For several seconds, the hospital room remained deathly silent.
Aoi was still clutching Tajima's hand, her tear-streaked face filled with grief. Tajima lay against the pillows with his head lowered, seemingly unable to face his wife and son after admitting that his career as a shinobi was over.
Ren, however, blinked in surprise.
"Wait…isn't that actually good news?"
Both of his parents slowly turned toward him.
Ren folded his arms and studied the cast around his father's right leg. From an ordinary person's perspective, losing a leg was unquestionably a tragedy. For a shinobi, it meant losing the speed, balance, and mobility required to survive a battle.
However, the Third Shinobi World War had just begun.
If Tajima could no longer serve as an active shinobi, Konoha would have no reason to send him back to the front lines. He would be forced to retire, which meant he could remain safely inside the village instead of becoming another body abandoned on some distant battlefield.
What kind of heaven-defying luck was this?
Tajima had lost a leg, but his three teammates had lost their lives.
Between permanent disability and death, Ren did not need much time to decide which outcome he preferred.
Aoi stared at him in disbelief before lightly striking the back of his head.
"What kind of nonsense are you saying?" she scolded. "Your father just told us that he'll never be able to work as a shinobi again!"
Ren rubbed the back of his head.
"I'm only saying that he survived. Isn't that more important?"
The anger in Aoi's eyes faded. Her gaze returned to her husband, and her fingers tightened around his hand.
Tajima stared at Ren for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Hahaha! He's right!" The sudden movement pulled at his wounds, causing his face to twitch, but his smile remained. "As long as I'm alive, we can figure out the rest. Children speak honestly. There's no point getting angry with him."
Aoi glared at both father and son.
"You two really are related. Neither of you knows how to read the atmosphere."
Despite her complaint, the crushing despair in the room had eased. Tajima had lost a leg and three comrades, but he had returned to his family alive. His days as a shinobi might be over, yet his life was not.
For the first time since entering the ward, Aoi allowed herself to smile.
Once everyone had calmed down, she began telling Tajima what had happened at home during the past year. She spoke about the village, their neighbors, the rising prices at the market, and all the small events he had missed while stationed at the border.
Most of all, she spoke about Ren.
"Ren graduated from the Ninja Academy several months ago," Aoi explained proudly. "And not merely as an ordinary student. He ranked first in his entire class."
Tajima's eyes widened.
"First in his class?"
"He even defeated Asuma Sarutobi during the graduation examination," Aoi continued. "The Third Hokage personally rewarded him afterward."
"The Hokage's son?" Tajima looked at Ren as though seeing him for the first time. "You defeated the Hokage's son?"
Ren shrugged.
"Asuma is strong. I was simply stronger."
Aoi ignored his deliberate modesty and continued enthusiastically. "His jōnin instructor is Minato Namikaze. You must have heard of him. People say he's one of the most talented shinobi of his generation and that he's even learning space-time ninjutsu."
Tajima's tired face lit up with pride.
"Hahaha! As expected of our son!" He tried to sit straighter, completely forgetting the severity of his injuries. "Graduating at the top of your class, defeating the Hokage's son, and becoming the student of an elite jōnin! At your age, I was still struggling to hit a target without throwing half my shuriken into the bushes."
His laughter abruptly ended in a sharp gasp.
A dark-red stain began spreading across the bandages around his side.
"Tajima!" Aoi shot to her feet. "Your wound opened again. I'll call a doctor!"
Before she could leave, Ren stepped beside the bed and held out both hands.
"Don't move."
Soft green chakra gathered around his palms. The glow illuminated the clean white sheets as Ren carefully pressed his hands above the reopened wound.
The Mystical Palm Technique immediately began repairing the damaged tissue.
Tajima's eyes widened as the pain gradually faded.
"Ren, you know medical ninjutsu too?"
"I learned a little," Ren answered casually. "I've been helping at the hospital whenever I have free time."
"A little?" Aoi repeated, looking at the steady chakra surrounding his hands. "You never mentioned that you could do this."
"You never asked."
Aoi's eye twitched, but before she could strike him again, a commotion broke out in the corridor.
Patients who were able to stand hurriedly pushed themselves upright. Family members moved aside, whispering among themselves as a tall woman with blonde hair tied into two low ponytails entered the ward.
Her grey haori swayed behind her with each confident step.
"Is that Lady Tsunade?"
"One of the Legendary Sannin is here!"
"Why would Lady Tsunade personally visit this ward?"
