Almost 2 years went by like this, sitting around for weeks on end, attending strategy meetings, only for the peace to be broken by a short skirmish. It seemed like, even with the infrequent battling, his strength proved enough to warrant his own moniker--in fact, all three members of Team 4 begun being called by titles. They weren't nearly as feared as any of Sannin, The White Fang, or The Yellow Flash, but as long as one of the heavy hitters weren't on the field, their presence tended to secure victory for Konoha. Kannin was simply called The Tempest, given his mixture of Water, Wind, and Lightning techniques; Warai was called the Bloody-Eyed Girl, which, by all accounts, she hated with every fiber of her being; and Tetsu was called The Earth Shaker, given his propensity to use his Earth techniques with his taijutsu.
They'd only had one large battle where any of the heavy hitters showed up, and it was the Raikage. Kannin only got to see a little bit of the battle, but it was enough to show him just how far a gap there was between his current strength and Kage-level prowess. A was sending Konoha-nin flying left and right like it was nothing. Kannin even sent one of his own jutsus towards him and it bounced off of his shield like a light breeze. His shield was truly a force to be reckoned with.
But what surprised him more was Orochimaru. He had been called to the front as soon as the Raikage showed up, and he handled him quite wonderfully. He didn't even have to use his big summons, just his exquisite knowledge of jutsu and tactics. He rerouted A's momentum, trapped him in mud, blinded him, etc. It really was a masterclass of how to deal with a physically domineering enemy.
But other than that, the war on the Kumo front had gone a little cold. Small engagements here and there, but nothing as cataclysmic as that first battle they fought against Iwa. He almost missed those days, back when the team was a team, he wasn't worrying about organizational issues, and Shin still had her left arm.
Konoha was going for a war of attrition, which it could theoretically win, but it would cost them dearly. Every day they stayed in a stalemate, more blood seeped into the earth, more lives shattered and hatred born.
What Kannin didn't know, was that hundreds of miles away, one of the most singular events in the history of the shinobi world was about to take place, fulfilling his notion of spilled blood and born hatred--an event Kannin would regret forgetting until it was too late.
-
It had been a little over a year since Minato and his team had been rerouted to the Iwa front, and at first he enjoyed it. Reuniting with Jiraiya was something he didn't know he needed. He spent most of his time running errands though, since Flying Raijin was so helpful in delivering information and cargo.
That didn't mean he hadn't gone to the battlefront, he had to maintain his moniker of Konoha's Yellow Flash. Whenever Onoki came to the lines to fight, Minato was called to battle him, since Flying Raijin was almost perfectly suited to counter it, aside from the flying. He also fought against their jinchuriki Han a number of times, and those encounters, along with what he saw back fighting Kumo, an idea had begun forming in his mind...
He did get to go on missions every once in a while with his team, and today was a special day. Kakashi had recently been promoted to a jonin. Minato was planning on taking them on a mission, this time with Kakashi as the shot-caller--he would be there to make sure nothing went wrong, of course.
They gathered up near the border of the Land of Fire and Grass, and waited around for Obito to show up. When he did trip into the meeting, Kakashi reproached his constant tardiness.
"I had to help an old woman with her luggage!" He cried, "...Plus there was something in my eye."
Minato looked at his kids with a lot of pride, but worry. Obito couldn't take things seriously if his life depended on it--and right now, it very much did. Kakashi had shut himself off from the world ever since his dad died; he only cared about the mission parameters and couldn't work with the team with any efficiency. Rin...well Rin had a different problem. She had a tendency to just loiter behind the other two.
Before he went ahead and explained the mission objectives, he congratulated Kakashi on his promotion with one of his special kunai, with a few special formulas on the handle.
"It's a little heavy, but you'll get used to it." He said with a smile
Rin gave him a specially made medical pouch. When Kakashi expectantly put out his hand to Obito, waiting for his gift, when Minato saw an oh too familiar expression come upon the young Uchiha's face.
'Oh my god he forgot, didn't he' Minato thought, stifling laughter.
"Well you can just carry my stuff instead" Kakashi said
"As soon as I awaken my Sharingan," Obito shouted, "I will surpass you!"
They starting fighting again, so Minato broke it up talking about the mission objectives. Jiraiya had told him that this was a mission a year in the making. Apparently he had first sent Shin and her team to accomplish it, but they were intercepted, and they failed quite miserably--but even though it had been more than a year since then, the strategic importance of Kannabi Bridge hadn't diminished whatsoever.
"Kakashi, our objective is to destroy this bridge," he said, pointing at the map in his hands, "they've sent a decently sized distraction force to keep the frontline busy this time, but I might get called away to help."
The kids nodded, realizing that this mission really was theirs and that Minato wouldn't be able to solve everything for them--though Kakashi wondered what Minato meant by 'this time.'