The four youngsters all gave a thumbs-up. "That's amazing, Big Sister/Mistress. Jiraiya-senpai couldn't handle it alone, and you happened to see and reply to my message."
Naori smiled and waved her hand. "Alright, stop the flattery. Are things settled here? If not, I'll head back to Central City."
Jiraiya thought for a moment. "It's all good. Next up is for Minato to train in Sage Mode. We'll find a place with abundant natural energy." He then outlined a few small details. The rest of the day was still ample. Since they had their own things to do, Naori decided not to interrupt and returned to Central City.
Thus, Naori returned to Central City first, while Jiraiya and the others completely cleared out the nearby ordinary camps, then allowed Minato to practice Sage Mode for a while. Everyone had been staying in the city for the past two days and hadn't had time to train, which caused Minato's progress in Sage Mode to stagnate. Jiraiya was quite helpless about this, but there was no helping it; learning Sage Mode was a complicated endeavor. Since Minato didn't have particularly high aptitude for it, it was bound to take more time.
"Alright, that's enough training for today. We should head back to the city."
Konoha's mission for the day was completed excellently, while the other two villages needed one more day of rest since they had just arrived. They would head out to kill enemies tomorrow. Since they were each responsible for their own nation's territory, the scheduling was up to them. The Konoha personnel also lacked the time and energy to help them deal with Kage-level ninjas. Even if those Kage-level opponents were weak, a battle still took a great mental toll and required proper spiritual recovery.
"OK, Jiraiya-senpai. I feel great about today's training. If I can maintain this speed, I'll achieve Sage Mode very quickly!" Minato was very satisfied with his results for the day and hoped to keep up the pace.
However, Jiraiya just smiled without commenting. There were many variables in the process of absorbing natural energy. Changes in one's state of mind, as well as the concentration of natural energy in the surroundings, could all have an influence. Today's speed might just be a coincidence. Jiraiya had also experienced such moments back then, only to find he couldn't recapture the feeling the next day. Therefore, he suspected Minato might be the same. If Minato could still maintain this speed of absorbing natural energy tomorrow, then he really wouldn't be far from becoming a Sage.
The group quickly packed up their surroundings, ensuring they left nothing behind. They then set off on the road back to Central City.
Along the way, Jiraiya learned through the group chat on his phone that the Inuzuka Clan Head's ninja dog had sustained very serious injuries due to her simultaneously battling two Kage-level ninjas. Fortunately, her assigned area was close to Central City. After killing the two Kage-level opponents, she immediately carried her ninja dog back to the city. Tsunade was currently treating it.
"I didn't expect something like that to happen. We can only hope the Inuzuka Clan Head's battle companion recovers well."
Minato and the others weren't especially familiar with the Inuzuka Clan but understood that Inuzuka Clan ninjas treated their ninja dogs like their own partners. Most clan members only raised one ninja dog in their lifetime, with the ninja and the dog accompanying each other until the end of their lives. Thus, they could empathize with the Inuzuka Clan Head's anxiety and sincerely prayed the ninja dog would be alright. After all, it and the Inuzuka Clan Head had teamed up to kill two Kage-level enemies—a major contribution.
This news made the group quicken their pace. As soon as they returned to Central City, they immediately headed to the hospital. Upon entering, they saw the other clan heads who had completed their missions waiting outside and chatting. Seeing Jiraiya arrive, they greeted him warmly. "It's Jiraiya. It looks like your mission also went smoothly."
Jiraiya scratched his head and sighed. "I owe it all to Naori-sama. I had terrible luck and ran into four Kage-level opponents at once. It was simply too much to handle, but thankfully, Naori-sama arrived in time to help, allowing me to turn the tide."
The Akimichi Clan Head mumbled something with a mouthful of food. "Did you kill them all?"
"No," Jiraiya denied, shaking his head. "We killed three. The remaining one got away."
"That's not bad. We only ran into two Kage-level opponents. You running into four at once probably attracted enemies from the surrounding areas, didn't it?"
"Perhaps. I'm not sure," Jiraiya honestly didn't know, but it didn't matter. The important thing was that he and the children were unharmed.
"Never mind that. How is the Inuzuka Clan Head's battle companion? Is its life in danger?"
At the mention of this, everyone sighed. "Sigh, we don't know yet. The Inuzuka Head is inside, helping Tsunade-hime with the emergency treatment. I saw the ninja dog; it was covered in blood, and half its belly was torn open. The injuries are very severe."
This was truly tragic. Why did these cursed enemies constantly target Konoha? Was peace in the Ninja World really so difficult to achieve? They were always stirring up trouble!
While the Inuzuka Clan was considered a prestigious family in Konoha, its strength was not particularly outstanding among the many clans. The Inuzuka Clan Head's strength was only average among Konoha's Kage-level ninjas. Her ability to kill two Kage-level enemies this time meant she had truly fought desperately.
"Sigh, I hope Tsunade-hime can save her ninja dog."
The clan heads were all very close. The clans in Konoha all had their own industries, avoiding interference with one another while also complementing each other. They naturally didn't want to see their old friend suffer, but all they could do was pray outside.
At this moment, Minato tugged on Jiraiya's arm and whispered, "Jiraiya-senpai, should I tell Big Brother? If he stepped in, the Inuzuka Clan Head's ninja dog would surely be fully restored."
Jiraiya shook his head. "Don't go yet. It's not too late to call him if Tsunade can't heal it." Tsunade was currently performing emergency treatment. If the Hokage were to arrive and instantly heal it with a wave of his hand, Tsunade would be incredibly embarrassed. If she couldn't save it, and the Hokage still came and healed it instantly, the nature of the situation would be entirely different.
Fortunately, Torifu didn't have to get involved. It seemed the silent prayers of everyone outside had an effect. Tsunade emerged with a smile on her face, followed by the Inuzuka Clan Head, a woman in her forties. She had a scar near her eye and a piercing gaze, like a fierce, hungry wolf. But seeing the clan heads waiting outside, she finally smiled.
"Thank you for your concern, everyone. Thanks to Tsunade-hime, Kuroōkami is now out of danger."
A hospital bed, pushed by a nurse, was wheeled out with them. Lying on it was a massive black ninja dog, easily more than twice the size of a normal dog.