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Bang!
As the thick white smoke dissipated, Jiraiya's figure appeared on Mount Myoboku.
Warm, humid air assailed him, mixed with the fragrance of earth and exotic plants.
He had no mind to admire the magnificent scenery. After discerning the direction, his figure shot like an arrow from a bowstring toward the peak of the Holy Mountain.
The new daimyo, Shin, and his actions completely defied Jiraiya's understanding.
He just wanted to know the answer as soon as possible.
In the pond ahead, the mountain-sized Gamabunta, smoking a pipe, blocked his path.
"Jiraiya? Aren't you fighting Kumogakure shinobi on the front lines? How do you have time to come here?"
"It's urgent!" Jiraiya's voice was hurried. "Gamabunta, move aside quickly! I have an urgent matter to see the Great Toad Sage!"
Gamabunta's expression became a bit more serious. "What happened?"
"Something big happened. I'll tell you later."
Gamabunta fell silent, taking the pipe from his mouth.
"Go."
"But I'll warn you, the old man has been sleeping lately. I don't know if he's awake."
"Thanks!" Jiraiya said gratefully. "I'll wake him up."
With that, his speed increased.
Watching his receding figure, Gamabunta put his pipe back into his mouth, his large eyes slightly narrowed.
To make Jiraiya so anxious...
It seems the outside world is truly not very peaceful.
Soon, an ancient palace appeared in Jiraiya's sight.
Before he even got close, he smelled a rich aroma of food.
In front of the palace, the two Sage Toads, Fukasaku and Shima, were busy around a large pot.
"Little Jiraiya?" Shima, with her purple instant noodle hair, was the first to spot him. "Papa, look, Jiraiya is back."
She shouted while stirring the contents of the pot with a huge spoon in her hand.
On the other side, Fukasaku sat cross-legged, opening his eyes at her words.
"Oh? It's little Jiraiya."
Seeing Jiraiya's agitated appearance, his two long white eyebrows couldn't help but furrow. "You child, why are you always so reckless every time you come back? You don't know how to be steady at all!"
Jiraiya didn't bother with pleasantries, rushing a few steps closer. "Lord Fukasaku, Lady Shima, I have an urgent matter! I must see the Great Toad Sage immediately!"
Shima stirred her spoon, saying without raising her head. "What's the rush? The sky hasn't fallen."
"Come and try my newly developed Earth Dragon Mosquito Whisker Miso Soup first. This time I added triple the mosquito legs, and fresh live earthworms I just caught. It's incredibly fresh!"
Jiraiya's face instantly turned green, and he waved his hands repeatedly, his voice changing pitch. "No, no! Lady Shima, the matter is truly very serious!"
Seeing that Jiraiya's expression was not feigned, Fukasaku's expression became serious.
The small Sage Toad jumped down from the stone platform and walked in front of Jiraiya, looking up at him.
Jiraiya briefly recounted the dramatic changes in the Land of Fire and Konoha at the fastest speed.
After listening, Fukasaku fell silent.
He asked in a deep voice, "So, you came this time to ask the Great Toad Sage to predict Konoha's future?"
"Yes!" Jiraiya nodded. "I want to know where that new daimyo will lead the Land of Fire and Konoha."
"Is it peace, or destruction!"
Fukasaku and Shima exchanged glances, their eyes filled with solemnity.
"...Alright." Fukasaku nodded heavily. "This is a serious matter. Follow me."
Fukasaku turned and led Jiraiya into the palace.
The interior of the palace was extremely vast, with only one ridiculously large throne.
On the throne sat an old toad, several times larger than Gamabunta.
Its skin was covered with wrinkles, and its eyes were tightly closed, as it was in a deep sleep.
It was the true master of Mount Myoboku, the Great Toad Sage, Gamamaru.
"Great Toad Sage, little Jiraiya has come to see you."
Fukasaku said respectfully.
The Great Toad Sage did not respond, still sleeping with its eyes closed.
Jiraiya immediately cast a pleading look toward Shima.
Shima didn't refuse, jumping onto the Great Toad Sage's shoulder in a few steps.
Taking a deep breath, she shouted. "Great Toad Sage, little Jiraiya has come to see you!"
"Hmm!"
Immediately, the Great Toad Sage's huge eyelids opened a slit.
It wiggled its ears, and its cloudy eyes fell on Jiraiya.
"Ah, it's... little Jiraiya..." The Great Toad Sage's voice was ancient. "On you... confusion and bewilderment... are as thick as fog."
Jiraiya's heart trembled, and he quickly said, "Great Toad Sage! Please guide me!"
He then poured out all the confusion and worry in his heart, his eyes full of anticipation.
"Please tell me, what will be the future of Konoha, the future of the Land of Fire?"
The Great Toad Sage did not answer immediately.
Its ancient eyes seemed to penetrate the dome of the palace, looking toward the endless future.
Time passed by minute by minute.
The great hall was deathly silent, with only heavy breathing.
Jiraiya's heart was in his throat.
Finally.
The Great Toad Sage shook its huge head, its movements slow.
"Cannot see..."
There was a hint of confusion in its voice, a confusion even it found unfamiliar.
"What?" Jiraiya was stunned.
"The future... has turned into a thick fog of chaos..."
The Great Toad Sage spoke again, each word like a boulder, striking Jiraiya's heart.
"I see... countless branching rivers..."
"There is blood flowing like rivers."
"There is peace and happiness for all people."
"The long river of destiny... has been stirred up. All trajectories are mixed together, no longer discernible."
"I can only feel that a force has smashed into the long river of destiny, stirring up everything."
Jiraiya was dumbfounded.
Blood flowing like rivers?
Peace and happiness for all people?
What kind of answer is this?
Jiraiya quickly pressed on. "What about the Child of Prophecy?"
The Great Toad Sage shook its head.
Jiraiya's heart immediately sank.
In the past, the Great Toad Sage's prophecies, though always vague and full of riddles.
Jiraiya had long been accustomed to this.
It was like solving a difficult riddle. Though arduous, there was always a trace to follow.
But now, what the Great Toad Sage had given was a contradictory riddle.
Not vague, but completely opposite.
Jiraiya could not connect the two phrases, "blood flowing like rivers" and "peace and happiness for all people."
He was used to seeking vague clues, but he had never imagined that one day even the clues themselves would be full of contradictions.
For a moment, he was at a loss.
This made him feel an unprecedented sense of bewilderment.
Before, for the Child of Prophecy, he had exhausted his efforts. In his mind, the figure with the Rinnegan flashed by.
He once thought Nagato was that child.
But now, even the clue of the Child of Prophecy was broken.
So what should he do next? Where should he go?
For the first time, this question had no answer, not even a vague one.
A hollow sense of powerlessness made him feel incredibly agitated.