Unlike Konoha, which had the guidance of Tsunade-hime, the other villages' medical ninjutsu was… abysmal. Konoha had already established a fully developed system for training medical shinobi, but in the other villages, medical-nin were still in a state of unchecked, haphazard growth.
It wasn't that the other Kage didn't value the cultivation of medical shinobi—
but without a pioneering leader like Tsunade-hime, the orders of a Kage alone couldn't make up for the glaring gaps in technical foundation.
Therefore, outside of Konoha, any medical-nin who managed to rise above the rest were all undisputed geniuses—true prodigies whose natural talent had to be matched with tireless diligence. Koeda Seinosuke was one such figure. Ranked among the top medical shinobi of Iwagakure, his talent was unquestionable, and his relentless effort put many others to shame.
Others studied summoning techniques to strengthen their combat power and diversify their arsenal.
But Seinosuke… practiced summoning to contract lab mice.
And the purpose of these mice? Within the shinobi world, they were the most widely used, most indispensable experimental animals. Seinosuke's reason for contracting them was simple—practice.
After all, one couldn't conveniently carry lab mice around during missions. And missions weren't nonstop fighting—if there were no injured to tend, a medical-nin could easily find himself idle. So, to avoid wasting time, Seinosuke would always buy a litter of mice before a mission and contract them through summoning.
This way, whenever he had a spare moment, he could summon a mouse and continue honing his medical ninjutsu.
This time, heading for the Land of Grass frontlines, Seinosuke—as usual—had purchased and raised a litter of mice at home.
"What, you planning to practice with lab mice too?"
Seinosuke eyed Kyoichi curiously as the latter approached.
"Practice what? Earth Release with mice?" Kyoichi chuckled, shaking his head. "No, I'm planning to use your mice… to carry something."
"Carry… something?"
Seinosuke's eyes widened. Mice were so tiny—what could they possibly carry?
"Kunai?"
It was Dazen whose sharp mind first grasped Kyoichi's intent.
"Kunai… you mean those strange-looking ones the Yellow Flash uses? Now that's clever!" Seinosuke suddenly understood, clapping his hands in admiration. With such a method, if they sent one of the Yellow Flash's special kunai back to Iwagakure, they themselves could instantly return to the village.
By the same token, their clansmen back home could be instantly summoned here.
It had to be said—what at first sounded like one of Kyoichi's fanciful ideas… had actually been put into action, and unbelievably, it worked. Truly astonishing.
"No need to go that far."
Kyoichi shook his head. "Kunai would be far too heavy for a mouse. All it needs to carry back is a Flying Thunder God formula seal… and then, the gates of Iwagakure will be completely open to you, Minato-senpai."
As he spoke, his eyes shifted toward the blond shinobi standing beside Seinosuke.
"…If possible, I'd still prefer to visit Iwagakure through formal channels."
Hearing Kyoichi's words, Minato showed no excitement at all—only helplessness.
"Then, Minato-senpai, shall we go to the Iwa border office and submit an entry application?"
Kyoichi teased with a smile.
By now, it was certain Minato truly intended to uphold his bargain with Kyoichi. In return, Kyoichi unhesitatingly entrusted Nohara Rin to Koeda Mai and Koeda Aki—two young girls barely into their teens—so that he could free his own hands to accompany Minato to Iwagakure.
According to the plan, someone had to go with Minato to rally the clan within Iwagakure. And as the initiator of this scheme, Kyoichi naturally would not push this perilous responsibility onto another clansman.
"If you're willing, I don't mind."
Minato answered Kyoichi's jest with calm composure.
"…Minato-senpai, are you certain a Flying Thunder God seal can even stick on a lab mouse?"
Kyoichi shifted the subject abruptly.
Minato only smiled, not pressing the advantage, and replied: "Anytime."
"Then let's get started."
Kyoichi wasted no time, glancing at Seinosuke.
"You really don't waste a second, do you?" Seinosuke muttered, shaking his head. Then, biting his thumb, he formed hand seals and performed a summoning. With a puff of smoke, a lively little white mouse—about twelve centimeters long—appeared.
"Minato-senpai, what do you think?"
"…It'll do."
Kneeling, Minato reached out and gently stroked the mouse's back. When he withdrew his hand, a jet-black formula seal was etched into its fur.
"You can release the summoning now."
Minato rose to his feet.
Seinosuke glanced at the silent Dazen and Kyoichi, then dispelled the jutsu, sending the marked mouse back to his home in Iwagakure.
"Minato-senpai… will it work?"
Kyoichi narrowed his eyes, watching him intently.
Dazen, Seinosuke, and Yūsuke all held their breath, waiting for the Yellow Flash's reply.
"The distance is considerable… but not an issue." Minato nodded, affirming Kyoichi's gamble. Then he added, "Give me some time. The workload ahead is… significant."
"We can afford to wait."
Kyoichi glanced around.
Elsewhere, the clan head was addressing the handful of surviving lower- and mid-ranked shinobi, informing them of the decision to abandon Iwagakure and migrate as a clan. Predictably, the thunderbolt of such news sparked disorder.
But with only eight such shinobi left, they could hardly stir up much resistance.
Besides, Iwagakure's so-called "Will of Stone" lacked the deep, almost fanatical sway of Konoha's "Will of Fire." No zealots rose up to sacrifice kin for village loyalty. Under Dazen's stern words, the eight quietly accepted the fate of betraying Iwagakure.
In truth, this was the story of most lives in the shinobi world—few ever lived entirely by their own will. Too many ties bound them down, leaving them to drift along with the current, uncertain whether the future awaiting them was a blessing… or a curse.
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