"Meow?"
Was he really that easy to talk to?
Takeshi was a bit surprised. He had expected to waste some effort here at Mount Myoboku. After all, the Great Toad Sage's attitude toward certain matters in the ninja world was notoriously unsettling. Yet, he never expected to be sent away without even seeing the Great Toad Sage.
Should he leave now, or try to force a meeting with the Great Toad Sage?
"Well, Mount Myoboku generally doesn't interfere in such matters," Fukasaku said, breaking the silence. "But speaking of which, in a thousand years, this is the first time we've known a ninja beast outside of Ryuchi Cave and Shikkotsu Forest to master the secrets of Sage Art."
"Meow~ The backlash here seems quite severe."
Takeshi pointed a paw at the surrounding Stone Statues.
These statues were the products of failed Sage transformation. Some had been saved by Fukasaku using his stick, but many more couldn't be brought back in time and had turned into Stone Toads, destined to remain here forever.
"Do you have a secret technique in your clan?" Fukasaku asked.
"Meow, we have cat food. It allows us to partially adapt to natural energy beforehand. Even if one isn't suited for Sage Mode, it prevents any overly terrible mutations," Takeshi explained with a nod.
Fukasaku fell silent for a moment. He suddenly recalled something.
Last Year, Jiraiya and Minato had sought him out to ask about natural energy. Minato, in particular, had solemnly asked if there were any potions that could help the human body quickly adapt to natural energy.
At the time, Fukasaku and Shima had thought Minato had changed. Previously, the boy never considered taking shortcuts in his training, but he had suddenly become impetuous and refused to eat the Bug Meal.
'So it was you, you little brat, causing trouble here and corrupting Mount Myoboku's most promising child?' Shima glared at the black cat.
Minato would rather run away than eat her Bug Meal again, a fact that had hurt her feelings for days.
So, the source of it all was right here.
"In this aspect, your clan is indeed superior. Our years of exploration at Mount Myoboku have only yielded some immature tricks," Fukasaku sighed.
There was no comparison. Look at him; in just More Than Half a Year, this cat went from just starting to absorb natural energy to thrashing Gamabunta. Reality was a harsher slap in the face than anything else.
Fukasaku felt a bit stifled and envious of the "cat food" Takeshi mentioned. If they had something like that, Mount Myoboku wouldn't be littered with so many Stone Toads...
"I thought everyone had it, meow. It's a pity our cat food only works on cats, otherwise, I could share it with you."
"Thank you for the sentiment," Shima said politely.
Whether she was smiling or cursing internally, however, was unknown.
Probably cursing.
Takeshi had opened his system panel earlier and saw his points rise significantly. It seemed Shima cared a lot about food, was it because her own cooking skills were poor?
The black cat guessed as much.
Fukasaku didn't dwell on it. He stood aside, chuckling in a very Zen-like manner, and kindly told Takeshi some old stories about Mount Myoboku. He mainly mentioned past conflicts between other ninja beasts and the toads, clearly intending it as a gentle warning.
Since the other party was so amiable, Takeshi felt it wouldn't be right to provoke him further.
As for Fukasaku's advice, he didn't take it to heart. Why go through all this trouble? Wasn't it just for the points?
He would actually feel bad if those guys didn't come looking for trouble.
Mount Myoboku didn't offer much in the way of entertainment; it was mostly toads training. And their methods were incredibly dull, completely lacking the hot-blooded passion of someone like Might Guy.
Takeshi strongly disapproved of such training.
Too little effort.
'Youth shouldn't be like this. Even I, who possess a system, work this hard to earn points, so what right do you have to be such slackers?'
--**--**
"That damn black cat is detestable. It's all his fault Minato doesn't like my Bug Meal anymore."
"Ahem, you're overthinking it, Ma."
The black cat left Mount Myoboku. Fukasaku and Shima didn't think much of it, bickering as they returned up the mountain. Having lived for More than 800 years, surprises were rare, so daily bickering was a necessity to pass the time.
In Shima's view, Minato's distaste for her cooking was entirely Takeshi's fault. But Fukasaku understood, getting a human to like bugs...
