"Minato-senpai!" Upon seeing Minato Namikaze, Kurenai Yuhi sighed in relief. She could tell that the three individuals hadn't used their full strength. If they had intended to kill from the beginning, Kurenai felt she could have only lasted five minutes at most. Although she wasn't sure of their exact purpose, the fact that they were impersonating Konoha ninjas was unmistakable.
"Go check on your comrades. The rest of the support should be arriving soon. Leave the enemies to me," Minato said with a comforting smile. Kurenai understood that her presence might become a hindrance, and since her task of stalling the enemy was complete, she nodded and quickly performed a Body Flicker Technique to go check on Kiyo Hyuga.
"Now, it's your turn," Minato's eyes narrowed as he turned his gaze toward the direction where Yamato and the others had fled. Fortunately, he had received orders to return to the village; otherwise, he wouldn't have arrived so promptly.
---
Kikyo Castle
"Chunin Mirai, Is everything ready?" A Konoha Chunin stationed outside asked respectfully. The voice sounded older than Hyuga Mirai's, but the tone was filled with deep respect. Almost all Konoha ninjas knew that the person in the pharmaceutical preparation room at Kikyo Castle was the genius medical ninja who had recently cracked several poisons from the Hidden Sand.
When Hyuga Mirai's rank rose to Medical Jonin, the middle and lower-ranking ninjas who had been rotated off the battlefield in the Land of Rivers would address him as "Mirai-san" or even "Mirai-sama." Having such a powerful medical ninja on their side was like a reassurance to everyone. Now, Hyuga Mirai had already developed a bit of this reputation. Whenever injured soldiers saw him in the medical camp, the panic on their faces would quickly disappear.
*Even when exhausted, sweating and drained, I must save one more person,* Hyuga Mirai's actions spoke louder than words, earning him a strong reputation at the frontlines.
This time, Hyuga Mirai was on the roster for rotation, and many speculated that he would be promoted to Jonin once he returned. Normal Jonin promotions were difficult due to the necessary assessments, but as a Medical Jonin, Hyuga Mirai was more than qualified. Even in terms of chakra, his performance was comparable to other Medical Jonin.
After gathering all the medical equipment and supplies in the preparation room, Hyuga Mirai had delayed things a bit.
"Sorry for the wait," he apologized immediately as he emerged from the room, recognizing that he had delayed the departure time due to his own actions. However, after his apology, someone waved their hand and responded, "It's nothing. Actually, we're ahead of schedule, so a slight delay from Mirai Chunin doesn't matter."
"Still, I apologize for the trouble," Hyuga Mirai said with a smile, recognizing the person who had spoken. This was Sasaki, a Special Jonin who had once had an acupuncture and poison removal procedure done by him in the medical camp at the frontlines. Without Mirai's intervention, Sasaki would have had to give up his ninja career. Sasaki was especially grateful for Mirai's life-saving treatment.
Mirai smiled at Sasaki and greeted him, "Sasaki-kun, is your body fully recovered?"
"Of course! I owe it all to you, Mirai-kun! If not for you, I'd have had to return to civilian life!" Sasaki expressed his deep gratitude. No one understood the life of a civilian ninja better than he did. Once a ninja retires—usually due to age or injuries—they are faced with limited options. In Konoha, ninjas control most industries, while the rest of the business is handled by merchants from the Land of Fire. Civilian ninjas have no such avenues once they retire. Even though Konoha provides some retirement funds, they are barely enough for one person, and if they have a family, it's not enough.
---
As for the savings of ninjas, only the high-ranking ones, like Jōnin, can accumulate some savings due to their high-risk, high-reward missions. Chūnin, Genin, and especially Special Jōnin with heavy expenses often find themselves needing to find other ways to make a living after retirement. Sasaki, who could barely imagine his future if he were to retire as a ninja in his twenties due to injuries, truly couldn't express how grateful he was when Hyuga Mirai successfully performed surgery on him.
Konoha doesn't keep the same batch of ninjas on the front lines for long, as rotating them is a necessary strategy. Whether due to needing rest after injuries or just the long duration spent at the front, ninjas are regularly rotated back to Konoha to recover. If the same ninjas remained on the battlefield for too long, they would inevitably break down physically and mentally.
The first group of ninjas who had gone to the Land of Rivers for reinforcements were already ready to return to Konoha. The recent Sand ninja offensive had slowed down, and based on high-level analysis in Konoha, multiple attempts by the Sand were repelled by Orochimaru, indicating a trend of diminishing warfare. Though it couldn't be said that peace talks were guaranteed, Konoha's higher-ups believed there was a possibility. So, they decided to recall Orochimaru alongside the other ninjas.
"Has the time and location for our meeting with Orochimaru been arranged, Sasaki-kun?" Hyuga Mirai asked as they walked at the front of the group, despite still being a Chūnin. Normally, his rank would be a hindrance, but due to his high reputation, no one questioned his position.
"Yes, Mirai-kun, we'll meet Orochimaru-sama directly at Kikyo City and then head back to Konoha together," replied Sasaki, and Mirai relaxed. "At least we can finally get some rest. This is the first time I've been away from Konoha for this long."
Sasaki nodded, smiling at Mirai. "Half of this is thanks to you, Mirai-kun."
"That's not true; it's all thanks to the effort of the ninjas from our village."
One of the ninjas beside Sasaki chimed in, "I think at least two-thirds of it is due to Mirai-kun's efforts. If it weren't for his research on the antidote, I might have died on the battlefield."
While the praise was overwhelming, Mirai quickly stopped them before it got out of hand. If they continued, it might soon turn into rumors of "Hyuga Mirai defeating the Fourth Kazekage" or something equally exaggerated.
The group continued their journey, but after a short distance, they encountered a small Konoha team.
"That's... Jōnin Namikaze Minato, right? Is he here with three ANBU members on a mission?" Mirai thought to himself when he saw the four figures in the distance. Considering Orochimaru's departure from the front lines, Minato should have been the one to take over. Why was Minato here, though? Was he here for a handover? Mirai had never heard of such a custom in Konoha.
Sasaki, also confused, added, "I'm not sure, but since this involves the ANBU, it must be a mission assigned directly by Hokage-sama."
Special Jōnin already held some political standing in the village, so they were often aware of some ANBU affairs. When the two groups approached, Sasaki greeted Minato directly. "Jōnin Minato, we've completed our handover with the garrison forces at Kikyo Town. What brings you here?"
"Ah, it's nothing important, Sasaki-kun. Mirai-kun, it's the day for rotation, right? By the way, I must say, I'll miss working with such strong teammates like you," Minato said, though it sounded overly polite and insincere. Mirai and the others couldn't help but roll their eyes at his empty words. They didn't have the energy to probe further into Minato's personal matters, especially since ANBU ninjas were present.
At that moment, a yellow-haired ANBU ninja wearing a fox mask suddenly yelled, "Mirai? Is that you, Hyuga Mirai?" As he shouted, the ninja's hands were poised to form a hand seal, clearly ready to perform ninjutsu. However, before he could complete the gesture, two hands reached out from opposite directions and firmly stopped him.
The ninja's hostile intention was obvious from his actions and the loud exclamation.
"Jōnin Minato," Mirai calmly asked, his expression unchanged, "Is this something Hokage-sama instructed?"
The confrontation was inevitable. The Tailed Beasts were the greatest energy sources in the ninja world, after all.
(End of chapter)
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