Summoning Technique

Jiraiya complained in the first-floor hall of the Mission Department, "Why haven't there been any missions that take us far from the village lately? The best kind would last three to five months, the kind where I wouldn't have to come back."

The Nara Ninja at the Mission Department did not know how to satisfy Jiraiya's request and could only say:

"Lord Jiraiya, there are only C-Rank Missions and D-Rank Missions here, at most a few unimportant B-Rank Missions. Important village missions are personally arranged by Lord Hokage. Why not go upstairs and ask Lord Hokage?"

"No, no. The old man would never let me leave the village for that long. Look again. Aren't there any C-Rank Missions that take a long time? Is there one where I monitor a young noblewoman for a year? I'm especially good at that."

Just then, Uchiha Ishijima came downstairs with permission to leave the village.

He had just left the Hokage Office. He had not mentioned that he was going to find Tsunade, only that he was leaving the village to visit the Empty District where Cat Granny lived.

Having overheard Jiraiya's complaints as he passed by, Uchiha Ishijima walked over and said:

"Jiraiya, I'm going to the Empty District. It's very far away, and it is where Cat Granny, the Uchiha Clan's ninja tool manufacturer, lives.

"How about I post a mission, and you take your team there with me?"

Uchiha Ishijima was somewhat uncertain. He did not know whether Jiraiya had a strong sense for politics.

As the Third Hokage's disciple, Jiraiya should not, in theory, have been too close to the Uchiha Clan.

However, Uchiha Ishijima had clearly overestimated Jiraiya. Or rather, Jiraiya simply found some of the village's political logic laughably stupid.

"Is the Empty District far enough?"

"Far enough. Very far."

Uchiha Ishijima wanted Jiraiya to travel with him not because of Jiraiya himself, but because of Jiraiya's disciple, Minato Namikaze.

Jiraiya nodded repeatedly. "As long as it's far enough, nothing else matters."

Right there in the Mission Department, Uchiha Ishijima, chief of the Konoha Military Police Force, posted a C-Rank Mission to accompany and protect him, and Jiraiya accepted it.

Neither the Uchiha clan head nor one of the Three Ninja was someone the Nara Ninja at the Mission Department could speak against.

After the Uchiha clan head and Jiraiya left, the Nara Ninja handed his work over to someone else and hurried to the third floor, entering the Hokage Office.

After hearing the Nara Ninja's report, the Third Hokage merely frowned slightly and said nothing more.

Jiraiya was becoming more and more willful. In some ways, he was even more willful than Tsunade. Let him go. At least he would not be ruining women's bathhouses in the village.

As for the Uchiha Clan making some move, Hiruzen Sarutobi could understand that as well.

When the rabbit dies, the fox grieves. The idiom spoken by Master Jianzhen, the Monk Who Crossed the Sea, fit perfectly. Perhaps the Uchiha Clan had seen the Senju Clan's miserable state and developed some thoughts of their own.

He would observe for now. After Uchiha Kagami had been killed by Danzo, the Uchiha Clan had not made any response. This ninja clan was powerful, but they cared too much about their clansmen and brothers. They had a weakness and were easy to control.

His teacher, Tobirama Senju, believed that the Uchiha Clan should be appeased. Hiruzen Sarutobi was different. He believed their weakness—their concern for relatives and brothers—could be exploited to pressure them into yielding.

"I understand. You may leave."

After the Nara Clan ninja left, Hiruzen Sarutobi took out Tsunade's letter.

In her letter, Tsunade had agreed to let the Senju Clan sell their houses and courtyards, but it also revealed that she had lost all hope.

He needed to find a way to bring Tsunade back and have a proper talk with her.

He quickly wrote a letter and handed it to the ANBU.

"Find Tsunade and give her this letter."

What Hiruzen Sarutobi did not know was that this would be the last reply he ever received from Tsunade.

The bond between master and disciple had ended the moment he wanted the Senju Clan to give up their properties.

