After the mission details were discussed, there was nothing else to talk about. Everyone chatted about daily life and then went home to prepare for their departure to the Land of Whirlpools tomorrow.
After seeing them all off, Torifu went to the streets to prepare the things he would need on the way, primarily food and water. After all, they didn't know what might happen on the way, so it was better to be over-prepared. Luckily, Torifu's dimensional ring was huge and could easily hold everything.
After buying what he needed, he returned home. Speaking of which, the dimensional ring was the only mysterious reward he had ever gotten from a mission. The probability was just ridiculously low. He hadn't gotten a second one in all these years. He had hoped to get another one for Naori, but it seemed he was just wishful thinking.
When he got home, Amado was in the gazebo drinking tea. It was rare to see him out in the morning. Torifu walked over and sat down.
"How are things? What's the progress?"
Amado took a sip of tea. "It's going well, but I still need to work on the chip and also on the screen's power supply."
Torifu nodded. "I don't know much about that stuff. But I trust you completely."
"Minato told me you're going on a mission?"
Torifu smiled. "Yes, it's been a while since I've been on one. It's a good chance to stretch my legs."
Hearing Torifu's official response, Amado didn't buy it for a second. "Don't kid me. You could stay in the village for the rest of your life and be perfectly content."
"I bet Tobirama-sama asked you to, right?"
Torifu shrugged helplessly. "You know me too well. If I had a choice, I really wouldn't want to go."
"How long will you be gone? Will you miss the inauguration?"
Torifu took a piece of beef jerky from his ring and put it in his mouth. "That would be perfect, since I don't want to be Hokage anyway. But Tobirama-sama will definitely wait for me to come back before he retires, so don't worry about it."
Amado wasn't surprised that Torifu was going to become Hokage. In his eyes, it wouldn't be a big deal even if Torifu unified the entire shinobi world.
"Why don't you just send out a clone, or use your abilities to create a smart puppet to do the work for you?"
Torifu snapped his fingers. "You really are my brother. We think alike!"
Amado gave an awkward smile. He just knew that Torifu loved to slack off, and he probably wouldn't work hard even if he became Hokage. For the future of the village, he had to try and give him some ideas.
"Alright then, little brother. I'll toast you with this tea. I hope you come back soon to become the Third Hokage."
Torifu bit the piece of beef jerky in his mouth and clinked the remaining piece with Amado's teacup. Even though they weren't related by blood, they trusted each other completely.
"I'm leaving the house to you. Take good care of Minato."
"Don't worry. Minato is my little brother. You don't have to tell me that."
Unexpectedly, Amado was getting along exceptionally well with Minato. But it made sense. Amado had a very friendly personality and could chat with anyone.
After the brothers finished talking, Amado also finished his tea. After saying their goodbyes, Amado returned to his lab in the backyard. Torifu went back to his room to lie down.
The next morning, Torifu woke up early. After quickly getting ready, he put on a robe for formal occasions. Since he was going to meet with the princes of the Land of Whirlpools, it was better to look a little more formal. This would avoid a lot of unnecessary suspicion and trouble.
Even though shinobi were supposed to wear shinobi uniforms when on missions, it was because the tight-fitting clothes reduced the burden on the shinobi during combat. It also made their movements faster and more convenient. Furthermore, the dark green shinobi uniforms could help them blend in with the surrounding forests of the Hidden Leaf. Each shinobi village's uniforms were designed according to the characteristics of the local terrain.
But with Torifu's current strength, he didn't need to consider those things. He could do whatever he wanted. If he needed to be stealthy, he could just use a high-level Chakra Suppression Jutsu. It would ensure that even a Jōnin wouldn't be able to find him.
After getting everything ready, Torifu headed to the Hidden Leaf Village gate to meet up with his teammates. As soon as he left his house, he saw Minato standing in front of his door.
"Nii-san, are you leaving now?"
Torifu smiled. "Yes. I'll try to come back quickly."
Minato then handed Torifu a small box. "Nii-san, I made these soldier pills yesterday with my teacher. She said shinobi need them for missions."
Hearing Minato say this, Torifu was touched. He reached out and took the small box. He stroked Minato's head. "Thank you so much, Minato. You've helped me a lot. I was so busy yesterday that I forgot to buy soldier pills. It's a good thing you're here."
Minato was very happy to hear this and smiled slightly. "I'm glad I could help. Have a safe journey, Nii-san."
Torifu nodded. He put the soldier pills in his sleeve and transformed into three cloud cranes, flying away. Minato waved at Torifu in the sky. After Torifu's figure completely disappeared from sight, the smile on Minato's face slowly faded and was replaced by a look of loneliness. He sat on the steps in front of Torifu's door and mumbled softly, "Nii-san, please come back soon..."
Torifu was fast and arrived at the gate in no time, but he found that no one else was there yet. Was he too early? He took the small box Minato had given him from his sleeve. He opened the lid, and three shiny black soldier pills lay quietly inside. He picked one out and put it in his mouth.
...It still didn't taste very good. More than ten years had passed, and he had heard that the flavor of soldier pills had changed, but Torifu had never tried them again. It had been more than a decade since he had last eaten a soldier pill. Even though he still didn't like the taste, it was a sincere gesture from Minato, so he decided to eat it all. How could he have the heart to ruin a small child's sincere gesture?
Soon after, his teammates started to arrive, and they saw Torifu at the gate, eating a soldier pill with gusto. They all felt like they were still dreaming. Naori was also very confused. "Torifu, you hate soldier pills the most, don't you? What's going on today?"
When she said this, Torifu took out a soldier pill and gave it to Naori. "Minato made it. It's pretty good. Try it."
Naori, half-believing, took a bite and found that it was no different from before. It was just as bad.
"Give me one! I want to try it too!" Hiruzen said as he walked over.
Torifu closed the lid and put the box back in his ring. "My disciple made it. If you want one, have your son make some for you!"
"Hmph! You're so stingy with one soldier pill! When I get back, I'll teach my son how to make soldier pills! I'll make you so jealous!"