The Great Toad Sage's Prophecy

Mount Myoboku.

A rich land hidden in a remote part of the Ninja World, said to take even a ninja a month to reach from Konoha.

The climate here is warm and humid, with various gigantic plants and insects. More importantly, it is one of the few places in the Ninja World where Natural Energy converges.

This is the fundamental reason why the Toad Clan chose this place to live.

As white smoke rose, Jiraiya's figure appeared on a small hill. Before he could react, a loud complaint came from above.

"Damn Jiraiya, why did it take you so long to respond to my summons? I've been waiting for you here for ages."

Jiraiya looked up, facing the sunlight, and saw a colossal creature bend down, its enormous size making Jiraiya on the ground look like a tiny ant.

"Hey, Gamabunta, I didn't expect it was you using Reverse Summoning, otherwise I would have responded much sooner."

Jiraiya was quite adept at it; with a few leaps, he ran up the Great Toad's front legs and onto its head.

"Is there something you need in such a hurry to see me? I'm currently fighting against the Sunagakure, and I don't have time to stay here permanently."

Gamabunta shook his head in annoyance, and when he realized he couldn't shake Jiraiya off, he gave up in frustration.

"Why are you fighting with Sunagakure again? Didn't we stop fighting for a while?"

He remembered clearly that Konoha had severely damaged Sunagakure before, and he had personally participated in those crucial battles.

Jiraiya shook his head. He had come all this way to Mount Myoboku and wanted to relax, so he didn't want to talk about these things.

Gamabunta didn't take it seriously. He called out to Jiraiya, who had already completed most of his mission. He adjusted his posture, took a leap, and soared into the air a hundred meters high.

Despite the strong wind, it didn't stop him from speaking, "It's Mom and Dad who's looking for you. I wouldn't bother calling you over for no reason. I'd rather go play with Minato."

Jiraiya stood steadily on Gamabunta's head, showing no sign of panic at his sudden jump. Clearly, this was their usual way of getting along.

However, upon hearing that it was the two hermits, Fukasaku and Shima, who were looking for him, he frowned. It seemed this matter was quite serious.

The continuous leaps traversed several kilometers, and as they approached the center of the sacred site, the plants grew increasingly enormous.

The rich Natural Energy in the air was so palpable that Jiraiya could clearly sense it.

"We're here. My mission is complete. Jiraiya, you can go up by yourself. I won't accompany you!"

Gamabunta's voice was full of joy, as if he couldn't wait to get rid of Jiraiya, this burden.

Jiraiya was furious. They were good brothers, after Jiraiya, and now his brother was so eager to abandon him and run away alone. There must be something going on.

He stopped abruptly, turning to stare at Gamabunta's eyes, which were larger than a person's own.

"Brother, something's not right. Are you hiding something from me? We're brothers, we're supposed to share the good times and the bad."

Gamabunta was stunned by the questions for a long time. When he came to his senses, he found that Jiraiya was still standing on his nose, pointing at him and babbling on and on.

This time, he wouldn't have it. As if he had recalled some unbearable past events, his anger flared up, and he started shaking his head wildly.

"You bastard, you have the nerve to talk about me like that? Every time we go to an izakaya to pick up girls, when have you ever taken me along? You're the one who only shares the good times, not the bad ones, right?"

Not satisfied with just shaking his head, he raised his two front paws and started slapping his face haphazardly.

Jiraiya could no longer stand still. He quickly Body Flicker Gamabunta's several blows and jumped off him.

However, after this commotion, he also figured something out. He looked at Gamabunta with a sly grin and said, "Hey, little brother, are you going to find a girl? Want me to give you some advice?"

Seeing that Jiraiya had left his body, Gamabunta stopped what he was doing. Hearing that Jiraiya was going to impart his experience to him, Gamabunta glanced at Jiraiya with considerable disdain.

"Just you"

That look in their eyes was contempt, mockery, and utter disdain from the bottom of their hearts.

"I'm single, so you should take care of yourself!"

After saying that, he ignored Jiraiya and leaped into the distance.

Only Jiraiya, completely petrified, remained in Jiraiya.

Single Dog

These three words were like three heavy bombs, blasting Jiraiya to smithereens!

He was in a daze and didn't come to his senses for a long time.

This wasn't just being looked down upon by a Toad; more importantly, Taiichi a "single dog" struck a nerve with Jiraiya, causing him unbearable pain.

