Training Ground No. 9 — Konoha
Jiraiya arrived beneath a large tree, breathing heavily.
"According to Minato… it should be this one."
He crouched and formed hand seals.
"Concealment Barrier — Release!"
A strange ripple spread through the air. It resonated with another hidden formation.
Pop.
Like a bubble bursting.
A deep pit revealed itself beneath the tree.
"There it is."
Jiraiya's face lit up. He reached in—
One scroll.
Two.
Three…
"…Ten?"
He frowned.
The Great Toad Sage had mentioned two Wood Release scrolls. Why were there ten in total?
"…Forget it. I'll take them all."
He stuffed the ten scrolls into his robe.
"The two Wood Release ones must be among them. The Sage can identify the rest later."
He formed seals again and slammed his palm to the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Bang!
A small messenger toad appeared.
"Jiraiya, what do you need?"
"Send word to Mount Myōboku. I've retrieved the scrolls. They can reverse-summon me."
"Got it."
Poof. The toad vanished.
Moments later, Jiraiya suddenly sensed something.
He looked up toward the sky in shock.
"…Minato?"
"And Drake too? Didn't they go to Loulan?"
Before he could process further—
Space warped.
Reverse Summoning activated.
His figure vanished.
"Minato won't blame me… I'm doing this for the village," he muttered before disappearing.
Moments Later
Drake and Minato landed at the training ground.
Minato's face was pale.
"…It was really Jiraiya-sensei."
He had seen everything midair.
Seen Jiraiya.
Seen him vanish via reverse summoning.
His heart sank.
"Drake… I failed you."
He lowered his head slightly.
"I trusted him."
Drake remained calm.
"It's fine, Sensei."
"How can it be fine? Those scrolls contain sealed portions of your full strength!"
In Minato's eyes, Mount Myōboku now possessed something akin to another Drake.
That was catastrophic.
Drake tilted his head slightly.
"Sensei. You know Mount Myōboku's location, right?"
"Yes."
"Then take me there. I'll just retrieve them."
Minato didn't hesitate.
"Alright."
After all, they were Drake's scrolls.
"But if we travel normally, we won't arrive until tomorrow."
"No need to travel."
Drake shook his head.
"Have them reverse-summon you. I'll follow."
Minato blinked.
"You've mastered a space-time technique too?"
"Not exactly. It's just… a usage of spiritual linkage."
Spiritual linkage?
Minato didn't fully understand.
But he trusted Drake.
He summoned the messenger toad again.
The toad reappeared, visibly annoyed.
"Didn't I just go back?! What's wrong with you two?"
Minato coughed awkwardly.
"Please ask Mount Myōboku to reverse-summon me."
"Hmph. Fine."
The toad vanished again.
At that instant—
Drake's will expanded.
His spiritual force wrapped around Minato.
"Wait… why do I feel like we merged?" Minato suddenly asked.
"Sensei. Choose your words carefully."
"…But it does feel like that."
"That's the spiritual method I mentioned."
Wooooom.
Space twisted violently.
Minato looked at Drake.
"…It's starting."
BOOM!
Smoke exploded outward.
Both of them vanished.
Mount Myōboku
Inside a vast cavern.
Jiraiya walked forward.
The Great Toad Sage slowly opened its ancient eyes and took a drag from its pipe.
"You found them?"
"Yes, Great Toad Sage."
Jiraiya placed all ten scrolls before it.
The Sage blinked.
"…Ten?"
"Minato hid ten scrolls. The two Wood Release ones should be among them."
The Sage examined them carefully.
Jiraiya studied the markings as well.
"This one should be Wood Release."
He pointed to a scroll bearing a tree insignia.
"Mm."
The Sage extended its tongue.
Swish.
The scroll disappeared into its body.
"The second one… Wait—this mark… that's…?"
Jiraiya's eyes widened.
The symbol engraved upon it was a Thousand-Armed Buddha.
He recognized it.
The First Hokage's ultimate Wood Release technique.
How could something like that be sealed inside a scroll… and hidden by Minato?
"It is that one."
The Great Toad Sage swallowed it as well.
"Great Toad Sage," Jiraiya asked cautiously, "where did these scrolls originate?"
"You should ask your disciple, not me."
Its massive eyes shifted toward the remaining scrolls.
"Jiraiya. This one — the one marked with a black sphere. Do you know what it contains?"
Jiraiya observed carefully.
"…Perhaps Minato's A-Rank Rasengan?"
The Sage exhaled smoke.
"Impossible."
"Why?"
"If it were merely A-Rank, would it be sealed alongside Wood Release?"
Jiraiya paused.
Then his eyes lit up.
"…Could it be… a Tailed Beast Bomb?"
Meanwhile — Unseen
High above Mount Myōboku.
Within the spatial seam between worlds—
Two figures were phasing into existence.
Drake's spiritual connection latched onto the summoning pathway.
Like a shadow slipping through a crack in reality.
He smiled faintly.
The Great Toad Sage remained unaware.
For now.
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