The Great Toad Sage's New Prophecy

Konoha, the Senju Clan.

Tsunade was under house arrest at home, subject to investigation by Konoha's Jonin Council.

The so-called Konoha Jonin Council was currently Konoha's highest deliberative and decision-making body.

Before the Jonin Council, from the First Hokage to the Third Hokage, Konoha had been jointly governed by fifty-three ninja clans.

As time passed, there were more and more Civilian Ninja, and ninja clans large and small declined one after another. Whenever the Third Hokage encountered a major issue, he would summon all the jonin in the village to discuss it together.

Over time, the term Jonin Council came into being.

In earlier years, the meeting where Tsunade proposed assigning a Medical Ninja to every squad had been a Jonin Council meeting.

Jonin were the pillars of a village. Every jonin held a certain status and power within the village, and even a Civilian Jonin was no exception.

This time, the election of the Fourth Hokage could not bypass the Jonin Council.

Every jonin held a vote in the Hokage election.

But electing a Hokage required nominations from the higher-ups. The so-called higher-ups were the four disciples of the Second Hokage: Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura.

The Uchiha Clan had been screwed over during the Hokage election. The higher-ups had not nominated Fugaku Uchiha at all.

If he could not even sign up, dreaming of becoming Hokage was pure fantasy.

All in all, the Jonin Council had great power, yet not that great. Konoha was still decided by those four old fellows.

Though Tsunade was being investigated, to this day, not a single person dared come investigate her. The guys behind it were all busy destroying evidence, fabricating false testimony, and striving to settle the matter of Nagayama Minoru once and for all.

Tsunade was so furious that she struck wooden posts at home. She had already smashed the Senju Clan's training ground into a complete mess.

Even that did not cool Tsunade's anger.

She grabbed this generation's Clan Leader of the Senju Clan—Senju Tamajun.

"Tamajun, you were previously the Director of Leaf Hospital. Did you know about Nagayama Minoru's matter?"

Tamajun pleaded desperately, "Young Lady, I truly didn't know. Nagayama Minoru had always been very reliable, but I never expected him to be a Root Member's spy and create such a huge deficit for the hospital."

Tsunade gave a cold laugh. "I think you, Old Man, aren't honest either. There must be illicit funds hidden at home. Shizune, come on, let's go search."

Tamajun hurriedly knelt. "Lord Tsunade, Young Lady, Old Ancestor! Don't search, don't search."

"I'll talk, I'll tell you everything. Nagayama Minoru gave me a large sum of money to buy me off. He threatened me with Orochimaru and Danzō. I was truly afraid of them!"

"That's all I know, Young Lady. I really didn't spend a single cent. I was scared of being poor."

"You were poor? Were the offerings at home still not enough? You're simply bringing shame to the Senju Clan!"

Tsunade lifted Tamajun up and said with a cold laugh, "Send all the illicit funds to the Hokage Building later, then await the Hokage's judgment."

"Thank you, Young Lady. I will definitely return all the illicit funds."

Tamajun felt that the fact he had not been ordered to commit seppuku was already an enormous mercy.

"Don't think this is over. Once you come out of Leaf Prison, you'll still have to accept punishment from the Clan Ancestral Hall."

Suddenly, a little white snake appeared in front of Tsunade.

Tsunade recognized the snake. "Orochimaru's Contact Snake? What does Orochimaru want with me?"

Tsunade and Orochimaru's relationship was not the harmonious bond of comrades.

In the early years, there had still been trust between comrades-in-arms, but as Orochimaru grew more and more indifferent toward life and became obsessed with researching Forbidden Jutsu...

That gloomy temperament and those dangerous ideas had made Tsunade maintain a layer of distance from him all along.

Liao Wu was a beast, but Orochimaru was no human either.

Why are all the people around me freaks?

Tsunade could not help asking this in her heart.

Though their relationship was poor, right now they were still ninja of the same village. If Orochimaru had sent out a Contact Snake to deliver a message, he must have encountered something important.

Maybe he had found Liao Wu's whereabouts.

Tsunade opened Orochimaru's note somewhat anxiously, and her eyes instantly went perfectly round. "What? Madara Uchiha is still alive?"

