Toad Sage's Prophecy, Insect Feast (Thanks to Jackie for the Alliance Leader Donation)

Jiraiya never expected that the Toad would say such things. He could understand each word, but when put together, it sounded rather incongruous.

"You're not joking, are you?" he asked.

Sage Fukasaku shook his head. "Little Jiraiya, haven't you realized it yet? Even you can't summon all of us at once. Besides wasting a lot of Chakra, there's another reason."

"Not everyone at Mount Myōboku has the time to respond to your spiritual calls. Unless you make a special request, it's impossible for everyone to come at the same time."

"But this time it was a forced summoning; it was your disciple who brought us all here. If we hadn't run out of Chakra, even the Rock Dwelling Toad would probably have come."

"Rock Dwelling Toad?" Jiraiya wasn't unaware of this, but he simply didn't want to delve into it.

Naruto is, after all, his only disciple. He would rather Naruto be of mediocre talent, even if he is slightly inferior to the Fourth Hokage, as long as he can grow into an outstanding ninja.

But Sage Fukasaku's words shattered his illusions; there was indeed a mystery within Naruto. They had finally resolved the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki issue, and now this had happened.

"Naruto," Jiraiya, looking at Fukasaku the Toad.

"I don't know. Only Summoning Beast can sense such a tall soul. After all, the Toad of Mount Myōboku have Summoning Contract with Naruto and can indeed see into Naruto's soul."

Sage Fukasaku sighed and continued, "Jiraiya, don't rush. Take him to see the Old Master Toad first. Maybe the Old Master Toad will know."

"Ah, the Old Master Toad is from that era after all," Jiraiya could only say. "Then let's greet the Old Master Toad first. There shouldn't be anything wrong; perhaps he just mistook me for someone else."

"Little Jiraiya." Sage Fukasaku saw Jiraiya and said firmly, "I know you finally managed to take on a disciple, but!"

"No matter what, I only have this one disciple left." Jiraiya glanced deeply at Sage Fukasaku, "My failed life can't be relived."

Silence fell over the scene; the Toad dared not speak, their eyes fixed on the Sage Fukasaku.

"Sigh." The Sage Fukasaku sighed and didn't try to persuade him any further. He simply said, "Maybe it's a good thing. We'll have to see the Old Master Toad first to know."

It didn't even realize that it had already said "find the Old Master Toad" twice. Jiraiya Toad Fukasaku, didn't know what to say—such things were unpredictable.

But something unusual must be going on. How could such a towering soul appear out of nowhere, one that didn't even seem human? With a bang, Jiraiya and all the Toad present vanished in a puff of white smoke.

Mount Myōboku.

Naruto looked up at the tall vegetation all around him, and in the distance, the deafening roar of the waterfall filled the air. He suddenly felt as if he had stepped into a Toad kingdom.

Turning my head, I saw several small Toad leisurely lying on the huge leaves, with the huge stems and leaves standing tall, and round mushrooms knee-high at their feet.

A considerable distance further ahead lies a majestic stone palace.

Sage Shima stood aside and waited. A short while later, Sage Fukasaku arrived at Mount Myōboku with Jiraiya.

Sage Fukasaku glanced at Naruto first, then spoke calmly.

"Let's go, let's see the Old Master Toad before we start our cultivation."

"Honey, it's already noon, and you haven't even had a bite to eat yet. What's the rush?" Sage Shima said with some dissatisfaction.

"It's been a long time since Jiraiya came. I was just about to cook a nice meal for them."

"Honey, stop talking," Sage Fukasaku interrupted forcefully. "It's not mealtime yet, Jiraiya hasn't seen the Old Master Toad in a long time. We should go see him too."

Sage Shima hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said.

"I understand. Wait for you guys to come back and eat. Remember to have Gamakichi come back and let me know when it's almost ready."

"Huh?" Young Gamakichi poked his head out from a lotus leaf. "Can I go too?"

Naruto took everything in, but didn't notice anything amiss. He looked at Jiraiya, Jiraiya nodded slightly with a serious expression.

After Sage Shima left, Sage Fukasaku turned to look at Jiraiya and Naruto.

"Come with me."

The two of them started walking and slowly followed. Naruto had grown quite a bit taller in the past year, standing at over 1.7 meters, still a head shorter Jiraiya.

"Hey, Pervy Sage," Naruto whispered, "Where does that Old Master Toad live?"

He knew that there was an old sage on Mount Myōboku, and that the old Toad was enormous, standing a full seventeen meters tall. However, given that he was just a small Toad when he met the Sage of Six Paths, he had grown up later.

Like the three great Toad of Mount Myōboku, it belongs to the category of giant Toad.

Such a massive body, lying on a stone chair, residing in a palace made of enormous stone. Considering the Toad's preference for shade and aversion to heat, it must have been an underground palace.

