161-A New Six Paths
Even if they were informed of the consequences of their actions, they still wouldn't care since neither of the two major powers were currently allies of Konoha. Minato and his squad had already achieved the main objective of their mission.
'And we are even getting paid for it. It is fair play since all major shinobi powers do that,' Renjiro would have thought if he had been aware of the situation.
Minato didn't even bother checking the situation as he could easily send over a toad, with the help of Fukasaku, to see whether things were going in a direction beneficial to them. But he did not.
This was because everything that happened was just a part of a never-ending war, as termed by his jounin sensei. Even during the peaceful eras, villages were working on improving the quality and quantity of their forces.
The first thing Minato learned about war from his jounin sensei was that you had to know your enemy. If you succeeded in this, the war was half-won since you would be able to predict their actions.
Minato was not banking on the kages, Saitetsu or Onoki, but on those who surrounded them. These included advisors, village councils, and even in some cases, the Daimyo's court officials.
These individuals, deluded into thinking they wielded power just because of their proximity to one, were easy to manipulate. Minato just had to fan the spark of war, and the fire would grow into an inferno, which he and his squad already did. So he just waited and relaxed with his team.
It was dusk when Renjiro was still meditating. With Minato allowing them to rest, he did not consider training this time but instead meditated to save his strength for their next mission.
'Why is the chakra here different?' Renjiro wondered as he continued with his meditation. While at first, meditation required his full concentration, after doing it numerous times over the last few years, Renjiro developed muscle memory that allowed him to somehow multitask while meditating, hence his intrusive thoughts kicked in.
'It is definitely different from the one in the floating islands, let alone the mountain. I remember Naruto having his senjutsu training somewhere here, so natural energy must be present. I wonder why it doesn't have an overwhelming presence here,' Renjiro thought.
'Is it because the one Uno and her people can access is stronger? No, if it was, I am sure Naruto or even Sasuke would have somehow come across those birds. Even if they didn't include it in the anime, or any story involving the franchise, it would be just plain bad writing. So it definitely cannot be the case.' He concluded, nodding his head involuntarily.
As he was thinking, he felt a mild prickling sensation on his skin. It wasn't the sensation he felt whenever he was close to natural energy.
Minato, who he lied to saying that he was aware of senjutsu from the first Hokage, had already told him that the natural energy in Mount Myoboku was special since one could only absorb it intentionally, further drawing parallels between Mount Myoboku and the Floating Islands.
The sensation that Renjiro felt was like someone was looking at him. It would be easier than usual for someone to sneak up on him currently since his chakra field somehow did not work, something he confirmed with the rest who were going through the same thing. Eventually, Renjiro attributed it to the special nature of their environment.
Sensing something was wrong, Renjiro snapped his eyes open. To his surprise, he saw Shima, the wife of the toad that saved his and the squad's lives.
'It really is her,' Renjiro thought.
Despite being mildly surprised, he did not let it show on his face as he continued to consider the situation. 'She is just as I saw her in the anime. While Fukasaku is large, can they control their body size? he wondered.
"You don't seem to be surprised," Shima, the female toad, said.
"Well, I guess seeing a huge toad before getting here was enough for all the shock in my system to be depleted," Renjiro replied in a respectful tone.
"Fukasaku surprised you? And yet you already have a summon?" Shima said, which caught Renjiro off guard.
'How did she know?' he wondered.
Seeing the shocked look on Renjiro's face, Shima added, "Don't worry. I will not reveal this to anyone, it is not my secret to tell."
This served to reassure most of Renjiro's worries, but there was still a part of him that remained uneasy.
'How did she know? Am I walking around with a sign saying I have a summon plastered on my forehead without knowing?' Renjiro thought.
Eventually, he decided to ask, "How did you know?"
Shima did not immediately respond. She leapt closer to Renjiro before saying, "For us beasts, we can sense when a shinobi is tied to another beast with a summoning contract." She paused briefly before continuing.
"Normally, this would not be strange and go unnoticed, but when one enters into a summoning contract with one of the sages, it becomes easier to spot them. You are basically like a walking sign."
"One of the sages? I am confused," Renjiro inquired.
"You really aren't sharp, are you?" Shima teased.
"I am talking about the giant Eagle Sage. What was his name again?" Shima began, pausing as if searching for a long-lost memory. "Was it Fumio? No, he died and his daughter took over. What was her name? Yomo? No, it was rhyming. Yes, it was Momo. She must be the new Eagle Sage."
"You mean Lady Momo?" Renjiro asked, his thoughts racing.
'Why is she talking as if Lady Momo was her junior? How old is she?'
"Yes, her. It seems that she finally grew up," Shima said.
Renjiro then asked, "You mentioned that Lady Momo is one of the sages. Does that mean there are more?"
"Of course, there are more," Shima replied.
"We are actually six. There's our Great Toad Sage, who is somewhere on this mountain, followed by the Snake Sage, the Eagle Sage that I mentioned before, the Mountain Turtle Sage, the Monkey Sage, and finally the Tiger Sage. The number of sages is limited since we all represent different aspects of nature, or the natural energy forming nature to be specific."
'Six Sages? Different aspects? What the hell does this mean? Are they somehow related to the Six Paths? Something like the Six Paths of Senjutsu?' Renjiro thought, his mind spinning with this new information.
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