Well, was it really possible? Fukasaku didn't know that dishes like Fried Bugs actually existed in the human world. Although the audience wasn't large, it was still more palatable than Shima's dishes, which treated worms like noodles.
The two returned up the mountain, argued for a while, and then, having nothing better to do, prepared to check on the other toads' training. However, they hadn't taken more than a few steps when they heard a faint sound drifting from the temple deep within Mount Myoboku.
The Great Toad Sage had awakened.
"Let's go."
"I know, Pa, no need to rush me."
Fukasaku and Shima sped toward the temple simultaneously. They moved fast, landing outside the Great Toad Sage's residence in moments. They quickly tidied their attire before entering.
The Great Toad Sage lived in the large central room of the temple complex. Inside sat a massive chair, on which he usually lay sleeping.
But he wasn't simply sleeping.
Of course, whether he was "prophesying" or just napping was unknown to outsiders; it all depended on the Great Toad Sage's word. But from the Sage of Six Paths down to Jiraiya, everyone believed in his visions implicitly.
Fukasaku was a bit surprised upon entering. In the past, the Great Toad Sage always liked to ask something like "Who goes there?", and they would unceremoniously tease him for being old-fashioned.
But this time was different.
Today, the Great Toad Sage was awake. He had picked up the Sake prepared by his side, opened it, and was drinking with a melancholic air.
"Great Toad Sage-sama, did you dream of something special?" Fukasaku asked solemnly.
Every time the Great Toad Sage got serious, it meant he had dreamed of something significant. The last time he woke up with this expression was when he dreamed of Jiraiya, though, of course, the Great Toad Sage wasn't as senile back then.
The Great Toad Sage took a few sips, struggling to find the words.
He pondered for a long time before sitting up straight. "I dreamed of a strange scene. I still don't quite understand it."
"You can tell us, and we can analyze it together."
"That's right."
Fukasaku and Shima spoke in turn. They took these dreams very seriously; one never knew when a key prophecy might be revealed.
The Great Toad Sage thought for a few seconds, nodded gently, and said, "I dreamed that Jiraiya met a strange cat. Then the scene shifted, and this cat had become very powerful. He was sitting on Gamabunta's head, coming to our Mount Myoboku, possibly for advanced training or something similar."
Fukasaku looked bewildered. This sounded, damn it, wasn't this exactly what had just happened?
The Great Toad Sage looked at him confusion.
Shima kicked Fukasaku and quickly said, "Please, continue."
"Hmm, in the end... it was very strange. I wanted to see what would appear later in the dream, but the vision turned into a black Vortex. However, inside that Vortex, I vaguely saw that the cat seemed to have become even more powerful, fighting against some enemies atop a towering High Tower."
This was the part the Great Toad Sage didn't quite understand.
Because the images were fragmented, he couldn't see clearly who the cat's enemies were. But the feeling was subtle, giving him a faint sense of deja vu from when he had dreamed of Jiraiya all those years ago.
Actually, he had been thinking just now,
'Could the Child of Prophecy mentioned in Jiraiya's prophecy actually be this cat from the dream?'
But he didn't say it out loud.
No matter how you looked at it, a cat becoming the Child of Prophecy was a bizarre notion. Moreover, whether this dream was even a prophecy was still a question. How could a cat be so powerful?
Thinking of this, the Great Toad Sage shook his head gently. "Maybe it's simply a strange dream."
"No, actually... the cat from your dream just left Mount Myoboku." Fukasaku couldn't hold back.
The Great Toad Sage had actually dreamed of that cat. This made him both surprised and curious, and perhaps a tiny bit annoyed. Why did this cat seem so righteous and reliable in the Great Toad Sage's dream?
Was it because the intermediate details, like his attitude, were omitted? Fukasaku wondered secretly.
"Just came? Oh... Hmm? What?"
The Great Toad Sage didn't react at first. After savoring the words, he suddenly felt something was wrong. This cat really existed, and had even visited Mount Myoboku? How was that possible!
He sat up straight, staring at Fukasaku and Shima with wide eyes.
The two toads nodded simultaneously.
So...
That cat is the Child of Prophecy?
===============
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