The disappearance of the Third Kazekage had stirred a significant commotion among the higher echelons of Sunagakure. However, this event was classified as a top-level secret. As it stood, only the village's top brass, the assassin, and a few close bystanders like Ma Jia were aware of the Kazekage's vanishing. No public announcement had been made, and to the outside world, the Third Kazekage's absence was yet undetected.
Yet, secrets couldn't be kept forever. Paper, after all, couldn't contain fire indefinitely. At most, Sunagakure might be able to keep up appearances for another month. If, by then, there was still no sighting or mention of the Kazekage, the intelligence networks of other villages would begin to suspect something was amiss. His prolonged absence from public view was bound to raise eyebrows.
Mount Myoboku.
While Sunagakure trembled in anxiety, Mount Myoboku—one of the Three Great Sage Regions of the ninja world—remained as serene and picturesque as ever.
The scenery was tranquil and awe-inspiring, with mist curling around peaks and nature overflowing with vibrant energy. That is, of course, if one could ignore the occasional crash or thud echoing through the peaceful atmosphere—usually followed by a yelp of pain.
Namikaze Minato sat cross-legged atop one of the highest points of Mount Myoboku, where the natural energy was thickest. He was meditating, focusing intensely on blending that energy with his chakra.
"Thwack!"
A heavy stick slammed down on his shoulder, making Minato wince and rub the sore spot.
"It's still not working, Minato," the elder toad sighed, holding the stick. "You can't allow natural energy to overflow while fusing it with your chakra. Try reducing how much natural energy you're drawing in."
Jiraiya watched from a distance, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Still stuck at that stage, huh? Minato's been practicing Sage Mode for a while now, but if he's caught up on this part… then even if he learns it eventually, he'll need much more time to activate it compared to me. That'll really hurt him in live combat."
Having experienced the limitations of Sage Mode firsthand, Jiraiya understood well the drawback of having to prepare before entering the mode. It made it less viable in high-speed combat unless one had mastered instant transitions.
Despite Minato's incredible prowess—his mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique, the Body Flicker Technique, and other high-speed combat tools—Jiraiya had begun to notice a recurring weakness in his student: Minato's lack of raw destructive power.
While Minato's overall combat ability was formidable, and his ability to eliminate over fifty ninja in a heartbeat had become legendary, he still lacked a decisive, high-impact technique capable of defeating enemies at the Kage level. Without a powerful finisher, he couldn't seal the deal when facing similarly high-tier opponents. This limitation had kept him from claiming a single Kage-level victory.
To remedy this, Jiraiya had introduced Minato to Sage Mode. He brought his student to Mount Myoboku, hoping that the enhancement of physical strength, perception, and ninjutsu power Sage Mode granted would fill the gap.
Unfortunately, despite weeks of training, Minato remained stuck. He had successfully sensed natural energy and had begun fusing it with chakra, but he couldn't maintain the perfect balance needed to fully enter Sage Mode.
"Well, we'll just have to keep at it."
The war clouds gathering over the ninja world grew darker by the day. The Third Great Ninja War was looming, and time was running out. Jiraiya's urgency was driven by this threat—he needed Minato to ascend to the next level before it was too late.
He also understood how rare Sage Mode users were. Throughout the history of the shinobi world, the number of those who could wield it could be counted on one hand. The path was arduous and full of obstacles.
Minato's natural chakra affinity didn't help either.
"Too bad Minato's main affinity is Wind Release."
Wind Release techniques, while powerful, tended to be wide-area, long-range types. Minato's fighting style was more oriented around close-quarters blitz attacks. Few Wind Release techniques complemented that approach. Even Wind Blade techniques were ill-fitting for his style.
"Fortunately, Minato developed the Rasengan."
Inspired by the Tailed Beast Ball he had seen three years ago and the fireball-style Lava Release attack from a certain enemy, Minato crafted the Rasengan—a condensed sphere of rotating chakra. The technique packed A-rank power and devastating impact. It was perfect for someone who fought like he did.
