Chapter 31: The Civilian Ninja
"How's Kakashi doing?" Minato Namikaze asked softly, glancing at the now-conscious Kakashi as he spoke to Rin Nohara.
They were hiding in a cave deep within the heart of Iwagakure's territory—arguably the most dangerous part of the entire Grass Country. Uchiha Kei had long lost count of how many caves they'd hidden in since arriving.
But this time was different. The danger level here was far greater. They were at the very core of Iwa's operations, and every hour—no, every minute—there was a real risk of being discovered.
Kakashi's condition was concerning. Minato had thought about using the Flying Thunder God technique to get him back to the Konoha frontlines—but it just wasn't possible. Kakashi's injuries were too severe to withstand the toll of space-time travel. Forcing it would likely kill him en route.
So Minato had no choice but to let him rest and receive treatment here, no matter how risky it was. As soon as Kakashi's condition stabilized, he'd get him out.
Despite the grim state he was in, Kakashi really lived up to his reputation—the genius who graduated at five and entered the battlefield at such a young age. He had a sort of instinctive muscle memory, likely developed through countless life-or-death experiences. Even in that critical moment, he'd managed a minimal evasive move and used just enough chakra to create a weak defensive barrier.
Had it not been for the fact that Kitsuchi only had eyes for Uchiha Kei, and viewed Kakashi as a mere obstacle not worth killing outright, Kakashi might not have survived at all.
"I've stabilized him, but barely," Rin whispered, her voice low but steady. "He needs to be taken back as soon as possible. I've done all I can here, but he won't heal properly without full treatment."
"I understand." Minato nodded. "I'll take him and the Hyuga chunin back soon."
Compared to Kakashi, Hyuga Ayaka was in much better shape. Although both her arms were fractured, such injuries were considered mild on the battlefield. Not everyone ended up like Rock Lee, who had all his bones crushed by a jinchūriki.
Ayaka's real danger came from internal damage caused by a punch from a powerful Iwa-nin named Genboku. According to Rin's diagnosis, there was internal bleeding, but it wasn't life-threatening. After treating Ayaka briefly, Rin had to shift her attention entirely to Kakashi.
With both Kakashi and Ayaka temporarily out of commission, only Uchiha Kei and Imai Kenta were left to continue the mission.
Minato sighed, patting Rin's shoulder before heading out of the cave.
He needed to monitor the situation outside. He didn't trust Imai Kenta to handle it alone, even with Uchiha Kei on watch. Kei himself wasn't in great shape either—he'd exhausted nearly all his chakra during their last battle.
Now, his physical state was uncertain at best, and with the frontline situation too chaotic to call for reinforcements, Minato was starting to think the best option might be to pull them all out.
"How's the situation?" Minato's voice was barely audible as he appeared beside Uchiha Kei, like a ghost, atop a tree near their hiding place.
"Not good," Kei replied, shaking his head. "Kenta's already taken out three enemy squads—mostly chunin and genin. But at this rate, we can't hold this place for much longer."
The Iwa forces weren't fools. Of course they'd notice their people going missing. It wouldn't take much for them to cross-check patrol routes and identify the possible hiding zones.
Minato knew this too, frowning in thought as he weighed their options.
Kei, meanwhile, kept his eyes on Kenta below. That guy had honestly surprised him.
Kei always knew Kenta was strong, but since they usually fought separately, he hadn't realized just how capable he was. Now that Kenta was mostly unscathed and his chakra recovered, he'd naturally taken the role of their primary attacker—giving Kei a chance to really assess him.
And Kenta was impressive—his swordsmanship was razor-sharp, brutal, and efficient. Paired with his keen sensory perception, his ambushes were just as effective as Kei's Sharingan-assisted body flickers.
But Kenta had his weaknesses too. Despite his high chakra reserves, good speed, and strong close combat, his ninjutsu repertoire seemed limited.
Which made sense. Kenta was a civilian-born ninja—just an ordinary one at that.
Not everyone could be like Minato Namikaze. Sure, Minato had terrifying talent, but what made the real difference was luck—like having Jiraiya as his mentor. Without Jiraiya, would Minato have ever learned something as godlike as the Flying Thunder God?
And Jiraiya? Another case of accidental success. Originally thrown into the spotlight as a "balanced pick" by the Third Hokage, his job had been to act as a morale booster in the squad, a kind of confidence charger. Somehow, against all odds, he rose to prominence.
The ninja world constantly preached about "love," "mutual understanding," and "human connection." But those were just political slogans that fit the era. The only ones who truly believed them were idealists—people like Jiraiya, Minato, and later… Naruto Uzumaki.
In reality, the clans and elite few held all the real power and resources.
Even in Naruto's time, the core authority still rested with elite clans and a small group of chosen individuals. Just look at Naruto's generation—or the one before.
Among the so-called "Konoha 12," how many were true civilians?
Might Guy was the rare exception, and his team reflected that: one civilian-born, one rich heir, and one Hyuga.
Naruto's generation was even more skewed. Strictly speaking, Naruto had already outgrown the "civilian" label. Even if he wasn't the Fourth's son, he was still a jinchūriki.
Sakura Haruno? The only true civilian—yet even she had a "special" identity: Naruto liked her, and she liked Sasuke. That alone gave her unique value—she served as a bridge between the two most important boys of that era.
And what about the rest of their graduating class? There had to be more, right?
Those kids probably had mentors too… but were they jōnin-level? Unlikely. They wouldn't have received the same guidance, nor been groomed for greatness.
That's the fate of most civilian ninjas—no elite mentorship, no tailored training. Their leaders were mostly there to help them adapt quickly to the job, get a taste of real missions, and that's it.
No resources, no path forward. That's the civilian ninja's reality.
Just as Uchiha Kei's thoughts wandered through this silent critique of the system, Imai Kenta suddenly unsheathed his short blade—and dashed off toward a new threat…