"The Third Kazekage had just taken office in your manga when he was turned into a living human puppet. Sankai would've died from fury seeing that."
"That narrow-minded guy deserves it. But the unluckiest one is definitely the Fourth Kazekage. He only appeared with his back facing us before dying, and the facing shot was actually Orochimaru faking him."
Jiraiya and Tsunade joked back and forth, completely unfazed by how shocking the manga content was.
In his past life, if Akaba had dared concoct such tales about the Kazekage, he'd have been interrogated by Anbu long ago.
But this was the Naruto world, in Konoha.
The Anbu leader was his teacher; the Third Hokage was his teacher's elder brother. Except for Homura Mitokado, that unyielding traditionalist, everyone else in the upper ranks was his friend.
Everything was as solid as a rock.
"I really envy you guys. You're both jonin and don't even have to take missions anymore. I, on the other hand, slacked off training for a while, and now these days I've been swamped with missions."
Jiraiya muttered, nearly in tears.
Being busy wasn't necessarily bad, but what frustrated him most was that Orochimaru and Tsunade had already become jonin, taking up various roles without needing to leave the village for missions. Originally, the Third Hokage himself would lead the team.
That resulted in him, technically still a genin, independently completing various high-level missions.
"It means Teacher trusts you," Tsunade remarked gleefully. "Though instead of complaining about that, you should focus more on figuring out a three-man squad for the next Chūnin Exam."
Jiraiya had originally been lying on a chair reading manga. Upon hearing this, he shot upright abruptly, staring at Tsunade in confusion. "Chūnin Exam?"
"Yeah, the next Chūnin Exam will be held next month here in our Konoha."
Tsunade nodded.
Chūnin Exam?
Akaba had just learned about this. Thinking back, it had been roughly seven or eight months already, nearly a year. About time for the second Chūnin Exam.
He kept drawing the manga.
This was today's scheduled print update — same as yesterday, a full ten chapters of *Naruto*, just enough to wrap up Gaara's capture arc.
Of course, producing ten chapters alone wouldn't be feasible for one person.
Inside the Private Chamber, four Multiple Shadow Clones worked simultaneously — three updated *One Piece*, while the last one assisted with completing the *Naruto* chapters.
Jiraiya finished reading all the new chapters at once, then took over thirty additional updated manga volumes with him.
A toad would pay for them.
The toads operating a bug cuisine restaurant in Konoha had been running it for some time. Initially serving only Shima Sage's insect dishes, they later mastered techniques like deep-frying and stir-frying after watching *Cooking Master Boy*.
Their business had gradually attracted more customers.
Moreover, their Toad Oil was highly popular. When stored properly using specially designed containers to prevent evaporation, its effects were incredibly potent when combined with Fire Release techniques. Every ninja within the Military Police who could use Fire Release was now equipped with it.
Therefore, Mount Myoboku had grown significantly wealthy. Considering toads generally didn't have many expenses, any toad from Mount Myoboku wandering around nowadays was essentially richer than Jiraiya himself.
After Jiraiya left, Tsunade whispered with concern, "Is Kakashi having the Mangekyō Sharingan really okay? There are only two Mangekyō Sharingan among the Uchiha currently, right?"
A while back, Eno Uchiha returned and made a big deal about how his strong conviction to protect the clan triggered the awakening of his Mangekyo Sharingan. So even Tsunade, who was stuck in the hospital, knew another Uchiha had gained a Mangekyo Sharingan.
People hadn't even finished feeling happy when right after, this "non-canon character" from outside the series awakened a Mangekyo Sharingan too. How could those without a Kekkei Genkai feel anything but embarrassment?
"Kakashi is a special character; he's different from the average ones. To be precise, every character with a Mangekyo Sharingan is special."
Which of the characters possessing a Mangekyo Sharingan in the manga was ordinary?
Even Shisui, who died early, still packed the most powerful genjutsu—Kotoamatsukami. Having just that single dojutsu alone made him absolutely shine, not to mention he was also Itachi's mentor.
The others weren't any less remarkable.
Still, Akaba felt Kakashi awakening his Kaleidoscope Sharingan might have something to do with being at the scene when Obito killed Rin. Both possessed space-time related abilities, so being close by likely meant they could both ascend simultaneously.
Of course, this was just his personal guess.
He scribbled away a bit more, wrapped up four chapters' worth of content, dropped off the manuscript, dusted off his hands, and got ready for some well-deserved rest.
Just then, Jiraiya came rushing back energetically.
Tsunade was slightly puzzled but noticed Jiraiya shoot her a subtle signal. He quickly walked up to Akaba and whispered, "The Great Toad Sage wants you to come to Mount Myoboku."
"Me?"
Akaba was somewhat shocked.
He'd already met Sage Fukasaku. As for Sage Shima, if she really wanted to see him, she probably wouldn't go through all the trouble to summon an outsider like him to Mount Myoboku.
