Bang!
As the thick white smoke dispersed, Jiraiya's figure appeared on Mount Myōboku.
Warm, humid air greeted him, carrying the scent of soil and exotic plants.
He had no time to admire the scenery. Determining the direction, his body shot forward like an arrow, racing toward the summit of the sacred mountain.
The new Daimyo, Arashi—his actions defied everything Jiraiya understood.
He needed answers, and he needed them now.
In the pond ahead, the mountain-sized Gamabunta puffed on his pipe, blocking Jiraiya's path.
"Jiraiya? Aren't you supposed to be fighting Kumo on the front lines? What are you doing here?"
"It's urgent!" Jiraiya's voice was tense. "Gamabunta, move aside! I need to see the Great Sage right away!"
Gamabunta's expression turned serious. "What happened?"
"Something big. I'll explain later."
Gamabunta removed the pipe from his mouth, silent for a moment.
"Go then. But I'll warn you, the old man's been sleeping lately. No guarantee he's awake."
"Thanks!" Jiraiya said quickly. "If he's asleep, I'll wake him."
Without another word, he vanished into the mist.
Gamabunta watched his retreating figure, eyes narrowing as smoke drifted from his pipe.
To make Jiraiya this anxious... the outside world must be in real turmoil.
Soon, an ancient palace came into view.
Before Jiraiya even reached it, a rich aroma of food filled the air.
In front of the palace, the two elder toads, Fukasaku and Shima, were busy at a massive cooking pot.
"Little Jiraiya?" Shima, her purple noodle-like hair bouncing, was the first to spot him. "Look! Jiraiya's back!"
She shouted while stirring the pot with a giant spoon.
Fukasaku opened his eyes, still sitting cross-legged on a stone platform.
"Oh? Jiraiya."
Noticing Jiraiya's anxious face, his long white brows furrowed. "You never change, do you? Always charging in without thinking. Can't you be calm for once?"
Jiraiya didn't bother with greetings. He rushed forward a few steps. "Fukasaku-sama, Shima-sama, I have an urgent matter. I must see the Great Sage right now!"
Still stirring, Shima said without looking up, "What's the rush? The sky hasn't fallen."
"Come taste my new Earth Dragon Mosquito Whisker Miso Soup first. I tripled the mosquito legs this time and added live earthworms. So fresh!"
Jiraiya's face turned green, waving both hands in panic. "No, no! Shima-sama, this is really serious!"
Seeing his alarm wasn't an act, Fukasaku's expression grew solemn.
The elder toad hopped down from the platform and stopped before Jiraiya, looking up.
Jiraiya summarized the dramatic changes in the Land of Fire and Konoha as quickly as possible.
After listening, Fukasaku was silent for a long time.
"So, you came to ask the Great Sage to divine Konoha's future?"
"Yes," Jiraiya said firmly. "I want to know where that new Daimyo will lead the Land of Fire and Konoha. Toward peace—or destruction!"
Fukasaku and Shima exchanged grave looks.
"...Alright," Fukasaku finally said. "This is serious. Come with me."
He turned and led Jiraiya inside the palace.
The vast hall was nearly empty except for one enormous throne.
Upon it sat an ancient toad, many times larger than Gamabunta.
Its wrinkled skin sagged heavily, its eyes shut tight in deep slumber.
It was the true master of Mount Myōboku—the Great Toad Sage, Gamamaru.
"Great Sage, little Jiraiya has come to see you," Fukasaku said respectfully.
The Great Toad Sage did not respond.
Jiraiya looked pleadingly at Shima.
She sighed, hopped lightly up onto the Sage's massive shoulder, took a deep breath, and shouted, "Great Sage, little Jiraiya has come to see you!"
"Hmm..."
The Great Toad Sage's huge eyelids slowly cracked open.
Its ears twitched slightly, and its cloudy eyes settled on Jiraiya.
"Ah... little Jiraiya..." Its ancient voice rumbled like distant thunder. "The confusion... and turmoil upon you... are as thick as fog."
Jiraiya's heart trembled. "Great Toad Sage, please guide me!"
He poured out all his doubts and worries, his voice full of urgency.
"Please tell me... what will become of Konoha? What will be the future of the Land of Fire?"
The Great Toad Sage was silent.
Its ancient eyes seemed to look past the ceiling, through the clouds, into the endless flow of time.
Minutes passed in silence.
The hall was still, except for the sound of slow, heavy breathing.
Jiraiya's heart pounded in his chest.
Finally, the Great Toad Sage moved, shaking its massive head.
"Cannot see..."
Its voice carried an unfamiliar tone—confusion.
"What?" Jiraiya was stunned.
"The future... has become a thick... fog of chaos..."
Each word landed in Jiraiya's heart like a boulder.
"I see... countless branching rivers..."
"There is blood flowing like rivers."
"There is peace and happiness for all people."
"The great river of fate... has been stirred... its currents tangled... all paths unclear."
"I can only sense... a power that struck the river of destiny... churning everything within."
Jiraiya stood frozen.
Blood flowing like rivers?
Peace and happiness for all?
What kind of answer was that?
He quickly asked, "Then what about the Child of Prophecy?"
The Great Toad Sage slowly shook its head.
Jiraiya's heart sank.
The Sage's prophecies had always been cryptic, but never meaningless.
He had grown used to deciphering riddles, always finding some faint clue.
But this time, there were none.
Not vague—contradictory.
"Blood flowing like rivers" and "peace and happiness for all" could not coexist.
He had once sought clarity through riddles, but now, even the riddle itself had no logic.
For the first time, he felt truly lost.
He thought of the long years he had spent searching for the Child of Prophecy.
The image of a red-haired boy with the Rinnegan flashed through his mind.
He had believed Nagato was that child.
But now, even that belief crumbled.
What should he do now?
Where should he go?
For the first time, there was no answer— not even a faint one.
A deep, hollow powerlessness gripped him, leaving him unable to breathe.
(To be continued.)