He Must Die

Sage Mode—a power countless ninja dream of but can barely control.

Jiraiya had assumed Eiji's talent would surpass his own by a small margin.

With the toads' help, he might just barely scrape the threshold of Sage Mode.

Yet, he never imagined Eiji wouldn't need anyone's assistance at all.

No lengthy preparation, no time needed to gather chakra.

With just a blink of his eyes, the vast Natural Energy had already perfectly harmonized within his body, and he instantly stepped into Sage Mode.

What's more, Eiji's Sage Mode was flawless—aside from a faint golden eyeshadow around his brows and eyes, there was almost no visible difference.

Eiji's first attempt achieved such astonishing success, stirring an unprecedented wave across Mount Myōboku.

Toads of all sizes and colors from across the mountain came hopping over, crowding around.

They curiously sized up the white-haired brat, whispering among themselves.

Even the eccentric, somewhat proud Gama Bunta couldn't help but remark.

"This kid is even better than Minato."

Bunta remembered that little blondie who died young.

Always wearing a smile like a small sun.

Years ago, Jiraiya had brought him to Mount Myōboku, where he also learned with the Great Toad Sage's help.

Compared to Jiraiya, Minato's Sage Mode was already far superior, with minimal changes to his face.

But he still needed time to gather Sage Chakra, and its duration was limited.

This little white-hair was even better than Minato.

A monster, truly a monster.

Eiji's aura gradually stabilized as he carefully felt the power within him.

Power overflowing to the brim!

If the timing weren't so off, he'd have to put on a proper Uchiha maniacal laugh.

The Great Toad Sage studied Eiji for a long time. This child's performance had far exceeded his expectations too.

He remembered the last ninja who could enter Sage Mode just by clapping his hands together—something like Hashirama, wasn't it?

The Great Toad Sage looked at Eiji warmly. "How do you feel?"

"Pretty great. Never felt anything like it."

The Great Toad Sage fell into thought again. How long had Eiji's Sage Mode lasted now?

Must be seven or eight minutes, right?

He seemed to be maintaining it quite well—steady aura, smooth chakra flow.

No signs of strain at all.

"Little Jiraiya, you've taken on a remarkable student."

After saying that, the Great Toad Sage stared at Eiji for a while longer.

"From the biggest events in the Shinobi World down to a single ant, I can dream of them all. But why is there no trace of you in my dreams?"

"It's as if you don't belong to this world at all."

Eiji shot the Great Toad Sage a surprised glance. You even figured that out? Genius.

The Great Toad Sage gave Eiji one last look, then closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

Seeing this, the gathered toads gradually dispersed, afraid to disturb his rest.

Before leaving, Fukasaku and Shima reminded Eiji again.

"When there's no danger, don't use the Summoning Jutsu. When you're in danger, even more so, don't use the Summoning Jutsu."

Eiji's mouth twitched. "...So what do I do if I get killed? Won't you two seniors feel heartbroken?"

"Hmm... Then we'll come help out at the scene. If we have time."

"Fine. I'm off."

Eiji grinned wide. This wasn't a wasted trip.

He'd learned Sage Mode and picked up a bunch of muscle.

Couldn't take down the big boss, but clearing out some small fry wouldn't be a problem, right?

Jiraiya and Eiji left Mount Myōboku.

Having achieved his goal, Eiji hummed a tune and was about to leave when Jiraiya called him back.

He was now full of curiosity about Eiji.

"Want to give it a try? Konoha's traditional Bell-Grabbing Game?"

A playful smile spread across Eiji's face. "Any restrictions?"

"Use your full strength," Jiraiya said, hanging the bells from his waist. "Just like when you fought Orochimaru."

The two stood facing each other, the air seeming to freeze solid.

"I'm coming!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Eiji's figure vanished instantly.

"So fast!"

Jiraiya's pupils contracted as he felt a fierce gust of wind rushing at him from behind!

