Jiraiya's Return to the Village

On Konoha's streets, Jiraiya and Minato talked about a few things.

With some time to spare, Minato brought up what had happened nearly two years earlier. He trusted Jiraiya far more than he trusted the Third.

After explaining everything in detail, Minato voiced his concern. "From what we know so far, that so-called Information Exchange has given Uzumaki Sora a number of abilities, including several of my techniques and some of the First's power."

An Information Exchange in another dimension?

Jiraiya's expression turned grave. As one of Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's students, he might not have known much about the First's power.

But the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, standing before him, was his student. Flying Thunder God, first and second forms, near-instant reflexes, and a Space-Time Ninjutsu talent that only one other person in Konoha possessed.

And now, some of the First's power, too. It seemed that the man called Uzumaki Sora had reached an unfathomable level of strength.

"What about Senjutsu?"

Jiraiya's question made Minato pause before he replied, "I don't know what he chose in the end, but it seems he hasn't mastered Senjutsu."

The fact that he hadn't mastered Senjutsu was the only good news.

Still, Jiraiya shared Minato's confusion about the First's power.

If that Information Exchange, as unfathomable as it sounded, truly existed and could even communicate with the Pure Land, why had the First agreed to make a trade?

Seeing Jiraiya's grave expression, Minato said apologetically, "Back then... because of Kushina... and the Nine Tails, so..."

Jiraiya heard the hesitation in Minato's voice. He knew his student well. Though Minato carried the responsibilities and sense of duty of a Hokage, he valued his family even more.

"You don't need to explain. Whether it was the Nine Tails or your life, losing either would have been a huge blow to Konoha. And if the Nine Tails had been released, the damage to the village would have been immeasurable."

Jiraiya sighed, then added in a comforting tone, "Besides, Uzumaki Sora may not have much ambition. From the information you gave me, he seems well-disposed toward Konoha, though he doesn't seem to get along with the people at the top."

Well-disposed?

Minato scratched his head. During the Orphanage incident, hadn't Sora tried to kill Danzo?

"Actually, it's not just the two Advisors and Danzo. He seems to have a serious problem with the Third, too. Kushina and I don't know much about what happened to the Uzumaki Clan back then. Sensei, do you...?"

Jiraiya thought for a moment before replying, "The Second's sudden death forced Sarutobi-sensei to take over in a crisis, but he didn't become Third Hokage right away. I was too young to know much about what happened during that period, but Konoha definitely failed in its duty as an ally when the Uzumaki Clan was wiped out."

The Land of Whirlpools had fallen a long time ago. The people in charge back then belonged to the previous generation, and it was unlikely they would have recorded such matters.

Back then, when Kushina had first arrived in Konoha, she had been so sensitive, a girl who had lost her country and been driven from place to place.

The two stopped outside Jiraiya's place. Jiraiya smiled and said, "You've been out with me for so long that Kushina might think I dragged you off to gather material. You'd better get back."

Minato replied smugly, "I left a Flying Thunder God Kunai downstairs, so there's no problem. How long are you planning to stay this time, sensei?"

Jiraiya rubbed his chin. "I'll probably stay for a few days. I'm planning to visit Mount Myoboku and ask about Uzumaki Sora."

Minato nodded. "You're thinking of asking the Great Toad Sage for a prophecy? That would certainly work. I'd forgotten about that."

Jiraiya replied, "The Great Toad Sage can't give a prophecy on demand. I'm just going to ask if there are any other prophecies besides the Child of Prophecy."

"By the way, do you have a picture of Uzumaki Sora? While I'm out, I can keep an eye out for information about him. In fact, one reason I came back this time was because of him."

"Over the past two years, the name Red Flash has become quite famous in the Black Market. The Five Great Shinobi Villages all know that it's your Space-Time Ninjutsu."

Minato gave a wry smile. "I see. Some of Kumogakure's recent moves have stopped, too. So the reason must be that Uzumaki Sora's activity in the Black Market made them think something had happened on our end."

Jiraiya considered this, then replied, "There may be more to Kumogakure's actions. As far as I know, in the years since the Third Shinobi World War, they've taken a great interest in secret techniques and bloodline abilities."

Minato thought for a moment, then nodded. "Understood."

Minato took out a booklet. It contained all the information they had about Uzumaki Sora, including the existence of the Information Exchange.

After watching Jiraiya take the booklet, Minato said goodbye. "Kushina will be worried since I've been out with you for so long, so I'll head back now."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Minato vanished from the street.

Jiraiya smiled and headed back to his place with the booklet.

Though he was rarely in the village, Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, had a home that was kept vacant for him. Minato often paid someone to clean it.

After washing up, Jiraiya opened the file on Uzumaki Sora and froze.

"Ya...hiko?"

The muttered name carried a note of shock. When he looked at that head of red hair, Jiraiya finally noticed the differences.

It wasn't just the hair. Many of the finer details were different, too.

Uzumaki Sora looked a lot like Yahiko? But Yahiko didn't have red hair, nor was he part of the Uzumaki Clan.

Jiraiya thought of his three students in the Land of Rain. He wondered how they were doing now.

Konan must have grown into a beauty by now. Had she confessed to Yahiko yet?

Could Nagato control his powers?

How far had they come in pursuit of their dream?

Perhaps he should visit the Land of Rain. As for this Uzumaki Sora, he needed to find Yahiko and ask if he had any cousins.

At the Uchiha Compound, Yun looked at the moon outside the window.

Otsutsuki Kaguya, sealed away by the Six Paths' Chibaku Tensei. If he could get his hands on a medium connected to her, he might be able to pull off a perfect result in one go.

Setting aside his unrealistic ambitions, Yun turned his thoughts to what he needed to do next.

His Clone, Sora, could visit Amegakure. After two months of taking his time and training, he should be close to mastering the Chakra Nature Transformation of Earth and Water. Combined with the Yang Release of his Sage Body, he could start experimenting with that technique.

In two months, the Information Exchange would open for the third time. Whether he got the Rinnegan or Obito's Kamui would depend on how well his Clone did.

Please, please keep reading—anything you can do to help! I'm up for a recommendation, so I can't afford to get eliminated in the first round! sob