"You signed a Summoning Contract with Mount Myoboku long ago."
Jiraiya's tone grew serious.
"You've already mastered Flying Thunder God and Rasengan. Next, you need to round out your skills with Senjutsu."
"If Tsunade really learns Shikkotsu Forest Senjutsu, I can't be the only one holding up our side at Mount Myoboku."
Minato Namikaze quickly understood.
Jiraiya was worried Tsunade would mock him and wanted Minato to learn Mount Myoboku Senjutsu too, salvaging some pride for their school.
"I'll make time to visit Mount Myoboku."
Minato Namikaze reluctantly agreed.
"Wind Release: Rasenshuriken damages the user's arm."
"Mastering Sage Mode would indeed strengthen my body and increase the power of my ninjutsu."
"But the war hadn't ended before, so I couldn't stay at Mount Myoboku for long."
Jiraiya gave his shoulder a firm pat.
"The fighting has stopped on all three fronts now."
"Once we've finished the negotiations with Iwagakure, I'll take you there myself."
He sounded relaxed, but inwardly, he remained uneasy.
Hopefully, Tsunade fails to learn it.
Otherwise, all the superiority I've built up over the years might vanish completely.
Elsewhere.
Fang Xu did not return to Konoha.
He activated Flying Thunder God repeatedly.
After several spatial jumps, he had entered the Land of Lightning.
Kumogakure stood amid the mountains.
Towering peaks surrounded it, and thunderclouds shrouded the sky above all year round.
Fang Xu suppressed his chakra fluctuations and used his powerful mental perception to evade the patrolling ninja and sensory barriers.
No one detected any trace of him.
His perception quietly spread across Kumogakure's outskirts, soon pinpointing a distinctive chakra signature.
An unmistakable tailed beast presence lurked within that chakra.
Yugito Nii.
She had just left Kumogakure.
Three Hidden Cloud ninja accompanied her.
One jonin.
Two chunin.
The four hurried along a mountain path, soon entering a