"To be honest, I thought you were just going to let him leave," jingyi said.
"I wanted to," Minato replied, sighing. "But he insisted on coming here himself. Besides, this situation needs an explanation. I'll report to the Hokage once we return to the village."
Kakashi, unable to contain his curiosity, asked, "Sensei… that person just now…"
Everyone knew who Minato's teacher was one of the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya.
A prominent figure in the ninja world.
But even so…
He had once taken on three orphans from the Hidden Rain as his students?
It was hard to believe.
Kakashi felt his understanding of the world start to shift. Even compared to Jingyi's strange philosophical questions earlier, this revelation was far more jarring.
After all…
There were plenty of things they didn't understand especially for someone like Shisui, who was only five years old. He couldn't fully grasp these complicated matters, but he had at least memorized what Jingyi had said.
Now, though, he was no different from Kakashi and the others just another curious onlooker, waiting for Minato to explain.
"…My teacher trained them for a time. It's fair to call them his students, even if he never formally named them as such," Minato admitted. "But in his heart, I think he saw them that way."
He didn't try to hide the truth. There was no point many high-ranking officials in Konoha already knew about it.
Kakashi's eyes widened.
Disciples from outside the village…
It made sense, now that he thought about it.
After the Sannin rose to fame, Jiraiya spent years traveling and didn't return to the village for a long time. During that time, he must've taken the Rain orphans under his wing.
Minato looked toward Jingyi, puzzled. "You shouldn't have known about this… but from how you acted, it's like you already did."
"I overheard some things," jingyi replied calmly. "Besides, that woman made it pretty obvious."
Minato paused.
Konan's expression when she saw him had clearly shown recognition. She had looked like she wanted to say something. Jingyi had caught it too Konan had hesitated, clearly torn between staying silent or acknowledging their past connection.
But Yahiko had stopped her.
Among the trio, Yahiko seemed the most composed and pragmatic. Konan cared most about their bond as a team, while Nagato only focused on Yahiko and Konan.
That difference in mindset…
It meant that if Yahiko died whether by Hanzo's hand or otherwise the other two would lose their anchor.
Even if Yahiko survived, their future was uncertain.
Jingyi narrowed his eyes.
"Konan, huh?" Minato murmured. "Now that you mention it… she did look like she recognized me. That confirms it."
He sighed softly.
This connection... was dangerous.
"Don't speak a word of this when we return to the village. Understand?" Jingyi told the six younger shinobi sternly.
This was sensitive information. If someone like Danzō caught wind of it, he could use it to undermine both Jiraiya and Minato's standing in the village.
"It's fine," Minato said, brushing it off with a smile.
But the others nodded seriously.
They resumed their journey toward Konoha. Jingyi and Minato walked side by side at the front of the group.
Minato leaned over and asked quietly, "That red-haired boy… he gave off a strange feeling. Does he have some kind of special ability for close-range combat?"
"I'm not sure what it is exactly," Jingyi said, "but he felt dangerous. I avoided direct engagement. Judging from the impact he caused, it looked like some kind of repulsion technique."
Minato nodded. "Just as I thought."
He paused, hesitating.
"You might not believe me, but… I think he might be related to Kushina."
Jingyi raised an eyebrow. "Little Pepper?"
"Cough—sorry! That's just my nickname for her," Minato said, flustered. "I meant Kushina Uzumaki."
"Because of the red hair?"
"That's part of it," Minato explained. "But he also has a huge chakra reserve and a strong life force. It reminds me of the Uzumaki bloodline. Kind of like the Senju clan, actually."
He had only sensed it briefly through a clone but that was enough.
Jingyi, of course, knew the truth.
Nagato was related to the Uzumaki clan. His mother had been one of them.
But it wasn't something that needed to be said aloud now.
Minato seemed more talkative than usual. Jingyi realized it might be because he was worried about Jiraiya how he would take the news.
But there was nothing Jingyi could do about that.
He simply nodded, keeping the matter quiet.
After a short exchange, they deliberately split into two smaller groups,one to travel ahead, one behind, just in case they were being followed.
But once they entered the Land of Fire, both Minato and Jingyi used sensory techniques to scan the area.
Clear.
Safe.
While resting, Jingyi checked his system panel:
> Mission Complete: Guidance on the "Akatsuki" Organization
Evaluation:
First Stage: Good
Second Stage: Excellent
Reward:
Water Release: Black Rain Technique
Paper Jutsu: Dance of the Shikigami
He blinked in surprise.
The first reward wasn't much Black Rain was just a basic jutsu from Amegakure. But the second…
Paper Dance.
Konan's signature origami technique.
At this stage, Konan hadn't yet developed it to its full potential. She was only using it for basic weapon formations shields, shuriken, disguises. Not yet the "Paper Person of God" technique that would come later.
Still, it was a jutsu with limitless potential.
Jingyi began studying it immediately, mentally integrating the technique while they rested.
As for Black Rain, it wasn't difficult. The valuable part was understanding the chakra transformation behind it how to turn chakra into flammable black oil.
Combine that with origami and explosive tags…
Jingyi's eyes gleamed.
That had promise.
"I have to say, Minato Konan's origami jutsu is fascinating."
"Jiraiya-sensei never mentioned it," Minato said thoughtfully. "It must be something she developed recently."
"It's worth studying. I've got a few ideas already."
Jingyi said it casually, but Minato took him seriously, sharing a few thoughts of his own.
Their conversation flowed easily. By the time they reached Konoha, they were much closer than before.
As soon as they arrived, Minato went straight to find Jiraiya.
This couldn't wait.
Fortunately, Jiraiya had stayed in the village delayed his next trip because he was worried about Minato.
What happened between them, Jingyi didn't know. But the next day, Jiraiya visited Jingyi's place, arms full of food and drinks.
His expression was complicated joyful, but with a hint of melancholy.
Jingyi couldn't quite read what had happened during their talk, but from the way Jiraiya showed up with gifts…
It probably didn't go too badly.