This was, in fact, the driving sentiment for the vast majority of Konoha's new generation: they would give their all to protect the village.
Ren Kurogane simply smiled and didn't press the point. Turning to Aya Okita, he asked, "And you? Do you not want to be a ninja anymore?"
After a brief hesitation, Aya nodded. "Yeah. The front lines... they're too cruel."
The images of severed limbs and broken bodies were still fresh in her mind. She was just a student fresh out of the Academy, without the backing of a prestigious clan; the reality of war had dealt a heavy blow to her psyche.
Ren didn't try to persuade her otherwise. In this world, such a choice wasn't something to interfere with. After expressing his respect for her decision, the three of them lapsed into silence for the remainder of the journey.
Once they reached the village, Aya apologized to the group and turned to leave.
Cheng Aoyama sighed, though he felt more relief than regret. As a team leader, he believed this was the truly responsible outcome for his student. Sending these children, barely out of school, onto the battlefield was no different from sending them to their deaths.
However, looking at Ren and Masakata, who remained undeterred, Cheng decided to teach them some survival techniques.
"Come to Training Ground 5 tomorrow morning," Cheng Aoyama said. "I'll teach you two jutsu. Once we're done, I have to depart for the Stone front."
As a Jonin without a major clan background, he didn't have the luxury of taking a three-year sabbatical like Jiraiya.
Hearing that they were finally going to learn real ninjutsu, Masakata's gloom over his teammate's departure instantly vanished. He looked up with excitement. "Sensei! What kind of jutsu are you going to teach us?!"
"You'll find out tomorrow," Cheng replied with a smile.
He led the two of them to collect their mission rewards and reported Aya Okita's resignation from the shinobi ranks. The Third Hokage showed no surprise; every year, many ninja resigned. He had seen it all before.
Ren observed the Third Hokage before them. This was only his second time seeing the man. The last time was at the Academy graduation ceremony, where the old man had rambled on about the Will of Fire for an hour until Ren's head spun.
Ren suspected that because he had nearly fallen asleep during that speech, he had been relegated to this "leftover" team. Otherwise, with his grades, surely he would have been placed in a team with Minato under Jiraiya's guidance.
Sigh.
Leaving the Hokage's office, Ren returned home and fell into a deep, blissful sleep. He didn't wake up until Minato came by to disturb him in the afternoon. Ren stared at him with such a look of pure resentment that Minato broke into a cold sweat.
"Ah... haha... Morning, Ren-kun..." Minato greeted him awkwardly. He had heard Ren was back and rushed to finish his own tasks. He wanted to show off the new sealing jutsu he'd learned and his mastered Rasengan, but he hadn't expected Ren to be dead to the world.
"Alright, what is it?" Ren asked helplessly.
Seeing that Ren wasn't genuinely angry, Minato relaxed and spoke excitedly. "Ren! To the training ground! I want to show you a new jutsu I've learned!"
"A new jutsu?" Ren's interest was piqued. Jiraiya was still in the Land of Rain mentoring Nagato and the others—where did Minato get a new jutsu from?
"It'll definitely surprise you!" Minato said with absolute confidence.
"Oh?" Ren grinned. "Then let's not bother with the training ground. Just show me right here."
He figured Minato couldn't cause that much destruction in a backyard, so he didn't take the "big surprise" too seriously. It wasn't like the kid had mastered Summoning already.
Minato hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. Witness my newly researched technique!"
He pulled a scroll from the holster at his waist and rolled it out on the ground. A moment later, a Rasengan manifested in his palm.
"Oh? You've already mastered the Rasengan! Congratulations!" Ren praised him.
Minato remained focused. With his free hand, he formed a single-handed seal and whispered, "Sealing Method: Infusion!"
A surge of chakra rose from the scroll, enveloping the Rasengan in Minato's hand and pulling the technique directly into the paper. As the chakra settled, a swirling, vortex-like mark appeared on the scroll.
"A sealing jutsu? One that can store active ninjutsu?!" Ren was truly startled by Minato's genius. He had only been gone for a week! Before he left, Minato definitely didn't know this.
This meant Minato had mastered a functional sealing jutsu in just seven days. This was sealing jutsu—notorious for its high difficulty curve!
Seeing Ren's shocked expression, Minato ignored his own fatigue and smiled. "How about that? I didn't slack off for a single second while you were gone!"
Ren nodded. A genius like Minato working this hard—it was no wonder he became the Hokage.
"Did you learn this from Kushina?" Ren asked.
Minato's expression stiffened. He hadn't expected Ren to guess so easily, and he felt a bit deflated.
"Yeah. I've been studying sealing jutsu with Kushina all week. She has the Uzumaki bloodline, and even though it hasn't fully awakened, she has a clear path for her training. I had to start with the simpler stuff. This Sealing Method was the one I found most suitable for me. What do you think, Ren? Do you want to learn? I can ask Lady Mito; she's very kind and probably won't refuse."
To Minato, Mito Uzumaki was a gentle and reasonable elder. He didn't think she would mind another student.
Ren thought about it and quickly agreed. Sealing jutsu was practically a cheat code in this world. Even Kaguya, an immortal being, was brought down by sealing. Learning it was a no-brainer. Plus, getting direct guidance from Mito Uzumaki was an opportunity that money couldn't buy.
Minato rolled up the scroll, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. Using a Rasengan and a sealing jutsu simultaneously was still a heavy drain on his current chakra reserves.
By now, the sky was beginning to dim, the sun having dipped below the horizon. The two began walking toward Kushina's residence at a leisurely pace.
Ren lived quite close to her home, and after about ten minutes, they arrived at the gates of the luxurious estate.
However, the usually bustling courtyard was eerily silent. Even the servants who usually attended the grounds were gone. The house felt like an empty tomb.
"Something's wrong!" Ren immediately went on high alert, instantly suppressing his aura to that of an average Chunin.
At that moment, Minato's gaze sharpened. He leaped onto the roof and knelt by the eaves, picking up several strands of bright red hair caught on the edge of the tiles.
"Kushina!"
From the usually warm and calm Minato, a freezing, murderous intent radiated for the very first time.