Far from the continent, Yahiko was half-leaning on the ground, dry heaving for a while.
After emptying the small amount of stomach acid left in his stomach, he grimaced and picked up a grilled fish beside him to take a bite.
Konan sighed. Her already somewhat pale face turned even paler at the sound of Yahiko's retching. The hand hidden in her sleeve reached out several times but retracted just as many times.
She really didn't have the courage to pick up the grilled fish in front of her.
Thanks to the survival skills and knowledge Jiraiya had taught them back then, even though they were stranded on a deserted island, survival wasn't particularly difficult since they could all use Water Release, and Yahiko and Nagato could use Fire Release.
The real problem was that the food supply on this island was absolutely terrible.
It was only the seventh day on the island, yet not a single seabird could be seen anymore. It wasn't that they had eaten hundreds of seabirds—it was that the seabirds, sensing danger, had all migrated away!
And from that moment on, their diet consisted of wild vegetables with fish stew, sea snail stew, seaweed stew with fish, tree root stew with fish, grilled fish, grilled scallops, stone-grilled fish, dried fish slices...
Seafood, seafood, seafood—every single meal was seafood.
It had been almost a month!
No matter how they tried to change things up, without proper seasonings, fish was still just fish. Now, even when she went to the bathroom, she could smell the lingering stench of fish.
"Konan, hurry up and eat. We'll head out after finishing." Nagato took a deep breath, mentally prepared himself, and picked up the grilled fish from the fire.
They had been stranded on the island for nearly a month.
Other than the Clam clan's ancestor, Shen, who had consistently avoided them, Nagato had already used his Rinnegan to try and communicate with every intelligent clam around the island. However, because these clams had lived here since birth, the information they could provide was extremely limited.
All they knew was that this place was very, very far from the Land of Water.
As for how far? No idea.
Konan had even used her Paper Release to fly in all four cardinal directions, but she found no trace of any island or land.
They had considered countless possibilities.
Maybe Minato had deliberately left them here under Jiraiya's orders to test their willpower?
Maybe Minato was forgetful and had simply forgotten about them for a while?
Or maybe... Minato had gotten into trouble or even died?
After all, it had been almost a month.
That kunoichi named Kurenai occasionally summoned members of the Clam clan, yet... Minato had never summoned them even once.
What kind of ninja would completely ignore their summon contract? Wouldn't he need his summoning beasts for missions and battles?
What was even more infuriating was that they had begged a few frequently summoned clams to deliver a message to Kurenai, asking her to get them out of here. But that woman just laughed and sent back a huge bag of sanitary pads and a few pairs of underwear for Konan.
Along with a note that said: Take care of your hygiene. Let me know when you're done.
And a book titled "How Women Can Protect Themselves."
She looked so gentle and lovely, but her personality was horrible! Was this how Minato trained his students?!
Okay, maybe Minato wasn't that nice either. Otherwise, why would he abandon them here?
"Hmm." Konan let out a soft response, reluctantly picking up the grilled fish in front of her.
After receiving that package from Kurenai, they had decided not to sit around like fools waiting for rescue.
Instead, they started cutting down trees and collecting materials to build their own means of escape. Since they had never built anything before, their first large raft was overturned and destroyed by the waves the moment it left the mist-covered area of the island.
They had no choice but to return and start over.
Now, their new ship was several times larger than the original, reinforced and forged using the power of the Rinnegan. They had also prepared a huge stockpile of seafood and edible plant stems.
Since all three of them knew Water Release, they were determined—absolutely determined—to leave this deserted island and return to human civilization! And when that time came, she swore—she would never eat seafood again.
She would eat ramen, dango, onigiri, yakitori...
Mmm! That smelled so good!
Just as she was mentally preparing herself, an unbelievable aroma suddenly filled her nose. She turned her head and saw a massive black clam riding the ocean waves, approaching the shore not far from them.
The black clam opened its shell.
A thick mist burst forth, forming the words: "WELCOME HOME."
