Chương 135

"Well that could be possible. He might have acquired it. But god he must be one nut job to even allow himself to be experimented upon." Rei said. This also made everyone realize that what Rei said was correct. If Danzo really had wood release than it was absurd how deranged the person was.

"It also explains why Orochimaru was able to sneak inside Konoha so easily." Tsunade added quietly.

"He had already produced one successful subject, thanks to that Danzo. There was every reason for him to continue." There was silence around and everyone could tell that the situation around them got more complicated. But among everything Tsunade was beyond angry. It was one thing to play politics in front of her, but another to desecrate her grandfather's body. She wanted to kill him right here and now but she knew that couldn't be done.

"Then how should we deal with him?" Tsunade asked. Jiraiya remained silent for several moments, his fingers lightly tapping against the wooden table as he organized the countless thoughts racing through his mind. Finally, he looked toward Tsunade before speaking in a voice that had regained its usual calmness, though the seriousness behind it remained unmistakable.

"We wait." Everyone turned toward him.

"As much as I'd like to drag Danzo into an interrogation room this very moment, Rei himself has already admitted that everything we have is still circumstantial. Suspicion, even strong suspicion, isn't enough to remove someone who has sat on Konoha's council for decades. If we act now and fail, he'll become even more cautious than he already is." Tsunade reluctantly clenched her fists beneath the table before slowly nodding. She hated admitting it, but Jiraiya was right.

Charging at Danzo without irrefutable evidence would only allow him to portray himself as the victim of political persecution, something neither she nor the village could afford during the fragile transition between Hokage.

"We'll let Rei complete his S-rank mission first," Jiraiya continued.

"Meanwhile, we'll quietly investigate Danzo from every possible angle. We aren't limited to Konoha anymore. We have another world filled with resources, technology and methods of investigation we've never even imagined. If Danzo has buried his secrets well in this world, perhaps we'll find ways over there to uncover them." Kakashi slowly nodded in agreement.

"Gather evidence first." Shizune followed immediately.

"And once we have undeniable proof..."

"Then we move." Tsunade finished, her eyes hardening with resolve.

"Not before." Rei gave a small nod of approval.

"That's good enough. I don't mind waiting if waiting means we expose everything instead of merely removing one man. If Danzo falls, Root must not simply scatter into the shadows. The entire organization has to be dealt with properly." Everyone around the table silently agreed. The discussion gradually came to an end, and despite the heavy topic, the remaining meal passed in relative peace.

Naruto quickly returned to asking ridiculous questions about New York though now he was also interested in the first Hokage and what the wood release was, Sakura repeatedly apologized for his lack of table manners, and even Sasuke quietly participated whenever Rei compared strange foods from the other world to dishes found throughout the Five Great Nations. Eventually the plates were cleared away, and one after another everyone prepared to leave.

Kakashi returned to his duties, Tsunade and Shizune headed back toward the Hokage Tower, while Hana and Daichi remained behind to clean the house despite repeated protests from their guests. Naruto loudly thanked Hana for the meal several times before Team Seven finally departed together. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Only Jiraiya and Rei continued walking beyond the village.

The bustling sounds of Konoha gradually faded behind them until they reached a quiet clearing surrounded by towering trees. Jiraiya stopped beside a weathered stone and reached inside his large scroll, withdrawing another, much older scroll whose edges had become worn with age.

"This," Jiraiya said as he carefully spread it across the stone, "is the Toad Summoning Contract." Rei observed the enormous parchment. Countless names, each written in blood, stretched down the ancient scroll. Minato Namikaze. Jiraiya. Other names, far older, had faded with time, each representing someone who had earned the trust of Mount Myōboku.

"You'll need to sign it first," Jiraiya explained.

"The elder toads specifically requested your presence. Before they can use Reverse Summoning to bring you there, you must become an official contractor of Mount Myōboku."

"Jiraya-sama what did you tell them about your new senjutsu?"

