Land of Rivers Frontline Camp
Time passes quickly on the battlefield, and in the blink of an eye, several months had already flown by. The end of Year 44 was fast approaching.
No one present ever brought up the incident from that day again, as if they'd all silently agreed to forget it.
Even Obito was no exception.
...
In this world, wars between shinobi villages rarely begin with large-scale battles during the early and middle phases. Instead, infiltration, sabotage, and assassinations are the norm. Only when one side is confident enough to "flip the table" will a full-blown war involving thousands — sometimes tens of thousands — of ninja break out.
There's also another case: when one side suffers constant losses in minor skirmishes and realizes they're running out of chances to turn things around—then they go all-in.
At that point, a single decisive battle will determine victory.
And right now, Suna seemed to be approaching its breaking point.
"What? You two are heading back to Konoha?"
Early in the morning, Mitsuki spotted Ruri and Heiji packing their things. Curious, he asked them what was going on — only to be told that they was taking a leave of absence and heading home for some rest.
Wait... this is a battlefield, isn't it? Why was he hearing the words "vacation" here of all places?
"If your squad gets to take a break, why didn't I know about this?" Mitsuki asked, scratching his head in confusion.
Ruri shot him a glance and said, "Weren't you transferred to Minato-san's team recently? Didn't they tell you that frontline squads rotate in and out on scheduled leaves?"
"I wasn't transferred to Minato's team! We just formed a temporary team for specific missions."
"Oh, really?" Ruri replied, looking at him with a strange expression.
"Then who's the one that's been sticking with them every day like glue? Sure didn't look like a 'temporary' arrangement to me. Someone's been looking real happy about it too."
"..."
Mitsuki's instincts told him that staying quiet was the best option right now.
"Mitsuki, why don't you go ask Minato-sama directly?" suggested Heiji.
"You have a point. But I don't think it'll matter now. Our missions with Minato have been going so smoothly that the higher-ups probably already consider me part of his team permanently."
Ruri scoffed, "Ninja are tools of the village. Of course they're going to keep using the ones that work best."
Ruri's return to the village wasn't just for rest and recovery. Over the past few months on the battlefield, she had fully adapted to the power of her Three Tomoe Sharingan.
She was going back to formally request training resources from the Uchiha Clan — like advanced Fire Release techniques and Genjutsu tailored to her level of Sharingan.
As for Heiji, he exclaimed excitedly,
"Mitsuki, at this rate you're definitely going to be one of the greats of the village. You might even become Hokage one day!"
He truly meant it. For someone like him — born without freedom, shackled by destiny — seeing someone else shine so brightly could bring either envy or admiration.
Heiji belonged to the latter group. There are always those few people who, even when stuck in the mud, still smile at the flowers blooming in the sunlight.
"Thanks, Heiji… but I think Hokage is still a bit much for me right now."
"Haha, maybe… but if it's you, I've got no doubt you'll get there."
...
Konoha – Hokage Tower.
Hiruzen held a kiseru in one hand and a scroll in the other.
It was a recommendation letter from Minato requesting promotion to chunin for both Kakashi and Mitsuki.
He set the letter down and picked up Kakashi's mission record.
Hatake Kakashi – Ninja ID: 009720
D-Rank Missions: 16
C-Rank Missions: 49
B-Rank Missions: 30
A-Rank Missions: 13
S-Rank Missions: 1
For a freshly graduated genin, even if most of these were short wartime assignments, this record was undeniably chunin-worthy—perhaps even exceptional. He had experience in nearly every mission tier, and the number of high-level missions was nothing short of impressive.
One mission stood out in particular: the S-Rank rescue operation. That mission had left a strong impression on Hiruzen.
He recalled clearly: The Anbu squad had obtained vital intel from a Suna mole planted in Konoha. However, the Suna spy found out about the operation. By the time the spy was caught, the information had already been leaked.
Though the Anbu squad had successfully made contact and secured the intel, they were likely being hunted. This meant the classified information might never make it back to the village.
So Hiruzen sent the fastest team available: Minato's team. Though officially a rescue mission, the real priority was the intel. Saving the people would be great — but if not, they had to retrieve that intel.
Brutal, but that was the life of a shinobi.
Fortunately, Minato's team made it in time and saved the team, who were being pursued by over ten Suna-nin. And the success? Largely thanks to Mitsuki.
Minato's report highlighted that Mitsuki had volunteered on the spot when the emergency assignment came in.Thanks to his sensory range — greater even than Minato's — they were able to pinpoint the squad's location swiftly.
Hiruzen couldn't help but smile at the memory. He wouldn't just remember that mission — he planned to use it as teaching material at the Academy.It was the perfect embodiment of the Will of Fire.
To him, nothing was more heartwarming than watching the next generation of Konoha grow strong.
Exhaling a puff of smoke, he picked up Mitsuki's mission report.
Shimizu Mitsuki – Ninja ID: 010884
D-Rank Missions: 0
C-Rank Missions: 1
B-Rank Missions: 2
A-Rank Missions: 76
S-Rank Missions: 13
A very… lopsided distribution. But understandable.
From the moment Mitsuki set foot on the battlefield, he demonstrated extraordinary skill in ninjutsu. He was paired with Minato in what was initially considered an experimental team.
Yet the results they achieved were far beyond expectations. Minato's unmatched mobility combined with Mitsuki's destructive power created synergy on a ridiculous level—1 + 1 = 10, at minimum.
In just a few months, they'd obliterated every single Suna supply route in the Land of Rivers. They even struck deep into the Land of Wind itself, forcing Suna to begin withdrawing entirely from the battlefield.
Two people had accomplished what Konoha's thousand-strong forces couldn't do in years.
Lately, even Hiruzen had started looking more favorably upon Danzo. After all, it was Danzo who suggested pairing Minato with Mitsuki.
As for that part where Danzo asked to command the team himself… well, Hiruzen conveniently ignored that. Keep the good, discard the trash.