Several days passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, the Konoha reinforcements brought by Hyūga Hizashi gradually took over Oborozuki Castle's defenses from Inuzuka Tsume and began settling in. Patrol and reconnaissance duties started proceeding in an orderly fashion.
The condition of the wounded had also been brought under control. From here on, they only needed normal rest and recovery.
And so,
after saying goodbye once again to Inuzuka Tsume, Hyūga Hizashi, and the others, Namikaze Minato led Mikami Yuu's group, along with the captive Pakura, on the road back to Wildfire City.
Originally, Minato had worried that they might run into a Suna ambush along the way.
After all, in the last encounter, Suna had suffered heavy losses. Not only had twenty to thirty elites died, but they had also lost Pakura, an important combat asset. They had every reason to organize a rescue. So Minato specifically instructed Yuu and the others to maintain high alert the whole way.
But…
until they stepped through the gates of Wildfire City, the expected attack never came.
It seemed Chiyo's defeat had thrown Suna into panic, leaving them temporarily afraid to act rashly against them.
That was a good thing.
Soon, the group returned to the frontline command post inside the city.
Jiraiya, who had already received news of their return, personally came out to greet them. His booming laughter nearly lifted the roof.
"Hahaha! Excellent work, you little brats from Team Minato!"
"You pulled out the nail at Oborozuki Castle, dealt a heavy blow to Suna's elites, and even captured their Scorch Release genius alive! This achievement is enough to make all of you famous! Minato, you really did train yourself some good students!"
"You flatter me, sensei."
Minato stood to the side with a smile. "They earned it through their own effort. I only guided them a little."
"Haha, now you're being modest in front of me?"
Jiraiya laughed again, then slapped Yuu heavily on the shoulder and cast approving looks toward Kakashi and the others. The more he looked at these "grand-students," the more satisfied he became.
How should he put it…
Jiraiya had originally thought Kakashi was already genius enough. He hadn't expected Mikami Yuu to be even more fierce. At such a young age, Yuu had already produced the achievement of capturing a jōnin alive, and had "together" with Minato repelled Chiyo. That was excellent news worth publicizing heavily to damage Suna's morale.
Of course, the specifics still needed to be discussed with Yuu himself. There was no hurry.
"So this is that Suna genius?"
Jiraiya turned his gaze to Pakura, who was following behind Team Minato.
"I've already notified Inoichi. Later, I'll have him come over and 'look' at what valuable intelligence this Suna genius has inside her head."
"…"
Mikami Yuu hesitated briefly, then said softly, "Um, Lord Jiraiya, may I make a small request?"
"Hm?"
"Could you ask Inoichi-senpai to be as careful as possible when probing her mind? Since Pakura possesses a kekkei genkai, her brain structure and chakra circulation may have certain connections. And since she's an important prisoner, it would be best not to cause irreversible damage."
Yuu's real intention was to study the secrets of Scorch Release through Pakura.
To that end, back at Oborozuki Castle, he had already taken blood samples and skin slices from her. But because of objective limitations, he hadn't done any deeper analysis of her body yet. He had been planning to return to Wildfire City and use the medical equipment here for observation.
However…
when those words reached Jiraiya's ears, they meant something else entirely.
"Oh?"
Jiraiya looked at Yuu, then at Pakura's fair and delicate face and curvy figure. As if he had understood something, the corner of his mouth spread into an ambiguous, teasing grin.
"Oh? Research? Hehehe… Kid, you awakened pretty early, huh!
"Mm, this girl really does have some flavor. Good eye! But Konoha has rules for handling prisoners, especially important ones like this. You can't just mess around with her. If you really want to 'research' something, that'll depend on your own ability. Hahahaha!"
"...?"
A string of question marks appeared over Mikami Yuu's head.
Wait…
Did this old pervert misunderstand?
Beside him, Rin seemed to have thought of something too. Her gaze shifted toward Kakashi's tool pouch, and her expression turned subtle.
After joking around,
Jiraiya waved his hand. "Alright, you little brats must be exhausted. Go rest properly first! Your lodging has already been arranged. Minato, you stay."
"Yes, Jiraiya-sensei."
Minato nodded.
Mikami Yuu and the others bowed and withdrew.
On the way out of the command post, Obito was still showing off his Sharingan to a somewhat familiar-looking logistics ninja who happened to pass by.
"Hey! Uncle! How did you know I awakened—"
…
Inside the tent,
once only Jiraiya and Minato remained, the atmosphere grew more serious.
Jiraiya restrained his joking expression and said solemnly, "Minato, what do you think of that child?"
"…You mean Mikami Yuu?"
"No. Uchiha Obito."
Jiraiya lowered his voice. "Awakening his eyes at this age is a bit late, but awakening directly into two tomoe is rare even among the Uchiha clan. And the Uchiha's position in the village has always been delicate. You know that too. So…"
"Sensei, I understand your concern."
Minato smiled faintly and spoke in a steady voice. "Obito awakening his eyes is a good thing. It proves his potential. I'll guide him to properly understand and use that power, and to direct it toward protecting his comrades and the village.
"As for the Uchiha clan, I'll use my connections with Fugaku, and also Kushina's, to pass along information at the right times. Obito is simple-minded and values bonds deeply. As long as we give him enough trust and guidance, he'll only become an asset to Konoha, not a problem."
"…Alright. Since you understand the situation, I won't say more. If you need me to step in for anything, just say the word."
Jiraiya patted Minato on the shoulder, his tone softening a little.
"Honestly, Minato, these students of yours really are impressive. Kakashi goes without saying. That kid Obito, you actually managed to take him from dead last into a potential stock. And then there's that Mikami Yuu kid…
"Raise them well. They'll be your most solid foundation in the future!"
Hearing this,
Minato once again showed a modest smile and shook his head slightly.
"You overpraise me, sensei. They're simply hardworking and outstanding in their own right. As for the future…
"It's still too early to talk about that. After all, Lady Tsunade and Lord Orochimaru are far above me in strength, reputation, and contributions to the village. They are still role models I must look up to and learn from."
At this stage, Minato's achievements were not yet enough for the name Yellow Flash to resound across the ninja world. If Tsunade and Orochimaru wanted to compete for the position of Fourth Hokage, they would be his most difficult rivals. As for Jiraiya… he had no interest in it whatsoever, so he didn't need to be considered.
Of course…
that was under the assumption that Minato didn't know Tsunade had hemophobia. If she were excluded, the only true rival left would be Orochimaru.
The teacher and student continued discussing the state of the war.
On the other side,
after returning to the tent, Rin quietly moved closer to Mikami Yuu and spoke in a low voice.
"Um, Yuu… can I ask you a personal question?"
"Hm?"
"You… don't really like that Suna kunoichi, do you?"
"?"
~~~
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