Nawaki didn't notice the contemplation and worry on the faces of the two. He just cheered up himself, saying loudly, "Decided! Since I can't go to the battlefield, let's train well in the village! Let's start with 5,000 weighted frog jumps. If I can't finish, then I'll switch to 3,000 weighted handstand push-ups!"
As he spoke, Nawaki even hopped in place, causing the little Might Guy on his back to sway back and forth, his big head bobbing, causing concern that he might get hurt.
Tatsuma said, "Be careful. Brother Duy is busy every day. He trusts you to take care of his son. If he gets hurt, it would betray Brother Duy's trust."
"No problem! I'll protect him with my life! That's what youth is all about, right, Guy?"
Nawaki turned his head, looking at the giggling Might Guy. Might Guy's two little fists were tightly clenched before, but now both thumbs were raised, his mouth wide open, albeit toothless. Otherwise, he'd be another Konoha's White Fang.
"See, I was right!" Seeing Might Guy's reaction, Nawaki said triumphantly. However, before training, he still placed Might Guy aside in a basket made of reeds, which Uchiha Tenko had given him, saying it was a cat bed.
Tatsuma, seeing Might Guy lying in the cat bed and starting to throw punches, no longer paid attention and instead turned to Minato, saying, "It's the first time I've seen someone persuaded to fight."
Minato nodded as well, his face showing some difficulty. Their mission was very strange.
Because they knew about the progress of the negotiations, both of them knew that war would break out again soon. They were prepared to go to the battlefield at any time, and even their backpacks at home were ready to go, so they could leave at any moment.
But this mission wasn't about sending them to the front lines to fight, nor was it about accompanying reconnaissance or intelligence-gathering teams. Instead, they were to go to the Land of Iron and convince the Iron Country's general to send troops to fight against the Land of Rain.
Moreover, it wasn't about fighting against the invading forces from the Land of Rain within the Iron Country itself. Instead, they were to mobilize the samurai army, cross countries like the Land of Fields and the Land of Grass, and reach the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass, where they would directly confront the Land of Rain.
If successful, convincing the Land of Iron to send troops to the Land of Grass to resist the Land of Rain would be very beneficial for Konoha. After all, if the Land of Rain were to march from the Land of Grass all the way to the Land of Iron, even if they failed to capture the Land of Iron, the resources and population of the countries in between would contribute to the rapid development of the Land of Rain in the future.
Even if the Land of Rain were to successfully occupy the territories of these countries, excluding the Land of Iron, with Hanzo's capabilities and given another ten years of development, the Land of Rain could indeed grow to the size of the Five Great Nations.
At the very least, catching up to the Land of Wind would not be a problem.
The current geopolitical situation in the shinobi world has persisted for almost forty years. The Five Great Nations certainly do not want a sudden emergence of a Sixth Great Nation to compete for shinobi world resources with them.
Furthermore, Hanzo, unlike the leaders of the Five Great Nations, did not seek to expand his influence. Senju Hashirama was willing to settle for a small territory and cooperate with the feudal lords, respecting their rights. This led to the formation of the one country, one village system.
This system influenced the decisions of the other four nations when establishing hidden villages, resulting in the feudal lords and village leaders of the Five Great Nations jointly building a system of one country, one village. However, this method actually constrained their resources and rights.
However, Hanzo is different; he is not constrained by the feudal lords. In fact, his reputation within the Land of Rain is even greater than what Senju Hashirama had in the Land of Fire.
Senju Hashirama may have been more powerful, but the Land of Fire is too vast. Even he couldn't single-handedly control the entire Land of Fire, but Hanzo can.
At this moment, Hanzo has not yet established a ninja nation. However, once he annexes another country or multiple countries, for the sake of political unity and centralization, Hanzo is highly likely to establish the first ninja-ruled nation in the shinobi world.
Once such a nation emerges, if the Land of Rain desires military expansion again, the entire nation will follow his will. With just a thought from him, war will erupt.
This situation is too dangerous, especially considering the current trajectory of the Land of Rain's development. If successful, the Land of Fire, particularly those adjacent to several small countries in the north, will be the most threatened.
The other four nations may not want such a scenario to unfold, but they are certainly not as urgent as the Land of Fire.
However, Tatsuma understands the perspectives of both the village and the feudal lords. Yet, as the executor of the mission, he feels incredibly weary. Convincing the Iron Country to send troops, persuading other countries to grant passage...
The only consolation is that he and Minato are not yet qualified to lead the mission. They only need to follow the team, but they will likely still have to follow orders when the time comes.
"Let's go back and change the equipment we're carrying. We need at least two sets of thick clothes. I heard it's very cold over there."
Glancing at the departure time once more, Tatsuma rolled up the scroll and said to Minato. Minato nodded, and the two of them bid farewell to Nawaki and left the training ground.
On the way, Tatsuma teased, "Other people get richer the more tasks they do as ninjas, but for us, we're not getting richer; we're getting poorer. I haven't even bought any thick clothes yet, and I don't even know if they're expensive. Luckily, our rent is waived during wartime, or we'd probably have to borrow money."
Upon hearing this, Minato chuckled and shook his head. Although he knew Tatsuma was joking, he still said, "You can't say that. Being able to learn ninjutsu from Hokage-sama, no matter how many missions we do, it's worth it."