"Just follow them and you'll see, it's right ahead." Jiraiya, clearly familiar with the terrain, said in a low voice, then glanced at Naruto worriedly and gave him a word of advice.

"You rascal, watch your manners when you see the Old Master Toad, and stop being so rude all the time."

"I know, do I look like that kind of rude person?" Naruto said irritably. "To be honest, with your Pervy Sage, I don't think I'm necessarily suited to learning Senjutsu."

"Alright, we'll know if it's suitable or not after we try." Jiraiya turned to look at Naruto, who was having second thoughts. "The cultivation of Senjutsu Mode is extremely difficult. Countless people have failed over the past thousand years, and very few have succeeded."

"Whether you can master it is still uncertain, so save the talk of giving up for after you fail."

"I just said I'm not suited to learning Senjutsu, it doesn't mean I'll fail," Naruto muttered. "It's just Senjutsu, I just told you not to have too high expectations."

"Although I am a genius, it may not be in Senjutsu Mode." He subtly gave Jiraiya a heads-up beforehand, since Naruto himself was also a little apprehensive.

The old Toad's so-called "Child of Prophecy" should refer to Asura's Chakra, but at this moment, there is no trace of Asura Chakra in Naruto's body, only a system.

"Stop with the nonsense." Jiraiya took two steps forward and urged, "Hurry up and keep up."

"Understood." Naruto frowned slightly. Jiraiya seemed even more nervous than him. Was he still too concerned about the outcome?

The group walked past the Toad Oil Waterfall, around the giant stone frog, and finally stopped in front of an ordinary stone house. The enormous Gamakichi automatically lay down outside, Sage Fukasaku turned around to wait.

"This is it," it said. "Come with me."

Naruto looked up at the unassuming stone house, thinking that this place was probably just an entrance. Sure enough, as he and Jiraiya followed behind, they were greeted by a strong smell of incense ash as soon as they entered.

The interior structure resembles the interior of High Tower, with seven floors in total. The lighting is dim, and stone statues of the Toad are displayed on the surrounding walls.

Sage Fukasaku continued walking forward, Jiraiya seemed to know the way well, and Naruto, full of questions, could only follow in silence.

Passing through a Stone Gate, we entered an even larger tunnel. Underfoot was a massive, solid block of blue stone, its surface smooth as if cut by a knife; stepping into it, we immediately felt a chill.

The patter of footsteps of the two men and the Toad echoed throughout the tunnel, Naruto couldn't help but shiver.

"How much further, Pervy Sage?"

"It's not far, just ahead." Jiraiya looked at Naruto's expression with a smug smile. "Naruto, do you know where those paving stones under your feet came from?"

"Uh," he meant to say he didn't care.

However, Jiraiya mysteriously said, "This was all built using Senjutsu. A huge piece of blue stone was broken apart by hand, as neatly as if cut with a knife."

"Is it really that weird?" Naruto asked suspiciously. "Are you trying to trick me into learning Senjutsu?"

"Hehe, well," Jiraiya blushed, scratching his head Jiraiya realized his intentions had been exposed, and said, "How can you call it lying about ninja matters?"

"Little Jiraiya is right, learning Senjutsu will also benefit you." Sage Fukasaku walking ahead, said without turning his head, "Senjutsu is a power that surpasses that of ordinary ninjas, but it also carries risks."

It stopped and easily pushed open a Stone Gate hundreds of times its own size with its bare hands, letting in a faint light. Inside was a huge underground stone palace, at the far end of which slept a gigantic old Toad.

"We've arrived. Let's meet the Old Master Toad," it said, turning to the side. Then it walked in on its own and jumped onto the stone platform.

"Don't be nervous, the Old Master Toad is very easy to talk to." Jiraiya stood Stone Gate and gently patted Naruto's shoulder. "Follow behind me."

"Okay." Naruto didn't feel much, and looked up at the underground palace again.

This underground palace differs somewhat from those seen on the island of Land of Whirlpools; the underground palace on Mount Myōboku has an ancient and grand feel. The interior of the palace is dimly lit, relying entirely on four enormous Toad Oil lamps burning on the walls for illumination.

At the end of the main hall were stone steps, above which sat Taiseki. The old Toad's eyes were not even open, its massive, wrinkled body slumped on the chair. It had a peaceful appearance, yet it exuded solemnity.

The top is Taiseki, carved by a knife and axe; to say it was sculpted by hand using Senjutsu would be an exaggeration. Given the temperament of the Toad of Mount Myōboku, it's quite possible they really did create it that way.

When Jiraiya and Naruto reached the steps, they stood waiting to bow.

"Old Master Toad!" Sage Fukasaku stood on a small stone platform below the steps and woke up the sleeping old Toad. "Jiraiya arrived with his disciple."

