"Wood Release: Four-Pillar House Technique!"
Boom—
The ground trembled under the sudden surge of life force, and a small wooden building rose rapidly from the earth in a remote, muddy corner of the camp. The structure was not particularly large, but it looked incredibly elegant and sturdy compared to the soggy canvas tents surrounding it.
"Wow! Amazing! Does Wood Release really have such practical Ninjutsu?"
Nawaki's mouth hung open, his face full of pure excitement as he touched the solid wood walls. Mikoto also watched with wide eyes, looking as though she had just learned something entirely new about the potential of elemental transformation.
"As the grandson of the First Hokage, you should know at least a bit about this, right? Wood Release is exceptionally practical for field operations."
Minato spoke calmly, his eyes shifting toward Shirakumo Kazeta, who stood nearby in a state of total amazement. "Senior, why don't you call your teammates over and come inside to rest for a while?"
"Oh? Then we'll be intruding on your space!"
Shirakumo Kazeta's face lit up with immediate joy. Although he felt a bit embarrassed to accept such a luxury from a junior, the incessant, freezing rain of the Land of Rain was truly exhausting to the spirit.
Minato and the other two members of his team entered the house first. In the center of the main room, he had constructed a brick stove with a stone chimney that vented directly through the roof.
Considering this was a volatile battlefield, Minato did not waste chakra creating comfortable tatami mats; the floor remained bare, packed earth.
He casually used his powers to plant a few stalks of potatoes and corn in the corner, then grew a neat pile of dry firewood with a flick of his wrist. Minato lit the stove, and under the astonished gazes of Nawaki and Mikoto, he produced a kettle, teacups, and even crafted a few wooden rocking chairs from the floorboards.
Nawaki glanced out the window at the miserable camp outside. "That's right, this is still a bloody battlefield, isn't it? Why does it suddenly feel like we're on a mountain vacation?"
"After teaming up with Minato, I feel like I can never accept the harsh conditions of teaming up with anyone else ever again."
Mikoto sat down on the rocking chair next to Minato and let out a long, satisfied sigh as the warmth of the fire hit her.
Minato was busy tending to the charcoal fire and gave Mikoto a strange, sidelong look upon hearing her comment.
For some reason, her words gave him a sharp sense of déjà vu—as if he had heard that particular sentiment in a different life.
"Um, Minato-kun?"
Mikoto spoke somewhat shyly, her voice dropping an octave. "Can I take off my shoes for a bit? It's been raining constantly outside, and my boots are soaked through. My feet are really uncomfortable and cold—"
"Sure, go ahead. It's fine with me."
Minato nodded and moved his chair aside a little to give Mikoto more room to warm her feet by the open flame of the stove.
Seeing the opportunity for comfort, Nawaki plopped down on the other side of Minato. "Then I'll also—"
Before Nawaki could even finish his sentence, Minato shook his head firmly. "Not you."
"Why not?"
Nawaki widened his eyes in disbelief, unable to grasp why Minato would refuse him the same basic courtesy.
"Boys' feet are kind of gross and they'll ruin the air in here."
Minato spoke with a perfectly calm expression. "Stay away from my roasted potatoes if you're going to be difficult."
Nawaki looked absolutely shocked. "You said something so blatantly discriminatory with such a straight face!"
Mikoto's cheeks flushed a soft pink, but she gently kicked off her wet shinobi boots anyway. Her fair, bare feet were slightly muddy at the heels and glistened with moisture as she carefully moved them closer to the heat of the stove.
Minato instinctively glanced over at the movement, and Mikoto's face turned an even deeper shade of red. Her ten toes curled up nervously under his gaze, looking quite adorable in the firelight.
"Um, I promise my feet don't smell," she quickly declared, her voice small.
"It's fine."
Seeing Mikoto's flustered explanation, a hint of dark mischief flashed briefly in Minato's eyes. "Even if they did smell, no one here would dare blame you."
Hearing the teasing, slightly superior tone in Minato's voice, Mikoto puffed out her cheeks in a mock pout. "Hmph—Minato-kun is being mean again!"
"Tsk!"
Watching the two of them interact, Nawaki made a pained face, looking like an old man on a subway staring at a confusing phone screen. "Maybe I should just go outside and get rained on for a bit?"
He felt the atmosphere between the two of them was becoming a bit... ambiguous.
It made him feel very out of place in his own skin!
Fortunately, this strange atmosphere didn't last long. As Shirakumo Kazeta and the other veteran shinobi arrived, the room filled with more people. The atmosphere inevitably became lively and loud, quickly dispersing the earlier awkwardness.
