"...That concludes the full report of this mission," Jiraiya said, handing the mission report to the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage took it, puffed on his pipe, and then said, "I didn't expect ninja to be involved in this mission. However, the reward for this mission is only 50,000 ryo. How about this: the village will supplement another 50,000 ryo, and we will change the mission rank to B-Rank."
"Oh, alright," Jiraiya nodded indifferently.
After discussing official matters, the Third Hokage inquired about the performance of the three during the mission.
Jiraiya thought for a moment, then said, "All three of them are excellent, and they adapted to the ninja life very quickly. Kyuushin usually acts as the commander; he formulates all the details of the mission, including the combat plans. Moreover, his maturity is simply unlike that of a child. Minato and Nawaki are also very competent. Minato is a bit more steady, while Nawaki tends to be more impulsive, but Kyuushin keeps him in check."
After some thought, he also relayed Kyuushin's conjectures regarding the Land of Rain and the Land of Iron to the Third Hokage, concluding, "Kyuushin seems to have a very strong grasp of the ninja world's situation; perhaps even I can't compare to him in that regard."
The Third Hokage pondered it carefully, then nodded. "That is indeed a very reasonable conjecture. And according to the intelligence collected by the Anbu on Hanzō, this matter is very likely to come true. In fact, the Land of Rain has already started to become restless." He clicked his tongue. "High talent and a good mind. This reminds me of the Second Hokage; he really is quite similar."
...
In fact, Kyuushin and the others had returned the previous night. The journey back was light, taking only four or five days. Kyuushin had a good night's rest, and Kushina was very happy to see him this morning. After breakfast, she went to school, while Mito inquired about the mission. Kyuushin and Nawaki naturally chose to recount the more pleasant parts, omitting any major difficulties they encountered.
Mito listened with a smile, not interrupting them. After a while, Kyuushin suddenly asked, "Grandma, I remember the clan has a rather powerful sensory ninjutsu. Can I learn it now?"
"Are you talking about Kagura's Mind's Eye?" Mito thought for a moment before saying, "This jutsu requires strong spiritual power. Even adult Uzumaki might not be able to meet the requirements, but in your case, you can give it a try."
Kagura's Mind's Eye is considered one of the strongest sensory ninjutsu. It is said that once mastered, any abnormal movements within a radius of several tens of kilometers can be detected. Previously, on their mission, if Kyuushin had possessed this ability, there would have been no situation where the enemy was hidden while they were exposed. The missions he would receive from now on were very likely to involve other ninja. If he could learn this jutsu, it would be of great help.
Because the jutsu is quite complex, Mito did not just hand him a scroll. Instead, she personally demonstrated it for him, explaining as many of the intricate details as possible. Fortunately, Kyuushin was not in a hurry. Having just completed a mission that lasted over a month, he naturally had a few days off.
Seeing Kyuushin's dedication, Nawaki naturally joined him in training. In the afternoon, at the scheduled meeting time, Jiraiya and Minato were already waiting when Kyuushin and Nawaki arrived.
"This mission has been upgraded to B-Rank, and the bounty has doubled," Jiraiya said. "After deducting the village's portion, it's a total of 80,000 ryo. You can split it." As he spoke, he pulled out a wad of banknotes and handed them to Kyuushin.
"Don't the Jonin in charge also get 40%?" Kyuushin asked curiously.
Jiraiya waved his hand. "I don't need it. You take it." Given the number of missions Jiraiya had completed, he certainly wouldn't care for this amount of money.
"Alright, thank you, Sensei." Seeing Jiraiya's insistence, Kyuushin had no choice but to accept. "To celebrate the success of our first mission, let's treat Sensei to some barbecue." Nawaki and Minato also nodded in agreement.
"Jiraiya-sensei, what should we do next? Should we continue taking on missions?" Minato asked after dinner.
Jiraiya picked his teeth and said, "Missions must still be carried out, but they might not require us to travel so far. For the rest of the time, you can follow me for training. Not today, though. You've just been out for so long, so rest for a day. Tomorrow, I'll take you for training."
The next morning, by a pond in the back hills of Konoha, Jiraiya sat on a large rock with the three genin lined up in front of him.
"Currently, your biggest shortcoming is the lack of Nature Transformation techniques," he said. "Therefore, for a period of time, I will prioritize teaching you some practical elemental jutsu, as well as the corresponding nature transformations." After speaking, he took out a large scroll, unrolled it, formed hand signs, and slapped it.
"Bang—" Suddenly, many smaller scrolls appeared on the ground. "Your attributes are concentrated in Wind, Water, and Earth Release. I have prepared various ninjutsu of these three attributes for you, basically covering multiple aspects. In addition, there are also some insights on learning Nature Transformation. These will be the key contents you need to master next." Jiraiya tossed the scrolls to them one by one.
"Alright, that's generally it. Now, let's officially begin." As he spoke, Jiraiya formed hand signs and created three Shadow Clones. These clones would teach them individually, while he himself, of course, lay down to rest.