Jiraiya never expected the toads to say such things. Each word made sense, but when combined, it felt strange and disjointed.
"You guys are not joking, are you?" He asked.
Fukasaku shook his head, "Jiraiya-chan, haven't you noticed yet? Even you can't summon all of us at once. Aside from consuming a huge amount of Chakra, there's another reason."
"Not every toad from Mount Myoboku is available to respond to your summoning at the same time. Unless you give special instructions, it's impossible for all of us to appear together."
"But this time, it was a forced summoning. Your disciple pulled us all here. If it weren't for the fact that his Chakra ran out, even Rock Lodging Toad might have been summoned."
"Rock Lodging Toad?" Jiraiya understood the situation, but he just didn't want to think about it too deeply.
After all, Naruto is his only disciple now. He would rather Naruto have mediocre talents, even if slightly inferior to Minato, as long as he can grow into an outstanding Shinobi.
But Fukasaku's words completely shattered his fantasy. There was indeed a mystery in Naruto's body. He finally solved the problem of the Kyubi's Jinchuriki, but now, something else happened.
"What's wrong with Naruto?" Jiraiya asked while looking at Fukasaku.
"I'm not sure. I'm afraid only Summoned Beasts can sense such a towering soul. Since the toads of Mount Myoboku have a contract with Naruto, we can glimpse his soul."
Fukasaku sighed before continuing, "Jiraiya-chan, don't get anxious just yet. First, take him to see the Great Toad Sage. Maybe he'll know something."
"Ah, the Great Toad Sage is from that era after all." Jiraiya muttered, reluctantly agreeing, "Then we should visit him first. Maybe there's nothing wrong, perhaps you just saw things wrong."
"Jiraiya-chan…" Fukasaku could see Jiraiya's reluctance and spoke firmly, "I know it took you a lot of effort to finally take on a disciple, but…!"
"No matter what, this is my only disciple." Jiraiya cut him off, casting a deep look at Fukasaku, "My life has been full of failures, I can't start over again."
Silence fell over the scene. The other toads didn't dare speak and could only stare at Fukasaku.
"Sigh…" Fukasaku sighed again and did not persuade Jiraiya any more. He just said, "Maybe this is a good thing. We'll only know after seeing the Great Toad Sage."
Even Fukasaku didn't realize he had mentioned the Great Toad Sage twice now. Jiraiya's stubbornness was hard to break through, and Fukasaku wasn't sure what to say.
Such matters were unpredictable.
But where there's strangeness, there's danger. He knew that a towering soul like that shouldn't appear without reason, and it certainly didn't seem human.
With a bang, Jiraiya and the toads vanished in a puff of white smoke.
…
Mount Myoboku.
Naruto looked up at the towering plants around him. In the distance, the thunderous sound of waterfalls roared, making him feel as though he had stepped into a toad kingdom.
Turning around, he saw several small toads lazily lounging on giant leaves. Huge stems towered above, and below, knee-high round mushrooms spread across the ground.
Far ahead, a majestic stone palace stood.
Shima stood on the side, waiting, and soon after, with a bang, Fukasaku and Jiraiya appeared at Mount Myoboku.
Fukasaku first glanced at Naruto and said calmly, "Let's go. Before training, we need to see the Great Toad Sage."
"Pa, it's already noon, and we haven't had a single bite to eat yet. What's the rush?" Shima grumbled in dissatisfaction.
"It's been a while since Jiraiya-chan has been here, and I was planning to cook a good meal to welcome him."
"Enough, Ma." Fukasaku interrupted firmly, "It's not time to eat yet. Jiraiya-chan hasn't seen the Great Toad Sage in ages, so he needs to visit him."
Shima hesitated, then nodded, "I understand. I'll wait for you guys to come back and eat. Once you're done, remember to ask Gamakichi to come back and let me know."
"Ah?" The young Gamakichi poked his head out from a lotus leaf, "I have to go too?"
Naruto observed everything quietly, and noticed nothing out of the ordinary. He looked at Jiraiya, who had a serious expression on his face, and nodded slightly at him.
After Shima left, Fukasaku turned and looked at Jiraiya and Naruto.
"Follow me."
The two of them walked behind him slowly. Over the past year, Naruto had grown a lot, now standing over 170 cm tall, though he's still a head shorter than Jiraiya.
"Hey, Pervy Sage," Naruto lowered his voice, "Where exactly does the Great Toad Sage live?"
He knew that there was Great Toad Sage in Mount Myoboku, but he only knew that the old toad was extremely huge, 17 meters tall. He was still a small toad when he met the Sage of Six Paths, but he grew up later.
He figured that, like the three giant toads of Mount Myoboku, the Great Toad Sage must also be one of the giant toads.
With such a massive body, lying on a stone chair in a stone palace, and given that toads prefer cool and shady places, it was likely an underground palace.
