The Vanished Child of Prophecy

Jiraiya the Gallant, one of the Third Hokage's disciples.

His work, Make-Out Paradise, had swept across the entire Shinobi World, while he also bore the mission of finding the "Child of Prophecy," wandering throughout the Shinobi World.

In fact, Hiruzen Sarutobi had wanted Jiraiya to inherit the position of Hokage more than once before, but Jiraiya had refused every time.

Now, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no intention of passing the Hokage position on to anyone else.

Jiraiya bore the title of the Gallant, but he was somewhat too indecisive in his actions, and his heart could never settle. He was not suited to be Hokage; otherwise, the Fourth Hokage would not have been his disciple, Minato Namikaze.

While gathering inspiration, Jiraiya suddenly sensed a warped spatial fluctuation. It was the Reverse Summoning Technique!

Jiraiya's heart tightened. Had something happened in Konoha that required Mount Myoboku to summon him?

Following the Summoning Technique's call, Jiraiya appeared on Mount Myoboku.

"Lord Jiraiya, the Great Toad Sage wishes to see you."

This time, Jiraiya appeared directly outside the temple where the Great Toad Sage resided. A little toad spoke to him, then slowly opened the temple doors and waited for Jiraiya to enter.

Taking a deep breath, Jiraiya stepped into the temple.

This time, the Great Toad Sage was not dozing. Instead, it sat upright and cross-legged in its place.

The instant Jiraiya entered, the Great Toad Sage looked at him.

"Jiraiya! Has anything major happened in the Shinobi World recently?"

Even as Mount Myoboku's foremost errand runner, it was not easy for Jiraiya to meet the Great Toad Sage.

This was also the first time Jiraiya had seen the Great Toad Sage look so nervous.

Jiraiya's current strength was absolutely inseparable from Mount Myoboku's help.

Yet, he had succeeded because of Mount Myoboku, and suffered because of Mount Myoboku as well.

Jiraiya had spent his entire life running about for the Great Toad Sage's so-called "prophecy."

He had searched for the so-called "Child of Prophecy," seeking to guide the person capable of bringing change to the Shinobi World onto the right path.

For this so-called prophecy, Jiraiya had paid far too much.

"No. Although there have been constant frictions between the ninja villages recently, nothing major has happened."

Jiraiya shook his head. He had always been active on the front lines of the Shinobi World, and recently, things truly were exactly as he had said—nothing major had occurred.

"..."

The Great Toad Sage looked at Jiraiya, its heart filled with complicated feelings. It had lived for over a thousand years, possessed strength not inferior to the Sage of Six Paths, and held unfathomable stores of natural energy within its body.

Yet even so, before fate, it remained so insignificant. It had grown accustomed to predetermined destiny, but now that the future had become unpredictable, fear began to rise in its heart.

"The karma of fate has been shrouded in mist. The future can no longer be known."

"Jiraiya, though this may be irresponsible to say, from today onward, you no longer need to search for the Child of Prophecy."

Jiraiya's mouth fell open, and for a moment, he did not know what to say.

He had pursued this for half his life. From Nagato Uzumaki to Minato Namikaze, he had believed both disciples were Children of Prophecy capable of changing the Shinobi World, yet both had met with misfortune.

More than once, he had doubted whether the Great Toad Sage's prophecy was correct, but each time he had convinced himself otherwise. Now he was suddenly being told to stop searching for the Child of Prophecy—how was he supposed to accept that?

"Great Toad Sage, what exactly does this mean?"

Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima, standing nearby, could not bear to see Jiraiya like this.

The Great Toad Sage stood high above all others and usually wandered through dreams. The two of them were the ones who had watched Jiraiya grow from childhood, step by step, into the man he was today.

Accepting that he was not the one chosen by fate, that he could only serve as the guide for the child of destiny, was no easy thing.

And now, to suddenly tell Jiraiya that the persistence and pursuit of his entire past had been meaningless—was there anything more cruel?

"From today onward, I can no longer foresee the future. The Shinobi World's future is no longer fixed, and the Child of Prophecy no longer exists."

The Great Toad Sage's meaning was simple: the future of the Shinobi World was no longer a predetermined reality, but an unknown filled with uncertainty.

Under such circumstances, even if they found the so-called "Child of Prophecy," that child would most likely be unable to bring change and peace to the Shinobi World as the prophecy had foretold.

"Then what should I do?"

Jiraiya was lost. One of Konoha's Three Legendary Sannin, author of the Icha Icha Series, a wanderer who played through life—at this moment, he had briefly lost his purpose in life.

"Go enjoy the life that belongs to you. You no longer need to bear the mission of finding the Child of Prophecy."

The Great Toad Sage looked at Jiraiya and shook its head.

"Mount Myoboku will be closing itself off soon, and I will also enter seclusion for a time. You may keep an eye on whether anything has happened in the Shinobi World recently. If you discover anything, return and report it promptly."

"Life only lasts a few short decades. Go do more of what you want to do."

After saying that, the Great Toad Sage closed its eyes.

Enjoy his own life, do what he wanted to do—was that truly what a ninja should do?

Jiraiya had actually been willful enough already, doing whatever he wanted and refusing the village's arrangements. Yet now that the belief he had clung to in his heart had suddenly vanished, he felt utterly lost.

Should he listen to his teacher's arrangement and return to Konoha to become Hokage?

But whenever he thought of Konoha's darkness, Jiraiya hesitated again. Had he not left Konoha precisely to distance himself from those political disputes?

Konoha had clearly been founded on the most beautiful intentions, yet it was now filled with schemes and infighting.

Jiraiya had watched Hiruzen Sarutobi transform step by step from a Shinobi Hero into a shinobi bear. He knew very well how greatly power could change a person.

Besides searching for the Child of Prophecy, a large part of why he had repeatedly refused Hiruzen Sarutobi's requests for him to become Hokage was that Jiraiya feared he would become the next Hiruzen Sarutobi and lose himself in power.

Still, perhaps Konoha's darkness could be changed by him?

If he became Hokage, would Tsunade's opinion of him change? And would Orochimaru, who was still in Konoha, have to obey his orders as well?

At that thought, Jiraiya felt the faintest desire for the position of Hokage.

After all, he had grown up in Konoha, so dreaming of becoming Hokage was perfectly normal.

Unfortunately, even if Jiraiya wanted to become Hokage now, it was already too late.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had already become an immortal cultivator, so his lifespan would certainly be greatly extended. He could remain in the Hokage's seat for a very, very long time.

The times needed to progress, and ninjas would eventually be eliminated. Once Hiruzen Sarutobi's cultivation succeeded, he would certainly choose to strike at the Otsutsuki Clan. When that time came, chakra-using ninjas would face an inherent disadvantage against the Ōtsutsuki.