Naruto - Minato Namikaze SI - Chapter 192 - Visiting Old Friends.

[Chapter Size: 2100 Words.]
Third Person POV
Konoha, Year 40.
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“You look older now and even more handsome...” Tsuna commented while in Minato's arms. They were a bit away from the camp, having gone there after their meeting.

“You too...” Minato replied, noticing how much more beautiful she looked, even surpassing her mother. The purple streaks in her hair were gone.

“Where are you looking?!” she exclaimed, catching Minato’s gaze lingering on her body, now more mature and curvier. Minato tried to divert his attention, but Tsuna's amused expression showed she enjoyed it. Of course, she liked that Minato desired her; after all, she would be his wife.

“You know... if we wanted... we wouldn’t have to wait until the wedding, or we could even move it forward,” she teased.

Minato smiled at her provocation and played along. “How about we leave here, and, you know... just you and me...” he countered with a mischievous grin.

Tsuna, who had been acting boldly, immediately blushed as Minato leaned closer, their faces almost touching.

“Are you sure... if you do this, we’ll have to marry! My mother won’t like it if we do it so soon... I’m fine with it, but are you...?” she asked, her face as red as a tomato.

“Haha. Don’t worry, I’m joking... We still have more than three years, so let’s just enjoy this time as boyfriend and girlfriend,” Minato laughed, amused by her flustered reaction.

“You idiot,” she murmured, crossing her arms, ready to give herself to Minato, only for him to continue teasing her.

“Don’t be like that. Let me ask you something,” Minato said, noticing her pout. “If you could be anywhere, where would it be?”

“Anywhere... I heard you, Kushina, and Mito went to the beach... Shouldn’t you have taken me there too?” Tsuna asked.

“The beach... You can go now,” Minato suggested.

“What, now? We can’t, Minato! I only have a two-hour break,” she replied, but Minato’s grin widened.

“That’s enough,” he said, touching her. The next moment, they vanished and reappeared on the other side of the country, standing on a beach.

“Where’s Guren... I can’t sense him...” Minato murmured, scanning the sea for any sign of his friend.

“Minato! Did you bring us to the tide?!” Tsuna exclaimed, stunned by the sudden change of scenery as she stood up, bewildered.

“We’re in the southern part of the Land of Fire. Since you asked... we can stay here for a while. We’ll return to the border later. Want to jump into the water?” he asked. Tsuna, still in awe, quickly turned her amazement into excitement as she gazed at the deserted beach, with only Minato there beside her.

“Yes!” she exclaimed happily, finally away from the constant deaths of ninjas the medical team couldn’t save. Now, she could relax.

Moments later, both were in the water, swimming close to each other. Tsuna drifted toward Minato, resting her back against him, silently asking him to lift her. He obliged, holding her like a princess in the water.

“This is so nice, and the day is so beautiful,” she said, looking up and then at Minato.

“It’s good to relax,” Minato agreed.

“It really is. Thank you,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him enthusiastically. Minato reciprocated, their lips meeting passionately.

“This is so nice... we should do this more often,” she said, a bit embarrassed but enjoying her fiancé’s kisses. At least they could kiss like a couple.

“We have two hours, as you said,” Minato smiled, and she nodded.

In the end, they spent the rest of the time cuddling without anyone to interrupt them. When their time was up, they left the water and dried off. Returning to the camp, Minato still wanted to talk to Tsunade.

“So you provoked the Uchiha clan... You really are a troublemaker,” Tsuna muttered after learning about his situation with Mikoto. In truth, she didn’t mind Minato choosing Mikoto to be his wife alongside her and Kushina. She had expected it; after all, Minato had always been surrounded by girls who adored him. She only wondered what might happen with Hanabi, almost asking if Minato intended to make the Hyuuga clan his enemy as well. But since he hadn’t mentioned the girl, she decided not to ask.

“Yes... I have a fight with the man who was supposed to be Mikoto’s fiancé. He wants revenge for that, and I agreed,” Minato said.

“I see... well... after all I’ve heard, they should be afraid, Yellow Flash of Konoha,” Tsuna teased while Minato shrugged.

“That doesn’t make me invincible; I’m still training to get stronger,” Minato replied.

“You’re truly amazing. Even with all your reputation, you’re still thinking about getting stronger. Knowing you, I’m sure you’ll surprise us even more...” she commented with admiration in her tone, her voice growing distant as they walked through the forest, ninjas passing above them. “I don’t think I can keep up with you anymore... I’m getting really strong and excelling in medical ninjutsu, but you’re on a level above me...” she murmured, sounding like she felt left behind.

“I won’t deny I want to get stronger, and I can do it. After all, I have you, Kushina, Mikoto, and so many others to protect... and even if you feel inferior in strength, remember that I’m the man, and I’ll protect and love you,” Minato said calmly, making Tsuna look at him, slightly embarrassed.

“I guess you’re right... and when you get hurt, I’ll be there to heal you,” she said.

“You’re right, but if you need to get stronger... we can train after the war. I’m training my body to withstand heavy blows, and I’m sure your punches will be good practice,” Minato added.

“Hahaha. Alright then, Minato. I’ll be waiting for that...” she said as they finally arrived at the medical camp and headed toward Tsunade’s lab.

Some people recognized Minato and greeted him, surprised to see him there, but Minato only nodded before they reached the place.

“Hold on, brats, I’m finishing something here,” Tsunade called out from inside, already recognizing their chakra.

They waited for a while until she emerged, wearing a lab coat. The first thing she did was sniff the air as soon as she saw them. “Brats, why do you smell like salt...” Her eyes immediately turned dangerous. “You better not have taken her somewhere and done something that’ll make me hit you both for it...” she started.

