"Of course he's young! He's the legendary Dragon King, a great figure whom even goddesses descending from the heavens and the progenitor of chakra must bow and serve!"
Fukasaku replied to Jiraiya with a melancholy expression.
Upon suddenly receiving news of Gawain's return from the Great Toad Sage, Fukasaku Sage felt quite uneasy.
On Jiraiya's other shoulder, Shima wiped the sweat from his brow with a paw and continued speaking to Jiraiya.
"Even good-for-nothing old toads like me and Fukasaku can live for eight hundred years."
Figures like the Dragon King and the Goddess can certainly remain young even in the most ancient times!
"Hey, don't talk to yourself in front of me, okay?"
Gawain couldn't help but interrupt the two toads. He raised his hand to rub his hair and smiled as he spoke in Jiraiya's direction.
"I remember before I left, I specifically went to talk to Gamamaru and asked that big guy to take care of my son and wife."
That said, I've been meaning to meet up with you guys in the last few days.
After all, I have successfully returned to the Shinobi World, but my wife and son have both disappeared, and it has only been a thousand years!
Most importantly, what happened to the care that Gamamaru promised?
"He's a toad, why did he only send you two little guys to face me?"
At this point, Gawain naturally leaned over and raised his hand to pat the head of the Fukasaku.
Facing Gawain's hand, the Fukasaku shuddered violently, leaving Gawain somewhat puzzled.
I didn't bully Gamamaru back then, so why are these toads so afraid of me?
Shima- sensei coughed lightly, then whispered to Gawain.
"Ahem, this... Your Majesty the Dragon King..."
"Please don't call me by that name anymore, it makes me want to grin."
Just call me Gawain, little toad. What's your name?
"Uh, this, Gawain."
The little toad's name Shima, and he was born eight hundred years ago. Our toad clan has not forgotten our promise to you, sir. As soon as you appeared, the Great Toad Sage awoke from his slumber and sent the two of us and Jiraiya to find you.
Of course, it's not that the Great Toad Sage intentionally neglected you; the Great Toad Sage himself was very eager to come.
However, you have been living in Konoha Village recently, and the Great Toad Sage's size makes it inconvenient for him to appear in the village.
So, if it's convenient for you...
"We'll head to the nearby forest now; the Great Toad Sage will come to pay you a visit in person."
"Become."
Shima the Immortal has said so, what else can Gawain say? It just so happens that Gawain also wants to chat with the Great Toad about things that have happened in recent years.
So, Gawain reached out and rubbed Naruto and Sasuke's heads.
"Indra, Ashura, you two go play with your little friend. I'm going to chat with the toad clan and will be back soon."
If possible, when I get back, you'll have toads to play with you too.
There might even be snakes, not the scary kind, but the kind that look really worth the trip.
The toads are quite respectful of me, but the snakes were a bit slower. They're just unlucky. I'll make some roasted snake for everyone to enjoy later.
"Hiss...!"
Hearing Gawain's words, both Fukasaku and Shima took a deep breath.
This is terrifying! Luckily, the Great Toad Sage can see many things in his dreams, and he rushed to greet us immediately.
Otherwise, if those snakes get there first, the toad clan will be the ones who suffer.
I wonder how the Katsuyu is doing; I hope he's alright.
At least the old snake had his snake offspring to help him out, but Senior Katsuyu has always been all alone...
In addition...
Fukasaku gave Naruto and Sasuke opposite him a deep look.
Are these two the reincarnations of Indra and Ashura in this present era?
Ashura is just too persistent!
Do we really have to keep pursuing what happened back then until now?
Every time Indra is reincarnated, his younger brother Ashura will catch up and continue their bond with him within a few days.
This alone shows that these guys with the surname Gao are definitely not to be trifled with; each of them is exceptionally persistent!
With trepidation, the two toad masters and Jiraiya followed Gawain into the forest.
Meanwhile, the Third Hokage, having received the intelligence, also headed towards the vicinity of the forest with concern.
He had initially worried that Jiraiya had discovered his intentions and had come back to complain to him.
After all, he plans to hand over the Hokage position in just the next few days!
But it seems the outcome wasn't an appeal, but rather that those mysterious members of the toad clan had something to discuss with Gawain?
Damn it!
Could Gawain really be the Sage of Sage of Six Paths' father?
Isn't that a joke?
If that weren't the case, why would the toad clan be taking it so seriously?
