The Dragon Pill went down.
After a brief silence, the desires and temptations Lin Qing had suppressed surged back, stronger than ever.
Thump—thump—thump!
Lin Qing's heartbeat pounded heavily, like war drums or thunder.
At first, the sound was confined to the Great Toad Sage's room.
But soon, the sand and stones around Lin Qing began to float slowly, breaking free of gravity under an invisible force.
The earth trembled in time with his heartbeat, the sound echoing across Mount Myoboku.
The tremors traveled along the ground. Jiraiya's hand jerked, and a drop of ink fell onto his manuscript.
He didn't bother wiping it away. He turned to look toward the Great Toad Sage's room.
Jiraiya knew Lin Qing had come over.
Lin Qing was discussing something important with the Great Toad Sage, so Jiraiya had planned to catch up with him later.
But that sound...
"Could they have started fighting?"
Remembering the rumors that the White Snake Sage had been chopped up, Jiraiya leaped to his feet.
His legs were still stone below the knees, but his thighs could move now. He bounced toward the mountaintop.
Jiraiya wasn't the only one. Every toad still on Mount Myoboku sensed the trembling earth and the terrifying Natural Energy within it.
Fukasaku and Shima, two senior figures, reacted at once and rushed over. Gamabunta, Gamaken, and the other large toads followed close behind.
They bounded across the mountains, and along the way, picked up Jiraiya, who was hopping on two legs like a kangaroo.
The throng of toads arrived in force. The moment they landed, a thunderous crash rang out. The walls of the Great Toad Sage's house shattered and collapsed, filling the air with dust and obscuring their view.
Gamabunta immediately drew his sword and was about to charge in.
Fukasaku quickly