"You'll find out soon. It's just ahead." Jiraiya, who was obviously familiar with the layout, said in a low voice, then glanced at Naruto worriedly and gave him a warning.
"When you meet the Great Toad Sage, be respectful. Don't be rude."
"Got it. Do I look like someone who has no manners?" Naruto said unhappily, "To be honest, Pervy Sage, I don't think I'm suited for learning Senjutsu."
"Enough. You won't know if you're suited until you try." Jiraiya turned his head and glanced at Naruto, who was backing off, "Senjutsu training is extremely difficult. Over the past thousand years, countless people have failed, but only a few have succeeded."
"Whether you can master it or not is still uncertain, so let's leave the talk of giving up for after you've failed."
"I just said I might not be suited for learning Senjutsu. That doesn't mean I'll fail." Naruto mumbled, "It's Senjutsu, I just want you not to have too high expectations."
"Even though I'm a genius, that doesn't necessarily apply to Senjutsu…" He tactfully gave Jiraiya a heads-up in advance. After all, Naruto himself was feeling a bit nervous.
The so-called 'Child of Prophecy' the Great Toad Sage spoke of likely referred to Asura's Chakra. However, at this moment, Naruto had no trace of Asura's Chakra within him, only one system.
"Enough of that useless talk." Jiraiya took two steps forward and turned to urge, "Keep up."
"Got it." Naruto frowned slightly, 'It seemed like Jiraiya was even more nervous than I am. Was he too fixated on the outcome?'
The group walked past the Toad Oil Waterfall and around a massive stone toad before stopping in front of an ordinary-looking stone house. The slightly large Gamakichi automatically sprawled outside, and Fukasaku turned to wait.
"We're here." Fukasaku said, "Follow me."
Naruto looked up at the unremarkable stone house, thinking to himself that this must just be an entrance. Sure enough, as he and Jiraiya followed behind, they smelled a strong smell of incense ash as soon as they entered the door.
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The structure inside is similar to the interior of a tower, about seven stories high. The light is dim, and stone statues of the ancestors of the toads from past generations lined the walls.
Fukasaku kept walking, while Jiraiya seemed familiar with the place. Naruto had a lot of questions in his mind but couldn't say them out loud, so he could only follow them silently with his head down.
After passing through a stone gate, they entered a larger tunnel. The ground beneath their feet was made of massive slabs of smooth blue stone.
The moment Naruto stepped inside, he felt a chill.
Tap tap tap…
The sound of their footsteps echoed through the tunnel, making Naruto shiver involuntarily.
" Pervy Sage, how much farther?"
"Not much, just ahead." Jiraiya replied. Noticing Naruto's discomfort, he grinned smugly, "Naruto, do you know how the stone tiles beneath your feet were made?"
"Uh…" Naruto wanted to say that he didn't care.
However, Jiraiya spoke mysteriously, "They were made using Senjutsu. The whole huge bluestone was split open by hand, and it is as smooth as if it was cut with a sword."
"Is it really that crazy?" Naruto asked skeptically, "Are you just trying to trick me into learning Senjutsu?"
"Hehe, well..." Seeing that his intentions were exposed, Jiraiya scratched his head awkwardly and said, "How can it be called lying when it comes to Shinobi matters?"
"Jiraiya-chan is right. Learning Senjutsu will benefit you." Fukasaku, who was walking at the front, said without turning his head. "Senjutsu grants power beyond that of ordinary Shinobi, but it also comes with risks."
He stopped and effortlessly pushed open a stone door several hundred times his own size. A faint light filtered through. Inside was a massive underground stone palace, and at the far end, a huge elderly toad was sleeping.
"We've arrived. Let's go meet the Great Toad Sage." Fukasaku said as he stepped aside and walked inside, jumping onto a stone platform.
"Don't worry, the Great Toad Sage is very easy to talk to." Jiraiya stood outside the stone door and patted Naruto's shoulder gently, "Just follow me."
"Alright." Naruto didn't feel much and looked up at the underground palace again.
Compared to the one he had seen on the island of the Uzumaki clan, this underground palace is different. The underground palace in Mount Myoboku had an ancient and majestic feel to it. The dim light came from four massive oil lamps on the walls, fueled by toad oil.
At the end of the hall was a large stone staircase, atop which sat an enormous stone chair. The elderly toad lay there, its massive, wrinkled body slumped, eyes closed, radiating a peaceful and solemn aura.
The ceiling was supported by huge stone pillars, carved with precision that seemed almost supernatural. If someone told Naruto these were shaped by hand using Senjutsu, it would seem rather over-the-top… However, with the temperaments of the toads from Mount Myoboku, it wouldn't be surprising if they had done it that way.
Jiraiya and Naruto stopped at the base of the steps, waiting respectfully.
"Great Toad Sage!" Fukasaku stood on a small stone platform below the steps, calling out to wake the sleeping old toad, "Jiraiya-chan is here with his disciple."
