Gamakon stopped, turning around. His toad eyes reflected Minato's slightly exhausted but still gentle face.
"Yeah, now that you've got things sorted out here, it's time for me to head out." Gamakon scratched his belly with a claw, his tone casual. "The old man is already waiting for me at the village entrance."
Minato paused for a moment, then turned to ask, "Where are you going?"
"Back to the Rain Village with Jiraiya to check things out," Gamakon replied.
Minato's fingers tapped lightly on the desk, a flash of understanding in his eyes.
It was inevitable that Gamakon and Jiraiya would return to the Rain Village. Jiraiya had wanted to check on his three disciples for a while now. Unfortunately, his meeting with Gamakon had been a bit late, and it coincided with Minato's succession as Hokage, followed immediately by the Nine-Tails Incident. The schedule had been packed with urgent tasks.
Now that the village's affairs had temporarily stabilized, Jiraiya finally had the time.
Besides, Jiraiya never had any intention of getting involved in the village's power shifts.
Even when Minato used the momentum to purge Danzo, Jiraiya only worked behind the scenes to guide public opinion; he never made a formal appearance.
He had no desire to meddle in the village's internal power struggles.
As a teacher, he stepped up to support Minato when it mattered most, and once Minato had found his footing, he chose to quietly withdraw.
Minato immediately realized this was likely due to Gamakon's prophecy.
However, he soon felt a bit puzzled and looked out the window at the pitch-black night. "What about Sensei? Why is it always Mr. Gamakon delivering the messages? Since he's going on a long journey, as his disciple, I really ought to see him off."
Gamakon curled his wide mouth into a look of disdain. "That guy is still 'collecting research.' He said he wanted to find some inspiration at the bathhouse one last time before leaving. After all, a rainy dump like the Rain Village doesn't have nearly as many... cough... beautiful sights as Konoha."
Minato shook his head helplessly, a bitter smile on his face. "Sensei is still the same as ever... Even at a time like this, he won't forget his novel."
But Gamakon knew that Jiraiya simply wanted to leave freely and easily, just like he always did.
"Don't listen to his nonsense." Gamakon hopped onto the windowsill, his back to Minato. His voice drifted slightly in the night wind. "That old pervert is just afraid of goodbyes. He thinks if he lets the Hokage personally see him off, it'll feel like a tragic parting, which is too melodramatic. He says a truly cool guy always walks away with his back to the sunset—even if it's nighttime—with a simple wave of the hand."
Hearing this, Minato felt his eyes grow warm.
He stood up and walked to the window, looking toward the village entrance in the distance.
"Mr. Gamakon," Minato said solemnly, "please tell Sensei... Konoha will always be his home."
"Also, thank you for everything you've done for us, Mr. Gamakon."
"Don't worry," Gamakon waved a claw. "With me around, as long as he doesn't go on a suicide mission to peep at some forbidden big sisters, I can guarantee he'll stay alive. As for you, Minato—Danzo may be down, but the darkness remains. Don't let your guard down."
With that, Gamakon leaped, his purple silhouette merging into the night.
Minato stood at the window for a long time, unmoving. It wasn't until a cool breeze brushed past that he whispered softly, "Have a safe trip, Sensei."
...
Outside the gates of Konoha, two dim streetlights cast a hazy glow through the night mist.
Jiraiya leaned against a large tree with his arms crossed, the massive scroll on his back. He wasn't "collecting research" as Gamakon had claimed; he had been waiting there all along.
"Yo, Pervy Sage. I'm surprised I didn't find you at some roadside hot spring."
A purple shadow darted out from the bushes, landing steadily on Jiraiya's messy white hair.
"Stupid toad, who was waiting?" Jiraiya huffed, shifting his posture. He couldn't help but steal a glance back toward the village. "I was just admiring the moonlight... even if there isn't any tonight."
"Alright, drop the act," Gamakon exposed him mercilessly. "Minato didn't come. He has a mountain of paperwork to handle. But he told me to tell you to stay safe and not die out there."
Jiraiya blanked for a second before grinning broadly, his smile bright and hearty. "That kid. Even his words have become so uncute now. Still... it's better that he didn't come. Better this way."
He turned around, his back to the heavy gates of Konoha, and let out a long stretch.
"Let's go, Gamakon!"
"To where?"
"The Rain Village!" Jiraiya's eyes grew deep, his voice carrying a rare sense of weariness. "To see those three little ones... It's been so many years. I wonder how tall they've grown, if they've been eating well, and if they're... still holding onto that dream."