Holding the mission scroll, Jiraiya found Minato Namikaze, who was writing a letter to Guangxia.

"Minato! Our team is leaving the village again. This time, I've decided to stop wasting time and properly teach you ninjutsu.

"I taught quite a few ninjutsu to the three children I met in the Land of Rain. There's no reason I shouldn't teach you properly too.

"Come on, to the training ground."

"Should I notify Yoshimaru and Haneina?"

"No need. This is a ninjutsu passed down between master and disciple, not something that can be taught between teacher and student."

"That seems a little unfair to Yoshimaru and Haneina."

"Unfairness is part of being a ninja. That's life, isn't it?"

After arriving at the training ground, Jiraiya took out a scroll.

Seeing the scroll, which stood half the height of a person, Minato understood what ninjutsu Jiraiya intended to teach.

"The Summoning Technique! Mount Myōboku's Summoning Technique!" Jiraiya said.

"The senile Great Toad Sage said that if I encountered the Child of Prophecy, I could teach them the Mount Myōboku Toad Clan's Summoning Technique.

"I told you before that I met three children in the Land of Rain as well. I've always hesitated over whether one of them was the Child of Prophecy.

"At first, I thought Nagato, who possessed the legendary Rinnegan, was the Child of Prophecy. Later, I believed Yahiko, with his unwavering will, was the Child of Prophecy. But they were ninja from the Land of Rain, after all, so I did not dare teach them the Mount Myōboku Summoning Technique so easily.

"Now, I believe you are the Child of Prophecy. You are a Konoha ninja, so there is nothing to worry about. I'll teach you the Mount Myōboku Summoning Technique."

Minato knew that Jiraiya-sensei's excessive faith in destiny had given him a style of doing things all his own.

He wrote his name on the scroll, pricked his finger, and left a handprint, completing the summoning contract with the Mount Myōboku Toad Clan.

"Remember the hand seals. Use all your chakra to perform the Summoning Technique. The stronger you are, the larger the summoned ninja toad will be. If you have enough chakra, you can even summon the two Toad Sages, or even that senile Great Toad Sage!

"But the Great Toad Sage has no combat ability at all. He's nothing but a burden, and you'd have to take care of his food, drink, and toilet needs."

An Elite Chunin had an average of 100 units of chakra, while a jonin had 200 units.

Minato currently had 127 units of chakra. This was extremely impressive for his age, no worse than the Senju Clan or Uzumaki Clan, who were renowned for their chakra reserves.

At the very least, he had more chakra than Kushina did in her normal state.

"Alright, Sensei. Then I'll try using all my chakra and see which Great Toad I can summon."

Boar—Dog—Rooster—Monkey—Ram. After five hand seals, Minato slammed both hands onto the ground.

A thick cloud of white smoke rose up, and Jiraiya backed away in surprise.

In the center of the village, inside the Hokage Building, Hiruzen Sarutobi tilted his head slightly. He did not know what Jiraiya was doing beneath the wall, to have summoned such a large toad.

Orochimaru was emerging from Root's base in the Death Forest. He too looked toward the southern wall and immediately understood what Jiraiya was doing.

He had told Jiraiya that his disciple Minato Namikaze's talents lay in the Body Flicker Technique and chakra reserves. The Summoning Technique could clearly bring out Minato Namikaze's talent for chakra reserves.

As the white smoke dispersed, Orochimaru frowned. Why had it summoned that big toad?

A huge pipe was clenched in the broad, flat mouth of the toad. Gamabunta exhaled a cloud of thick smoke and looked at Konoha before him.

Why had he appeared in Konoha? Konoha was peaceful and did not seem to be facing any crisis.

"Jiraiya, did you get into trouble again? Has Hiruzen Sarutobi finally decided to clean house?"

He lowered his head. He did not see Hiruzen Sarutobi, but he did see Jiraiya standing on a tree in the distance.

Hm? Jiraiya was in the tree, so who was on his head?