Under Sarutobi Hiruzen's watchful gaze, white radiance began to surround Seisui Yuki's body. His eyes turned a shimmering golden hue, streams of light swirling within them, and—if one looked closely—there were faint tomoe hidden beneath the golden irises.
A black-and-white spiral-like marking appeared only beneath his lower eyelids, lending his expression a detached, almost indifferent air.
His hair, too, had turned a striking red.
Hiruzen fell silent as he looked at the transformed Seisui.
He hadn't truly expected the boy to master this training.
Reaching Jiraiya's level would've already been enough for him.
Jiraiya's Sage Mode required the assistance of two elder toads and some preparation time, but even so, it raised his combat strength by a whole tier. Hiruzen's expectations for Seisui had been no higher than that—yet the boy had done the unthinkable.
In just three years, he could enter Sage Mode instantly.
The only other person Hiruzen had ever seen achieve such a thing was the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju—and that had been only once, when Hashirama was still young.
And now, here it was again.
Will you be the next God of Shinobi? Hiruzen wondered quietly.
Before his thoughts could wander further, Seisui asked,
"Grandpa Third, what's our mission?"
After resting for three years, he didn't believe there wouldn't be a task for the three of them.
Pulled from his thoughts, Hiruzen smiled at the now-normal-looking Seisui.
"Your mission is to head to Amegakure. Your teacher is there. The next step will be given to you by him."
He didn't tell them the specifics. The mission was risky, and the three were all prodigies—he feared they'd charge in without caution. Without Jiraiya to lead them, he wouldn't be at ease.
If anything happened… the loss would be unbearable.
Seisui and Minato were both in his shortlist for the next Hokage.
As for Uchiha Haru—he just hoped she wouldn't die.
Hearing his words, Minato and Haru exchanged puzzled looks, unsure what to make of it.
Seisui, however, nodded in thought.
Jiraiya had mentioned going to Amegakure before. Now, three years later, he was still there.
It made Seisui think of the legendary Amegakure orphans—Jiraiya must have been training them this whole time.
"Remember, find your teacher first," Hiruzen reminded them.
"Yes!" the three responded.
"Then we'll get going. Goodbye, Grandpa Third!" Seisui said with a wave.
Watching them leave, Hiruzen sighed.
If you can't come back for now, then I'll send them to you.
There was no grand mission—he simply didn't want them wandering without guidance. With Jiraiya, they'd be safer… and gain valuable experience.
"...Hiruzen."
From a shadowed corner of the office, Danzo stepped out, his expression severe. His years in the dark had only deepened his already gloomy aura.
"You're letting that man Jiraiya run far too wild! As a Leaf shinobi, he roams the world chasing some so-called 'Child of Prophecy' and 'savior of the ninja world.' Now he's holed up in Amegakure teaching a few brats. Is that what a Konoha ninja should be?"
"Enough, Danzo!" Hiruzen's hand slammed on the desk.
"Jiraiya acts with my permission. And in case you've forgotten… I am the Hokage."
Danzo snorted, gave him a cold glance, and left without another word.
Watching him go, Hiruzen felt something was… off.
After a long moment, it struck him.
He didn't ask me for manpower this time?
He took a slow drag from his pipe, fingers tapping the desk. Normally, whenever a shinobi came to his office, Danzo would try to send them to ROOT—and he always threw in a "You'll regret this" for good measure.
This time, nothing.
What's going on with you, Danzo…
=======
At the village gate, Seisui and Minato were waiting for Haru.
The two of them were orphans and kept their essentials with their summons, so no preparations were needed. Haru, however, still had her grandfather to inform before leaving.
"You two are going to stand there forever?" the gate guard chunin asked dryly.
"If you're not heading out, stop crowding me."
"Sorry," Seisui said with an awkward smile, then turned to Minato.
"See? I told you not to make trouble for this big brother here, but you insisted. Now he's scolding us!"
Minato pointed at himself in disbelief. "Wait, aren't you the—"
"What 'aren't I'! Just because he's tolerant doesn't mean you can make things hard for him."
