Shin-chan's arms and legs flailed in midair. "Where are we going?"
"To a good place." Jiraiya's wooden sandal tapped against the eaves, and he leaped toward the front-left.
"What good place?"
Jiraiya blurted out, "The hot springs."
Then he looked down at the five-year-old child he was carrying and immediately changed his words.
"The waterfall past the hot springs."
Shin-chan's eyes, which had been narrowed by the wind, slowly widened. His eyebrows lifted.
"What you wanted to say just now was hot springs, right?"
Jiraiya's wooden sandal slipped slightly on the roof tiles. "The waterfall past the hot springs."
"But you paused after saying 'hot springs.'"
Jiraiya could feel the little thing in his hand looking at him with a very subtle gaze.
Namikaze Minato caught up from behind and landed on the same rooftop beside Jiraiya.
"What hot springs?"
"Nothing." Jiraiya answered very quickly.
Shin-chan struggled to look up at Jiraiya's chin. "Weird uncle, do you like hot springs?"
Jiraiya coughed dryly. "No. The air by the waterfall is better."
"Hot springs have air too."
"The waterfall air is cooler."
"The hot spring water is warmer."
Jiraiya was silent for three seconds.
"How do you know so much about hot springs?"
"I like them too," Shin-chan said seriously. "There are pretty big sisters at hot springs."
Jiraiya's steps paused.
Shin-chan continued, "Last time I went to the hot springs with Dad, there was a big sister wearing a pink yukata. Her hair was really long, and her eyes curved when she smiled."
Jiraiya's Adam's apple moved.
"Don't you like pretty big sisters?" Shin-chan asked.
Jiraiya's gaze drifted uncontrollably toward Namikaze Minato.
Namikaze Minato was following beside him with his usual gentle smile, seemingly not noticing the conversation at all.
Jiraiya took a deep breath and quickened his pace, his wooden sandals clacking rapidly across the rooftops.
"We are going to the waterfall," he said one word at a time. "Wa-ter-fall."
Shin-chan swayed in midair and made a vague "mm-hm" sound.
Behind them, Namikaze Minato laughed softly, so quietly that the wind covered it.
After about ten minutes, the sound of water came from the distance. The farther they went, the louder it became.
The waterfall appeared before them.
Water poured down from a cliff more than ten meters high, crashing into the pool below and splashing up white mist. Sunlight shone from the top of the waterfall, refracting a faint rainbow through the mist.
Shin-chan's mouth slowly opened wide.
"Wow!!!"
He stood there, looking up, both hands unconsciously raised as if he wanted to hug the entire waterfall.
Then he started running forward.
"Shin-chan, don't run too far."
Before Namikaze Minato could finish speaking, Shin-chan had already crouched beside the pool and stuck his hand into the water.
"So cold!"
He pulled his hand back and shook off the water droplets.
Namikaze Minato sat down on a rock beside the pool and watched Shin-chan run around by the water.
Jiraiya watched for a while, then crouched beside the pool and stirred the water with his hand.
"Minato."
"Mm."
"How do you plan to teach him the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
Namikaze Minato thought for a moment. "First, build a foundation in sealing techniques. Then teach him how to sense formulas. Only after that comes the actual construction of the formula."
Jiraiya nodded. "But you saw it too. He can't sit still."
"I know."
"Sealing techniques are something most genin can't even understand." Jiraiya shook his head. "You're making a five-year-old child sit at a desk and draw symbols. Even if he draws until next year, he still won't get anywhere."
Namikaze Minato did not argue.
Shin-chan's cheers came from the pool.
"What is the essence of the Flying Thunder God Technique?" Jiraiya asked.
"A space-time ninjutsu," Namikaze Minato answered. "It uses formulas to mark spatial coordinates and achieve instant movement."
"Right." Jiraiya nodded. "Space-time ninjutsu. The Flying Thunder God is one, and the Summoning Jutsu is one too."
Shin-chan ran back from the pool, both hands dripping wet, the hems of his pants soaked halfway up. His shoes made squeaky wet sounds as they stepped on the rocks.
"Weird uncle, what are you talking about?"
"We're talking about the Summoning Jutsu." Jiraiya turned to look at him.
Shin-chan's eyes lit up.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
"You know it?"
Shin-chan put both hands on his hips and puffed out his chest. "Of course I know. Because I can use the Summoning Jutsu too."
"You can use the Summoning Jutsu?" Jiraiya looked him up and down. "When did you learn it?"
Shin-chan tilted his head and thought about it. "That day."
"What day?"
"That day is that day."
Jiraiya looked at Namikaze Minato.
Namikaze Minato gently shook his head, indicating that he didn't know about this either.
Shin-chan wiped his dripping hands on his clothes, then took a step back. "Watch carefully."
Jiraiya crossed his arms and leaned back against the rock behind him.
Namikaze Minato also sat up a little straighter.
Shin-chan formed hand seals with both hands and pressed them to the ground.
"Come out, Shiro!!!"
His voice echoed twice through the valley.
The waterfall kept flowing.
Ripples spread through the pool in circles.
Nothing happened.
Jiraiya's expression froze.
Shin-chan remained still, both hands pressed to the ground.
After another three seconds...
A gray pigeon flew up from a nearby tree, flapping through the waterfall mist before disappearing into the forest on the other side.
Shin-chan lowered his hands and scratched the back of his head.
"Weird."
"The Summoning Jutsu is different from ordinary ninjutsu," Jiraiya said, shaking his head. "It doesn't work just by forming hand seals. You need to use your own blood as a medium. Without blood, you can form seals a hundred times and still won't summon anything."
"So that's how it works!"
"You didn't know that before?"
Shin-chan shook his head hard. "No wonder I couldn't call him out at home no matter how many times I tried."
Jiraiya stood up and rolled his wrist.
"Watch carefully. I'll only do it once."
He raised his right hand in front of himself and pressed his thumb against the corner of his mouth. A smear of red seeped out.
Shin-chan's eyes widened. "You bit it with your mouth?"
"What else?"
Shin-chan's face scrunched into a ball. "Doesn't that hurt?"
Jiraiya did not answer that question. He pressed his bloodstained palm to the ground.
Black formulas spread outward from his palm.
"Summoning Jutsu."
With a poof, a huge cloud of white smoke exploded beside the pool.
When the smoke dispersed, a toad as tall as an adult was crouching there.
"Little Jiraiya~" Gamariki's voice became sweet and cloying. "It's been so long since you called me out. I missed you so much."
Jiraiya coughed dryly. "Long time no see, Gamariki."
Gamariki hopped forward and leaned close to Jiraiya. Its huge red lips glistened under the sunlight. "You never summon me anymore. I've been so lonely."