Could it be that in his search for a successor, he actually stumbled upon his ancestors?
This...
Should I say I have good taste?
Meanwhile, at the edge of the forest.
Jiraiya looked at Gawain nervously and said softly.
"Ahem, Long... Gawain!"
I am the psychic Great Toad Sage, please wait a moment."
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiraiya released the Summoning Jutsu with an unprecedentedly solemn attitude.
With a whoosh of white smoke, even the distant Konoha Village could see the giant toad wearing prayer beads!
While the Great Toad Sage wasn't as terrifying as the Katsuyu Sage, he was still far larger than young people like Gamabunta.
If we're comparing it to the Tailed Beast, Great Toad Sage's foot could probably Shukaku under its weight...
The size difference is too great.
As the smoke dissipated, the Great Toad Sage looked around through his round glasses.
When he saw Gawain's small body, he immediately became serious, then knelt down on all fours and bowed to Gawain.
"It's been a long time, Your Majesty the Dragon King."
A thousand years ago, after receiving the news of your impending departure, I, like the people of the Land of Fire under your rule, felt sorrow for your passing.
I never imagined that your departure would last for a full thousand years; the years on earth are far too short for you.
Fortunately, I'm good at surviving, otherwise, if I had missed our reunion, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life.
Even if I return to the Pure Land at that time, I'm afraid Hagoromo Robe will still give me a severe scolding.
At this point, the Toad Sage raised his head and looked at Gawain with enthusiastic eyes.
Meanwhile, on the side.
Jiraiya was completely stunned by the Great Toad Sage's behavior.
That's the Great Toad Sage!
That's the Great Toad Sage he's Jiraiya revered as the fountain of life!
Result...
Even the Great Toad Sage has to bow and scrape before this mysterious person?
Most importantly?
Isn't the Great Toad Sage supposed to have tinnitus and blurred vision?
How?
Can the Dragon King cure tinnitus?
Just as Jiraiya was puzzled, Gawain nodded slightly.
"It's really not easy, little toad. You were so tiny back then, and now you've grown into this!"
The person I met back then was probably your senior, what was his name again, Funi Fuji?
"Indeed, it was the Funi Ancestor, but after meeting you, Funi passed away peacefully..."
The Great Toad Sage squinted as he spoke.
"After that, you seemed to have left the Shinobi World, but even after you left, the Shinobi World continued to move forward according to your orders."
Back then, the Land of Fire, with the chakra soldiers trained by you and the Goddess as its vanguard, almost took control of the entire world.
But later... later...
At this point, the Great Toad Sage hesitated to continue.
He had personally experienced that era, and in that time, the Dragon King and the Goddess were not easy people to talk to.
Moreover, it was someone else's son's summoned beast, and a summoned beast whose status was equivalent to that of a pet.
As everyone knows, Lady Hagoromo only likes the Nine-Tails Fox; her other summoned beasts aren't really favored...
Damn, I'm so envious of foxes!!!
Leaving aside the Great Toad Sage's inner thoughts, he hesitated for a long time before continuing to speak to Gawain.
"But later, the war caused too many casualties, and Lord Hagoromo and Lord Hamura truly inherited the kindness and gentleness of you and the goddess."
Under the leadership of Lord Hagoromo and Lord Hamura, we... we finally ended the chaotic Shinobi World War, disobeying... disobeying... your previous instructions and decisions...
Us...
Marseille in private, Your Majesty the Dragon King!
It's all my fault, little toad. I failed to persuade Lord Hagoromo Yi to respect my father's decision!
Please don't blame the kind and gentle Hagoromo Yu!
"Just vent all your anger on me, little toad!"
"Wait, what's going on? What's with the anger?"
Great Toad Sage, didn't you say you wanted to talk to Gawain?
How did the conversation turn into talking about death?
Jiraiya couldn't help but interrupt the Great Toad Sage. He cared too much about the toad clan and couldn't bear to see the esteemed Great Toad Sage in this state.
Only.
Without Gawain saying a word, the Great Toad Sage stopped Jiraiya on his own.
He turned his head, tilted it slightly, and looked at Jiraiya with a confused expression.
Then, he tilted his head and said with a confused look on his face.
"Who are you... again?"
"Oh, Great Toad Sage, it's me, Jiraiya!"
You were speaking fluently just now, how come you suddenly became confused?!