He twisted his body sharply, swinging a powerful, heavy roundhouse kick straight at Eiji's chest!

Eiji didn't dodge or evade. He raised an arm and blocked it with ease.

Then, with an exhaled breath, he threw a punch like a cannonball straight at Jiraiya!

Jiraiya let out a muffled grunt, sent flying several meters by the sheer brute force. He crashed through a few branches before finally steadying himself.

"Tch, this kid's got monstrous strength. Feels like he could go toe-to-toe with Tsunade."

Jiraiya's gaze turned dead serious.

He rubbed his numb arm. "Keep going."

The battle between the two dragged on for a long time.

It only stopped when both of them were panting and exhausted.

As for the bells, they'd long since been knocked into some corner or another.

Maybe they'd been shattered to pieces.

"Eiji, I think there's nothing left for me to teach you."

Jiraiya leaned against a tree and pulled out a copy of Tale of the Strong-Willed Ninja.

"This book is for you. Hope it comes in handy."

Eiji didn't need to ask to know what Jiraiya was planning to do next.

Search for the legendary Child of Prophecy.

Eiji didn't know what to say. Jiraiya spent all his time obsessing over some vague, intangible dream.

If he used that time to properly look after Naruto and train him, wouldn't that be better?

Sigh. What a lecherous old bum. No words.

"Eiji, take care of Naruto for me during this time."

Eiji froze. Crap. That sounded way too ominous.

Like entrusting someone with a dying wish.

Jiraiya gazed into the distance. "Once I find the Child of Prophecy and capture Orochimaru, I'll come back to the village and live out my days as a carefree old man."

Eiji was practically sweating. Jiraiya right now was like an old general on a stage, covered in death flags.

But counting the timeline, Jiraiya still had a few years left.

As long as he wiped out the Akatsuki Organization before then.

"I'm off. Tell the Old Man for me."

With that, Jiraiya staggered away, swaying as he went.

Eiji quietly raised his middle finger.

Irresponsible old geezer. What kind of teacher teaches for one day, tosses a book, and then washes his hands of it?

If this were modern society, he'd have been reported a million times already.

Dock your pay!

Jiraiya's departure didn't stir up much of a ripple in Konoha.

Everyone went on living their own lives.

Except for Danzo.

Deep in the dim recesses of the Root base, Danzo lifted his single eye and stared coldly at the uninvited figure before him.

"Orochimaru, you actually dare to come to Konoha? Don't you know everyone's looking for you?"

From the shadows, Orochimaru's figure slowly emerged, his Golden Snake Eyes glinting with a dangerous light.

"Just a bunch of arrogant fools. The one who can catch me hasn't been born yet."

Danzo didn't bother arguing with Orochimaru over that. Instead, he asked about the Wood Style experiment he'd been fixated on.

"I've spent so much money and given you so many test subjects. Has the Wood Style experiment made any progress yet?"

Orochimaru shook his head. "The quality of the test subjects is too poor. There's no point wasting time on them."

Danzo suddenly let out a cold snort. "That Uchiha who invaded Konoha—isn't he your subordinate?"

Hearing this, Orochimaru was furious.

Why was everything pinned on him?

It was one thing for Konoha to be in the dark, but even Danzo was trying to shift the blame onto him.

Fools, utter fools!

"Let me say this one more time: that matter has nothing to do with me. If I were behind it, Konoha would have already collapsed by now."

Danzo was silent for a moment, then dropped the subject and turned up the pressure instead.

"Hiruzen's trust in me is nowhere near what it used to be. You need to hurry up and get me what I want!"

Orochimaru's tongue slowly licked his lips, revealing a greedy and sinister smile.

"Kill Uchiha Eiji for me, and bring me his corpse intact. Then, perhaps, there's hope for what you desire."

Danzo's eyes widened. What? Kill Uchiha Eiji?

Orochimaru, have you lost your mind?