"Brother Sora, come and eat quickly."
Seeing Sora, Yumi and Ayumi immediately waved happily, full of energy.
Sora smiled, temporarily pushing down those heavy thoughts.
Miyamoto Ichirō was busy serving everyone rice, complaining as he did so, "Fish prices went up again today. Those profiteering merchants must have heard the news about more skirmishes at the border..."
Uesugi Rin, who was helping set out bowls and chopsticks, chimed in, "I heard the conflict in the Land of Rain has escalated. Next time we go to submit a mission, we need to pay more attention to the mission board and see if there are any higher-paying C-rank missions."
"C-rank missions still carry risks. You've only recently graduated, it's better to be more cautious."
Sora walked over and sat down, habitually reminding them.
"Got it, Sora, you sound like an old man, so naggy."
Uesugi Rin stuck out her tongue. Even though she said that, her eyes showed she had taken it to heart.
"I'm saying this for your own good. Has that kid Asuma been causing any trouble for you?"
"He's alright. He just has a bit of a temper sometimes, but his skills are pretty strong. Last time, we ran into a few rogue ninjas trying to steal our mission item, and he dealt with them in a few moves."
Uesugi Rin said, her tone showing quite a bit of recognition for Asuma's strength.
Sora didn't say much more about it. It was a good thing that Uesugi Rin could be on a team with Asuma.
As the son of the Third Hokage, Asuma obviously wouldn't be sent on overly dangerous missions. By following him, Uesugi Rin could naturally avoid many risks.
Instead, it was the two young girls, Yumi and Ayumi, that Sora needed to pay more attention to.
Everyone began eating, chatting about the trivial matters of the day: interesting news from the Ninja Academy, little incidents during missions, gossip from neighbors, and so on.
Listening to the chattering voices around him and looking at the young, vibrant faces under the candlelight, Sora suddenly felt a bit dazed.
These were his bonds in this strange and dangerous world. This was the harbor he could return to after carrying out those bloody missions in the Anbu.
'It's a pity. Such peace won't last much longer.'
Sora knew that from the moment the Third Kazekage died, the Third Great Ninja War could be said to have already begun.
But at least for now, at this small dining table, he could temporarily set aside all his schemes and calculations. He could just be a "family member" and enjoy this moment of peace.
Moreover, he now had the initial strength to protect these four people in front of him.
...
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, more than half a year had passed since the mission to the Land of Wind.
Over this past half year, the situation in the ninja world, as Sora knew it, slid along its predetermined trajectory, becoming even more intense.
The disappearance of the Third Kazekage completely lit the fuse.
At first, Sunagakure tried its best to conceal the news, searching frantically in secret. But there is no wall that wind cannot pass through.
The news eventually leaked out.
Kumogakure of the Land of Lightning was the first to act. Using border friction as a pretext, they deployed troops to the border, putting pressure on the Land of Wind, attempting to test Sunagakure's actual state.
However, contrary to many people's expectations, Sunagakure did not fall into chaos.
After the higher-ups quickly reached a consensus, Rasa, hailed as the "Gold Miner", relying on his powerful Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai and the strong-handed approach he demonstrated at the critical moment, rapidly stabilized the internal situation and successfully rose to power, becoming the Fourth Kazekage.
After taking office, facing Kumogakure's aggression, Rasa did not choose to back down. Instead, he responded with an equally tough stance, even proactively engaging in several fairly large-scale conflicts with Kumogakure at the border.
Leveraging geographical advantages and the tenacity of the Suna-nin, they managed to repel Kumogakure's offensive for a time.
'This guy Rasa, even though he died simply later on, turns out to be more decisive than I imagined. That's right. Without some ability, how could he have stabilized Sunagakure under those circumstances and even become Kazekage.'
Sora thought to himself when he learned this intelligence.
...
Not gaining much advantage in the Land of Wind, Kumogakure would naturally not let the matter rest.
Their greedy gaze soon turned towards the more prosperous Land of Fire, and towards Iwagakure of the Land of Earth, with whom they had longstanding grievances.
Driven by interest, the machinery of war was set completely in motion.
Kumogakure declared war on both the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire almost simultaneously, launching fierce attacks on multiple fronts.
And that old fox Ōnoki obviously had no intention of sitting idly by while Kumogakure grew stronger alone. He also wanted to take advantage of the situation to tear a piece of flesh from the Land of Fire.
Almost at the same time as Kumogakure launched its attack, Iwagakure's army crossed the Land of Grass and headed straight for the border of the Land of Fire.
The Third Great Ninja War had finally broken out in full scale!
Konoha instantly found itself in the difficult position of fighting on two, even three, fronts.
On the northwestern front, they had to deal with Iwagakure's invasion from the direction of the Land of Grass and the Land of Waterfalls.
On the northeastern front, they had to resist Kumogakure's fierce attacks from the direction of the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Snow.
And there was also a southeastern front, primarily countering pressure from Kirigakure. Although Kirigakure had not yet fully intervened, frequent small-scale frictions meant they still needed to deploy some ninjas for defense.
The flames of war almost instantly spread across the borders. Every day, a large number of casualty reports were sent back to Konoha.
Konoha's war machine also began operating at an unprecedented speed.
A large number of Genin and Chunin were organized into squads and dispatched to various battlefields. Even some Ninja Academy students who hadn't yet graduated were made to graduate early to replenish the ninja forces.
Fortunately, for now, the two young girls from the orphanage had only just entered their second year. Their class had not yet been sent to the battlefield.
A wartime atmosphere of tension began to envelop the entire Konoha Village.
And amidst this turmoil, the name Namikaze Minato rose like a comet, shining brightly across the entire battlefield.
The Flying Thunder God Technique displayed astonishing power in his hands. Appearing and disappearing unpredictably, killing without a trace, countless Iwa-nin and Kumo-nin fell before his specially marked kunai without even having time to react.
The Flying Thunder God gave Minato the initiative on the battlefield. Whether to fight or withdraw was entirely up to him.
Those who could defeat him couldn't catch up. Those who couldn't defeat him couldn't escape. Where and when to strike was entirely his decision. This was the greatest frustration felt by all enemies who encountered Minato.
The fame of the "Yellow Flash" quickly spread throughout the nations, becoming something that made enemies tremble with fear.
Later on, even the high commands of various nations issued orders stating "If you encounter the 'Yellow Flash', you may abandon the mission and flee immediately."
And as Minato's strength grew day by day, gradually, no one could defeat him one-on-one anymore. The title "Yellow Flash" naturally came to awe the entire ninja world.
This was precisely why he was able to catch up to and surpass the Legendary Sannin in such a short time and become renowned throughout the ninja world.
'Minato truly is Minato. The Flying Thunder God, such a cheat-like skill, is truly terrifying in his hands.'
Sora couldn't help but sigh with emotion when he occasionally saw Minato's battle achievements in the reports from the front lines.
This was the era belonging to geniuses.
And he himself was not able to stay out of it either.
Anbu missions became more frequent, heavier, and more dangerous.
Infiltration, espionage, sabotage, assassination... All sorts of covert missions emerged endlessly.
After Squad C Five's members had mostly recovered from their injuries, they were also quickly redeployed to the battlefield.
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