Naruto - Minato Namikaze SI

[Chapter Size: 1900 Words.]

Third Person POV

Konoha, Year 39.

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When things began to calm down after no Kumo ninja was seen there anymore, the Konoha ninjas started to organize themselves, helping the wounded while gathering the bodies of their fallen comrades in a corner to place them in bags and send them back to Konoha, to their families.

The main leaders returned to the city to try to settle things down, especially with the population, and check if anyone had been hurt as a result of the final conflict.

One of the city walls had been destroyed in a corner due to half of the Bijuu Dama that Sakumo had split, and while assessing the damage, they found destroyed houses with families that were far from happy with the situation. However, there was no other choice but to accept help from the Konoha ninjas.

Team 7 stayed with Squad 6, assisting here and there in damage management outside the city where the battle had taken place. It wasn't long before a group of Oto ninjas was spotted along with the country's leader himself, coming to speak directly with Sakumo, and they met in the city.

The Kumo ninjas had been expelled from Oto as planned in the mission, but Sakumo still discussed how they would handle the enemies if they returned. Oto was neutral in this war and didn't want to meddle in the conflict between the great nations, knowing how disastrous it could be for the country.

Two hours had passed since the fight ended, and the entire battlefield was cleaned, with the fallen Konoha ninjas prepared to be taken back to the Land of Fire, while Kumo ninjas were burned to avoid leaving them to rot there.

The meeting finally ended as Sakumo and the leader of Oto agreed to establish a Konoha ninja base as an outpost in the country, so any further Kumo invasions could be reported to the Land of Fire more quickly.

Minato and the others were at a corner outside the city with the other teams from Camp 6, waiting for the commander, who had just returned from the meeting.

"We're cleared to leave, so let's head back to Camp 6," the leader said.

Everyone nodded and prepared to leave. As they began jumping back toward the border, continuing their advance through the trees, Duy approached Minato at that moment.

"So, the mission is over?" Duy asked, curious.

"Yes, the mission is over. Now we just need to return and file some reports. Reports that, as the leader, I must write and submit to our superior," Minato replied as Duy looked at him with admiration.

Minato could understand it; this was the first large-scale mission the Genin had participated in, different from the simple tasks they were used to performing. This time, they had faced great ninjas, powerful jutsus, and even explosions involving a Bijuu, capable of devastating an entire city—power beyond human limits.

The return trip was peaceful, with no problems along the way. As soon as they entered the Land of Fire, it didn't take long to finally arrive at Camp 6.

"We've arrived. I'll write my report in the main tent. I want all team leaders to submit their reports by the end of the day," the commander requested as they had spent the entire night traveling, the sun now high in the sky.

"Let's go," Minato said to his team as they headed to the tent.

"What do we do now, Minato?" Hanabi asked.

"You can all go to sleep. I'll write the report and rest too," Minato said. "Until we're called again, let's just focus on training, understood?" Minato added, and everyone nodded, as that was the goal of being at the northern border. Everyone went to their tents while Madara created a clone to handle the report, though he looked at it with some disdain but began working on it nonetheless.

"Finally, I can read my books!" Minato heard Duy saying to himself in his tent.

In the following days, the same routine of training continued as they used the exclusive training ground for themselves, honing their jutsus. Minato trained his elemental techniques alongside the girls and talked to Duy constantly as the latter took the initiative to start developing his own Six Gates.

They were just clones, as the original remained focused in a more isolated spot, away from the others, constantly trying to develop his Haki. But it was proving incredibly difficult, even making him wonder if he would succeed before Duy managed to master the Six Gates.

Weeks and weeks of training passed, and everyone was pushing themselves hard—everyone except for one person. Mikoto seemed distant and distracted, as if she wasn't fully concentrating anymore.

Everyone noticed it. Her rate of progress had slowed considerably compared to the training they had undergone on the western border.

"I'm going for a walk." While Minato was preparing a small midday meal, Mikoto, who had been deep in thought in a corner, suddenly stood up and announced.

Hanabi, who was cutting some vegetables Minato had asked for, looked at Mikoto leaving with surprise. "She left during lunch? She'd never skip Minato's food..." she murmured under her breath.

Duy was sitting in a corner, engrossed in his book while continuing to refine his ideas. Minato, still cooking, watched as the Uchiha girl walked away toward the training grounds.

