"Hm?"
Ren and the others immediately raised their heads at the same time.
The atmosphere at Training Ground Seven suddenly became much quieter after Minato's earlier words. Even Obito, who had been bragging loudly only moments ago, instinctively sensed that something serious was coming.
Standing before them, Minato Namikaze slowly exhaled before continuing.
"You've all probably heard bits and pieces of information from outside the village recently," Minato said calmly. "But I'll explain the situation properly."
The smile on his face faded slightly.
"On the southwest battlefield, Konoha has already repelled two large-scale offensives from Sunagakure's Puppet Brigade. The major fighting there has temporarily slowed, and both sides have entered a low-intensity stalemate."
Ren's expression became more focused immediately.
Even if he already knew parts of the original story, actually hearing battlefield updates directly from Minato created a completely different feeling.
This wasn't manga anymore.
This was reality.
Minato continued:
"However, trouble has started appearing elsewhere."
"The main force of the Kumogakure has begun moving into the Land of Hot Springs in the north and establishing strongholds there."
"And in the northwest, forces connected to Amegakure and the Land of Grass are becoming increasingly active as well. They seem eager to recover what they lost during the previous Great Ninja War."
The atmosphere instantly became heavier.
Even the morning wind seemed colder.
"In the worst-case scenario," Minato said quietly, "Konoha may soon find itself surrounded by enemies on three sides."
Silence fell over the training ground.
Rin subconsciously tightened her grip on her clothes while asking softly:
"Minato-sensei… then we…"
Minato looked toward the four of them calmly.
"The village has decided to gradually shift its military focus toward the northern border."
"That means the southwest battlefield will begin rotating in second-line units. Newly promoted Chunin teams and younger squads will be sent there for combat experience and rapid growth."
Then Minato's gaze shifted toward Kakashi and Ren.
"Our squad may officially still be considered a Genin team formed less than a year ago…"
"But Kakashi and Ren already possess combat abilities beyond ordinary Chunin."
His voice remained calm.
"Therefore, Team Minato has also been included in this rotation assignment."
The words landed heavily.
Obito immediately clenched his fists tightly.
His eyes actually showed excitement.
Rin, meanwhile, turned slightly pale.
As for Ren…
His expression remained calm, but his thoughts rapidly accelerated.
So it had finally begun.
The frontline.
Real war.
Not missions against weak bandits.
Not academy exercises.
Actual battlefield conflict between ninja villages.
Seeing the mixed reactions from his students, Minato stepped forward and gently patted Obito and Rin on the shoulders.
"There's no need to panic," he said warmly.
"This is something every ninja eventually experiences."
"It's simply happening a little earlier for all of you."
Then his expression softened slightly again.
"And don't forget…"
"As long as I'm here, I'll protect you."
"At least until every one of you becomes a Chunin."
The heavy atmosphere eased slightly after hearing those words.
After all…
This was Minato Namikaze.
The future Yellow Flash.
Just standing beside him created an overwhelming sense of security.
"Go home and prepare your belongings," Minato continued. "We'll gather at the village gate tomorrow morning at nine."
Since the mission could last a long time, everyone naturally needed to inform their families before leaving.
Back at home, Mikami Aoi's face immediately became worried after hearing the news.
After all, Ren wasn't even ten years old yet.
No matter how talented he was…
He was still her son.
And not long ago, Mikami Tajima himself had returned home permanently injured because of war.
Mikami Aoi couldn't stop herself from imagining terrible possibilities.
What if Ren suffered similar injuries?
Or worse…
What if he never returned at all?
Still, village orders were absolute.
Even if she wanted to stop him, she simply couldn't.
Looking at his mother's worried expression, Ren smiled helplessly.
"Don't worry, Mom," he said casually. "Minato-sensei will protect us."
Then he added in a more relaxed tone:
"Besides, I have several special survival methods. If things become dangerous, I'll run immediately."
This wasn't merely empty reassurance.
Ren genuinely possessed a powerful escape method.
Not the basic Substitution Technique capable of displacing him several dozen meters.
But his modified Transformation Technique.
More specifically—
Transformation Technique: Swift Form.
In the Ninja World, flight was an extremely rare ability.
Aside from a handful of people like Onoki, very few ninja possessed true aerial combat capabilities.
Most opponents could only threaten targets at low altitude through jumping, projectile weapons, or ninjutsu.
Which meant—
If Ren could rapidly gain enough altitude…
He could escape from most situations alive.
Over the past several months, he had secretly studied bird anatomy using material from the Advanced Medical Course and his own observations.