"Hmm? Oh, they've arrived? Who was it again?" The Great Toad Sage opened his eyes.
"Great Toad Sage, it's Jiraiya, and his disciple." Fukasaku repeated, feeling a bit helpless, "You've met him before, it's Jiraiya-chan!"
"Oh! I remember now! Wonderful! Jiraiya-chan hasn't changed a bit. Still hasn't grown taller after all these years?" The Great Toad Sage murmured, looking a little confused.
"And why's your hair blonde now? I could've sworn it was white."
"Great Toad Sage, I'm Jiraiya. Long time no see." Jiraiya laughed heartily, then patted Naruto's shoulder. "This is my disciple, Uzumaki Naruto!"
"Jiraiya-chan, oh, why are you old too?" The Great Toad Sage had no airs of a senior figure. His eyes could barely open, squinting as he spoke.
"People naturally age. It's been decades." Jiraiya replied, his tone tinged with nostalgia. In the blink of an eye, half of his life had already passed.
"Oh, and that's your disciple?" The Great Toad Sage asked.
Hearing himself being mentioned, Naruto couldn't help but feel nervous, 'Would this old toad say mention the 'Child of Prophecy' again?'
"Yes, Great Toad Sage, Jiraiya-chan has brought him to learn Senjutsu." Fukasaku confirmed.
"Oh, Senjutsu, huh? Well, go on then." The Great Toad Sage gave Naruto a brief glance through his barely open eyes, then suddenly stopped, as if lost in thought, like someone with dementia.
"Didn't you mention the prophecy about Jiraiya-chan last time?" Fukasaku pressed, "Great Toad Sage, do you still remember?"
"Yes, yes, I remember. But Jiraiya-chan's future has changed. He will continue to travel and eventually settle down in one place." The Great Toad Sage said, still squinting.
"It will be a lively place, full of people."
"Settle down?" Jiraiya's expression turned strange, "Great Toad Sage, that place wouldn't happen to be Konoha, would it?"
Jiraiya had lived a life of freedom and wasn't used to staying in one place for long. So the thought of settling down anywhere, even Konoha, seemed unlikely to him.
"No." The Great Toad Sage replied, then shifted his gaze to Naruto.
"Your fate has changed because of your disciple, Jiraiya-chan. You've taken on a good student. Don't resist the flow of destiny… Change is coming to the Shinobi World."
"Is he the Child of Prophecy?" Fukasaku asked, eager for confirmation.
"No." The Great Toad Sage denied, " He's not the Child of Prophecy. However, I've seen a vision of him in the future of the Shinobi World."
"Then what is he?" Fukasaku was stunned. If Naruto wasn't the Child of Prophecy, then he wondered what was the strange figure he had seen.
The Great Toad Sage's voice grew older and more somber, "The night was torn apart, and the yellow spring water flowed backwards. The dead crawled out from the ground, and there was a sea of blood and dry bones everywhere."
Hearing this, both Jiraiya and Naruto were stunned. Naruto's pupils also dilated slightly, 'He was not talking about the 'Dream Master' Kabuto, was he? Seas of blood and bones were easy to understand. likely a reference to the Fourth Shinobi World War.
'But the part about 'the night was torn apart' was bizarre. Only the Otsutsuki Clan could manage something like that, right? And what was the deal with the 'yellow waters flowing backward'?'
"Is it the end of the world?" Fukasaku asked, deeply concerned.
"I don't know." The Great Toad Sage replied casually, leaving it at that.
Fukasaku was equally shocked, but since the Great Elder had spoken, he no longer had any doubts about Naruto. Even though the towering soul still couldn't be explained, it was good to know that Jiraiya's new disciple wasn't some sort of dangerous anomaly.
Although Mount Myoboku is powerful, when faced with bizarre and unknown forces, they still couldn't be too cautious. Fukasaku's wariness was for the sake of both Mount Myoboku and Jiraiya.
As they exited the stone palace, Fukasaku turned to Jiraiya.
"It's mealtime, let's eat first."
At those words, Jiraiya's face turned pale, and he suddenly felt some indigestion coming on. Naruto's expression also soured, 'Damn it, I'd forgotten about this… the bug feast!'
…
Konoha.
Hinata sank into the bathtub, then slowly floated back up. There's a faint look of frustration crossing her face.
Her skin, smooth as jade, had turned a flushed pink from the hot water. Half of her long hair was wet, trailing into the bathtub. She gazed up at the ceiling light in the bathroom, with the water below her crystal clear.
Time felt like it was passing too slowly. Hinata wanted to grow up quickly, but while her body was developing faster than her peers, her strength improvement was very slow.
She had tried a new approach, focusing entirely on the Byakugan, which had once made her feel so inferior.
Fortunately, it has finally produced some results recently. She wanted to share the news with Naruto, but when it came down to it, she couldn't summon the courage.
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