On the streets of Konoha, Jiraiya and Minato walked side by side, chatting as they went.
Taking advantage of the time they had, Minato brought up events from nearly two years ago. Compared to the Third Hokage, Minato trusted Jiraiya far more.
After recounting everything in detail, Minato finally voiced his doubts.
"That so-called Information Exchange… judging from what we know so far, Uzumaki Kong has gained my combat methods, as well as part of the First Hokage's power."
An Information Exchange… an alternate space?
Jiraiya's expression grew grave.
As Hiruzen Sarutobi's disciple, he might not fully grasp the true terror of the First Hokage's strength—but Minato Namikaze, standing beside him, certainly did.
Flying Thunder God—first and second stages.
Reaction speed bordering on nonexistent latency.
One of the only two people in Konoha with space-time ninjutsu talent.
Add even a portion of the First Hokage's power on top of that…
That man called Uzumaki Kong had reached a level that could only be described as unthinkable.
"What about senjutsu?" Jiraiya asked suddenly.
Minato froze for a moment, then replied, "I'm not sure what he ultimately chose, but it seems he hasn't obtained senjutsu."
That was… at least one small piece of good news.
Still, both Jiraiya and Minato shared the same unresolved question—
Why would the First Hokage agree to such a trade?
If the Information Exchange truly existed—something capable of communicating with the Netherworld—then what reason would Senju Hashirama have to give away his power?
Seeing Jiraiya's heavy expression, Minato said apologetically,
"At the time… because of Kushina… and the Nine-Tails…"
Jiraiya immediately understood the hesitation in his student's voice.
He knew Minato well.
As Hokage, Minato bore responsibility and resolve—but when it came to family, they always came first.
"There's no need to explain," Jiraiya said gently.
"Whether it was the Nine-Tails or your life, losing either would have been a massive blow to Konoha."
"In fact, if the Nine-Tails had been released, the damage to the village would've been incalculable."
He sighed, then added in a comforting tone,
"And that Uzumaki Kong doesn't necessarily seem to harbor grand ambitions. From what you've told me, he appears to hold goodwill toward Konoha—just not toward certain people at the top."
Goodwill…?
Minato scratched his head. During the orphanage incident, Uzumaki Kong had clearly intended to kill Danzō.
"Actually, it's not just Danzō and the two advisors," Minato said slowly.
"He seems to have issues with the Third Hokage as well. About what happened to the Uzumaki clan back then—Kushina and I don't know much. Sensei, do you…?"
Jiraiya thought for a moment before answering.
"The Second Hokage's sudden death forced Hiruzen-sensei to step up in an emergency, but he didn't become Hokage immediately. There was a transitional period."
"A lot of things happened during that time. I was too young to know the details—but when the Uzumaki clan was wiped out, Konoha definitely failed its duty as an ally."
The fall of the Land of Whirlpools was already a distant past.
With the older generation in power back then, such matters were clearly not recorded.
That was also when Kushina had first arrived in Konoha—
A fallen nation's survivor, sensitive, displaced, and adrift.
…
When they reached Jiraiya's residence, both stopped.
Jiraiya chuckled. "You've been out with me this long—Kushina might think I dragged you off for 'research.' You'd better head back."
Minato replied confidently, "I left a Flying Thunder God kunai downstairs. No problem."
"Sensei, how long do you plan to stay before heading out again?"
Jiraiya rubbed his chin. "A few days, probably. I'm planning to visit Mount Myōboku about Uzumaki Kong."
Minato nodded. "To ask the Great Toad Sage for a prophecy? That does make sense. I completely overlooked that."
"The Great Toad Sage's prophecies can't be requested at will," Jiraiya said.
"I'll just ask whether there are any prophecies besides the Child of Destiny."
"Oh—do you have a photo of Uzumaki Kong? While I'm out, I can keep an eye out for information on him. To be honest, his situation was part of why I came back this time."
"Over the past two years, the name Red Flash has gained quite a reputation on the black market. The Five Great Villages all know it's your space-time technique."
Minato smiled bitterly. "I know. Even the Raikage's recent overtures suddenly stopped. Looks like Kong's movements on the black market made them think something was wrong on our end."
Jiraiya pondered. "The Cloud Village might not be that simple. From what I know, ever since the Third Great Ninja War, they've been especially interested in secret techniques and bloodline limits."
Minato nodded after a moment. "I understand."
He then took out a dossier—everything known about Uzumaki Kong, including the existence of the Information Exchange.
After handing it over, Minato said, "If I stay out any longer, Kushina will worry. I'll head back first."
With that, Minato vanished from the street.
Jiraiya smiled faintly and returned to his residence with the dossier in hand.
Though rarely in the village, as one of the Sannin, Jiraiya maintained a permanent residence—one Minato often paid to have cleaned.
…
After washing up, Jiraiya opened Uzumaki Kong's file—
—and froze.
"Yahiko…?"
He murmured in shock.
Staring at the red hair in the image, he finally noticed what felt off.
Not just the hair—many subtle details were different.
Uzumaki Kong… resembled Yahiko?
But Yahiko didn't have red hair.
Nor was he an Uzumaki.
Jiraiya's thoughts drifted to his three students in the Rain Village.
How were they doing now?
Konan must've grown beautiful by now… had she confessed to Yahiko yet?
Could Nagato control his power properly?
How far had they come in pursuit of their dream?
Perhaps… it was time to visit the Rain Village.
As for Uzumaki Kong—
it might be necessary to find Yahiko and ask whether he had any cousins or distant relatives.
…
In the Uchiha district, Yun looked up at the moon outside his window.
If only he could obtain a medium connected to Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, sealed by Six Paths—
with proper planning, he might even skip straight to the endgame.
Shaking off that overly ambitious thought, Yun considered his next steps.
Clone-Kong could head to the Hidden Rain Village.
Two months of slow, steady experience would be enough for water and earth chakra nature transformation to mature.
Combined with the yang aspect of the Sage Body, that technique could finally enter the testing phase.
Two months later, the Information Exchange would open for the third time.
Whether it would be the Rinnegan—or Obito's Kamui—
would depend on how well the clone performed.
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