Several injured shinobi attempted to bow, only for Tsunade to wave them back down.
"Enough with the formalities," she said. "You're injured. Lie down and recover instead of reopening your wounds just to greet me. The people outside can worry about the war. Your responsibility is to survive."
Her blunt words quieted the room.
Tsunade glanced around until she found Ren. She then crossed the ward, stopping beside Tajima's bed.
"So this is your father, brat?"
Ren maintained the Mystical Palm Technique as he nodded.
"Yes. Mikami Tajima."
Tajima stared at Tsunade in astonishment. As an ordinary chūnin, he had never expected one of the Legendary Sannin to stand beside his hospital bed, much less speak to his son so casually.
"Ren, you and Lady Tsunade…" He looked between them, unsure how to finish the question. "What exactly is your relationship?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
"He's currently my student, I suppose."
Tajima froze.
Ren's hands nearly slipped.
"'I suppose'?" he repeated.
"You haven't officially completed your training, so don't become arrogant." Tsunade turned toward Tajima and continued in a more measured tone. "Your son possesses exceptional talent for medical ninjutsu. He has been studying with Konoha's Medical Corps and has already helped me resolve several problems."
Ren gave her a suspicious glance. Her description made him sound far more obedient than he actually was.
Tsunade ignored him.
"I heard that his father had been brought back from the border, so I came to check on you personally. Rest assured that Konoha Hospital will not neglect any injured shinobi, especially one who risked his life protecting the village."
Tajima appeared overwhelmed.
"I'm not worthy of being called a hero, Lady Tsunade. I only performed my duty. My teammates were the ones who…"
His voice faltered.
Tsunade's expression softened, but her eyes remained firm.
"No. Every shinobi who bleeds for Konoha is one of its heroes. Surviving when your comrades did not doesn't erase what you sacrificed."
Her words were addressed to Tajima, but everyone in the ward heard them.
Several injured shinobi lowered their heads. Some clenched their fists, while others blinked back tears they did not want their families to see.
Ren understood the meaning behind Tsunade's visit.
She had likely come partly because Tajima was his father. However, personal concern was not the only reason one of the Sannin would publicly visit a ward filled with border casualties.
Sunagakure had invaded. Several Konoha positions had fallen, and groups of wounded shinobi were returning every day. Fear and anger were spreading throughout the village.
Konoha needed its leaders to be visible.
It needed people like Tsunade to stand before injured shinobi and reassure them that their sacrifices had not been forgotten.
There was politics behind her words, but that did not make them insincere.
After speaking with several nearby patients, Tsunade returned her attention to the green light surrounding Ren's hands.
"How is he?"
"The reopened wound isn't serious," Ren replied. "I've stopped the bleeding, and his condition is stable. There's no immediate danger to his life."
Tsunade leaned closer, examining the damaged tissue and the seals placed around Tajima's bed.
"Your chakra control has improved."
"I've been practising."
"Not enough," she replied automatically. After a brief pause, she looked at Tajima's injured leg. "I'll personally examine your father tonight and create a proper treatment plan. I can't promise that he'll ever return to active duty, but there may be a chance for him to stand and walk again."
Aoi's face brightened.
"Lady Tsunade, do you mean it?"
"I said there's a chance. Don't celebrate until I've completed the examination."
Aoi bowed repeatedly, barely able to contain her relief.
"Thank you. Thank you so much."
Ren also nodded gratefully, although a strange thought passed through his mind.
His father being able to walk again would be wonderful. But if Tsunade restored him too thoroughly, could the village decide he was fit enough to return to the battlefield?
Surely Konoha was not that desperate.
Ren glanced at the number of wounded shinobi filling the ward.
On second thought, perhaps he should ask Tsunade to leave Tajima with a slight limp.
Tsunade seemed to sense something from his expression.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing."
Her eyes narrowed.
"I'll deal with you later."
After promising to return that evening, Tsunade turned and continued through the ward, speaking with each injured shinobi she passed.
Tajima watched her leave before looking at Ren with undisguised amazement.
"You've been studying under Lady Tsunade?"
"Occasionally."
"And working with the Medical Corps?"
"When I have time."
Tajima's mouth fell open. A moment later, he laughed again, although this time he carefully restrained himself to avoid reopening another wound.
"Hahaha! Excellent! As expected of my son. Ren, you definitely have the potential to become a jōnin!"
He coughed twice, forcing Aoi to push him back against the pillows.