It wasn't until the sun began to set behind the rain clouds that the support troops finally arrived at the front lines, and everyone stepped out of the wooden house to greet them.
"Huh? Sis?"
Seeing a familiar, commanding figure in the approaching crowd, Nawaki quickly waved his arms. "Sis, over here! We're over here!"
In the middle of the marching column, Tsunade turned her head toward the shouting voice. Seeing the lively Nawaki and the smiling, golden-haired Minato standing beside him, a genuine smile appeared on her face.
She made her way through the muddy crowd and quickly approached the three of them. Following closely behind her were two equally familiar figures: Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
"Sensei."
Minato's tone was gentle and perfectly respectful. "What brings you all the way to the front lines so suddenly?"
"Of course, it's for you!"
Tsunade smiled warmly and reached out to ruffle Minato's hair with a motherly affection. As her words fell, the expressions of the surrounding shinobi suddenly became quite interesting.
A flicker of surprise passed through Orochimaru's pale eyes, as if he hadn't expected Tsunade to be quite so bold with her favoritism in public.
Jiraiya's mouth hung open in total shock. Just as he was about to shout something in protest, Tsunade's voice rang out again to clarify.
"We're running low on medicinal herbs for the new antidotes. Right now, only your Wood Release can guarantee a steady, rapid supply of high-quality herbs for the medical corps."
Of course, this was just one of many strategic reasons for her arrival.
Tsunade's fingertips brushed Minato's cheek as if by accident while she pulled her hand away, and a hint of mischief flashed in her eyes. "So, for the next while, you might find yourself very busy indeed."
"Phew—you really scared me for a second there."
Hearing the medical explanation, Jiraiya let out a long, dramatic sigh of relief.
"Heh—"
Orochimaru glanced at Jiraiya's pathetic display and chuckled in a low, meaningful way that made the Toad Sage bristle.
"Sensei!"
Seeing Orochimaru standing there, Mikoto stepped forward and greeted her own mentor respectfully.
"Huh? Orochimaru, you actually took a Disciple while I was gone? And such a pretty girl at that? So, am I the only one left without a Disciple to carry on my legacy?"
Hearing Mikoto's formal address to Orochimaru, Jiraiya looked genuinely wounded and surprised.
"One must always seek to pass on what they've learned to the next generation."
Orochimaru said calmly, his voice smooth as silk. "If you're so envious, perhaps you should finally take a Disciple of your own."
"Why would I be envious? The Great Toad Sage once prophesied that my Disciple would be the Child of Prophecy who saves the entire Ninja World!"
Jiraiya looked smug, his chest puffed out with pride. He then turned his attention to Nawaki. "So, Nawaki? How about it? Want to become my Disciple? I think you have great potential in the arts of the toad!"
"No thanks, I want to become Big Brother Orochimaru's Disciple!"
Nawaki shook his head without a second thought and looked eagerly at the pale man. "Big Brother Orochimaru..."
"Hmm, alright. I suppose I'll take you under my wing."
Orochimaru glanced at Jiraiya, who was already hopping mad and turning red beside him, and chuckled softly at the rejection.
"Awesome!"
Seeing Orochimaru actually agree to take him as a Disciple, Nawaki cheered and punched the air.
"Damn it!" Jiraiya's face darkened significantly. "What exactly is wrong with me compared to this creepy guy Orochimaru?"
"Probably the fact that you're a total pervert?"
Tsunade glanced at him with a look of pure judgment. "I thought you'd improved your character after coming back from Mount Myōboku, but you're still so impatient. Did you use training as an excuse to go peeping somewhere on the way here?"
Jiraiya quickly waved his hands in a frantic panic. "Hey, don't say things like that in front of the kids! Ever since Minato called me out on it that time, I haven't done anything like that again!"
"Really?"
Not only Tsunade, but even Orochimaru cast deeply skeptical and mocking glances at Jiraiya.
"Really—"
Jiraiya paused, his face turning a bright, guilty crimson as he looked away toward the horizon. "—I just go to Brothels now. It's much more efficient."
Everyone present went silent. "—"
Well, at least a fair trade was marginally better than illegal peeping.
No longer dwelling on Jiraiya's questionable habits, Minato looked toward Orochimaru with a focused gaze. "Why has Orochimaru-senpai come to the front lines as well? Is the situation with Root okay?"
"To be honest, Minato-kun, I'm also here specifically for you."
Orochimaru chuckled softly, his golden pupils narrowing slightly. "The specifics of the mission aren't convenient to discuss in the open, but your team will be assigned under my direct command from now on. You won't need to return to the Outpost."
Hearing this, a gleam of ambition flashed in Nawaki's eyes!
Merit!
The chance for real combat merit was finally here!
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