Jiraiya's embrace tightened, his massive frame shuddering with emotion. "I'm so sorry," he repeated, his voice thick with decades of regret. "I should have stayed..."
Indra remained frozen in the Sannin's arms, his mind racing. This reaction was completely unexpected. The calculations he'd made, the careful approach he'd planned - none of it had accounted for this raw display of grief.
"Lord Jiraiya," he said carefully, gently pushing against the man's chest to break the embrace. "What exactly are you talking about?"
The Sannin seemed to realize himself, quickly wiping tears from his face with his sleeve. "Nothing," he said gruffly, turning away. "I just... mistook you for someone else. The Rinnegan reminded me of... it doesn't matter."
Indra's eyes narrowed.
"That's not good enough," Indra said firmly, crossing his arms.
"I've just trusted you with my greatest secret. I showed you the Rinnegan because I thought you might help me understand it.
If you're going to keep secrets about what it means when you clearly know more than you're saying, how can I possibly trust you?"
Jiraiya's shoulders slumped. He stood with his back to Indra, the silence between them stretching uncomfortably long. Finally, he sighed deeply and turned around, his expression grave.
"You're right," he admitted. "You deserve to know." He gestured to a fallen log at the edge of the clearing. "Let's sit. This is... a long story."
They settled on the log, Jiraiya staring into the distance as if seeing something far beyond the forest surrounding them.
"Years ago," he began, his voice taking on a storyteller's cadence, "I was summoned to Mount Myōboku, home of the Toad Sages. The Great Toad Sage, who has lived for over a thousand years, shared a prophecy with me."
Indra listened intently, his Rinnegan still active in his right eye, recording every word, every micro-expression that crossed Jiraiya's face.
"He told me of a child who would judge the world," Jiraiya continued. "A child born from the Heavens, who would either choose to save the world or bring about its end. And he said that I would be the teacher of this Child of Prophecy."
The Sannin's eyes grew distant, lost in memory. "I didn't understand at first. I was young, brash - more concerned with my own training than some cryptic prophecy."
Jiraiya's mind drifted back to that day, decades ago, when he'd stood before the ancient Toad Sage...
----------------------
The air in the sacred chamber was thick with incense and age. Jiraiya, still a young man with fewer lines on his face and fewer scars on his soul, fidgeted impatiently before the massive form of Gamamaru, the Great Toad Sage.
"A student of yours," the ancient toad's voice rumbled, his eyes clouded with cataracts yet somehow seeing beyond time itself, "will bring a great revolution to the world of shinobi. Either salvation or destruction, I cannot tell which path he will choose."
Jiraiya frowned, crossing his arms. "With all due respect, Great Elder, I don't even have students yet. I'm still learning myself."
Gamamaru's enormous mouth curved into what might have been a smile. "Yet you will teach. And among those you teach will be the Child of Prophecy - the one who will judge this world of endless violence."
"How will I recognize this student?" Jiraiya asked, his skepticism barely concealed.
"When the time comes," the Great Sage replied, "you will know. Look for the eyes that reflect the ripples of creation itself.""
----------------------
Jiraiya shook himself from the memory, focusing back on Indra. "After that prophecy, I became obsessed with understanding what it meant. My travels took me far beyond the missions assigned by Konoha."
He stood, pacing the clearing as he spoke. "In the northern mountains of the Land of Earth, I found a temple carved directly into a cliff face.
It predated the hidden villages by centuries. Inside were stone tablets depicting a figure with concentric circles for eyes - the same pattern as your right eye."
Indra leaned forward, genuinely curious. "What did the tablets say about these eyes?"
"They called them 'The Eyes of Heaven's Judgment' - the Rinnegan. According to those ancient carvings, they belonged to a man who descended from the sky to bring order to a chaotic world. The locals still tell legends of him."
Jiraiya's expression grew animated as he recalled another journey.
----------------------
The cave was damp and cold, illuminated only by the small flame in Jiraiya's palm. He'd spent weeks tracking down rumors of this place - a forgotten archive said to contain scrolls from before the founding of the shinobi villages.
His sandals splashed in shallow puddles as he ventured deeper, the walls gradually transitioning from rough stone to worked masonry of incredible antiquity.
Finally, the passage opened into a chamber where stone shelves held scrolls protected by preservation seals of remarkable craftsmanship.
At the center stood a statue - a figure seated in meditation, its hands forming a seal Jiraiya had never seen before.
Most striking were the eyes - concentric circles carved with such precision that they seemed to ripple in the flickering light.
"The Judge returns when balance fails," read an inscription at the base. "When the world forgets wisdom and strays from the true path, the eyes of Heaven will open once more."
Jiraiya spent days in that chamber, translating scrolls that spoke of a cycle - a divine pattern of judgment and renewal.
According to these texts, the Sage was not merely a historical figure but a recurring presence, returning in times of great need to guide humanity back to the proper path.
