When he heard Naori's words, Torifu paused. "Knowing Sakumo's personality, it's a real possibility. I can only hope that Minato's emotional fortitude is pretty good. Many ninjas cry their eyes out at this stage. After all, a few days ago, they were doing missions like catching kittens and puppies, sweeping the streets, and taking out the trash. Suddenly, they're going to kill people. A fresh-faced ninja who has never seen such a scene would definitely be scared when they suddenly saw something so bloody. Some timid kids might even get a psychological trauma and be unable to continue their path as a ninja."
In Torifu's words, society had progressed now. It was normal for kids to be a little soft. This showed that Konoha didn't need these kids to bear too much pressure now, which was a good thing. It allowed them to have enough time to grow.
After Naori chatted with Torifu for a while, she got up to go home.
"Aren't you going to stay a little longer? I was going to make you dinner."
Naori rubbed her grumbling stomach. "Although I really want to eat, no one is home today, and Aihana needs to be picked up from school." Since that was the reason, Torifu couldn't force her to stay. He stood up and walked Naori to the door. He lightly kissed her on the head. "Remember to rest up these next few days. If those mysterious people also come to Konoha, we won't be caught off guard."
"Okay, you too. Don't play games for too long." Torifu nodded in agreement.
"Then I'm leaving. Call me if anything happens." Looking at Naori's figure gradually disappearing, Torifu smiled. Then he turned and went back to the yard, went into the house, and fell asleep on the bed.
"How did those three kids perform?"
Sakumo looked at the three kids behind him and gave a wry smile. "They were okay, but they were a little soft. Only Minato was satisfactory."
Minato scratched his head when he heard this, a little embarrassed. The other two teammates didn't look at him with jealousy, but with genuine admiration.
Torifu felt a little strange. Weren't kids this age supposed to be rebellious and defiant?
"Tell me. What did you guys encounter on the way?"
The other two were still a little timid, so Minato took a step forward and said, "Reporting, Hokage-sama. We went to the border of the Land of Fire to clear out a small bandit camp. There were seven bandits inside, and we executed all of them." His report was powerful and full of youthful energy.
"Not bad. It seems you guys worked very hard to achieve this result." During Minato's report, the other two kids were in a dazed and timid state.
"You two, are you sick? Why do you look so out of it?" The two kids, who were just trying to be less noticeable to get through the report, were suddenly called out by the Hokage. They instantly stood up straight, which was both funny and a little sad.
"Reporting, Hokage-sama, we're not sick."
"Oh?" Just as Torifu was about to say something, Minato covered for his two teammates again. "Hokage-sama, they were on night watch last night. They probably didn't get enough rest." During this time, he kept giving Torifu little looks.
Since that was the case, Torifu went along with it. "I see. Then you three should go back and rest quickly. I'll chat with your teacher."
"Yes, Hokage-sama." After Torifu said that, the two kids were instantly back to full health. After bowing, they quickly left the office.
Looking at the empty space behind him, Sakumo shook his head. "Those two kids' talent is okay, but their mental fortitude is too weak. They can't withstand a storm."
Torifu waved his hand. "Oh, they're just kids. You have to give them time to grow. You didn't prepare them psychologically before you made them kill people. That's a little too aggressive."
"I wanted them to grow up faster. After all, you were only twelve when you annihilated the Hidden Cloud Village."
Torifu didn't expect that his deeds would one day be used to educate kids. The system took a lot of the credit for him being able to annihilate the Hidden Cloud Village at the age of twelve. These kids didn't have a system, and they weren't being taught by a top-tier expert. You wanted them to annihilate the Hidden Cloud Village at the age of twelve? That was a little too ridiculous.
"You don't have to use me as an example. Their psychological fortitude is a little weak now, but it can be trained. If you train them more during this time, they'll get better."
Sakumo nodded when he heard this. "That's all I can do. Speaking of which, Minato is truly outstanding. He even feels like he didn't graduate from the same school as them, and he's even two years younger."
"When you compare them like this, it's really hurtful. So, I've been making Minato intentionally hide his strength." Torifu rested his head on his hands. "Go on. Tell me how that kid performed."
So, Sakumo spent more than ten minutes explaining to Torifu how Minato's first killing mission went smoothly. His actions were clean and decisive. He didn't hesitate at all, and he didn't show any mercy. Sakumo had even wondered if Minato had killed anyone before, but he had vehemently denied it, so Sakumo never brought it up again.
Sakumo wasn't sure, but Torifu was. Minato's parents were killed by bandits who had plundered their village. It seemed that the hatred in his heart was what made Minato's will so firm. Although these bandits weren't the ones who killed Minato's parents, as long as they were bandits, they didn't do anything good. They burned, killed, and plundered without restraint. But they provided a good first lesson for every new ninja's career: killing.
"Alright, Sakumo. You can go back first. Wait a day or two for those two kids to recover before you have them do that kind of mission again. Otherwise, they won't be able to handle it emotionally and might be traumatized."
Sakumo nodded. "Okay, Hokage-sama. I'll be sure to observe the two kids' mental states during this time."