Young Master, Please Become Hokage

Kakashi froze for a moment, then grew excited.

"Lord Jiraiya!"

The legendary Sannin, right before his very eyes!

"This little guy, he looks a bit like..." Jiraiya rubbed his chin, a familiar face appearing in his mind.

"Kakashi is Mr. Sakumo's son. He's under my command now..."

Minato Namikaze introduced him immediately.

"Haha..." Jiraiya laughed, "Minato, you're amazing..."

Mr. Sakumo's son is your student now.

It seems you've made great progress these past few years.

When Minato recounted how he saved Kushina, was allowed to view the Scroll of Seals once, and ultimately learned the S-rank Flying Thunder God Technique.

It was Jiraiya's turn to be shocked.

"That Second Hokage's jutsu... truly... amazing..."

Jiraiya's shock wasn't without reason.

The Flying Thunder God Technique was a jutsu even the old man hadn't learned.

Such talent was enough to prove Minato was qualified to become Hokage.

"No wonder..."

Jiraiya shook his head repeatedly.

Before returning to the village, he had already heard his disciple's nickname, the Golden Flash.

He originally thought it was just about speed, but he never expected... it was the Flying Thunder God Technique.

"Since that's the case, Minato, there's no time to delay. You should go to Mount Myōboku to learn Sage Mode..."

He learned Flying Thunder God.

Sage Mode should naturally be arranged as well.

Only then would he be qualified to compete for the position of Hokage with Mr. Sakumo.

Knowing Minato's lifelong dream was to be Hokage, Jiraiya was very confident in his disciple's ambition.

The great war had ended, and the next Hokage might be chosen at any time.

So... he had to put in the effort.

"Leave Kakashi to me."

Jiraiya stated that while Minato was at Mount Myōboku, he would be responsible for teaching Kakashi.

"That's great~!" Kakashi puffed out his breath, completely exploding with excitement.

The legendary Sannin guiding him, wouldn't that make him incredibly powerful?

His previous lack of confidence, caused by Akira Sarutobi's reprimand, vanished entirely.

Kakashi felt the Path of the Hokage beckoning to him.

"If Teacher Minato is the Fourth, then I'll be the Fifth..."

Soon, Jiraiya left the Mount Myōboku summoning scroll and departed with Kakashi.

Minato Namikaze unrolled the scroll and took a deep breath. "Well then, it's time to go to Mount Myōboku..."

Not long after.

Through reverse summoning, Minato Namikaze was summoned to Mount Myōboku by Sage Fukasaku and Shima Sage. He began to look around.

Mount Myōboku, along with Shikkotsu Forest and Ryūchi Cave... are collectively known as the "Three Great Sage Regions."

Anyone with fate can learn "Sage Mode."

"Teacher Jiraiya said it took him a month to learn Sage Mode..."

"Mhm, little Minato, with your talent, about a week should be enough..."

Sage Fukasaku and Shima Sage nodded, very confident in Minato Namikaze's abilities.

"But before that, come with us. The Great Lord wishes to see you..."

Sage Fukasaku and Shima Sage began to lead the way.

The Great Lord refers to the actual ruler of Mount Myōboku... the ancient sage, the Great Toad Sage.

It is said that the Great Toad Sage was a creature from the Sage of Six Paths era.

Its lifespan is over 1000 years.

Its immensely vast chakra allows it to foresee the future.

Minato Namikaze had also heard of the Great Toad Sage's prophecies, such as... the "Child of Prophecy" that Teacher Jiraiya often spoke of.

Soon, Minato Namikaze arrived at the palace.

There, he met the enormous Great Toad Sage.

"Great Lord, we've brought Young Minato," Sage Fukasaku said.

Just as Shima Sage thought the Great Lord would once again play foolish before getting to business, the Great Toad Sage's words took them by surprise.

"Child of Prophecy... you have arrived..."

Sage Fukasaku, Shima Sage: "!"

The Child of Prophecy is the one who brings peace to the Shinobi World.

Could the disciple of young Jiraiya be that person?

