Child of Darkness, the Toad Sage's Prophecy

Following the Third Hokage's orders, all of Konoha's ninja began mobilizing to inspect the Hidden Leaf Village's protective barrier.

The Barrier Team bore an even heavier burden.

This was already the second time in three years that mysterious ninja had silently breached the barrier and infiltrated the village, while the Barrier Team had been as useless as decoration, greatly angering the Third Hokage.

During the Nine-Tails Incident three years ago, ordinary villagers and ninja had believed only that the Nine-Tails had gone berserk.

However, only Konoha's upper ranks knew that it had been a meticulously planned attack.

It had claimed the lives of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, the Third Hokage's wife Biwako, and a female medical ninja responsible for delivering the baby.

And this time, another mysterious ninja had infiltrated the village, killed the Cloud Village envoy, and attempted to incite a war between the two nations.

To stop him, the two brothers who led the Hyuga Clan, one severely injured and the other lightly injured, had acted. Even if Cloud Village harbored suspicions, Konoha's upper ranks remained extremely firm.

They insisted that the mysterious ninja had killed the Cloud Village envoy.

That unwavering stance ultimately caused Cloud Village's scheme to fail.

Elsewhere.

In the dark Root base, Danzo listened to Aburame Tatsuma's report and gave a cold snort.

"It seems quite lively outside, doesn't it, Lord Danzo?" Orochimaru said as he pushed open the door to Danzo's office.

On his way from the secret laboratory to the Root base, he had seen quite a few Konoha ninja mobilizing, including Anbu ninja. Such a large-scale operation had piqued the curiosity of even a scientific fanatic like him, who spent most of his time buried in the laboratory.

Danzo sat in his chair without directly answering Orochimaru, merely gesturing for Aburame Tatsuma to explain.

Understanding the gesture, Aburame Tatsuma said to Orochimaru, "A mysterious ninja infiltrated the village last night, killed the Cloud Village envoy, and dumped the Cloud ninja's body in the Hyuga Compound..."

A mysterious ninja who had injured the two Hyuga Clan leaders, escaped unscathed from the pursuit of numerous Hyuga jonin and Root ninja, and even turned back to strike again?

Interest flashed through Orochimaru's golden eyes as his long tongue slid across his lips.

"It seems the world outside is still full of wonders." Orochimaru had once fought alongside the Hyuga brothers and knew their combat strength well. Even against the Kage of another village, they could have retreated calmly.

"Enough of that. I came this time hoping Lord Danzo can provide more test subjects." Orochimaru spread his right hand and directly demanded research funding and materials from Danzo.

At that, Danzo's single eye furrowed.

"You've used up the test subjects I gave you last time already?" Danzo was somewhat dissatisfied with the rate at which Orochimaru consumed experimental materials.

"After all, I've made progress, so ordinary test subjects can no longer meet my needs." Orochimaru swept aside a lock of his long hair, growing increasingly confident in the direction of his research.

Although Danzo had snatched up that accidental Wood Release test subject, his existence proved that Orochimaru's line of research was viable.

Thus, Orochimaru was no longer satisfied with using ordinary people as experimental subjects and kept demanding more ninja from Danzo.

"I'll have someone deliver them to you, but don't go too far," Danzo warned darkly.

There were no longer enough prisoners in Konoha's prisons to exploit, and Danzo had captured quite a few civilian ninja over the years as well.

In Danzo's eyes, every sacrifice was worthwhile if it made Konoha great again!

As long as he was not the one being sacrificed.

"Heh heh, then I'll await the good news."

Orochimaru chuckled meaningfully and vanished into the shadows.

The Land of Hot Water, capital city.

This city, built atop a region of hot springs, had always been a popular tourist destination in the Shinobi World. Located in the northeast of the shinobi continent and bordering the Land of Lightning, Land of Moon, Land of Sound, Land of Fire, Land of Water, and Land of Waves, the Land of Hot Water had turned the city into an economic hub.

Inside a brothel, Jiraiya lounged with women in both arms, chatting with the courtesans about all manner of amusing tales from the Shinobi World. Drowned in powder and perfume, he was immersed in a world of tenderness.

Poof—

Suddenly, a puff of smoke dispersed, and a little red toad with a pair of goggles hanging around his neck appeared in the room.

"Jiraiya!" the little toad shouted, but the room's laughter and chatter were too loud for anyone to notice him.

Left with no choice, the little toad leaped onto Jiraiya's face.

Jiraiya, who had been drinking, jumped in fright.

Once he saw that it was a toad from Mount Myoboku, Jiraiya sobered up somewhat and hurriedly drove the courtesans out of the room.

The courtesans who had just been all over Jiraiya left the room with resentful expressions.

"Kosuke the Toad! What are you doing here?" Jiraiya took Kosuke the Toad off his face, grabbed the teapot beside him, and drank straight from the spout.

"Lord Fukasaku sent me to find you." Kosuke the Toad urged Jiraiya along.

After draining a whole pot of tea, Jiraiya began performing the Reverse Summoning Technique.

Together with Kosuke the Toad, he arrived at Mount Myoboku, one of the Three Great Sage Regions.

Across the marshland stood toad statues everywhere, while at the far end of the lake, a wooden palace rose atop the heights.

"Sage Fukasaku, you were looking for me?" By the time Jiraiya arrived, Fukasaku and Shima had already been waiting outside the palace for some time.

In contrast to Jiraiya, who reeked of alcohol and looked somewhat disheveled, Fukasaku wore a grave expression. "The Great Toad Sage said he dreamed of something terrible."

"Huh? Something terrible?" Jiraiya's drunkenness instantly vanished.

It had been a long time since he had heard one of the Great Toad Sage's prophecies. Could this one truly be bad news?

Jiraiya hurriedly entered the palace with Fukasaku and Shima.

Deep within the palace, a giant orange toad sat soaking in a cauldron. He wore something resembling a doctoral cap atop his head and a string of beads around his neck, one bead inscribed with the character for "oil" standing out in particular.

"Great Toad Sage!" Jiraiya dropped to one knee and looked up at him.

"Ah, little Jiraiya." The Great Toad Sage slowly opened a slit of one eye. "Why are you here?"

Hearing the Great Toad Sage's question, Jiraiya stumbled and fell to the floor.

Fukasaku and Shima hopped to either side of the Great Toad Sage. Shima immediately scolded him, "You were the one who summoned little Jiraiya! Have you gone senile?"

"Oh, oh." The Great Toad Sage thought for a moment, then slowly said, "I remember now. I had a dream."

"In the dream, the entire Shinobi World was gradually engulfed by darkness. Every nation and ninja village, including the Five Great Nations, would be swallowed by that darkness."

!!!

Jiraiya was deeply alarmed. Even the Great Toad Sage's previous prophecy about the Child of Prophecy, who would bring change to the Shinobi World, had not been this detailed.

"I saw a proud, solitary figure within the darkness, completely destroying the entire world!" the Great Toad Sage continued.

"Do you have any more detailed characteristics about him?" Jiraiya asked with a deeply furrowed brow, though he did not hold much hope.

"The abyss..." the Great Toad Sage said slowly. "When he turned around, all I saw was an endless abyss—an abyss that made even my heart tremble..."

"The abyss?" Jiraiya fell into thought.

"The Child of Darkness... who will destroy the world?!"