While Kurenai Yuhi and her teammates were still savoring the strange new taste of Konoha Raw Cola, and while Tsunade was preparing to "turn her luck around" at the gambling tables with a confidence that made Shizune lose hope in life, another important meeting was taking place elsewhere in Konoha Village.
In the back hall of Yakiniku Q, the air was filled with the faint smell of grilled meat, roasted sauce, and warm tea. A long wooden table had been cleared for business, and several people sat facing one another with unusually serious expressions. On one side sat the proprietress of Yakiniku Q and Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen. On the other sat Tajima Mikami, recently discharged from the hospital, and Aoi Mikami, who had taken special leave from the library to help finalize the agreement.
Two contracts lay spread across the table, the ink still fresh and dark.
Tajima cleared his throat lightly and looked across the table. The bandages that had once covered him were gone, but his complexion still carried the slight weakness of someone who had only recently recovered. Even so, his eyes were bright. Compared to the cautious man he had been before, today he looked like someone finally standing in front of a door his family had never dared to open.
"So, regarding the terms of the contract, I assume there are no objections?" Tajima said. "The Mikami family will supply Konoha Raw Cola to both of your shops every week. After deducting production costs, the remaining profit will be split equally between supplier and seller."
The proprietress of Yakiniku Q tapped the table with her finger, thinking it over. "I have no issue with the profit split. I had several customers try the drink yesterday, and the reaction was better than expected. Frankly, it was much better than expected." Her eyes sharpened slightly. "The only problem is supply. Three to four hundred bottles a week will not be enough. Not for my shop."
Teuchi nodded slowly beside her. His usual kind smile was still there, but as a businessman, he clearly understood the value of catching a trend early. "Ichiraku may not need as much as Yakiniku Q at first, but if the response continues like this, demand will grow quickly. Especially if we launch a ramen-and-cola set."
Tajima gave a slightly embarrassed cough. "About that… our current manpower is limited. Mixing the drink, checking the taste, sealing the bottles, and transporting them all take time. For now, we can only rely on manual bottling. We will work on expanding production as quickly as possible."
Aoi added gently, "Ren left behind a production plan, but several parts require specialized equipment. The craftsmen we consulted said some of the designs are difficult to forge immediately. Until we solve that, we must proceed step by step."
The proprietress leaned back, then smiled. "Fair enough. A product that sells too quickly can become a headache too. Still, I want priority once your production increases."
Teuchi chuckled. "Then I should also ask for the same. Mr. Mikami used to be a regular customer at Ichiraku, after all. Being able to cooperate on Konoha Raw Cola now feels like a happy occasion."
Tajima smiled, some of his nervousness easing. "Then we are agreed."
One by one, the contracts were signed and stamped. The sound of seals pressing against paper felt small, almost ordinary, but the meaning behind it was not.
The first major commercial contract for Konoha Raw Cola had been completed.
After exchanging polite farewells, Tajima and Aoi left Yakiniku Q together. The streets outside were lively. Everywhere they looked, people were still talking about the new drink. A pair of young shinobi walked past discussing whether it could replace soldier pills for short missions. A group of children argued over whether the large bottle tasted better chilled or at room temperature. Not far away, a shopkeeper was scolding his apprentice for failing to secure stock fast enough.
Tajima watched all of this with a complicated expression. "That kid Ren really is quick-witted. How did he even come up with this? It is just sparkling sweet water, yet it opened the village market in a single week. Five hundred bottles in the first trial batch, and they sold out completely."
Aoi smiled softly. "Ren has always been smart."
"Yes, but smart is one thing. Turning an idea into money is another." Tajima rubbed his forehead. "Unfortunately, production is the real problem now. I already asked craftsmen to look at the machine drawings he left behind, but they all said the same thing. Difficult. Very difficult. Something like an automated filling and sealing line simply does not exist in the ninja world."
The ninja world's technology had always been strange. Some places had electricity, radios, advanced medicine, and complex mechanical devices, yet many manufacturing processes were still handled like small workshops. Ren's plan mentioned automated blow-fill-seal production as if it were obvious, but for the craftsmen of Konoha, that blueprint looked almost like a forbidden scroll from another civilization.
For now, Tajima could only hire workers to mix, bottle, inspect, and package everything by hand. He personally handled quality checks because Ren had repeatedly emphasized that the first stage of a brand was the most fragile. If one bad batch entered the market, reputation could collapse faster than it had risen.
"It does not matter," Aoi said. "We will take it slowly. Ren wrote the next steps clearly. First stabilize the Konoha market. Then, when reputation and production are steady, expand toward the capital of the Land of Fire and Tanzaku Town. If Konoha Raw Cola can truly spread through the entire Land of Fire…"
Her voice trailed off, but the anticipation in her eyes was obvious.
Then that light dimmed slightly.
Aoi looked toward the southwest, where the front lines lay far beyond the village walls. "He has been away from the village for two months now, hasn't he? I wonder how he is doing."
Tajima's excitement faded too. For a moment, he was no longer a man discussing contracts and profits, but a father thinking of his son on the battlefield. He followed Aoi's gaze toward the distant sky, silent for several breaths.
