"Great Toad Sage, have you discovered anything new?"
Inside the temple of Mount Myōboku, Fukasaku approached the Great Toad Sage with utmost respect.
Lately, he had noticed a change in the Great Toad Sage. While still a bit senile, the old toad seemed far more alert and lucid than before.
However, Fukasaku knew that such clarity wasn't necessarily a good thing—it often signaled that something serious was brewing.
"Not much new for now, but Mount Myōboku must remain on high alert."
The Great Toad Sage let out a sigh before speaking solemnly.
"The foreign enemy is far more troublesome than we initially imagined. He's exceptionally skilled at concealing himself, to the point where even my probing techniques can't locate him."
"Not even the Telescope Technique works?"
Fukasaku was shocked. He was well aware of how convenient that technique was, but the Great Toad Sage nodded grimly.
"That's right. Which is why we must prepare for anything. If necessary, we should send the little toads out more often to gather information."
"Wouldn't that be too risky? Isn't Little Jiraiya enough to handle things?"
"Little Jiraiya will be fine, but he has more pressing matters to attend to right now. Consider this a trial for Mount Myōboku."
"I see. Understood."
Fukasaku nodded. There were plenty of little toads in Mount Myōboku, each with its own unique function. Jiraiya often used them to relay messages.
While they would never grow to the size or strength of Gamabunta and his brothers, they were still quite useful overall.
"Alright, I'll go make preparations, Great Sage."
"Go ahead. And be careful."
The Great Toad Sage nodded. Once Fukasaku had left, the old toad couldn't help but glance at the crystal ball again.
In the crystal ball, the silver moon remained unchanged, but the Great Toad Sage appeared troubled and weary.
"Has this Ōtsutsuki Minamoto-shiki discovered Kaguya's location? Or has he accidentally redirected Chakra to the moon?"
"Or perhaps..."
"Is he already on the moon?"
"What? Dead?!"
Meanwhile, on another side, Black Zetsu was equally bewildered.
"What happened? How did that guy die?"
"I don't know. It seemed like an ambush, but something feels off."
Obito Uchiha's expression was dark and full of frustration. He had gone to great lengths to deal with that individual.
But as soon as he exited Kamui's Dimension, he was greeted by an unknown energy attack.
In an instant, the target had been shredded into pieces, and even Obito himself had been nearly obliterated.
If not for his Sharingan and the immediate activation of Izanagi, he would have been done for.
This was the second time.
The second time he had poked his head out of Kamui's Dimension, only to face a near-death experience. Even Obito was starting to lose his composure.
"The entire valley has been flattened. The terrain has completely changed. What on earth is going on?"
"The valley was flattened?"
Black Zetsu was startled by the news. While there weren't many who could achieve such destruction, the methods to do so weren't exactly abundant either.
However, to flatten a valley and simultaneously shred Obito and his companion, forcing the use of Izanagi—there weren't many capable of that.
"Could it be... that guy?"
Suddenly, Black Zetsu seemed to realize something. His gaze toward Obito shifted, filled with suspicion.
"What is it?"
Obito was puzzled, not understanding what Black Zetsu was implying. Black Zetsu cautiously spoke up.
"Are you sure there's no mark on you?"
"A mark? What do you mean? Are you suggesting..."
"Yes, I suspect it might have been Ōtsutsuki Minamoto-shiki who attacked. For him to target you so precisely, I'm worried he might have left some kind of mark on you—just like Minato Namikaze did."
"A mark... on me?"
Obito's face turned pale. He still vividly remembered how Minato Namikaze had left a mark, allowing Kitagawa Minamoto to take advantage of it.
The thought of having a mark on him, especially when dealing with such a terrifying opponent, was enough to send shivers down his spine.
"I think we need to conduct a thorough check."
Black Zetsu's tone was serious.
"We can't afford to hesitate. If there's truly a problem, and he attacks again, we'll be in deep trouble."
"Fine, let's check."
Obito didn't argue. Having been forced to use Izanagi twice against the same person, he was genuinely shaken.
He still had his goals—creating a peaceful world where Rin and everyone else could live happily. How could he just accept defeat?
"Let him have his moment for now. Once the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path is revived and we gather all the Tailed Beasts, we'll deal with him for good!"
"Yes, that's the plan."
Black Zetsu nodded, though he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Even with the Ten-Tails and the Rinnegan, it was hard to say if they could truly handle this guy.
For now, they would have to take things one step at a time.
Besides, Black Zetsu had other pressing matters to attend to.
"Kisame and Itachi need a medical-nin as well..."
While the Great Toad Sage and Black Zetsu were consumed by anxiety, the atmosphere in the barbecue restaurant of Konohagakure was lively and cheerful.
Well, except for Naruto and Sasuke.
"Hey, Naruto, Sasuke, it's rare for Minamoto-senpai to treat us. Why are you two so quiet?"
Chōji asked curiously as he stuffed more grilled meat into his mouth, glancing at the two sulking boys.
"Yeah, it's rude to be so down."
Sakura chimed in, while Ino, Hinata, and Tenten sat nearby. Even Kiba couldn't help but comment.
