The Starting Point of Changing the World

"Hey! You with the red hair, don't throw wet wood into the fire, the smoke's too much!"

"You with the orange hair, don't just stand there watching, go help Minato plug that hole!"

"And you, the little girl with blue hair... oh, Konan, you just sit there. Let the men do the heavy lifting."

In the abandoned cave, Jiraiya was barking orders like a foreman.

After half a day of repairs, the dilapidated cave, which had been drafty all over, finally had a bit of a "home" feel to it.

Nishikawa Tetsu had rebuilt the support pillars using physics, Namikaze Minato had used his speed to move large stones to seal the gaps, while the three orphans were responsible for clearing debris and weeds.

When the first pot of steaming wild vegetable and mushroom soup was ready, the five youths sat around the campfire, holding their chipped wooden bowls, their faces flushed red by the firelight.

Yahiko took a big gulp of soup, his mouth burning, but his eyes shone with an almost frightening intensity.

He looked at the powerful Konoha ninjas beside him, feeling like he was dreaming.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he shot to his feet, pointing at Nishikawa Tetsu with wide eyes. "Ah! I remember now! It was you guys!"

His shout startled Konan, who was warming herself by the fire, and Nagato also timidly looked up.

"What is it, Yahiko?" Jiraiya asked, confused.

"Teacher! These two guys..." Yahiko pointed at Nishikawa Tetsu and Minato, his emotions running high, "They're the ones from that abandoned shrine before! They were all dirty back then, and they gave us food!"

With Yahiko's reminder, Nagato's gaze also fell on Nishikawa Tetsu. He looked into those calm, almost indifferent eyes, and his memories instantly overlapped.

That rainy night, the child who gave him candy and told him to "protect your eyes."

"It's you..." Nagato subconsciously touched his pocket. He still hadn't eaten that candy; he'd kept it.

"Finally recognized us?"

Nishikawa Tetsu didn't deny it, instead showing a faint smile. "Good memory."

Namikaze Minato also scratched his head, revealing his signature sunny smile. "Sorry, the situation was a bit unusual back then. We were being chased by Hanzō's personal guard, so we disguised ourselves and didn't dare to talk much."

Yahiko sat down, looking a bit embarrassed. "Thank you for the food. If it weren't for you that day, Konan would have fainted from hunger."

With the misunderstanding cleared, the initially stiff atmosphere due to unfamiliarity instantly eased.

"Since we're acquainted, let's reintroduce ourselves."

Minato extended his hand first. "My name is Namikaze Minato, a Konoha Chunin. My dream is to become Hokage."

"My name is Nishikawa Tetsu," Tetsu nodded simply. "Also a Chunin. I'm someone who believes in science."

The three children exchanged glances and then mustered the courage to introduce themselves.

"I'm Yahiko! I'm going to change this country!"

"I'm Konan."

"I... I'm Nagato."

Jiraiya watched this scene, his smile stretching from ear to ear.

He picked up a piece of firewood and tossed it into the fire, sending sparks flying.

"Alright, now that everyone knows each other, and we've eaten and drunk our fill, it's time to talk business."

Jiraiya put down his bowl, sat cross-legged on a large rock, and his expression turned serious.

He looked at the five disciples before him, whose ages and aptitudes were vastly different, and cleared his throat.

"Since I've decided to stay, I will be responsible for you. From today onwards, I am your teacher."

"But!" Jiraiya's tone shifted, and he held up two fingers. "I will teach according to each individual's aptitude. Your foundations are different, so your training will be completely different."

He pointed at Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.

"You three can't even extract Chakra yet, and your bodies are too weak. Therefore, your first lesson is – survival."

"I will teach you how to extract Chakra, how to use ninja tools, and..." Jiraiya's gaze deepened, "The 'heart' of a ninja. I don't want you to become people who abuse power after learning ninjutsu. Power is for protecting, not for creating more tragedies."

Yahiko nodded, as if understanding but not entirely. He clenched his fist. "As long as I can get stronger and protect everyone, I'll learn anything!"

Then, Jiraiya turned to Namikaze Minato and Nishikawa Tetsu.

"As for you two..."

Jiraiya grinned and pulled a large, orange scroll from the giant scroll behind him, slamming it heavily onto the ground.

"Bang!"

Dust billowed up.

"You are already Chunin who can stand on your own. I don't need to teach you the basics. Besides, Minato is developing that ninjutsu without hand seals, and Tetsu is busy with his scientific inventions."

"So, what I can teach you is another method – the Summoning Technique."

"Summoning Technique?" Minato's eyes lit up. He immediately thought of the giant toads he had seen on the battlefield.

"That's right," Jiraiya unfurled the scroll, revealing densely packed blood handprints and names. "This is a contract scroll with the toad clan of Mount Myōboku. As long as you sign your name and press your blood handprint, you can borrow the power of Mount Myōboku."