Below it was an exaggerated smiling face of Jiraiya.
Inside the black clam's shell, a luxurious feast was laid out, waiting for them.
"Hiss…" Yahiko pinched his own thigh hard, sucking in a sharp breath.
"It's not a genjutsu." Nagato swallowed, his eyes locked onto the feast before them.
"Jiraiya-sensei…" Konan covered her mouth with both hands, nearly bursting into tears of joy on the spot.
Under Yahiko's lead, the three of them rushed into the black clam without hesitation. With a puff of summoning smoke rising into the air. they finally left the deserted island that had haunted their nightmares.
Inside a tent at the Konoha camp, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan sat around a table, wolfing down their food.
Jiraiya, standing nearby, turned to the medical-nin who had just finished examining them.
"No major issues," the medic reported. "But prolonged exposure to a damp environment and an imbalanced diet have caused gout. The muscle cramps and other symptoms likely resulted from severe diarrhea, which led to electrolyte imbalance."
At the mention of diarrhea, the three eating ninjas froze momentarily, their faces filled with unspeakable trauma.
They swore—never again would they eat fish!
"Gout? Electrolytes?" Jiraiya looked confused, clearly unfamiliar with these medical terms.
"Well, such conditions are rare in the Land of Fire," the medic explained. "But it's nothing serious. With some dietary adjustments and minor treatment, their ninja physiology should allow for a quick recovery."
"Oh, that's good. That's good." Jiraiya stood up to escort the medic out.
Just then, a man lifted the tent flap and stepped inside.
"Jiraiya-sensei, I heard my kohais arrived. I came to check on them."
"Hahaha! Minato, come in and sit down," Jiraiya said, clapping him on the shoulder.
Unlike the troublesome trio, this disciple was truly worry-free.
Yahiko and the others had barely settled in, yet Minato had already taken the initiative to strengthen their bond.
At the mention of "Minato," the three who had been gorging themselves suddenly stood up, as if triggered by a conditioned response.
Their gazes locked onto the man who had just entered.
"Huh? Hello, hello! No need to be so formal," Minato said, waving warmly. "Jiraiya-sensei has told me a lot about you. I'm Minato, I suppose I'm your senpai. I look forward to working together!"
"…Minato-senpai?" Yahiko subtly exchanged glances with Nagato.
Under the table, Nagato discreetly formed a hand seal, using his Rinnegan to link their thoughts—just like the Yamanaka clan's telepathic jutsu.
His hair looks a bit longer… and he doesn't seem as… rugged as in the clams' memories?
It's been a whole month. Even my hair has grown. Plus, if a summoning creature likes its contractor, wouldn't it mentally beautify their image?
Yahiko tightened his grip on his chopsticks, nearly snapping them.
A month of eating nothing but seafood! Two weeks of relentless diarrhea!
Every time they recalled their previous battle, resentment surged within them. Over the past month, they had devised countless strategies to counter the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Now that Minato was finally here, how could they just sit back and pretend nothing had happened?
But… this doesn't seem right.
We're in the Konoha camp. If we fight here, it'll make things difficult for Jiraiya-sensei.
Konan anxiously wrung the hem of her clothes.
It's fine! It's just a friendly spar between senior and junior disciples. At worst, we apologize sincerely afterward!
Having finalized their plan through their mental link, he suddenly put on an "honest" smile and spoke loudly:
"Minato-senpai! Thank you so much for your special care over the past month. This time, please guide us well!"
As soon as Yahiko finished speaking, they attacked!
Yahiko darted forward, stabbing his chopsticks toward Minato's lower body.
Nagato's hands flashed through hand seals, erecting a barrier around the tent.
Konan's body disintegrated into paper, forming countless paper shuriken that filled every corner of the tent.
"Huh? Huh?! HUUUH?!" Jiraiya stood there, utterly bewildered, raising a defensive hand.
What the hell was going on?
Did they misunderstand something?