Staggering along, Jiraiya walked listlessly up the mountain path, even the scenery that he usually found fascinating now held no appeal for him.

After wandering aimlessly for an unknown amount of time, Jiraiya finally arrived at the residence of the two hermits Fukasaku and Shima.

"Oh, it's Jiraiya! You've come at just the right time. This pot of Green Caterpillar Mushroom Soup will be ready soon, why don't you have some!"

When Sage Shima saw Jiraiya climbing the mountain, he warmly invited Jiraiya and sit down.

This greeting awakened Jiraiya, and the fear of being dominated by various insects completely overwhelmed his resentment towards being single.

Jiraiya waved his hands repeatedly, shook his head like a rattle drum, his whole body swayed wildly, and his mouth gave the answer before his brain could even process it.

"No, no, there's a fierce battle going on at the front. I only managed to get here in a short time. Is there anything urgent here? I need to go back to the front as soon as I'm done."

"Oh, that's a real shame."

Sage Shima put down the soup spoon in his hand, jumped a few steps to Jiraiya, and looked up into Jiraiya's eyes.

"It was the Great Toad Sage notified you to come; it seems to be about a prophecy."

At that moment, the previously absent Sage Fukasaku jumped back from a distance, carrying a huge bamboo basket on his back, filled with all sorts of colorful, wriggling insects.

"Ah, Jiraiya, you're finally here! If we're any later, the master will be going to sleep again."

Jiraiya's stomach churned wildly Jiraiya the sight of the basket full of insects. Hearing that the Great Toad Sage might be going to sleep again, he quickly seized the opportunity.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry and see the Great Toad Sage. We can't let important matters be delayed."

After saying that, he took the initiative to help Sage Fukasaku take the bamboo basket off his back, put Sage Fukasaku on his own shoulder, and turned to Earth Flow of the Great Toad Sage.

"What's the rush? The soup will be ready soon."

Sage Shima looked at the two who had left, then turned to look at the still-bubbling soup. The green caterpillars that kept rolling up made her lick her lips. Finally, she put down her spoon and caught up with Jiraiya and the other person.

She leaped onto Jiraiya's other shoulder, her large front paws swatting at Jiraiya head.

"That little Jiraiya is being unreasonable; he's wasted my whole pot of soup."

Jiraiya didn't resist, just grinned and let Sage Shima slap him. He was secretly pleased, since it didn't hurt, so he might as well consider it an apology for the pot of soup.

After walking for more than ten minutes, the man and the two frogs finally arrived in front of a magnificent hall.

Looking at this grand hall, even though it wasn't his first time here, Jiraiya was still deeply shocked. It was simply too enormous.

Compared to this grand hall, those Daimyo mansions and ancient castles are nothing but a pile of dung, utterly incomparable.

Upon arriving here, the two immortals, Fukasaku and Shima, jumped down from Jiraiya's shoulders, and the two frogs led the way, guiding Jiraiya into the main hall.

Passing through the empty main hall, we arrived at the innermost room. The few bonfires lit on the walls did not make the room brighter; instead, they made it even darker.

Inside the room, on a huge stone chair, sat a massive yet incredibly Great Toad.

His eyes were slightly closed, as if he were sleeping well; he must have really fallen asleep!

Sage Fukasaku jumped down in front of the Great Toad Sage and began trying to wake him from his slumber.

"The Great Toad Sage ----"

At first, his voice was soft, but as there was no movement for a long time, his voice gradually grew louder, but even so, it was only slightly louder than normal speaking.

Jiraiya behind, also felt embarrassed, and was wondering whether he should step forward to help.

Sage Shima was a few steps behind, couldn't stand it any longer. She pulled Sage Fukasaku aside, complaining as she did so:

Get out of the way, who are you expecting to wake up like this?

At the same time, she took a deep breath, opened her frog mouth, and roared, "Great Toad Sage, wake up!"

The enormous sounds formed a wave of sound that swept towards the Great Toad Sage.

Finally, the Great Toad Sage slowly opened his eyes a crack and looked at the guy who had woken him up.

"It's Shima —what can I do for you?"

The Great Toad Sage spoke very slowly, as if each word required a great deal of effort.

"Sir, I've brought Jiraiya with me. Didn't you need to see him?"

Sage Shima continued to speak loudly, as if afraid that the Great Toad Sage wouldn't hear her.

After a long silence, just when everyone thought the Great Toad Sage had fallen asleep again, he finally spoke again.

"Shima- ah, what's up?"

