With every member of her team getting promoted, Shin was quite happy with herself and her team, and especially happy for the hefty bonus she'd be getting. Watching Warai, Tetsu, and Kannin receive their promotions made her quite proud, and she brought them out for dinner that night and paid for it as a reward.
"Congratulations, all of you. I couldn't be prouder."
"It's all because of your teaching, sensei! We couldn't have done it without you." Warai said.
Watching the reverie of the night go on, Kannin couldn't help but smile to see the friends he'd made and bonds he'd fostered--this really was his home.
After dinner, they all went home. By the time Kannin walked through the door, it was already dark out. His mom was in her room when he got in, and when he announced he was back, she came running to the living room. He told her what happened, and how he was officially now a chunin. She smiled when she heard the news and hugged him.
"Congratulations, honey. Your father would be proud."
Kannin was taken aback when she said that. Never in his life had she mentioned his dad that fully and freely. It either meant that his mom's mental state was improving, or, conversely, getting significantly worse. He didn't want to pry at the moment, though. He just talked about the exam, and eventually went to sleep.
-
Three months later, the newly chunin Team 4 had gone on two more missions together, one of which confirmed intel that Iwagakure and Kumogakure had formed an alliance in secret, in case either of them would go to war. This, of course, greatly troubled Konoha. Tensions had already been rising since the kidnapping of Kushina nearly a year earlier, but this alliance was akin to declaring war itself.
Danzo, sitting with the other advisors, energetically advocated for immediate war with Kumo and Iwa--and while the other advisors weren't so zealous, they didn't have the influence to really go against him that much. He strongarmed them into agreeing with a war declaration, which he brought to Hiruzen.
"Danzo, this is madness!" He shouted
"No, Hiruzen, this is simple foreign policy."
"I will not launch us into another disastrous war without good reason. You have the luxury of saying war because I'm the one who actually has to make the call. There are no lives on your hands, old friend."
"You're a fool, Hiruzen." Danzo left without another word.
Hiruzen sighed after his old friend left his office. Hostilities were rising once more. If he declared war without good reason, and anything went wrong in any way he would have to resign, leaving Danzo with the position, or worse Orochimaru, given that Sakumo was gone and none of the other Sannin seemed interested. Plus, Konoha simply didn't have the resources to deal with both Iwa and Kumo at the same time. He had sent an emissary to Suna to work out a similar alliance, but negotiations were not going smoothly. It seems the many defeats Suna suffered at the hands of Sakumo and other Konoha shinobi had soured their ability to think straight.
"This is a nightmare."
While the Third Hokage didn't sign the declaration of war, he did agree that the clan elders and village elders should begin preparing for war, especially the Uchiha and Hyuga. He also increased the number of patrols on their border.
-
Kannin had been acutely aware of this. A sea change is coming, and he intended to reinforce his hulls. The intel hadn't reached the civilian populace just yet, so his mother, who he expected would be a nervous wreck had she known, was still doing okay. Either way, he went out to find Minato. Wearing the happuri-style forehead protector his mom had given him as a promotion gift which neatly protected his cheeks and temples, he journeyed out to one of the training fields he knew Minato liked to train his team in. Not finding them there, he went to the only other place in town he knew he regularly went to, Ichiraku.
Like usual, before he saw Minato, he heard him. Minato was his usual childish self, which meant the real target for today's mission was also there: Kushina. Kannin thought that one of the more versatile jutsu types he could learn was fuinjutsu, and he thought Kushina might know the Uzumaki sealing techniques. Of course, this would only work if Kushina believed he really was an Uzumaki, which unfortunately meant he would likely have to reveal his chains.
He walked up to the counter, and ordered his usual. On another note, Kannin never intended to become a regular of Ichiraku, but honestly, they're ramen really was quite good, and it was close enough to home to go to frequently; however, it did make him have work out a little more, as the caloric intake was a bit much.
Minato heard the familiar voice, and again turned around to see the grey-haired Uzumaki with a new forehead protector. He also noticed that he wasn't eating the ramen in front of him, and he looked a little nervous.
"Something wrong there, Kannin?"
Kannin looked over, and said, "Oh, no, not really. Sorry to keep bothering you on your dates with Kushina here, but, ummm, there's something I'd like to ask."
"Sure, go ahead."
Kannin got an apologetic look on his face and said, "Sorry, not for you, but for Kushina."
Minato was taken aback for a moment, before nodding and letting him talk to Kushina.
"What do you want, twerp?"
"Can you teach me Uzumaki fuinjutsu?"
"Absolutely not. You aren't an Uzumaki."
Kannin sat silent for a moment, before responding, "If I could prove to you that I'm really an Uzumaki, would you teach me?"
Kushina thought for a moment and said, "If you can prove that you're an Uzumaki I'll buy your ramen for the next ten years."
Kannin looked a little sad for a moment, knowing that if things went as they did in the manga, she wouldn't be here in ten years, before saying, "Could you two follow me to the forest?"