"Since you say you're a sage, do you have any particularly amazing skills?" Obito asked after sizing up Jiraiya.
In Obito's mind, only exceptionally powerful people could be called sages, like the Creator God, Six Paths Sage recorded in the textbooks, or perhaps Sage Mokgetsu who always seemed to help him.
If the Shadow Clone Jutsu could be used for tasks without retaining memories, Obito would gladly call Senju Tobirama the Clone Sage. But after discovering the significant drawbacks of shadow clones, he figured Tobirama wasn't the one.
"I can enter Sage Mode and use incredibly powerful Immortal Techniques!" Jiraiya boasted with pride.
When he was young, he was remarkably unremarkable. His teammates were Tsunade and Orochimaru. Tsunade was the granddaughter of the God of Ninjas, Senju Hashirama, naturally possessing formidable chakra due to the Senju bloodline. Orochimaru, despite being a commoner like him, had exceptional talent and learned quickly. Compared to them, Jiraiya seemed like a dead last.
But now things were different. All three signed Summoning Contracts with the Three Great Holy Lands due to their unique opportunities, but Jiraiya was the only one who could use Sage Mode.
Though he needed the assistance of Fukasaku and Shima, using it made a world of difference.
He had once trained alone in suffering, tied to a post. Now he had learned Sage Mode and a plethora of Immortal Techniques. He was confident he could defeat any Konoha ninja except for Sarutobi Hiruzen, including Tsunade and Orochimaru.
"Sounds like you just mastered a strong ninjutsu?" Obito remarked, thinking this alone didn't justify calling himself a sage unless he invented Sage Mode.
"You really don't get it, but if you're not convinced, how about a one-on-one with my disciple?" Jiraiya suggested with a smile.
Explaining Sage Mode and Immortal Techniques to a kid was too much trouble.
"Sure, toad uncle, call out your disciple," Obito readily agreed, thinking Jiraiya's disciple would be around his age.
"Minato, someone wants a duel with you, come over," Jiraiya laughed and called out to Minato.
"Huh?" Obito was dumbfounded as he looked at the face that somewhat resembled Mokgetsu's. How was he supposed to compete?
He hadn't seen Minato fight, but he did witness Minato's Flying Thunder God technique that made him disappear instantly.
Moreover, Mokgetsu once said Minato's strength was formidable, surpassing many Konoha Jonin.
Obito did have a record of defeating Jonin, but that was with teamwork, not a solo victory, especially since Minato was among the elite.
"How about it, goggle kid, scared?" Jiraiya asked Obito with a grin.
"I'm not scared, but your disciple has cultivated far longer than me, it's not fair," Obito argued, thinking he might not lose if they were the same age.
"Jiraiya sensei, stop teasing Mokgetsu's disciple," Minato said with resignation as he walked over, knowing full well he couldn't really battle Mokgetsu's apprentice.
Jiraiya laughed heartily and stopped teasing Obito. He simply found the kid quite interesting.
"Mokgetsu, are you interested in discussing cooking with the sages of Mount Myoboku?" Jiraiya then remembered his promise to Shima Sage and asked Mokgetsu.
"It's those two sages I summoned during the battle previously," Jiraiya briefly explained Mount Myoboku to Mokgetsu.
"Sage Shima and Sage Fukasaku are both sages over eight hundred years old, knowledgeable, powerful, and master of various Immortal Techniques," Jiraiya added, trying to pique Mokgetsu's interest by highlighting the sages' strengths.
Mokgetsu's eyes showed a hint of contemplation.
Based on Black Feather's performance, his skills as a chef could significantly impact summoning beasts, likely being effective on the toads of Mount Myoboku too. Gaining their favor shouldn't be hard, but Mokgetsu was somewhat concerned about the Great Toad Sage.
The Great Toad Sage possessed an enigmatic ability to dream and see the future. In the original works, his prophecies were almost entirely accurate, essentially precise predictions.
Mokgetsu found the concept of prophecy somewhat baffling. While he was now almost a master of ninjutsu, understanding the terrifying destructive power of a Tailed Beast Ball and why Amaterasu could continually burn, he couldn't fathom seeing the future no matter how hard he tried.
Mokgetsu felt foreseeing the future was a terrifying ability. If the future could be observed, then perhaps everything was predetermined, including the act of observing the future itself.
"Whether the future can be changed will soon be known," Mokgetsu ceased his wandering thoughts, steadying his mind.
In a future without his intervention, Might Duy would open the Death Gate and perish for Might Guy, Obito would turn psychotic and harm Minato and Kushina, and Shisui would fall prey to Danzo and then take his own life.
But by following his own cultivation pace, by the time the Hidden Mist and Konoha have their epic clash, Might Guy would at least be in a constant state of Breathing Technique and Five Gates of Eight Gates, so Might Duy's Death Gate wouldn't be necessary.
Shisui's case is easily resolved. By that time, not to mention how much Mokgetsu would have developed, even Shisui would be far beyond his original self, making him difficult to ambush.
Mokgetsu thought the hardest to resolve situation was regarding Obito, as his issues didn't stem from war, but rather from being targeted by Uchiha Madara.