"Alright, but..."
It wouldn't be very nice to tell a girl not to wet her pants, so Uchiha Yoichi held back his words. Instead, he simply turned and left after hugging, sparing Minami the embarrassment.
Reflecting on what happened last time, after Uzumaki Minami calmed down, she should have realized it was due to touching his body. Now she wanted to initiate a hug again, could it be... the awakening of a pervert?
Uchiha Yoichi knew that Uzumaki Karin had perverted tendencies, but now he suspected that trait was passed down to her daughter by Minami.
"Well... thank you, Lord Yoichi..."
After saying that, Uzumaki Minami reached out to hug Uchiha Yoichi.
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"Leaving again?"
Kushina looked dissatisfied upon hearing Namikaze Minato's decision to depart. He had promised to rest and spend time with her after the mission, yet he was often not in the village.
Namikaze Minato folded his hands together and said, "I'm sorry, Kushina, but this time Kikyo Castle is really on the brink of war, and I must go."
"I'm not saying you can't go, just... be safe. But Minato, can I go with you? I can control some of the Tailed Beast Power now."
Kushina knew war was no small issue, but she also wanted to help the village rather than just stay in Konoha, constantly feeling watched.
"Well... it seems Lord Hokage hasn't arranged for that. Maybe next time, Kushina."
Namikaze Minato apologized, knowing that although Kushina had some control over the Tailed Beast Power, it was minimal. If overwhelmed by the Nine-Tailed Chakra, she could still lose her mind.
"Minato, can you talk to the Third about it for me..."
"This... Kushina, we'll talk about it in the future."
All Minato could do was offer his apologies, thinking that allowing Kushina more freedom to move last time was already a significant achievement. The only way for her to be completely free was if he became Hokage.
"Kushina, I'm off now. I promise you'll be free one day."
After that, Namikaze Minato took his leave.
Long after he left, Kushina was still muttering irritably, "Always saying in the future, when will I finally be able to leave the village and see the world..."
On the other side
That afternoon, when Uzumaki Minami set out, Gates went along. This chubby bear wasn't too pleased, thinking it would be better for Uzumaki Minami to arrive first and then summon it using Summoning Jutsu.
However, upon reaching the destination, Uzumaki Minami still hadn't had enough rest and her legs were a bit weak.
In this state, Uzumaki Minami definitely couldn't travel swiftly. If she attempted to tree-hop, she might fall.
So Uchiha Yoichi let her ride on Gates. As the Earth Bear, Gates could continuously draw strength from the ground and wasn't slow when running, making it a suitable mount.
Although Gates was sent to protect Minami, it had another helper, Shinga, whose strength was not to be underestimated. Ordinary ninjas were no match for Shinga.
War was coming, but Uchiha Yoichi was quite eager to be sent to the battlefield.
He had persistently trained in the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, and although he wasn't very adept at multi-point blinking teleportation yet, the technique was certainly enough to save his life on the battlefield.
With reserved Chakra for teleportation, Uchiha Yoichi wouldn't perish on the battlefield.
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"Konoha and the Hidden Sand Ninja have gone to war?"
The Third Raikage was delighted upon hearing this news and smashed a table with one hand. He then instructed those nearby, "Dodai, immediately select six Ninja squads to station at the Land of Hot Water's border. This time, I want to see if Hiruzen Sarutobi's words are still as tough!"
As a representative of the hardline martial Hidden Villages, the Third Raikage immediately ordered six Ninja squads, with each comprising five hundred men, intending to deploy three thousand soldiers along the Land of Fire's border.
"Lord Raikage, isn't this a bit much? If the Hidden Rock Ninja learn of this, they might have thoughts about us."
Dodai immediately voiced his opposition, recognizing that the Third Raikage's decision had been made impulsively.
"Konoha and the Hidden Sand Ninja haven't even started fighting yet. Even if we are to profit from their distress, we should wait until both sides are heavily engaged before stepping in. Deploying six Ninja squads now... Lord Raikage, this is effectively aiding the Hidden Sand Ninja."
They were merely posturing to start a war, yet you're acting prematurely. If the Hidden Sand Ninja learned of this, they'd thank the Third Raikage up and down.
"That Uchiha guy, I'm still livid whenever I think of him!"
The Third Raikage said angrily, and everyone knew who he was referring to—it was the one who infiltrated their village, stole and destroyed their secrets and Ninjutsu, and then used an Illusion Technique to hypnotize the Raikage, prompting him to provide cover and even attempt an assassination in the end.
Each of these acts was enough to make that Uchiha their Cloud Village's nemesis, and he had done them all.
"Lord Raikage, we will certainly find an opportunity to kill him, but right now, we still need to deal with the Hidden Rock Village. Recently, the Hidden Waterfall Ninja infiltrated the Land of Rice Fields, and it seems the Hidden Rock Village is behind it."
Dodai advised that despite Konoha and that Uchiha being pesky, the Hidden Rock Village was their true enemy. The greatest obstacle to the Cloud Ninja's development was the Hidden Rock Ninja.
Both sides have two Jinchurikis and are developing their military capabilities. Moreover, their Two-tailed Jinchuriki is aging, and they're considering appointing a new Jinchuriki, so it's not suitable for the battlefield.
"Lord Raikage, my suggestion is not to move the Ninja squads rashly, but rather to first send elite ninjas to investigate and sabotage. If they obtain valuable information, we can then discuss whether to engage."
The best strategy remains to profit from their distress, though Dodai didn't explicitly state it as a reminder. If the opportunity arises, the Third Raikage certainly wouldn't miss it.
"Let's proceed with that plan, Dodai. Do we have any intel on the Konoha Nine-tailed Jinchuriki?"
"None, sir. They have kept the Jinchuriki's identity confidential, but according to previous estimates, Konoha's Nine-tailed Jinchuriki should be around the same age as A... however, that Uchiha stole our Jinchuriki training method, so it's unclear whether they can use the Nine-Tails' power."
They had once attempted to abduct Konoha Village's Jinchuriki candidates, but despite failing, they had gleaned some information about the Nine-tailed Jinchuriki.
Even if not perfectly controlling the Tailed Beast Power, they should be able to manage it to some extent now.
"If that's the case, then I'll head to Konoha myself. As for the Hidden Rock Village, you and Killer Bee will handle that."
The Third Raikage said, looking at his son. Together with Killer Bee, they possessed considerable strength, even against the Hidden Rock Village's two Jinchurikis.
"Father, let me go to Konoha instead..."
The Third Raikage waved his hand, saying, "No need, it's settled. But Dodai, we must still deploy the Ninja squads to the Land of Hot Water."
"I understand, Lord Raikage."
Dodai nodded in agreement. The Ninja squads were both reinforcements and an opportunity. If they truly find a chance for battle, they would actively ignite the war just like the Hidden Sand Ninja.