Faced with Rinjin's question, Minato paused slightly and immediately stood up.
However, when he looked toward where the wooden sandals had fallen, he was dumbfounded.
There was nothing at the spot where the sandals had landed!
This...
"Rinjin-sensei, can your shoes walk by themselves?"
Hearing this, Rinjin shook his head slightly, his hair tips—now somehow green—swaying gently in the wind.
"Nope~ My shoes are somewhere in the courtyard.
If you were skilled in Sage Mode perception, the soil and trees would tell you where my shoes are!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Fukasaku Sage nodded in agreement.
From the moment he and Jiraiya had arrived for their visit, he'd sensed something unusual about Rinjin's wooden sandals.
How to put it... they didn't feel like dead wood, but rather like a living being—a life form that could move underground.
Beside Rinjin, Jiraiya's back straightened unconsciously as his gaze swept rapidly across the entire courtyard.
Seeing the master-disciple pair looking completely bewildered, Rinjin sighed inwardly and tapped the table.
The next second, the mysteriously vanished wooden sandal slowly grew up from the ground beside Rinjin's feet and slipped onto his foot.
"This is just a shoe. What if it were an enemy?"
Rinjin's slightly helpless voice rang out, and Minato's heart immediately jumped.
That's right! If an enemy used this kind of undetectable method to infiltrate Konoha, what should I, as the Fourth Hokage, do?
At this thought, Minato's regard for Sage Mode instantly maxed out.
Throughout the rest of their conversation, Minato maintained a serious, contemplative expression. It wasn't until Jiraiya-sensei had eaten and drunk his fill and was saying goodbye to Rinjin that he remembered his original purpose for coming.
Outside Rinjin's house, Minato suddenly apologized to his teacher.
"Jiraiya-sensei, please wait a moment. I have two questions I'd like to discuss with Rinjin-sensei."
Hearing this, Jiraiya smiled and nodded.
"Go ahead."
Seeing this, Minato nodded and walked back into Rinjin's house.
In the courtyard, Rinjin was directing his shadow clones to clear the table. Seeing Minato return, a flash of insight immediately appeared in his eyes.
Meanwhile, Minato quickly walked up to Rinjin, his expression somewhat serious.
"Rinjin-sensei, Minato has a question he'd like to ask you!"
"Go ahead."
Hearing this, Minato took a deep breath and made up his mind to speak.
"Rinjin-sensei, I want to know—will Amegakure always be on the same side as Konoha?"
Hearing this, Rinjin immediately smiled and shook his head.
"Amegakure and Konoha have never been on the same side.
Amegakure is a place of peace, a sanctuary for war refugees.
Fundamentally, Amegakure is completely different from the mercenary-natured Konoha. How could we be on the same side?!"
At this point, Rinjin's tone suddenly shifted.
"However, you're about to become the Fourth Hokage, so I understand your concerns.
To that, I can only say: your worries are unnecessary.
Amegakure loves peace, and I would never actively send my villagers to war.
From my birth until now, in just thirty-seven short years, the ninja world has experienced three great wars.
And each time, those who suffered the most were civilians.
A place of peace is hard-won. Amegakure will never initiate war!
But!
There's one thing I must remind you!
Don't be corrupted by power, and don't harbor any designs on Amegakure.
It might be too early for you to hear this now, but remember this well!
Both Sunagakure and Iwagakure have made moves against Amegakure.
I destroyed most of Iwagakure. Even now, the entire village still has the terrain of being high on the east and low on the west.
As for the Fourth KazekageRasa of Sunagakure—
To this day, his orders can't leave the Kazekage building!"
Saying this, Rinjin stopped speaking.
It was better to say the harsh words upfront, but there was no need to be too explicit.
Patting the young man's shoulder, Rinjin walked leisurely into the house with his hands behind his back.
Watching the retreating figure of this teacher who had once guided him, Minato felt a chill run from his tailbone to the back of his head.
This speech contained far too much intelligence!
Rasa's orders can't leave the Kazekage building?!
Iwagakure is high on the east and low on the west?!
What was Rinjin-sensei trying to tell me?
His strength, his schemes, or both?!
At this thought, Minato wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and walked out of Rinjin's house with heavy concerns.
On the way home, Minato shared his worries with his beloved Jiraiya-sensei.
Faced with the new Fourth Hokage's concerns, Jiraiya shrugged nonchalantly and consoled him:
"Minato, don't let yourself get scared!
I know that guy Rinjin. If you don't provoke him, he could stay holed up at home until he gets moldy!
Besides, I'm still here!
If he bullies you, just have the toads notify me, and I'll come deal with him!"
Seeing Jiraiya-sensei's hearty smile, Minato finally nodded with slight relief.
At home, Rinjin had just finished directing his clones to clean up the dishes and was about to lie down when he heard a sweet voice whisper in his ear.
"Can Sage Mode really make people live longer?"
Hearing this, Rinjin nodded with an odd expression.
"Isn't that obvious?
Look at Fukasaku Sage, and look at his wife Shima Sage—they've both lived over eight hundred years!
Though toads and humans are different, sage chakra communicates with nature. Isn't it normal to live longer?!"
Hearing this, Awai, who was hooking her arm around Rinjin's shoulder, immediately lit up.
"Teach me!"
Saying this, Awai tightly hooked her arms around Rinjin's neck from behind, pressing her entire body against him.
The next second, a tingling sensation shot straight to his head, and Rinjin quickly nodded.
"I'll teach, I'll teach! But if you don't master this properly, you could easily turn into stone or a slug. Do you still want to learn?"
"I want to learn!" Awai nodded firmly.
Rinjin had no idea just how crazy a woman's pursuit of youth could become.
That damn Tsunade had the Yin Seal and Strength of a Hundred Technique—she was thirty-seven or thirty-eight but still looked no different from eighteen.
This guy Rinjin also looked no different from ten years ago.
Only herself...
Awai knew her own situation.
Though she maintained herself well and couldn't see any signs yet, the erosion of time was unstoppable.
At this thought, Awai's determination became even more resolute.
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