"An extra inch in length is power; an inch shorter is danger."
It was obvious that this clash of blades had power—but wasn't actually fatal.
The two kids, skilled with their Han swords and solid in their fundamentals, forced the three Rain-nin to retreat.
No one was injured, and Nawaki even sliced the mask of the Rain ninja in front cleanly in half, revealing a young face underneath.
The Rain ninja ripped off the broken mask and threw it aside, rage flooding across his exposed features.
Failing to capture two children—and losing his mask—was utterly unacceptable.
"Surging Waters—Chaotic Torrent!""Ninjutsu: Thousand Raindrops!""Ninjutsu: Five-Colored Shark!"
All three Rain ninja unleashed their jutsu at the two boys.
Nawaki's expression hardened as he formed hand seals.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"
The last time Kawaze had seen Nawaki use this technique was during previous training. Now the water dragon was far larger—no wonder Orochimaru once said he had chūnin-level potential.
"Escape the earth, return to land and soil!"
Nawaki's Water Dragon canceled out both the chaotic water blast and the shark technique, and his chakra reserves outmatched theirs.
Then he followed up with Earth Style to block the rain of senbon falling from above.
Minato had already slipped behind the earth wall, disappearing from view—attacking the three Rain ninja from the flank.
He could tell their close-combat ability was mediocre.
Kawaze watched carefully and couldn't help sighing. No wonder Minato would one day shine in three major battles.
At just ten years old, he already fought with such brilliance. If he survived, success was guaranteed.
Realizing their ninjutsu had been neutralized and Minato was charging in from the side, the three Rain ninja had no choice but to brace themselves.
At the same moment, Nawaki rushed in from the front.
The five of them plunged into close-quarters combat.
Using the advantage of their long Han swords, the two kids quickly overwhelmed the three Rain ninja, leaving cuts on each of their bodies.
Seeing they were outmatched and wounded, the Rain ninja retreated out of the kids' attack range.
They launched ninjutsu again from a distance, refusing to let the children get close a second time.
Separated by the techniques, both Nawaki and Minato reached their physical and chakra limit.
The Rain ninja had been waiting for such an opening—they'd been traveling for a long time.
Panting heavily, Minato gathered his remaining strength and cast Wind Style: Great Breakthrough at the leading Rain ninja.
Seeing this, Nawaki attacked as well. The two boys intended to focus their power and eliminate one enemy first.
But the remaining two Rain ninja would not simply watch.
Twin water-style attacks surged toward them.
Caught off guard, Nawaki barely managed to block part of the assault with Earth Style, and absorbed the rest.
Blood sprayed from his mouth. He staggered before regaining balance. With one powerful swing, he drove his sword straight through the chest of the Rain ninja still struggling against the wind blast.
Nawaki had no time to process the shock of killing for the first time. He yanked out his sword and turned toward the remaining enemies.
Now it was two versus two—the odds had shifted.
Kawaze had planned to jump in to save Nawaki, but when he saw the child forming hand seals, he halted.
This time, Nawaki had truly contributed.
To conserve chakra, the two kids switched back to close combat.
Minato defeated his opponent, though he too was injured.
Because of his wounds, Nawaki couldn't attack for a long while. Only when Minato came to support him did they manage to take down the final Rain ninja.
The Rain ninja collapsed onto the ground, looking up at Minato approaching step by step—begging desperately.
"P-please… spare me. I was just following orders…"
"If you let me go, I swear I'll never appear before you again."
It was a girl. Her mask had fallen away, revealing a pretty young face—about thirteen or fourteen.
Tears streamed down her cheeks beneath the shadow of death.
"I'm sorry… this is war."
Minato's expression darkened. He thrust his sword forward. The girl died with hatred in her eyes.
Nawaki then collapsed. From exhaustion and injury, he was unable to stand any longer.
"Nawaki!"
Minato sheathed his sword and rushed forward, catching him.
He pulled a soldier's food pill from his pouch and fed it to Nawaki.
These were specially made by Tsunade—and their effectiveness was remarkable.
"I'm fine… I just burned too much energy."
"Why isn't big brother back yet…?"
After swallowing the pill, Nawaki's vulnerability surfaced. Tears filled his eyes.
"Sensei will be fine."
Minato had immense faith in Kawaze's abilities.
Since this was also Minato's first kill, his mental resilience was slightly better than Nawaki's.
Even so, this was exactly how Nawaki should behave on his first battlefield. Geniuses are always the minority.
"Well done."
Kawaze finally stepped out from his hiding spot and approached the two kids.
"Nawaki, I'll take you back."
He checked Nawaki's injuries, then lifted him onto his back.
"I'm genuinely pleased—Minato, you've already reached chūnin level."
Kawaze praised him without hesitation—he deserved it.
"Teacher is the one who taught me well."
"Haha! I like honest kids like you."
Kawaze laughed. Being hugged by Minato felt strangely comforting.
"Nawaki, you did great too."
"You found the enemy's weakness and traded injuries for victory."
"I don't fully approve of that method—but when it's the last resort, it's acceptable."
"From today on, you're a real ninja."
Kawaze hopped onto a tree branch, encouraging his young brother-in-law.
Hearing this, Minato realized this entire mission was a test—for both him and Nawaki.
Their teacher had been protecting them from the shadows the whole time.
"Big brother… I'm scared."
"I'm afraid… I'll never see you or my sister again…"
Nawaki sobbed harder and harder on Kawaze's back.
"This is war. Let's hope that someday we can ensure war never happens again."
Kawaze sighed. Many people shared that dream, each trying to achieve it in their own way.
But war was the central theme of Naruto.
At this moment, Kawaze didn't think Nawaki was weak. If anything, he felt he himself wasn't as mature as Nawaki had been on his first mission.
Without his brother Shikaku back then, he might've taken a long time to overcome the trauma.
Growing up under the peaceful protection of the red flag, killing had been foreign to him. But this world was one where people devoured one another.
Now, he had grown accustomed—numb.
The three walked back the way they came.
Nawaki fell asleep on Kawaze's back.
Minato took another cooling pill, and his stamina and chakra gradually recovered.
Kawaze deliberately slowed his pace, but he still moved ahead easily.
"Sensei… where's that jōnin?"
Minato couldn't hold back. What if the jōnin returned while Nawaki was fighting earlier?
Didn't the man escape?
"He's dead."
Kawaze's answer was simple and direct.
"Ah…"
Minato didn't know how to describe his shock. He now had a clearer understanding of Kawaze's terrifying strength.
"I know a forbidden technique that's extremely fast. I'll teach it to you when you're older."
Kawaze reached out and ruffled Minato's hair.
Without the Flying Thunder God, how could Minato ever be known as the Yellow Flash?
"Yes, Sensei."
"I'll work hard."
Minato's doubts faded. Instead, he felt a spark of anticipation.
Just how "soon" was "soon"?
He couldn't wait to grow up.
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All the fanfiction is 30-chapter ahead but this "Naruto: Tsunade the Fugitive Healer" is 30 chapters ahead there