"Yes!"
Prompted by Minato, Rin immediately pulled a small porcelain bottle from her medical pouch, poured out a blue pill, and fed it to Mikami Yuu.
The cool, bitter pill melted the moment it touched his tongue. A gentle warm current spread quickly through his body, easing the emptiness in his chakra pathways.
Mikami Yuu let out a breath and said softly, "Thanks, Minato-sensei. And you too, Rin."
Neither Minato nor Rin knew about A Cornered Army Must Win. They simply assumed his chakra had been burned up by his jutsu. From their point of view, Mikami Yuu's condition was perfectly normal—after all, he had just killed two chūnin. If he looked completely calm and unaffected, that would've been a little too shocking.
Next,
Minato had Rin help Mikami Yuu over to the side to rest. He used a shadow clone—his real body headed off in the direction Kakashi and Obito had gone to provide support, while the clone stayed at the battlefield to inspect the tall, thin ninja's corpse.
Since the man had basically taken a full hit from Great Fireball: Burn to Ash, his clothes had already turned to ash. So Minato could only judge his background and level from the strength of his bones and the scars left on his body.
"…His combat ability was above average chūnin, close to special jōnin. He specialized in close-range combat, swordsmanship, Earth Release, and tracking. He was most likely an assassin trained by Sunagakure or Amegakure. It's also possible he was from the Land of Lightning, gathering intelligence here.
"A ninja like that wouldn't have been easy even for Kakashi to deal with. The fact that you killed him on your own is remarkable."
Minato stood up and said,
"That technique you used just now was called Shadow Prison Phantom Kill Formation, right? The idea is very interesting. It actually overlaps with the thinking behind a new technique I've been developing recently, though there are some parts that could be improved. Once this mission is over, let's find time to sit down and talk it through properly. We'll see whether there's room to refine it further."
"Huh?"
Mikami Yuu's eyes lit up, and he immediately thanked him. "Then I'll thank you in advance, Minato-sensei."
Come to think of it,
there really was still a difference between a squad leader and a true "teacher."
The former was, in theory, only a superior officer. They had a responsibility to guide their students, but not an obligation to pour their heart and soul into it. Whether they taught, how much they taught, and how seriously they did it all depended on personal willingness, conscience, and how well both sides got along.
Just like in the original story with the Konoha Twelve—only Sasuke learned Kakashi's Chidori, and only Lee learned Guy's Eight Gates.
It had been over two months since Mikami Yuu's cohort graduated and got assigned to squads. So far, what Minato had taught them was mostly training methods and combat experience. He still hadn't begun teaching them real ninjutsu, much less his specialties like Flying Thunder God or sealing techniques.
And now…
Even though Minato had only said he'd help refine Shadow Prison Phantom Kill Formation, it was still a good sign. It meant their relationship was getting closer.
He had to make the most of it, strike while the iron was hot, and try to get his hands on Flying Thunder God and sealing techniques as soon as possible.
Of course,
at that moment, Minato was still fixated on a different issue:
"By the way… even though Shadow Prison Phantom Kill Formation is not bad, are you really sure you don't want to call it Substitution Spiral Supreme Phantom Multi-Stage Assassination Technique? Wouldn't that sound even more imposing?"
Mikami Yuu: "…"
…
Soon enough,
Kakashi and Obito came back.
The two of them had been attacked while fetching water. The enemy was a genjutsu user who had trapped them with Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique the moment he moved. Even Obito, despite being an Uchiha, hadn't noticed anything wrong. Kakashi was the first to realize it and found a way to break the genjutsu, which was the only reason they weren't killed on the spot.
But that illusion ninja was extremely cautious. The moment he sensed things turning against him, he fled immediately, so Minato never caught sight of him. He just brought Kakashi and Obito back.
After they returned,
Obito's first instinct was to go over and fuss over Rin.
Kakashi, meanwhile, walked to the edge of the scorched crater and stared at the remains for a while, then turned his gaze toward Mikami Yuu, who was resting with his eyes closed. A complicated emotion flickered in those dead-fish eyes.
As one of the old hands, Kakashi knew Minato didn't specialize in Fire Release. He could use it, sure, but it wasn't one of his main methods. So…
that crater had most likely been made by the other person present.
At that moment,
Mikami Yuu's mind was busy with its own storm of thoughts:
[Great Fireball Jutsu: (Flames bouncing around her excitedly) Oh wow, Mikami-chan! You did so well! That blast just now felt amazing! I've never felt so refreshed in my life! It feels like our relationship has gone a step beyond hearts-aligned now!]
[Clone Technique: What nonsense. It was obviously the bond between us sisters that helped little Mikami do all that. I told you, he can't live without us~]
[Hatake Swordsmanship: Hmph. That slash just now barely looked acceptable. It had maybe one percent of my former glory.]
[…]
In the end, it was Transformation Technique—as the "eldest sister"—who stepped in and shut everyone down:
[Transformation Technique: Alright, all of you, stop arguing and let little Mikami rest. Don't forget he's only nine. After being tossed around by all of us for this long, he must be exhausted.]
"…?"
Why did that sound a little weird?
Still, whatever the phrasing, Mikami Yuu's head finally went quiet.
While Minato and Kakashi handled the battlefield and erased the traces of the fight, Mikami Yuu leaned against a tree stump and shut his eyes, making the most of the time to rest.
About twenty minutes later,
the scene was mostly dealt with.
Mikami Yuu had also recovered some chakra.
Seeing that, Minato had Rin keep an eye on him, while Kakashi and Obito carried the wounded and the team set off again at once. After all, a battle had just happened here, and one illusion ninja had escaped. There was always a chance he'd return with reinforcements, and getting entangled again would be troublesome.
The group moved out once more.
Kakashi led in front, Obito guarded one side of the wounded, Rin supported Mikami Yuu, and Minato walked at the rear. Moonlight filtered through the sparse branches, stretching all of their shadows long across the ground.
…
The next morning,
the squad arrived at Suzaku Town.
This outpost was a little smaller than Wildfire City, but it still had thirty to forty permanently stationed ninja, divided into around ten squads. After hearing the report, the leading Konoha jōnin looked extremely grim, though he still thanked Minato politely.
"What's wrong? Is something troubling you?" Minato asked.
That jōnin hesitated, then finally lowered his voice and said:
"…According to the latest intelligence, small units from Sunagakure, using the disappearance of the Third Kazekage as a pretext, demanded entry into the Land of Fire to conduct a search. When they were refused, they forcibly invaded the Land of Fire! Multiple Konoha border outposts have already come under attack, and the fighting has been brutal!"