The Land of Iron occupied a peculiar position.
Situated on a peninsula wedged between the Lands of Earth and Lightning, it was the perfect natural trade hub—if not for its strict neutrality.
And…
It even shared a border with the Land of Fire.
In other words—
With enough strength to protect itself, the Land of Iron had no reason to ever be poor.
Mifune did not hesitate—he paid immediately.
Kyoichi's advice carried real weight.
"Civilian ninjutsu"—none of them had ever considered such a classification before, but Mifune could tell that Konoha must already be using it widely.
For example—
The Wood Release construction corps active in the Land of Iron during the battle.
Using Wood Release to build houses and restore greenery?
That was unheard of. Completely groundbreaking.
And that was just Wood Release.
Did Konoha really only have Wood Release suited for such work?
Impossible.
Mifune had no doubt that Konoha had already formed a functional civilian-ninjutsu system—perhaps still imperfect, but far more advanced than anything the other villages possessed.
This might very well explain how Konoha produced such cheap food and medicine.
In fact, many village leaders had already pieced it together:
Konoha could export grain—very likely due to clever applications of Wood Release and related techniques.
Of course…
Realizing something was one thing.
Replicating it was another.
Wood Release was a Kekkei Genkai.
Even within Konoha, very few could use it—there was no way outside villages could learn it easily.
To outsiders, mastering Wood Release would be like starting from zero. No foundation to build on.
When Mifune returned to the hall, Kyoichi did not go back inside.
There was no need—his presence was no longer required there. Staying would only waste time. Better to get some fresh air… and maybe check on Nagato.
He also took the time to glance at his system.
Over the past weeks, he had received many small rewards—none worth much to him now. Trinkets, really. Things that barely mattered to someone at his current level.
But this time…
The reward was different.
[Completed "Guidance in Building a Ninjutsu System"]
[Evaluation: Good]
[Reward: Blade-Forging Techniques]
Blade-forging techniques.
This was the Land of Iron's greatest specialty.
Their blades surpassed even those of the Land of Craftsmen; their weapon-smithing was renowned across the shinobi world.
Kyoichi immediately accepted the reward.
And was pleasantly surprised.
The Land of Iron's forging craft was indeed extraordinary—full of techniques Konoha lacked, such as utilizing geothermal heat for forging.
Granted…
That difference came largely from geography.
Konoha had no volcanoes or deep geothermal reservoirs.
But—
Ninjutsu could fix that.
Kyoichi knew Lava Release.
After thinking it over, he decided to hand this off as a research topic once he returned.
And—
More importantly, the scroll included methods for forging chakra weapons. That was the real treasure.
Kyoichi filed everything away in his mind.
Of course—
There was no need to learn everything.
Konoha wasn't lacking in chakra-weapon technology.
In fact, they were among the best in the shinobi world—just a bit behind the Land of Iron.
Integrating a portion of the techniques would be enough.
After organizing his thoughts, Kyoichi used Flying Thunder God to teleport to Nagato.
Nagato had not entered the capital.
This was an arrangement Kyoichi and Jiraiya had decided on.
Although Nagato had helped seal Black Zetsu, he hadn't appeared much on the battlefield. Very few people knew his strength.
And the Rinnegan…
No one outside their circle knew that Madara's Rinnegan now resided in Nagato.
For Konoha, for Amegakure, and for Nagato himself, it was best that his identity remain hidden.
So Nagato and Jiraiya waited outside the city, quietly drinking tea.
"Nagato, you're really planning to travel the world with me?"
"Yes, sensei. After hearing you and Kyoichi… I realized you're both right. I've barely seen the outside world. I know too little—and I think too little."
Nagato spoke honestly.
In the past, he had always followed Yahiko's lead.
But after separating from him and training under Kyoichi, he was forced to think for himself.
That made his mind clearer, more mature.
He realized—
His perspective had been far too narrow.
Nagato's willingness to travel delighted Jiraiya. He clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Though Kyoichi treats this like a joke… I need to tell you something."
He shared the Great Toad Sage's prophecy with Nagato.
Nagato froze for several seconds.
A prophecy…
It felt absurd.
And if this were true—did that mean Jiraiya had taken them as disciples because of the prophecy?
"Of course, from your point of view, it may seem like I only taught you because of the prophecy," Jiraiya admitted. "At first, that wasn't the case. But after discovering your Rinnegan… I began to think you might be the Child of Prophecy."
He hid nothing.
Nagato listened to the entire story—and surprisingly, felt no resentment.
He understood.
Even if Jiraiya had taken them in because of a prophecy, Nagato would still be grateful.
And since Jiraiya truly hadn't known about the Rinnegan in the beginning…
There was no conflict at all.
Jiraiya finished with the same conclusion Kyoichi had given him:
Prophecy isn't what matters. Action is.
If one doesn't move forward, even a prophecy will amount to nothing.
Nagato absorbed every word.
It only strengthened his decision to travel with Jiraiya.
Soon enough—
Kyoichi arrived.
The three sat together, ordered food, and talked freely.
Naturally, the topics drifted toward Madara and Black Zetsu.
Madara was dead.
Black Zetsu was sealed within the Chibaku Sphere.
The shinobi world would enjoy a period of calm.
But in that time, their training could not stagnate—the challenges ahead would be far greater.
Kyoichi repeated this point several times.
Jiraiya and Nagato understood what he meant.
The Ōtsutsuki.
If the Sage of Six Paths and his brother, as descendants of the clan, possessed such power… what of the clan itself?
If they wanted a chance of defeating such enemies, they would need even greater strength.
For example—
Sage Mode.
Kyoichi's intent was clear:
Jiraiya should teach Nagato Sage Mode, and perhaps even help him cultivate the special "sage body" training that Kyoichi had shared.
Nagato had the potential.
He had the Uzumaki physique, and transplanted Hashirama cells. Sage-body training would actually strengthen his control, restraining the Hashirama cells from harming him.
That would be Jiraiya's next task.
Jiraiya understood immediately and nodded.
As for Kyoichi—
His upcoming plans involved guiding the Research Division and Academy to further strengthen Konoha. The pursuit of Sage transformation and Six Paths-level training would continue.
And of course—
He fully intended to extract every bit of value possible.
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