Two rather small toads were watching Kazuyama Gekkō.
They were none other than the two high-ranking immortals of Mount Myōboku—Immortal Fukasaku and Immortal Shima. It was worth noting that these two were actually husband and wife.
"Greetings, Immortal Fukasaku and Immortal Shima."
"Kazuyama, these two are the immortals of Mount Myōboku. They are the Great Toad Immortal's trusted confidants, handling all affairs of Mount Myōboku on a daily basis."
Minato Namikaze's attitude was extremely respectful. After all, these were the immortals who taught him Senjutsu. As the heir of Mount Myōboku, he ought to show them due respect.
Kazuyama Gekkō, however, felt nothing of the sort. What a joke! In the Ryūchi Cave, he ruled with an iron fist. Who dared refuse him, save the White Snake Sage? But here, on foreign soil, he knew better than to flaunt his arrogance.
"Kazuyama Gekkō, heir to the Ryūchi Cave, greets you, Sages."
His demeanor wasn't exactly respectful, but it was a marked improvement from his usual self.
Fukasaku Immortal chuckled softly.
"Enough. Your Ryūchi Cave and our Mount Myōboku are fundamentally different paths—left and right, never converging."
"So there's no need for such restraint."
"Just as my old wife calls you stinking snakes, in the eyes of those Snake Princesses at Ryūchi Cave, we're nothing but stinking toads."
He was absolutely right. Just look at how Tagitsuhime described Mount Myōboku every time. Every sentence had to include those three words: stinking toads.
"We already know the purpose of your visit."
"For this, the Great Toad Sage sent us to greet you. However, though your intentions are good, the Great Toad Sage has not issued a corresponding prophecy."
"Therefore, unfortunately, this trip to Mount Myōboku will yield you no results."
Fukasaku Sage delivered the answer Kazuyama Gekkō sought with blunt directness.
Kazuyama Gekkō showed little reaction upon hearing this. After all, he'd only come with a tentative hope. Prophecies—they can be wondrous, yet utterly useless at times. But it was still a path worth exploring.
"I see. Well, I understand."
"I'll continue investigating the Akatsuki organization."
"My thanks to both of you, Sage."
You don't bite the hand that feeds you. Since they'd been so gracious, Kazuyama Gekkō felt no need for hostility, instead offering his gratitude.
Having listened in, Minato Namikaze stepped forward to offer reassurance.
"Kazuyama, it's fine. If Mount Myōboku proves unhelpful, we'll deploy more ninja for intelligence gathering once we return."
"Though the Ninja World is vast, we will find them."
As Minato Namikaze encouraged Kazuyama Gekkō, the Sage of Fukasaku beside them offered a faint smile.
"Though I couldn't assist much, don't fret too much."
"I've heard much about the enemy's situation from both Jiraiya and young Minato. It's clear they're biding their time."
"Until the moment is ripe, they won't move lightly."
Kazuyama Gekkō understood the Fukasaku Sage's words perfectly well, but he wasn't one to sit idly by. Knowing the enemy's purpose, he was naturally eager to deal with them.
"Alright, follow me."
"Though the Great Toad Sage hasn't made a corresponding prophecy, he did tell me that if you came, he would see you."
This left Kazuyama Gekkō thoroughly confused. The Great Toad Sage wants to see him? What could this mean?
But since they'd already reached Mount Myōboku, meeting him was inevitable. Thus, guided by Fukasaku, Kazuyama Gekkō made his way deeper into the palace.
Meanwhile, left behind, Minato Namikaze stared wide-eyed. He'd been here for quite some time, yet aside from that first encounter with the Great Toad Sage during his initial training in Sage Arts, he hadn't seen the old man again. Never did he expect Kazuyama Gekkō to meet the Great Toad Sage on his very first visit.
When Kazuyama Gekkō followed Fukasaku Sage to the palace's innermost chamber, the Great Toad Sage had been waiting there for quite some time.
This was a large toad, entirely orange in color with yellow eyes. Around its neck hung a string of Buddhist prayer beads, the center bead a pale purple cat's eye stone inscribed with the character "油" (oil). On its head sat a doctoral cap.
"Great Toad Sage, Kazuyama Gekkō has arrived."
Fukasaku Sage reported to the figure before him.
"Oh? The one foretold in prophecy. You have finally come. Fukasaku, you may leave."
"I shall speak with him now."
Fukasaku nodded and exited the room.
Kazuyama Gekkō gazed at the Great Toad Sage before him—no, he should be called Gamamaru. This was the founding patriarch of Mount Myōboku, a toad that had lived for over a thousand years since the time of Kaguya.
"Hehehehe, Kazuyama Gekkō, hello. Yes, that's right. You may call me Gamamaru."
"I do indeed share a favorable relationship with Hagoromo."
Hearing the other reveal his background so directly, Kazuyama Gekkō felt a slight jolt of surprise, though his expression remained unruffled.
"Hehehe, no need to be so tense. I'm merely curious—where exactly did you learn all this?"
"These are matters from a thousand years past. Never mind, if you don't wish to speak of it, then don't."
"After all, it's nothing of great consequence."
The Great Toad Sage continued speaking to himself, paying no heed to Kazuyama Gekkō. No wonder the Shima Sage called him senile. His advanced age certainly made him seem rather unhinged.
"But remember this, Kazuyama Gekkō: you belong to this world. At least, you have since the moment you arrived."
"Beneath the boundless starry sky, you arrived here and will fight for this world. That is enough."
"As for the Akatsuki organization... heh heh heh. I must say, the White Snake Sage should have accurate intelligence on that."
"After all, that fellow loves observing the Ninja World for no reason, unlike me—I just sleep all day."
"Hehehe, go back now."
From start to finish, Kazuyama Gekkō hadn't uttered a single word, simply listening to the other speak. But the Great Toad Sage's words left him utterly stunned. Clearly, the other knew he didn't belong in this world. Yet there wasn't absolute proof, so that's why he said those things...
"One final thing: each of the nine Tailed Beasts has its own mission."
"If you wish to confront the true source, you must earn their recognition."
Tailed Beasts? Missions? Recognition?
Kazuyama Gekkō felt overwhelmed by the flood of information, too much to process at once. He was already a jinchūriki—could he possibly become the jinchūriki for multiple Tailed Beasts at once???
Oh my, this trip to Mount Myōboku was getting more and more confusing.
"Alright, time to go, young man."
"Oh, right—how's that toad oil I gave you earlier? Working well?"
"If it's decent, help yourself to more. We've got plenty of the stuff here anyway."