Minato finally finished preparing the meal and began serving it. "I'm stepping out for a bit," he said, picking up two trays before disappearing, heading toward the training grounds.

Mikoto wasn't training. She was sitting by the edge of a river in the forest where they trained, quietly watching the water flow while staring at some stones on the ground. Almost instinctively, she picked one up and raised her hand. She threw it into the water, watching as it skipped across the surface before sinking.

She picked up a second, then a third, and a fourth stone, trying to throw them in different ways. Soon, she became so skilled that the stones skipped all the way to the other side of the river at high speed.

"What am I doing?" she murmured to herself, seeing the stone land on the other side. Realizing how distracted she had been again, she sighed and finally settled there, hugging her knees and resting her chin on them, heavy thoughts filling her mind.

Lately, she had been very pensive. She knew her teammates noticed her change in behavior, but she didn't want to complicate things, so she tried to stay composed.

But the thoughts about her father's decisions had left her somewhat depressed. Soon, she would have to leave the team, and that thought filled her with deep sadness. She knew she should try harder or even talk about what was going on, but she also needed to find a way to tell them about her departure—her father's decision—along with the arranged marriage he had planned for her with someone she didn't even know, someone she didn't want to marry.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice another presence until she heard the sound of a stone flying and skipping across the river. The stone bounced on the surface once, twice, three times before crossing to the other side, just like hers had.

"Who's there?" she asked, turning quickly. That's when she saw Minato approaching, carrying two trays of food in one hand.

"You were so distracted you didn't even notice I was here," he commented, stopping beside her.

"What are you doing here...?" she murmured, no longer looking at him.

"Can I sit down? I brought food for you—and for me. Maybe we can eat together," Minato suggested.

"..." Mikoto didn't respond, caught in a vulnerable moment. She didn't even look back at him, keeping her gaze to the side.

"I'll take that as a yes..." Minato said, watching her.

"..." Mikoto remained silent.

Minato sighed and decided to press on. "You're worrying me, Mikoto. I'd like to know what's going on, for you to open up to us..." he said in a gentle but serious tone.

She trembled slightly at his words and lowered her head. "Just... thoughts," she replied evasively.

"Since our mission. It's been two weeks," Minato murmured, watching her closely. She avoided his gaze, feeling unable to meet his eyes.

"I don't think you can help me," was all she said, sighing. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Alright, if you don't want to talk," he replied calmly. "But we're a team. We're here to support each other, and you're a valuable teammate and friend. We've shared important things, even secrets, with each other... I don't want to see you like this, feeling down." He was careful not to overstep, but he spoke his mind.

She finally raised her eyes, surprised by his words. However, it only seemed to make her gloomier, as the thought of leaving the team was too painful.

She didn't even seem to have control as tears started streaming down her face. "Sorry," she whispered, her voice trembling.

Minato watched her for a moment, his expression growing more serious. "Why, Mikoto? What's going on? You know you can tell me," he insisted.

"Sorry, but you can't help me. It's complicated..." she murmured, tears now falling freely.

"..." Minato remained silent.

Seeing his silence, she seemed even sadder. Deep down, she wanted to tell him, hoping he would have a solution, that he would say everything would be fine and find a way out. But that was just the voice of her heart.

She knew Minato wasn't lying when he said they shared secrets. She remembered his strange powers, how he had helped awaken her Sharingan years ago, making her a prodigy. Now she was conflicted, perhaps even afraid of what was to come. If things went as her father planned, she would leave the team. Would she ever see them again? How many years would pass, and how rarely would that happen? These thoughts consumed her.

"If you're this upset, I know it's because it hurts to think about leaving us," Minato's voice broke through her thoughts, his gaze fixed on the river, serious.

She immediately lifted her head, staring at him with wide eyes as the tears continued to flow. "You know?" she asked in a low voice.

"Yes, I know," Minato replied sincerely. "I happened to see that letter you received before the mission. I know your father wants you to leave the team after this war."

She pressed her lips together, unsure of how to respond. "So... you know," was all she could say, repeating herself.

"Yes, and I didn't say anything because I didn't want to interfere. But I can't stay silent anymore, not when I see you like this," Minato said firmly.

"How could I not be like this? I... I won't belong to this team anymore. Soon, I'll be gone, and after everything..." Mikoto murmured, her tears still falling.

"Maybe we can change that..." Minato responded in a serious tone, his blue eyes meeting the dark eyes of the Uchiha girl.

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