Gamakon lay on top of his head, feeling the night wind. He wasn't as optimistic as Jiraiya.
Even though he felt a natural sense of superiority as a transmigrator, after experiencing so much with Jiraiya, he understood the dangers of the shinobi world—especially since the Second Great Ninja War had only recently ended and many villages were still restless.
Jiraiya took one last look at the sleeping village and hitched up the massive scroll that would have crushed an ordinary person. His eyes, usually filled with mischief, now held a rare flicker of reluctance and resolve.
"Let's move."
He turned away, his wooden sandals clacking sharply against the gravel road.
"You aren't planning to look for Tsunade on the way, are you?" Resting on his head, Gamakon let out a yawn and pawed at Jiraiya's messy white hair, his tone mocking. "The Rain Village is a long way off. If you don't make it back, those little feelings of yours will be buried with you in your coffin."
"Shut your trap, you stupid toad!" Jiraiya snapped, raising an eyebrow. "This Sage is going to gather intelligence, not to die. Besides, Tsunade is... in a bad mood right now. Why would I go bother her? A real man has to learn to give people space."
"Tch. Cowardice is cowardice, no matter how much you sugarcoat it," Gamakon muttered, exposing him without hesitation.
Just as the man and the toad were bickering, ready to disappear into the night and leave Konoha behind...
Thud!
The sound of someone landing echoed behind them.
Jiraiya's muscles tensed instantly as he instinctively prepared to form a seal. But a second later, a chakra signature so familiar it was impossible to mistake made him stop.
A Hokage cloak billowed in the wind as Minato Namikaze appeared out of thin air.
He had a smile on his face, having actually used the Flying Thunder God to rush here from the Hokage's office.
"Sensei! Mr. Gamakon!"
Minato stepped forward quickly, a hint of mischief in his azure eyes. "Sensei, it's not polite to leave without saying goodbye."
Clearly, he had realized that Jiraiya was leaving today, despite his teacher's earlier claims about learning Sage Mode before coming to see him.
Jiraiya stopped and turned to look at his most prized pupil. He purposely put on a look of disdain and crossed his arms. "Didn't I tell you not to come? You're being far too fussy for a Hokage. This toad and I aren't exactly going to lose our way."
Despite his words, the smile in the corners of his eyes was impossible to hide.
"If a student doesn't see his teacher off on a long journey, that would be disrespectful." Minato smiled warmly, then turned serious. "Furthermore, I found some intelligence regarding the Rain Village in the Root's mission scrolls."
"Alright, alright. Since when did you become as long-winded as the old man?" Jiraiya waved a hand, cutting off Minato's warnings. He laughed boisterously. "I was roaming the shinobi world while you were still in diapers. Do you really think a place like the Rain Village can trap me?"
Gamakon watched the interaction between the master and disciple from his perch, sighing inwardly.
In the original timeline, Jiraiya had infiltrated the Rain Village alone and ultimately died while confirming the truth about Pain, his body sinking into the deep sea, leaving not even a corpse behind.
That was an eternal point of grief for every Naruto fan.
But now, everything was different.
Minato was alive, Danzo had been suppressed, the Uchiha hadn't been massacred, and Jiraiya even had advance knowledge of certain intel.
"Don't worry, Minato," Gamakon interjected lazily. "With a prophet like me tagging along, even if the Sage of Six Paths popped out—not that he could, so we're safe—we'd still make it back in one piece. You, on the other hand, have enough of a mess to deal with in Konoha. Get back to it. Kushina and Naruto are waiting for you."
Minato's expression relaxed slightly at those words.
He looked at Jiraiya. After a moment, as if having made a decision, he suddenly revealed a mysterious, almost wicked smile.
"Sensei, I actually rushed here to give you one more 'assignment' to check, besides just seeing you off."
"Assignment?" Jiraiya blinked. "You're already the Hokage. What kind of assignment are you turning in?"
Minato didn't say anything, only lowering his head slightly.
The night wind suddenly died down.
Jiraiya and Gamakon simultaneously felt a strange shift in the airflow around them.
The natural energy scattered throughout the world was now frantically converging toward Minato's body.
This feeling...
Jiraiya's pupils constricted violently, and his mouth hung open involuntarily. The massive scroll nearly slipped off his back.
"Hey, hey... No way?" Gamakon's toad eyes widened as well. He gripped Jiraiya's forehead protector tightly, his voice trembling. "Is this kid's cheat code a bit too much?"
