Inside the steaming Japanese restaurant, seven people sat around a long table made by pushing several tables together.
More than half the dishes on the table had already been cleared away, and the atmosphere grew more relaxed amid the food and casual conversation.
With the last shrimp tempura stuffed into his mouth, Jiraiya enthusiastically recounted that afternoon's training through muffled words:
"...Then Teacher Hiruzen flashed right beside Tsunade in an instant. He was so fast I couldn't even see him clearly!
I rushed at him, but then he turned around—hey, do you know that feeling?
He was clearly right in front of me, but I was always just that little bit short..."
"The thing that's a little short is your brain."
Tsunade leisurely picked up a piece of grilled fish and mercilessly exposed him:
"The third failed coordination was because you wouldn't listen to Orochimaru's instructions and insisted on charging in from the left on your own."
"That was adapting to the situation!"
Jiraiya swallowed his food and widened his eyes.
"Tactics need to be flexible! Right, Orochimaru?"
Orochimaru was slightly turned toward Watanabe Kenta beside him, saying something to him.
That honest kid, Kenta, had filled an entire notebook with questions while listening to Kagami's explanation at the barrier construction site that afternoon. Now, he seized the chance to ask for guidance.
Orochimaru's voice was calm and clear.
"The issue you mentioned regarding the distribution of energy nodes in the basic barrier, the Three Talents Formation, lies in the phase difference of chakra output.
Under the traditional method, the three nodes need to be strictly synchronized. But if you introduce a progressive delay of 0.1 seconds..."
He traced a simple diagram over the tabletop with his finger.
"Not only will it stabilize the structure, it can also produce a