"I'm in position, 50 meters to the southeast!"
"Got it. I've reached my station and am ready to start anytime!"
"Good. Orochimaru, listen for my signal, then charge together!
3...
2...
Go!"
As Kagura shouted the final word "Go!", two dark figures suddenly leapt from the trees and rushed toward their nearby target.
"Meowwwwwwww~"
With a sharp cat cry, a large black cat appeared in Kagura's arms.
The cat kept struggling desperately, trying to break free from Kagura's grip.
Holding it by the scruff with her right hand, Kagura simply left it dangling midair.
As if flipping some kind of switch, the cat abruptly stopped resisting after its earlier frenzy.
Carefully placing the captured feline into a prepared cage, all four members of Team 7 let out a collective sigh of relief.
Yes, they were currently on a mission.
It had been three weeks since their evaluation test.
As Genin, they had officially begun carrying out missions.
However, for newcomers like them, at this stage they could only take D-rank missions—tasks like locating lost pets.
During this time, Hiruzen Sarutobi occasionally joined them to personally lead missions.
But more often than not, they operated as a team of four alone.
And whenever that happened, the other three naturally looked to Kagura as team leader to plan and direct operations.
Looking at the restless cat inside the cage, Kagura absentmindedly stared at the communicator in her hand.
This world really was something else.
You'd think it's technologically primitive—it doesn't even have bicycles, let alone cars—but somehow there are short-range communicators like these.
At least within a one-kilometer range, these devices worked flawlessly.
No wonder those ninjas run so fast—it must've been pure necessity...
While Kagura drifted into random thoughts, Tsunade cut in.
"All right, we've captured our target.
Let's hurry back and finish this mission already."
Her occasional spaced-out moments weren't new—they'd gotten used to it during their Ninja Academy days.
That's why Tsunade always called her an idiot.
Back at the Mission Hall, once the original owner confirmed they'd truly found her missing pet, the mission was officially called a success.
The four watched as the old woman, with makeup caked on her face like plastered white walls, affectionately rubbed up against the poor little cat. They couldn't help but feel sorry for it.
No wonder that cat tried to make a break for it...
Tsunade stretched upward with a yawn.
Kagura stole a sideways glance.
Huh! Still flat as a board.
Unaware of Kagura's inner thoughts, Tsunade turned to the others,
"Today's mission is done. We don't have anything else going on anyway.
How about...
we have a party at Kagura's house tonight!"
"Ever since tasting his food at Kagura's, the three of them had been unusually eager to eat together.
Well, in a world where even a bowl of ramen counts as fine dining, maybe that's not surprising.
Kagura's traditional cooking techniques had definitely opened up a whole new world for them.
When Tsunade suggested it, Orochimaru merely gave a silent nod.
Seeing this, Tsunade waved her small hand and prepared to lead everyone to the market.
Hey… Not gonna bother asking what I think, huh?
Kagura thought helplessly as he watched the two.
Unexpectedly, Jiraiya, who always showed particular enthusiasm about such matters, spoke up:
"Nah, I'll skip this one this time.
I've got some urgent business to attend to. I'll be off first."
Without waiting for others to react, he simply waved goodbye and left.
Watching Jiraiya's retreating figure, Tsunade frowned puzzledly:
"What's going on with Jiraiya lately?
He takes off right after finishing Missions. Haven't seen him this busy before."
As if suddenly realizing something, she clenched her fist and narrowed her eyes suspiciously, speaking in an odd tone:
"You don't think he's gone back to sneaking a peek at the girls' bath again…"
Sensing the killing intent coming from Tsunade, Kagura and Orochimaru both instinctively took a step back.
Back when they were still in the Ninja Academy, Jiraiya once talked Orochimaru into sneaking a peek at the girls' bath.
Unfortunately for them, that was when Tsunade happened to be bathing there.
Kagura only knew about the aftermath – Jiraiya ended up with six broken ribs, fractured wrists, and multiple internal injuries.
He ended up needing almost two months off just to recover.
