The Child of Prophecy X Great Toad Sage

"Clone Technique?"

"No, it's [Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu]!"

The gate opened, Asuma stared blankly at the yard packed with Roy, completely dumbfounded.

Although rebellious and often defiant towards Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had high hopes for his son, deliberately neglecting his ninjutsu studies, Asuma, as the Hokage's son, frequently visited Sarutobi Hiruzen's study. Even though he didn't usually look at Sarutobi Hiruzen's materials, Asuma still picked up some powerful ninjutsu through constant exposure. In the original story, his death at Hidan's hands was partly due to Hidan's unorthodox Faith in a demon god; someone unfamiliar with Hidan, even a slight scratch from him, would have been fatally wounded...

As their gazes swept across the room, hundreds of Roy turned to Asuma. The Sun-Earring Boy, who had passed the Chunin Exams and earned his rank as a Chunin through Chunin battlefield merit, suddenly narrowed his eyes. Meeting Roy's indifferent gaze, Asuma felt a chill run down his spine, and fine beads of cold sweat broke out on his brow. It felt as if he had been completely seen through, inside and out, top to bottom...

"Pfft~" [Eye of Truth] automatically triggered... and a stream of information entered Roy's mind...

[Name: Sarutobi Asuma]

[Species: Ninja]

[Constitution: C]

[Manifested Chakra: C-(74781/100,000) (Note: Approximately 0.6 calories)]

[Potential Chakra: B- (200,000/1,0...)]

[Rating: C]

"Average level of a typical Phantom Troupe..." Roy quickly withdrew his gaze. One after another, his Clone, following his main body's thought, "poof~poof~poof~" transformed into Nen Flow, carrying memories, consciousness, fatigue, and damage, all returning to Roy's main body as feedback!

It is important to emphasize that each Clone of [Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu] is an individual with independent consciousness, thought, memories, and the ability to act independently. Naturally, after the Clone dissolve, the experiences, memories, fatigue, and even injuries carried by the Clone will be received and borne by Roy without exception.

The physical and mental exhaustion and shock involved are another important factor contributing to the fatality of Ninja, although this is not recorded in Senju Tobirama's annotations.

Perhaps, in the Second Hokage's view, those who lack strong willpower are destined to never become excellent Ninja. Roy secretly guessed, and then gently exhaled...

The Sun-Earring Boy, with his long, glossy black hair, turned to look at Sarutobi Hiruzen. Sarutobi Hiruzen, seemingly lost in thought, paused for a moment, then gently knocked his pipe against the rim of a nearby trash can, extinguishing it. "You've won," he said. "The [Scroll of Sealing] is in the bookshelf behind you. Go and choose another ninjutsu. "Sarutobi Hiruzen, remembering the Sun-Earring Boy's terrifying learning speed, then changed his words, "Two. You may choose two more."

Roy's expression softened slightly upon hearing this. The Sun-Earring Boy walked silently to the bookshelf, found the spot where Sarutobi Hiruzen, reached out and grabbed a scroll firmly in his hand. He lowered his head, slowly opened the scroll, and immediately searched for "[Edo Tensei Technique]". Finally, he saw the words "[Edo Tensei]" at the end of the scroll.

Roy's brows furrowed as he carefully compared the [Edo Tensei Technique], converting each part into "recitation text" and storing it in his mind. Then, he saw the words [Rashomon] in [Attack], [Seal], [Defense], and [Escape Technique]. In an instant, he recalled the famous scene where Orochimaru used [Triple Rashomon] to defend against the sudden attack of the Tailed Beast Ball by the Four-Tails Naruto.

"[Rashomon] Ah, I wanted to learn that too," Minato Namikaze, with blond hair cascading over his shoulders, leaned closer, resting his Namikaze Minato and pondering, "Unfortunately, I don't have [Earth] among my Chakra attributes, and I'm not very good at Summoning Jutsu, so I gave up..."

"After all, that's a ninjutsu developed by the First Hokage, named 'Rakujou,' which is said to be the gateway to Hell," Sarutobi Hiruzen quietly, highlighting the key point. He then gave Roy a meaningful look and said, "You have a connection with the First Hokage, making you perfectly suited for this technique."

What does this mean...? How come Jhin is connected to the First Hokage?

Sensing the hidden meaning in Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, Namikaze Minato paused slightly, glancing at Roy. He was surprised to discover that the necklace the Sun-Earring Boy wore resembled the one Tsunade always wore... In other words... Tsunade had already met the Sun-Earring Boy, and... for some unknown reason, had even gifted him her most precious necklace, demonstrating the high regard she held for Sun-Earring Boy!

