"Of course, it's not a joke."
Ren leaned on the table with his arm and said calmly.
"Minato-nii, please let me finish."
Minato's expression softened, and he nodded slightly at Ren.
"First of all, this method is not suitable for everyone."
Ren propped his chin with his palm and said unhurriedly.
"The first requirement for cultivating Sage Mode is that the cultivator must possess a large amount of Chakra, right?"
Minato nodded without speaking, while Fugaku, not understanding this, simply sat there quietly, listening to them talk and gathering information.
"For this first requirement, quite a few Jonin in the Village meet the standard, don't they?"
A Ninja with a large amount of Chakra is not necessarily strong, but most strong individuals definitely have a lot of Chakra.
"Hmm…"
Minato pondered for a moment before nodding, acknowledging.
"There should be about fourteen or fifteen individuals in the Village who meet this standard, most of them Jonin from various prominent clans."
"Hmm."
Ren was not surprised; the probability of geniuses emerging from clan Ninja was inherently higher than from commoners, so this outcome was normal.
"The power of Sage Mode currently only exists in the Three Great Sage Regions, and we can access all three. Whether it's Summoning Technique or Sage Mode, they are all meant to help us grow stronger and protect the Village."
"Letting them master Sage Jutsu, for safety, can be done slowly, but not learning it would truly be a waste."
Ren leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed on the two of them.
Ren felt this was entirely feasible; a channel to become stronger was right there, yet it wasn't being utilized. If Konoha could grasp and utilize this power, its strategic importance would definitely be no less than that of a Tailed Beast, perhaps even exceeding it.
"What about those Sages?"
Minato pondered for a moment, his brows slightly furrowed, and he said softly.
"The prerequisite for cultivating Sage Mode is to sign a contract with the Sage Region…"
Although it was just one sentence, Ren understood his meaning.
Mount Myōboku has only signed summoning agreements with a handful of people throughout history. As for Shikkotsu Forest, Ren only knew himself and his teacher Tsunade.
As for Ryūchi Cave… it was not currently under consideration.
For such a large number of contracts, it was still debatable whether the other party would agree.
"It's fine, just invite the Sages over for a chat."
After speaking, Ren turned to Fugaku and said respectfully.
"Uncle Fugaku, I'd like to borrow your courtyard."
"Alright."
Fugaku immediately agreed. He had long heard of the legendary Three Great Sage Regions and was naturally curious.
Everyone came outside. Ren bit his finger, swiftly performed a few hand signs, and then slammed his palm onto the ground, a black magic circle appearing beneath his feet.
"Summoning Technique!"
After a low shout, white smoke erupted and then dissipated, revealing a red toad wearing goggles.
"Huh?"
Fugaku and Itachi were stunned upon seeing this toad, a look of confusion on their faces.
Is this… a Sage?
"Kōsuke, long time no see."
Ren and Minato crouched down and greeted him together.
Kōsuke the toad raised its head, its horizontal frog pupils staring at the two, and spoke.
"Is there something you need, both of you?"
"Thank you for coming. Please tell the two Sages that I have something to ask them."
Although Ren himself could directly summon the two Sages, it wasn't an emergency, and calling them over like that would be a bit impolite. So, he asked Kōsuke to relay the message; it wouldn't take much time anyway.
"Alright, then I'll head back first."
Kōsuke responded, clapped his hands, and white mist erupted again. He then disappeared.
After about five minutes, Ren turned to Minato and chuckled.
"Minato, it's your turn now."
"Huh?"
Minato was momentarily stunned, blinking his eyes, a little confused.
"It hurts a lot!"
Ren raised his hand, showing the fresh bite mark on his finger, and said grumpily.
"…I understand."
Minato suddenly felt a bit helpless. He raised his right hand and, as usual, bit his finger, an intense pain instantly shooting through him.
"Hiss!"
Minato immediately gasped, taking a sharp breath. He hadn't noticed it before, but as soon as Ren mentioned it, it suddenly felt so painful.
But pain or not, Minato didn't forget his purpose. He clapped his hands on the ground, white mist erupted, and when it dissipated, two toads appeared before everyone.
"Fukasaku Sage, Shima Sage!"
Ren and Minato quickly bowed, greeting them.
"Little Ren and Little Minato, Kōsuke told us. Is there something you need us for this time?"
Fukasaku Sage stroked his snow-white beard with his palm and chuckled.
"Indeed, there is. Let's go back inside and talk."
Although the courtyard had a nice view, it wasn't a place for guests.
"Alright."
Fukasaku Sage nodded, his gaze sweeping around before finally resting on Fugaku and Itachi, a human-like look of surprise appearing on his toad face.
"Uchiha?"
"Yes."
Fugaku stepped forward with Itachi, nodded slightly to them, and said softly.
"Welcome, both Sages, to Uchiha. I am the clan head, Uchiha Fugaku."
"Hello, Clan Head Fugaku. X2"
Both Fukasaku and Shima Sages responded with smiles.
"Hello, both Sages, I am Uchiha Itachi."
Itachi, standing nearby, also stepped forward and bowed to them.
"Oh?"
Shima Sage looked at Itachi and smiled.
"What a polite child, he reminds me of little Ren when he first came to Mount Myōboku."
"Hahaha, they really are alike."
"Alright, both Sages."
Minato stood outside the French window, saying with a hint of helplessness.
"Let's talk inside."
Once everyone was seated in the room, Fukasaku Sage looked up at the two and nodded.
"Alright, it's time for serious business. My wife hasn't made dinner yet."
"Yes."
Minato nodded, then cleared his throat. After organizing his thoughts, he began to speak.
"It's like this: we want to select a group of elite Ninja within the Village to sign contracts with Mount Myōboku. We were wondering if this is possible, which is why we asked both Sages to come and see."
"Hmm?"
The two Sages exchanged glances after hearing this, then fell silent, a look of contemplation in their frog pupils.
Ren and the others did not rush them, sitting there quietly, awaiting the outcome.
After a long while, Fukasaku Sage looked up and spoke.
"Regarding this matter, we might not be able to make the decision."
"Hmm?"
The few of them were stunned, then heard him continue.
"The Great Elder just woke up these past two days. We will go back and ask him, then give you a reply."
After the two toads finished speaking, they performed hand signs and disappeared from where they stood, leaving the few people in the living room looking at each other.