“It’s not that!” Tsuna quickly said. “Minato took us to a beach, but we didn’t do anything you’re suggesting, Mother. Do you really think we’d do something like that?!” Tsuna seemed offended by the accusation.

“You’re at the age when hormones are raging. I don’t want to deal with that sort of thing,” Tsunade muttered but soon changed the subject. “Anyway... I heard about your accomplishments in the north. Congratulations on the title, kid,” she said, and Minato nodded.

“Thank you, Tsunade-san. By the way... can I ask how Jiraiya-sensei is doing?” he asked.

“That idiot decided to train three orphans we found after the fight with Danzo. How you managed to fight that guy before... he’s insanely tough. He made Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and me look like three children...” she grumbled.

Minato asked a few more questions to Tsunade before bringing up one last topic. “Can you tell me which camp your husband and brother are at?”

“What do you want with them, brat?” Tsunade narrowed her eyes at Minato’s question.

“I just wanted to settle a few things, you know, man-to-man talk,” Minato tried to come up with an excuse.

“Tsk, whatever. Dan is at Camp 3, and Nawaki is at Orochimaru’s Camp 1,” she said, and Minato nodded.

“Great, then I’d better get going. I’ll try to visit you when I can. I’ll be the commander of Camp 12 in a few days, so things will get a bit hectic for me. I’m off,” Minato said, bidding them farewell as Tsuna prepared to return to work.

“He’s going to be a commander?” Tsuna asked, surprised as she watched Minato disappear.

“What did you expect? Your fiancé is quite popular now,” Tsunade replied before shifting to another topic. “Now let’s leave that aside and get back to work. We’re already close to finding the cure for the poison Chiyo developed in recent weeks. It’s becoming easier to create the antidote,” Tsunade said, and Tsuna nodded, following her mother.

Today, they worked together to create countermeasures against the poisons developed by Suna in record time. What used to take weeks or even months had become much faster, and with a medic assigned to each team, dealing with poison had become far less deadly. More and more people survived, and this strengthened their side in the war against two villages.

Meanwhile, Minato went to Camp 3, surprising Dan, who was about to leave for a mission. Minato said a few things to him and handed him a kunai. After that, he left for Camp 1, where he found Nawaki managing some logistics.

“Why are you giving me this... Do you want to spy on me or something?” the 20-year-old asked with a suspicious tone.

“It’s not that. I want you to use it in an emergency... just as a precaution. Channel your chakra into it when you’re in danger, and I’ll come to rescue you,” Minato explained.

“Now that you’ve earned a title like my sister’s, I bet you’re full of yourself, huh?” Nawaki joked, though it sounded more like a tease than a genuine accusation. Minato maintained a serious expression; this guy joked too much.

“Alright, alright. I’ll keep it,” Nawaki said finally, and Minato nodded.

“If it isn’t Minato Namikaze...” As soon as Nawaki took the kunai, Orochimaru’s voice emerged from behind them. Minato had already sensed his approach and turned to face the jutsu-obsessed man.

“Hello, Orochimaru-san,” Minato greeted him.

“I’ve heard a lot about your performance on the northern front... I must say it’s quite remarkable that a boy managed to defeat the Raikage using the Raikage’s own jutsu against him. Very clever. I envy Jiraiya for having such a promising student... I’m sure he’d be very proud if he heard of your achievements, though he’s isolated himself from everyone now,” Orochimaru remarked, and Minato nodded, keeping a calm demeanor around the man.

“I hope so, but we’ll talk once he returns,” Minato said.

“Yes... I was surprised when he said he’d stay to train those orphans. I even suggested killing them...” Orochimaru said, and Minato knew that couldn’t have happened. “I don’t know why Jiraiya chose unknown orphans over you,” Orochimaru finished.

“Jiraiya-sensei must know what he’s doing, and I see no problem with it, Orochimaru-san,” Minato replied firmly, clearly displeased with Orochimaru’s words.

“Very well... In any case, if you can write a report on how to manage the northern front, I’ll be heading there soon,” Orochimaru said, and Minato nodded.

Afterward, Minato bid farewell to Nawaki and headed to Camp 5, where he encountered the Phantom Squad stationed there before starting a mission. Unfortunately, it was no longer the entire squad, as three members had died in missions while Minato was elsewhere. One of them was Ghost (Yuki Hatake), his kenjutsu instructor who had taught him so much. Yuki had died in a mission six months ago. Minato had been deeply affected by the loss but could do nothing about it... This was the reality of war, a chain of hatred.

“Minato!”
“Kid!”
“The hero has arrived.”
“If it isn’t the Yellow Flash of Konoha!”

Everyone greeted Minato as soon as he arrived. Present were Alpha, Zelda, Echo, Blade, Falcon, Vortex, and Mirage. Missing from the group were Horny, Ghost, and Whisper, as they had died. Despite the losses, the squad tried to remain cheerful upon seeing Minato. He wanted to visit them and also pay his respects at the graves the squad had made for their fallen comrades here. The actual bodies had been sent to Konoha, except for Horny, whose body had never been recovered.

“Hello, everyone... it’s been a while...” Minato said with an enthusiastic smile. Yet behind that smile, he felt the heavy weight of seeing three fewer members in the group. The urge to cry for the loss of his friends and comrades was almost overwhelming.

Raccoon Here: This is war; there will always be deaths. This is the ninja world, and Minato could lose anyone at any moment. Even Yuki Hatake, a beloved character, had to be lost to make this story realistic.