"Oh? They're here, who is it again?" The old Toad opened its eyes.

"Old Master Toad, that's Jiraiya, and his disciple," Sage Fukasaku repeated with a hint of helplessness. "Old Master Toad, you've met him before, young Jiraiya!"

"Oh! I remember now! That's great! Little Jiraiya doesn't look any different. Has he not grown taller after all these years?" The old Toad was a little confused.

"Why is my hair yellow? I remember it was white."

"Old Master Toad, it's me, Jiraiya. Long time no see!" Jiraiya laughed heartily and patted Naruto's shoulder beside him. "This is my disciple, Naruto Uzumaki!"

"Little Jiraiya, oh, how come you've gotten old too?" The old Toad had no airs of an elder. It was old, and its eyes could barely open a slit.

"People age very easily, and decades have already passed." Jiraiya said with a touch of melancholy, realizing that the first half of his life had passed in the blink of an eye.

"Oh, is that your disciple?" the old Toad asked.

Hearing himself mentioned, Naruto couldn't help but feel nervous. Would the old Toad say something about the Child of Prophecy again?

"Yes, Old Master Toad, Jiraiya brought him here to learn Senjutsu," said Sage Fukasaku.

"Oh, you want to learn Senjutsu? Then go quickly." The old Toad glanced at Naruto through a slit in its pupils, then suddenly stopped talking, as if it were suffering from dementia.

"Didn't you mention the prophecy about young Jiraiya last time?" Sage Fukasaku asked, pressing, "Old Master Toad, do you remember?"

"I remember, I remember, but Jiraiya's future has changed. He will continue traveling and eventually settle down somewhere," the old Toad said, squinting his eyes.

"It's very lively there, with lots of people."

"Settle down?" Jiraiya's expression was somewhat strange. "Old Master Toad, that place wouldn't be Konohagakure, would it?"

He was used to freedom his whole life and wasn't comfortable staying in one place. He himself thought the possibility of settling down was very small, even if that place was Konohagakure.

"No." After the old Toad finished speaking, he didn't move his body but shifted his gaze to Naruto beside him.

"Your destiny has been changed because of your disciple, Jiraiya. You have taken on a good disciple. Do not resist the arrangements of fate; the Shinobi World will eventually change."

"Is he the Child of Prophecy?" the Sage Fukasaku pressed.

"No," the old Toad denied. "He wasn't the Child of Prophecy, but he did dream of what the future of the Shinobi World would look like."

"Then what is he?" Sage Fukasaku in disbelief. If Naruto wasn't the Child of Prophecy, then what was that strange thing he had seen?

The old Toad's voice was hoarse. "A hole has been torn in the night, and yellow spring water flows backward. The dead crawl out from underground, and everywhere is a sea of blood and withered bones."

Upon hearing this, even Jiraiya and Naruto were stunned. Naruto's pupils dilated slightly. Could it be referring to Kabuto, the master of dreams? Blood and bones are easy to understand— the Fourth Shinobi World War.

The idea that the darkness was torn open is absurd; only the Otsutsuki Clan could do that, right? And what's with the Yomi flowing backwards?

"Is this the end of the world?" asked the Sage Fukasaku.

"I don't know," the old Toad said casually, without replying further.

Fukasaku was also quite shocked, but the Old Master Toad nodded, and he no longer doubted Naruto. Although the Soul Colossus was still inexplicable, it was enough to know that Jiraiya's new disciple wasn't anything strange.

Although Mount Myōboku is powerful, it is still no match for some truly strange and unusual forces. Fukasaku the Toad is being careful, partly for the sake of Mount Myōboku and Jiraiya.

The group left the stone palace, Fukasaku Toad, looked at Jiraiya.

"It's lunchtime, let's eat first."

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya, and he felt a sudden pang of stomach acid. Naruto's expression was equally grim. Damn it, he'd forgotten about this—the insect feast!

Konohagakure.

Hinata sank into the bathtub, then slowly floated back up, her face immediately showing some gloom.

Her skin, smooth and white like jade, rose to a deep red from the hot water. Half of her long, wet hair hung down into the bathtub as she gazed up at the bathroom light, the water beneath her clear.

Time was passing by so slowly. Hinata wanted to grow up quickly, but her body grew larger than her peers, while her strength improved very slowly.

She tried a different approach, focusing on training the Byakugan that had made her extremely self-conscious. Fortunately, she had finally seen some results recently, and she wanted to tell Naruto the news, but found she had lost the courage.

Thank you so much, Jackie, for the generous donation! (Facepalm) I still haven't reached 10,000 chapters a day, and I still owe two donations. I've decided to start 10,000 chapters a day from today onwards. Bonus chapters!