Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Nawaki's Ambitious Dreams

Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Nawaki's Ambitious Dreams  "Is there something behind this?" Minato instinctively reached out to pull it back, but Takuya shouted, "Stop!" Unfortunately, it was too late-Minato had already lifted the white cloth. Upon seeing what lay behind it, Minato shuddered, dropping the cloth as if he'd been shocked. He turned back to the medical ninja who had tricked them with an exasperated look. "Hahaha..." The medical ninja laughed heartily. "It's been a while since I've come across such amusing kids like you. Just messing with you a bit. But since you're here to help, you'll need to get used to all of this. By the way, who brought you here?" "Tsunade," Takuya replied, feeling somewhat irritated. "Oh, Tsunade, huh?" The medical ninja continued to treat the patient's wounds, applying a layer of ointment to the poor man's body. The patient would undoubtedly be left with pockmarked skin, resembling a honeycomb once he was fully healed. It was then that the medical ninja suddenly paused, his hands frozen in place as he processed the name. He looked up in surprise. "Who?" "Tsunade," Takuya repeated, shrugging as if it was no big deal. "Did Tsunade-sama bring you here?" The medical ninja asked again, wanting to be sure. "Yes, Senpai. We came to the camp with Tsunade-sama," Minato replied politely. "Hahaha, that's great!" After standing there stunned for a few seconds, the medical ninja suddenly jumped up like an excited child, nearly hitting the tent's roof. "This is fantastic!" Has this guy lost his mind? Minato instinctively moved closer to Takuya, whispering, "What's wrong with this senpai?" "How would I know?" Takuya shot him a look. We both came here together-how am I supposed to know why he's acting like this? Takuya guessed that the medical ninja was so happy because Tsunade was back and the medical unit's backbone had returned. But was it really necessary to get this excited? Tsunade had only been gone for about ten days. Even before, Tsunade rarely stayed in camp. Most of the time, she was on the battlefield with Orochimaru and Jiraiya, fighting the enemy. She only came back to help make antidotes or treat severely injured shinobi. After laughing for a while, the medical ninja realized he had lost his composure. He coughed awkwardly, trying to cover up his excitement. With a somewhat unnatural expression, he asked, "So, did Tsunade-sama ask you to do anything specific, or are you just here to help out in the medical unit?" Takuya and Minato exchanged glances. Minato gave his trademark sunny smile and scratched his head. "Senpai, Tsunade-sama asked us to find Nawaki-senpai-Tsunade-sama's younger brother." "Nawaki? Are you sure?" The medical ninja's previously awkward expression turned strange upon hearing this. Something's off! Takuya could sense that something was wrong. They might be walking into a trap. "Senpai, is there an issue with finding Nawaki?" Even Minato was starting to feel uneasy. "No, no," the medical ninja quickly shook his head and helpfully pointed outside the tent to where Nawaki was working. "You'll find him there. But be warned, the work might be tough. Good luck, you two. Hard work is better than losing your life on the battlefield." It helped that Nawaki's grandfather was Hashirama. If anyone else had such lofty ambitions, they'd be laughed at. At the very least, Minato was too shy to go around saying he wanted to be Hokage, to bring peace to the ninja world, and end all wars. Minato had stopped openly talking about his dreams, all thanks to Takuya. Since they were kids, whenever Minato talked about his ideals and aspirations, Takuya would just laugh at him. Over time, Minato started keeping these thoughts to himself. He realized that constantly talking about dreams and ideals felt kind of embarrassing. Your ambition is really grand, Takuya thought. It might not come true in this lifetime. "By the way, you still haven't told us what kind of work we'll be doing," Takuya said. "Work?" Nawaki paused, and the confidence on his face faded. "Uh... It's hard to explain. You'll see tonight. For now, let's just rest. Our work starts in the evening. Oh, and don't wander around the camp. You might be mistaken for a spy." "What about food?" Takuya asked. The rain was still pouring, and the ground was a muddy mess. Who would be wandering around for no reason? All Takuya cared about was staying comfortable and not going hungry. As for everything else, it could wait. Takuya didn't mind fighting on the battlefield. After all, killing was part of a ninja's life-as long as he wasn't being sent on a suicide mission. "Are you hungry?" Nawaki pulled out two black, rock-hard ration bars and a handful of soldier pills. Takuya and Minato stared at the food Nawaki offered them in silence. "What's wrong?" Nawaki asked, puzzled by their reaction. "Didn't you say you were hungry?" Minato glanced at Takuya before asking hesitantly, "Is there anything else?" "Nope," Nawaki shook his head. "There's cooked food at mealtimes, but it doesn't taste great. Honestly, the dry rations are better, even if they're a bit hard. As for the soldier pills, I wouldn't recommend eating them unless you have to." Step aside! Takuya nudged Minato out of the way and seriously said to Nawaki, "Go to the logistics department and get some ingredients. Don't forget the firewood. We'll cook for ourselves. If anyone asks, just say your sister wants to practice her cooking skills, so she needs the supplies." Note: If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 130+ at patreon.com/Emiko1. Don't forget to give a power stone for many bonus chapters!