"Poof!"
With a puff of light smoke swirling around him, Minato hadn't even managed to see the appearance of the Toad he summoned before collapsing onto the ground.
In that instant, he had nearly used up all his chakra (energy). Yet despite this, according to his estimation, he definitely wouldn't be able to summon any decent Summoning Beast.
This kind of high-level Ninjutsu, usually accessible only to Jonin, was too much for him to handle with his current strength.
He raised his eyes, and what stood before him was a toad with a bizarre, elongated body—like a Scroll rolled tightly shut.
"Gerotora?" Jiraiya's expression also changed when he saw this Scroll-shaped Toad.
The Scroll Toad first looked around at its surroundings, then without paying attention to Minato, turned to Jiraiya and said, "Since you're already in the village, there shouldn't be any need for me to deliver intelligence. Then why did you summon me here?"
Gerotora seemed slightly impatient. But as soon as Minato laid eyes on it, his expression tightened in recognition.
"The key... the key..." Unconsciously murmuring something, his face grew serious.
As Jiraiya was still explaining the situation to Gerotora, Minato suddenly blurted out, his voice sharp with urgency: "Gerotora, can you please unroll your scroll body so I can take a look?!!!"
Both Jiraiya and Gerotora were startled by Minato's tone and turned their gazes toward him.
"Minato, what's wrong with you?" Jiraiya had never seen him like this before.
"Hey kid, who are you exactly?" Gerotora sounded particularly annoyed, especially being addressed directly by name by such a young child.
Minato's face looked dazed yet determined, as he dragged his weakened body forward to stand before Gerotora, immediately realizing his previous tone had been impolite, though his expression remained urgent.
"I'm sorry," he pleaded, "but could I please see what's written on the Scroll inside your body?"
But Gerotora still ignored him.
At this moment, Jiraiya stepped beside Minato and, looking at Gerotora, said, "You were summoned by him. According to the contract, you must obey his commands."
"You're kidding me, right?" Gerotora snorted disdainfully.
Minato was only a child of seven or eight years old. Although it wasn't among the more powerful Summoning Beasts, it still required at least Chunin-level strength to successfully summon it.
"You can verify for yourself whether I'm joking or not," Jiraiya replied.
Due to the summoning contract, a trace of the summoner's chakra naturally lingers on every summoned beast.
Gerotora hesitantly sensed the tiny bit of chakra on itself and discovered it didn't belong to Jiraiya, but matched exactly with the chakra of the blond boy standing before him.
Which meant—it really had been summoned by this kid!
"I beg you," Minato whispered hoarsely, "let me see it... Please...
Minato's expression remained odd, completely ignoring Jiraiya's question beside him.
Gerotora frowned in displeasure but couldn't defy the summoning contract either. Immediately forming hand seals, his scroll-like body unfurled—revealing nothing but emptiness.
He wasn't a battle-oriented toad; he was the Scroll Toad, whose sole purpose was to transmit intelligence. The last message he delivered had been erased at Jiraiya's signal.
As he stared blankly at the empty scroll before him, memories surged unbidden into Minato's mind.
He crouched slightly, running his hand through his bangs while supporting his forehead. The red-haired woman appeared again in his consciousness. This time, thin rivulets of blood traced her delicate lips.
And she wasn't alone. Behind her stood another figure, even more indistinct.
Minato could barely tell it was a man—blood dripped from his lips, and his expression carried a feeling Minato couldn't put into words.
Regret? Acceptance? Sorrow?
Minato couldn't decipher that look, yet it involuntarily made his body tremble.
"The key..." he whispered over and over, almost unconsciously.
Gradually, the images in his mind faded away, and his pained expression finally eased.
"Teacher," Minato then noticed Jiraiya watching him all along.
"Are you okay?" Jiraiya asked.
"Yeah, sorry to worry you."
Just now, his consciousness felt hazy, and apparently his body had been trembling painfully too.
Looking up, he found that the Scroll Toad he summoned had already vanished.
"Where's Gerotora?"
Hearing that, Jiraiya smiled somewhat awkwardly. "He was a bit upset about being summoned by you, so he ended the summoning himself and returned to Mount Myoboku."
Though bound by contract to obey the summoner, summoned beasts still had minds of their own. Gerotora had actually been quite reasonable; some stronger summons might even turn against the caster during critical moments, causing disastrous consequences.
Especially in battle, even the slightest mistake could be fatal.
"I really was rude just now," Minato realized his strange behavior.
Jiraiya responded, "More importantly, what exactly happened to you?"
Seeing his teacher's concerned gaze, Minato wanted to tell him everything unusual that recently occurred to him. However, an invisible force suppressed his heart, preventing him from speaking.
It was a very eerie sensation, coming straight from within Minato.
Almost without thinking, Minato blurted out instead: "Nothing serious. Must've just pushed too hard in today's training and drained too much chakra."
Yet such an evasive explanation could hardly fool Jiraiya. Still, noticing the helplessness hidden within Minato's eyes, Jiraiya decided not to press further.
"Well then, go home and rest early. You still have class tomorrow," Jiraiya said.
"As for my training you, it's best not to mention it to anyone... After all, this is also a secret order from The Third."
Minato nodded upon hearing that.
"This is all I'm willing to teach you for now. As for future training, it depends on your own perseverance. You must run twenty laps around Konoha every day, and manage your timing yourself. I'll throw unexpected challenges at you anytime, anywhere, so you'd better prepare yourself mentally."
"Yes, sensei!" Minato nodded. Jiraiya gave him a smile and watched him leave.
Once Minato had left, Jiraiya's expression slowly grew serious. Looking toward the direction Minato had gone, he pondered in his mind.
"What could this boy possibly be hiding from me?"
...
...
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