A Painful Dinner

A moment later, the Great Toad Sage spoke. "I've had two more dreams recently!"

Sage Fukasaku quickly asked, "What were they about?"

The Great Toad Sage's so-called dreams were actually prophecies. During his long life, he spent most of his time dormant. But he wasn't sleeping—his prophetic abilities were tied to his dreams.

Before Sage Fukasaku woke him, he had had two more dreams. He told Fukasaku, "I dreamed that, in the not-too-distant future, a blue-eyed, blond child would call out the names of the nine beasts... I also saw little Jiraiya's disciples leading a group of people in an attack on that clan."

"What do you mean, then?" Sage Fukasaku asked quietly.

The Great Toad Sage pondered for a moment before saying, "Go tell little Jiraiya's disciples that Mount Myoboku has decided to commit the strength of our entire clan to helping them. I think the time has come."

Sage Fukasaku nodded and said, "Yes, sir," then hopped away. Meanwhile, the Great Toad Sage lay on his throne, lost in thought.

Takamagahara. What a familiar yet unfamiliar name. He hadn't heard anyone mention it in over a thousand years.

The true homeland of the Mount Myoboku clan was in Takamagahara. They had moved here only because of certain circumstances...

As his thoughts grew more and more tangled, the Great Toad Sage closed his eyes and fell dormant once more.

After leaving the palace, Sage Fukasaku went straight back to the house. The three of them had been talking inside, but stopped and turned to look at him when he returned.

Sage Fukasaku hopped back to his original spot and sat down. "I've obtained the Great Toad Sage's approval. Our Mount Myoboku clan will do everything we can to help you."

Naruto quickly bowed. "Thank you. I'll pass the cultivation method to you now. Everyone at Mount Myoboku can practice it."

Sage Fukasaku nodded. Naruto stepped in front of him and said, "Excuse me." Then he pressed a finger to Sage Fukasaku's forehead.

A moment later, Naruto lowered his hand and returned to his place. A cultivation method called the Tidal Art had appeared in Sage Fukasaku's mind.

It was a water-element cultivation method that greatly enhanced the water-element spiritual energy one cultivated.

Naruto didn't pass on any martial techniques to Sage Fukasaku, because he knew that Mount Myoboku had always passed down a powerful technique of its own.

Only those who had mastered Sage Mode could practice it. It was called Frog Sniper.

As soon as the cultivation method appeared in his mind, Sage Fukasaku eagerly began studying it. As he read, the spiritual energy already within him began to circulate, slowly gathering in his dantian.

The spiritual energy around him was quickly drawn in as well. Just then, Sage Fukasaku stopped and opened his eyes.

He realized that if he began cultivating the method now, he might need a long time to finish. So he emerged from his cultivation.

After opening his eyes, Sage Fukasaku said to Naruto, "Thank you. I just tried it out. Everyone at Mount Myoboku can practice this method, which means there won't be any more toads turning to stone while trying to master Sage Mode."

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "You're too kind."

Sage Fukasaku shook his head. "In the past, we had no proper method of cultivation. That led to far too many accidents when the residents of Mount Myoboku tried to cultivate Natural Energy—the spiritual energy you call it. Even..."

Sage Fukasaku didn't continue.

The three didn't ask any questions. They just smiled at him.

Sage Fukasaku continued, "This cultivation method is powerful and perfectly suited to our clan. That means everyone at Mount Myoboku will be able to master it quickly. Also, once they've mastered it, there will be no time limit when you summon them."

Naruto quickly asked, "Sage Fukasaku, are you sure?" This was an unexpected bonus for him.

He had only intended to strengthen Mount Myoboku so it could field more powerful fighters against that clan in the future. He hadn't expected the cultivation method to have this effect as well.

Sage Fukasaku nodded. "Tomorrow, I'll have everyone at Mount Myoboku practice this method. But it'll take some time to master, which means Mount Myoboku will have no fighting strength for a while. If possible, I hope you'll stay here until the training is over."

They could have split into several groups to practice, but Sage Fukasaku didn't want to do that. He had noticed a note in the method: if several people practiced it together, the slower cultivators would improve their speed with the help of those who had already mastered it.

Even if Mount Myoboku temporarily lost its fighting strength once everyone began cultivating, Sage Fukasaku wasn't worried. Mount Myoboku wasn't located in the Shinobi World itself; it was nestled in the void surrounding it.

It was practically a world of its own. Unless someone had a contract with Mount Myoboku, they couldn't find it. Jiraiya was an exception.

He wanted Jiraiya and the others to stay and stand guard only in case something unexpected happened.

Jiraiya quickly replied, "You don't have to worry about that, Boss. Even if you hadn't asked, I would've stayed."

