"How did little Jiraiya fare?" Shima, the elder toad sage, was the first to speak.
Jiraiya shook his head dejectedly. "I failed. Kakashi is far stronger than I anticipated."
"Is that so?"
Deep in thought, Fukasaku muttered softly before turning to look at the giant ancient toad sitting in the center of the room, wearing a doctoral cap.
This old toad was Gamamaru, the same one who had manipulated the Sage of Six Paths a thousand years ago. Even with the aid of natural energy, a millennium had taken its toll, leaving him frail and on the verge of death, barely clinging to life.
At this moment, no one spoke. The room fell into an eerie silence until Shima suddenly snapped out of it and shouted loudly:
"Old—Man—Wake up!"
"Huh?!" Gamamaru exclaimed in surprise.
The ancient toad blinked groggily, scanning the room. His gaze finally landed on the two small toads on the ground and Jiraiya.
"Oh, you... Who are you again?"
Shima sighed deeply, covering her forehead in exasperation.
"Old man, you've dozed off again! This is little Jiraiya!"
Time, if it doesn't lead to godhood, inevitably wears away even the greatest beings. Once proud and cunning enough to deceive the Sage of Six Paths, Gamamaru was now nothing more than a senile old toad.
"Oh!" Gamamaru seemed to recall something and spoke up.
After piecing together his memories, Gamamaru opened his squinted eyes wide, scrutinizing Jiraiya carefully before remembering their previous arrangements.
"Little Jiraiya, were you successful?"
Facing the toad clan that had nurtured him, Jiraiya's temper was unusually calm. Without any anger, he admitted his failure once again.
But contrary to Jiraiya's expectations, Gamamaru didn't show any signs of distress. It seemed he had already anticipated this outcome.
Jiraiya couldn't help but admire him. Truly worthy of being the Sage of Six Paths' friend—even in this state, he remained composed.
The tiny room fell silent once more. This time, even Jiraiya noticed the abnormality.
Shima's veins bulged as she shouted again.
"Old Man! Stop sleeping!"
Gamamaru woke up once more, scratching his head awkwardly.
"Hahaha, sorry, sorry. Old age catches up with me, and I can't control my drowsiness sometimes."
This time, Gamamaru furrowed his brows, appearing more serious. He turned to Jiraiya and spoke solemnly.
"Jiraiya, I had another dream.
The evil god known as the Vast Ocean God is no different from the malevolent Rabbit Goddess—they are both demonic gods who drain the life force of a planet. You must stop him."
Though Jiraiya trusted Gamamaru's words, it didn't mean he was foolish. He gently shook his head and replied:
"Old man, you've already told me this before. Today, I fought a fierce battle against Kakashi, the leader of the Holy Nation.
I lost.
Even using the power of these eyes, I still see no way to defeat him.
Great Sage, please tell me—how can the ninja world escape its tragic fate in the future?"
The room fell silent once again. This time, before Shima could intervene, Jiraiya called out loudly.
Gamamaru woke up yet again. However, unlike his previous bouts of forgetfulness, this time he directly delivered a prophecy.
"Jiraiya, the savior of the ninja world still exists. I can see the vision of him standing undefeated in the ninja world.
So go, Jiraiya. Only the savior can rescue the ninja world."
It was the same old refrain, but Jiraiya, now seasoned by years of experience, reflected on the current state of the ninja world. By now, there were no longer any ninjas; everyone had transitioned to the qi cultivation system bestowed by Ye Wen. Sighing sorrowfully, Jiraiya responded:
"Great Sage, though I still wish to find the savior, this is no longer the era of ninjas. Aside from me, there may not be anyone left in the ninja world who practices chakra.
In this era, would the savior truly be willing to learn the ways of the ninja? After all, qi cultivation is truly powerful."
Gamamaru's lips curled into a faint smile, and with a hoarse voice, he slowly replied:
"Jiraiya, whether it's chakra or ki, they are fundamentally life energies condensed by living beings. There isn't much difference between them.
So set out with peace of mind. The savior is your destined disciple. Even if he trains in ki, under your guidance, he will still be able to wield ninjutsu. When the time comes, the savior who combines the powers of ninjutsu and qi will surely become the hope for saving the ninja world."
Gamamaru's words reignited hope within Jiraiya. Driven by years of obsession, Jiraiya nodded without suspicion, bid farewell, and set off on his journey to find the savior.
Meanwhile, the supposed savior of the ninja world was currently enduring a beating at the hands of a red-haired beauty.
"You brat! How many times have I told you not to skip class and not to bully your classmates?! Today, you'll learn what the Uzumaki family punishment is!"
"Ngh..." Naruto tried to explain, looking pleadingly at Minato Namikaze, who was reading a newspaper on the couch.
Minato, feeling extremely guilty, quickly raised the newspaper to block Naruto's gaze.
"Sorry, Naruto. This is the last time. Your mother's beatings are something I, an ordinary person, can't handle."
The incident stemmed from Naruto Uzumaki finding the qi cultivation techniques taught at school too basic for his genius-level abilities, especially after removing the influence of the Nine-Tails. To compensate, he used Shadow Clones to deceive the school and his father while secretly training harder.
As for the result—though Naruto was a prodigy at less than ten years old, he couldn't maintain high-intensity training while simultaneously using Shadow Clones for long periods. Eventually, he was caught, and the school reported him to his parents.
Though Kushina Uzumaki had a fiery temper, she wanted her son to be a good student. In this peaceful era, strength didn't matter as much to her anymore—she was very much like Chi-Chi from Dragon Ball.
Thus, Minato didn't dare step in, fearing he'd be dragged into the situation.
And Naruto, with a firm resolve to grow stronger, feared that his father might stop helping him train in the future. So, he kept quiet and endured his mother's wrathful fists with his tender body.
This little episode in the Uzumaki household came to an end.
At this moment, the top-tier warriors of the Vast Ocean Realm were gathered in a temporary meeting room, their eyes fixed intently on Kakashi.
Though the era of peace was pleasant, for extraordinary beings of immense power, it also meant fewer opportunities for advancement. But now, an opportunity had arisen.
"If no one has objections, then Jiraiya, formerly of the Hidden Leaf Village, is hereby declared the most dangerous wanted criminal in the Vast Ocean Realm, with a bounty of 500 million ryo.
Additionally, each of the toad sages of Mount Myōboku will carry a bounty of 500 million ryo, large toads 300 million ryo, and regular toads will be rewarded based on their size."
Kakashi coldly announced the measures against Jiraiya and the toads of Mount Myōboku.
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