"But I—"
"No 'buts'! Wasn't it you who wanted to wait here?"
Each time Minato tried to speak, Seisui cut him off, until his face flushed with frustration.
"Sorry, big brother," Seisui said to the guard, tapping his own temple and shaking his head as if to imply Minato was a bit slow.
The guard fought back a grin when Seisui called him broad-minded, but couldn't resist smiling now. "It's fine. Doesn't bother me. You can wait."
He even gave Minato a pitying look, which only made Minato's ears burn hotter.
Seisui ignored him and instead praised the guard further. "Big brother, you're not only handsome and strong, you've got a great personality too. I really enjoy talking to you!"
"Ahaha, you're too kind," the guard said, trying to act modest while clearly pleased. "You're a fresh genin, right? If you have trouble in training, come to me anytime—I'll teach you what I know."
"Wow, big brother, you're amazing!"
Seisui produced a chilled drink from somewhere. "I was going to give you this earlier, but you were so focused on your duty I didn't want to disturb you."
Watching the shameless flattery, Minato sat off to the side, quietly fuming.
When Haru finally arrived, Seisui waved her over. "You sure took your time—we were bored to death."
The guard's smile faltered. So I was just his way of killing boredom?
Haru apologized, saying her grandfather had given her a long list of reminders.
Seisui gestured to the guard. "Thankfully, big brother here kept me company."
Haru blinked, not seeing what was so interesting about chatting with a gate guard, while Minato muttered sarcastically, "Yeah, big brother really saved the day."
"Shut it, half-and-half," Seisui shot back, then bid the guard farewell.
As they walked away, the guard noticed Haru's Uchiha crest, then Minato's blond hair, then Seisui—and a realization hit him.
Wait… aren't these the prodigy team everyone was talking about three years ago?!
=======
On the road, Minato finally asked, "Seisui, why'd you talk so much with that guard?"
"You know what's most important when talking to a stranger?" Seisui asked.
"What?" Haru, usually reserved, was curious too.
"Flattery," Seisui replied, ruffling her hair. "Or more precisely, going along with their thoughts. People rarely admit they're wrong. Even if they are, they'll seek affirmation to prove they weren't mistaken. If you follow their lead, you can talk to anyone. I call it 'Speak human to humans, speak ghost to ghosts.'"
"And what's the point of that?" Haru asked.
"None. But it lets you understand them—and the mindset of their social circle."
"So that's why you keep pinning the blame on me?!" Minato said indignantly.
"Of course. Who else would I blame?"
"You'll regret this!"
"Mind your tone, Minato—I'm the team captain."
"Hmph!"
Haru sighed at their bickering. Watching Minato sulk like that almost made her wonder if he'd show up at night disguised as a girl to see her boyfriend.
If Seisui knew her thoughts, he'd probably laugh—because Minato could transform into a girl.
=======
They didn't hurry, strolling and stopping along the way. Amegakure lay between the Lands of Fire and Earth—still a fair distance, but nothing daunting for them.
Five days later, they reached the border. Crossing over, the scenery immediately changed.
Haru frowned. "It's so desolate here. Not like the Land of Fire at all."
"Of course," Seisui said. "This was a major battlefield in the Second War. Amegakure exists mainly as a buffer between Fire and Earth. Any war between them will inevitably spill over here."
He pulled out a map, then handed out umbrellas. "It rains here year-round. We'll probably get wet soon, so be ready."
They walked on—until a lone rogue ninja stepped into their path, grinning as he drew his blade.
"Konoha brats? Don't you know this is my turf? Hand over a toll, and maybe I'll let you live."
Seisui didn't even glance at him. His Mind's Eye of the Kagura had already gauged the man's chakra—less than one percent of his own.
"Where do you get the courage to try robbing us?"
"Probably too weak to do anything but bully civilians," Haru said flatly.
"Shut your arrogant mouths! You're just kids!" the man roared, clearly stung.
Minato shook his head and tossed a kunai at him.
The rogue ninja froze for a second, then burst out laughing. "That's it? Hahaha! You think this will—"
=============
95+ Advance Chapters Available on Patreon.com/Veltoria