Then, he chuckled to himself, dismissing the idea: 'Never mind, this type of novel isn't for me, and besides, the theme for the next one is already set, isn't it?'
'Tales of a Gallant Hero. I'll gather some material and then get started on it.'
Jiraiya chuckled softly: "Youth is truly wonderful."
Minato and Kushina both turned to look at Jiraiya, unsure what he meant: "Jiraiya-sama, you're not old either. You're even a few years younger than my Big Brother."
Hearing this, Jiraiya's smile grew even wider: "Kids wouldn't understand these things. We can talk about it when you're older."
The two scratched their heads and exchanged glances: "Strange adults. Will we be like this when we grow up too?"
Kushina shook her head: "Who knows."
Jiraiya naturally heard all their mumbling, but suddenly let out a hearty laugh.
"Ah, I'm really full. Everyone, let's rest a bit more, then we'll have to get going."
"Alright!"
All the ninja in the team said in unison; it was already good enough to have time for lunch. The mission was important, and they couldn't rest for too long.
Meanwhile, Yahiko and Konan had just finished eating. Yahiko drew the flowing water sword his Master had given him and gently wiped it with his clothes.
The blade was exceptionally bright, especially with the clear weather, the light shining on the sword made it even more dazzling.
"On this trip to the Land of Rain, I must hone my swordsmanship and give Master a big surprise."
Seeing Yahiko's spirited demeanor, Konan cheered him on again, then secretly vowed to herself: "I must also make progress this time; I can't let Yahiko surpass me!"
Konan still remembered the wish she made the day she became Torifu's disciple: to touch the sky.
Now, half of her wish had been fulfilled; she could already fly using her own strength.
Unfortunately, Konan's chakra wasn't enough to sustain her flight above the clouds, so she still needed to train harder.
Winning against Yahiko in the arena didn't make her complacent. Instead, to prevent Yahiko from redoubling his efforts and surpassing her, Konan trained even more diligently.
In subsequent sparring sessions with Yahiko, they each had their victories.
Overall, their strengths were evenly matched; neither was significantly superior to the other.
On this mission, Konan was also brimming with determination, intending to compete with Yahiko.
The outcome would depend on how these two children performed.
About twenty minutes later, Jiraiya spoke up again. By then, all the ninja had finished eating and taken a short nap.
Their energy was almost fully restored.
He checked the time on his phone; it was just past twelve-thirty: "Everyone, we're going to continue our journey. Pack your belongings and restore this grassy area to its original state."
As soon as Jiraiya's order was given, everyone immediately sprang into action.
Although he was always laughing, no one would underestimate him. As one of the village's few Sages, Jiraiya's reputation was quite renowned.
In less than five minutes, the entire raised plot of land had been restored. The ninja were helpless about the grass on it; they could only wait for it to regrow naturally.
Jiraiya didn't concern himself with such details; as long as it was generally acceptable and free of trash, it was fine.
It wasn't that he was being overly particular; these were strict requirements from Torifu and the rules of Konoha Village.
"Alright everyone, we're about to set off. I'll pick up the pace a bit to ensure we reach the Land of Rain before sunset. You'll need to keep up."
Among these ninja, the weakest were Chunin, so their stamina was certainly not an issue.
Not to mention they had rested a bit at noon, which was enough for them to run all afternoon.
"Don't worry, Jiraiya-sama, we can all keep up." The team leader affirmed, patting his chest.
The other ninja also shouted their agreement.
With that, Jiraiya nodded in satisfaction, then quickly ran off in the direction indicated on the map.
The sprawling ninja team quickly followed suit, maintaining a steady pace.
They didn't encounter anything unusual along the way. Bandits, brigands, and rogue ninja were now a thing of the past within the Land of Fire.
They hadn't been heard of for several years.
And the anticipated ronin attacks seemed not to have occurred; after all, a ninja team of their size was capable of engaging in small-scale skirmishes between nations, so there was no need to fear any ronin.
However, as they neared the Land of Rain, they noticed many signs of battle on the trees alongside the road.
It seemed the previous group of ninja had been ambushed by ronin en route a few days prior.
Everyone grew a little tense for a moment, fearing their comrades might have been injured or sacrificed.
Discussions also began within the team, speculating about which side had won.
"Everyone, don't be impatient. We'll reach the Land of Rain soon. When we get there, you can just ask the Hokage-sama's clone about anything. Such speculation will only waste your energy."
Jiraiya stopped the ninja from whispering among themselves before the situation escalated.
His tone wasn't particularly pleasant, and the ninja behind him were immediately cowed, promptly falling silent.
The team leader then spoke up: "Jiraiya-sama is right. I believe our Konoha Village ninja wouldn't be harmed by ronin. You should have some confidence in your comrades."
The team leader was undoubtedly playing the good cop. With him and Jiraiya working together, one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop, everyone immediately felt at ease.
"Yes, the team leader is right. We should prioritize getting there."
"Mhm, exactly."
"Right!"
Jiraiya, leading the way, revealed a slight smile on his face, and silently gave the team leader a mental thumbs-up.
Nothing else happened within the team for the rest of the journey, and they arrived smoothly at the border of the Land of Rain.
It was a strange place. Even though the Land of Fire side was still clear and sunny, by the time they reached the vicinity of the border, a light drizzle had already begun to fall from the sky.
The road became muddy, and the surrounding grassy areas transformed into treacherous marshy puddles.
One careless step could lead to trouble.
"Everyone, pay attention. Adjust your formation. Keep close to my steps and don't enter the grassy areas."
Jiraiya had been to the Land of Rain many times, and he was keenly aware of how unpleasant the terrain there was.
Among these ninja, some were seasoned veterans who had participated in the wars against the Land of Rain.
Others had been promoted to Jonin in recent years. Though they hadn't participated, they had heard about the Land of Rain's harsh terrain.
Thus, they were all extremely careful and cautious.
This was Minato's first time in the Land of Rain. Since the place was entirely self-governing, he had never been here on a mission before.