Border of the Land of Water.
After nearly three months of combat, the Konoha forces led by Tsunade finally reached the border of the Land of Rain. Unlike the constant rain in the heart of the nation, only occasional raindrops fell here.
The sun brightened everyone's spirits, dispelling the gloom that had settled. In front of the group, Tsunade took two deep breaths and exhaled slowly, her eyes shining more brightly.
"Finally, we're about to leave this dreadful place," Tsunade said with a smile.
Orochimaru, standing next to her, also smiled, which was rare for him.
While the team revelled in the atmosphere, Minato sensed something and formed a hand seal.
"Bang!"
A communication toad from Mount Myoboku appeared in his hand. Minato performed another seal, and the toad spat out a scroll from its mouth.
"Thank you."
Minato murmured to the toad, then dispelled the summoning jutsu, sending the toad back to Mount Myoboku.
His figure blurred into a faint yellow light as he navigated through the crowd and handed the scroll to Tsunade.
"Lady Tsunade," Minato greeted respectfully.
Tsunade nodded slightly, took the scroll, read it, and a slight grin appeared on her face.
"Just as expected," she remarked. Turning to the ninjas, she announced, "Sandaime ordered us to head to the Land of Rivers first."
The ninjas acknowledged, and Hatake Sakumo adjusted their course based on his map before resuming their journey.
The Konoha troops moved at a steady pace, not in any rush. As they marched, hundreds of ninjas exchanged conversations.
"Aren't we supposed to attack the Land of Wind? Why are we heading to the Land of Rivers first?" Nawaki wondered aloud, looking at Minato. Though younger than him, Minato was already a special jonin and often knew things others didn't. Their close friendship allowed such candid exchanges.
"Strategically, the Land of Rivers acts as a buffer zone between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire. We just exited the Land of Rain. Transitioning immediately to the Land of Wind could cause some ninjas to fall ill due to the drastic change in environment," Minato explained.
"Why?" Nawaki asked, puzzled.
Minato continued, "Unlike the perpetually rainy Land of Rain, the Land of Wind is mostly desert with high temperatures. A sudden shift from a wet to a hot climate can naturally make some people unwell."
Ninjas, being human, could fall sick too.
"Entering the Land of Rivers, whose climate is similar to the Land of Fire, will provide a necessary adjustment period. Plus, it's unrealistic to enter the Land of Wind with just a few hundred people. We'll need to wait for reinforcements from the village," Minato added.
Nawaki understood and then curiously asked, "Did you read the scroll's contents? How do you know all this?"
"I'm merely a messenger; I don't get to read the intelligence," Minato laughed.
"Oh," Nawaki replied, then chuckled, "Over time, you're starting to seem quite intimidating."
Minato was momentarily taken aback.
"Whether in strength or intellect, I feel I'm far behind you, despite you being younger than me," Nawaki mused. While his own achievements were notable, Minato's were incomparable. Having been the Fourth Hokage, Minato's growth, propelled by experiences and the Nine-Tails' transformation, hinted at an even more astonishing future.
Minato smiled awkwardly without responding.
After a day of slow travel, the Konoha troops entered the Land of Rivers, completely shaking off the gloom that had surrounded them.
"Let's rest here today," Tsunade instructed at dusk as the troops settled in a forest within the Land of Rivers.
Aside from the required patrols and sentries, Tsunade didn't assign many people for guard duty. This was near the Grass Country border. Other than Sand Village from the Land of Wind, there was no immediate enemy threat. The Sand Ninja Army had already retreated to Sand Village.
At this time, Sand Village likely received information about Konoha's intentions and would be nervously mobilizing.
In a secluded spot in the forest, Minato practiced. As night fell, he focused chakra into his palm, forming a rotating blue sphere.
Rasengan!
But he wasn't done yet. As Rasengan stabilized in his hand, a gentle breeze began to gather around its edges, but sweat dripped from his forehead.
"Bang!"
With concentration broken, the Rasengan burst apart. Minato pulled back swiftly, retreating several meters.
"I still haven't figured it out," he muttered self-critically. He was attempting to perfect the Rasengan by incorporating nature transformation into its form change—a significantly challenging task.
Despite repeated failures over the past weeks, Minato remained undeterred. He knew that mastering nature transformation of the Rasengan would elevate it to an S-level technique. Having refined S-level space-time ninjutsu, he understood the formidable difficulty of practicing, enhancing, let alone creating such jutsu.
As he prepared to conjure Rasengan again, a familiar presence approached.
Between the trees, a figure appeared before Minato.
"It's dark. What are you doing?"
Hatake Sakumo, marked by his distinctive short sword and white hair, approached with a gentle expression.
Momentarily stunned, Minato responded with a developing idea in mind.
"I'm working on a new ninjutsu."
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