Six months later.
In the streets of Konoha Village.
Minato and Kushina walked hand in hand, as they always did every afternoon when the Ninja Academy was on break.
In the half year before Minato's memory awakening, and during the half year after Kushina became Jinchuriki — in this nearly one-year time span, the two had already wandered through every large and small street in Konoha Ninja Village.
Even so, they kept up their routine without fail.
Kushina's sense of novelty still hadn't faded. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, examining everything around her.
But behind her, Minato wore a look of quiet burden.
Shua Shua!
He glanced sideways. Once again, several shadows darted across the rooftops.
Without a doubt, those were Konoha ninjas.
The direction they were heading toward was naturally the Hokage Tower.
In recent months, situations like this had become increasingly frequent.
"It seems the relations among ninja nations are now on the verge of collapse. Are they finally going to tear off their masks?"
Minato mused inwardly. Although the previous ninja war had ended, deep resentments had accumulated among the Five Great Nations, including blood feuds and tangled interests.
The Second Hokage perished in that war. The balance maintained for nearly twenty years between countries would eventually collapse.
This conflict, later known as the Second Ninja World War, lasted over a decade. Although actual full-scale warfare lasted less than three years, conflicts between the great ninja nations never ceased.
Therefore, the disappearance of the Third Kazekage once again became the spark. The Third Ninja World War began.
It was exactly during that unprecedented war that he shone brilliantly as the Yellow Flash, striking fear into other nations, and finally led Konoha to victory.
Peace is built upon countless buried bones...
But even if Minato were Hokage now, he still couldn't prevent the outbreak of war.
Because national interests and wars were never determined by any single person.
At its core, war was about using overwhelming force to seize greater gains through violence.
Shua!
While Minato was thinking, several figures appeared before him and Kushina.
"Nawaki Sempai," Minato said upon seeing them. It was indeed Nawaki and his two teammates.
Nawaki smiled. "You two sure have a good relationship, always together."
Since the first time Nawaki met Minato at home, every subsequent encounter had Kushina right by his side.
Even though he himself wasn't particularly observant, he could tell these two were unusually close.
"Long time no see, Minato-kun. You're getting more handsome…"
Behind Nawaki, Shurou, who was also somewhat familiar with both of them, smiled. More than a year had passed. The childishness on Minato's face had gradually faded, revealing a more radiant and heroic temperament.
Especially those clear blue eyes, free of any impurity, gave people an impression that was simply impossible to dislike.
Beside them, Kushina shot Shurou a wary glance before linking her arm with Minato's.
Shurou smiled lightly. "Kushina, you've become even more beautiful, Junior."
Kushina gave an awkward smile without really changing her expression.
"Hehe, Minato, do you still remember that battle on the day we met?" Nawaki Sempai said.
Minato nodded. "Yes, I lost to Nawaki Sempai back then."
"That wasn't really a win for me."
Nawaki quickly waved his hands. Back then, Minato's fundamental skills had already been no less than his own. In the end, he had only lost due to fatigue.
He could tell—Minato had already expended quite a bit of physical stamina before that fight.
"I'd really like to see how strong you are now after two years. Want to have a real match with me? Not just a sparring session." A fiery eagerness gleamed in Nawaki Sempai's eyes.
Minato saw that intense look and felt his own fighting spirit rising.
"Sure." He readily agreed but glanced at Kushina beside him and added, "But I should be with Kushina..."
Before he could finish, Kushina cut in, saying, "Don't worry about me. Actually, I want to see your current strength too. The Ninja Academy hasn't had any live sparring sessions in ages."
Minato couldn't help twitching the corner of his eye.
"Thanks, Kushina," Nawaki Sempai winked at her with one eye and said, "Let's go to Training Ground Seven."
Nawaki Sempai knew Minato had trained there extensively after studying under Jiraiya.
The group made their way toward their destination, bypassing the relatively crowded streets.
...
Konoha Ninja Village, Training Ground Seven.
When they arrived, dusk was settling—the time between day and night.
But such conditions wouldn't affect ninja like them in the slightest.
Kushina, Shurou, and Nawaki Sempai's other teammate all stepped aside.
At the center of the training ground, Minato and Nawaki Sempai stood facing each other.
"Minato, even though we're friends, don't expect me to hold back in this fight," Nawaki Sempai joked, his expression gradually turning sharp.
In his eyes, Minato saw a fierceness—he had faced death and returned.
That was the most crucial step from being a mere student at the Ninja Academy to becoming a true ninja.
What pleased Minato even more, however, was that Nawaki seemed completely out of his previous gloominess.
Minato had already guessed that Ao Sarutobi's injury had something to do with Nawaki. That must have been why he and Shurou often appeared by Ao's side back then.
Whoosh!
As soon as Nawaki Sempai finished speaking, instead of charging at Minato directly, he suddenly shot backward rapidly.
He understood Minato well, knowing full well that speed was Minato's specialty. Launching a direct attack would surely put him at a disadvantage from the start.
Therefore, he wanted to create distance between them first.
Zoom!
Seeing this, Minato immediately darted forward toward him without hesitation.
Minato saw through Nawaki's intentions, but he didn't use his full speed, only trying to close the distance between them as much as possible.
Minato also wanted to see what level of skill the First Hokage's grandson had reached at this age.
As for himself, thanks to being reborn, his power had grown incredibly fast. There was just no way his current mindset or abilities could be compared to Nawaki's.
He wasn't ready to reveal all his strength yet.
To try and match Minato's speed, Nawaki immediately used the Shifting Body Technique. So even without Minato going all out, a considerable gap still opened up between them.
Once some distance was established, Nawaki quickly formed several hand seals.
When Minato saw those seals, his eyebrows couldn't help but lift slightly.
[Boom!]
The ground beneath Nawaki's feet trembled lightly, drawing glances from everyone present.
The earth directly underneath him bulged upward, instantly transforming into a dragon head.
The dragon opened its mouth, firing several large earthen projectiles like cannonballs straight at Minato.
[Earth Release: Earth and Stone Dragon!]
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>