Sage Fukasaku nodded. "Then I'll have to trouble you."

Jiraiya shook his head, then seemed to think of something. "Boss, my other disciple hasn't signed a contract with Mount Myoboku yet. Why don't we have her sign one now?"

Sage Fukasaku smiled and nodded. "That's up to you. After all, you're Mount Myoboku's representative in the outside world for this generation."

Then Sage Fukasaku turned around and gave a soft croak. Though it was quiet, Naruto sensed that it traveled a great distance.

Before long, Gamatatsu called from the doorway, "Sage Fukasaku, did you need me?"

Sage Fukasaku replied, "Make yourself smaller and come in."

Gamatatsu answered from outside, then crawled into the room a moment later.

Seeing Jiraiya and Naruto inside, Gamatatsu said, "Lord Jiraiya, Naruto, you're both here!"

Jiraiya and Naruto smiled and greeted him in return.

Then Sage Fukasaku said, "Take out the contract. Let this young lady sign the summoning contract."

Gamatatsu didn't reply. He simply opened his mouth wide and laid a scroll on the floor, his tongue wrapped around it.

After Naruto and Jiraiya nodded to her, Hinata stepped forward and said to Gamatatsu, "I look forward to working with you."

Gamatatsu quickly replied, "I look forward to working with you, too."

Hinata lowered her head and opened the scroll. In the blank space after Naruto's name, she wrote her own: Hinata Hyuga. Then she pressed her thumbprint onto it.

Thus, Hinata became another of Mount Myoboku's contract holders.

After the contract was signed, Gamatatsu didn't leave. He put away the scroll, swallowed it, and joined the others in chatting where they sat.

As evening approached, the door opened, and a frog about the same size as Sage Fukasaku hopped inside. Seeing Jiraiya and the others, she said, "Little Jiraiya, long time no see! When the old man told me you were coming to Mount Myoboku, I went out specially to find some food."

As she spoke, she raised the basket she was carrying. Naruto didn't even need to sense what was inside. He could see things wriggling beneath the cloth covering the basket.

Jiraiya replied with a troubled look, "Big Sis, long time no see."

Sage Shima continued, "These are your new disciples, right? The old man told me about them."

Jiraiya nodded, and Naruto and Hinata stepped forward to bow and greet Sage Shima.

Sage Shima nodded, then said, "You can keep chatting. I'll go prepare the food. Oh, and you can eat here too, Gamatatsu."

Then she turned and hopped toward the kitchen.

Jiraiya closed his eyes as if resigned to his fate, then took a deep breath.

Naruto and Hinata, who had no idea what was going on, waited expectantly beside him.

A moment later, Sage Shima called from the kitchen, telling them dinner was ready. The three humans and two toads all got up and headed to the table.

When Naruto got there, he finally understood why the Pervy Sage had made that strange face.

The table was covered with all sorts of insects. Some were still alive, writhing on their plates, while others had been placed in bowls of brightly colored soup.

Naruto looked at Jiraiya. When Jiraiya shrugged, Naruto had no choice but to sit down.

Once everyone was seated, Sage Shima said, "Dig in. Don't be shy—there's plenty more."

Then she put an insect soaked in soup onto each of the three humans' plates and watched them expectantly.

Jiraiya suddenly picked up the insect on his plate and stuffed it into his mouth. Without even seeming to chew, he swallowed it whole.

Seeing this, Naruto gritted his teeth, picked up the insect, and swallowed it just like Jiraiya. Then he turned to look at Hinata.

Seeing that Jiraiya and Naruto had both eaten theirs, Hinata picked up the insect with trembling hands and did the same.

Once Hinata had finished, Jiraiya quickly said, "Boss, Big Sis, Gamatatsu, you should eat quickly too. We're already full."

Sage Shima replied, "You're eating so quickly. You must be hungry. Have some more."

As she spoke, she was about to serve them more insects, including some that were still wriggling.

Jiraiya quickly stopped her. "Big Sis, we're really full. We ate a lot before we came. If you don't believe me, ask Naruto and Hinata."

Naruto and Hinata immediately nodded vigorously, confirming that Jiraiya was telling the truth.

Seeing that, Sage Shima stopped insisting. She then ate the feast in front of her quickly, along with Sage Fukasaku and Gamatatsu.

After breakfast, Sage Shima refused to let them help clear the dishes. Jiraiya said, "I'll take them for a walk," then led Naruto and Hinata outside.

As soon as they were out the door, the three of them ran toward the distance. Once they felt they were far enough away, they stopped and bent over to vomit.

As they threw up, they heard Sage Fukasaku's voice behind them. He sounded a little embarrassed as he said, "You poor things."

The three didn't look up. They kept vomiting, only raising their hands to wave at Sage Fukasaku.