Just as Tsunade lifted her leg to go after him, Kagura quickly interjected to defend Jiraiya:
"I know what he's doing.
I heard he approached Sarutobi-sensei for guidance regarding summoning techniques after that incident.
However, during his attempt to perform the technique himself, he got reverse-summoned to a strange location.
Recently, he's been going there every day to study new ninjutsu and techniques."
Naturally knowing the ins and outs of such techniques, Kagura understood that this "strange place" was none other than Mount Myoboku.
This location would prove pivotal in Jiraiya's development into one of the Sannin.
Upon hearing Kagura's explanation, Tsunade stopped mid-step and turned back questioningly:
"You mean Jiraiya has actually been training hard recently?"
Kagura hastily nodded in agreement.
Now that she thought about it, it was kinda weird. Maybe it was how well Kagura understood them, or maybe he just naturally had that kind of charm.
Since Team 7's formation, Kagura had somehow become the person everyone got along with best.
Even Jiraiya's recent experiences had been volunteered directly to him.
Learning that Jiraiya had been diligently training, Tsunade looked contemplatively toward where Jiraiya had vanished long ago.
Beside her, Orochimaru's eyes briefly flickered with an unfathomable light.
From deep within Mount Myoboku, a slightly stern voice rang out:
[Jiraiya, are you an idiot?
How is it possible that you can't even master such a basic ninjutsu as [Fire Release: Blazing Bullet]?
Jiraiya was puffing his cheeks on flat ground, but after making all the necessary preparations, he finally spat out a thick black liquid resembling crude oil.
"You idiot! When you refine chakra into oil and spit it out, you have to ignite it with Fire Release!
Don't you even know what Fire Release is!"
An exasperated voice came from a nearby boulder. The speaker was actually a frog hopping up and down angrily.
Hearing this, Jiraiya scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
Just then, another frog jumped in.
The newly arrived frog looked up at Jiraiya and said,
"Jiraiya, come with me.
Our Great Toad Sage wishes to see you."
Great Toad Sage?
Upon hearing this title, Jiraiya hesitated slightly.
But he didn't say anything else—without a word, he silently followed the frog.
Ever since he accidentally arrived here two weeks ago and helped Ma respectively chase away a giant snake, these frogs had offered to help him train as a way to repay him.
Although he had been scolded quite harshly during the process, Jiraiya indeed felt his strength growing significantly lately.
So when this sudden invitation came, he accepted without hesitation.
As the landscape changed around him, he soon arrived at a grand palace.
Seated at the highest seat within this magnificent hall sat an especially large and ancient-looking toad.
The frog leading the way bowed respectfully toward the highest seat and said:
"Great Toad Sage, this is Jiraiya."
After speaking, it stepped aside.
As Jiraiya was still studying the Great Toad Sage seated above, the giant toad spoke first:
"So you're the human who recently wandered into Mount Myoboku by accident?"
Unsure of its intent, Jiraiya could only nod blankly.
The Toad Sage examined him carefully before continuing:
"Hmm… Exactly the same as the human I saw in my dream.
You are the one chosen by fate."
Dream? Chosen by fate?
These words left Jiraiya completely confused.
Seeing this, the Toad Sage explained:
"As the Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku, I have the gift of prophecy.
Long ago, I glimpsed a vision of a human boy arriving at Mount Myoboku.
That person is you.
In the future, you will become an outstanding ninja. Once you've found your own path, you will travel far and wide, writing books, and during this journey, you will take on a student.
This apprentice will change the world. As for whether such change will bring peace...
By the heavens!"
Suddenly blurting out this exclamation, the Toad Sage—who had kept his eyes half-closed all along—now opened them wide in shock.
Still deep in thought over the prophecy, Jiraiya was suddenly startled by this unexpected outburst.
Ignoring the puzzled expression on Jiraiya below,
The Toad Sage muttered in disbelief:
"Why...
I feel like...
This is impossible!"
"The Wheel of Fate [symbolizing the course of destiny] has truly shifted!"
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