"Do not worry," he said at last, though it sounded as if he was comforting himself too. "That child is smarter than we are. He has talent, and he is under the care of Minato Namikaze. He will find a way to protect himself."
Aoi nodded, but the worry in her eyes did not disappear.
No matter how capable Ren had become, he was still their child.
And the battlefield did not care how brilliant a child was.
Far away from Konoha, near Wildfire Outpost, bright sunlight poured through the forest and illuminated a temporary training ground cleared between the trees. The ground was uneven, scarred by footprints, blade marks, and half-burned patches from repeated Fire Release practice. Birds had long since fled the area, unwilling to stay near the violent bursts of chakra that erupted there every morning.
At the center of the field, two figures clashed at terrifying speed.
Ren and Kakashi moved like flashes of steel.
Their short blades met again and again, each impact ringing sharply through the clearing. Kakashi's strikes were precise, swift, and ruthless, carrying the unmistakable killing intent of the Hatake Sword Style. After months of frontline combat, his blade had become sharper than before. There was less wasted movement in his attacks now, less hesitation, and more of the cold efficiency that had made the White Fang's name feared across the shinobi world.
But Ren was no longer the boy Kakashi had once been able to suppress through experience alone.
Ren also used the Hatake Sword Style, yet his movements carried a different flavor. Kakashi's blade was direct and lethal, while Ren's was smoother, more fluid, and strangely difficult to read. He often seemed to sense Kakashi's intention half a beat before the strike fully formed. Each block arrived just in time. Each counterattack landed at an angle that forced Kakashi to adjust. The two blades cut through the air, sparks flashing whenever steel scraped against steel.
Obito watched from the side with his arms crossed, his two-tomoe Sharingan active. At first, he had been full of confidence, believing that his newly awakened eyes would allow him to follow everything clearly. But the longer he watched, the more serious his expression became.
He could see more than before.
That was exactly why he understood how frightening the exchange was.
Rin stood at the edge of the clearing, also training. A wooden dummy had been fixed into the ground before her, its chest already covered with dents. Chakra gathered around her fist as she breathed steadily, then punched. The impact shook the dummy, leaving another shallow crater in the wood. It was not yet Tsunade's terrifying monster strength, but the foundation of the Super Strength Technique had begun to take shape.
At the center of the field, the duel reached its peak.
Kakashi stepped in sharply, blade angling toward Ren's ribs. Ren pivoted, let the strike slide past by a hair, and suddenly compressed chakra into his arm. The rhythm of his movement changed. His next thrust carried the explosive force of the Super Strength Technique, turning a simple blade attack into a piercing flash aimed straight at Kakashi's centerline.
Kakashi reacted instantly. He leaned backward, his own blade swinging up to parry. Steel screamed. Ren's short blade was deflected, but the force behind it drove Kakashi back several meters. His sandals carved two long lines into the dirt before he finally stabilized.
For a brief moment, the clearing was silent.
Then Obito jumped up from the sidelines.
"Kakashi! Switch! If you cannot handle him, come down and rest!"
Kakashi turned his head slowly and gave him a cold look. "Shut up, dead last."
Obito's face twitched. "Who are you calling dead last? I have the Sharingan now!"
Kakashi sheathed his blade and walked out of the field. "Then prove it."
Obito grinned and rushed in without waiting another second. His Sharingan spun as he formed a hand seal, fire chakra rising immediately in his chest.
Compared to several months ago, Team Minato's training pattern had changed completely. Back then, Ren and Obito had taken turns challenging Kakashi. Kakashi had been the unofficial teaching assistant, the one standing a step above the others. But after the battle with Pakura, the center of gravity had shifted without anyone formally acknowledging it.
Now, Ren was the one being challenged in turns.
Kakashi helped him sharpen swordsmanship and close combat. Obito helped him test ninjutsu responses, movement under visual pressure, and battle rhythm against the Sharingan. In another sense, Ren was using both of them as sparring partners to polish different parts of his strength.
Obito's progress was real. Awakening the Sharingan had improved more than his eyesight. His chakra flow had become more responsive, his perception sharper, and his confidence stronger. He had moved from barely holding the early Chunin level to something closer to the middle Chunin range. That did not mean he could defeat Ren, but it did mean Ren could no longer treat him as a simple target.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Obito exhaled a roaring ball of flame that rolled across the field, heat distorting the air around it. Ren stepped sideways, body flickering just beyond the edge of the fire. Obito's eyes tracked him immediately, and he followed with a second jutsu, launching smaller fireballs in quick succession to limit Ren's movement.
Ren smiled faintly.
The Sharingan was indeed troublesome.
Obito could now read feints that would have fooled him before, and his reaction speed had improved enough to punish careless movement. Unfortunately, reading an attack and stopping it were not the same thing.
Ren's figure blurred. He slipped through the gap between the flames, appeared at Obito's side, and lightly tapped the back of his head with the flat of his blade.
Obito froze.
Kakashi, watching from the shade, said calmly, "Dead."
Obito spun around angrily. "That one doesn't count! I was testing him!"
Ren raised an eyebrow. "Then test me again."
Obito gritted his teeth and rushed back in.
