke, Tsunade pulled two headbands from her Ninja Tool Pouch, handing one to Minato and the other to Kushina.
"Your graduation applications have been approved, Minato and Kushina. Nawaki's team withdrawal is also finalized."
"It's approved already? Without an exam?" Minato asked instinctively.
"An exam? For you?"
Tsunade chuckled. "The old man's swamped with work these days; he doesn't have time to waste on this. You're all free agents now and can form teams as you please."
Konoha ninjas weren't restricted to the traditional four-person team structure for missions. Teams of two or three were common, and single-person missions weren't unheard of. Sometimes, several squads would even operate together.
"Then why not just form a team for us directly?" Nawaki asked.
"Well... Kushina's status is special. She can't leave the village freely, so she can't be assigned to a team. That's a high-level decision." Tsunade sighed, her tone tinged with helplessness. "Team formation requires four members, and given Minato's strength, free team formation would allow him to better utilize his abilities."
Hearing this, Kushina pressed her lips together without comment.
She had long known that being sent to Konoha was to become the Nine-Tailed Jinchūriki. Fortunately, with Minato constantly by her side, any seeds of anxiety that might have taken root were immediately extinguished by his presence. She never experienced the loneliness depicted in the original story; every day was filled with purpose.
"I suppose there's nothing we can do," Kushina said after a brief silence, smiling resignedly.
Minato had long anticipated that the higher-ups would make such a decision, and it suited him perfectly. The more people they had to look after, the greater the risk, and he was still very cautious about that.
"Tomorrow morning, I'll take you to the Hokage Building to register your information. After that, you can claim missions at your leisure."
Seeing Kushina's relatively calm reaction, Tsunade felt slightly relieved. "Also, missions should be assigned within half a month at the latest."
"What's happening?" Minato asked.
"The Jonin Council just met. Hanzō issued a decree ordering all foreign ninjas to withdraw from the Land of Rain immediately and sent his own forces to forcibly intervene in the war between Konoha and Sunagakure."
Tsunade emphasized the word "war", clearly considering the conflict between Konoha and Sunagakure to already be a full-blown war.
"The village is now on high alert, with a large number of ninjas being deployed to the borders. Furthermore, Iwagakure has sent word that they seem to be using this opportunity to expand their territory."
"If the conflict in the Land of Rain escalates, Iwagakure might be the first to invade the Land of Grass. To prevent this, we need to dispatch reinforcements to support Kusa Hidden Village."
Nawaki asked in confusion, "What does Kusa Hidden Village have to do with us?"
"Of course it matters, you idiot! I told you to read more!"
Tsunade flicked Nawaki's forehead, her tone exasperated. "Kusa Hidden Village is our ally in Konoha, and it serves as a buffer between us and Iwagakure. If the Land of Grass falls, Konoha will face the full pressure of Iwagakure."
Nawaki, however, remained unfazed. Crossing his arms, he smiled arrogantly. "In other words, Iwagakure will also have to face the full pressure of Konoha?"
"The problem is, that wouldn't be much pressure for them at all," Minato explained. "While the Land of Fire boasts the best resources and environment in the Shinobi World, it's located at the very center, surrounded by the other Four Great Ninja Villages. Konoha might not fear a single Iwagakure, but if other villages seize the opportunity, Konoha could find itself facing a four-against-one war."
"Compared to the Land of Fire, the other countries have less favorable geography, but that indirectly protects them. For example, the Land of Earth is plagued by rockfalls from the sky. Would you really want to invade a place like that?"
"Huh—?"
Nawaki's eyes widened. "So we're at a disadvantage no matter what, right?"
"Yes," Minato nodded. "If war breaks out, Konoha will have to defend the front lines while also maintaining sufficient forces to guard the borders."
"The higher-ups allowing you to form your own teams is based on this very consideration."
Tsunade looked at Minato, her eyes filled with concern. "Minato, your mobility and strength would be most effective in localized conflicts and small-scale skirmishes. You could even turn the tide of a battle—that's far more valuable than being confined to a standard squad."
"However, this also means you'll likely be deployed to the most tense and dangerous regions."
"I understand, Teacher. Don't worry about me," Minato replied gently, his sunny smile radiating a reassuring strength.
Their gazes met, and both could see the care in each other's eyes.
Nawaki glanced from Tsunade to Minato, a flicker of confusion crossing his face.
For some reason, he sensed a strange atmosphere between Minato and his Big Sis.
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