Naruto: Flash Reborn — Minato’s Second Life

When Moto Kouda saw that Mikoto was the one asking the question, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes before he calmly responded:

"Ten days."

Hearing this, Mikoto simply nodded, unaffected by the astonished looks from those around her.

To her, a school break didn't mean relaxation—it marked the start of even tougher training. Previously, she had approached such training with neither dislike nor anticipation.

However, after the Chakra Aptitude Test, she now longed for this training more than ever. While spending time with Kushina and Mikoto at the Ninja Academy had been pleasant, in her current pursuit of growth, staying there any longer would only hold her back.

No one else was celebrating this unexpected ten-day break with joy either; everyone had rather somber expressions.

Only Minato furrowed his brows slightly in thought. Ten days—if everything went smoothly, the mission involving the Land of Hot Springs should wrap up sometime around then.

Though there was no concrete intelligence, Tachiyama Shinsaburo must already know that as a Konoha traitor, the village wouldn't let him go easily. Therefore, even with Cloud Ninja protection, he probably wouldn't dare to linger near the border of the Land of Fire for long.

Having worked in intelligence within Konoha previously, he likely wasn't naïve enough to think Konoha hadn't noticed his movements at all.

Yet what could be so important—something worth taking such a huge risk, braving solitude among the Cloud Ninja, and returning dangerously close to the Fire Country border to retrieve it?

Could it be crucial documents or artifacts related to the Land of Fire or Konoha?

Regardless, Minato would show no mercy toward such a despicable traitor who had harmed his own comrades. But even now, he still wasn't able to best Tachiyama Shinsaburo.

After all, he was also a Tokubetsu Jonin—an elite ninja whose abilities, while slightly inferior to standard Jonin, shouldn't be underestimated.

Even Minato couldn't understand why the Third had assigned both him and Yan Uchiha to this mission in the first place.

Was this also part of the test?

"Looks like all of you have found your own resolve. Good, I look forward to seeing brand new versions of yourselves in ten days," said Moto Kouda. He said nothing more, gave a light laugh, and left the classroom directly.

The students gradually dispersed, but Minato, Kushina, and Mikoto remained seated.

"Well then, we should get going too," Minato gently smiled as he walked to their seats after a brief silence.

Mikoto nodded, gathered her things, tucked them into the desk drawer, and stood up. Kushina seemed somewhat reluctant, but stood up all the same.

The three walked out of the classroom one after another. The corridor was wide enough for three or four people walking abreast, so when the trio walked side by side, it became slightly cramped.

Minato walked ahead while Kushina and Mikoto followed closely behind, side by side.

This was the first time Kushina had truly looked at Minato from behind, sensing an indescribable emotion stirring within her heart.

The path wasn't long, and soon the three of them arrived at the entrance to the Ninja Academy. Due to the sudden, unannounced holiday, there were barely any people at the gate. Yet the woman who always came to pick up Kushina was already waiting there as if she had known all along.

Minato noticed that although the Anbu who usually followed Kushina closely hadn't disappeared entirely, their numbers seemed noticeably reduced.

They stopped at the gate. Kushina lowered her head, seemingly reluctant to step forward. Minato stood beside her, feeling a tangle of emotions without knowing what to say.

"Then, see you in ten days," Mikoto said, noticing the atmosphere, waved goodbye and left first.

...

The two stood silently at the now empty entrance, unsure how to start a conversation. The woman who had come to pick up Kushina remained at a distance, not approaching.

"The ten-day break... What are you going to do?" Kushina finally broke the silence, smiling lightly as she asked.

Upon hearing this, Minato's sapphire eyes flickered slightly. He didn't want to lie to Kushina—but even less did he want to make her worry. Not to mention, the mission to the Land of Hot Springs was classified. This time, he might face real ninja in life-or-death battles, nothing like those earlier sparring matches where they merely tapped each other.

"Of course I need to train," he said, instinctively scratching his head while glancing nervously at Kushina. "Last time, I nearly got cornered by Yan. I can't let him catch up easily."

Though he often stayed calm in most situations, standing before Kushina made it impossible for him to keep his composure.

"I see," Kushina replied, seeming not to have noticed Minato's expression just now. Her eyes momentarily lost focus before sharpening on him again. "You didn't ask me what I'm doing during these ten days?"

Minato stiffened slightly. In truth, anything about Kushina was classified information, and he currently had no authority to know. So he'd never intended to ask. But when Kushina came right out and asked, he felt a bit flustered.

There were things Kushina herself didn't know, so subtle disappointment began to show in her expression.

At that moment, for once, Minato clearly sensed her feelings—the sadness in Kushina.

Then he smiled gently at her. "I may not ask what you're doing, but at least I know you're in Konoha. As long as you're safe and happy, that's enough for me."

Today, Minato didn't see the usual sorrow in Kushina's eyes. Although he didn't know the details, just that alone brought him relief and joy.

Kushina looked slightly stunned, then made a very boyish face, grinning broadly. "Yeah, I haven't given up on my dream yet. Be careful—you might get overtaken by me!"

There was something odd in the way she said it. Minato chuckled, remembering clearly the first day of school when they both declared their dreams to each other.

Hokage (Village Leader).

"Don't worry—I'll become the Hokage, the leader of Konoha, and protect everyone here, including you!" Minato laughed out loud.

"You becoming Hokage? Or me? Who protects whom is still uncertain."

Kushina pouted slightly, then blushed lightly as she dashed toward the woman waiting for her, waving goodbye to Minato along the way.

He stood there, watching Kushina's smiling face, and slowly, his tangled emotions began to settle.

The mission in the Land of Hot Springs was full of danger, but what he carried on his shoulders was no longer just himself.

He couldn't afford to fail — he had to come back alive. After all, he still had to become Hokage and keep his promise!

...

Meanwhile, Mikoto was hurrying back to her clan's compound. It was still early — she had plenty of time left for training.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a masked ninja appeared abruptly in front of her, and Mikoto instantly came to a stop.

Anbu.

The Anbu member looked at Mikoto and spoke:

"You're Mikoto Uchiha, right? Come with me. The Hokage needs to see you."

...

...

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