Mount Myōboku
The usually peaceful paradise of Mount Myōboku felt as if a massive boulder had been thrown into its tranquil waters, causing violent ripples of unrest.
On the ancestral scroll that recorded the names of the Toad Clan, two names vanished, and these names belonged to two of the most revered figures in the clan's history:
Fukasaku and Shima, the Two Great Sage Toads.
Throughout the Toad Clan's long history, the Great Toad Sage was the oldest, followed by Fukasaku and Shima, both of whom had lived for over 800 years.
But today their names were erased from the scroll, signifying a single, undeniable truth.
They were dead.
The record keeper of the Toad Clan, Gamayu, stared at the scroll in disbelief.
His mind refused to accept what he was seeing.
Without hesitation, he rushed off to inform Gamabunta and the elders.
When the news spread, all of Mount Myōboku shook.
"The Two Great Sage Toads… are dead?"
Gamabunta, recalling that Fukasaku and Shima had been summoned away, immediately took out the Summoning Contract Scroll and checked it.
The name Jiraiya had disappeared.
A heavy silence followed.
Gamabunta's massive hands clenched tightly around the scroll.
His usual boisterous nature was replaced by deep, wordless grief.
Around him, a group of smaller toads gathered, all staring up at him with expressions of sorrow.
Some had tears welling in their eyes.
The Two Great Sages, so powerful, so wise… How could they have fallen so easily?
"Lets all go."
Gamabunta waved his massive hand, signaling the others to leave.
Then, he hopped toward the Great Toad Sage's shrine.
The smaller toads watched him go, their eyes filled with pain and disbelief.
Inside the shrine, the ancient, bloated figure of the Great Toad Sage sat in silence, eyes shut, emitting soft snores, as if he was completely unaware of the calamity that had just struck Mount Myōboku.
"Great Toad Sage!"
Gamabunta's deep, gravelly voice boomed through the shrine, shaking the entire hall.
It was even louder than when Fukasaku usually called for the Great Toad Sage.
With just one shout, the ancient sage stirred.
His half-lidded eyes slowly opened into narrow slits.
"Hmm?"
Like a murmur from a dream, the Great Toad Sage slowly turned his aged head toward Gamabunta.
"Fukasaku and Shima's names… have disappeared from the ancestral scroll."
Gamabunta, who never sugarcoated his words, this time chose his words carefully.
A gentler way of saying...
"Fukasaku and Shima… are dead."
The Great Toad Sage's slitted eyes widened slightly, revealing more of his pale, aged gaze.
He let out a low hum, but showed no visible reaction.
"Did you hear me?"
Gamabunta's voice turned heavier.
"Hmm… all things must come to an end."
The Great Toad Sage finally spoke, his voice slow and ancient, as if he had already foreseen this fate.
Gamabunta let out a deep sigh, feeling helpless at the elder's lack of reaction.
He then spoke again...
"Jiraiya is dead too."
For a brief moment, the Great Toad Sage closed his eyes, then slowly shook his head.
His voice remained calm.
"Prophecy is prophecy."
Gamabunta's expression darkened.
"Do you know… who killed them?" The Great Toad Sage gave a slow nod.
"The Black Serpent."
Gamabunta's jaw tightened.
Clenching his smoking pipe between his teeth, he gritted his fangs in rage.
His deep voice was laced with fury, "Great Toad Sage… can't you do something?"
The Great Toad Sage's golden eyes fully opened for the first time in centuries.
A flicker of light shone in their ancient depths.
Then, he slowly closed them again, narrowing them into thin slits.
"Leave it to the Child of Prophecy."
As the founder of Mount Myōboku, the Great Toad Sage despite his frail, immobile body held an immense and unfathomable power.
Yet, much like the White Snake Sage of Ryūchi Cave, he refused to interfere directly in the affairs of the ninja world.
Instead, he placed all his hope in the Child of Prophecy.
Gamabunta's fist twitched. For a moment, he wanted to slam it into the ground to vent his frustration.
