"In short, you don't need to worry about your personal safety. You've made a great contribution and are a hero of Konoha. The village won't let a hero both bleed and cry."
Tsunade picked up her teacup, making a clear gesture that if there was nothing else, he could leave.
Ugh, is that all you're going to say? Can't you give me something practical? Tatsumi thought helplessly. Putting everything else aside, you could at least give me a few forbidden sealing techniques.
However, Tatsumi ultimately didn't say these words.
"Well, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave, Teacher," he said weakly, then turned and walked toward the door.
"Eh, wait a moment."
Tatsumi paused, taken aback. Could it be that Tsunade finally had a moment of conscience and was going to give him a reward? He looked at her with expectant eyes.
"Um, did you guys run into three orphans in the Land of Rain?" Tsunade ignored Tatsumi's burning gaze.
"Yes, when Naruto and I were recovering from our injuries, we met them in a cave," Tatsumi said, feeling somewhat disappointed.
"We ran into them too, and they even asked us about you," Tsunade continued, sounding slightly annoyed. "Later, Jiraiya took pity on them and decided to stay and take care of them for a while."
Tatsumi nodded. This was what he expected. It seemed Madara had chosen Jiraiya, the old softie, as the teacher of the three little ones.
Fate.
"By the way, why are you telling me all this?"
"...Well, Jiraiya was worried about his little disciple, Minato Namikaze, before he left and asked… you to look after him a bit," Tsunade said with a cheeky smile.
"...Okay." Tatsumi's mouth twitched slightly. Jiraiya should have asked Tsunade to take care of Minato, but this big sister clearly found it troublesome and dumped him on me.
Teachers these days are really more irresponsible than the last. Who would have thought that Orochimaru of the Sannin would actually be the most dedicated teacher of the year?
Minato is really unlucky right now. In short, his teammates died, and his teacher ran off with disciples from another country.
Could anything be more miserable than this? Only Kakashi could compete with him in a misery contest.
Pushing open the tent, Tatsumi felt a headache coming on. How should he break the news to Minato?
Minato, don't be sad. Jiraiya left you because he found his child of prophecy, and he'll come back to see you in three years.
If I said that, Minato might directly turn to the dark side and embark on a path of revenge against Konoha.
Of course, Jiraiya probably didn't realize that the price he paid was also painful.
From the way Tsunade mentioned him just now, it was clear she had some affection for him. After all, they had been carrying out missions together every day for two years, sharing life and death. Plus, Jiraiya was showing more and more responsibility. It wouldn't be strange for a twenty-year-old Tsunade to start developing feelings for him.
But just as those feelings were about to deepen, Jiraiya decided to stay in the Land of Rain. And he stayed for three years. The original hazy emotions could only fade with time and distance.
Then, with the death of Nawaki and Dan Kato taking advantage of the situation, Tsunade—who was in the prime of her youth—fell in love. When Jiraiya returned full of joy, he found that his childhood sweetheart had already run off with someone else.
This is truly a sad story.
And the source of all this was a prophecy from the Toad Sage.
Superstition is undesirable.
Tatsumi walked out of the noisy camp, pondering how to talk to Minato.
As he did, the air and sounds around him suddenly changed. The temperature seemed to drop slightly, and the surroundings were filled with moisture and the fresh scent of greenery. Despite the rain, all kinds of wild birds chirped happily, improving Tatsumi's mood.
After passing through a mixed forest of metasequoia and oak, he spotted Minato sitting alone on a tree.
Tatsumi walked over and sat beside him, watching as Minato practiced the nature transformation of his wind-style chakra.
"You're here, Tatsumi," Minato said, glancing up. He didn't see Mikoto and the others.
"Yeah, I came to check on you." Tatsumi patted Minato's shoulder.
"When are we going back to Konoha?" Minato asked.
"Soon, probably in the next few days. But we have to escort various supplies, and since there are chunin and genin among us, Suna will likely attempt a sneak attack. Tsunade-sensei and the others are currently racking their brains over the best route," Tatsumi said with some schadenfreude.
Right now, Konoha's top priority was to protect their supplies rather than engage in further battles, meaning they had to avoid large-scale clashes with Suna.
Luckily, if Suna wanted to launch an ambush, they'd have to conduct a long-distance raid, limiting the number of ninjas they could send.
But that was just Tatsumi's assumption. Still, he and Minato analyzed the situation seriously, speaking as if they were great strategists criticizing the village's leadership as a bunch of incompetents.
If the Third Hokage were nearby, he'd probably jump up and scold them: "If you're so capable, then you do it!"
"Alas, if I had been a little stronger at the time, my two teammates might not have died." Minato stared at the ground, finally voicing his regret.
Tatsumi noticed the sadness in his tone. It was clear that losing his teammates weighed heavily on him.
"Minato," Tatsumi said firmly, "no one can do that. War is always accompanied by death, injury, and pain on both sides.
But in reality, no one ever truly accepts it. Perhaps the belief that our companions will all survive is just an illusion—something we tell ourselves to cope, isn't it?"
Minato fell silent, absorbing Tatsumi's words. Then, after a moment, he asked, "Then what's the point of this war if so many people have to die?"
Minato hugged his knees, looking lost.
He was only ten years old, but he had already witnessed too much death and suffering. It had forced him to grow up.
Ignorant and naive children only mature after experiencing pain. Now, Minato was beginning to question the world on his own.
Yet, despite Konoha's endless propaganda about righteousness—about protecting the village, comrades, and striving for peace—Minato saw the stark reality.
As far as he knew, the Land of Fire was the one that initiated this war. In other words, Konoha was the invader.
And on the soil of the Land of Rain, too many innocent lives had been lost. His own comrades had died here, too. This war had brought pain to both sides.
So, Minato began to wonder—were they really on the side of justice?
If war wasn't truly for peace, then what was the meaning behind it all?
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