The second round lasted longer.
Not because Obito was suddenly stronger than Ren, but because his stubbornness had become sharper. His eyes captured movement, his feet adjusted faster, and each defeat made him immediately search for the reason. This was the best thing about Obito. He was loud, reckless, and often foolish, but once his pride was struck, he trained with a fire that could not be easily extinguished.
Ren had originally considered using Obito to practice resistance against genjutsu, but that plan failed almost instantly. When he asked Obito to use Sharingan genjutsu, Obito stared back with his two tomoe and honestly said he did not know any. Ren could only give up for the time being.
Near noon, the training finally came to an end.
Everyone was sweating, their clothes damp and dusty. Obito collapsed onto the ground dramatically, breathing hard and muttering that he had almost won. Kakashi ignored him completely. Rin wiped her forehead, looking tired but satisfied as she examined the fist marks she had left on the wooden dummy. Ren rolled his shoulder, silently reviewing the morning's gains.
At that moment, Minato appeared at the edge of the clearing as if he had stepped out of thin air. In his hands were several stacked bento boxes, and his gentle smile was as warm as the sunlight.
"You all worked hard," Minato said. "Come eat."
Obito was the first to revive. He sprang up from the ground as if fatigue had never existed. "Food!"
He rushed over, took his portion, and opened it eagerly. "Wow! There's fried chicken! Minato-sensei, you're the best!"
Kakashi walked over more calmly, while Rin thanked Minato with a bright smile. Ren accepted his lunch box and sat beneath the shade of a nearby tree. For a little while, the training ground became peaceful. The sharp sound of blades and explosions was replaced by the quiet rustle of lunch wrappers and Obito's satisfied chewing.
Minato sat with them instead of standing apart like a commander. That was one of the reasons Team Minato trusted him so deeply. On missions, he was their captain. On the battlefield, he was the fastest blade Konoha had. But during moments like this, he was simply their teacher, someone who remembered to bring lunch and smile when his students were still alive.
After they had eaten for a while, Minato set down his chopsticks and spoke casually. "There is something I need to tell you."
The four immediately looked at him.
Obito swallowed quickly. "Is it a new mission?"
"Not exactly," Minato said. "A message came from Konoha. The village is preparing to hold a Chunin Exams soon."
Rin's eyes widened. Kakashi's expression remained calm, but his attention sharpened. Obito blinked once, then pointed at himself.
"Wait. Does that mean we're going back to the village?"
"There is a strong chance," Minato replied. "Ren, Obito, and Rin are still officially Genin. The village may call you back to participate. Kakashi has already been promoted, but he may return with the team depending on the arrangement."
Obito's face lit up first. "Great! Then I can show everyone my Sharingan!"
Kakashi said flatly, "That is not the purpose of the exam."
"It can be one of the purposes."
"No."
Rin smiled, but there was nervousness in her eyes. "A Chunin Exams during wartime… will it be dangerous?"
Minato's expression softened. "It will not be simple. The exam is not only a promotion test. It is also a way for the village to display the strength of its younger generation. Other villages will be watching. That means the pressure will be higher than usual."
Ren looked down at the half-finished bento in his hands, his thoughts moving quickly.
A wartime Chunin Exams was never just an exam. It was politics, deterrence, propaganda, and a battlefield without the official name. Konoha wanted to show that even its young shinobi were strong enough to carry the future. Other villages would come to measure weakness. Some would come to provoke. Some might even come to kill.
For Team Minato, returning to Konoha would not mean leaving the war behind. It would mean stepping onto a different kind of battlefield.
Obito, however, was already grinning. "Then I'll become a Chunin in one shot! No, I'll become the most impressive Chunin in the whole exam!"
Kakashi glanced at him. "Try not to fail the written test first."
Obito stiffened. "Kakashi, you bastard!"
Rin laughed softly, and even Minato's smile deepened.
Ren looked toward the direction of Konoha, where his family was unknowingly pushing Konoha Raw Cola into the village market, where Kurenai and Asuma might already have heard rumors of the exam, where Tsunade was probably losing money while pretending she was not upset about refusing thirty percent of his profits.
The thought made the corner of his mouth rise slightly.
Then his smile faded just a little.
If Konoha was calling them back, it meant the village wanted to use them. Their achievements at Ryūgetsu Outpost had likely already been reported. Pakura's capture would not stay quiet forever. Sunagakure, the Uchiha Clan, the Hokage's office, the Sannin, and perhaps even darker forces hidden beneath the surface would all begin paying attention.
Ren could feel it.
The pieces were moving faster now.
Minato looked at his students beneath the shade of the trees, his voice gentle but serious. "Until the official order arrives, continue training. Whether we stay at the front or return to Konoha, you must be ready."
"Yes!" Obito answered first.
Rin nodded firmly. Kakashi gave a quiet hum. Ren closed his lunch box and looked toward the sunlit clearing, where blade marks and scorch marks covered the ground from their morning training.
Konoha Raw Cola had begun its rise in the village. The Chunin Exams were approaching. Team Minato was changing with every battle, every wound, and every lesson.
And none of them knew that the road back to Konoha would place them under more eyes than the battlefield ever had.
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