Tamajun suspected he had misheard. Madara Uchiha? A man who was practically about to become a guardian spirit was still alive?

But Tsunade's actions undoubtedly proved it was true.

"Shizune, take this note to the Hokage Building at once. Tell Teacher the news that Madara Uchiha is still alive."

"Tamajun, this time I'll let you make up for your crimes. Quickly summon your Ninja Hawk and take me to the Land of Grass."

"Young Lady..."

"Don't waste time. Orochimaru wouldn't lie. Madara Uchiha's existence means a new Ninja World War!"

Mount Myōboku.

Sage Fukasaku woke the Great Toad Sage.

"Great Lord, Great Lord, Little Jiraiya is here."

The Great Toad Sage woke up in a bit of a daze, looking left and right as if he had not slept enough, seemingly searching for Jiraiya.

Sage Shima reminded him, "Great Lord, Little Jiraiya is here."

The Great Toad Sage came to a sudden realization and said to Jiraiya, "Little Jiraiya, you're here!"

Jiraiya nodded. "Great Sage, if you have something to say, just tell me!"

"Something to say?!"

The Great Toad Sage was still a little dazed. "Little Jiraiya, have you eaten?"

"(＞д＜)."

Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima were so anxious they were about to start cursing ribbit-hide.

Judging by the Great Toad Sage's manner, if Jiraiya had not eaten, he would probably bring out a plate of insects and chat with Jiraiya over it.

Had the Great Toad Sage still not woken up?

Sage Fukasaku reminded the Great Toad Sage, "Great Lord, didn't you have a new prophecy to warn Little Jiraiya about?"

"Oh, prophecy, a new prophecy. I remember now."

The Great Toad Sage suddenly grew serious. He looked at Jiraiya and said, "Little Jiraiya, I saw an Uchiha Ghost quietly return from the boundary between Yin and Yang."

"Little Jiraiya, you must stop him, or the entire ninja world will be destroyed by him."

The moment those words came out, even Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima immediately locked onto Madara Uchiha.

"Great Lord, is it Madara Uchiha?"

Sage Shima said anxiously, "Idiot, besides Madara Uchiha, who else in the Uchiha Clan has the power to destroy the world?"

"Ribbit-hide, Madara Uchiha is going to be Resurrected. Now every toad in Mount Myōboku has to move out."

Jiraiya stood frozen in place, unable to recover for a long time.

"Madara Uchiha?!"

The Ninja World... was in danger!

"Cough, cough..."

Madara coughed twice, coughing up all the blood in his lungs.

One look had frightened Orochimaru away, but Madara had basically used up half his strength.

Right now, he could not even open his Sharingan.

Black and White Zetsu appeared beside Madara, and White Zetsu said to him, "Lord Madara, this is bad. Our base was discovered by that Orochimaru's, and he's driving his Great Snake Swarm in here right now."

White Zetsu's tracks had already been noticed by Orochimaru before, but Madara had thought he was about to recover to his peak soon and had paid it no mind.

He had not expected that Stinky Snake to be so good at tracking. After all this time, he was still searching for them, and had actually found them.

Should he be called astonishingly persistent, or just stubborn beyond reason?

Black Zetsu suggested, "Lord Madara, let's relocate the base first!"

Black Zetsu sought stability. After enduring for a thousand years, what Black Zetsu needed most now was caution.

After all, the Rinnegan had already appeared in the Living World. Even without Madara, they could find someone to collect the tailed beasts.

But the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was with Madara. If anything happened to it, the Nine Great Tailed Beasts could no longer be combined into the Ten-Tails.

Madara did not answer directly. Weakly, he said, "Where is Liao Wu? Bring him to see me."

"Okay!"

Since things had come to this, they could only leave it to fate.

Either erupt in silence, or die in silence.

Even if he, Madara Uchiha, was going to die, he could not die without making a sound.

Liao Wu was currently teaching Tobi how to draw Dabian. Obito had also woken up and was reciting scripture to Liao Wu.

What scripture? The scripture of the Will of Fire!

Where leaves danced, Fire Will Burn...