Era Tree, Divine Tree; Clues to the Key of Ryūchi Cave

Mount Myōboku, outside the Great Toad Sage's residence.

The aftershocks of the Great Toad Sage's earth-shattering words—"Save this world"—still seemed to linger faintly in the air.

The group fell into a brief silence. Only the sound of water droplets seeping from the surrounding stone walls and falling to the ground could be heard clearly.

Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima exchanged a glance, each seeing the gravity in the other's eyes.

Now that Lord Great Toad had revealed the core prophecy and request, the burden on their shoulders seemed to have lightened somewhat.

But what followed was scrutiny and expectation toward the human powerhouse before them.

Jiraiya scratched his long, white, spiky hair and broke the silence, his tone unusually serious.

"Since the Great Toad Sage said so, this Era Tree business must be no small matter. Chiyo, what do you think?"

Chiyo's gaze was profound.

"I'd like to see what another world looks like."

He then looked at Sage Fukasaku and asked directly.

"Sage Fukasaku, did the Great Toad Sage leave any other instructions in advance?"

Sage Fukasaku pondered for a moment, organizing his thoughts.

"Lord Great Toad's dreams have always been fragmented and vague. Once, the scene it saw... was chaos and darkness.

Shattered stars, twisted time and space..."

"Besides the Era Tree, there was another tree."

Chiyo's eyes narrowed slightly.

"That tree held the power to devour everything, and the crisis would arrive alongside its growth."

It sounded very much like the Divine Tree!

Chiyo thought to himself.

The Divine Tree's purpose was naturally to condense the energy of an entire planet into fruit.

The power to devour everything, growth...

It seemed to match the Divine Tree quite well.

After a moment of silence, Sage Fukasaku continued.

"That tree... was different.

I felt that the crisis was more