Hiruzen Sarutobi had a lot of faith in Orochimaru's talent.
Spatial ninjutsu like Flying Thunder God requires a special spatial aptitude, which is different from typical ninja talent.
Orochimaru might lack talent in the spatial aspect, but Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that he might actually be able to find and train someone gifted in that area.
If this matter was truly orchestrated by Orochimaru, what was his motive?
Targeting Minato Namikaze…
After Tsunade developed hemophobia and Hatake Sakumo was forced to commit suicide, the only ones in the village capable of contending with Danzō and Orochimaru for the next Hokage position were probably Jiraiya and his disciple…
Even though Minato was still young and his military achievements and seniority were far from sufficient, in a few more years, he would become a strong contender for the Hokage position.
Minato Namikaze had that talent.
It had only been less than two years since the Great Ninja War ended, and Orochimaru and Danzō were already so eager to claim the Hokage position?
Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind raced with possibilities.
However, even though his conjectures leaned in that direction, the Third Hokage still didn't forget another possibility.
That was if an outsider had truly mastered a space-time ninjutsu similar to the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, possessed significant knowledge of Minato and certain Konoha secrets, and harbored hostility towards Konoha.
That would be a truly troublesome situation.
In Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind, no matter what Danzō and Orochimaru did, they were always his good brother and good student; it was an internal Konoha matter. As Konoha's patriarch, he would find a solution no matter how difficult. But if it were an external enemy, then it would be dangerous.
...
...
Qingshui didn't know that his impersonation of Minato Namikaze, which shifted blame to Konoha, would make Konoha's old guard overthink things, prematurely bringing some matters to light and causing further changes.
He had now arrived in the Land of Hot Water with his squad.
Uzumaki Ayane had already been taken back to the village by the Sand Village Anbu squad.
They had already had Baki use a Summoning Beast to send back some intel and requests to the Sand Village when they were investigating all the information and finalizing their plan.
That was a type of desert chameleon specifically bred by Sand Hidden, possessing camouflage and color-changing abilities. The puppet components Qingshui created for flight, designed to work with Airflow Manipulation, were also made from its hide.
Some smaller chameleons would be used as communication Summoning Beasts. The method was the same as Jiraiya's before his death: carving symbols onto the Summoning Beast. For chameleons, it was carved directly onto their scales.
Jiraiya's situation was urgent, so he had no choice but to do that. However, this method is actually generally used for ordinary Summoning Beasts that cannot speak. If it were like the Kōsuke toad from Mount Myōboku, they could just speak the message directly.
On the second night after the information was sent back, an Anbu squad traveled day and night from the Sand Village, secretly passing through the Land of Rain to bring back Uzumaki Ayane and a personal letter from Qingshui to Chiyo.
Mainly, Qingshui was also afraid that someone in Sand Hidden would treat Uzumaki Ayane like a "rechargeable battery" as they did in the Hidden Grass Village.
Doing so would actually be a huge waste.
Just by relying on her flesh and blood, she could save a dying person. Uzumaki Ayane's Yang Release was extremely rare even within the Uzumaki Clan. This ability was not possessed by Mito Uzumaki, Kushina Uzumaki, or even Nagato; they merely had strong natural recovery abilities.
This Yang Release talent was the innate potential for Medical Ninjutsu.
For Medical Ninjutsu to reach Tsunade's unprecedented level, Yang Release talent alone isn't enough; a high level of medical talent is also required.
But Uzumaki Ayane doesn't need to have medical talent like Tsunade. Even with a cram-school approach, if she learns Medical Ninjutsu, her powerful Yang Release can turn even basic healing into Mystical Palm Technique, and Mystical Palm Technique might even approach the effects of Creation Rebirth Technique.
Not to mention the other added values as a member of the Uzumaki Clan.
As long as the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline continues, the Sand Village will have excellent sensory ninjas in every generation, and they won't lack Jinchuriki candidates capable of holding a Tailed Beast. With a bit of luck, they might even produce more Sealing Jutsu masters.
It was only those people in the Hidden Grass Village who lacked both insight and strength. They wanted to utilize Uzumaki Ayane's unique abilities but also feared that such a treasure would attract the covetous gaze of other ninja villages. Thus, they could only raise her and exploit her using the simplest, and most wasteful, method.
Qingshui believed that once Chiyo saw his letter, she would definitely cultivate her in Medical Ninjutsu, just as he had envisioned.
Qingshui would definitely protect such a talent at all costs and make others recognize her value.
There are many outstanding individuals in the Ninja World, but there's no shortage of idiots either.
In the original story, the Sand Village still produced someone like Rasa, a traitor who was a brainless Kazekage.
Many of the Sand Village's elders, who held no real power, were also brainless. It's just that they were suppressed by the then-flourishing Third Kazekage and the Chiyo siblings. For example, in the original timeline, by Rasa's era, the Rasa who couldn't control his subordinates already allowed these people to start causing trouble. When Gaara took over, the Sand Village's power was held by these guys for a long time.
In short, the Hidden Grass Village matter concluded three days ago, and the aftermath was handled very cleanly, successfully shifting the blame to Konoha.
And Qingshui's squad has now arrived in the Land of Hot Water.
"Sigh... ahh!"
Amidst the swirling mists, Qingshui closed his eyes, his face blissful as he relaxed in the hot spring.
In the Sand Village, with its endless yellow sand, one couldn't find such a comfortable natural hot spring.
"This is truly comfortable..."
Sada, wearing only shorts, leaned against the edge of the pool, feeling like he was floating on air.
Baki, with his lower half submerged and upper body exposed, was perched on the edge of the pool, writing furiously on a scroll.
He was writing a mission report.
"Oh, right, Qingshui, your space-time ninjutsu... is it Konoha's Flying Thunder God? Should I include that in the mission report?"
Baki suddenly turned his head and asked Qingshui.
He didn't know how Qingshui had acquired this ninjutsu, but at this moment, it was clearly better to ask.
Sada subtly perked up his ears.
He had only recently joined Qingshui's inner circle, so even if he was curious, he didn't dare ask.
Qingshui had no intention of hiding anything, nor did he mind Sada's presence.
"What do you mean, Konoha's Flying Thunder God? It's clearly my Flying Thunder God, alright?!"
Qingshui yawned and waved his hand.
"It's a spatiotemporal ninjutsu. As long as you know the most basic Summoning Jutsu, plus Reverse Summoning Jutsu, and then use Sealing Jutsu to pinpoint coordinates, then just modify the Reverse Summoning Jutsu so it self-activates from a distance via the Sealing Jutsu. Doesn't that let you summon people over? Once you know the principle, it just kind of… accidentally developed itself."
Baki and Sada exchanged bewildered glances.
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Read 1111+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский at: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Join our Discord: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------