On the sea, several nautical miles away from the Summoning Island.
Two summoned crows under Kei's contract perched on the ship's railing, flapping their wings and cawing furiously.
Even without understanding bird language... Even without the Yamanaka clan's secret technique to connect minds and transmit sensory emotions, Minato could tell that these little guys were swearing profusely.
"I know those guys scared you. I'll help you get back at them later, okay?"
Kei rummaged through the small pocket of his jonin vest for a moment.
He pulled out a small handful of specially made pet jerky and handed it to the two little crows.
The two little guys, who had been swearing nonstop, hesitated for a while after hearing that Kei would avenge them. Only then did they reluctantly nod.
They hopped closer and eagerly began munching on the jerky.
After several reconnaissance missions to Summoning Island, the terrifyingly fierce animals there had truly frightened them.
If not for their master's incredible skills, pulling off insane maneuvers in the dense jungle, making all kinds of extreme turns, they would've long been digested inside the stomach of some unknown raptor by now.
"How are things progressing on the Third Hokage's side?"
After calming the two crows, Kei turned to ask Minato.
Before they came to Summoning Island, no one had expected that this island, known as the "Forgotten Island" by the locals and not very large in size, would have such absurdly powerful wildlife.
There were over a hundred creatures strong enough to rival chunin. Several clan leaders among them even possessed jonin-level speed or strength.
With some training, these creatures could become excellent summoning beasts, greatly enhancing a ninja's combat power.
Kei had asked about Jiraiya's whereabouts.
Upon learning that he was still in Konoha, he immediately decided to use the stomach of a giant toad to transport the creatures back to Konoha for a summoning beast auction.
Konoha would take 30% of the profits, he would take 30%, Minato would take 20%, and Jiraiya would take 20%.
"The Hokage has already cleared Training Ground Zero to serve as their temporary holding area. Jiraiya-sensei is also ready."
Minato scratched his cheek, feeling a bit awkward about the situation.
Discussing profit distribution within the village... this was his first time. Having been raised with the Will of Fire ideology, something about this just felt… inappropriate?
With that, Kei leaped off the ship and landed on the water's surface.
He noticed Minato's hesitation but didn't say much. In the end, the Yellow Flash was just too honest.
Giving Konoha a 30% share of the profits, to put it bluntly, this was a trade.
Not just for providing an auction venue.
But to exchange these profits for massive prestige, greatly accelerating their ascent to higher positions.
To gain more autonomy or even leadership in the potential upcoming war!
Otherwise, given Kei's usual style, who the hell would willingly share money with the village?
With the current chaotic state of the shinobi world, where war could break out at any moment, if anything, the higher-ups should be paying him instead.
Minato might not see through all this, but the Third Hokage and the elders definitely did. Otherwise, they wouldn't have so cooperatively cleared out Training Ground Zero for this.
"Alright!" Minato immediately followed Kei's lead and leaped onto the sea.
Splash~ Splash~ Splash~
They had barely run a kilometer, when the nearby waters suddenly became turbulent.
A dark shadow, noticeably darker than the seawater, surged rapidly in their direction!
Kei didn't stop running.
From the scroll pouch on his jonin vest, he pulled out a sealing scroll.
Unrolling it quickly, then forming a seal, he pressed his hand onto the storage seal marked.
A fish-shaped puppet, made of special materials and no larger than a palm, appeared.
Under the control of the Mind Puppet Switch Cursed Seal Technique, with a flick of its tail, it dove into the churning depths.
Within mere seconds, Kei and Minato stopped in their tracks.
Beneath their feet, a massive swordfish over ten meters long slowly surfaced.
Carrying the two of them, it continued advancing toward Summoning Island.
Under Kei's control, the swordfish flicked its tail rapidly, reaching speeds of over 200 kilometers per hour within just a few breaths.
And it was still accelerating!
"This is amazing, I almost don't want to sell you now!"
Kei glanced down at the swordfish beneath his feet.
Having a sea transport might not be a bad idea.
But then, he remembered that turning this giant swordfish into a proper summoning beast would require long-term taming, training its intelligence and obedience, and providing a proper habitat and constant feeding.
At that thought, he immediately dismissed the idea.
It wasn't that he couldn't afford it, it just wasn't worth the effort.
Even Mount Myōboku, which he often complained about, didn't require its summoners to go out and catch bugs to feed the toads.
Splash— Splash— Splash—
They circled around Summoning Island, covering a large area.
Two powerful sea beasts lurking beneath the water's surface had been repeatedly provoked by Kei.
Now, they were furiously chasing after the swordfish.
Kei unrolled another section of the storage scroll in his hands.
Two specially crafted puppet fish shot forward like arrows, crashing into the heads of the two sea beasts.
As expected, both creatures instantly succumbed to the technique's control.
They obediently swam toward the shoreline, joining the slowly decelerating giant swordfish.
"Summoning: Toad Mouth Bind!" Minato performed a summoning jutsu.
The stomach of the giant toad instantly swallowed all three sea beasts!
With that, the creatures were transported back to Mount Myōboku.
The moment the toad's stomach vanished, deafening beastly cries erupted from the dense jungle.
Not just from the part of the coast where Kei and Minato were, but from the entire island.
It was as if every creature had suddenly sensed the presence of a mortal enemy.
Chaos. Unease. Fear. Hostility...
The previously tranquil island erupted into a frenzy within moments.
"Did they notice us?" Kei raised a hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sunlight as he gazed toward the volcano at the island's center.
His maximum sensory range was 10 kilometers in diameter. Meaning he could only detect things within a 5-kilometer radius. Right now, their position was 8 kilometers away from the research facility at the island's center, which was beyond his sensory range.
"We circled the entire island on a swordfish. If they still haven't noticed us by now, they'd be downright incompetent."
Minato also looked toward the distance.
Last night, when they arrived in these waters, Kei had summoned his crows to secretly deliver Minato's Flying Thunder God kunai to the research facility's main entrance.
If needed, they could teleport there instantly.
So right now, they weren't in a hurry at all.