"Dual Pupils... Dual Pupils..."
His voice echoed through the grand hall, low and heavy.
Beside him, Fukasaku and Shima exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with solemn confusion. What was Great Toad Sage trying to say?
What were these "Dual Pupils"?
A long silence followed.
Finally, Fukasaku leapt forward and stood before the Great Toad Sage, speaking with a heavy tone.
"Should we go tell Jiraiya about this? Ask him to find the one with the Dual Pupils?"
They were troubled. What kind of matter could weigh so heavily on the Great Toad Sage, who had witnessed countless events over the years?
The "Dual Pupils" must be a critical key.
Then—perhaps if they searched for this person, they could find the one the Great Toad Sage spoke of.
"No... don't deliberately go looking for them," the Great Toad Sage took a deep breath, his voice carrying a deeper meaning.
"Let everything happen as fate intends. Only we should know of this matter. Don't let the others—or even the toads—find out."
As soon as he said that,
The hall fell into a thick, uneasy silence again. Only the Sage's faint muttering and labored breathing echoed through the space.
Then,
He slowly closed his eyes, still murmuring softly.
"Just what kind of extraordinary person are you... I truly wish I could meet you now…"
"And because of your appearance, it seems my prophecy has started to crack. The threads of the future may be unraveling…"
"Is it… because of you?"
"The future… may descend into chaos…"
When the Great Toad Sage spoke, he even used honorifics—showing his deep respect for that unknown individual.
And yet—
"Let everything follow its course, then... Let it be."
He didn't know if he would live long enough to see that day.
Murmuring softly, he seemed to fall into a deep sleep.
All of Mount Myōboku fell silent as well, as if nothing had happened at all.
Takigakure.
"Atsukara..." Jiraiya muttered softly as he returned to the village hidden in the waterfall, but his expression was unusually serious.
Gone was his carefree demeanor—now replaced by deep thought.
The appearance of Atsukara had caught even the Great Toad Sage by surprise.
It seemed the outsider truly existed... and the organization was preparing something big.
They knew more than they let on.
Next time he met them, he had to get some clear answers.
The outsider...
"Forget it, no use overthinking!" Jiraiya shook his head after a long silence, his smile slowly returning. "Life goes on—and beautiful women are the true source of inspiration."
He turned and headed toward the Uchiha district's red-light street—his favorite place.
In the end, it was still about living.
He still had to travel the world. He still had stories to write... stories they were about to finish.
Orochimaru's Hideout – A Cave
This time, several people had come—Toshi, Hayashi and even Hikari had shown up.
"Hayashi, are you sure this is the place?" Toshi looked at the pitch-black cave ahead and frowned.
Orochimaru truly was a snake hiding in the shadows — even the place he lived in avoided the light.
He, once a medical ninja who had fought for Konoha, had never liked Orochimaru's methods of using living people for experiments.
If it weren't for the curse mark's potential, he wouldn't have come to see Orochimaru at all.
"This is the location Orochimaru's spy in Konoha sent to Genya-sama," Hayashi said, looking at the cave with mild disapproval.
He was already used to places like this.
Back when he was tracking Orochimaru's whereabouts, he'd searched through many caves the man had abandoned.
Each one was just like this.
That alone showed how badly Orochimaru had been living since leaving Konoha — betrayed by Hiruzen Sarutobi, forced into the shadows even after founding his own hidden village.
"Orochimaru, one of Konoha's Legendary Sannin, actually lives here?" Hikari muttered softly.
Before coming here, she had often imagined what kind of life the legendary researcher among the Sannin might be living.
Lately, she had been diving deep into the research notes Orochimaru had left behind in Konoha — and had gained a lot from them.
That's why, when Toshi arranged a meeting with Orochimaru, she spoke with Genya and came along.
Her goal was to discuss research with Orochimaru directly. The notes he'd left behind in Konoha were outdated. She needed new knowledge.
She had always thought that since Orochimaru had founded his own village, he must be doing well. But now, seeing this place, she realized she had been wrong. Orochimaru was far from well.
"Hmph. Hikari, don't forget — Orochimaru is just a missing-nin. What kind of place other than a hidden cave could he possibly live in?" Toshi said coldly.
"If anyone found his hideout, plenty of shinobi would come to capture him."
He had noticed how invested Hikari had been in anything related to Orochimaru lately and couldn't help but speak up.
Hikari was his student. He couldn't let Orochimaru take her away.
"Heh... Toshi, it's been a long time. Your mouth is still as stubborn as ever."
As Toshi was teaching Hikari, a cold and eerie voice echoed from within the cave.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps sounded on the ground, and then Orochimaru, pale as ever, stepped out from the darkness.
Perhaps still not used to the sunlight, he lazily raised a hand to shield his eyes from the rays.
"Hmph. Orochimaru, did I say anything wrong? You're a rogue ninja from Konoha. If your whereabouts are exposed, people will come hunting you down soon enough," Toshi said firmly, standing his ground without the slightest hint of retreat.
He had known Orochimaru for a long time.
In the beginning, Orochimaru was a battle-hardened shinobi, and Toshi was a medical ninja. The two had little to do with each other.
But—
For reasons unknown, Orochimaru had later become obsessed with research, especially in the field of biology. There was even a period when Orochimaru had come to him for advice.
Toshi, recognizing Orochimaru's talent and intelligence, had passed on everything he knew.
In a way, he had been half a teacher to Orochimaru. But in biological research, Orochimaru had far surpassed his former mentor.
Then, within just a few years, rumors spread that Orochimaru was using live humans for experiments—and had defected from Konoha.
Toshi regretted it deeply. If only he hadn't taught him those things, perhaps fewer people would've suffered at Orochimaru's hands.
For a long time, he had felt guilty for all the children who died in those experiments.
"Heh… My real enemy is that so-called sensei of mine in Konoha—Hiruzen Sarutobi!" Orochimaru looked at the fury burning in Toshi's eyes, and simply smiled as he continued.
"Besides my dear teacher who wants me dead, who else would bother with such a boring thing as revenge?"
"Orochimaru, you experimented on living people. Doesn't the Hokage have every reason to want you dead?" Toshi said slowly and clearly, staring him down.
"Haha… Toshi, surely Genya explained everything to you before sending you here. Don't play dumb," Orochimaru chuckled, though his voice carried a weight.
"Back then, the order to begin the research came directly from Hiruzen Sarutobi himself. And the human test subjects? They were provided by him too. But in the end, he…"
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