On every battlefield, a temporary calm descended for various reasons. The ninja responsible for transporting supplies could clearly feel the change. The ninja fighting on the front lines visibly relaxed, and the atmosphere in the camps became more tranquil, no longer as tense.
Minato Namikaze had been on transport duty for nearly a week. During this time, he had followed the transport teams, constantly moving around. Although he hadn't participated in combat, it was an eye-opening experience for him, having spent all his time in the Ninja Academy. He didn't find it boring at all.
However, others weren't as patient. After the initial novelty wore off, every time they saw the ninja busy on the front lines, they felt an urge to jump into action. No matter how much they tried to tell themselves otherwise, the youthful passion still surged within them, making them somewhat irrational. In comparison, Minato Namikaze appeared much calmer, not quite like his peers.
Perhaps it was his nature, or perhaps he truly possessed extraordinary talent that made him mature earlier than his peers. Of course, family upbringing also played a part—when he was born, the Village Hidden in the Leaves was undergoing a period of reform, desperately needing labor to support merchant enterprises. His father was one such merchant who, through hard work, built a family business in Konoha. Knowing the hardships of his early years, he had educated Minato from a young age on how to conduct himself.
After entering the Ninja Academy, Minato Namikaze encountered more novel knowledge and was deeply drawn to it. He loved to read, especially the works published by the Third Hokage. A vast number of books enriched his knowledge and nourished his spirit, which might have contributed to his early maturity.
Minato Namikaze believed that his current task was to do his present duty well. If he couldn't even handle a relatively safe logistical mission, there was no point in talking about undertaking more dangerous and difficult combat missions. Even though those around him occasionally complained, Minato Namikaze didn't agree with their sentiments. He neither explicitly rejected nor explicitly endorsed their ideas, maintaining a neutral stance.
"Given the current situation, it seems we might not even need to participate in the war," Fugaku Uchiha said during a conversation with the others.
"Why do you say that?" someone nearby asked.
"Look, the Land of Lightning has declared its intention to stand on the same front as the Land of Fire. This will greatly reduce the village's burden. Originally, even if the forces of all four nations were to press on, the village might still be able to hold them off. Moreover, now we don't have to face the formidable enemy that is the Land of Lightning," Fugaku Uchiha explained.
"Indeed," the others nodded in agreement after hearing Fugaku Uchiha's analysis.
"Isn't that a good thing? The village can win more easily, and fewer people will die," Minato Namikaze said.
"I know, but I just feel a bit unwilling," Fugaku Uchiha said. The Uchiha clan was naturally a clan skilled in warfare; the thrill of battle always flowed in their veins. Even the doves among them would not shrink back when truly facing combat. No matter what, they were still members of the Uchiha.
Although Fugaku Uchiha outwardly accepted his fate of logistical duties, deep down, he still wished to exert himself on the battlefield. Even if it meant dying, he probably wouldn't regret it.
"While that's true, there's no need to feel regret. It's a joyous occasion that the village can resolve this well," Minato Namikaze felt that Fugaku's recent remarks were dangerous to some extent.
"Minato is right, Fugaku. It's normal to feel that you can't fully utilize your abilities. Don't just talk about yourself; even I have such thoughts," Might Guy walked over at this moment, having heard Fugaku Uchiha's words. "However, as ninja, we should still obey the village's arrangements and be happy for the village's prosperity. It's a very commendable thing for the village to achieve a smooth victory."
"I know, I know," Fugaku Uchiha responded repeatedly. As a faction within the clan relatively close to Kagami Uchiha, he naturally held deep affection for the village.
He felt that the village had never treated him unfairly, so how could he possibly be happy if the village encountered problems?
It was at this moment that Fugaku Uchiha realized his words just now were somewhat inappropriate. He couldn't help but inwardly caution himself to be careful with his words in the future. A ninja couldn't have improper remarks; if such words were uttered in a village under high-pressure rule, he feared it would easily catch the attention of the ANBU.
