The three months since their arrival on the frontlines had flown by.
While no large-scale battles had erupted during this time, minor skirmishes and infiltration missions never ceased.
For the average shinobi, it was an exhausting and relentless grind.
But for the members of Team Five, it was a golden period of rapid growth.
Behind the main camp, in a clearing turned into a training ground—
"Sealing Technique: Modified Five Elements Seal!"
With a sharp cry, chakra of five different natures flared on Nishikawa Tetsu's fingertips as he slammed his hand onto a wooden training post.
Hummmm—
Intricate black script instantly crawled across the wood, and the simulated chakra system flowing inside was forcefully halted.
"Hah..."
Tetsu wiped the sweat from his forehead, evaluating the results.
"Seal strength improved by 15%. Seal time compressed to 1.2 seconds. Still not instant like the Uzumaki Clan's standard, but good enough to disrupt enemy chakra flow in actual combat."
In these three months, Tetsu hadn't just spent his time tinkering with bottles and scrolls.
After realizing his chakra reserves couldn't be improved quickly, he had decisively requested to study fūinjutsu under Jiraiya.
Sealing techniques—using minimal effort to overcome stronger foes—were a perfect fit for a shinobi like him.
Though Jiraiya seemed brash, he held nothing back in his teachings, even passing on some foundational Uzumaki sealing theories.
The original Five Elements Seal was an A-rank jutsu. For someone with Tetsu's chakra limits, it was far too demanding. So he had modified it—reduced its power, but made it usable.
Now, Tetsu was even experimenting with etching seals into Explosive Tags and kunai, creating what Uchiha Fugaku called, "weird and dirty trick weapons."
"Tetsu! Incoming!"
A flash of gold streaked through the trees.
Namikaze Minato shot forward, moving so fast he was nearly a blur. His kunai shot toward Tetsu's back like a thunderbolt.
"Been waiting for you."
Tetsu didn't even glance back. His left hand flicked a specially marked kunai over his shoulder. It exploded midair into a chakra net.
"Too slow!"
Minato twisted in midair, pushing off a falling leaf to maneuver around the trap, reappearing at Tetsu's flank.
In his palm, a faintly glowing sphere of violently spiraling chakra formed.
Still unstable, barely the size of a ping pong ball, yet it screeched through the air with terrifying force.
"A Rasengan... still in phase one?"
Tetsu's eyes narrowed. He didn't try to block, instead triggering a chakra-sealed Explosive Tag under his foot to rocket himself back several meters, narrowly avoiding the attack.
BOOM!
Minato's palm slammed into the ground, shredding the soil and leaving a half-meter crater.
"Still not there..."
Minato scratched his head in frustration. "Keeping it spinning and compressed at the same time is brutal. I lose focus for a second and the chakra collapses. Still a long way from usable in battle."
"Three months to reach this point is already monstrous," Tetsu replied, inspecting the hole. "At least you've nailed the chaotic rotation. And that midair pivot? Your neural reaction time improved again, didn't it?"
"Heh, of course!" Minato beamed with his usual sunshine smile.
As the two compared notes, Uchiha Fugaku stepped out from the woods.
Compared to three months ago, Fugaku's entire presence had transformed.
Once a blade drawn and dangerous, now he was like a sword sheathed in calm—a quiet storm of killing intent.
Team Five had completed over a dozen missions together.
Reconnaissance, counter-infiltration, even supporting the main force in flank assaults.
Every brush with death had forged their teamwork deeper.
Fugaku was no longer just a commanding elite; he'd learned to cloak Minato's strikes with Genjutsu, to herd enemies into Tetsu's traps with precise Fire Release.
After all, he often had to cover the two Genin—well, now Chūnin.
There was no exam during war. Their performance alone had earned their promotion.
"Take a break."
Fugaku tossed over two canteens and settled onto a large rock, staring at the gray sky.
"Something wrong, senpai?"
Tetsu accepted the canteen, sharp as ever. "Did that letter from the clan have more bad news?"
Fugaku was silent for a moment before replying.
"The elders are displeased with how I'm performing on the front."
"Displeased?" Minato blinked. "But we've done great. Even Lord Jiraiya praised us."
"Which is exactly why they're angry."
Fugaku let out a dry laugh, eyes narrowing with bitterness. "To them, the Uchiha are too noble to be someone else's sword. Especially not a sword following the Hokage's faction."
He turned, looking at them both, voice tired but honest.
"They think I'm flattering the Hokage. That I'm betraying the Uchiha's pride. Some have even proposed I be recalled to the Police Force."
Minato frowned. This was a world he didn't understand.
"But… how can you protect the village if you don't fight? Aren't we all part of Konoha?"
"To some," Tetsu said flatly, "the clan's interests come before the village."
He knew all too well the root of the Uchiha's future tragedy—their desire to belong, tangled with the inability to let go of pride, and the suffocating isolation imposed by Konoha's leadership.
"Fugaku-senpai."
Tetsu stepped beside him, locking eyes.
"Prejudice is like a mountain. You can't move it by explaining or compromising."
"Then how?"
"With strength. And undeniable results."
Tetsu pointed toward the heart of camp.
"When your name echoes across the shinobi world—when the frontlines can't function without you—those elders' complaints become jokes. At that point, it won't be you needing the Uchiha… it'll be the Uchiha needing you."
"And," he added with a grin, patting Minato's shoulder, "you've got us."
Fugaku stared at the two beside him.
A civilian and an orphan.
They had no clan backing, yet fought harder and shone brighter than most noble heirs.
Compared to that, fussing over the elders' nonsense really did seem petty.
A faint smile tugged at his lips as he stood, brushing the fatigue from his eyes.
From his vest, he drew out a fresh mission scroll. His expression hardened again.
"A new assignment from Lord Jiraiya. A-rank mission. Possibly higher once we confirm the details."