"I'll give it another thought."
As Minato mulled over his commitment to graduate early and serve the village, thoughts of Kushina crept into his mind, leaving him with an unexpected sense of uncertainty.
Could it be that he harbors feelings for her? Minato pondered the question, acknowledging that there hadn't been any overt romantic signals between him and Kushina thus far. Perhaps, he considered, his hesitation stemmed from a desire to witness Kushina seamlessly become an integral part of the village.
While Kushina has managed to forge a few friendships since her arrival in Konoha last year, they remain confined to a select group of female ninja, including Inuzuka Tsume and a senior Uchiha girl from another class.
Regrettably, the boys in the class, whether they were once involved in bullying Kushina or were victims themselves, along with others from different classes and grades connected to these conflicts, still harbor animosity towards her.
Minato, having spent the past year as a mere observer, frets about the potential challenges that might arise for Kushina after he leaves the Academy. He worries that, despite his genuine concern, he might not be able to intervene promptly should anything untoward happen to her.
Nevertheless, Minato perceived that things remained within a manageable scope, and, importantly, Kushina hadn't endured any losses in physical altercations.
Caught in a web of conflicting thoughts, Minato found himself at a crossroads with Tatsuma. They exchanged rice and other ingredients before parting ways to return to their respective homes. Naturally, their evening training routine proceeded as usual.
The need to tie their hair in braids had become obsolete due to their advanced training. Their Chakra control had reached an impressive level, rendering the practice unnecessary. While they refrained from delving into intricate Ninjutsu like Medical Ninjutsu or Puppet Jutsu that demanded precise Chakra control, their proficiency in general Chakra control had already reached a satisfying level. The fruits of their continued training were proving highly effective.
Mastery had been achieved in both Needle Jizo and Wild Lion's Mane Jutsu, though flexible application still eluded them, with a bit of distance left to cover. Unfortunately, the circumstances didn't permit them to practice these techniques in genuine combat scenarios.
Beyond these two Ninjutsu, during Jiraiya's recent return, he introduced yet another hair-related technique called Needle Hell. Diverging from Needle Jizo, Needle Hell transformed hair into Senbon, propelling them with force.
While lacking the Sage Chakra augmentation found in Jiraiya's later Sage Art: Hair Needle Senbon, this technique proved effective for concealment, even if its overall impact was more moderate.
Both of them have indeed mastered this Ninjutsu, but due to a shortage of Chakra and not delving deeply into Chakra form manipulation, its power is restricted and falls short of the effectiveness achieved with physically thrown Senbon.
It is a pity that Tatsuma has never received the talent for changing the shape or nature of chakra. Perhaps these two are not talents, but more like compulsory courses for ninjas.
Just like throwing ninja tools, Tatsuma has never picked up the talent of throwing ninja tools from others. Namikaze Minato's one is limited, and he can clearly realize now that this is a talent that cooperates with the Flying Thunder God jutsu.
Over the past year, Tatsuma had entertained the idea of developing the Rasengan, given his familiarity with its principles and training methods. Unfortunately, due to insufficient Chakra and a lack of proficiency in Chakra form manipulation, creating the Rasengan remained an difficult feat for him. Nevertheless, he persisted, dedicating some time each day to attempts at creating the Rasengan as supplementary training for form manipulation.
Once dinner concluded, the two of them, in an unspoken agreement, made their way to the training ground at night. Recently, the training ground had become lively, attracting numerous Konoha ninja eager to engage in their own training sessions.
Certainly, those discerning the abnormality in the current situation couldn't be limited to just Tatsuma and Minato. This was especially true given that ninja, by nature, were individuals with access to external information.
Upon completing their customary training routine, Tatsuma and Minato transitioned into practical combat exercises. Their fighting styles had evolved significantly since their academy days when Taijutsu was their primary skill.
Both of them are extremely proficient in the three body jutsu. At least to the level of genin. They had also effortlessly grasped the E-rank and D-rank Ninjutsu that Jiraiya had provided, given the low learning difficulty associated with these techniques.
Of course, the two of them did not use the three hair-related ninjutsu taught by Jiraiya in their sparrings. After all, for them now, the cost of these three ninjutsu was too high and it would only reduce their possible trainign time.
Approaching midnight, the two breathless individuals finally concluded their sparring session. Lately, particularly in practical combat scenarios, Minato had managed to level the playing field, achieving a fifty-fifty ratio in their matches.
Today, securing another victory, Minato finally unveiled his first smile of the day. Turning to Tatsuma, who wore a somewhat regretful expression, he posed a thoughtful question, "Tatsuma, why do you believe war exists?"
"That's a tough question." Tatsuma rubbed his buttocks, still feeling the lingering effects of Minato kick his ass, before continuing, "But looking at it now, war is just a tool that is incited by the will of the group"
"Group will? What does that mean?"
Minato, accustomed to Tatsuma's unconventional terms and theories, displayed a readiness to seek clarification when faced with unfamiliar concepts. Tatsuma breathed a sigh of relief, noting that Minato had moved past dwelling on the fundamental nature of war.
Truth be told, Tatsuma himself didn't have a definitive answer to why war existed. Was it driven by interests, serving as a means for a select few to profit? Or could it be rooted in something entirely different? The reasons were too myriad, and unraveling them proved too intricate. Tatsuma acknowledged that his conclusion might not be entirely accurate.
Minato's willingness to shift the conversation pleased Tatsuma, who looked at him and remarked, "Group will is essentially the shared emotions of a large group."
"Whether intentionally incited by certain individuals or spontaneously generated and developed, when emotions like anger, hatred, and greed become pervasive or dominant within a group, it sets the stage for war."
"So, how can you influence the will of such a group? For instance, steering them towards joy and happiness or maintaining rationality—"
Before Minato could complete his question, Tatsuma shook his head and interjected, "Minato, consider the speed and intensity with which anger, sadness, joy, fear, and rationality spread within a group. What's your take on their order?"
After a moment of contemplation, Minato shook his head. It wasn't that he couldn't formulate an answer; rather, he recognized that his thoughts might not align with practical reality. Hence, he preferred to have Tatsuma directly provide the answer.
Understanding Minato's intention, Tatsuma began, "If I were to rank them, I believe it would be anger, fear, joy, and sadness in that order."
"What about rationality?"
Observing that Tatsuma had seemingly overlooked a particular option in the ranking, Minato gently reminded him at the opportune moment. However, Tatsuma responded with an expression that seemed to say "you're still too young" and conveyed, "No, Minato, within a group, there may be individuals with rationality, but the group as a whole tends to be irrational."
"It's akin to my own desires—I don't wish for war to erupt, and I don't want to become an enemy to others. However, once a war ensues, and we're thrust onto the battlefield, do our individual wishes still hold value against the collective intentions of the group?"
Minato opened his mouth and, eventually, nodded helplessly. It wasn't that he regarded everything Tatsuma said as absolute truth, but he found himself unable to dispute Tatsuma's perspective. After a brief pause, he inquired once more:
"But why is anger the emotion most readily embraced by a group? Why not joy? And is there truly no way to put an end to wars?"
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