A moment later, Minato slowly raised his head.
Under the dim light of the streetlamp, his face was exceptionally clear.
His originally azure pupils had turned into horizontal golden toad slits, deep and majestic.
Around his eyes, two strokes of orange-red pigment extended back like burning flames, outlining a look that was both eerie and divine.
Perfect Sage Mode!
"Before this, I always felt I was still far from ready."
Minato's voice had become somewhat resonant, carrying a unique echo. He looked at the completely frozen Jiraiya and scratched his head, offering a slightly sheepish smile. "But since Mr. Gamakon mentioned that 'Senjutsu' might be the key to dealing with that masked man, I tried practicing it in my spare time. I didn't expect... I'd have such good luck. While I was reviewing documents in the office just now, I suddenly felt 'at one' with it."
Crack.
Jiraiya felt as if he could hear the sound of his own jaw hitting the floor.
He stared blankly at his disciple, his mind feeling like it was being trampled by ten thousand stampeding horses.
In his spare time?
He just tried it?
While reviewing documents?
He just mastered it in passing?!
"You... when did you learn this?" Jiraiya pointed at Minato, his finger trembling. "I don't recall ever teaching you the specific method for Sage Mode cultivation! Lord Fukasaku and Lady Shima never told me you visited Mount Myoboku!"
He had just had Gamakon tell him that if he wanted to learn Sage Mode, he could come find him.
In his original plan, once Minato had finished this busy period, he would personally take him to Mount Myoboku. There, Minato would use the toad oil and undergo months or even years of grueling training under the beatings of the two Great Sages.
After all, even for the "Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku," entering Sage Mode required a long preparation time and resulted in obvious toad-like features. Without summoning the two Great Sages to assist him, he couldn't even use it perfectly in actual combat.
But now, Minato stood before him, having entered the "Perfect Sage Mode" he himself had always dreamed of in just a few seconds?
Was he even human?!
"Oh, about that..."
Minato deactivated Sage Mode. The eye pigment and toad pupils faded instantly, returning him to his normal self. "Do you remember, Sensei? A long time ago, when I first signed the contract with Mount Myoboku, you took me there once. Back then, you were chatting with Lord Fukasaku and mentioned the key points: 'clearing the mind,' 'sensing nature,' and 'maintaining balance.'"
Minato explained earnestly, "These past few days, my nerves have been on edge because of Danzo and Obito. To keep myself from breaking down, I tried to follow what you said back then and sense the natural energy around me during breaks in my work. It was hard at first, but I found that as long as I stilled my mind and used my sensory abilities to 'capture' those energies, the efficiency was much higher. Then I tried absorbing them into my body and mixing them proportionally with my chakra..."
He spoke nonchalantly, as if he were describing something as simple as "I was hungry, so I made some noodles."
"Tried... mixing them?"
Jiraiya clutched his chest, feeling as if an arrow had pierced his heart.
Heaven only knew how difficult it was to balance natural energy and chakra!
A fraction too much and you'd turn into a stone toad; a fraction too little and you couldn't trigger it.
It was a pit that countless people had filled with their lives, yet in this kid's hands, it was just "trying to mix them"?
"Freak."
Gamakon rolled his eyes from his spot on top of Jiraiya's head, giving the most honest evaluation. "Is this the power of the Child of the Meta? Jiraiya, you didn't lose unfairly. Minato's talent is simply terrifying."
As a transmigrator who knew the plot, Gamakon understood the significance of this better than Jiraiya.
In the original story, Minato indeed knew Sage Mode, but he claimed he wasn't "good at it" because the charging time was too long and the duration too short, making it unsuitable for his fast-attack style.
But that was during a time of peace, or at least when he hadn't been pushed to his limit.
Now, due to Gamakon's intervention, Obito's early exposure, the urgency of the Nine-Tails Incident, and his strong obsession with "protecting his wife and child," this genius had been forced to squeeze out every bit of his potential.
He needed another means of threatening that intangibility ability for when the Flying Thunder God failed or the Rasengan couldn't break through his defenses.
Senjutsu was the next trump card he had prepared for Obito.
"Sensei?" Seeing that Jiraiya hadn't spoken for a while, Minato asked tentatively, "Did I... do it wrong? I saw that your Sage Mode has those... um, markings on the cheeks, but mine doesn't."
Cough, cough!
Jiraiya snapped out of it, his face flushing red. He performed a tactical cough to hide his embarrassment.