"That's it then." Roy focused his mind and converted [Rashomon] into "recitation text" and stored it in his mind. Following his promise to Sarutobi Hiruzen, he put the [Scroll of Sealing] back in its original place.

The Sun-Earring Boy breathed a sigh of relief; his mission was accomplished. He didn't linger, but just as he was about to say a brief farewell to Sarutobi Hiruzen and Namikaze Minato, an invisible wave emanated from the void, instantly causing him to frown and stop in his tracks. "Who?!"

The void fluctuations grew faster and faster. Before Sarutobi Hiruzen and Namikaze Minato could react, Roy reached out and grabbed directly in the direction from which the void fluctuations were coming!

[Sumeru Mustard Seed] -- Spatial Connection!

In the blink of an eye, a hole appeared in the void, and a toad instantly revealed its form!

"I should be asking you who you are?!"

"Hey kid, stop right now!"

[The Sumeru Mustard Seed] opened and closed, and a tongue that suddenly stretched out shot out, trying to knock away Roy's large hand that was grabbing him!

But to the toad's surprise, Roy's hand, which had reached into the void, was enveloped in a deep, eerie light, its finger bones and flesh shrouded in a hazy glow. Even though the toad's tongue was faster and sharper than a blade, it couldn't penetrate it. Instead, Roy seized an opening, intercepted it mid-flight, and with a single grab, pulled it out...

Ouch~ my back...

"Plop!" The toad croaked to the ground, instantly caught by Roy, who stepped on its back. The sudden change began and ended in an instant... As the [Sumeru Mustard Seed] was absorbed into Roy's body, the void vanished... Sarutobi Hiruzen and Namikaze Minato came to their senses, staring intently at the floor. A fierce smirk appeared on their faces as they instantly recognized the toad... "Fukasaku /Lord Fukasaku..."

Isn't that Jiraiya /Teacher's summoning beast?

Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly realized something and hurriedly said to Roy, "Jin, he's one of us, let him go quickly."

"Oh~" Roy gave a nonchalant "hmm," naturally recognizing Fukasaku. That distinctive tuft of white beard and hair—wasn't that Fukasaku Shima Jiraiya's most trusted companions, the "Toad Couple," Fukasaku?

The Sun-Earring Boy feigned innocence and released Fukasaku. Namikaze Minato then helped Fukasaku, Youyou the old toad groaned twice, clutching his back, "Ouch, be gentle... watch your back..."

I simply looked up at the sky and pretended I didn't see anything...

This is truly a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple; it seems this old toad is delivering a battle report from Jiraiya to Sarutobi Hiruzen on behalf of the front lines. And sure enough—

Fukasaku, though angry, hadn't forgotten his mission. After being helped to catch his breath by Namikaze Minato, the old toad opened his mouth and exhaled a whirlwind carrying a scroll, which slowly floated towards Sarutobi Hiruzen, who firmly grasped it in his hand. "Jiraiya sent me to inform you that the Raikage's son has recently been spotted on the front lines. He's with a Sun-Earring Boy Killer B, deep into the battlefield, killing many people, causing the front lines to be strained, so... Jiraiya sent me to inquire about it."

"We need to speed things up so that reinforcements can arrive soon, otherwise he can't hold out for long on his own!"

"A... Killer B... AB Duo, it really is them?"

Roy listened silently from the side, his heart yearning to rush to the battlefield. It was the graveyard of great powers, the Meat Grinder of Konoha, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and countless smaller Shinobu villages, the burial ground for ordinary Ninja and even elite Ninja, and of course... also the cradle for nurturing "Life Energy"!

Roy dislikes war and killing, but he must admit that... whether in his past life, the Hunter x Hunter world, the Demon Slayer world, or the current Hokage world, wherever there are people, there is conflict, politics, strife, and filth, all waiting for the [sun] to shine its light and purify them!

A hidden yearning, transforming into battle intent, slowly emanated from Roy's body.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was staring at the scroll listening to Fukasaku's report, seemed to sense something, suddenly raised his eyes and glared at Roy, saying, "You're not allowed to go!"

"I've said it before, you can't go no matter who goes!"

Fukasaku, who was still supporting his Fukasaku back, paused slightly, surprised by Sarutobi Hiruzen's attitude. He turned his head to look at Namikaze Minato and asked, "Who is he?"

