Roran, the Land of the Dragon Vein Seal.
Namikaze Minato and the Future Trio arrived at this location. Today, Minato planned to send them back to their original timeline. A while ago, due to his recent appointment as commander and the many responsibilities that came with it, plus his desire to keep Naruto around for a little longer, Minato had delayed the process. It wasn't until recently that Minato finally made the decision to send Naruto away. Thanks to the Flying Thunder God Technique, and with Naruto's ability to replenish Minato's chakra, Minato could bring all four of them here in an instant.
He hadn't done this sooner simply because he had wanted to spend more time with his son.
"Then we'll head back, Dad!" Naruto said, his eyes red, reluctant to part. His time with Minato had been the happiest he had experienced in over a decade. But Naruto also understood that he didn't belong in this time, and he couldn't stay.
"Don't worry, Naruto, I won't let that future happen!" Minato replied firmly, a warm smile crossing his face. "I swear it in the name of the future Hokage!"
"Okay!"
Konoha and the Sand ninjas were still at war, so Minato couldn't be away for too long. He quickly unsealed the Dragon Vein and used its energy to resonate and send Naruto and the others back to their timeline. After they left, Minato resealed the Dragon Vein.
"Don't worry, Naruto!" Minato thought to himself before deciding to seal away the memories of his time with Naruto. However, he would retain his memories regarding Hyuga Mirai and Orochimaru's defection from Konoha. Since he had promised Naruto, he had to keep that promise.
Once everything was settled, Minato returned to the Konoha camp, where many matters awaited his attention.
---
On the battlefield in the Land of Grass, Danzo's rise to become Hokage's advisor was not solely because of his status as a student of the Second Hokage; without substantial skills, it would have been impossible for him to build the vast Root organization under Hiruzen Sarutobi's watch. In just half a month, several incidents had occurred in the Land of Grass, where ninjas attacked both civilians and nobles. Some rumors claimed it was Iwa ninjas, while others suggested it was Konoha ninjas.
This situation not only angered the Daimyo of the Land of Grass but also enraged the Kage of Kusagakure. Two great nations were fighting within the Land of Grass, and Kusagakure, a small village, was caught in the middle. Though Kusagakure had long dreamed of standing equal to the five great ninja villages, when faced with the forces of two major countries, the Kage's resolve wavered.
He wanted neither side to gain an advantage, hoping that whichever country emerged victorious would have Kusagakure on its side. However, after a series of assassination incidents, the Daimyo of the Land of Grass grew increasingly suspicious. Even the people of Kusagakure were beginning to demand an investigation into the killers. The Kage couldn't refuse this request; the ninjas in his village were already aligned with the Daimyo's demands, so he had no choice but to investigate.
The conclusion of the investigation, carried out by Kusagakure's ANBU, was that all the attacks had been perpetrated by Iwa ninjas. Even the massacre of the village by Konoha ninjas had been carried out by Iwa. Two villages had been killed using Earth Release ninjutsu, and a young boy, protected by his parents, had survived under the rubble. This boy, in a dazed state, witnessed the village assassins remove their Konoha forehead protectors and replace them with Iwa headbands before leaving, laughing together. The rest of the clues also pointed to Iwa ninjas.
"Iwa ninjas are pushing it!" Not only had they massacred the villagers of the Land of Grass, attacked the nobles, and stolen resources, but they also framed Konoha ninjas for their actions. If it weren't for the skilled ANBU in Kusagakure who tracked down the leads, Kusagakure could have been manipulated into turning against Konoha. Iwa ninjas had tried to turn them against Konoha, but the Kage could no longer stand by.
"The Kage has had enough," the higher-ups of Kusagakure declared after hearing the news, enraged. "Let's fight back against Iwa!"
"Enough, listen to me!" The Kage shouted, slamming his fist on the table, forcing the angry council to quiet down. "As much as I want to fight back, with the current strength of Kusagakure, it's impossible to take revenge on Iwa."
Upon hearing the words of the Grass Village leader, the other ninjas from Grass Village lowered their heads in shame. What the leader said was true—one single team from Iwa, one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, could match the number of half the ninjas in the entire Grass Village.
"So, I have decided to ally with Konoha," the leader announced. "With the power of another great ninja village, we will drive those despicable Iwa ninjas out of the Land of Grass!"
No one objected to the leader's decision. Everyone was angered by the shameless actions of Iwa, and such an important decision was quickly passed after a discussion among the upper ranks of Grass Village. The next day, an alliance letter was sent to Konoha's camp.