"Maa is happy, but Paa isn't." Jiraya to which Rei gave a confused look.

"Oh yeah! Sorry I forgot you don't know them. They are Fukasaku and Shima, elders of Mt. Myoboku."

"Oh! So why is Fukasaku isn't happy?" Rei asked.

"You should call him by honorifics. They are quite old." Jiraya said.

"Okay, will remember." Rei said. He acted his part of playing the dumb who didn't know anything while he knew exactly where he was going and whom he was going to meet.

"They don't understand yet of how I got so good in manipulating nature chakra, but they feel I have failed in it as my body changes a lot, and perfect sage transformation would be the one who has the least influence on the body. At first, they thought I lost it, but once they came to know I am sane and powerful they didn't protest against, but they aren't happy with it."

"I understand. I have very less idea of Senjutsu and whatever I know is from Jugo." Rei replied.

"I know and for someone to even know that the first Hokage had wood release, one needed to dive deep into the library and history books. You Rei, have really surprised all of us."

"What did you tell them of where you learnt the new Senjutsu?" Rei asked.

"I said that you taught as you seem to have learnt it naturally. I had to lie as your contract didn't allow me to speak the truth. Your kekkei genkai is really quite powerful." Rei just smiled. Without hesitation, Rei bit the tip of his thumb. A bead of crimson blood welled onto his fingertip before he calmly wrote his name beneath Jiraiya's. The moment the final stroke was completed, the scroll briefly shimmered with faint chakra before returning to normal. Jiraiya smiled.

"Good." He rolled the contract back up before placing two fingers together in a familiar seal.

"Now all that's left... is for Mount Myōboku to summon you." Somewhere far beyond the human world, an ancient pair of elder toads were already preparing the Reverse Summoning Technique. And once they realized it was done, the wait began. They didn't have to wait as suddenly both Jiraya and Rei, vanished with a puff of white smoke The sensation of Reverse Summoning was unlike anything Rei had ever experienced. There was no feeling of speed or movement.

One moment he stood within the quiet forest outside Konoha, and the next, the world itself seemed to fold around him. As the white smoke dispersed, a completely different landscape greeted his eyes, carrying with it air so rich in natural energy that every instinct within his Sage senses immediately awakened. Rei slowly looked around in silence. Towering stone mountains stretched toward the heavens, their weathered faces covered with enormous moss and winding vegetation.

Giant mushrooms, some as large as houses, grew naturally across the landscape, while crystal-clear streams flowed between ancient rock formations. Massive stone stairways connected shrines carved directly into the mountainside, and in the distance an enormous waterfall of sacred oil poured endlessly into a tranquil basin below. Scattered throughout the mountain were gigantic toads moving about as though their immense size were the most ordinary thing in the world.

"... The concentration of natural energy..." Rei murmured quietly. Unlike the forests surrounding Konoha, Mount Myōboku itself seemed alive. Every breeze carried dense, refined natural energy that flowed effortlessly through the surroundings without the slightest hint of instability. Even before consciously drawing it in, Rei could feel it brushing gently against his skin, making the entire mountain resemble a sanctuary where nature itself had reached perfect harmony.

Jiraiya smiled after watching Rei absorb the scenery.

"I had almost the same expression when I first arrived here after I learnt the Senjutsu from you," he admitted.

"For Sage practitioners, there are very few places in the world that compare to Mount Myōboku. Take your time looking around. The mountain has existed for centuries, long before the hidden villages were ever founded." Before Rei could reply, two elderly toads hopped toward them from the entrance of a nearby temple. One was small and green with thick white eyebrows and a long goatee, while the other wore an apron and possessed a warm, grandmotherly appearance despite her imposing size.

Their wise eyes immediately settled upon the newest human standing beside Jiraiya.

"Welcome to Mount Myōboku," the elder male toad said with a gentle smile. So you're the young man Jiraiya's been telling us about. Come inside, both of you! We were just about to have lunch."