Some scrolls referred to him as "Heaven's Child," others as "The Wandering God." But all agreed: he would return, bearing the eyes that held the power to create or destroy worlds.
--------------------
"After the Land of Earth, I traveled to the Shikkotsu Forest - home of the Slug Sages," Jiraiya continued. "Unlike the Toads, who focus on prophecy, the Slugs maintain vast archives of historical knowledge."
He sat back down beside Indra, his expression earnest. "Their records spoke of a man who could command all five elements, who could breathe life into the dead, who could pull souls from bodies with a mere touch. They called him 'The Sage of Six Paths.'"
Indra's expression remained carefully neutral, though inwardly he was fascinated by how much Jiraiya had pieced together about the Sage - much of it accurate, based on what he knew from his past life's memories.
As well as worried, since the Prophecy - if the Grand Toad Sage was correct, no longer fitted Naruto.
Or Naruto will somehow obtain the Rinnegan which seemed way too farfetched and insane but not out of possibility.
"But the most revealing journey was to Ryūchi Cave," Jiraiya said, his voice dropping lower.
"The home of the Snake Sages?" Indra asked.
Jiraiya nodded. "The most dangerous of the three great sage regions. The snakes guard their knowledge jealously, and they aren't known for hospitality to humans."
------------------------
The cavern seemed to breathe around him, the very air pulsing with ancient chakra. Jiraiya moved cautiously, every sense alert for danger.
The Snake Sages had granted him entry only after he'd completed three deadly trials, and even now, he felt unwelcome eyes watching from the shadows.
"So, a Toad comes slithering into our domain," a voice hissed from behind a stone altar. "How... amusing."
The White Snake Sage emerged - massive, pale as bone, with eyes that held both wisdom and cruelty in equal measure.
"I seek knowledge of the Rinnegan," Jiraiya stated boldly, knowing that showing fear would be fatal here.
The great snake's tongue flicked out, tasting the air. "And why should we share such precious wisdom with a Toad's servant?"
"Because the prophecy concerns all worlds, not just the Toads," Jiraiya replied. "If the Judge returns, his verdict will affect even the snakes."
This earned him a cold, calculating stare. Finally, the White Snake Sage moved aside, revealing an ancient scroll suspended in a field of chakra.
"The eyes that ripple like water," the snake intoned, "mark the return of Heaven's judgment. When they appear, the cycle nears completion. The Judge will walk among mortals, bearing the burden of decision - to cleanse or to preserve."
The scroll unfurled of its own accord, revealing text in a language so ancient that it seemed to resist Jiraiya's understanding. Yet somehow, the meaning flowed directly into his mind.
"Three times the Judge will walk the earth," he read aloud. "First to guide, then to warn, finally to decide.
Each incarnation builds upon the last, each death informs the next rebirth. Only when the cycle is complete will the final judgment be rendered."
"The first coming has passed," the White Snake Sage added. "The second was... interrupted. The third approaches. Whether as savior or destroyer, even we cannot see."
----------------------
"The Snakes confirmed what I had begun to suspect," Jiraiya told Indra. "The Sage of Six Paths was just the first incarnation of a divine judge. The cycle calls for three lives - three chances for humanity to prove itself worthy of continuation."
He looked directly at Indra, his gaze intense. "And then I found Nagato in Amegakure. A war orphan with the Rinnegan - the second coming."
Jiraiya's voice grew heavy with emotion. "I trained him and his friends, Yahiko and Konan. They were determined to bring peace to their war-torn country. I believed they were the answer to the prophecy - that Nagato would lead the world to a better future."
He clenched his fists. "But I was called back to Konoha. The war was intensifying, and I had my duties. I left them - told myself they were ready to continue on their own."
Jiraiya stood again, unable to remain still as the painful memories surfaced.
"Years later, I heard rumors that they had died in Amegakure's civil conflicts. I investigated as best I could, but found no trace of them. Eventually, I had to accept that they were gone - that I had failed the Child of Prophecy."
He turned to Indra, his expression a mixture of grief and wonder. "Until today, when you showed me those eyes. The cycle continues. You are the third incarnation - the final judge."
Indra absorbed this information silently.
Jiraiya truly believed he was the reincarnation of both Nagato and the Sage of Six Paths - the final arbiter of humanity's fate.
It was a misunderstanding, but one that could work to his advantage.
But still, even if that part necessarily is true - since Nagato lives. Deep down he was worried.
Is there a interpretation he is missing? Could it somehow, someway be true? Is this the only prophecy?
Did his birth alter the balance of time?
(Could the reincarnations be like Indra and Ashura? A echo of Chakra passing through time, attaching to souls? Did he have Hagoromo's and Nagato's?)
"That's... quite a claim," Indra said carefully, allowing his surprise to show. "I hold no memories of ever being this Nagato person, much less the Sage of Six Paths. It seems far-fetched."
