Dozens of giant snakes from Ryūchi Cave, hundreds of war mecha puppets, the three serpent sisters, along with Koji, Hyuga Mirai, and Ayaka Uzumaki—the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki—formed the striking force.
Mirai paid little attention to Naruto and the others; whether they fought as a team or individually was their choice.
"You three lead some of the snakes to engage and split up. If you run into trouble, have Ayaka alert me."
Ayaka immediately created several shadow clones, proudly declaring, "My clones are strong. If we meet a powerful toad, leave it to me."
Near-perfect as a Jinchuriki, Ayaka's clones could fight continuously for an entire day. Though Mount Myoboku had many toads, likely no more than three were stronger than her.
After Mirai gave the orders, the three serpent sisters, the snakes, and Koji scattered to hunt suitable prey.
Koji's target was clear. With a flap of its wings, it flew straight at the massive Iwashuku toad, whose enormous body contained Sage Chakra—Koji's favorite meal.
Once the Ryūchi Cave snake army and Naruto, Sasuke, and the others left, Ayaka asked, "Lord Mirai, what's our next step?"
"We need to find the so-called prophetic Great Toad Sage. To complete this mission at Mount Myoboku, we must deal with it," Mirai said.
His eyes turned deep blue Rinnegan, and nine black Talisman Orbs appeared behind him, with black magatama forming along his collar and sleeves, patterns created by Sage Technique.
One orb transformed into a black platform for Ayaka to stand on, and together they soared toward the densest natural energy within Mount Myoboku.
The environment was unlike anything Mirai had ever seen. Influenced by natural energy, mushrooms, insects, and butterflies were gigantic, even a dragonfly nearly colliding with Mirai was four to five meters long, like a small plane.
Trees reached nearly a hundred meters, many mutated species unseen elsewhere in the ninja world. Fruit grew specifically for insects, with toads waiting below to catch them.
It was a complete ecosystem, a millennium in development. Aside from toads, the area mirrored human society, and with its unique power, it became a superior holy site.
Mirai flew slowly, observing the details. The toads seemed unaware of his attack, possibly because Koji hadn't informed the ordinary toads, even though three special toads had already fled with Mount Myoboku's treasures.
After a while, the toads noticed the intruders, and skirmishes began at the borders.
Boom!
Even the dormant Iwashuku toad stirred, creating immense commotion. Koji was a minor nuisance to Iwashuku but a terrifying predator to other toads.
As Koji and Iwashuku clashed, no other toads dared intervene; the first few that tried were instantly swallowed by Koji. Toad water techniques only splashed over Koji harmlessly.
Iwashuku's skin was like steel, making it impossible for Koji to kill quickly. The toad tried to swat Koji but its slow movements seemed frozen to him.
Snakes were natural enemies of toads. Aside from Koji, none under the White Snake Sage feared toads. Why the White Snake Sage lost to Koji was unknown even to the three serpent sisters.
Elsewhere, battles raged, but toads were no match for the Ryūchi Cave snakes, especially under the sisters' formation. Years of training near dragon veins had enhanced the sisters' strength, and Ryūchi Cave's Sage techniques were highly offensive; ordinary toads could not resist.
The true outcome depended not on the outer battles, but on the temple at Mount Myoboku's core, protected by barriers.
The toad that had trained the Six Paths Sage, living for over a millennium and capable of prophecy, had to be killed to truly destroy Mount Myoboku.
Before entering the barrier, Mirai solidified two Talisman Orbs into a skin-tight armor, placed Ayaka behind him, and tore through the barrier.
Inside, Ayaka sensed immense chakra and remarked, "Lord Mirai, it's incredibly strong, even surpassing the chakra of my Yin Nine-Tails. And it seems only that one toad remains in this temple."
"That's the one," Mirai said, flying directly to the Great Toad Sage's location. No traps obstructed them, and they quickly entered the toad-constructed temple.
Inside, a single toad, similar in size to Gama Bunta but extremely wrinkled and ancient, waited.
"This should be our first meeting, Great Toad Sage," Mirai said, scrutinizing the old toad with his deep blue eyes.
"So these deep blue eyes… like the descendants of Hamura. I should have realized sooner," the Great Toad Sage murmured. The prophetic dream, nearly forgotten, returned vividly.
The blue-eyed bringer of war and destruction threatened to erase ninja history, and in that dream, Koji sensed he might lose his prophetic ability.
"I've been curious about your prophecy. Jiraiya's hostility toward me seems to have come from Mount Myoboku, but I never intended to oppose the three holy sites," Mirai said calmly, stepping closer to the aged toad radiating Sage Chakra.
"Before the arrival of the Moon Goddess, the Onmyoji, Miko, and summoning holy sites had various powers. Summoning wasn't invented by ninjas; it came from Onmyoji a thousand years ago. They could connect to the Pure Land, communicate with the dead, and predict the future," Koji spoke slowly, clarifying despite being an enemy.
"I used prophecy to see your tree and the Moon Goddess' purpose behind you. You oppose the Child of Destiny, so by agreement, Mount Myoboku should guide the Child of Destiny to eliminate you."
Mirai now understood why Mount Myoboku had targeted him but remained cautious; these words could inform strategy, but could not be trusted blindly.
"Can you still see the future?" he asked.
"No. The ninja world's future bends toward destruction or rebirth. It can only be corrected if the world is realigned," Koji replied, his abdomen slightly sinking.
Ayaka sensed Sage Chakra gathering and warned, "Lord Mirai—"
Before she could finish, Koji fired a water jet from its mouth.
The stream was thinner than a baby's arm, but its speed and force created a genuine threat.
Mirai moved the Talisman Orbs, forming a black circular shield that blocked the water jet.
Crack… Crack!
Before Mirai could counterattack, the shield cracked and shattered in seconds.
'Incredible power!'
Mirai pushed Ayaka behind him with one hand and formed the two orbs into a black glove with the other, blocking the jet with his palm.
An immense force slammed him backward, disrupting even his flight.
Rumble!
The blast sent Mirai hundreds of meters into a mountain before stopping.
"Just like in the prophetic dream… I failed," he muttered.
As he spoke, a golden beam pierced Koji, cutting through its body, the wall, rocks, and extending into the distant sky. The beam shifted, slicing Koji in half. Blood gushed like a small stream.
"You sneaky toad, almost caught me off guard."
Mirai emerged from the mountain, the Talisman Orb glove shattered, the water jet having pierced his bone membrane, arm, and shoulder, finally halting hundreds of meters away.
Had he not armored himself with the orbs, Koji's stealth attack might have killed him.
Even with a severed arm, Mirai's regenerative power, comparable to the Otsutsuki Clan, would restore him quickly—but blood kept flowing, as the water jet's energy seemed to interfere with healing.
"Lord Mirai, you're hurt!" Ayaka rushed to him, seeing his wounded arm. She offered her arm, saying, "Bite me, Lord Mirai. My blood can heal you."
(End of Chapter)