"If you feel regret for not being able to fight, then why not channel that regret into your passion for training? You are all still young and should fully embrace the sweat of your youth," Might Guy said with a smile. "Since you're idle now, why not join me for some exercise?"
Upon hearing this, the others immediately felt uncomfortable. It wasn't genuine discomfort, but rather a memory of a bad physical experience. Previously, Might Guy had said the same thing. Being dedicated to training, he would continue his regimen even during breaks from transporting supplies. The young ninja, not realizing what this entailed, agreed to try it, but the result was—
Luckily, they came to their senses in time, otherwise that particular supply transfer might have been delayed. They didn't know that Might Guy practiced the Eight Gates technique, which required pushing the body to its absolute limit and possessing an extraordinary will to open the chakra points that restricted the human body. This meant his training methods were incredibly arduous, far exceeding the endurance of ordinary ninja. Even his warm-up exercises during breaks were equivalent to the intensity of a normal ninja's serious training.
Of course, they weren't incapable of enduring such training; it was just that performing such intense training during their free time could easily affect their subsequent missions. Sometimes, they were very curious as to why Might Guy, who seemed to have nothing special about him, could maintain such training intensity.
"Is that so? Well, there's nothing for it then; I'll just go and exercise by myself," Might Guy saw everyone shaking their heads and had no intention of forcing them. He just felt a little regretful, then enthusiastically ran off to the side to do what he called "exercising." To the others, it was already considered a medium to high-intensity training.
"Might Guy-senpai clearly doesn't lack effort, yet he still can't get the combat position he wants. It's truly a pity," Minato Namikaze said, watching his training.
"There's nothing we can do. Who told Guy-senpai that he lacked talent? The gap in talent isn't something that effort can easily bridge," Fugaku Uchiha said.
"I really hope that in the future, Guy-senpai's efforts will be rewarded. Otherwise, it would be too pitiful," Minato Namikaze sighed softly.
"That's up to Guy-senpai himself; there's nothing we can do," Fugaku Uchiha said.
After the break ended, everyone set off once again. This time, they were heading to a prisoner-of-war camp established by the Hidden Leaf Village, primarily housing nearly two hundred Sand Ninja captured on the western front. Because the Hidden Sand Village could not be made aware of their existence, the POW camp was located very deep inside Konoha territory, and news was carefully suppressed to prevent anyone else from knowing they were still alive. To this end, the Hidden Leaf Village also conducted a large-scale internal search, tracking down a large number of spies. To date, the Hidden Sand Village's intelligence gathering could only operate on the front lines.
Despite being people from the Hidden Sand Village, which was currently at war, the young Konoha ninja, without exception, felt some sympathy for them. The propaganda department's newspapers had already explained how these people were forced by tyranny to leave their homes and fight bloody battles in other countries, only to not receive the rewards they deserved.
Because the Hidden Leaf Village's losses on the western front were not particularly heavy, the high-attrition combat method greatly reduced their own ninja casualties, which meant the Konoha ninja's hatred for the Sand ninja was not very strong. The tragic plight of the Sand ninja also garnered considerable sympathy.
Thus, in the POW camp, the Konoha ninja responsible for guarding basically did not resort to any torture methods against the Sand ninja. Instead, as per the village's requirements, they gave them opportunities to work, performing tasks that only ninja could accomplish. As long as they achieved sufficient results, they would be given improved treatment—such as food and lodging—allowing them to experience the tolerant spirit of the Hidden Leaf Village.
It must be said that after experiencing the high-pressure rule of the Hidden Sand Village, the Sand ninja actually found a sense of ease in the Hidden Leaf Village. Although they were prisoners and the Konoha ninja around them were responsible for surveillance and guarding, they somehow felt better than they did in the Hidden Sand Village.