Minato glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen, then at Roy, and said gently, "His name is Jin, a child of the Uchiha clan."

Uchiha Fukasaku frowned. That clan was inherently evil, so how could they be in Hiruzen's study? And it seemed... he was quite protective of this Sun-Earring Boy?

Did the sun rise in the west today?

Fukasaku frowned as he looked at Roy. His back and tongue, which had just been grabbed and stepped on, were still throbbing with pain. It was really strange... Don't let his small size and soft tongue fool you. He was a "Toad Sage" with eight hundred years of Sage Mode cultivation. Even though he had signed Contract with Jiraiya, he was still someone that the other party had to respectfully call "Boss"!

In terms of combat strength, he's definitely no weaker than the Jonin of Konoha, so how did he get so easily defeated by this kid?

Fukasaku recalled the layer of [ghostly light] that had enveloped Roy's palm earlier, and vaguely sensed that something was amiss...

His gaze was fixed intently on Roy, a hazy Thread of Causality connecting them slowly yet firmly since their first encounter.

Roy replied casually to Sarutobi Hiruzen, "Understood."

She had already made up her mind. With just a glance back at Fukasaku, a glint of light flashed in her clear, bright eyes. Through the [Thread of Causality] between herself and Fukasaku, she could see the numerous [Thread of Causality] crisscrossing and swaying behind Fukasaku.

These [Threads of Cause and Effect] are all indirectly connected to him through Fukasaku. He is involved here and there... I can vaguely see some shadows. Among them, a white hair like a lion's mane is draped behind the head, and there is a forehead protector with the word [oil] faintly tied on the forehead. It should be Jiraiya. Among them, the purple lips and purple head are only slightly greener than Fukasaku's skin color. The lighter one should be his wife, Shima. Among them, the one with a huge red toad and a huge pipe in the corner of his mouth should be Bunta. The others are Toad Hiroshi, Toad Takeru... A group of toads, with different shapes, different skin colors, different weapons, and different expressions. The only thing that is the same is that they ultimately point to Mt. Miaomu!

The last Thread of Causality swayed in the darkness, catching Roy's eye. The Sun-Earring Boy vaguely sensed something and squinted at the other Thread of Causality of the thread.

Amidst towering mountains, a small temple is nestled.

Below it, by the stream, there was a high platform dedicated to the word [immortal]. Just above the word [immortal], faint snoring could be heard intermittently. Roy followed the snoring and saw an old orange toad with a string of Buddhist beads hanging around its neck. There was a lavender cat's eye stone in the middle, with the word "oil" like Jiraiya's engraved on it. He wore a doctor's hat on his head.

In a drowsy state, he suddenly opened his yellowish eyes and, in a trembling voice more hoarse than a broken bellows, asked in a low, guttural voice, "Who is it?"

Roy remained silent. The old toad croaked, but still received no response. Its head drooped, as if it had drifted off to sleep again.

Upon seeing this, Roy instantly recognized him, then curiously glanced at the temple before slowly withdrawing his gaze.

"Buzz~" The [Thread of Causality] then converged...

Everything seemed to have returned to normal, but to Roy's surprise, not long after he left, the old toad, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly opened its eyes again, as if disturbed by a nightmare. It awoke abruptly and said in a low voice, "A thousand years have passed, Hagoromo. Since your death, the prophesied child... finally..."

It appeared..."

"Whoosh~" A gust of Chakra wind carrying "natural energy" blew up, and the old toad spoke. Thousands of toads who were training in the Yamanaka Clan suddenly raised their heads and stopped what they were doing. At this moment, they all heard these words in their minds, including Fukasaku and Shima who were externally Fukasaku to spirits!

"The Child of Prophecy?!" Sarutobi Hiruzen, his eyes Fukasaku yellow, his pupils as black as horizontal lines, trembled, and his expression changed instantly!

Minato Namikaze, who was helping him Namikaze Minato, noticed this and asked with concern, "What's wrong, Namikaze Minato -Fukasaku sama?"

Then, Sarutobi Hiruzen upon... Fukasaku the toad, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice, "The ninja world is about to change!"

The patriarch is never wrong, and has never made a mistake, because his "prophecies are always accurate." That's why he was given the honorific title of "Great Toad Sage." Therefore, he said... if the child of prophecy has appeared, then the child of prophecy must have already appeared!

As for who it is...

Fukasaku glanced at Roy; surely he couldn't be an inherently evil Uchiha!