Jiraiya was on the verge of a breakdown. Did they really have to differentiate people like that? Why did he get tinnitus and blurred vision whenever someone talked to him???
This is way too fake!!!
After tilting his head and thinking for a while, the Great Toad Sage nodded knowingly.
"Oh, it's Jiraiya! So it's Jiraiya..."
Ahem, this is between me and the Dragon King. Little Jiraiya, stand back, stand back.
"Ahem, Your Majesty the Dragon King, look..."
During the pause, the Great Toad Sage turned to look at Gawain Gawain, who nodded with amusement.
"Old man, you're quite skilled in singing, reciting, acting, and fighting, but no, hehe."
Amidst the banter, Gawain waved to Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya, right? Hiruzen's disciple?"
Go ahead, I see Hiruzen is here too. Explain things to him, so he won't always feel uneasy.
Let me and the big toad talk it over ourselves.
As soon as he finished speaking, a beam of black light shot out from Gawain's waving right hand.
In the blink of an eye, before Jiraiya react, he had already been sent away by Gawain 'Yomotsu Hirasaka.
The next moment, Jiraiya appeared in front of Hiruzen with a whoosh, but Hiruzen narrowly avoided him.
Upon seeing his disciple suddenly appear, Hiruzen immediately knew what was going on; it must have been Gawain's move.
So he simply stopped and asked.
"What's going on? What's the connection between Gawain and the Toad Clan? Could he really be...?"
Although Hiruzen didn't elaborate on the beginning or end of his words, Jiraiya seemed to understand something.
He looked around to make sure he was indeed far away, and not behind an illusion.
He faced the teacher again and nodded gently.
"The Great Toad Sage Clan has an incredibly clear record of Gawain. In fact, because the Great Toad Sage were worried about their own deaths, they recorded Gawain's details on the Toad Clan's murals."
That was top secret. If Gawain hadn't actually shown up, even I probably wouldn't have been able to see those messages.
Teacher, Konoha is in big trouble this time!
That's a legendary figure, the father of the Sage of Six Paths, the ruler of the Land of Fire in ancient times, and a legendary dragon who roams the universe.
Although he only spent a month in the Shinobi World, he left behind a legendary goddess wife and two sons!
One of them is the god who founded the Ninja Sect, the Sage of Six Paths!
Whether the arrival of such a person in Konoha is a blessing or a curse remains to be seen.
If it's a good thing, then we can only accept it; but if it's a bad thing, we might not even have the strength to resist!
At this point, Jiraiya looked at his teacher solemnly.
Since Orochimaru's defection, he had not stood before his teacher for a long time.
Jiraiya a true man; he always liked to shoulder everything himself.
Jiraiya attributed Orochimaru's defection to his own fault.
Jiraiya believed in the Great Toad Sage's prophecy throughout his life, believing that his disciple would be the chosen one to change the destiny of the Shinobi World. Thus, Jiraiya, who once thought he was the protagonist but suddenly found himself to be just a pitiful old man, devoted all his energy to Minato Namikaze.
It was precisely because he single-handedly supported his disciple to become Hokage that Orochimaru lost the position and chose to leave!
From then on, after Orochimaru's defection, Jiraiya began his life as a wandering Shinobi World.
He's going to bring Orochimaru back!
Tsunade shares this trait with Jiraiya.
Didn't Tsunade feel any guilt about Orochimaru's defection?
Both Tsunade Jiraiya knew Orochimaru too well.
It's an old bond that's lasted for so many years. How could Tsunade not know? The reason Orochimaru had the idea of immortality was because his younger brother died at Orochimaru's hands.
Of course, Orochimaru didn't kill his brother.
Orochimaru, as a teacher, failed to protect his disciple, and this act plunged his best comrade into lifelong fear Orochimaru, rendering him a cripple.
The three so-called Sannin were pitiful people who were manipulated by fate from the very beginning.
During World War II, the three of them led two thousand ninjas to attack Hanzō. The battle was fought to the last man; the two thousand Konoha ninjas perished without a trace. Yet, in the end, they earned the title of the Three Legendary Sannin...
The title of the Legendary Sannin was a lifelong disgrace for them, so Jiraiya always emphasized that he was the Toad Sage, Tsunade emphasized that she was Tsunade, and Orochimaru did not refer to himself by the so-called title of the Legendary Sannin.
But excluding the laughable title of the Three Ninja.
Faced with their fate, all three of them made the same choice: to run away...