Ironically, the Rasengan's origin was somewhat indirect—Uchiha's modified Lava Fireball technique, born from the Spiral Chakra Ball technique, had given Minato the creative spark.
"By the way, Fukasaku, has the Great Toad Sage not awakened yet?"
Fukasaku, the elder Sage Toad, shook his head with a grim expression. "Yeah, it's been two years. The Great Toad Sage entered a deep slumber and hasn't woken up. It's not the first time he's slept for years, but something's different this time. He usually shares his prophetic dreams with us, but this time, he didn't even speak—he just drifted off after dreaming."
"I hope he wakes up soon."
Jiraiya frowned. A sleeping seer was a useless one, and the Great Toad Sage's visions had always provided crucial guidance in times of crisis.
Konoha.
"Tui-senpai, Minato-sensei has been gone a while. You think he's okay? Wait—ow! Kakashi, why'd you hit me?!"
Kakashi rolled his eyes, not even bothering to respond. Obito clutched his head and looked around in confusion, but Rin grabbed his arm before he could retaliate.
Hui looked at the group of Genin and sighed. For two years now, the same pattern had persisted: Obito provoking Kakashi, Kakashi responding with disdain, and Rin playing mediator.
There might as well be a rule in the ninja world: 'For every emotionally volatile Genin team, one must fulfill the role of comic relief and chaotic attachment.'
"Minato-sensei went with Jiraiya-sama to train. Whatever they're working on must be difficult, so don't worry," Hui reassured them. Before leaving, Minato had entrusted him with temporary leadership of Team 7. Of course, Minato hadn't explicitly told Hui about Sage Mode—just that he was going to undergo special training.
"Wow, if Minato-sensei still needs to train, that must mean this new power is incredible!" Obito's eyes widened with excitement.
"It is," Hui confirmed. "It increases ninjutsu power several times and drastically enhances sensory perception."
"Whoa!!" Obito's mouth dropped open. Rin also looked amazed, while Kakashi quietly processed the information, mentally reviewing old scrolls that mentioned a similar ability…
"Don't get too caught up in fantasies," Hui cut in. "We still need to train hard. If you slack off now, you won't have time to rest later."
Obito blinked. "Wait, what do you mean?"
Hui didn't answer. He simply looked up toward the sky. Trouble was brewing, and they'd need to be ready.
"Alright! This afternoon, it's combat training. Obito, spar with Kakashi. Rin, your job is to heal them mid-battle. Keep going until sunset."
"Ehh?! Again?!" Obito groaned.
Hui added with a sly smile, "Start with taijutsu. Ninjutsu's allowed after that. Today's focus is improving your close-combat instincts."
After setting them up, Hui turned to Rin. "How's the Chakra Scalpel technique coming?"
Rin looked down, disappointed. "Still not there. My chakra control is too weak—I can't shape the scalpel properly."
"That's okay. You've already mastered palm healing, and you've started studying cellular extraction. You're ahead of where Tsunade-sama was at your age."
That was true—Tsunade had refined most of her techniques while developing the entire field of medical ninjutsu. Rin, on the other hand, had the benefit of structured learning and a predecessor's foundation. She lacked Tsunade's monstrous chakra reserves, but her raw control talent was solid.
"In the meantime, focus on Water Release. Also, start learning kenjutsu and hand-to-hand combat. Once you master the Chakra Scalpel, you'll need those skills to apply it in real combat."
Hui had other duties to attend to. He left a shadow clone behind to supervise the trio and vanished.
"Minato still hasn't mastered Sage Mode. Looks like his aptitude isn't great for it," Hui muttered.
Still, that wasn't entirely fair. The fact that Minato had even made it this far spoke volumes. Sage Mode was difficult beyond measure—only those with massive chakra pools and exceptional control could even attempt it.
In fact, to even try natural energy fusion, one needed a chakra pool greater than even Tsunade's, not including her Yin Seal reserves. Minato, for all his speed and brilliance, was not a chakra monster. But he had gotten close. And that alone meant he might yet succeed.