The Sand ninja found it incredible, initially wondering if it was just their imagination, but later admitting that the actions of the Hidden Leaf Village were indeed more benevolent than those of their own village. As long as they worked hard, the Hidden Leaf Village would generously grant them preferential treatment. Compared to their own village's petty-mindedness, the actions of the Hidden Leaf Village could be described as extraordinarily magnanimous.
After spending some time in the POW camp, the Sand ninja all felt that the Konoha ninja were people they could get along with. As long as they didn't try to escape or plot anything, the Hidden Leaf Village would give them appropriate treatment. Therefore, not a single person chose to resist; instead, they cooperated obediently.
Of course, they hadn't truly betrayed their own village. Although the tyranny of the Hidden Sand Village's leadership had deeply disappointed them, it was still their homeland after all. The village, to some extent, had also shown them kindness. They could feel disgusted with the leadership, but they were unwilling to betray the village itself.
Fortunately, the Hidden Leaf Village also didn't force them to divulge the village's secrets—in fact, ninja of their relatively low status knew very few secrets. This brought a sigh of relief to the Sand ninja, as they didn't have to endure the mental anguish of betraying their village. They could maintain good relations simply by expending their physical strength, so why wouldn't they?
Among them, some Sand ninja who had low status and poor lives in their village genuinely wondered if their lives would be completely different if they lived in the Hidden Leaf Village. This thought was truly shocking, and because they were surrounded by fellow villagers, even if they had this idea, they dared not voice it—
However, there was no doubt that after this period of cooperation with the Hidden Leaf Village, the Sand ninja had put aside their prejudices and could maintain a certain friendly relationship with the Konoha ninja responsible for guarding them. They also planned that when they returned to their village in the future, they would not clash with the Hidden Leaf Village on a personal level.
And on a non-personal level, the Sand ninja also felt that their village should maintain friendly relations with the Hidden Leaf Village. This was because the Hidden Leaf Village had requested to express its intentions to the Sand ninja and explained in detail that everyone knew the Hidden Leaf Village had no intention of occupying any territory of the Land of Wind, nor did it plan to destroy the Hidden Sand Village. It respected the status of the Land of Wind and was willing to engage in commercial cooperation on the basis of maintaining peace between the two sides, jointly creating a good future.
The unique resources of the Land of Wind were needed by the Hidden Leaf Village, and the food and water resources of the Land of Fire were also needed by the Hidden Sand Village. Why wage war when problems could be resolved through good trade?
Some people recalled the market trade conducted on the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire before the war. The prosperity there was indeed beyond ordinary imagination. Those Sand ninja who had participated in protection missions naturally knew this was a good thing, much better than war—war brought a complete halt to border trade, resulting in no income and even having to spend a lot of money. If they could win, that would be one thing, but the problem was that the village had no clear advantage. Comparing the two, commercial trade was naturally much better.
Konoha ninja would often send news from the front lines here. Of course, the specifics wouldn't be clearly stated, and the revealed information served only one purpose—they wanted to tell the Sand ninja that the Hidden Leaf Village was very powerful and would not fear any enemy. No matter which country, no one should think of encroaching on even an inch of the Land of Fire's territory. But similarly, the Hidden Leaf Village would not act as an aggressor to attack other countries; maintaining the order of the ninja world was their goal. Any country that could cooperate with the Hidden Leaf Village would find Konoha generous, and they would ensure mutual benefit to the greatest extent possible.
Under such propaganda, the Sand ninja naturally had no confidence in their own village's victory. They even hoped their village would lose, and ideally, all the high-ranking officials would die in battle. If those high-ranking officials remained, they feared they might never be able to return to the Hidden Sand Village—after all, returning would mean death. Even if the high-ranking officials might change their policies at that time, the Sand ninja, who had already lost trust in them, would still worry about being targeted. Rather than that, it would be better for the Hidden Leaf Village to win and for the Hidden Sand Village's leadership to undergo a complete overhaul. At the very least, these Sand ninja now trusted the Hidden Leaf Village more than their own village's high-ranking officials.