Through repeated experimentation, he had gradually optimized several bird-based transformation templates specifically designed for speed and flight efficiency.
Unless he encountered someone overwhelmingly stronger or a specialist in sealing techniques…
Escaping would not be difficult.
And even if such enemies appeared, Minato would never simply stand there and watch.
This wasn't the Kannabi Bridge incident yet.
After calming his mother down, Ren also explained the cola project and the improved formula Tsunade had helped refine.
He carefully handed over both the recipe and the business proposal to Mikami Aoi and Mikami Tajima.
"Keep these safe," he warned seriously. "Especially the formula."
"Trade secrets?"
Ren nodded immediately.
The couple looked at each other strangely.
Sometimes, their son truly didn't seem like a child anymore.
Only after finishing all preparations did Ren finally wash up and head to sleep.
The night passed quietly.
Early the next morning, Ren left home ahead of schedule.
Before gathering with Team Minato, he first headed toward the Konoha Research Institute.
After leaving a leave-of-absence message for Orochimaru, he returned and met up with Rin before heading toward the village gate together.
This time, the gate area was unusually crowded.
Besides Team Minato, more than ten additional squads had gathered there as well.
Roughly forty to fifty ninja stood ready for deployment.
Some were young Chunin.
Others were Genin teams like theirs.
The atmosphere was serious but disciplined.
At the front stood Hiruzen Sarutobi himself wearing the Hokage robes.
The Third Hokage delivered the standard pre-deployment speech about protecting the Will of Fire, defending the village, and carrying Konoha's hopes into battle.
Many ninja shouted passionately afterward.
Others remained silent.
Ren quietly observed the scene.
Some faces showed excitement.
Others showed fear.
A few veterans merely looked tired.
Finally, after the speech concluded, Minato stepped forward.
"Alright," he said with a smile while raising his hand.
"Move out!"
The journey toward the southwest border officially began.
Fortunately, this wasn't Team Minato's first time traveling in that direction.
Nearly half a year earlier, they had already journeyed toward Wildfire City once before.
Compared to that time, however, everyone had improved dramatically.
Their stamina, chakra control, travel speed, and battlefield awareness had all advanced tremendously.
In less than two days, the group entered the hilly southwestern border region of the Land of Fire.
At that point, every squad's alertness noticeably increased.
Ninja from the Hyuga Clan activated their Byakugan periodically to scan the area.
Members of the Inuzuka Clan released ninja hounds to track movement and hidden scents nearby.
The peaceful atmosphere from earlier completely disappeared.
Now…
This truly felt like a warzone.
"Minato-sensei," Obito suddenly whispered. "Something's wrong nearby."
At almost the same moment, Ren crouched beside several disturbed footprints on the ground.
Broken grass.
Dragged marks.
Bloodstains.
Residual chakra traces.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"There were two groups," Ren said calmly. "Moving in opposite directions."
He touched a bloodstain lightly.
"The battle happened recently. Probably within the last half day."
Then he looked up.
"Konoha and Sunagakure forces likely clashed here."
"Right! I noticed that too!" Obito quickly added while nodding repeatedly.
Then his expression became excited.
"Should we go help them, Minato-sensei?"
Minato remained calm while analyzing the surroundings carefully.
"Our primary mission is to rendezvous with the border forces and await official orders."
"However…"
He glanced toward the tracks.
"We're already close to one of the border strongholds. There's a good chance one side involved in this clash belonged to Konoha."
His expression sharpened slightly.
"We'll investigate."
Several nearby squads immediately chose to follow Team Minato.
The remaining groups continued toward other routes and checkpoints.
Meanwhile…
Several kilometers away—
Inside a dense thicket hidden between rocky hills—
A group of ninja wearing the attire of Sunagakure remained concealed silently beneath camouflage nets and brush.
Their heads were wrapped in windproof veils typical of desert shinobi.
One of them carefully observed the approaching movement through the bushes.
Then his eyes narrowed sharply.
"Shh."
His voice dropped into a whisper.
"They're here."
"Konoha ninja."
Another Suna shinobi quietly licked his lips.
"It looks like newly graduated Genin teams."
A dangerous grin slowly appeared beneath the veil.
"Perfect."
The first ninja slowly reached for a kunai.
"Everyone…"
His killing intent quietly spread through the bushes.
"Prepare to eliminate them all."
----------------------------------------------
Extra Chapters Available on Patreon Upto 100
Catch up now [patreon.com/Samurai492 ]"
__________________________________