Hearing Minato's words, Dekai and Sohei, who were next to him, also greeted Mutsuki. They hadn't known each other before, but fighting together against the Jinchuriki had forged a good friendship over those few days.
"Minato, you guys are back. Did the front-line battles end?" Mutsuki asked with a slightly surprised expression.
"It's not completely over; Hidden Rock hasn't surrendered and signed a peace treaty yet. However, we've already driven Hidden Rock's forces out of the Land of Grass, so the war is more or less at a standstill. My mission is complete, and Jiraiya-sensei told me to come back first," Minato explained with a smile.
"It's just a matter of time before they're completely defeated. Konoha is still stronger," Dekai said with a grin.
Several major victories over the Rock Ninjas had given him ample confidence.
"I see. You've really worked hard. You successfully kept the enemy out of the Land of Fire," Mutsuki nodded in praise.
Just as Mutsuki had imagined, the war with Hidden Rock had come to a temporary halt. Next, unless something unexpected happened, Minato would become a sensei for Obito and the others.
"Haha, Mutsuki, weren't you one of the hardworking ones too? The battle with the Jinchuriki was thanks to you," Dekai laughed and patted Mutsuki on the shoulder.
Dekai was quite impressed with Mutsuki's Ninjutsu skills. His Fire Release had almost injured the careless Five-Tails Jinchuriki, and he was also able to briefly hold off the Four-Tails Jinchuriki's Lava Release on his own.
"It was a team effort that made it a success," Mutsuki said with a smile.
"Oh, isn't that Minato? You're back!" A young female Ninja with a single ponytail, looking very lively, saw Minato and immediately brightened up, greeting him cheerfully.
Two other young female Ninjas of similar age were next to her and also greeted Minato with smiles.
"Hmm, hello," Minato smiled and greeted them. Although they weren't very familiar, he felt it was necessary to respond to greetings.
"Minato, you're amazing! I saw the latest Konoha report. You and Jiraiya-sama drove back the Jinchuriki. You're truly a hero of Konoha," the girl with the ponytail said, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
"It wasn't just me and Jiraiya-sensei; many people contributed," Minato corrected her.
Not only Mutsuki, but also Dekai and Sohei had faced the Jinchuriki alongside them.
"Hey, who are you?" One of the black-haired, long-haired girls in the trio noticed Mutsuki's appearance.
"So, Minato, do you have a brother? Who's the older and who's the younger?" The black-haired girl asked curiously after comparing their smiles.
"I'm Mutsuki Yumi. I'm neither Minato's older brother nor his younger brother. We're not biological siblings or distant relatives," Mutsuki explained.
He was used to it by now due to the frequency of such questions.
Minato remained unfazed, as he had grown accustomed to it as well.
"Mutsuki Yumi, aren't you the Ninja who fought against the Tailed Beasts with Jiraiya-sama in the newspaper?" The girl with the ponytail recognized the somewhat familiar name and looked at Mutsuki in surprise.
"Yes, I'm that Mutsuki Yumi," Mutsuki confirmed with a smile.
"You must be very tired after coming off the battlefield. How about we treat you to a meal?" The girl with wavy, curly hair clasped her hands and extended the invitation to Minato and Mutsuki.
The black-haired girl and the ponytail girl gave their thumbs up behind their good friend, signaling approval.
"Thank you for the kind offer, but I have things to do later," Mutsuki gently declined with a warm smile.
If it was just a meal, he wouldn't mind where he went, but if he went, it wouldn't just be a simple meal. It would likely involve chatting as the main event, with eating as a secondary activity, and possibly even drinking, which would be quite a waste of time.
He wasn't without desires, but at the moment, he wasn't in the mood. With so many things to do, he wouldn't manage without Shadow Clones.
"I'm in the same situation, but thanks for the offer," Minato also declined with a smile.
Compared to restaurant food and cooking for himself, he preferred Mutsuki's cooking. He had just finished reporting his mission and was planning to go to Mutsuki's house and then bring Mutsuki's dishes to Kushina. He didn't have time to hang out with a few unfamiliar female Ninjas.
"That's a shame. Maybe we can have a meal together next time," the curly-haired girl said with a regretful look but didn't press further.
The three girls waved goodbye to Mutsuki and Minato and left.
"That Mutsuki Yumi seems quite good-looking. Why don't I remember him from before?"
"He is good-looking, but I still prefer Minato. It's a pity he didn't agree."
"I actually think Mutsuki-kun is more attractive. Both are gentle and sunny, but Mutsuki-kun seems wiser and more refined."
Dekai and Sohei stared daggers at Mutsuki and Minato.
"Sigh, I shouldn't have stood with you guys. Maybe I'd have had a girl approach me too," Dekai sighed.
Just now, there were clearly three girls, yet none of them paid him any attention; they were all chatting with Mutsuki and Minato.
