After the war, Minato Namikaze, due to his consistently satisfactory performance, was deemed to possess Chunin-level abilities and was awarded the rank after the conflict. In a ninja village, a Chunin is already a squad leader, capable of initially leading a team on missions. Although Minato Namikaze hadn't been a ninja for very long, he had accumulated sufficient experience during the war. While his performance wasn't the most dazzling among his peers, it still earned him recognition for his abilities.
As a combat ninja, Minato Namikaze primarily undertook missions outside the village. This was particularly true because after the war, Konoha Ninja Village acquired new land through transactions with other nobles. It was a time when manpower was needed to introduce Konoha's system to these new areas, and Minato Namikaze, as part of the new generation, was assigned there for training.
Just as he had been during the war, Minato Namikaze's performance was consistently satisfactory, not overly outstanding, but perfectly meeting the requirements from above. While he didn't receive commendations for exceptional performance like others, Minato Namikaze's official record showed a steady rise in achievements. The latter, though allowing for rapid advancement, could also lead to mistakes being recorded due to various reasons.
Minato Namikaze's area of responsibility often required him to interact with people from the logistics department, a fact he quite enjoyed. This allowed him to frequently meet Kushina. He had initially worried that once he became a full-fledged ninja and work became busy, there might be some difficulties in seeing her, but now that concern was gone.
Upon returning from this mission, Minato Namikaze was suddenly invited by Kushina, which surprised him somewhat. Due to their relationship at the Ninja Academy and their work positions, he and Kushina were very familiar with each other, but they rarely went out together. He had also planned to invite Kushina out, but wasn't sure if she would agree. He wasn't very assertive in this regard, so Kushina's initiative to invite him out made him feel a little awkward.
However, this secretly delighted Minato Namikaze, as he had a strong liking for Kushina. While Kushina wasn't a shy or reserved person, for her to call Minato Namikaze out alone, as a member of the opposite sex, didn't that, to some extent, suggest their relationship was quite close?
Before leaving, Minato Namikaze considered whether he should dress up nicely, but after much thought, he decided that even though Kushina had invited him out, it didn't necessarily mean she had 'that' intention. At most, it only proved their good relationship, and it would be better not to jump to conclusions in this matter.
Thus, Minato Namikaze maintained his usual style, choosing clothes as if he were going out with a good friend, and then headed towards the place Kushina had arranged.
Minato Namikaze was very precise with his timing. After arriving at the meeting spot, he only waited a short while before Kushina arrived. He rarely saw Kushina in casual clothes, and in them, Kushina looked equally beautiful. As Konoha Ninja Village had developed, clothing styles had become increasingly diverse. Non-traditional, more appealing designs were constantly emerging, with women being the primary consumers.
"Did I keep you waiting?" Kushina asked, seeing Minato Namikaze already there.
"No, I just arrived," Minato Namikaze replied honestly.
"Is that so?" Kushina nodded slightly, thinking that Minato Namikaze might have truly just arrived, as he was always very disciplined when they were in school. She then said, "Then let's go."
"Okay," Minato Namikaze replied, entering the commercial district with Kushina.
The reason Kushina called Minato Namikaze out was to tell him something. Earlier, at home, she had learned from Fumori Masaki that the village was forming a new type of ninja combat unit. This unit, led by her sister Akemi, would primarily use flying combat tools. It was currently planned for thirty members, mainly wind-style ninjas. Masahiro had told Akemi, Asuna, and Kushina that if they knew anyone with such abilities, they could try to ask them, and the higher their talent, the better.
Coincidentally, Kushina knew someone who could use wind-style chakra and had outstanding talent: Minato Namikaze. Although she had always felt that Minato Namikaze wasn't as ambitious as others—for example, during the Second Shinobi World War, young people like Fugaku Uchiha from their generation were fighting hard to prove themselves, while Minato Namikaze seemed to lack some motivation in this regard—she had to admit that Minato Namikaze was a very talented person. She believed Minato Namikaze could achieve even greater things.
Perhaps it was with this in mind that Kushina believed Minato Namikaze should try to join this newly formed combat unit. She knew from Fumori Masaki that this flying combat unit was extremely important and would change the nature of warfare in the ninja world. If Minato Namikaze performed well within it, his future would undoubtedly be bright.
However, she wondered if this guy would, as in the past, be content with merely satisfactory performance and not seek further advancement. Thinking this, Kushina couldn't help but glance at Minato Namikaze, wishing he would show a little more drive. She had told him many times in the past, but he just hadn't changed.
The two walked through the commercial district, chatting intermittently, mostly about things they encountered at work. Minato Namikaze, working outside, often encountered many new things that Kushina, working in the rear, rarely heard about. At home, Akemi also worked in the rear, and Asuna occasionally spoke of such things, but not very often.
Minato Namikaze wasn't overly talkative, but his words perfectly met Kushina's needs. The two chatted as they arrived at their destination: a newly opened barbecue restaurant. It was said to have excellent reviews and even private rooms, making it a good place for a conversation.
The formation of the flying combat unit was considered a secret. It would certainly be announced eventually, but for now, they wanted to prevent other ninja villages from finding out. The longer they could keep it a secret, the more of an advantage they would have, even though Fumori Masaki believed that even if others found out, it would take a long time for them to catch up.
It was precisely for this reason that Kushina had called Minato Namikaze out alone. She didn't want others to know. However, this was the first time Kushina had gone out alone with just one other person. Although she was usually a very outgoing person, she felt a little nervous inside and had taken care to tidy herself up before leaving.
"Welcome!" As they entered, the owner of the barbecue restaurant called out loudly, and then a server came over to ask how many people there were. After confirming the number, the server led them to an empty spot.
