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Chapter 68 - Chapter 67 – The Great Toad Sage’s Marvels

The Great Toad Sage's words rang out like the toll of an ancient bell, echoing in Jiraiya's ears.

At just six years old, Jiraiya had yet to experience the cruelty of war or grasp the true weight of life.

So, concepts like fate and choice were still vague to him—distant ideas, not yet fully understood.

Even so, Jiraiya didn't ignore the words.

On the contrary, he listened intently. While he couldn't grasp their full meaning, he could sense their gravity and significance.

He knew the Great Toad Sage wasn't speaking nonsense—he was trying to tell him something important. That he possessed a special kind of power.

That his choices and actions might one day influence the fate of others.

And to a boy his age, being called the "Child of Prophecy" was, without question, the coolest thing ever.

It represented a mysterious power—one that could shape the world itself.

He didn't quite understand what that meant yet, but he could feel it… a sense that he had been entrusted with a greater mission.

So even if the words felt distant now, he chose to commit them to memory.

He believed that as he grew older and gained experience, he'd gradually come to understand their true meaning.

Meanwhile, after speaking, the Great Toad Sage felt a hint of doubt well up inside him.

It felt… off. Jiraiya's arrival in Mount Myōboku seemed too early.

Yes, this time, the Great Toad Sage's prophetic instincts weren't unfounded.

As a sage, he possessed powerful foresight—able to glimpse, in dreams, the experiences of versions of himself from alternate worlds.

These other timelines, distinct from his own, allowed him to perceive key shared events across realities.

He had foreseen that Jiraiya would come to Mount Myōboku one day, by pure chance. He had also seen the birth of Naruto Uzumaki, the Child of Prophecy.

But he had never seen Jiraiya arrive at such a young age.

This anomaly stirred a faint unease within the Great Toad Sage.

Was there an unknown force meddling in events?

With that thought, he opened his ancient, time-worn eyes slightly and looked at Jiraiya, asking softly:

"Little Jiraiya, how did you get here?"

Hearing the question, Jiraiya scratched his cheek, a little embarrassed.

"I was practicing the Summoning Technique… and I sort of… accidentally summoned myself here. I-I didn't know it could work like that…"

At that, the Great Toad Sage let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Though Jiraiya hadn't arrived at the expected time—

The cause and outcome of the event were exactly the same. That eased the tension in his heart.

Just then, Jiraiya seemed to remember something. He suddenly shouted:

"Ah! I never told you my name—how did you know it?!"

Off to the side, Shima sighed and facepalmed.

"Great Lord Sage literally just talked about your future. How could he not know your name?"

Jiraiya immediately went silent.

He rubbed the back of his head with an awkward grin, trying to laugh it off.

Now that he understood Jiraiya's situation, the Great Toad Sage felt reassured. He slowly sank back into a sleepy daze.

But just before he fully drifted off, he suddenly muttered:

"Jiraiya will be the Child of Prophecy's teacher. He may sign a contract with Mount Myōboku. Fukasaku, give him the scroll."

Upon hearing this, Fukasaku immediately took a scroll from his robes and handed it to Jiraiya.

Jiraiya accepted the scroll, his heart filled with excitement and anticipation.

The very thing he'd longed for had finally landed in his hands.

The Great Toad Sage, having said his piece, didn't wait for a response. He slipped into deep slumber almost instantly.

His speed-sleeping skills left everyone stunned, their minds going blank with helpless resignation.

Staring at the snoring sage, they couldn't help but sigh at his eccentric personality.

Fukasaku then gently patted Jiraiya on the shoulder, signaling that it was time to leave.

Jiraiya nodded, carefully holding the scroll, and followed Fukasaku out of the Great Toad Sage's cave.

Once they were outside, Fukasaku turned to him and said:

"This is Mount Myōboku's summoning scroll. You can sign your name on it right now."

Hearing this, Jiraiya's eyes lit up with excitement.

Under Fukasaku's guidance, he solemnly signed his name on the scroll.

Once the ritual was complete, Fukasaku stood before Jiraiya and offered one final instruction:

"Young man, if you ever find yourself in danger, you can use this scroll to summon us. For now, it's time for you to go back."

Still swept up in the thrill of the moment, Jiraiya only slowly returned to his senses after hearing those words.

He opened his mouth to ask how to return—but before the words could leave his lips, that familiar pulling sensation suddenly surged through him.

The next moment, Jiraiya barely managed to shout, "Again?!" before vanishing from sight.

When the sensation faded, his consciousness returned—back to the Senju training grounds.

As he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Uchiha Hikaru and several companions standing around him.

Their faces wore strange expressions.

Those odd looks made Jiraiya feel a little uneasy, a faint anxiety bubbling up inside.

He jumped to his feet, a bit flustered.

"W-What? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

They exchanged glances, then quickly shook their heads, as if to say nothing was wrong.

Finally, it was Orochimaru who spoke up from the side, answering Jiraiya's confusion:

"You're really something, huh? Just casually summoning yourself like that. What if you couldn't come back?"

Jiraiya froze.

Only then did he realize—they'd been looking at him like some reckless idiot with a death wish.

His face turned beet red. Flustered, he snapped back:

"Not knowing doesn't make me dumb! I didn't know, okay?! How's that dumb? Is ninja stuff supposed to count as dumb?!"

Then came the excuses—"How was I supposed to know?", "No one told me!"—the kind of lines only the clueless could confidently spout.

The others couldn't help it—they burst out laughing. The training field was instantly filled with cheerful, carefree energy.

After the commotion died down, Uchiha Hikaru hadn't even needed to ask. Jiraiya started recounting his strange little adventure all on his own.

As he spoke and revealed more and more details, the others—Tsunade included—stared at him, eyes wide in disbelief.

A random botched summoning, and somehow he ended up at one of the Three Great Summoning Realms, Mount Myōboku?

And not only that—he signed a contract with them?

Their jaws dropped. For a six-year-old, that was… insanely lucky.

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