Danzo's actions directly turned the situation in the Land of Grass in favor of Grass Village. Though the village had been weakened, they were still able to harass Iwa with the advantage of terrain. This was something that could still be done. Furthermore, Danzo's original intention was to avoid having Grass Village become enemies with Konoha, so this alliance was an unexpected gain.
Although there were no large-scale battles at the medical camp in Grass Village, many injured still arrived every day. Danzo was a typical radical, even more so than Orochimaru in some respects. While Orochimaru preferred to hide in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike without hesitation, Danzo actively sought out opportunities to create his own. He had been sending dangerous missions to Konoha's ninja squads, urging them to test the Iwa ninjas on the frontlines. If a battle opportunity arose, Danzo would not hesitate to send in the full force of his army.
This method was beneficial for Konoha's overall strategy, and Iwa had begun to feel the pressure of Konoha's "mad dog tactics." Iwa was strong in their Earth Release techniques, and while Konoha's ninjutsu may have been formidable, they couldn't quite match Iwa's coordinated Earth techniques. However, these smaller, squad-scale infiltrations were starting to wear down Iwa, who had to send out patrol and reconnaissance ninjas. If they stayed in one place, they would be completely passive.
This was putting a lot of pressure on Konoha's medical camp, with injured soldiers arriving almost daily. Sometimes, there weren't enough beds, and the medical camp had to expand to accommodate the influx of patients.
"Mirai-kun, there is an injured soldier who needs your treatment," a medical Chunin called out.
After settling the patient he had just treated, Hyuga Mirai walked toward the direction of the call. Upon seeing the wounded soldier, he immediately assessed the situation. The soldier had a severed arm, which had been brought back with the injury still raw. The wound also had burns and other damage. If it was just a matter of saving his life, the medical Chunin could have handled it, but it seemed there was still a slim chance to save his ninja career, which was why they called for Mirai.
"I will do my best," Mirai said. He would never claim to be absolutely certain, even if he truly was.
"Mirai-kun, this is the second time you've saved me. I believe in you, no matter what. I'll accept it with gratitude," the middle-aged injured ninja said through gritted teeth, sweat beading on his forehead.
With that, Mirai began the surgery, carefully removing the necrotic tissue, separating the damaged nerves, and finding the correct healing points. It took two hours before Mirai finally finished the operation.
"Ha... barely successful. Now, just rest and recover," Mirai said, pretending to be exhausted. The other medical ninjas expressed their admiration and astonishment as he took a moment to rest before moving on to the next patient.
Even someone like Aoki, an experienced medical Jonin, wouldn't have dared to guarantee such a result. In the eyes of other medical ninjas, Mirai, though still slightly lacking in chakra reserves, was considered Konoha's next medical prodigy.
With Mirai in charge at the Grass Village medical camp, no matter how severe the injuries were, as long as the person was still breathing, they would likely be saved.
After over a month of combat, Danzo's forces had engaged Iwa in battle, with only seventeen ninjas killed—twelve on the frontlines and five who died after being sent back with fatal injuries. Other critically wounded soldiers expressed their gratitude to Mirai. During the busiest times in the medical camp, the most frequent words heard were "Mirai-kun, please, we need your help."
Much like on the battlefield in the Land of Rivers, Mirai's reputation had spread once again with the increasing number of casualties.
"Sigh... even though we've received reinforcements, this feeling of exhaustion still hasn't decreased, Aoki-senpai," Mirai said, wiping sweat from his brow as he exited the medical camp after a long day of treatment.
"After all, it's Danzo-sama," Aoki replied helplessly. Having experienced the Second Shinobi World War and fought alongside Danzo, he was well-prepared for the way Danzo operated.
As they neared the medical camp entrance, Mirai noticed Kiyo Hyuga waiting for him.
"Kiyo-sama? Is something wrong?" he asked.
"Well... Mirai-kun, I'll be heading back now," Aoki said, clearing his throat before quickly turning to leave, eager for rest. Though Aoki had likely grown tired after a day of treatment, his hasty retreat seemed a bit too quick.
Mirai was about to say something but was interrupted when Kiyo approached him. "It seems the medical camp has been so busy again. You've worked late once more."
Seeing the sweat on Mirai's face, Kiyo hesitated briefly before pulling out a handkerchief from her pocket. She seemed to be thinking about whether to personally wipe his sweat away, but then, without speaking, tossed the handkerchief to Mirai and said, "Hurry up and wipe that sweat off!"
"How many times do I have to tell you...?" Mirai muttered helplessly, but his voice trailed off as he wiped his brow.
(End of Chapter)
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