The World's Will Is Changing

"Besides me, as Hokage, who else could bear all that anger?" Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a long sigh and turned his head toward the window, a difficult-to-explain look in his eyes.

"But..." Orochimaru tried to argue further, but the old man cut him off in an unquestionable tone.

"All right, Orochimaru. Let's leave it at that. There's more to our relationship than simply being teacher and student. I'm the Hokage, bearing the hopes of Konoha's people, and you're the commander-in-chief leading the front lines. Do you understand?" Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke earnestly, tapping his pipe against the desk.

"I understand, Sensei." Orochimaru nodded slightly.

"Well, there's no need to be so serious. You're a great contributor, after all. Could you show a little more energy? The people in the village look up to you. Set a good example."

Noticing the heavy atmosphere, Hiruzen Sarutobi hurried to smooth things over.

"It's just an empty title. I only did what I did by standing on the shoulders of countless comrades. If I'd failed, how could I ever face them?" Orochimaru shook his head.

"You're just too serious and rigid. You should learn a little from that kid Jiraiya's attitude. It would do you good." Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head, his tone full of helplessness.

"Regardless, you accomplished a great deal this time. Everyone knows how important this battle was. The Sand Ninja had gone too far, reaching all the way to Mount Kikyo."

"Any farther and they'd be in our homeland. Your victory in this battle won Konoha a precious chance to catch its breath. The Sand Ninja won't have the capacity to launch another large-scale attack against us anytime soon," Hiruzen Sarutobi said solemnly.

"That means we can focus most of our efforts on fighting the Stone Ninja."

"Protecting the village from danger is my duty as commander. It's nothing special, Sensei," Orochimaru replied calmly.

"That's what's wrong with you. You're too easygoing, never fighting for anything. You'll lose out on some things that way." Looking at his unmoved student, the teacher, no longer in his prime, couldn't help but rub his forehead and laugh bitterly.

"By the way, has that brat Jiraiya sent back any intelligence lately?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.

Whenever he thought of that unreliable student of his, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a headache coming on. He was one of the Sannin, a war hero, and yet instead of staying in the village to train newcomers, he'd listened to some Great Toad Sage.

He'd gone running all over the world to look for some so-called Child of Prophecy? His flighty behavior had caused him to miss so many opportunities. Even Tsunade...

"Ah... That disobedient child." The old man let out a helpless sigh, feeling more and more exhausted.

"Uh, as for Jiraiya, he did send back some information, but none of it was particularly important," Orochimaru said after thinking it over.

"Oh? Tell me about it." Hiruzen Sarutobi raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised that Jiraiya had actually found anything.

"He said that a few days ago, while passing through the Land of Rain, he happened to hear about a new organization that had emerged there, called Akatsuki."

"It's an organization dedicated to strengthening the Land of Rain, improving its people's lives, and rebuilding the country. It operates only within its own borders and has never tried to expand outward. It poses no threat to Konoha."

Orochimaru relayed Jiraiya's intelligence in full.

"Hmm... Akatsuki, is it... The Land of Rain..." Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag from his pipe before speaking slowly.

"That fellow Hanzō is lucky. After the last Shinobi World War, he drained so many of his country's resources and so much of its people's goodwill. Yet an organization dedicated to fighting for the Land of Rain's future still sprang up on its own. I suppose that's the Land of Rain for you."

"For a small country to withstand the friction of being caught between the great nations for so many years is truly remarkable." Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head slightly, a hint of admiration in his voice.

"Sensei, besides that, Jiraiya also brought back another... rather..." Orochimaru's expression suddenly turned strange. He paused before continuing.

"Rather unreliable piece of news."

"Ha, it's that Great Toad Sage's prophecy, isn't it?" The old man answered without a moment's hesitation, clearly knowing both his students inside and out.

"Heh, you really do know us, Sensei. It was indeed a prophecy from the Toad Sage."

"And it was only one sentence."

"What did it say?" The old man raised his eyelids and pressed him.

He said:

"The world's will is changing."

"The world's will is changing." The Great Toad Sage slowly spoke to Jiraiya, who stood below him.

A day earlier, the wandering Jiraiya had suddenly received a summons from Mount Myōboku. Fukasaku and Shima had appeared together to explain the situation to him.

"You mean the Great Toad Sage suddenly wants to see me? He said there's an important prophecy he absolutely has to tell me?" Jiraiya scratched his head, puzzled.

"That's right, little Jiraiya. The Great Toad Sage personally asked the two of us to come notify you, so it must be very serious," Shima said solemnly, wanting Jiraiya to understand the gravity of the matter.

"I see. Then we shouldn't waste any time. Let's return to Mount Myōboku right now."

"Reverse Summoning Technique!"

A moment later, they were beside the Toad Oil waterfall on Mount Myōboku, inside the enormous temple.

Several enormous Toad Oil lamps flickered with a dim yellow light, illuminating the space inside the hall.

The first thing anyone entering saw was the enormous lotus platform carved with the character for "sage." Seated atop it was the Great Toad Sage.

Looking at the massive figure above him, Jiraiya couldn't help letting out a gasp of admiration.

"Even though this isn't my first time seeing it, I'm still amazed."

"It really is worthy of being one of the Three Great Sage Lands."

"You're here, little Jiraiya..." Just as Jiraiya was still marveling, the Great Toad Sage seated on the lotus platform suddenly opened his eyes a crack and spoke slowly.

"I came as soon as I received your summons, Great Toad Sage," Jiraiya said respectfully.

"Did you summon me to tell me an important prophecy? It's been a long time since you last gave me information about the Child of Prophecy..."

"Is that so... It feels like I only dozed off for a moment. Has that much time really passed?" The Great Toad Sage raised his half-closed eyelids and spoke unhurriedly, his voice carrying a sense of age.

"In my last dream, I saw a vague figure: the legendary Child of Prophecy, a being capable of changing this Shinobi World." As he spoke, the Great Toad Sage tilted his head back and gazed as if through Mount Myōboku and into the Shinobi World, as though he could see it, ravaged by war and struggling in a mire of pain.

"Yes. It was because of your last prophecy that I set out to find that legendary Child of Prophecy. But... something went wrong, and I ended up getting nowhere." Jiraiya's voice was low, and his gaze dimmed. He seemed to have thought of something he didn't want to talk about.

"Yes. Back then, all the Shinobi World needed was a Child of Prophecy to change it," the Great Toad Sage said regretfully.

"What do you mean, 'back then'? Great Toad Sage, are you saying something else has changed in the Shinobi World?!" Jiraiya pressed anxiously.

"Not long ago, I glimpsed a corner of the future in another dream. The Shinobi World was completely different from how it is now..." As he spoke, the Great Toad Sage's gaze suddenly deepened, and light flickered in his cloudy eyes.

"The sun and moon stood guard, and the stars bowed their heads. High above the Shinobi World, a vague figure sat enthroned."

"I felt it. The Shinobi World was speaking to me." The Great Toad Sage suddenly opened his eyes.

"What did it say?!" Jiraiya asked in a panic.

Then, in the next instant, a cold voice rang out.

"The world's will is changing..."