Both the man and the two frogs collapsed in laughter. Shima even blurted out that he was senile, but Sage Fukasaku was quick-witted and covered his wife's mouth, pulling her behind him.

This time, it was Sage Fukasaku stepped forward. "My lord, I've brought the little Jiraiya you were looking for?"

"Oh, Jiraiya! Where is he? I can't see him!"

Jiraiya quickly stepped forward, arriving right under the Great Toad Sage's nose, fearing that the Great Toad Sage might fall asleep again if he stayed any longer.

"Great Toad Sage, I'm here!"

The Great Toad Sage watched for a long time but remained silent. Jiraiya could only wait patiently, comforting himself that this was how it was when he got old.

After a long silence, the Great Toad Sage immortal finally spoke, "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Jiraiya's forehead. "So, you didn't recognize me after all."

"Great Toad Sage, it's me, Jiraiya!"

"Oh----" Another long sigh escaped the Great Toad Sage, who seemed to have finally found his rhythm. "Little Jiraiya, the prophecy has taken a new turn."

Jiraiya immediately perked up, and even Fukasaku and Shima next to him raised their bodies.

"I witnessed a cataclysmic battle, the old order collapsed, and a new order burst forth, everywhere was filled with blood and fire, while those who caused all this laughed wildly at the pinnacle of humanity!"

After the prophecy was finished, the hall fell silent as everyone digested its contents.

"How could this be? Great Toad Sage, does that Child of Prophecy still exist? Will he still save the world?"

The enormous Toad slowly shook its head. "I don't know, but the Child of Prophecy does indeed exist, though its role in it remains unknown."

"So who exactly is this person who changed the Ninja World? What are their characteristics? Are they our enemy?" Jiraiya longed to obtain more detailed information.

"I don't know, the prophecy was too vague, I only saw some jumbled images—"

Jiraiya wanted to continue asking questions, but Sage Fukasaku Teuchi Jiraiya.

"The Great Toad Sage is already asleep; he won't hear you no matter how much you ask."

Jiraiya then noticed that bubbles had started to rise from the Great Toad Sage's nose, indicating that he had clearly fallen asleep again.

"Little Jiraiya, let's go. I'll ask him again when the master wakes up next time."

Sage Fukasaku was very understanding and knew what Jiraiya wanted to know, so he took the initiative to take on the task.

"Thank you so much, Sage Fukasaku!" Jiraiya expressed his heartfelt gratitude. This information was extremely important, concerning the safety of the entire Konoha and even the entire Ninja World, and he could not afford to be careless.

The man and the two frogs walked out of the main hall and returned to the small hut they had come from.

Sage Shima was the first to jump over and check her pot of Green Caterpillar Mushroom Soup, exclaiming, "What a pity, what a pity!"

Jiraiya had sorted out his thoughts along the way. First of all, the prophecy only revealed that there would be a great war in the future, without any other substantial explanation.

As for the old and new orders, no one knows for sure which is better or worse.

And the so-called person who laughs wildly at the top of all living beings is even more so. Although such people are usually villains, the prophecy does not explicitly state this, so anything is possible.

Having figured all this out, Jiraiya felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders. With his worries gone, he then thought about the current situation he was facing.

The headache immediately returned, and the thought of the even more brutal battles to come intensified the pain.

But Jiraiya was not one to be defeated by difficulties. He quickly composed himself, and when Sage Shima served him a bowl of cold Green Caterpillar Mushroom Soup, he hastily canceled the summoning and returned to the front-line Camp.

"That little Jiraiya, I'll have to give him a good talking to next time he comes. I just served him some soup, and he ran off."

Sage Shima was still rambling on, looking at the thick soup in his hand, he poured it into his mouth and swallowed it down in two gulps.

"Mmm, it tastes really good!"

Southern Front, Konoha Camp.

Upon his return Jiraiya did not go directly to the Central Army Tent, where his Shadow Clone were stationed, so there would be no problem in the short term.

He wandered around the Camp; the fighting over the past two days had been too intense, and he hadn't had time to properly assess everyone's current situation.

The further he walked, the heavier his heart became.

The heavy casualties severely damaged morale. Unlike the Sunagakure, which fought to protect their homeland, the Konoha Ninja did not share this belief in this battle.

This also leads to a situation where morale plummets whenever people encounter even the slightest setback.

This wasn't the worst part. Jiraiya never imagined that the Medical Camp, which he had never had to worry about before, would now have problems.