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Manji's confidence inspired his students. The three young shinobi followed him, hearts racing and excited to find out what their first real mission would be like.
With their packs on, Manji led the team out of Konoha. Their mission was to take down a group of rogue shinobi.
The students had lots of chances to fight as they traveled.
When things got tough, Manji stepped in to help.
The battles were risky at times, but everyone made it through without serious injuries.
After the three students had gained enough experience and were nearly exhausted, Manji stepped in to finish things.
"Sage Art: Passage to the Pure Land."
It only took one technique. All of the rogue shinobi were sent to the Pure Land.
"Banishment to the Pure Land is more mercy than they deserve." Manji looked at the bodies around him.
By then, his students' excitement was gone. Seeing blood and death for the first time left them all quiet.
Kushina handled it better than the others. She had seen things like this before, back when the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed.
"All right. Let's head home."
Manji smiled to reassure them. On the way back, he talked about what happened and tried to help them feel better. When they got home, he took them out for a big meal.
For the next few months, Team Manji barely had any time off. Manji took them from one mission to another and only accepted A-rank or higher. He ignored any B-rank or C-rank missions.
Because of Manji, the team finished two S-rank missions even though they had only been together for less than six months. They broke Konoha's old record, and the four of them grew closer with each mission.
With Manji always around, the Cloud shinobi never had a chance to kidnap Kushina.
Minato and Kushina still seemed like they might be starting to like each other.
Meanwhile, Sarutobi Shinnosuke had become obsessed with training. He followed Manji every day, asking him nonstop questions about ninjutsu.
Manji also kept spending time with Tsunade. With his support, she slowly started to heal, and they became closer.
…
A light rain fell over Konoha Cemetery.
Years of war had filled the cemetery, with new graves packed among the old ones. Every year, Konoha held a public memorial to honor those lost in battle, but this year's ceremony felt especially difficult.
Uzumaki Mito was gone.
She had lived since the days of the First Hokage, the last person who remembered a time when the shinobi world was at war. She saw Konoha grow from nothing and watched as the First Hokage, Hashirama, Madara, Izuna, and Tobirama ended that era of chaos.
Mito had watched countless generations come and go. Now, she was just another silent gravestone in the cemetery.
Everyone in Konoha came to her funeral. No one said a word. Rain fell on a crowd of black umbrellas.
Cold raindrops collected on the ends of Minato Namikaze's blond hair and slid down his cheeks. He looked out over the rows of gravestones, his face serious.
"Everyone dies someday…" he said quietly. "The First, Second, Third, and Fourth Hokage are all gone. Now even the last person who remembered their time is gone too."
Minato had loved history books since he was a child, but he had never met any of the legends he read about. To him, the first four Hokage were just names in old books, people from a time he could never touch.
Manji stood beside him, letting the rain soak into his clothes.
"You're closer to them than you think, Minato."
Minato turned toward him.
"All the water in the world moves in a cycle. It's been doing that for billions of years. The rain falling on our shoulders now may once have fallen on theirs." Manji looked out at the rain as he spoke.
Minato stood still, watching the drops fall from the sky. One landed on his finger, cold against his skin, and for a moment, the past felt a little closer.
"Sensei…" His voice wavered, but his eyes had brightened. "Could some of this water have fallen on Konoha in Year Eighteen, when the First Hokage died?"
He looked down at the droplet resting on his finger.
"Could it have fallen on the Sage of Six Paths in ancient times?"
Manji turned to him. He seemed to remember old times before he slowly nodded.
"It's possible."
He lifted his head toward the sky.
"Think about the moon. The Sage of Six Paths looked up at it. Kitsune Uchiha, Tsuru Senju, and the First Hokage did too. No matter how many centuries go by, we all walk the same earth under the same moon."
The rain kept falling, but it didn't feel as cold anymore.
…
Roughly two months after the funeral, Manji went directly to Konoha's Sealing Corps.
With Uzumaki Mito gone, there were only a few elite sealing experts left in the village. The Nine-Tails transfer couldn't wait, and since Manji was one of the most skilled shinobi, he was chosen to lead the sealing ceremony.
Luckily, Kurama was willing to cooperate now.
Inside the mindscape, the Nine-Tails swayed one of his enormous tails before speaking.
"Sensei, what's up? The old lady's gone, so who's my next jinchūriki?"
"Uzumaki Kushina. Like Mito, she's a full-blooded member of the Uzumaki Clan." Manji's voice carried clearly into Kurama's mind. "Work with us during the transfer. Don't make this difficult."
"You got it, Sensei! Whatever you say goes!"
Kurama agreed without a moment's hesitation.
Manji ended the mental link and turned to the girl on the sealing platform. Kushina's fists were tight, and her face was pale. She bit her lip, trying hard not to show her fear.
Minato stood next to the platform, his hands clenched into fists. He stared at Kushina, worry clear on his face.
"Sensei…"
Manji patted him on the shoulder.
"Relax. When have you ever seen me attempt something I wasn't sure I could pull off?"
He walked up to the platform and looked down at Kushina, speaking gently.
"Don't be afraid. Minato and I are both right here."
Kushina glanced at Manji and then at Minato before nodding firmly. Some of her fear faded.
The sealing ceremony began.
Ten minutes later, it was over.
"That's it?" Kushina slowly opened her eyes, still looking a bit dazed.
Manji nodded.
Minato hurried to her side. "How do you feel, Kushina?"
She scratched her head. "I didn't feel a thing. I thought it would hurt!"
…
When Manji got home, he saw Tsunade waiting outside his door, holding something in her hands. "Tsunade? What are you doing here?"
Her cheeks turned red, and she wouldn't look at him.
"Today is February fourteenth… You know..."
Manji stared at her. "Am I supposed to know what that means?"
Tsunade blinked. When he didn't get the hint, she started to look annoyed. She was never shy or delicate, so if Manji couldn't figure it out, she would just say it.
"Manji, I don't want us to be friends anymore!"
Manji frowned. A dangerous look appeared in his eyes as he quietly got ready to use one of his deadly techniques.
"You want to be my enemy??"
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