Once his breathing stabilized, Tajima suddenly remembered something.
"That's right. I learned two ninjutsu during my time at the border. I was planning to teach them to you when I returned."
Ren became slightly more interested.
"What techniques?"
"The Great Fireball Technique and the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique."
Ren fell silent.
Tajima noticed his expression and hesitated.
"Don't tell me…"
"I already know both of them."
Tajima scratched his cheek awkwardly.
Ren did not merely know those two techniques. He had also learned the more advanced Great Fire Wall Technique.
Still, Tajima's choices were understandable. Most techniques available to ordinary chūnin were C-rank, and the Great Fireball and Phoenix Sage Fire were among the most accessible offensive Fire Release ninjutsu in Konoha.
An ordinary chūnin without a clan inheritance could not casually obtain powerful B-rank techniques.
"So you already know them." Tajima gave a disappointed sigh before quickly brightening. "That's fine. I completed many missions during my two years at the border and accumulated a decent amount of merit. It should be enough to exchange for one or two C-rank techniques from the village."
He paused, calculating silently.
"If I add the merit from my final patrol, we might even be able to request a B-rank ninjutsu. Think about what you want to learn, and I'll exchange my merit for it."
Ren was genuinely tempted.
A useful B-rank ninjutsu could significantly increase his combat strength. With war approaching, every additional technique might become the difference between life and death.
However, those merits represented everything Tajima had earned through years of dangerous missions. Now that his shinobi career was over, they were essentially his life's savings.
"There's no hurry," Ren said. "You only returned yesterday. Focus on recovering first, and we'll discuss the techniques later."
Tajima looked surprised before smiling with quiet satisfaction.
"Good. You've matured."
Ren looked away.
Even he could not bring himself to seize his father's savings while the man was still wrapped in bandages. At the very least, he could wait until Tajima left the hospital.
That evening, Aoi remained at the hospital to accompany her husband, while Ren returned home alone.
Rin and her father, Hiroshi Nohara, had apparently heard that Tajima had survived. They were waiting near the intersection between their homes when Ren arrived.
"Ren!" Rin hurried toward him. "How is Uncle Tajima?"
"He's stable. Tsunade will examine him tonight."
Relief spread across Rin's face.
"That's wonderful. Dad and I were planning to visit him, but we thought your family might need some time alone."
"We'll go in two days," Hiroshi said. "Tell your mother that if she needs food, clothing, or someone to watch the house, she only has to ask."
Ren nodded.
"I'll tell her. Thank you."
Rin studied his face for a moment, perhaps confirming that he truly was all right. Only then did she follow her father home.
The next morning, Team Minato gathered at their designated meeting point.
Kakashi arrived first, as usual. Ren and Rin followed shortly afterward. To everyone's surprise, even Obito appeared on time, though he was breathing heavily enough to reveal that he had sprinted across half the village.
Minato arrived moments later.
"Everyone's here," he said, his expression unusually serious. "Good. What I'm about to tell you concerns your survival."
The four genin immediately focused on him.
"As you already know, Konoha and Sunagakure are now at war. The village will continue deploying shinobi to reinforce the border, and as an active jōnin, I'll receive more dangerous assignments. There may be periods when I cannot remain in the village or accompany you on missions."
Obito's enthusiasm faded.
"Does that mean Team Minato will be disbanded?"
"No," Minato answered. "But things cannot continue as they have."
His blue eyes moved across the four young faces before him.
"For the next one or two months, I'm reducing the number of missions we accept outside the village. Whenever I'm in Konoha, I'll personally conduct intensive training for all of you."
Kakashi's gaze sharpened, while Rin unconsciously gripped the strap of her medical pouch.
"The training will be difficult," Minato warned. "Far more difficult than anything you experienced at the Academy. I won't accept laziness, excuses, or half-hearted effort."
Obito swallowed.
Even Ren felt anticipation rise within him.
Minato's normally gentle expression became solemn.
"I'm doing this because the war may grow worse. If that happens, the village might eventually run out of experienced shinobi to send into battle."
The morning wind swept across the training ground, rustling the leaves above them.
"I want each of you to possess enough strength to protect yourselves before that day arrives. Because once you step onto a real battlefield, your enemy won't care how young you are."
Ren, Kakashi, Rin, and Obito exchanged glances before nodding together.
"We understand."
Minato reached into his equipment pouch.
"Good. Then we begin immediately."
Four bells appeared between his fingers.
This time, the bells were not part of a test. They were preparation for war.