"Ah, thanks a lot, Kazuyama."
"That brat Asuma—once he comes to his senses, he'll probably head back to the village."
"People always have their moments of realization."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's mood was like a rollercoaster—just moments ago, it had soared to the peak over Danzō's matter, only to plummet now because of his son.
Kazuyama Gekkō remained silent. After all, he had no affection whatsoever for Asuma. If it weren't for the old man asking him to deliver a message, he wouldn't have bothered.
"Well, now that things have turned out this way, the Daimyō's Manor should stay quiet for a while."
"Kazuyama, you worked hard on this mission."
For the first time in ages, Minato Namikaze felt genuinely content—so much so that he fancied a bowl of ramen.
Kazuyama Gekkō waved his hand dismissively.
"It's not over yet. Two problems remain: Akatsuki and Danzō. We've dealt with Danzō, but I still have no leads on the other."
"Oh, and Minato, what about your teacher, Jiraiya?"
Jiraiya?
Though Minato Namikaze didn't know why Kazuyama Gekkō was asking about him, he still relayed the information he had.
"Sensei Jiraiya... seems to have gone to the Land of Earth, also investigating Akatsuki matters."
"He's been gone a while now. What's up? Kazuyama, you need him for something?"
Kazuyama Gekkō nodded.
"The Three Great Sage Regions each possess unique divine abilities. The Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku has a form of prophecy."
"I'd like to ask Jiraiya to inquire for me."
"After searching all these years with no leads, I want to see if these sages can assist."
"Besides Mount Myōboku, I'll also visit the Ryūchi Cave soon."
"But my sage... well, how should I put it... he's a bit difficult to deal with, haha. So I thought I'd try Mount Myōboku first."
This wasn't just idle talk. Between the White Snake Sage and the Great Toad Sage, the latter was clearly easier to approach. Even though Kazuyama Gekkō was the heir to Ryūchi Cave, he couldn't guarantee any special treatment from the White Snake Sage.
"Is that so? If it's just Mount Myōboku, I can go too."
"After all, I'm also a descendant of Mount Myōboku."
Minato Namikaze solemnly took the matter upon himself.
Kazuyama Gekkō saw no issue with this. After all, since Minato had begun studying Senjutsu, training at Mount Myōboku was perfectly natural.
"Once I finish my current tasks, I'll take you to Mount Myōboku."
"Alright, I'll head back to rest first. My clothes are still torn, oh right, damaged items—the village reimburses those."
Minato Namikaze: ...Dammit...
Hiruzen Sarutobi: Well, thank goodness I retired early.
And so, Kazuyama Gekkō happily departed the Hokage's office building, leaving behind a pile of reimbursement forms for Minato Namikaze.
...
Several days later, at Mount Myōboku.
"Kazuyama, this is Mount Myōboku. What do you think? Pretty unique, huh?"
"I was pretty surprised the first time I came here too."
Minato Namikaze led Kazuyama Gekkō to Mount Myōboku, smiling as he introduced the marvelous mountain and its strange plants.
As they walked deeper into the mountain, their path was soon blocked by several massive figures.
"Hey, Minato, why'd you bring a stinky snake to Mount Myōboku?"
"That stench of a snake... ugh, so unpleasant."
A giant toad, a pipe clenched between its teeth, immediately began to complain when it saw Minato. Next to it stood two other massive toads. All three of them were glaring intensely at Kazuyama Gekkō.
"Hahaha, Buntai, long time no see! This is Kazuyama Gekkō."
"He has business with the Great Toad Sage, so I brought him here personally."
"Even though he's the heir to the Ryūchi Cave, don't treat him like that. He's my good friend."
Minato Namikaze put a hand on Kazuyama Gekkō's shoulder, shielding him from Gamabunta's scolding.
"Ugh, Fukasaku and Shima already told me," Gamabunta scoffed.
"They said some important guest would be coming."
"And here you are, just a few days later. Fine, come on."
"I'll take you inside."
Though clearly displeased, Gamabunta relented when he remembered the instructions from Fukasaku and Shima, two wise frog sages of Mount Myōboku, and stopped bothering Kazuyama Gekkō.
"They already knew we were coming?"
"Alright then, I'll leave it to you, Bunta."
Minato Namikaze was surprised but accepted it. After all, he had experienced similar situations in the past. Just as Kazuyama Gekkō had mentioned, the Great Toad Sages of Mount Myōboku had some sort of prophetic ability.
Minato then motioned for Kazuyama Gekkō to hop onto Gamabunta's back. Kazuyama glanced at the toad's lumpy back and quickly shook his head.
"I'll pass. I'll just fly over."
"Minato, you two go ahead. I'll follow."
"I can't handle this toad's back."
Seeing Kazuyama Gekkō refuse to ride on Gamabunta's back, Minato Namikaze was a bit taken aback. To him, Gamabunta's broad, sturdy back seemed perfect for carrying passengers. But he didn't know that Kazuyama Gekkō, well, didn't exactly have the best feelings toward toads. In fact, he found them repulsive—worse than even slugs.
"You little bastard! You filthy snake brat, you think you can look down on me?"
"You think I won't tear you apart?"
Gamabunta, incredibly sensitive, instantly noticed the disdain in Kazuyama Gekkō's eyes. His anger flared up immediately.
"Er, now, now, don't be so blunt, Mr. Toad."
"Just take Minato and go. I'll fly myself."
With a casual wave of his hand, Kazuyama Gekkō summoned a large bird made of crystal—no, it was a great phoenix!
Stepping onto the crystalline bird, he soared smoothly into the air.
"Hmph! You little brat, keep up! If I lose sight of you, it's not my fault!"
Gamabunta shot Kazuyama Gekkō an annoyed glare but then ignored him entirely, focusing on leaping toward the main peak of Mount Myōboku.
Kazuyama Gekkō, using his flight ability, followed steadily behind.
Before long, the group reached the main peak of Mount Myōboku, the home of the Great Toad Sage.
"Hehehe, already here?"
"The youth from the Ryūchi Cave, huh?"
"Hmph, just the disciple of that stinking snake. Old man, don't you think you've been a bit too kind to him?"
The moment Kazuyama Gekkō landed, he could feel two pairs of eyes staring intently at him.