"And you're not even eating. What's going on?"
"Yeah, did something happen?"
Kitagawa Minamoto raised an eyebrow, a mischievous grin spreading across his face as he looked at the two boys and their resentful expressions.
"Lee, eat more. You burn a lot of energy training with Guy-sensei, so don't hold back. It's a shame Neji couldn't make it, though."
For this gathering, Minamoto had invited nearly all of the Konoha 12.
He realized he had a pretty good relationship with most of them.
The "Skipping Class Squad" often hung out with him, and they'd chat about anything and everything.
Especially Shikamaru, who could talk about stealing erasers as a kid to choosing a grave plot in old age.
Ino often saw him at her flower shop, where he frequently bought flowers.
As for Lee and Tenten, they were Guy's students, and Minamoto had a close bond with Guy. Calling them "master and disciple" wouldn't be an exaggeration.
When he was younger, it was Guy's guidance that helped him grow. Naturally, he would invite Guy's "official" students.
The only one absent was Neji.
"Neji probably stayed behind because of family matters... or maybe he's busy training. He's very dedicated."
Tenten explained quietly, though she quickly changed her reasoning upon noticing Hinata sitting nearby.
"That's fine. Hard work is a good thing. Better than some people who complain after just a bit of training."
Minamoto nodded, casting a meaningful glance at Naruto and Sasuke.
"Or those who cause trouble during training. That's even worse."
"You bastard! It's your fault!"
Sasuke clenched his fists, clearly irritated. If he thought he could win, he might have already tried something. Naruto, on the other hand, was more direct.
"And you're already a Chūnin about to take the Jōnin exam, yet you keep running away. How annoying!"
"Huh?"
Hearing Naruto's words, everyone was surprised. Ino was especially curious.
"Minamoto-senpai, are you really taking the Jōnin exam?"
"You didn't hear about it?"
Shikamaru, munching on his food, chimed in.
"Minamoto-senpai is indeed taking the exam this year."
"That's amazing!"
The group looked at Minamoto with admiration, while he simply shrugged with a smile.
"Just lucky, that's all. So today, consider this an early celebration. Eat as much as you want."
"Yay!"
The group cheered, with Chōji's voice being the loudest. Naruto, however, looked even more annoyed.
"Hey, hey, hey! This guy's the worst!"
"Shut up, Naruto! Don't talk nonsense!"
"Yeah, exactly!"
Naruto pouted, exchanging a glance with Sasuke. Both sighed in resignation.
If the others knew this guy had fled the scene first when trouble arose, leaving them to face the Hokage's scolding...
Or that his harebrained idea had landed the Hokage in the hospital...
What would they think?
"Ugh, whatever! Let's eat!"
In the end, Naruto and Sasuke channeled their frustration into the "barbecue battle," diving in with gusto.
"Slow down, there's plenty."
Minamoto watched the group, especially the two boys, and couldn't help but shake his head.
In the past, he might have gotten irritated. But now...
"I've done plenty of missions and saved up enough money. Worst case, I'll talk to Kakashi or the Akimichi clan for help."
Minamoto had plenty of connections to rely on. If Kakashi wasn't available, there was always Jiraiya.
And if that didn't work, he could always appeal to Hiruzen Sarutobi with a line like, "You wouldn't want me, Naruto, and Sasuke washing dishes together, would you?"
"Besides, this latest operation went well."
As he grilled some meat for himself, Minamoto couldn't help but reflect.
He had seen the power of the Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion firsthand. Even though it wasn't at full capacity, it was impressive.
"Plus, with this use, my eyes are absorbing Chakra faster. Maybe they'll evolve again soon."
The increased absorption rate was a significant advantage.
Even if his eyes didn't evolve, they could still gain new abilities.
After all, even Nagato's Rinnegan relied heavily on its basic abilities. Minamoto's eyes were similar, though his foundation wasn't fully developed yet.
And who knew? His foundational abilities might differ from the Rinnegan's entirely.
He hoped to unlock new abilities, creating more unique techniques under the name "Kitagawa Minamoto."
"Maybe I should discuss some missions with Kakashi. I still need to refine my combat skills."
His Chakra reserves were no longer an issue; in fact, they were growing stronger. But he still needed to hone his tactics and techniques.
"Ōtsutsuki Minamoto-shiki" could rely on brute force, but "Kitagawa Minamoto" couldn't. His journey was far from over.
"And maybe I should get myself a summoning beast. If I remember correctly, Kishimoto's summoning beast is somewhere in the Land of Fire, right?"
Suddenly, an idea struck Minamoto. But before he could dwell on it, Ino's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Senpai."
"Hmm?"
Snapping out of his thoughts, he saw Ino holding a glass of juice, smiling at him.
"Even though it's early, here's to your success in advance."
"To Senpai's success!"
Following Ino's lead, the rest of the group raised their glasses, even Sasuke and Naruto joining in.
"Well then..."
Minamoto picked up his own glass, smiling warmly.
"Thanks for the good wishes. Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
(End of Chapter)
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