Kei Yamanaka filed the matter of unique spatial coordinates away in his mind.
He eagerly checked his Personal Panel again.
Space-Time Insight, huh!
Once he fully mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, he'd be able to strike fiercely or retreat tactically—he could serve as a rearguard in retreats or spearhead charges in full-on attacks.
His survival abilities would skyrocket!
There was absolutely nothing to worry about regarding the Third Great Ninja War anymore.
"If only I could get another copy chance and also replicate 'Hyper Reaction Speed,' that would be even better."
Kei muttered under his breath, clearly dissatisfied.
He glanced at the one Keyword Draw remaining and casually tapped it to draw.
[Congratulations, Master! You've obtained a Common-rarity keyword: "Bro, You Smell So Good."]
Bro, You Smell So Good (Common): ♂ Attention towards females gradually diminishes while attention toward male peers steadily increases. The effect intensifies the longer you interact with males, culminating in "all-in attraction" levels.
Huh? What?
That blasted system.
It always managed to disappoint when expectations were high.
Kei's mouth twitched slightly.
Just a second ago, he'd been hoping for "Hyper Reaction Speed"—and this was what he ended up with?
This?! For real?!
Although he knew that in theory, Common-rarity keywords had the highest probability of being drawn during a Keyword Draw…
But this particular Common-rarity keyword wasn't just disappointing—it was downright disheartening!
"Kei? Have you overused your chakra?"
Minato Namikaze, who had been standing guard nearby, noticed his dear friend's unpleasant expression and felt slightly alarmed.
He quickly walked away from the window.
"No problem. This intelligence scroll needs to be delivered back via Mount Myoboku's frogs—thanks for handling it."
Kei took a deep breath and handed Minato the intelligence scroll mixed with some personal notes.
Though labeled as "personal," all the intelligence contained within had indeed been extracted directly from the minds of enemy ninja.
The difference lay only in how Kei had emphasized certain parts while describing them.
"Rest well. Don't push yourself too hard."
Minato accepted the scroll and, still feeling concerned, gave one final reminder before pulling out an identical small tube to the one Kei used.
He dabbed a bit of blood onto it and performed the Summoning Jutsu.
What could he say?
Ever since Kei had used that summoning technique right in front of him like that…
Every time Minato looked at the finger wounds that took days to fully heal, he couldn't help feeling foolish.
After experiencing it a few times, he finally worked up the nerve to ask Kushina for one of those tubes engraved with sealing formulas.
The seal inscriptions on the tube could preserve the vitality of blood extremely well. Even if stored for a whole year without frequent opening, the blood inside remained usable without any issues.
Poof!
As the smoke from the summoning dispersed, a small red messenger frog wearing goggles appeared in the room.
"Hey~Good evening, Minato! Jiraiya's currently visiting Mount Myoboku. Elder Fukasaku and Elder Shima are preparing a big feast. Want to join us?"
Frog Koma waved and greeted Minato.
"Huh? From where exactly did Jiraiya-sensei get summoned in reverse to Mount Myoboku?"
Minato blinked in confusion and fired off questions.
"It's from Konoha. He returned yesterday but didn't get a chance to see you and said he was really disappointed."
Frog Koma dramatically mimicked Jiraiya's mannerisms as he spoke.
"Then I'll trouble you to deliver this scroll directly to Teacher Jiraiya. Please tell him..."
A bright smile spread across Minato Namikaze's handsome face.
Normally, Mount Myoboku frogs delivering messages to Konoha required the use of an item called "Far-Sight Water."
Legend claimed it was a treasure passed down from an era even earlier than the time of the Sage of Six Paths.
It allowed even small frogs with modest builds to move swiftly through underground water veins.
It was among Mount Myoboku's most sacred inherited treasures.
The information transmission speed achieved by frogs using Far-Sight Water was much faster than the normal flying speed of ninja carrier hawks.
From message dispatch to Konoha receiving it, at most it took only an hour.
But if Jiraiya had been summoned in reverse from Konoha to Mount Myoboku, then releasing the reverse summoning technique would let him instantly return to Konoha.
Not even an hour, not even a single minute needed.
"Minato, you should go straight to Mount Myoboku yourself and have Master Jiraiya deliver this to the Analysis Team. Also, have these two transferred directly to Konoha via frog transportation."
Kei Yamanaka pulled a sealing scroll from within his robes—inside were the severed heads of Mist shinobi.
He thrust the scroll into Minato's arms.
"Erm... Actually..."
Minato thought about Elder Shima and Elder Fukasaku's 'special delicacies' and his face subtly paled with a hint of green.
But glancing at the two severely wounded prisoners beside him,
he gave an internal sigh.
Although Kei had read their memories, due to limited time, he'd only managed to retrieve part of it.
These two still held extremely high intelligence value.
Without transferring them back through Mount Myoboku, for mission confidentiality reasons, they would have to be eliminated immediately.
That would be quite wasteful.
"I know—you've been excited about Mount Myoboku's famous meal for a while now. Go ahead, I can handle things here alone!"
Kei gave him the exact same thumbs-up pose Maito Gai often used.
His textbook sunshine-boy grin nearly made Minato break character.
Absolutely terrible!
Just plain terrible!
He knew full well that Minato was reluctant to complain about Mount Myoboku's cuisine directly in front of the frog.
But he really didn't want to eat insects!
They were bugs, for crying out loud!
"Oh? So little Minato's been eager for this all along? I'll go tell Elder Shima right away~"
Frog Koma chirped cheerfully, not waiting for Minato to reply before transforming into a puff of smoke and returning to Mount Myoboku.
"No, wait—"
Minato raised his hands dramatically, his whole body stiffening.
Had he actually said anything?
Nope!
"Don't forget anything—and try to enjoy the meal, will you?"
Grinning, Kei waved him off casually, clearly excited for the show ahead.
"I… oh fine…"
Faced with his mischievous friend, Minato let out a deep sigh.
Helplessly, he activated the Summoning Technique, creating a frog so massive it occupied nearly half the room.
He had the frog swallow both severely wounded captives in one gulp.
Just as he dispelled the Summoning Technique and sent Frog Tadakatsu back to Mount Myoboku with the prisoner,
before he could say anything else, he felt the pull of a reverse summoning.
Minato frowned, taking several deep breaths.
Thinking at least he still had Teacher Jiraiya accompanying him, he gritted his teeth and agreed to the reverse summoning.
Pop!
Kei Yamanaka watched as Minato Namikaze vanished from the spot.
After grinning widely, he couldn't wait to start experimenting with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Using the method he had learned earlier from the Ninjutsu Scroll, he closed his eyes, connected with spatial energy, and guided his chakra to fuse with it.
A moment later, he placed one hand on the outside wall of the teacup before him.
A mark appeared on the cup's surface — a ring enclosing two arrows spinning clockwise inside it.
The spatial sense this gave off was several times clearer than Minato's own spatial markings,
which made Kei smirk with satisfaction.
Yet the longer he stared, the more off it felt.
Something about this mark… was off.
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