Obito widened his eyes; was it really appropriate for one of the great Sannin to be picking a fight with an eleven-year-old like him? He was just a kid!
Shisui looked surprised; it was the first time he'd ever seen Jiraiya.
He hadn't expected that this legendary Sannin would have such... such a peculiar personality.
Kakashi's expression remained unchanged; it wasn't the first time Jiraiya acted so ridiculously. The last time, he even provoked Obito, who wasn't yet Minato's disciple, to duel with him.
"Jiraiya-sensei, maybe start by discussing the current battlefield situation with Mokgetsu," called out Namikaze Minato helplessly from the side.
It was a bit tough to handle having his own teacher and disciple arguing like this.
"Just trying to lighten the mood with a joke," Jiraiya laughed as he escorted the Mokgetsu Squad into the meeting tent.
He certainly didn't mean for Obito to actually do logistics; he just thought Obito's reaction would be interesting.
"I don't need to say much about the two most troublesome and notable people in the Hidden Rock Squad. Mokgetsu, you've fought them before and know their capabilities," Jiraiya said seriously after they entered the tent.
Mokgetsu nodded.
The Hidden Rock's Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchuriki were nothing like the Three-Tails Jinchuriki he encountered on the East Coast Battlefield.
The Hidden Mist's Three-Tails Jinchuriki had to rely on a secret technique to fully enter Tailed Beast form, making him the weakest among the Jinchuriki.
Jinchuriki who can enter the complete Tailed Beast state at will have extremely strong combat capabilities; even a terrifyingly powerful move like the Tailed Beast Ball is just a bit more chakra-consuming for them.
Even Mokgetsu, facing the terrifying power of the Tailed Beast Ball, can only dodge using the Flying Thunder God, incapable of facing it head-on.
Mokgetsu could resist a Tailed Beast Ball, but the cost is too high, not worth it compared to the Flying Thunder God.
He would have to use the majority of his chakra for Armament to withstand just one Tailed Beast Ball.
"Beyond the Jinchuriki, the strongest ninja in the Hidden Rock Ninja Squad is the captain of the Hidden Rock Demolition Squad, Rekiseki, who has mastered the Explosion Release Kekkeigenkai to the utmost, able to cause explosions with both Ninjutsu and Taijutsu," Minato said, handing some documents to Mokgetsu.
"Besides the captain Rekiseki, the deputy captain Iwakura also showed up in recent battles, and compared to Rekiseki, Iwakura's Explosion Release is more adept at long-range bombing,"
Just like for the five types of Nature Transformation, different ninja have significant variations in utilizing the same Kekkeigenkai.
Mokgetsu once encountered a Hidden Cloud user of Magnet Release named Troy, who worked with magnetic control, unlike Rasa's play with Gold Sand.
"Neither captain Rekiseki nor deputy captain Iwakura ever act alone, generally bringing along at least three other Hidden Rock Demolition Squad members." Minato continued to report Hidden Rock's information.
Mokgetsu nodded, estimating that Onoki dispatched more than half of the Demolition Squad to the Land of Grass battlefield.
No wonder Sarutobi Hiruzen urgently sent Namikaze Minato to the Land of Grass battlefield.
The combined full-force bombardment of multiple Explosion Release ninjas creates powerful fire suppression, posing a huge threat to the Ninja Squad.
Coupled with the Jinchuriki's Tailed Beast Ball, it truly is an intense bombardment.
Mokgetsu, after reading the information, distributed the documents for the team members to peruse.
On the entire battlefield, really only four are qualified as his opponents: two Jinchuriki and the two Hidden Rock Demolition Squad commanders. Those other famous Jonin are probably for Kakashi and Obito to match against.
While the team members were looking through the documents, Mokgetsu explained the general situation of the Grass Village.
Yokokawa Tsutomu had formed a Grass Ninja squad to assist the Hidden Rock in battle.
But now the leader of the Grass Ninja is Ryuhi, so the former allies of Hidden Rock would turn into allies of Konoha, with their first act of betrayal against Hidden Rock being their allegiance pledge to Konoha.