Did he do it wrong?
You did it too well! So well that your master wants to find a hole to crawl into!
"Cough... No, you're right! That's exactly it!" Jiraiya forced himself to stand tall, adopting the profound air of a great master. He even reached out to pat Minato heavily on the shoulder. "As expected of my student! To think you could grasp it to this extent just by following the few points I mentioned back then. Though you're still a bit behind your teacher's level of refinement, I suppose I can consider you barely passing!"
Gamakon rolled his eyes: 'Do you have no shame? His perfect mode is miles ahead of your toad-like transformation.'
But Jiraiya didn't care about his dignity at this point. Beyond the shock, he felt an indescribable sense of pride and relief.
In this shinobi world, the bond between teacher and student was the most sacred.
A student need not be inferior to his teacher, nor a teacher superior to his student.
To have the student surpass the teacher was the greatest honor for any master.
"Minato."
Jiraiya dropped his playful expression. His eyes grew soft, yet solemn.
"Since you've mastered Senjutsu, I can finally be completely at ease. That masked man... Obito's ability is bizarre; normal ninjutsu is useless against him. But Senjutsu utilizes natural energy, which greatly enhances attack range and sensory perception. Perhaps you'll be able to catch the moment he materializes."
"Remember, no matter what happens, you are the Hokage of Konoha and you are my student."
Minato felt the warmth from his teacher's palm and nodded heavily. "I understand. Sensei, please be careful in the Rain Village as well. If... I mean if you encounter a danger you can't handle, please make sure to use the Reverse Summoning Jutsu to escape. Konoha cannot lose you."
"Hahaha! You brat, you actually dare to worry about this Sage?"
Jiraiya burst into a hearty laugh, the sound so loud it sent the owls in the trees flapping their wings in flight.
He spun around and waved a hand at Minato, his wide sleeves fluttering in the wind. His back looked carefree and heroic.
"Go back, Minato! Look after the village! Once I return with good news, we'll go grab some Ichiraku Ramen together! When that time comes, make sure that little guy Naruto calls me 'Grand-master'!"
With that, Jiraiya didn't look back again. Carrying the purple toad on his head, he strode boldly into the deep night.
Minato stood under the streetlight, watching his teacher's back disappear into the end of the darkness, his hand raised in a wave for a long time.
It was only after some time that he slowly lowered his hand, the warmth in his eyes replaced by a sharpness as keen as a blade.
"Sage Mode..."
He looked down at his palm, feeling the surge of natural energy within his body.
This wasn't just power; it was responsibility.
Since Obito wanted to shroud this world in darkness, he would use this light born from nature to tear that darkness to shreds.
"It's time for me to... start the cleanup."
Minato whispered, his golden silhouette twisting and vanishing in an instant.
Only the two dim streetlights remained, keeping a lonely vigil over the gates of Konoha in the night wind.
...
On the official road leading away from Konoha.
The moon finally peeked out from behind the dark clouds, casting its silver glow on the man and the toad traveling through the night.
"Hey, Jiraiya."
Gamakon lay on the forehead protector, bobbing along with the rhythm of Jiraiya's run. "Were you feeling a bit discouraged just now?"
"Nonsense!" Jiraiya argued stubbornly. "I was happy! Do you understand? Happy!"
"Give it a rest. When Minato activated Sage Mode, I felt your massive scroll trembling," Gamakon added another blow. "Just admit it—you're salty. He's self-taught and enters Perfect Sage Mode in seconds; you've practiced for decades, and you used to need two old toads to stand guard for you. Now you even need me to help."
"Shut up! You venomous-tongued toad!"
Jiraiya tried in frustration to grab Gamakon off his head. "That's because he has talent! And his talent is because I had the eye to choose him as my disciple! If you round it up, it's because I taught him well!"
"Sure, sure, you're a great teacher." Gamakon laughed as he dodged Jiraiya's hand. "But seriously, the stronger Minato is, the more we can head to the Rain Village with peace of mind."
Jiraiya's movements paused for a split second, though he didn't slow down.
"Yeah."
He looked at the winding road ahead that seemed to stretch on forever, his eyes gradually becoming deep.
"With such a reliable pillar holding things down at home, I can finally go and see my other disciples without holding anything back."
At this point, Jiraiya's voice lowered, filled with complex emotions.
"Nagato, Yahiko, Konan... I hope things haven't gotten as bad as you predicted, Gamakon."