"When have you ever been approached like that? I really was influenced by those two," Sohei said, placing his hand on Dekai's shoulder.
He had fair skin and well-defined features. While he wasn't stunningly handsome, he was certainly quite good-looking, but standing next to Minato and Mutsuki made him seem ordinary.
"Being approached isn't always a good thing. If Minato were to be approached and Kushina saw it, she might get upset if he doesn't explain properly," Mutsuki mentioned, referring to a previous conversation he had with Kushina.
Kushina had once asked Mutsuki about the situation at Minato's home when she wasn't around, to see if any girls came looking for Minato.
Minato was relieved that he was someone who knew how to refuse advances. Not only is it hard to calm Kushina when she's angry, but it also makes him feel distressed.
After a brief chat, the four of them went their separate ways. Minato and Mutsuki, being neighbors, headed in the same direction.
When Minato got home, he sent out Shadow Clones to clean and tidy up, while his main body went to Mutsuki's house to help with cooking.
"You've really been a bother to you all this time," Minato said, washing the vegetables with a look of embarrassment.
Not being able to join for the meal and still having to trouble Mutsuki to pack food for him made Minato feel very awkward just thinking about it.
"We're friends, so let's consider it mutual assistance. After all, you've helped me a lot with Sealing Jutsu, and Kushina has taught me the Four Symbols Seal during this time," Mutsuki said with a nonchalant smile.
"After learning it, I realized how powerful this Sealing Jutsu is. Without Kushina, it would have been very difficult for me to obtain such a high-level Sealing Jutsu."
"The value of a technique lies in teaching it to others. Mutsuki, you have the talent, so Kushina must have been very happy teaching you," Minato said seriously, breaking the vegetables into pieces.
He was a bit surprised by Mutsuki's progress, especially since he had already learned the Four Symbols Seal, which is a top-tier conventional Sealing Jutsu.
To celebrate Minato's return, Mutsuki had specifically prepared Kushina's favorite braised pork, which was quite time-consuming. So, the two chatted while they waited.
"Compared to us humans, the Tailed Beasts are truly exceptional. Not only do they possess immense Chakra, but they can also use techniques like the Tailed Beast Bomb, which has terrifying power," Mutsuki remarked.
"Tailed Beast Bomb…"
Mutsuki's words made Minato's thoughts return to the battlefield, where the blinding white light of the explosion and the deep crater it left behind were still vivid in his memory.
The reason Minato's memories of fighting the Tailed Beasts were so profound wasn't because the Tailed Beast Bomb was so powerful that it left a psychological scar, but because his girlfriend Kushina was also a Jinchuriki, and the beast inside her was the strongest of them all, the Nine-Tails.
Just thinking about the terrifying monster living inside his girlfriend made Minato sigh as well.
"When the situation becomes critical, Jinchuriki will definitely be sent to the battlefield," Minato worried deeply.
Even though Konoha is currently keeping Kushina hidden, it's only to help her quickly master the Tailed Beast and become a controllable combat force.
Minato knew well the significance of Jinchuriki to a Ninja village. Jinchuriki are not meant to be carefully protected; they are meant to be used in times of war.
In this extremely chaotic situation, Minato couldn't guarantee that Konoha would always remain strong. There might come a day when Kushina would have to go to the battlefield.
Moreover, Kushina's opponents would definitely not be just anyone; they would either be other Jinchuriki or top experts from enemy Ninja villages.
"It would be great if there were a Ninjutsu with power similar to the Tailed Beast Bomb," Minato sighed, thinking about it.
The power of the Tailed Beast Bomb was such that even his sensei Jiraiya could only avoid it by using Sage Mode. If Kushina encountered a Jinchuriki capable of using the Tailed Beast Bomb before she mastered it herself, it would be a major setback.
"Then we should develop a Ninjutsu similar to the Tailed Beast Bomb," Mutsuki said with a smile.
Minato was stunned by Mutsuki's words.
"If you want to match the power of a Ninjutsu, directly imitating and improving upon it would probably be the fastest way."
"Of course, I'm just saying this casually. The Tailed Beast Bomb is definitely not something that can be easily imitated," Mutsuki said with a joking expression.
Minato's eyes lit up, and he excitedly said to Mutsuki:
"I think your idea is completely feasible. Since it's Ninjutsu, there's no reason why only the Tailed Beasts can use it. We can definitely develop a human version of the Tailed Beast Bomb."
"In theory, it's possible," Mutsuki nodded.
"The Tailed Beast Bomb is spherical, and it doesn't seem to be based on the five basic Nature Transformations. We can start by creating a regular Chakra sphere to mimic it, and then…"
Minato was suddenly inspired and felt more and more confident that a human-made Tailed Beast Bomb was feasible.
"The food has been packed for you. You should take it to Kushina soon," Mutsuki said, handing the packed food to Minato.
Minato then realized he needed to head to Kushina's place and quickly thanked Mutsuki before leaving his house.
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