Previously, the Great Toad Sage had not explicitly stated who the true Child of Prophecy was. Young Jiraiya had also searched everywhere for them. Now, to state it so clearly, was the Shinobi World about to face some upheaval?

Sage Fukasaku and Shima Sage, who had lived for 800 years and witnessed the changes in the Shinobi World and countless events, became visibly serious.

Then, the Great Toad Sage slowly opened its eyes: "Minato Namikaze, your mission has arrived... I see strife, death, rebirth... the Shinobi World will undergo violent upheaval..."

The Great Toad Sage spoke to itself, and Minato Namikaze could only listen with wide eyes.

"It all began not long ago."

Not long ago? Minato Namikaze immediately recalled the destruction of the Sky Hidden Village.

"That's right, it was at the moment the Sky Hidden Village was destroyed that many things changed..."

The Great Toad Sage looked up at the sky. White clouds drifted across it.

"The future, which was once clear, has become blurry and fractured... I can only see fragmented images... Even I cannot accurately determine all future events..."

The predetermined path had been broken. Many things might change.

"Great Lord, can the future... be changed?" Minato Namikaze looked up, voicing his confusion. The Great Toad Sage had originally prophesied the Child of Destiny, but now it spoke of a blurry future.

The Great Toad Sage nodded: "Yes, fate is made by me. When a power that is too good, or too evil, appears, the prophecy will not head in the predetermined direction..."

Destiny cannot be constrained by those who are extremely good or extremely evil. And it is precisely because of their involvement that many things will be rewritten.

The Great Toad Sage: "In the new future I see, you will fight against that power..."

"That power... wants to destroy the Shinobi World?" Minato Namikaze suddenly stood up, asking urgently.

"It is destruction."

The Great Toad Sage's answer made Minato Namikaze, Sage Fukasaku, and Shima Sage's hearts sink.

"But it is also rebirth."

The three: "!"

The Great Toad Sage: "The cycle of death and rebirth, all things in the world are like this..."

"Great Lord, I don't understand." Minato Namikaze was somewhat confused. If he was the Child of Prophecy, what should he do?

"Minato Namikaze, if you yearn for a new world, you do not need to fight that power... But if you wish to preserve the old world... then, fighting is your destiny, and you are that Child of Prophecy."

The Great Toad Sage raised a finger, pointing at Minato Namikaze.

"The choice... is mine?" Minato Namikaze's eyes became lost.

"If I don't fight, does that mean a new Child of Destiny will appear?"

"That's right." The Great Toad Sage lowered its finger and nodded. "The era will choose its destined person. If you stand by and watch everything happen, someone else will fight that power, and thus a new Child of Destiny will emerge."

Hearing this, Minato Namikaze fell into deep thought.

Shima Sage was the first to break the silence, unable to resist asking: "Great Lord, according to your prophecy, that power will destroy the old world and create a new one. Is this good or bad?"

"Good or bad is often determined by one's stance." The Great Toad Sage's tone grew deeper.

"Humans eat animals, and to animals, humans are evil. Conversely, people believe eating animals is perfectly natural. Good and evil… are definitions based on one's perspective…"

Shima Sage couldn't help but frown deeply. "Can you say it in a way that Young Minato can understand better!"

"..."

The Great Toad Sage fell silent.

Then, it spoke again.

"Fine, Minato Namikaze, I will tell you the original predetermined future. After that, you can consider and make your decision."

The Great Toad Sage's eyes suddenly widened.

An immense amount of chakra directly pulled Minato Namikaze into the future trajectory it saw.

"This is the original trajectory..."

Nouns, people, and events flashed rapidly before Minato Namikaze's eyes, like a movie playing.

Seeing these phenomena was as if he had personally experienced the rest of his life.

"The original future… the Fourth Hokage… marrying Kushina… having a child… Naruto Uzumaki…"

"The current future… a shattered, blurry scene… the destruction of the old world… a deviation from the trajectory…"

"Ugh!"

Minato Namikaze's vision spun. The overwhelming amount of information made him sway precariously.

Fortunately, the pain didn't last long.

When the Great Toad Sage stopped, Minato Namikaze immediately knelt on one knee, gasping for breath.