Naruto: Starting as the Third Hokage with Tears in His Eyes

Chapter 450 Cleaning Up the Battlefield

Cleaning up the battlefield is an essential, yet most unpleasant, part of a ninja mission.

The air was filled with the earthy smell of rain-washed soil and a faint, lingering stench of blood.

Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan had returned from the northern encirclement and reunited with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

"Captain Minato, eliminate all seven Iwa ninja on the north side."

Yahiko's voice was as loud as ever, with a hint of excitement at wanting to prove himself.

"The three on the south side are also taken care of." Nara Shikaku yawned, looking like he could lie down and fall asleep at any moment.

Choza Akimichi patted his stomach and asked with concern, "Is everyone alright? Captain Minato, when are we going back for dinner? I feel like my chakra is almost depleted."

"They must be starving."

Yamanaka Inoichi complained from the side, which earned him a disgruntled glare from Choza.

Minato Namikaze smiled and nodded, casting his gaze into the distance.

"Let's begin. Follow the procedures in the manual: seal the enemy's bodies, retrieve all ninja tools, and leave no trace that can be tracked." His instructions were clear and steady, quickly calming the young ninjas who had just experienced a fierce battle.

No one spoke anymore.

Only the faint sound of the scroll unfurling and the faint hum of chakra flowing as the sealing formula lit up remained at the scene.

Obito was the most silent of them all.

He stopped shouting about protecting his comrades and stopped complaining about the tediousness of the mission. He simply took the sealing scroll and dealt with the already cold corpses of the Iwa ninja one by one.

His movements were clumsy, far less precise and efficient than Kakashi's. He even nearly slipped while dealing with a corpse stuck in a crevice in the rocks.

Kakashi walked over, said nothing, drew his short sword, and with a flash of light, precisely cut the vines that were trapping the corpse.

"Clumsy."

Kakashi's voice was so flat that it revealed no emotion.

Obito raised his head, his dark eyes behind his goggles glancing at Kakashi. His lips moved, but he didn't immediately retort as he usually did.

"Oh"

He just mumbled something and then continued with his work.

The unusual silence left Kakashi speechless, unable to utter a string of witty remarks. He looked at Obito's somewhat forlorn figure and felt a little uncomfortable.

Shouldn't this guy be yelling, "What do you know, you masked weirdo?"

On the other side, Nagato and Yahiko were also cooperating.

Yahiko was in charge of gathering the corpses together, while Nagato stood quietly to the side, his hands forming hand seals. Each sealing technique was executed with perfect timing, precise and steady. His red hair, under the gloomy sky, resembled an inextinguishable flame.

Konan was meticulously cleaning every inch of the battlefield with her scraps of paper, collecting scattered kunai, shuriken, and even severed fuses of explosive tags. Her movements were gentle and delicate, as if she were creating a quiet work of art.

An hour later, the forest, which had just witnessed a life-or-death struggle, showed almost no signs of battle, except for the upturned soil and broken trees.

"Count complete, no casualties reported."

A Konoha ninja sent a message from afar.

"Haiyi," Shuimen ordered.

Yamanaka Inoichi closed his eyes, and his immense perception spread out from him, confirming that there were no spying eyes within several kilometers around him.

"Safety."

"Okay, let's return to camp."

……

The atmosphere on the way back to camp was much more relaxed than on the way there.

The rain has completely stopped, the dark clouds have dispersed, revealing a corner of the washed sky.

"Gurgle—"

An untimely voice rang out in the quiet line.

All eyes were drawn to the most voluptuous figure in the center of the group.

Choza Akimichi scratched his head sheepishly, the spiral mark on his cheek seeming to turn even redder.

"Sorry, sorry, my stomach is protesting on my behalf."

"Hahaha!"

A burst of good-natured laughter broke the silence.

"Choza, your stomach is even more sensitive than a sensory ninja!" Yahiko laughed and patted Choza on the shoulder.

"Of course!"

Dingza immediately puffed out his chest and said proudly, "My stomach can tell the origin and year of all the barbecue within a ten-mile radius! I bet there's some Konoha No. 1 pork from Lord Sakumo's farm in the camp tonight! I can smell the aroma of that fat even from this far away!"

"What a nuisance, it's just ordinary military canned food."

Nara Shikaku lazily retorted, "Don't have too high expectations, or you'll be more disappointed."

"Shikaku, what do you know?!"

Dingza immediately became excited, "Food is the ultimate solace for a ninja's weary soul! It's the most sacred ritual after a battle! You, who sees everything as troublesome, can't possibly understand the emotion of grilled meat bursting on your tongue!"

"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right."

Shikaku waved his hand dismissively and closed his eyes, as if saying even one more word would drain his precious energy.

Their conversation enlivened the atmosphere of the entire team.

Obito seemed to have shaken off his gloomy mood as well. He leaned close to Rin and whispered, "Rin, I... I think I did a really bad job just now?"

Rin turned her head and smiled gently: "No, Obito is very brave, he's always at the forefront."

"But... I was still easily defeated. If it weren't for my teacher and Kakashi..." Obito's voice trailed off again.

"Fool."

A sudden voice came from the side.

Kakashi appeared beside them at some point, his hands in his pockets, looking down at Obito with a condescending air.

"Realizing your own weaknesses is better than blind confidence. At least your brain isn't completely broken."

"You bastard!"

Obito instantly flared up, "Who are you calling a lunatic?!"

"Oh? It's still better than some loser who can't even see the enemy's movements and gets punched away, right?"

"What did you say?!"

"Alright, alright, you two, stop arguing."

Lin helplessly stepped between the two, giving each of them a light tap on the head. "You just finished fighting, can't you behave yourselves a little?"

Obito and Kakashi both snorted and turned their heads away.

But for some reason, seeing Obito regain his energetic self, Rin and Kakashi both secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It's still this loud and boisterous Uchiha that I'm more used to.

Minato Namikaze, walking at the front, listened to the students bickering behind him, his azure eyes filled with laughter.

Growth is always achieved through repeated collisions and adjustments.

Pain, resentment, shame—these are all nourishment. The most important thing is to transform these emotions into the strength to rise again.

He believed in his students.