Kushina said she wanted a private room, one that wasn't near anyone else. The server nodded and led them to an empty private room. Seeing this, Minato Namikaze couldn't help but start thinking.
Kushina then picked up the menu, looking at all the dishes. The menu moved slightly, revealing her bright eyes, and she asked, "What do you want to eat?"
"Hmm, let me see," Minato Namikaze said. Hearing this, Kushina placed the menu on the table, turning it sideways so they could both look at it.
Soon, the two decided on their dishes and called the server over to take their order. Afterwards, during the wait, the atmosphere between Kushina and Minato Namikaze became somewhat silent. For two people on their first outing alone, this kind of solitude was truly an unprecedented experience.
Kushina pondered when to get to the main point and what to say before doing so, which troubled her. Even the cheerful and outgoing Kushina felt a bit at a loss at this moment.
At this point, Minato Namikaze spoke up first, asking Kushina if there was something she wanted to discuss privately, since she had invited him out for dinner.
When inviting Minato Namikaze out this time, Kushina's excuse was that two familiar friends were going out to hang out. She hadn't directly said she had something important to discuss, feeling it might be a bit awkward. So, at that moment, she didn't know how to steer the conversation to where she needed it to go, but she hadn't expected him to see right through her.
"How did you know?" Kushina's voice was surprised.
"A guess," Minato Namikaze said, confirming his suspicion. "Because Kushina, you said you wanted a secluded private room with no one nearby. I figured you might have something to say, which is why you chose that."
"Just because of that?"
"And another thing, you seemed to have used a barrier just now, didn't you? My guess is it's a sound-proofing barrier. Unless you allow it, ordinary people wouldn't be able to hear anything," Minato Namikaze said.
Kushina was very surprised. She hadn't expected Minato Namikaze to even detect her use of a barrier. As a descendant of the Uzumaki clan with a powerful bloodline, Kushina's talent in sealing techniques was impeccable. Moreover, she had studied under Mito Uzumaki when she was young, so her skill level was naturally superb.
This time, Kushina scrutinized Minato Namikaze with a different gaze. After their recent conversation, she felt she needed to re-evaluate Minato Namikaze's strength. This was just a very simple barrier that wouldn't cause any major disruption, and with her speed, she could set it up in the blink of an eye, yet Minato Namikaze had still detected it.
"Just how strong are you?" Kushina asked.
"That's hard to say," Minato Namikaze thought for a moment and replied honestly.
Ninja strength doesn't have clear-cut boundary divisions like the distinct cultivation levels in Fumori Masaki's previous life's fantasy novels. Such a system doesn't exist in the ninja world. While there is a gap between the strength of a Jonin and a Chunin, it's not absolute. For example, in later generations, Naruto Uzumaki, even as a Genin, was a master at the Sage of Six Paths level, the peak of the ninja world.
Minato Namikaze wasn't someone who thought too highly of himself. Even if his strength had reached the Jonin level, he wouldn't directly claim to be a Jonin. Besides the previous reason, another point was that he couldn't determine the true strength of a Jonin. All ninjas have their trump cards, and the strength seen in a ninja might not be their full capability.
"What's with the mystery?" Kushina's cheeks puffed out slightly. In reality, it might have been an insignificant small gesture, but because Kushina's face already had a bit of baby fat, it was somewhat noticeable, and in Minato Namikaze's eyes, it was very cute.
"It's not really being mysterious. I also don't know exactly how strong I am. The village doesn't have clear standards either. Unless I take a test, they might give me a clear answer, but I can't ask the village to specially conduct such a test for me, can I? I'm already a Chunin now. The legitimate way is to take the Special Jonin exam," Minato Namikaze said with a wry smile.
"Then why don't you go?" Kushina asked. "The village hasn't refused you from taking the Special Jonin exam, has it?"
"I think it's better for me to focus on accumulating experience. While the Special Jonin exam isn't as strict as the Jonin exam, it still requires experience," Minato Namikaze said.
"What's with being so cautious?" Kushina said. Just then, the server came over and placed the ordered meat dishes on the table one by one.
Minato Namikaze thanked them, and then the server lit the grill before retreating. The grill slowly heated up. At this point, no one would usually come to disturb them. If someone did, Kushina could detect them in time and fully activate the barrier, making eavesdropping a very difficult task, unless the other party possessed abilities far superior to Kushina's.
"Since you've already guessed, I won't hide anything," Kushina said, relieved that she could get straight to the point and avoid the hassle of finding a topic. "Actually, the village is planning to establish a flying combat unit recently, and I think you could give it a try."
It was no secret that Fumori Masaki had adopted Kushina as his foster daughter; many people in the village knew about it. Minato Namikaze had no doubts about what Kushina said. He had vaguely heard that the R&D department seemed to be researching new combat ninja tools, and it looked like this was the flying combat ninja tool. Just hearing about it made him feel that this combat tool had something unique about it.
"Can I do it? Will the requirements be very high?"
"Why not? The village's requirements are just wind-style ninjas and relatively talented ones," Kushina said. "You meet all those requirements!"
Minato Namikaze pondered. To be honest, he was very curious about this flying combat unit, and Kushina had specifically come to invite him. He felt it was necessary to give it a try. After a moment of consideration, he nodded at Kushina and said, "If possible, I'd like to try."
"Phew, good thing you agreed. I was really a bit worried that you might be content with the status quo and not want to go. This new unit has a very promising future, but there will also be some uncertainties, as it's newly formed," Kushina said with a smile. "You better work hard, alright? I'm the one who called you over, so if you don't perform well, I'll be embarrassed!"
"I won't let you down," Minato Namikaze said seriously.