Since Kushina wanted to hear it, Hagoromo explained the situation in detail, focusing heavily on his tactical mindset during the encounter.
Kushina listened with rapt attention; after all, she never had the chance to step onto a frontline battlefield like that.
Among the four people present, Hagoromo was the participant, and Minato Namikaze was an eyewitness. Although Minato's primary focus hadn't been on Hagoromo that day, the commotion Hagoromo caused was hard to miss.
Even if he didn't know the nuances, he knew the general gist of what happened.
Because of that, Minato was particularly interested in Hagoromo's so-called "tactical mindset"... while Jiraiya, on the surface, seemed utterly bored.
"Actually, at the time, I had no idea the summon had those kinds of offensive intentions. I just thought it was having some... digestive urgency. So I thought, 'Better not let this go to waste.' If that unsanitary high-altitude projectile hit the Kazekage, it would surely produce a sort of 'mass explosion' effect... well, a psychological one. It might have crushed the Hidden Sand's morale. I figured the Kazekage himself would be too embarrassed to face the Hokage and our forces covered in that color and scent. He probably would've been mistaken for some kind of performance artist..."
"But I didn't expect it to actually explode."
This was the first time Hagoromo had described his thought process from that day, and likely the last.
Upon hearing this, Kushina immediately felt a powerful urge to expel him from her tutelage. Setting aside the question of whether it was humane, the logic was just too "non-ninja." You either don't attack, or you attack with everything you've got to kill the target—that was the correct combat mindset. What was Hagoromo thinking, trying to plaster filth all over an enemy leader?
Minato looked like he was suffering from a chronic headache. He was just glad the Kazekage never realized Hagoromo's true intentions; otherwise, the Hidden Leaf and the Hidden Sand wouldn't see peace for another five hundred years.
As for Jiraiya, his face suddenly lit up. He looked at Hagoromo with a gaze full of profound admiration... This... this kind of bizarre thinking and imagination... maybe this is the kind of person who can actually bring change to the shinobi world?
Young man, you've got ideas. Come with me and learn to be the Child of Prophecy...
Jiraiya went through a fierce internal struggle before suppressing the urge to say that out loud. His subconscious told him that if he actually went through with it, every single ninja in the world would likely lose something precious...
In truth, Hagoromo was being completely honest. On the battlefield, he really didn't know the Yatagarasu had that kind of attack. It was a brand-new summon, after all. He just thought the bird was unhygienic; he hadn't realized it wasn't just messy—it was violent.
There is a metaphysical theory that if a ninja wants to sign a contract with a summon, they need a certain "karmic bond."
Back in the day, as the Third Hokage's personal student, a young Jiraiya wanted to sign a contract with Enma, the King of Monkeys—renowned as the strongest summon. However, the Third Hokage refused, claiming their "bond" was insufficient.
Though no one knew exactly how this bond was measured, if it wasn't a fit, it wasn't a fit.
Later, while Jiraiya was practicing the Summoning Jutsu on his own, he was accidentally reverse-summoned to Mount Myoboku—a legendary land beyond common knowledge. There, the toads had already prophesied that a human would enter their realm. That was their "karmic bond."
From then on, Jiraiya didn't just sign the contract with the toads; he learned Senjutsu and heard the Great Toad Sage's prophecy regarding his destiny.
More importantly, Jiraiya found his life's mission—he would be the teacher of the "Child of Prophecy" who would lead the world toward change. His student would eventually reshape the shinobi world, ending the cycle of war and achieving true peace.
Since then, he had spent his life traveling, searching for that student.
From that perspective, Hagoromo being reverse-summoned to the Land of Rain was a bit of destiny hidden within an accident. If you look deeper, this bond often implies a similarity between the ninja and the beast. To put it bluntly: a ninja's character and "integrity" can often be measured by the integrity of their summon.
So... did Hagoromo and those particular summons of his share a certain "similarity"?
"Hagoromo, listen to me..."
For a long while after that, Kushina's focus shifted from Hagoromo's battlefield performance to an attempt at a deep psychological overhaul of her student.
Imagination is great, but those "brain holes" needed to be filled. After a long, mentally taxing lecture, she felt she had achieved some structural progress and finally let him go.
It was late, and it was time for Hagoromo to head out. However, Jiraiya stayed behind, showing no intention of leaving.
Hagoromo didn't know the specifics, but he understood the vibe. Jiraiya had serious matters to discuss with Minato. There was no way a man of his stature had come here just to let Kushina smear paste on his face.
Jiraiya was indeed there for Minato, and his news was monumental.
Once Hagoromo left, Jiraiya peeled the gunk off his face and adopted a dead-serious expression. He'd probably been waiting for the kid to leave just so he could do this.
Seeing Jiraiya turn serious, Kushina and Minato dropped their playful attitudes as well. When Jiraiya actually acted like a Sannin, he was incredibly persuasive. His expression alone proved that what he was about to say was no light matter.
After a brief silence, Jiraiya spoke: "Minato, the Third Hokage called me back primarily to discuss the succession. He intends for me to become the next Kage..."
Before Minato could even process the joy for his teacher, the next sentence caught him off guard.
"But I refused. My personality isn't suited for the office... so I recommended you."
It was a heavy conversation, and it was the right choice to keep a ninja like Hagoromo out of the loop. At this stage, the Third Hokage had only just formed the idea. He wasn't handing over the hat tomorrow; he was looking for a candidate for the Fourth Kage, not appointing one.
Over the next few days, Hagoromo waited, but no new orders came. It seemed he would have some free time on his hands.
So, he resumed a specific type of training he had put on hold for a while.
Training in the nature transformation of chakra.