Chapter 338 – The Great Toad Sage's Prophecy, The Child of Destiny!
Upon learning that Jiraiya had suddenly come looking for them, Uchiha Kagami slightly furrowed his brows. After pondering for a moment, he turned his head and exchanged a glance with Uchiha Fugaku.
"Jiraiya actually came, Fugaku. I haven't had the chance to ask you yet,"
"What's the situation within the clan right now?"
Hearing this question, Uchiha Fugaku's expression instantly grew solemn.
"After the incident where the Hell Valley was raided by the Hidden Cloud and news spread that Ci was still alive—and that he intends to seek revenge on the Land of Lightning—the entire clan is almost unanimously supportive."
"Several clan elders have even begun mobilizing for war. The hawkish leader, Uchiha Hachiyo, bypassed me entirely and directly petitioned the Hokage, requesting that the Uchiha Clan be deployed onto the Land of Lightning's battlefield. And the only one who could restrain them, the Grand Elder Uchiha Setsuna, is currently..."
Hearing this news, a flash of light flickered in Uchiha Kagami's eyes.
"I see. This situation isn't all that different from back when the Grand Elder plotted to assassinate the Second Hokage and staged a coup."
"Konoha must be growing nervous."
"Jiraiya coming here at this time is likely because he's acting as a mediator for Konoha and the Daimyō of the Land of Fire, trying to ease the tension between the village and our clan."
Thinking this through, Uchiha Kagami let out a long breath and lifted his head to look at Uchiha Seijiro, who was waiting at the door.
"Seijiro, go ahead and bring him in."
Not long after, a tall man with a stern expression, wearing a forehead protector inscribed with the kanji for "Oil," with long white hair that flowed down to his waist and two red markings under his eyes, was ushered into the tea room.
As soon as Jiraiya sat down across from Uchiha Kagami, he frowned and immediately spoke:
"Jiraiya, forgive my bluntness, but if you're here on behalf of the Daimyō of the Land of Fire, trying to persuade Uchiha Ci to stand down—"
Before Kagami could finish, Jiraiya was slightly taken aback and quickly shook his head, cutting him off.
"Hold on,"
"That's not important at all. There's no need for you two to be so tense."
Waving his hand dismissively, Jiraiya seemed completely unconcerned about what the two had been worrying over.
"This time with the Land of Lightning, although Uchiha Ci was a bit reckless, we're still technically at war. An assassination attempt against the enemy's leadership is a legitimate strategy."
"At the end of the day, his actions simply lacked official endorsement."
"And that issue can easily be resolved—just find Orochimaru, who's leading forces out in the field, and obtain a mission authorization from him. That alone will be enough to clear Uchiha Ci's name."
Jiraiya spoke with such sincerity that it was clear he was actually standing on the Uchiha Clan's side, even offering them a concrete solution.
This left Uchiha Kagami and Fugaku momentarily at a loss.
Currently, the entire Uchiha Clan had already steeled themselves for war, and because of Uchiha Ci, their relationship with Konoha's higher-ups and the Daimyō of the Land of Fire had dropped to a freezing point.
Yet here Jiraiya was, acting as though none of that was even a real problem?
Seeing that the two still seemed skeptical, Jiraiya's expression grew serious as he continued solemnly:
"Gentlemen, the real reason I've come here today is for something of great importance to me."
"I once received guidance from the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku. After I became strong enough to stand on my own, I was to travel the world, taking on disciples and passing on everything I had learned."
"And in the Great Toad Sage's prophecy,"
"My disciple would bring about a great change in the world—but whether that change would usher in peace or plunge the world into ruin was unknown."
"I have spent my life searching for this child—"
"The Child of Prophecy!"
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Fugaku frowned slightly, a puzzled look appearing on his face.
"You came seeking Uchiha Ci because of the Sage's prophecy?"
"And you believe Uchiha Ci is the Child of Prophecy?"
Thinking of this, Fugaku couldn't help but shake his head.
"But Jiraiya, Ci is already Orochimaru's disciple!"
"That's right." Jiraiya nodded, then clarified:
"Uchiha Ci is definitely not the Child of Prophecy. The one I have my eye on—the true Child of Prophecy—is someone else."
"Then..."
Uchiha Kagami looked at Jiraiya with a confused expression.
"It was thanks to the Great Toad Sage's guidance that I was able to find this hidden Uchiha compound within Yunming City,"
Jiraiya explained seriously.
"To tell you the truth, I did initially come to the Land of Lightning as Konoha's envoy. But just five days ago, I was once again reverse-summoned to Mount Myōboku, where I received the Great Toad Sage's newest prophecy—"
Jiraiya's face turned solemn, his tone grave:
"There will be someone who will forge an entirely new path for this world,"
"Someone even more important than the Child of Prophecy!"
"A true Child of Destiny, like the legendary sages themselves, has appeared!"
"He will wield the Sword of Raijin, bear the Imperial Jade, and descend upon this world with the most orthodox and supreme form of a Sage!"
"And in the Great Toad Sage's otherwise murky dreams, only one name appeared with absolute clarity!"
"That name was—"
Drawing in a deep breath, Jiraiya declared solemnly:
"Uchiha Ci!"
"—Hiss—"
At Jiraiya's words, Uchiha Kagami and Uchiha Fugaku both gasped sharply, their pupils contracting in shock.
"Child of Destiny? Opening a new path for the world?"
Were they really talking about Uchiha Ci?
Wasn't that dumb kid just a straightforward brawler?
Over the past few days, the two of them had practically been tearing their hair out trying to clean up the messes he left behind.
Since when—
Had their Uchiha Ci become this incredible?
The two men exchanged bewildered glances, both finding it almost impossible to believe.
But given their positions as high-ranking members of the Uchiha Clan, they knew a fair amount about Jiraiya's deeds and growth, as well as some information about the Three Great Summoning Beast Holy Lands.
They knew that the sages of the Three Holy Lands did possess all sorts of strange and wondrous abilities, and that Jiraiya was, indeed, one of the few chosen by Mount Myōboku.
The sheer seriousness of Jiraiya's words, combined with the fact that he had been able to find such a hidden Uchiha base, lent significant credibility to what he said.
"Could it really be true?" Uchiha Kagami asked Fugaku somewhat dazedly.
"Of course it's true!" Jiraiya immediately glared, his voice firm.
"Not only that, but my current disciples have already crossed paths with Uchiha Ci!"
"The legendary Child of Prophecy and the Great Toad Sage's unmistakably prophesied Child of Destiny have already gathered together!"
"This is the fated moment of convergence!"
Jiraiya's face grew even more grave, his tone urgent:
"The Great Toad Sage ordered me to find and protect that child at once, and to bring him back to Mount Myōboku!"
"This concerns the fate of the entire shinobi world!"
"Please, I implore you two—let me meet with Uchiha Ci!"
Seeing Jiraiya's urgent demeanor, Uchiha Kagami fell silent for a moment, then secretly nodded to himself.
But soon, facing Jiraiya's earnest expression, he couldn't help but show a hint of awkwardness.
"Well..."
"Since it's the Great Toad Sage's request, it's not a problem to arrange a meeting between Ci and you."
"But... we actually don't know where Uchiha Ci is right now."
"However,"
Uchiha Kagami's expression firmed as he looked Jiraiya straight in the eye and said solemnly:
"Tomorrow—"
"The Five Kage Summit will convene. The Daimyō of the Land of Lightning will appear in person. At that time, he will surely show himself!"