"The Great Toad Sage passed away?"
"That Old Toad died?"
The Nine-Tails and Jiraiya could hardly believe it, but judging by the enormous gathering at Mount Myōboku, with practically every toad they knew—and plenty they didn't—squatting there in mourning clothes, it hardly looked like a hoax.
"Ah, the Patriarch had a vague premonition a few days ago. He kept talking about you, little Jiraiya!"
Sage Fukasaku approached in a white cloak and let out a long sigh as he looked at Jiraiya.
"Great Toad Sage..."
Jiraiya's nose immediately stung. After all, he had spent years training at Mount Myōboku since childhood. His relationship with the Great Toad Sage could be described as...
Jiraiya suddenly froze.
Wait, thinking about it, we weren't actually that close. Apart from the few times the Great Toad Sage told me about his prophecies, we barely interacted, did we?
But realizing that the emotions had already built to this point, the worldly-wise Jiraiya suppressed that thought and huddled together with the toads, sobbing.
Watching Jiraiya's heartfelt display, anyone who didn't know better would have thought his own grandfather had died.
The Nine-Tails had no intention of joining their mourning. Still suspicious, he floated toward the front.
There, at the very front, stood a huge bowl, with the aged Gamamaru lying flat inside it.
The Nine-Tails figured this bowl was probably what the toads used as a coffin. A large character meaning "sage" was even printed on it.
The surrounding toads seemed to be mourning. Every so often, a massive toad would bring a few little toads or tadpoles before the bowl and offer tributes such as "Rest in peace, Ancestor," or "Great-great-great-great-great-grandpa, I miss you so much..."
"He really died?"
The Nine-Tails muttered to himself. In his previous life, this great toad had still been alive