But then he remembered where he was.
Slowly, he lowered his hand.
He knew. He knew who the Child of Prophecy was.
Minato Namikaze.
Someday, Minato would stand against the Black Serpent.
Until that day came, he would wait.
And when the time arrived, he would unleash all the fury he held within.
.....
Konoha
Back in Konoha, a messenger toad arrived before Minato Namikaze.
It carried a recorded intelligence report, a transmission from Jiraiya.
Just like always, Jiraiya had gathered intelligence and sent it back via messenger toad.
This time was no different.
Over the past year, Jiraiya had collected a great deal of information, most of it focused on Amegakure.
There had been significant progress in identifying the village's leader.
However the full extent of the leader's abilities was still unclear.
And now, Jiraiya would never send another report again.
The messenger toad was not very intelligent; it only knew how to deliver messages. After handing the scroll containing the information to Minato, it hopped away, looking for a water puddle or something similar.
Minato pulled open the scroll and began reading. After going through most of it, his eyebrows subconsciously twitched, this was intelligence regarding Ye Zi.
"Sharingan? So the Sharingan that Ye Zi stole in his two attacks on the village was used here?"
According to the report, a squad consisting of dozens of young ninjas had been formed, with each member possessing a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan. Based on Jiraiya's speculation, if Ye Zi had mastered the technology to transplant Hashirama cells, then perhaps every member of this squad had Hashirama cells in their bodies.
Although this intelligence from Jiraiya had not yet been confirmed, it was unlikely to be incorrect.
This Sharingan squad was undoubtedly related to Ye Zi. Given this, Ye Zi's base must be located in the Land of Waterfalls, in Takigakure, in addition to the hidden forces of Amegakure. What exactly was their goal?
"Black Serpant… A being capable of bringing disaster to the ninja world. Ye Zi, Ye Zi…" Minato put away the scroll, his face filled with deep thought. The intelligence that Jiraiya had sent this time was too important. Learning that Ye Zi's base was most likely in Takigakure, along with the yet-to-be-revealed Sharingan unit, was invaluable.
Speaking of units, Minato had not forgotten about the Edo Tensei forces in Ye Zi's hands. During the last attack on the village, only a small number of Edo Tensei bodies had appeared, but things were not that simple. Ye Zi undoubtedly had more Edo Tensei bodies at his disposal.
That was something that could not be ignored.
Looking at it this way, Ye Zi held many hidden cards, and with Amegakure on his side…
Minato let out a contemplative hum, his expression growing increasingly serious.
"It's time to call Jiraiya-sensei back. There's no need to verify this critical intelligence any further." Since Jiraiya was fairly certain, Minato also saw it the same way. Even though he trusted Jiraiya-sensei's capabilities, their enemy was Ye Zi, and there was always a risk. Thus, he decided to have Jiraiya return.
The poor messenger toad, having just hopped away, was summoned back again. It sat on the desk with a bewildered expression.
Minato offered an apologetic smile before handing the written letter to the messenger toad, which then hopped away once more.
After the messenger toad left, Minato leaned back in his chair, contemplating how best to use this intelligence. However, he did not expect that the letter meant for Jiraiya would never reach him.
For now, the situation in the ninja world was stable. Deploying forces recklessly would only make things more unpredictable and would require taking a significant risk.
However, Ye Zi's recent attack on the village served as a wake-up call. Amegakure might still be a latent threat that didn't yet require direct action, but Ye Zi had to be eliminated.
Minato had already begun to believe that Ye Zi was the "Black Serpent" prophesied by the Great Toad Sage. In other words, only Ye Zi's death could spare the ninja world from disaster.
Yet, Ye Zi was not someone who could be easily taken down. His strength was undeniable.
If they could unite the other ninja villages against Ye Zi, that would be ideal. But what reason could they use to forge such an alliance?
Minato rubbed his temples. At that moment, a puff of white smoke appeared in front of his desk, revealing a yellow toad emerging from the mist.
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