Early the next morning, just as Jin and the other two were preparing to depart, many people came to see them off.
For example, Shinku's wife, holding their infant daughter, Yuhi Kurenai, in her arms.
Kushina and Konan, who brought boxed lunches for Jin and Minato.
But the majority were from the Uchiha Clan.
It couldn't be helped.
The main reason was that Jin, who had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, was now the Uchiha Clan's prized possession.
Many believed he would become the first Uchiha to become Hokage since the village's founding.
"Jin, be careful out there!"
"If you encounter an enemy you can't handle, run!"
"I believe you'll achieve great merits! By the way, here's a photo of my daughter. Consider it..."
Surrounded by clansmen layer upon layer, Jin's face was covered in black lines.
'Damn it, I have zero interest in the Hokage's position, okay?'
'Rather than becoming 'the man who becomes the Hokage', I'd rather become 'the man who slept with the Hokage'.'
...
Originally, the Second Great Ninja War was initiated by Hanzo.
As a small country wedged between three larger nations, Hanzo felt he had to find a way to strengthen the Land of Rain's power, hence starting the war.
With Hanzo dead, the Land of Rain naturally stopped fighting.
But even so, the war didn't simply end.
Because the Land of Wind's Sunagakure shared the same idea as Hanzo.
Located in the desert, where most crops couldn't grow and relying entirely on imports, the Land of Wind had long coveted the fertile lands of the Land of Fire.
One should never underestimate the Land of Wind during this period.
Although by Naruto's era, they had fallen to last place among the Five Great Ninja Villages, currently, Sunagakure was at its peak strength.
The Second Kazekage, Shamon, was still in his prime. The lead puppet master, Chiyo, was also troublesome.
Furthermore, there was the future Third Kazekage, who had invented the Iron Sand technique and was already slated to be the next Kazekage.
And while not able to perfectly control Shukaku, the One-Tail's Jinchuriki, Bunpuku, could still utilize a portion of the Tailed Beast's power.
That made a total of four Kage-level figures!
With such assets, Sunagakure was fully qualified to challenge Konoha!
…
On the way to the front lines, Shinku explained the battlefield situation to Jin and Minato.
Minato listened with rapt attention, afraid of missing a single detail.
Jin, however, asked out of the blue, "Can you assign me to Tsunade-nee's team?"
Shinku: "..."
'I feel like giving you both a piece of my mind!'
…
After four days and three nights, the three successfully arrived at the Konoha's camp located on the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind.
"Long time no see, Sakumo!" Shinku reached out and gave his old friend, Hatake Sakumo, the frontline commander, a hearty slap on the shoulder.
Sakumo smiled and nodded, his gaze sweeping over Minato. He praised, "To be sent to the battlefield at such a young age on the Hokage's orders... a promising future!"
"Y-You flatter me, White Fang-sama!" Minato replied nervously.
Hatake Sakumo, the [Konoha's White Fang], who had reached the peak of Kage-level without a Kekkei Genkai, coming from a civilian background, was his idol.
"Eh? Where's the other one?" Sakumo looked around but didn't see the other figure he was interested in… the genius who had awakened the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan before turning ten.
Shinku's mouth twitched violently as he pointed diagonally across.
Sakumo followed his friend's finger.
"Tsunade-nee, did you miss me? Your shoulders seem a bit stiff. Here, let me massage them~"
"Heh~ You've got some nerve, kid. Still thinking about taking mistresses, huh?" Tsunade's smile didn't reach her eyes as she reached out to grab Jin by the neck, "Give me back the pendant!"
"What's given away can't be taken back!" Jin dodged while wearing a mischievous grin, "By the way, did Grandma Mito tell you? Are you willing to marry me?"
"Like hell! Who wants to marry you?!" Though Tsunade's tone was full of disdain, a faint blush flashed across her fair face.
Watching this in the chat group, Tobirama's blood pressure involuntarily rose again.
Hashirama, however, found it quite amusing, occasionally unable to resist a gleeful smile. He was basically shipping them live.
After silently observing this scene for a long time, Sakumo finally managed a comment, "That kid... certainly has personality."
"You'll soon find out just how troublesome he is," Shinku said, massaging his forehead in headache.
…
Half an hour later, in the main tent.
Sakumo, the frontline commander, stood before a map and addressed everyone, "Let me brief you on the current situation. First, we need to pay attention to the Sunagakure's assault force led by Shukaku's Jinchuriki, Bunpuku..."
Just as Sakumo was explaining the battlefield situation, Jiraiya sidled up to Jin and said with a suggestive look, "Kid, you've got a love rival, you know? Better be careful, or you might find yourself being cuckolded sooner or later."
After Tsunade gave the pendant to Jin, Jiraiya knew in his heart that he probably had no chance left.
But that didn't stop him from occasionally trying to mess with Jin's head.
Jin followed Jiraiya's gaze and saw a young man with waist-length white hair and somewhat pretty-boy features.
'Kato Taka…? Oh no, Kato Dan!' (T/N: For those who want to know who Kato Taka is, you can just google his name.)