"Bang!"
After the smoke cleared, a small, palm-sized toad squatted on the ground in a daze, a half-eaten insect still in its mouth.
"Huh?"
Naruto's eyes widened, and his whole face fell.
"Hahaha..."
Minato couldn't help but ruffle his son's golden hair. "It's pretty good to succeed on your first try. Keep practicing, and one day you'll be able to summon a bigger toad."
"Oh..."
Naruto responded sullenly, then squatted down and poked the small toad. "Hey, what's your name?"
"Gamabunta."
The small toad replied irritably, its cheeks puffing out. "I was eating, and suddenly you dragged me over here."
"I am Uzumaki Naruto! The man who will become Hokage!"
Naruto immediately perked up, flashing his signature bright smile.
Gamabunta rolled its Byakugan. "I don't care what you're going to be. If there's nothing else, I'm going back now."
Before he finished speaking, with a soft "bang," the small toad vanished from the spot, leaving Naruto staring blankly at the empty ground.
Seeing Gamabunta leave, Naruto's eyes darted around, then he suddenly grinned and nudged Menma. "Big Brother, it's your turn!"
"Me?"
Menma was stunned for a moment, then looked up to meet his father's expectant gaze.
He then bit his thumb, pressed his handprint onto the contract, and quickly formed hand signs. "Summoning Technique!"
Bang!
A not-so-dense cloud of smoke exploded.
Minato raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking to himself, "It seems Menma isn't skilled enough with the Summoning Technique yet..."
Given his eldest son's talent, he had originally thought he would at least be able to summon a Summoning Beast of Gamabunta's caliber.
Seeing this, Naruto burst into laughter, holding his stomach and bending over with mirth. "Hahaha, Big Brother, you're not much better than me!"
"Hmm?"
A hoarse, ancient voice suddenly came from within the smoke.
Minato's pupils suddenly constricted—why did that voice sound so familiar?
When the smoke completely cleared, the usually composed Fourth Hokage nearly dropped his jaw.
His eyes widened, and fine beads of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead. "G-Great Toad Sage?!"
A gigantic, wrinkled Old Toad was slowly surveying its surroundings. It wore a necklace with the character "Oil" written on it, a string of beads around its neck, and its cloudy eyes were filled with confusion.
"You are..."
The Great Toad Sage squinted its dim old eyes, staring at the golden-haired young man in front of him for a long time. He always felt like he had seen this person before, but his memories spanning thousands of years were too vast and complex to recall at once.
What puzzled him even more was—he was clearly napping in his seat on Mount Myōboku, so how did he end up in this unfamiliar place the moment he opened his eyes?
Menma looked at the trembling Old Toad in front of him, internally complaining, "This Old Toad has trouble walking; will I be protecting him, or will he be protecting me?"
"W-what is this?!"
Naruto's jaw dropped in shock, pointing at the Great Toad Sage, who couldn't even stand steadily.
At least the Gamabunta he summoned could still hop around lively; Big Brother directly summoned an Old Toad who needed assistance!
"Naruto! Don't be rude!"
Minato quickly reprimanded his younger son, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and respectfully bowed to the Great Toad Sage. "Great Sage, I am Minato Namikaze, Jiraiya-sensei's disciple."
At this moment, a storm raged in his heart—
Menma actually summoned the Great Toad Sage, who had lived for thousands of years on Mount Myōboku!
This was an existence that even Jiraiya-sensei revered!
"Oh~ So it's little Jiraiya?"
The Great Toad Sage squinted its sleepy eyes, its gaze slowly sweeping over Minato.
When his gaze fell on Naruto, he suddenly paused. "This child... he looks like that person I saw in my dream, who was it again?"
He shook his head in confusion, wondering if he was still dreaming.
However, when his gaze finally settled on Menma, his cloudy old eyes suddenly widened, and even his breathing became rapid.
"You... you are?!"
The Great Toad Sage's voice trembled slightly, and a tempest raged within him. He stared intently at Menma, as if he had seen something incredible.
"My name is Uzumaki Menma."
Menma realized from his father's attitude and words that this "Sage" in front of him was extraordinary, so he politely bowed. After all, anyone called a "Sage" would never be a simple character.
"Uzumaki Menma..."
Gamamaru, this Sage who had lived for thousands of years, gradually calmed his emotions, but his gaze remained complex as he stared at the golden-haired youth in front of him. "No wonder all my prophetic dreams failed... It turns out it's because of this child..."
His gaze lingered on Menma for a long time, making the young man uncomfortable.
Menma couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Great Toad Sage... Is something wrong?"
"Nothing..."
Gamamaru slowly shook his head, the shock in his eyes gradually turning into deep contemplation. "This child, like Hagoromo, possesses the power to change the world... No... perhaps even more than Hagoromo... At least back then, I could still see Hagoromo's future..."
After a long silence, Gamamaru suddenly turned to Minato.
Minato immediately straightened his back, like a student awaiting instruction.
"Who are you again?"
Gamamaru asked abruptly.
"I am Minato Namikaze..."
Minato gave an awkward laugh, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead.
Naruto looked bewildered and quietly leaned into Menma's ear. "Big Brother, this Old Toad you summoned has a pretty bad memory, huh..."
"Shh! He can hear you..."
Menma quickly tugged on his brother's sleeve.
Minato heard his two sons whispering and could only give a helpless dry laugh.
"And who are you?"
Gamamaru slowly turned his gaze to Naruto, a hint of curiosity in his ancient voice.
"I am Uzumaki Naruto! The future Hokage!"
Naruto puffed out his chest, declaring loudly.
"Hmm..."
Gamamaru pondered for a moment, then suddenly turned to Menma. "Uzumaki Menma, did you summon me here?"
"I guess so..."
Menma replied somewhat uncertainly.
Gamamaru's profound gaze fixed on Menma, as if he wanted to speak but held back.
Finally, he slowly said in his ancient voice, "Uzumaki Menma, this world will prosper because of you... or be destroyed... it all depends on your will..."
"Huh?"
Menma was completely confused, internally complaining, "Why is this Old Toad also a riddle-teller?"
[Ding! Detecting a creature born from damp eggs spouting nonsense!]
[Mission One: Slay the heterodox and make toad soup. Reward: Grand Dream of a Thousand Autumns (Foreknowledge of the Future)]
[Mission Two: Suppress the demon sage and eradicate the demon sage's lair. Reward: Innate Immortal Spirit Body]
"System, stop messing around."
Menma rolled his Byakugan inwardly. This system suddenly popped up with such absurd missions. "He didn't provoke me."
Minato, standing nearby, was shaken by the Great Toad Sage's words.
As Jiraiya's disciple, he knew the weight of the Great Toad Sage's prophecies.
He was about to ask for details but was interrupted by Gamamaru.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going back now... Uzumaki Naruto."
After Gamamaru finished speaking, his figure gradually became transparent.
Minato and his two sons: "..."
This Old Toad even got the name wrong before he left!
"Dad, what did the Great Toad Sage mean by those words?"
Naruto asked, scratching the back of his head, looking bewildered.
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