The tasks they performed during wartime were not exchanged for mission rewards but were recorded as military merits. Even though they completed several A-rank support missions over the past three months, the completion of other tasks couldn't be converted into money.
Moreover, even if they wanted to convert the merits into money, they would have to wait until after the war. After all, Sarutobi Hiruzen had made it clear that the village was currently strapped for cash and couldn't afford to pay them.
At this moment, Tatsuma slapped his forehead and said, "Doesn't Third still owe us a Bringer of Darkness Jutsu?!"
Previously, they exchanged their merits for the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu and the Bringer of Darkness Jutsu, and Sarutobi Hiruzen agreed. However, he only managed to teach them the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu for a short while before disappearing.
Since then, Sarutobi Hiruzen had been busy and hadn't had time to assess their progress or teach them the Bringer of Darkness Jutsu.
Tatsuma furrowed his brow and said, "And also, this time when we came back, they didn't even let us report to them. I guess they're afraid we'll come to claim our rewards."
"Don't say that."
Minato was a bit speechless. He knew Tatsuma wasn't being serious, but he still felt a bit uncomfortable with the joke, feeling like it was punching down.
"Anyway, let's go buy clothes. After that, I'll treat you to ice cream."
Tatsuma didn't continue with the teasing. Instead, he headed towards the direction of the commercial street. Minato asked with confusion, "Tatsuma, why have you suddenly been so fond of eating ice cream these days? Doesn't it make your teeth ache? And give you headaches?"
Thinking about how Tatsuma had been dragging him to eat ice cream whenever they had free time these days, Minato felt a phantom headache. It was still early spring, and even in Konoha, it hadn't warmed up yet. Whenever Minato ate ice cream, his teeth would ache and he'd get a headache.
"It's good for your health."
Tatsuma's explanation made Minato roll his eyes. Eating ice cream on such cold days was good for health? What a joke. Tatsuma couldn't possibly believe that eating ice cream was good for health, or maybe he just enjoyed it.
And just a few days ago, his "Stamina" finally reached over ten thousand points.
"Stamina: 4733/10004 [Additional Enhancement (Pending Activation)]
Additional enhancement options:
[Martial Art]: Upon activation, it enhances the effects of Taijutsu, gradually increasing with the progress of this talent. It accelerates the pace of Taijutsu training, strengthens the overall strength of muscles and bones, provides special bonuses to Taijutsu damage and defense, with an extremely low probability of developing Parkinson's syndrome.
[Endless]: Upon activation, it enhances the energy storage capacity of cells, gradually increasing with the progress of this talent. It allows the absorption of energy intake to increase the energy within cells, providing special bonuses to vitality and Chakra, with an extremely low probability of developing diabetes."
To be honest, when Tatsuma saw the side effects, he didn't want to choose either of them. Both effects were great, but people always preferred gains without costs, even though that was almost impossible.
Tatsuma speculated that the first one might be an occupational hazard, and the second... The most direct way to intake energy was through eating. Overeating could indeed lead to the emergence of certain illnesses, but...
"Trashy system, can't even handle the side effects."
That was Tatsuma's thought at the time, but he couldn't really give up the additional enhancement. After all, the effects brought by the additional enhancement were really strong.
After some deep thought, Tatsuma ultimately chose "Endless". After all, "Endless" had a boost to vitality, which was more helpful for survival.
During these days, Tatsuma had been continuously testing the limits of "Endless". He found that overeating regular meals didn't work well for him. Firstly, he couldn't eat that much, and secondly, the energy content of food wasn't particularly high.
So, he experimented with desserts. After testing various options, he settled on ice cream as his source of additional energy. Other desserts often caused throat discomfort and filled his stomach, but ice cream didn't irritate his throat, and he could eat more even after a full meal.
Unconsciously, Tatsuma found that he seemed to have given himself the effects of a legendary immortal body through the system: high health and mana, and even greater strength. This also relieved some of his worries about the side effects.
However, Tatsuma also discovered that the side effects of "Endless" were far more than just the low probability of contracting diabetes; there was another side effect that was quite difficult to talk about.
Several hours later, in the Senju clan territory, Tsunade and the others frowned, and Orochimaru glanced at the clock, saying, "Didn't we ask Kushina to call them over? Why haven't they arrived yet?"
"I don't know. Maybe they're not at the training ground or at home, so she can't find them?"
At that moment, in Tatsuma's house, Kushina was rummaging through Tatsuma's snacks and fruits, saying something about how he was leaving the village soon, and if she didn't eat these now, they would go to waste, claiming Tatsuma's midnight snack as her own.
Meanwhile, Minato stood in front of Tatsuma's bathroom door, holding onto the doorframe, expressing his concern, "Tatsuma, are you feeling better?"
"Mm... Almost there."
A weak but strained voice came from inside the bathroom, and Minato, with his other hand covering his nose and mouth, said, "Didn't I give you a laxative? Did you still not manage to go even after using it?"
".Damn... Bastard, what man gives another man a laxative! I would never use it!!!! Ah~"
Inside the bathroom, Tatsuma leaned against the door with one hand, trembling as he wiped and pulled up his pants. Then he glanced back at the two charcoal rods in the toilet bowl, wondering if they would even work for fertilizing plants.
"Splash~"
"Click~"
"Let's go, but we have to walk slowly. My legs are numb."
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