Chapter 323: Unexpected Visitor
"Changing the venue for the establishment ceremony? Is there enough time?"
"I've already transferred some Construction Ninja back. They're working on it now, no problem."
The Third Raikage's voice rang in Dana's mind through the golden slug.
In the Inspectorate, Dana rested his super-long legs on the desk and rubbed the bridge of his nose to relieve the soreness in his eyes.
"That's good. At this point, there's no need to hide anything."
"I hope no one causes trouble then. There are still sporadic skirmishes at the border. Infiltration and sabotage by small squads are hard to defend against."
The western side of the ninja world, including the isolated Land of Water, could be considered peaceful and stable.
However, along the Cloud-Thunder Federation's long border, Suna, Iwa, and ninja hired by various Daimyos continued trying to infiltrate and cause destruction.
Fortunately, the combat intensity wasn't high, and the Federation had enough strategic depth.
"During the ceremony, both Kayo and I will be present; there won't be any problems. As for the border situation, Konoha has been largely sorted out. I'll deploy a batch of Konoha ninja there, including many Hyuga clan members with Byakugan. They'll be very effective."
The Byakugan was perfect for this kind of low-intensity counter-infiltration warfare. Recently, the Hyuga clan had been revitalized, filled with enthusiasm from top to bottom.
As for other ninja clans, naturally, they couldn't be kept idle either; everyone had to contribute.
"Dana, how much longer do you need on your end?"
Dana thought for a moment and said to his Old Man, "Hmm... just one last thing left. Once I deal with it, I'll head back. By the way, how is Blue Bee-senpai?"
"Yoshitoki woke him up after returning, but he's still very weak... Most importantly, he was force-fed two completely different unknown poisons, both related to the Iron Armor Seal used to seal the Tailed Beast [1]. The interaction between the two has left the seal tattered... The Sealing Corps is trying to figure out a solution."
"Two poisons...? Suna's poison is indeed tricky... By the way, Old Man, there's someone imprisoned in the Biological Research Base—Tsunade. She's an expert at detoxifying poisons. You could try using her."
"Yoshitoki has already solved the poison problem. The main issue now lies with the seal..."
Ending the call, Dana remembered Tsunade again. In the blink of an eye, she had been imprisoned in the research base for three or four years. Since there was no special report, Dan Kato probably hadn't woken up, nor had he died. If not for the coincidental mention, Dana would have almost forgotten about her.
With the grand integration of Konoha and the Cloud, the possibilities for handling Tsunade had expanded—after all, even Hashirama Senju was wandering around the village every day now.
Although, given her imprisonment, she might not even know the ninja world had undergone drastic changes.
Tsunade's value had basically been squeezed dry—summoning scroll, Yin Seal, even Monstrous Strength had been backed up. What remained was just her talent as a medical researcher.
It seemed releasing her wouldn't matter much? Keeping her locked up might be more trouble.
"Sigh, I'll deal with it when I get back. Just one last thing left now."
Dana stood up and flew directly out of the Inspectorate window.
His destination was someone's home.
Halfway there, remembering the person might not be home, he activated his "Pulse" Vision.
However, the image reflected made him frown.
In the next moment, his target disappeared from the vision.
Thinking for a moment, Dana performed the Reverse Summoning Technique and vanished from Konoha.
When he opened his eyes again, he was in Ryuchi Cave.
10 Minutes Earlier.
Minato Namikaze was at home, wearing a pink apron, cooking.
Even alone, he enjoyed the cooking process. Accurately speaking, he quite liked doing housework.
Inserting dry chopsticks into the oil pot, he saw fine bubbles rising around them.
"Temperature is just right. Let's start frying."
Saying this, he picked up a toad from the side.
"Hey! Wait! You grabbed the wrong thing! Don't fry me! I don't want to go into the oil pot!"
Minato froze for a second, realizing he was holding a talking toad. Startled, he threw it away immediately.
With speed and strength comparable to throwing a shuriken.
SPLAT!
The palm-sized toad embedded itself into the wall, then slowly slid down.
Minato, still in his apron, drew a kunai, debating whether to nail it to the wall properly.
"Don't! Don't kill me! I am Kosuke from Mount Myoboku, here to deliver a message! I have important business with you!"
Minato approached cautiously, turning off the stove. "Mount Myoboku? Never heard of it. Are you a summoning beast? How did you get into Konoha?"
Kosuke, with goggles hanging around his neck, stood up despite the pain. "Summoning beast is what you humans call us. I am from the toad clan of Mount Myoboku. As for how I entered Konoha, it's because Jiraiya left a summoning mark here before."
Minato's voice turned serious. "Jiraiya? The Third Hokage's disciple? Then why are you looking for me? You should be looking for Orochimaru-sama."
Kosuke stood upright and gestured wildly. "The Great Toad Sage wants to summon you to Mount Myoboku. I'm here to deliver the message!"
It was just a palm-sized toad and seemed harmless, so Minato put away the kunai for now.
"Mount Myoboku? Why does he want me to go?"
"I don't know. I'm just a messenger toad. You'll know when you meet the Great Toad Sage."
"Why should I go to such a shady place? I refuse."
Kosuke froze on the spot.
"No... wait... that's a summons from the Great Toad Sage! He has existed for a thousand years and possesses powerful prophetic abilities. Summoning you must be for something very important! And you might have the chance to sign a contract with Mount Myoboku!"
"I need to cook. Besides, I have no plans to sign a summoning contract. My combat style doesn't require a summoning beast."
Desperate, Kosuke hugged Minato's leg.
"Please! Just come with me once! It's really important!"
Minato remained unmoved.
"Originally, Jiraiya was supposed to come and persuade you, but since he died, I came to find you directly... You have to believe me!"
Minato frowned. "You said Jiraiya died? How did he die?"
He wasn't familiar with the Third Hokage's disciple, but Jiraiya was a famous ninja in the village before. After Minato became Sakumo Hatake's disciple, he heard about this erratic ninja who seemingly left without a goodbye and wandered outside the village.
Kosuke said hurriedly, "I don't know either, but the Great Toad Sage definitely knows. Mount Myoboku is one of the Three Great Sage Regions; it's really not a trap."
Minato pondered for a moment.
"So how do I go to Mount Myoboku?"
"Just use the Summoning Jutsu."
Minato was skeptical.
"I haven't signed a contract. Does the Summoning Jutsu work?"
"The Great Toad Sage said so. This means you are destined to be a contractor of Mount Myoboku."
Skeptical but curious, Minato formed the seals.
In the next instant, he turned into a puff of white smoke and disappeared from his home.
[1] Note: In Naruto lore, the Iron Armor Seal (Tekkō Fūin) is used to seal the Eight-Tails into its Jinchuriki.