In just one morning, all three collapsed exhausted at the entrance of the valley.
"With this level, I'm afraid you can't go to the battlefield."
Minato stood in front of the three, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.
"The traps are too dense!"
Nawaki sat up. In such a short time, he had been eliminated eighteen times, sixteen of which were solo-killed by exploding tags.
"Where on the battlefield are there so many traps?"
"But the battlefield never lacks traps, especially in places you don't expect." Minato emphasized.
The battlefield is not playing house. There is never a lack of smart people in this world. Even a genius like Kakashi narrowly escaped death when he first went to the battlefield.
"With me here, you don't need to worry about threats from enemies. But if you die in a trap, it's better to die at the hands of the enemy. Compared to stupidity, I hope you die heroically."
"That makes sense."
Mikoto smiled somewhat helplessly. "If this way of dying spreads back to the clan, I don't know how people will laugh at us."
She could understand Minato's painstaking efforts.
The other party didn't expect them to fight at all. As long as they could ensure that they wouldn't be killed by traps, the other party could bring them back safely.
This was absolute confidence in his own strength!
It was almost like feeding them directly into their mouths.
"What? I was thinking of killing a few more enemies."
Nawaki was a little uninterested, but he also knew that his small arms couldn't twist Minato's thick thighs.
"For your current strength, the primary task on the battlefield is to try hard to ensure your survival."
Minato shook his head. "Ninjas are humans after all. People die when they are killed. This is the same for anyone."
"That's right!"
Swish—
Tsunade's figure suddenly appeared beside Minato, and she casually touched Minato's little blond hair.
"Nawaki, don't think of the battlefield too simply."
"Sis, why are you here?"
Nawaki was a little surprised by Tsunade's arrival.
"Here to deliver things."
As Tsunade spoke, she took out two forehead protectors from her ninja pouch, handing one to Minato and the other to Kushina.
"Your and Kushina's graduation applications have been approved, and Nawaki's withdrawal from the team has also been processed."
"Approved just like that? No need for an exam?" Minato asked subconsciously.
"Exam? For you?"
Tsunade found it a little funny. "The old man is very busy now. How can he have time to waste on such things? You are all in a free state now and can form teams at will."
Konoha ninjas didn't necessarily have to be in a traditional four-person squad to perform missions.
Two or three people were fine, and solo missions were not unheard of. When there were many people, it was not uncommon for several squads to act together.
"Then why not just form us into a team directly?" Nawaki asked.
"Well... Kushina has a special identity and cannot leave the village at will, so she cannot be incorporated into the team. This is the decision of the higher-ups."
Mentioning this, Tsunade was also somewhat helpless. "The formation of a squad must meet the condition of four people. Moreover, with Minato's strength, forming a team freely can better display his strength."
Hearing this, Kushina pursed her lips and said nothing.
She had long known that she was sent to Konoha to become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
Fortunately, Minato had always been by her side. Therefore, the seed of unease was extinguished by Minato's existence as soon as it appeared. The lonely mentality in the original work didn't exist at all, and every day was extremely fulfilling.
"This can't be helped."
After a brief silence, Kushina smiled helplessly.
Minato had long guessed that the higher-ups would make such a decision, which suited him well. Taking care of one more person meant a bit more risk. He was still very cautious in this regard.
"Tomorrow morning I will take you to the Hokage Building to register your information. After that, you can pick up missions at any time."
Seeing that Kushina's reaction was relatively calm, Tsunade also felt a little relieved. "In addition, in at most half a month, missions may be dispatched."
"What happened?" Minato asked.
"Just now at the Jonin meeting, Hanzo issued a notice ordering ninjas from other countries to withdraw from the Land of Rain immediately, and sent his subordinate ninjas to forcefully intervene in the war between Konoha and Hidden Sand."
Tsunade emphasized the word "war". Obviously, in her opinion, the conflict between Konoha and Hidden Sand could already be regarded as a war.
"Now the village has entered a state of combat readiness. A large number of ninjas have been transferred to the border. In addition, news came back from Hidden Stone Village that Hidden Stone seems to intend to take this opportunity to expand its territory."
"Once the conflict in the Land of Rain intensifies, Hidden Stone is likely to invade the Land of Grass first. To prevent this from happening, personnel need to be dispatched to support Hidden Grass Village."
Nawaki was puzzled. "What does Hidden Grass have to do with us?"
"Of course it has something to do with us, idiot. told you to read more books!"
Tsunade flicked Nawaki's forehead, her tone helpless. "Hidden Grass Village is our Konoha's ally and also a buffer between Konoha and Hidden Stone."
"Once the Land of Grass is breached, Konoha will have to face the pressure from Hidden Stone directly."
Hearing this, Nawaki didn't panic at all, crossing his arms and smiling proudly. "In other words, Hidden Stone also has to face the pressure from our Konoha directly?"
"The problem is, this is not much pressure for them."
Minato explained, "Although the Land of Fire has the best resources and environment in the ninja world, it is located in the center of the ninja world, surrounded by the other four major ninja villages."
"Konoha is certainly not afraid of a single Hidden Stone Village, but once other ninja villages are given an opportunity, Konoha is likely to face a one-against-four situation."
"Compared to the Land of Fire, although other countries have worse geographical environments, it also provides them with protection in disguise. For example, it rains stones from the sky in the Land of Earth. Would you be willing to invade that kind of ghostly place?"
"Ah—?"
Nawaki's eyes widened. "So we are at a disadvantage no matter what?"
"Yes."
Minato nodded. "Once war breaks out, Konoha not only has to deal with the front line but also leave enough combat power to guard the borders."
"The higher-ups letting you form teams freely is also based on this consideration."
Tsunade looked at Minato with concern in her eyes. "Minato, your mobility and power can maximize their value in local conflicts and small-scale encounters, and can even turn the tide of a battle. This is more useful than fixing you in a standard squad."
"But this also means that you are likely to be sent to the most tense and dangerous areas."
"I understand, Sensei. Don't worry."
Minato said gently, his sunny smile carrying a reassuring power.
The two looked at each other, and both could see the concern in each other's eyes.
Nawaki glanced at Tsunade, then at Minato, a trace of doubt flashing in his eyes.
For some reason, he felt that the atmosphere between Minato and his sister was a bit weird.