The early morning sun shone over Konoha.
Once again, members of the Sixth Guard Unit gathered in front of the Hokage Tower for the shift change of patrol duties.
"Hard work."
The two squads exchanged brief greetings. Yan Uchiha, the only anomaly among them, simply kept his hands in his pockets and walked away alone.
Everyone had long grown accustomed to his peculiar behavior.
As usual, Minato would walk home with Kushina, seeing her partway before heading back to his place.
"Whoosh!"
A cold wind blew, causing Minato to shiver involuntarily. In this barely warming season, the temperature was still low. He hadn't felt the cold during his night patrol at all, yet now he felt an eerie chill from the gust.
Swish!
Minato immediately stopped walking. An Anbu member dashed forward through several quick movements, stopping right in front of him.
Before the man even arrived, Minato had already sensed the chakra.
"Namikaze Minato, the Hokage has ordered you to come to the Hokage Tower immediately," the Anbu conveyed the command without adding any extra words, then disappeared instantly.
Minato wasn't surprised. Yesterday, Orochimaru had already told him that Jiraiya had requested from the Third Hokage to send him to the battlefield. Considering the urgency of the frontline situation, being summoned now likely meant receiving exactly that order.
Without hesitation, he followed the Anbu toward the Hokage Tower.
"Hokage-sama, why won't you let me go to war?" As he reached the entrance of the Hokage Office, a loud protest came from inside.
Minato recognized this voice very well—it belonged to Nawaki.
Initially planning to walk straight in, Minato froze on the spot. Even the Anbu accompanying him didn't know how to react.
Shuffle! Shuffle!
At that moment, hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway.
Minato sensed them clearly, and the Anbu turned his head to look.
A young woman with blond hair appeared—none other than Tsunade. Only now, she had her brows furrowed angrily as she reached them in an instant.
"Tsunade-senpai."
"Tsunade-sama."
Minato and the Anbu both offered polite greetings, but Tsunade ignored them completely. With an angered expression, she stormed directly into the Hokage Office without closing the door behind her.
"Hokage-sama." Tsunade first addressed the somewhat frustrated-looking Third Hokage seated behind his desk, then turned her gaze toward Nawaki.
"You little punk," she snapped, "how dare you cause trouble in the Hokage Office!" Without waiting for a response, she flicked Nawaki hard on the forehead.
Nawaki flinched from the pain but still wore a defiant expression. "I'm not causing trouble! I just want to fight on the battlefield, just like my sister did—I want to do my part as a Konoha ninja too!"
"Kids should stay home where they belong!" Tsunade shot back furiously. "War is for adults!"
But Nawaki wouldn't give up so easily. "Then why has the Third Hokage already approved sending Minato to war? And he's my junior!"
Minato, standing outside, was taken aback. How had Nawaki found out about his deployment?
Tsunade was taken aback as well. She glanced toward the doorway—at Minato, whom she had just neglected. Nawaki followed her gaze.
"Minato?"
Nawaki frowned. He hadn't noticed it at all just now.
"Come in first," the Third beckoned Minato with a wave.
"Yes." Minato acknowledged and entered, closing the door behind him while the Anbu disappeared first.
Tsunade and Nawaki fell silent. The Third stood up, his eyes flickering as he stared at Nawaki. "Who told you about Minato going to the battlefield?"
"Orochimaru," Nawaki answered immediately.
Upon hearing this, the Third's eyes darkened, as did Minato's.
He seemed to recall—Nawaki, who had died during the Second Great Ninja War, was exactly on a mission with Orochimaru back then.
Yet history had changed this time. Unexpectedly, Nawaki should have remained within the village all along.
And yet now, Orochimaru had told him about Minato being sent to the battlefield. Given Nawaki's personality, naturally he would request deployment from the Third.
What purpose does that guy have?
"Orochimaru!!" Tsunade clenched her fists tightly. If not for being in front of the Third, she probably would've rushed straight to Orochimaru and beaten him up already.
She understood perfectly well what consequences Orochimaru's action might bring.
The battlefield was no place for him yet — Nawaki's skills weren't ready for such danger.
Knock knock!
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
At the Third's call, someone stepped inside.
It was... Yan Uchiha.
"Hokage-sama," Yan Uchiha greeted respectfully, not even glancing at Minato, Tsunade, and Nawaki as he approached the Third.
The Third raised his gaze and looked at him. "You should know why I summoned you today."
Yan nodded. "My father has already informed me."
Yan Uchiha's father was an elder of the Uchiha clan, also an elite Uchiha ninja of formidable strength.
"Then how do you decide?" the Third asked again.
Hearing this, Yan's jet-black pupils remained calm and expressionless. "Since many seniors in the village are shedding blood on the frontlines, naturally I have no reason to retreat."
"I'm willing to go to war and kill enemies!"
"So you're also going to the battlefield?" Nawaki froze instantly, then turned towards the Third again. "Hokage-sama, if even my two juniors can go, I must go too!"
Minato frowned beside them. Originally, he thought Yan would stay in the village to avoid the fate of dying during that supply transport mission in the past.
But now...
"Have I ever stopped you from going into battle?" the Third's tone suddenly shifted as he continued, "Any ninja of Konoha, regardless of age or gender, will not be stopped by me if they wish to fight on the battlefield!"
"Because defending our homeland is the sacred duty of every ninja of Konoha!"
While saying this, the Third looked toward Tsunade, who opened her mouth but held back her words.
Even though she worried about Nawaki, she couldn't deprive him of his responsibilities as a ninja.
Moreover, this child's dream was to protect the precious treasure left behind by his grandfather.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama!" Nawaki's eyes shone brightly as he knelt down before the Third.
Minato, however, looked increasingly solemn. Comparing the familiar history he knew with the present reality, everything felt simultaneously familiar and strange.
"However, Genin are not permitted to participate in actual combat," The Third added, which was a wartime regulation.
A weak Genin would stand no chance on the battlefield against enemy ninja.
Minato and the other two exchanged knowing nods.
But Nawaki, who had just been cleared for combat and was thrilled about it, suddenly looked disappointed.
The Third gazed at the three young ninja before him, his expression growing serious as he spoke solemnly, "Therefore, I hereby appoint Minato Namikaze, Yan Uchiha, and Nawaki to temporarily serve as Konoha's Special Chunin, authorized to participate in the Second Great Ninja War!"
...
...(continued)
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