The air smelled of toads and oil. The ground trembled with every jump of the giant toad, Gamabunta.
Kyojiro held on with all the strength in his arms; the leathery surface of the toad wasn't exactly the best place to sit. The wind rushed past in fierce waves, stinging his skin and making his hair whip behind him like flame.
The scenery blurred, shifting until they landed before a structure that looked less like a home and more like an ancient shrine.
Kyojiro silently thanked the toad before leaping off. His fiery hair swung chaotically in the wind as he stepped forward.
The moment he entered, his eyes widened.
The place wasn't empty like it had seemed from the outside. Smaller toads roamed freely across the temple floor, croaking softly and minding their own business, too busy to spare a glance at the strange human among them.
Two elderly toads were the first familiar faces Kyojiro recognized. He had seen them countless times in Jiraiya's tales—Fukasaku and Shima. They had always struck him as good-natured, grounded beings.
Feeling his gaze, both elders looked up from their work. Their eyes widened in mutual recognition.
"You… you're the brat Jiraiya showed us," Fukasaku spoke, his deep voice echoing across the temple walls.
Turning to his wife, he muttered, "Hey Shima… must've been Jiraiya who sent him here."
Shima gave him a knowing smile before addressing Kyojiro. "Let's ask him ourselves, shall we? Boy, did Jiraiya send you?"
Kyojiro nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. He said he was caught up with some research and would take a while to come."
Shima turned to her husband and whispered, "Do you think we should introduce him to the Toad Sage?"
Fukasaku's expression hardened into something serious. "Of course we should."
Before Kyojiro could even question it, the old toad grabbed his arm with surprising strength. "Come with me, boy."
Kyojiro blinked, confused, and glanced toward Shima.
"Don't worry," she assured him gently. "We're taking you to the Great Toad Sage. He's awake today, after all."
Those words sent a shiver through Kyojiro's chest. 'The Toad Sage? The same one who guided the Sage of the Six Paths himself?' His heart began to pound. 'If I can use Natural Energy through breathing… then maybe he can help me understand what I'm missing.'
The corridors they walked through felt old—too old, like relics of an era untouched by time. When they finally stopped, Kyojiro found himself in a massive chamber.
The room was medieval in design. Rows of stone chairs lined the walls, coated in dust and silence. Every inch of it radiated ancient craftsmanship, as though it had witnessed a thousand generations pass.
And there, at the far end, sat a throne.
Upon it rested a massive toad.
His eyelids drooped so heavily that one might mistake him for asleep. Wrinkles traced across his entire body like cracks on ancient stone. But more than his appearance—more than his stillness—it was the feeling around him that made Kyojiro's breath falter.
That energy.
It wasn't chakra. It wasn't life force. It was something else—something older, more natural.
Until this moment, Kyojiro had used Natural Energy without truly feeling it. He had shaped it through breathing,But now, watching the old sage, something deep within him stirred.
This—whatever the Great Toad Sage was doing—was right.
It was the correct answer to a question Kyojiro hadn't known how to ask.
A voice, crooked yet booming, echoed through the air.
"It's a Sage…"
The sound slithered through the chamber like mist, fading as quickly as it came. If Kyojiro hadn't seen the old toad's lips move, he would've thought it was the wind.
Kyojiro frowned. "A Sage? What do you mean?"
Fukasaku stepped forward and bowed deeply. "Yes, Great Sage. We witnessed it ourselves—this boy possesses the potential of a Sage."
Kyojiro's heart pounded louder.
A Sage? Like Jiraiya… or Minato? His thoughts ran wild, yet the old toad said nothing. Silence filled the room once again.
Seconds turned to minutes. The air grew heavy.
"Is he asleep?" Kyojiro muttered finally.
Shima sighed. "Well, the Toad Sage is really old. I wouldn't put it past him to doze off mid-conversation."
They waited a few minutes longer. Kyojiro's excitement began to fade into mild frustration. The room felt like a tomb, frozen in time. 'So much for answers,' he thought grimly.
Shima broke the silence. "We should let him rest now. It's been long enough."
Kyojiro nodded, and just as they turned to leave—
"Boy..."
The voice came again, dry and distant.
"The thing holding you back..."
Then, silence.
Kyojiro waited, heart hammering.
Just when he thought the toad had fallen asleep again, the old voice finished softly—
"Chakra."
Kyojiro blinked. 'Huh?'
....
Later that day, Jiraiya stared at the three of them, exasperated. "You all took a liking to him way too quickly. I've been with you for decades, and you still give me slugs to eat..."
Shima shook her head. "You wouldn't believe it, Jiraiya… Its not about liking but instead we got the answer."
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Answer to what?"
Fukasaku stomped his foot. "To why this brat isn't reaching his full potential as a Human Sage!" he said, pointing at the still-confused Kyojiro.
Jiraiya's expression changed instantly. "What did the old man say?"
"Chakra," Shima replied simply. "His chakra is the problem."
Before anyone could elaborate, Kyojiro stepped forward, frowning. "First of all," he leaned in close to Jiraiya, "what the hell do you mean by 'Human Sage'?"
"You didn't tell him, brat?" Fukasaku barked.
Jiraiya sighed, scratching the back of his head. "It means you're like the Great Toad Sage, Kyojiro. Just as he was the first among the toads… you're the first among humans."
His gaze softened.
"A perfect Human Sage."