He shook his head. "Wouldn't I remember if I were them? Shouldn't the 'Son of Heaven' be bestowed such a privilege? And how could I have been killed in my past life as Nagato if I am this supposed mythical figure? How does it make sense for someone so strong to just die?"
Indra gestured to himself. "I'm just a genin who somehow inherited the Rinnegan. Perhaps I'm a distant descendant of the Sage, but a reincarnation? That seems unlikely."
"No," Jiraiya said firmly, conviction burning in his eyes. "I know this to be true. I've researched it extensively across the lands."
He knelt before Indra, looking up into his eyes with absolute certainty. "It is especially because you are the Son of Heaven that you don't remember. You are the Judge.
You need to be objective. Having your previous lives' memories would only make you act in a manner unbefitting the circumstances - perhaps out of sentimentality or rage from when you were the Sage, or..."
His voice dropped to a pained murmur. "Or hate, remembering how you died as Nagato and were failed by the world... by your sensei."
Jiraiya's shoulders slumped, the weight of his perceived failure visibly crushing him. "Each rebirth must judge the world anew, taking into account how the previous incarnation was treated. It's part of the cycle."
Indra's expression softened. Despite knowing he was not who Jiraiya believed him to be, he couldn't help but feel sympathy for the man's obvious pain.
The Sannin truly believed he had failed his student - failed the world's potential savior.
After a moment of silence he approached Jiraiya and placed a hand on his arm. "You did the best you could," he said quietly. "You shouldn't blame yourself for what was beyond your control."
Warmth bloomed in Jiraiya's chest as he looked down at Indra.
For a moment, he saw Nagato in the boy's face - not the physical features, but something in the expression, the earnestness.
It felt like forgiveness from beyond death, though he knew he would never truly forgive himself. And he wasn't sure Indra would either, if he ever remembered being Nagato.
"There's more to this prophecy," Jiraiya said, his voice steadier now. "The Great Toad Sage spoke of a great calamity approaching - a darkness that threatens to consume the world. The Judge must be ready to face it."
He looked at Indra with new determination. "That's why you awakened the Rinnegan now, at this particular moment in history. The final judgment approaches.
But you not having it in both eyes is peculiar. It may be that unlike Nagato who was an Uzumaki your body as an Uchiha isn't ready for the Eyes power."
Indra considered this information carefully. It aligned with what he knew was coming - Akatsuki, Madara, the Fourth Shinobi War, the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Jiraiya had known the approaching storm, even if he didn't understand its true nature.
"If what you say is true," Indra said slowly, "then I have much to learn about these eyes and their power."
"Yes," Jiraiya agreed eagerly. "The Rinnegan grants many abilities - control over all five basic nature transformations is just the beginning.
According to the ancient texts, it also provides six distinct powers, what the scrolls called 'The Six Paths.' Though I myself don't know them beyond knowing of their existence,"
Indra nodded, feigning ignorance.
"I won't make the same mistake twice," Jiraiya said, rising to his feet with renewed determination. "I won't fail you as I failed Nagato. I'll make you as strong as you can possibly be."
He placed a hand on Indra's shoulder, his grip firm but gentle. "The Chunin Exams are approaching. I'll train you personally - teach you to harness the power of those eyes."
Indra nodded solemnly, deactivating his Rinnegan. "I'd be honored to learn from one of the Legendary Sannin."
As they stood together in the clearing, Jiraiya with his hand on Indra's shoulder, a silent understanding passed between them.
For Jiraiya, it was a second chance - an opportunity to fulfill his destiny as the teacher of the Child of Prophecy.
For Indra, it was another step toward his goal of becoming the strongest, gaining a powerful ally in the process.
The truth that bound them was built on a misunderstanding, but the alliance it formed was no less real because of it.
"We'll begin tomorrow at dawn," Jiraiya said, his voice taking on the authoritative tone of a teacher. "Meet me at the eastern training grounds - the ones near the hot springs." A hint of his usual lecherous grin flickered across his face. "For, ah, meditation purposes."
Indra couldn't help but smile slightly. Even believing he was training the reincarnation of a god, Jiraiya couldn't completely abandon his perverted ways.
"I'll be there," he promised.
As Jiraiya removed the privacy barrier and they prepared to go their separate ways, the Sannin paused. "One more thing, kid. Keep that eye hidden for now. There are those in this world who would kill for such power - or worse, try to control it for their own ends."
Indra nodded, thinking of Danzo and his collection of stolen Sharingan. And Obito - that terrifying fucker who can appear out of thin air anywhere and just pop out your eyeballs.
"I understand."
With a final nod, Jiraiya disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving Indra alone in the clearing.
-----------------------
(Author note: Interesting isn't it.
The prophecy is different. Does this mean Naruto is no longer the Child of Prophecy, or did Indra's birth somehow effect the Toad's sight in a manner that he misunderstood?
Or is there something deeper at play?
All I'll say, besides Jiraiya and Sayaka, no one knows Indra has the Rinnegan.
Well, I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)