Naruto: Rise of the Medical Ninja

As Kakashi stood and went with Dosuke. Dosuke flashed an OK gesture toward Minato.

Helping Kakashi move past the shadow of his father's suicide was a goal shared by Minato and Dosuke, agreed upon during their journey.

After all, Kakashi was a classmate to one and a student to the other, and their bond was decent enough.

Though Dosuke knew Kakashi would eventually grasp the true value of comrades through Obito's future sacrifice, for now, he remained an isolated chunin.

At that time, Kakashi would lose two close teammates to learn that lesson. If possible, Dosuke wanted to prevent such a tragedy.

Since Kakashi's father, Sakumo, took his own life after abandoning a mission, Kakashi had prioritized missions above all else.

This led to village rumors painting him as a cold-blooded ninja who would sacrifice teammates without hesitation, making others reluctant to team up with him.

It wasn't until Kakashi's classmates, Obito and Rin, graduated that he had the chance to form a team again.

When the two reached the river, Dosuke leapt onto the water's surface in an instant.

"Kakashi, I'll use Water Release to drive the fish out, and you'll catch them," he said.

"Hmph…" Kakashi, trailing behind, said nothing more, but his tone and expression showed clear disdain.

"Kakashi, you won't fit into the team with that attitude," Dosuke said helplessly, noticing his demeanor.

"Why bother fitting in? My teams have a 100% mission success rate. That's enough," Kakashi replied, crossing his arms and staring at the water.

"Kakashi, you need to understand that mission success isn't everything for a ninja. You…"

"Enough, Dosuke," Kakashi interrupted. "After my father died, you were there when Tsunade-sama visited the Hatake household. Don't you know how he died? Did my father *really* commit suicide?"

"Kakashi…" Dosuke tried to respond.

"Lightning Release: Chidori!" Kakashi's hands crackled with intense lightning as he thrust them into the water.

The electric current surged through the nearby waters, instantly stunning fish that floated to the surface.

Dosuke, standing on the water, was caught in the violent thunderstorm. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, splashing into the river.

Minato, watching from a distance, sighed. The plan to catch fish had clearly failed, and Dosuke's attempt to persuade Kakashi had fallen apart.

Kakashi's issues couldn't be resolved with mere words. Even as his teacher, Minato knew some lessons were better learned from peers.

Glancing at Obito, who chatted with Rin, and Dosuke, now soaked in the river, Minato hoped they could help change Kakashi.

By the riverside, a bonfire flickered. A simple tripod held a small pot of milky white fish soup simmering over the flames.

Dosuke, his hair still damp, sat silently, grilling fish and drying himself by the fire. Using chakra to control Water Release, he had dried his clothes quickly, but his hair remained untouched.

Fuu, sitting nearby, giggled as she poked at Dosuke's hair. "Hahaha, big brother, your hair is so funny!"

Dosuke shot a resentful glare at Kakashi, who stood a short distance away.

"Dinner's ready!" Dosuke called out loudly. He lifted Fuu, who was still playing with his hair, and filled a small bowl of soup for her.

Kakashi's Chidori had electrocuted so many fish that the group couldn't possibly eat them all. Perhaps feeling he had gone too far, Kakashi quietly muttered, "thank you."

"Big brother, this is delicious! I want to drink your fish soup forever!" Fuu exclaimed, sipping the hot soup and shouting with delight.

"Fuu, if you like it, I'll teach you how to make it," Dosuke said with a smile, patting her head.

"Dosuke, your cooking is truly impressive," Minato praised as he ate his grilled fish.

He had heard from Jiraiya about the boy's talent, but seeing it firsthand was remarkable.

Dosuke's chakra control, removing fish bones without affecting the flavor, was no small feat.

Jiraiya sensei's praise hadn't been exaggerated.

Obito and Rin also complimented the meal warmly. Dosuke smiled and glanced at Kakashi, who happened to look back.

After the meal, the group resumed their journey. Along the way, Dosuke immersed himself in studying the sealing technique principles taught by Minato.

Rin walked with Fuu, chatting as they went. Obito stayed close to Rin. Kakashi remained vigilant, scanning their surroundings.

Minato approached Dosuke and pulled a gourd from his ninja tool pouch, handing it to him.

"This belonged to that Taki no Kuni Chunin," Minato said. "According to him, it can temporarily boost chakra by ten or even dozens of times."

"Dosuke, as a medical ninja, preserve your chakra. If a fight breaks out, leave it to me and Kakashi."

Dosuke took the heavy gourd and opened it, taking a sip. Instantly, his chakra refinement speed surged several times over, but within a minute, it stabilized.

He resealed the gourd and said firmly, "The rush of soaring chakra is addictive, it feels like your strength is skyrocketing. But this stuff has side effects."

"Exactly. Be cautious when using it," Minato agreed. "The chakra boost doesn't come from nowhere. The fate of that Taki no Kuni chunin proves this water has serious drawbacks."

"Understood," Dosuke nodded.

Suddenly, Minato raised a hand, signaling an abrupt halt. Dosuke and the others swiftly drew their weapons, scanning their surroundings.

*Boom.*

A purple toad appeared before Minato, a letter in its mouth. It spat the letter at his feet before vanishing in a puff of smoke. Dosuke's heart stirred at the sight of the reverse-summoned toad.

Minato picked up the envelope and opened it, his brow furrowing as he read.

"Stand down and gather around," he called to the group.

The team formed a circle around Minato.

"Jiraiya-sensei sent a message," Minato explained. "Someone's been tracking us. The ones who attacked us before have set an ambush on the road to Takigakure.

Sensei's concerned it'll be difficult to act if we're caught off guard." He unfolded a map and pointed to a location.

"We'll proceed as planned along the mapped route. Kakashi, Dosuke, Rin, Obito, and Fuu, you'll follow this river and enter Takigakure from the rear. Your priority is to get Fuu back to Takigakure as quickly as possible," Minato said gravely.