Nishikawa Tetsu looked at the scroll. Mount Myōboku was one of the three great Sage Regions, holding the legacy of Sage Mode.

This might be a shortcut to natural energy for him, given his insufficient chakra reserves.

"I'll go first."

Namikaze Minato didn't hesitate. He bit his finger, and after the legendary names written in the rows, he solemnly wrote "Namikaze Minato" and then formed a hand seal.

"Very good," Jiraiya nodded with satisfaction, looking at Nishikawa Tetsu.

Nishikawa Tetsu also signed his name without delay.

The hand seal sequence is: Pig-Dog-Rooster-Monkey-Sheep. Remember, the chakra flow needs to be an instant burst. Imagine the partner you want to summon.

Jiraiya demonstrated.

"Summoning Technique!"

"Bang!"

A palm-sized tadpole hopped twice in front of Minato.

"Uh..." Minato scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "It seems... I failed?"

"Hahahahaha!" Jiraiya burst into laughter, tears streaming down his face. "It's already very talented to summon a tadpole on your first try! Back in my day, I only managed to..." He suddenly stopped, as if remembering some unpleasant past he'd rather not mention.

It was Nishikawa Tetsu's turn.

He didn't rush to form the seals, but quickly constructed a model in his mind.

Summoning Jutsu was essentially a space-time ninjutsu.

It used a blood contract as a coordinate to open a passage between two spaces using chakra.

The amount of chakra determined the size of the passage, which in turn determined the size of the summoned creature.

My chakra reserves are inferior to Minato's. If I forcibly summon a combat-type toad, I might be drained.

Therefore, I need to focus on "frequency" and precisely locate toads that are small but functionally strong.

Nishikawa Tetsu took a deep breath and formed the hand seals, his movements as textbook-perfect as could be.

"Summoning Technique!"

"Bang!"

A puff of white smoke dissipated.

A toad, entirely emerald green and carrying a small satchel on its back, appeared on the ground.

It was only the size of a kitten, wore glasses, and looked scholarly.

"Hmm? A new contractor?" The green-skinned toad pushed up its glasses and glanced at Nishikawa Tetsu. "I am Kosuke, a 'Messenger Toad' from Mount Myōboku. While I'm not good at fighting, I'm very fast and excel at information delivery."

"He succeeded!" Yahiko exclaimed from the side, his eyes sparkling.

Jiraiya looked at Nishikawa Tetsu with some surprise.

"You actually managed a targeted summon of a functional toad on your first try? You little rascal... did you plan this out?"

"Something like that," Nishikawa Tetsu crouched down and shook hands with Kosuke. "My chakra reserves are limited, after all."

"Tch, what an unlikable brat," Jiraiya pouted.

In the following days, this remote location became lively.

The group built a house here, with each person having their own room. They decided to stay here for the time being.

In the early mornings, Jiraiya would take Yahiko and the other two for physical training, teaching them how to sense nature and refine chakra.

At noon, Minato would practice chakra control under the waterfall, trying to stabilize the chaotic airflow.

Meanwhile, Nishikawa Tetsu would be deep in a cave, researching materials brought back from Amegakure while chatting with Nagato.

"What are you doing?"

The red-haired Nagato sat beside Nishikawa Tetsu, hugging his knees. His eyes, hidden by his hair, secretly watched the test tube in Nishikawa Tetsu's hand.

"I'm refining something called 'penicillin'," Nishikawa Tetsu shook the liquid in the test tube. "This mold can kill bacteria and prevent wound infections. In this world where medicine is scarce, this thing is more valuable than gold."

"Can it save people?" Nagato asked softly.

"It can save many people." Nishikawa Tetsu turned to look at Nagato, his gaze piercing through the red hair, seeming to fixate on those Rinnegan.

"Nagato, there are many kinds of power. Ninjutsu is power, science is power, and this bottle of medicine is also power," Nishikawa Tetsu said meaningfully.

He didn't dare to be too explicit, as who knew if that pervert Orochimaru might be lurking nearby, eavesdropping.

Nagato was stunned.

Medicine is also power? He didn't quite understand.

Nishikawa Tetsu smiled and handed him a compressed biscuit. "But before that, eat your fill and get stronger."

At the cave entrance.

Jiraiya leaned against the rock wall, watching the scene inside, a hint of a gratified smile on his lips.

"It seems keeping these two brats here was the right decision."

He looked at Minato, who was sparring with Yahiko, and then at Nishikawa Tetsu, who was "lecturing" Nagato.

"The tender shoots of Konoha and the seedlings of the Land of Rain intertwine in this small cave."

"Perhaps... this is the beginning of a change."