Mokgetsu couldn't help but sigh at the Hidden Rock's cautious secretiveness; even when cooperating with Grass Ninja, the Grass Ninja were unaware of the Hidden Rock's base.
Before every operation plan, it was the Hidden Rock contacting the Grass Ninja, guiding them to a designated location to receive orders.
If the Grass Ninja and Hidden Rock had shared a base, Mokgetsu could have easily coordinated with the Grass Ninja to eliminate a lot of Hidden Rock's living forces.
"Now that Grass Ninja are our allies, we can unintentionally let Hidden Rock know some of our base information, then wait for Grass Ninja to pass on the intelligence," suggested Minato after listening.
Although the Grass Ninja have limited information on Hidden Rock, they are teammate with Hidden Rock, offering considerable leverage.
"Though it's somewhat aggressive, it's best to use important bases, compelling Hidden Rock to mobilize most of their forces to attack," Minato continued to present his view.
He felt the situation on the Grass Ninja side wouldn't stay hidden for long. To maximize the Grass Ninja's impact, they needed to make one significant move against Hidden Rock.
"That's not a bad idea. If we can capture those two commanders of the Demolition Squad, Hidden Rock might have to consider peace talks with Konoha," Jiraiya pondered, touching his chin.
He didn't find Minato's plan particularly aggressive, especially since he often acted with Orochimaru, who was truly the aggressive one.
Mokgetsu nodded; if there were no issues on the Grass Ninja side, Minato's plan was quite feasible.
Given Hidden Rock's current demeanor, they seemed intent on making Konoha suffer, definitely seizing any chances.
After discussing some plan details, Mokgetsu got in touch with the Grass Village for arrangements.
"What a coincidence; Minato mentioned this morning missing your cooking, Mokgetsu. And here you are this afternoon," Jiraiya laughed during a break.
Namikaze Minato revealed a puzzled expression, not remembering saying such a thing.
Though he did indeed miss it, Minato usually wouldn't vocalize it, opting instead for dreaming about it at night.
"Isn't missing something normal? Lately, I eat Teacher Mokgetsu's cooking every day and never tire of it," Obito surprisingly caught onto Jiraiya's hint and expressed with a savoring look.
Jiraiya genuinely felt tempted to assign Obito to logistics; calling him "Toad Uncle" would be glossed over, but this Jiraiya truly envied.
He could only enjoy it a few times a year, while Obito got it daily.
"To repay Teacher Mokgetsu for your kindness, let me make dinner for you tonight," Obito volunteered.
Jiraiya's face turned dark; was even his yearly opportunity going to be taken away? He felt Obito had entirely underestimated the weight of the title "Sannin."
"I heard you're already a Jonin; let me, your grandmaster, check your cultivation progress on behalf of Minato," Jiraiya grinned a dangerously gentle smile.
Disable Obito, and naturally, he won't be doing any cooking.
"Perform well, and I'll allow you to sign a contract with Mount Myoboku."
To tempt Obito, Jiraiya used the Summoning Blood Contract of one of the Three Great Holy Lands as a reward.
"Pfft, I already have a Summoning Beast." Obito wasn't taking the bait.
Although he thought less of Jiraiya compared to Mokgetsu or the Six Paths Sage, Jiraiya was still one of the named Sannin, clearly not someone he could currently challenge without being brutally beaten.
"Mount Myoboku is one of the Three Great Holy Lands, different from regular Summoning Beasts. If you meet the conditions, you can even cultivate Immortal Techniques there!" Speaking of Mount Myoboku, Jiraiya's demeanor became somewhat solemn.
Mount Myoboku marked a turning point in his life; he was once a dropout, but Mount Myoboku changed his fate.
Upon hearing the words "Immortal Technique," Obito showed signs of interest. Though he didn't understand what it was, anything prefixed with "Immortal" sounded powerful.
"Unless you test our entire squad, it's a no. Our squad acts as one unit," Obito still rejected.
He wasn't about to take a beating alone; at least Kakashi should accompany him.
Kakashi: ...
How did eating watermelon suddenly turn me into one?
PS: Not in the best shape today, so it's a bit shorter