The children immediately got busy. Although they were all a little tired after a full day of travel and work, the thought of food certainly gave them a burst of one hundred percent energy.
"Alright! We'll do it right now!"
Jiraiya walked to the door and opened the apartment. It was the same familiar face. "Jiraiya-sama, we meet again. This is the dinner Hokage-sama ordered for you. Please enjoy."
A group of people entered the room and placed a variety of dishes and main courses on the dining table, then left the apartment. They were aware of the relationship between Jiraiya and the Hokage, and also that these children were all well-connected. Naturally, they were slightly more respectful than yesterday, with a hint of flattery in their words.
Jiraiya, however, paid no attention to any of that; all he could think about now was starting to eat!
"Good, good. If there's nothing else, I won't see you out. Thanks for your service!" Jiraiya said impatiently, immediately closing the door and rushing to the dining table to begin feasting.
The person outside could only sigh helplessly. "Ai, forget it. This person seems a bit dim. Let's go."
The delivery team behind him also felt a bit helpless and left grudgingly.
In mere moments, the dining table looked like it had been hit by a whirlwind. Everyone was eating frantically. To call it "eating" was already an understatement, as their table manners were quite poor. Having been hungry all day, everyone ignored their appearance and ate with gusto.
Although they had consumed Soldier Pills during the day to replenish their stamina, that merely satisfied their minds and stomachs, not their mouths. Soldier Pills had neither good flavor nor texture. How could they compare to the comfort of this huge feast?
About ten minutes later, nothing was left on the table, and everyone's stomachs were round and full. Since it was nighttime, they didn't have to worry about gaining weight, as they would be embarking on a long journey tomorrow to search for more rogue ninja camps. This was simply a sensible way to replenish their strength.
After finishing the meal, everyone gathered the trash and placed it outside the apartment door, where someone would collect it in the morning.
Once done, they each began their personal training. Yahiko and Konan focused mainly on Chakra cultivation. Long-distance outdoor missions demanded both stamina and Chakra. Since a large portion of the Land of Rain's terrain consisted of marshes and wetlands, finding clear paths required extensive detours. Thus, the ability to walk on water was a necessary skill. Sometimes, a single lake could stretch for several kilometers, making Chakra consumption a serious matter. Although their Chakra reserves were already considered high among ninjas of the same rank, they still felt somewhat fatigued after a full day of travel. Therefore, focusing on this now, even as a last-minute effort, would definitely have some effect.
Kushina, on the other hand, had no such concerns. As a ninja of the Uzumaki Clan, she couldn't understand why ordinary ninjas worried about running out of Chakra. Wasn't it just a seemingly inexhaustible resource? Why spend time cultivating it? Didn't everyone simply come with a "billion points" of it built-in?
The matter Kushina needed to focus on was learning Medical Ninjutsu. Ashina had also recommended she learn it, so she had specifically studied under Tsunade for a period. She learned a few Medical Ninjutsu techniques suitable for her, and now she just needed to continuously refine them. She was already seeing initial results, able to easily treat some injuries the group encountered on the road.
The three of them were practicing relatively basic, common skills that required steady practice and learning.
Minato, however, had a very arduous task: learning Sage Mode!
Earlier today on the road, while the five were resting in a cave, Minato had already attempted the training. He achieved a small effect, which pleased him. Jiraiya did not initially tell him what to do, choosing instead to let Minato figure it out on his own. Jiraiya only intended to offer guidance when Minato truly encountered an insurmountable bottleneck.
However, according to Torifu, Minato's talent for Sage Mode didn't seem particularly great. Jiraiya didn't know the exact degree of "not particularly great," so he could only proceed one step at a time. The best outcome was for Minato to grasp the essentials of Sage Mode during this trip.
'Big Brother Torifu said that his Sage Mode is different from Mount Myoboku's, and that I only need to offer timely guidance. I'll just stick to that plan, lest I interfere with Big Brother's instructions,' Jiraiya thought. Furthermore, Mount Myoboku had a rule that he couldn't privately teach Sage Mode to others; anyone who wanted to join their faction had to be brought to Mount Myoboku to train. Since Jiraiya had no intention of poaching people, he quietly watched the boy train.
About twenty minutes passed. Minato made a little progress, but not much.
'It's exactly as Big Brother said. His talent really seems very ordinary. It's not even close to his talent for space-time ninjutsu.'
Minato seemed to have realized that his talent wasn't particularly good, but Big Brother Torifu had told him that this "one-stop-shop" method of Sage Mode training could be successfully learned by anyone, regardless of talent. Therefore, Minato was neither anxious nor irritated. He calmly began to practice slowly, meticulously refining his process, and attempting to absorb natural energy.
'He's not using any medium to absorb the natural energy? Will Big Brother's method actually work?'
Jiraiya himself had suffered immensely when he first tried to absorb natural energy, requiring the use of toad oil to assist his training. This boy was attempting to absorb natural energy directly, without any aids?
'Perhaps this is just how Big Brother's training method works. I'll just observe for now and not worry too much.'
Minato could feel a mysterious power entering his body, and his body's cells began to stir, seeming to reject the energy. He did not panic. Following the procedure, he slowly began to suppress the reaction while continuing to absorb the energy. Soon, the body's reaction lessened significantly, as if it was learning to accept this power. Minato felt relieved and continued his attempt.
Jiraiya nodded to himself secretly. 'Big Brother's method has substance. I was just about to step in.' Natural energy, if not controlled properly, could be lethal. The countless stone toad statues on Mount Myoboku were all former humans who had failed to control the natural energy and were transformed into stone.
And yet, Minato managed to suppress it so easily? What kind of method was this?
Also, this was what Torifu called "not particularly talented"?
Jiraiya was a bit confused, feeling like Torifu was playing a joke on him. However, he didn't dare to be careless, so he remained seated not far from Minato, continually observing him.