Planned to upload 2 chaps/day for a week...
Then I caught a nasty cold :')
Now here we are.
*****
At Mount Myōboku, Jiraiya stood solemnly before the towering throne of the Great Toad Sage, having just arrived via reverse summoning. The humid air of the sacred land clung to his skin, filled with the scent of wet stone, old scrolls, and the faint trace of incense burned during rituals long forgotten.
High above on his usual platform, the enormous, wrinkled toad known as Great Toad Sage, Gamamaru, blinked groggily as if awoken from a hundred-year slumber.
"Who are you…?" he mumbled, blinking at the man below with bleary eyes.
The elderly toad Fukasaku, standing nearby with his arms crossed behind his back, immediately responded with a sigh, "This is Jiraiya, Jiraiya-chan, old man. You can't remember again, huh?"
Gamamaru grunted and seemed to mull over the name, but his eyelids drooped once more.
Before he could drift off again, a shrill voice barked from the side, "I just saw you a month ago, you senile old toad! Don't you dare fall asleep again!"
It was Shima, the old lady toad, clearly irritated as she slapped the cane in her hand against the floor.
"Maa." Fukasaku scolded gently, "You shouldn't speak like that to the Great Toad Sage."
But Shima wasn't having it. "Am I wrong, hmm? If someone forgets everything every day, what else can you call it besides old-age senility?"
The noise stirred Gamamaru again. He reached lazily for a nearby gourd of soju, took a long swig, and chuckled. "All right, all right, don't quarrel. Toad couples should live in harmony."
His eyes—cloudy but still wise—squinted as he looked down at Jiraiya once more. "By the way… who are you again?"
Jiraiya rolled his eyes with a sigh, and Fukasaku gently reminded the sage again. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Gamamaru's face lit up in recognition.
"Ah… you've grown, Jiraiya-chan." he said fondly.
Jiraiya bowed slightly. "It's been a while."
Gamamaru's voice turned contemplative. "Regarding the person you asked me about before... Over the past month, I have seen a different future in one of my dreams. A strange one."
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. "A different future?"
The words sent a ripple of unease through the air. If the prophecy had changed, what about the child of prophecy? What had altered fate?
Gamamaru continued slowly, his voice almost entranced. "I saw… many, many… shinobi… farming."
"…Farming?" The word dropped into the silence like a kunai.
Fukasaku and Shima exchanged bewildered glances. Even Jiraiya, who had seen countless strange things in his life, could only stare.
Gamamaru nodded sagely, "Yes, after the great war, most of the ninja were farming. Earth-style was used to plow and till soil, Water-style to irrigate fields. Fire-style was used in smithing iron, Lightning-style provided energy, and Wind-style carved through wood and stone. Each ninja performed specific tasks, contributing to a great transformation…"
Jiraiya couldn't help but let his mouth fall slightly open. A society where ninja produced instead of destroying? It was ridiculous. Unrealistic.
He opened his mouth to question further, but Gamamaru held up a gnarled hand. "The future has become… cloudy. Even my dreams are no longer clear. That is all I can tell you."
With that, the ancient toad took another long drink of soju, let out a pleased sigh, and promptly fell asleep once more.
Jiraiya stood in silence for a long time, trying to make sense of what he had heard. Was the future truly becoming unpredictable? What of the child of prophecy? What of the wars and conflicts?
A great war—that was believable. But farming?
Shima, noticing his conflicted expression, said softly, "Jiraiya-chan, the old man has been forgetting a lot lately. Don't let it weigh too heavily on your heart."
Then she added with a small chuckle, "But if it's true that ninjas all become farmers and so… wouldn't that mean you humans have finally stopped fighting?"
Jiraiya blinked at her. She had a point.
A world where shinobi used their chakra to build instead of destroying. Maybe that was the peace they'd all been searching for. The child of prophecy... perhaps he wasn't meant to end war through battle, but by changing the very way ninja lived.
Before his thoughts could spiral further, Fukasaku leapt onto his shoulder. "It's already noon. If you're not busy, why not stay for lunch?"
Jiraiya paled. "Er… no, that's alright! I still have something urgent!"
Because last time, he'd nearly gagged at the giant bugs on the table. There were some horrors he just wasn't ready to face again.
…
In the Land of Rain.
A cloaked figure watched from the shadows as a familiar silhouette staggered through the town streets.
'Jiraiya?'
Sora narrowed his eyes. Why was that old pervert here now?
As far as he remembered, Jiraiya hadn't gotten involved with the Land of Rain until his fatal reconnaissance mission. He hadn't even known about the changes in Amegakure, nor about his former disciples, until it was too late.
Was he gathering intelligence early this time?
The old man had first visited the remnants of an old hut—Yahiko and Nagato's hideout, perhaps—but found only ashes and ruin.
Shortly after, with his stomach empty and urges intact, he wandered into the local town, clearly aiming for the brothel. "Information gathering." he'd called it.
Watching from above, Sora sighed as he vanished into the shadows again. So much had changed under the flapping wings of butterflies. Perhaps if Jiraiya and Pain crossed paths now, the likelihood of using Obito's amputated arm might increase. That would be useful.
As night fell, the familiar perverted silhouette loomed once more, this time hunched outside the women's bathhouse.
Sora covered his face. 'Why do I even bother expecting anything more from this man?'
He had seen enough.
With a sigh, he made a hand seal. "Wood-style ∙ Mini Deep Forest Emergence."
From the ground, a thick branch surged upward, sharp and focused like a spear.
He narrowed his eyes and aimed carefully.
*Swish!*
*Pfft!*
"AAAAAARRRGH!!"
Jiraiya's scream echoed across the bathhouse district as he crashed straight through the wooden door and into the hot spring.
"AHHHHH!"
"There's a man!"
"A pervert!"
"GET HIM!!"
"Where's my towel?!"
"Forget your towel! Cover your face!"
Amid the screams, a puff of smoke erupted behind Sora. A shadow clone dispersed, revealing the original Jiraiya behind him—clutching his rear and glaring.
"Kid." Jiraiya grunted, "Do you have any idea how painful that was? When a shadow clone dissipates, all that pain returns to the original body!"
He paused mid-sentence, squinting.
"…Wait a minute. Uzumaki Sora?"
Sora looked at him flatly. "If that branch had made a sound before emerging, I might've missed. Too bad for you, my aim was perfect."
Jiraiya shuddered.
Sora continued, "What are you doing in the Land of Rain?"
But Jiraiya chuckled instead. "According to Minato, you're supposed to be omniscient. So shouldn't you already know?"
Sora shook his head. "No one truly knows everything. Each variable creates new branches. I saw one ending, that's all."
"…What kind of ending?"
Sora's expression darkened. "That's not something you can afford. You have no chips to trade."
Jiraiya frowned. "Since I returned to Konoha, I've heard rumors that you deal in information. For a price."
"Exactly." Sora replied coldly. "But you have nothing of value. You're worthless in that regard."
The silence that followed was heavy. Not because of the insult—but because it was true.
*****
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