"Hoo…"
After completing his training, Naruto, drenched in sweat, came to rest under a tree.
"Multi-element training is so difficult."
Recently, Naruto had been training multiple elements with Sasuke. The results, however, were not very encouraging.
Sasuke had only barely managed to learn a little Water Release. Naruto himself had only slightly grasped Earth Release, with no progress on the others.
Sasuke, at his side, did not take the opportunity to retort, he himself was stuck.
"Anyway, Shinji-sensei hasn't set a time limit for you, so there's no need to rush." Shikamaru said, handing two bottles of water to Naruto and Sasuke before sitting down.
Although Shikamaru's words were very comforting, Naruto and Sasuke both looked in the other direction at the same time.
There, Neji was continuously training, his sweat flying.
No, I can't let him catch up!
Naruto was afraid of being caught up to, while Sasuke was afraid of falling back to third place in the team.
As for Naruto, Sasuke shook his head, thinking it was better to focus on his own training for now.
Shikamaru followed Naruto's gaze and naturally saw Neji's figure. He couldn't help but sigh, wondering why Shinji-sensei's disciples were all so driven.
"No more rest, I'm going to continue!"
Naruto, feeling a strong sense of urgency, put down his water and immediately stood up, heading towards his spot.
Sasuke, meanwhile, chugged his water, afraid of getting heatstroke again.
Not far away, Shinji opened his eyes, watched for a moment, then shook his head.
At least for now, these few showed no signs of exhaustion, so he didn't intend to interfere too much.
Neji was now just like Sasuke and Naruto before, pushing each other. It was a unique form of communication.
Shinji, no longer paying attention, closed his eyes again, sensing carefully. It was strange. After all these days, Black Zetsu had not appeared.
To find this guy who always hid in the shadows, Shinji had expanded his sensory perception to its maximum. While it didn't cover the entire Konoha, it was not far off.
Hmm?
Shinji suddenly opened his eyes and stood up, walking out of the training ground.
Shisui, in an Anbu uniform, stood outside and nodded in greeting when he saw Shinji approach.
"Shisui, what's wrong?" Shinji asked, puzzled.
"Hokage-sama requests your presence, Shinji-sama." Shisui said softly after glancing at the training ground.
Hearing this, Shinji nodded and glanced at a nearby tree. Then, he instantly flickered away.
Shisui immediately followed, also glancing at the spot where Shinji had looked before leaving.
As the two moved away, Mimi jumped down from the big tree.
"This kid isn't simple either."
"Forget it, why bother with so much? I'm going to ask Choji for snacks."
Mimi said, shaking his head, then walked into the training ground.
— — —
"Sensei, what's wrong?" Shinji walked in, feeling relaxed, then paused in surprise.
Jiraiya's tall figure was sitting on the sofa, waving to him.
"Shinji, you're here! Want some?" He said, pointing to the items on the table.
Shinji waved his hand in refusal.
Jiraiya had actually returned to the village.
"Come sit down, don't mind him." Hiruzen said, taking a puff from his pipe and glancing at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya complained, "Hey, old man, don't be so biased."
Hiruzen retorted, "If you came back to take over, never mind my attitude, I'd even recommend you for the Hokage position."
"Then forget it, just keep treating me like this." Jiraiya said, waving his hands quickly.
Then, he looked at Shinji, who had already sat down, and laughed heartily.
"Not bad, Shinji. I heard you captured the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki in Moon Ring Gorge?"
Shinji shook his head and said, "It was just luck, and Kumogakure was in disarray at the time."
"Don't be modest, too much modesty is arrogance." Jiraiya said, uncharacteristically serious.
Hiruzen, at his side, nodded in agreement.
In response, Shinji could only change the subject, asking, "Sensei, is there something you needed?"
Hiruzen asked, slowly exhaling a puff of smoke, "Do you remember the tsunami at the old site of the Land of Whirlpools a while ago?"
"Yes." Shinji replied, unmoved, nodding.
Hiruzen sighed. "Many Anbu were dispatched to investigate, but because almost the entire coastline was submerged, there were hardly any traces left."
For such a figure to appear in the Ninja World, he was a little worried.
Such power, capable of destroying and altering terrain, besides the Tailed Beasts, was only possessed by the First Hokage and Madara in their time.
Jiraiya said, spreading his hands, "Me too. I happened to be in a neighboring country at the time and went there immediately."
But then Jiraiya paused dramatically before speaking, "However, there were some discoveries."
Hiruzen asked calmly, "What discoveries?"
Shinji looked at Jiraiya curiously, as he was sure that no traces had been left behind at the time.
"Fukasaku of Mount Myōboku said that there is an endless vitality beneath that shattered land."
"Perhaps in a few years, that place will be like Konoha, with countless plants growing."
"Vitality." Hiruzen frowned slightly.
Almost none of the Anbu dispatched had reported anything of the sort. That meant it couldn't be detected by traditional sensory methods.
Shinji, at his side, raised an eyebrow.
Jiraiya wasn't wrong. Moreover, it was probably even more terrifying than Hashirama's Deep Forest Emergence. After all, that place had once absorbed the blood of countless Uzumaki. His Yang Chakra might even stimulate these things.
"Alright, old man, I didn't come back to talk about all this." Jiraiya said, brushing off crumbs from his hands, his expression slightly serious.
"The Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku sought me out not long ago, and it was shortly after the commotion in the Land of Whirlpools."
Hiruzen and Shinji both turned to look.
Mount Myōboku seeking out Jiraiya alone was not an issue, but doing so after the commotion in the Land of Whirlpools meant it was about the events in the Land of Whirlpools.
"The Great Toad Sage said that the once clear future became unclear and indistinct not long ago. That future has been covered by a blinding white light."
Upon hearing this, Hiruzen slowly leaned back on the sofa. He was naturally aware of the summoning contract Jiraiya had signed, and Jiraiya's constant travels were also due to the prophecies of Mount Myōboku. Now, with such a statement, Hiruzen felt a strange heaviness in his heart.
Shinji, meanwhile, began to ponder. That old toad of Mount Myōboku's prophecies were actually quite accurate, or rather, he could truly see the future.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have accurately invested in Hagoromo thousands of years ago.