With such a grand arrangement, it must be the Great Toad Sage—the legendary sage who once stood alongside the Rikudō Sennin.
"That's right. The Great Toad Sage has awoken—and specifically summoned you."
Jiraiya didn't seem surprised at all.
Although the Great Toad Sage once made a prophecy about Jiraiya, since then he hardly ever received him, whereas Akaba's name kept coming up repeatedly.
Simply put, he was the stepchild.
From the moment he realized how the toads had been treating him, he knew a day like this would come.
Jiraiya almost wanted to cry.
They were supposed to call *him* the prophesied one!
"Akaba, could it be that..."
Tsunade looked worried.
She knew exactly what the summoning beast clan behind Akaba's back was like. There was no telling whether those Yumekuma had disturbed the Great Toad Sage's sleep and annoyed him.
"It shouldn't be," Akaba said with a calming glance before following Jiraiya toward the Bug Cuisine Restaurant.
There was a directional summoning array housed at the Bug Cuisine Restaurant.
Not long later, he arrived at Mount Myoboku—a very important training holy ground in Konoha.
Once he regained his footing, he found himself surrounded by a bunch of massive toads.
What the heck?
Akaba was momentarily confused. Some toads were taller than Konoha's main gate. Judging by the time period depicted, this one appeared quite young. Compared to the giant toads around it, its current size seemed small.
Certainly,
Though it looked rather cool on the outside, standing among the enormous toads, it still remained distinguishable at a glance.
"He looks so tiny! But he's bigger than Jiraiya."
"Jiraiya's such a joke. Bet he never even finished his bug meals, no wonder he stayed small compared to Akaba."
"Hey Akaba, sign my autograph! Autograph!"
The toads were very enthusiastic, though they made quite a bit of noise—except for the little ones, of course. All the big toads had booming voices.
Akaba stared at those large toads.
They're way too sturdy!
Even a single leg would last for many days of eating.
"Alright, stop crowding around Akaba. The Great Toad Sage wants to see him."
Sage Fukasaku struggled and jumped onto Gamaken's back.
What he said carried weight. Soon, the toads dispersed, making a path for Akaba.
The Great Toad Sage lived in a massive temple hidden deep within Mount Myoboku.
Mount Myoboku was vast.
Akaba walked for quite some time before finally reaching the Great Toad Sage's residence.
Before even entering, he felt uneasy.
No one truly knew the full extent of the Great Toad Sage's power, but there was no doubt he was among the oldest beings alive—in fact, even Black Zetsu couldn't compare to him in age.
An ancient creature becoming wise beyond mortal comprehension—that perfectly described this type of toad.
Taking a deep breath, Akaba pushed open the door. Before his eyes sat a toad on a revered throne engraved with the word "Xian (Immortal)."
"Who is this that approaches?"
"Every time you put on this act—is this really fun? At present, among humans who come to Mount Myoboku, besides Jiraiya, only you've been waiting for Sakuma Akaba."
Sage Fukasaku couldn't help but complain.
The Great Toad Sage lay there, laboriously sitting up slightly. He opened his eyes slowly and fixed his gaze on Akaba before solemnly saying, "You're not quite what I expected."
"People always change. Growing up and maturing are processes of transformation."
Akaba replied calmly.
The Great Toad Sage remained silent for a long while, giving Akaba the impression of gathering energy for a powerful move.
After a long pause, he resumed slowly, "How much do you know about the Rinnegan?"
"Eh, not that much, really. Mostly from the Uchiha clan. Their current leader happened to awaken the Kaleidoscope Sharingan, so I picked up bits here and there."
Akaba explained.
The Great Toad Sage nodded slightly, saying, "Indeed, the stone tablet left behind by Hagoromo records certain things, but it's been far too long—what's written may not be complete. That pair of eyes possesses the power to change the world; they are both forbidden and full of hope."
"Huh?"
Akaba lifted his eyebrows, surprised that the Great Toad Sage wanted to talk about such things.
"In my dream, I saw Madara still alive. He awakened the Rinnegan and sought to gather the Bijū to overturn the world—and you…"
Here, the Great Toad Sage paused.
Akaba cooperated well, showing curiosity on his face while continuously nodding, eagerly anticipating what prophecy would follow.
However.
The toad's expression turned puzzled. After a few seconds, he said, "In my dream, you weren't there."
"What? What does that mean?"
Confused, Akaba wondered—was this Great Toad Sage referring to a scene near the end of the Manga, where Madara returned through [Impure World Reincarnation] and revived others with [Rinne Rebirth]?
"Exactly as I said: you never appeared in my dreams. However, changes caused by your existence indeed affected my dream itself—like the Manga and Jiraiya, for example."
The Great Toad Sage spoke with suspicion.
His dreams were visions of the future—what he saw usually came true, or at least, they always used to.
Yet since Akaba's appearance, he'd noticed his dreams were no longer reliable.
"The Yumekuma clan is very mysterious. Very few true Yumekuma actually form summoning contracts with humans, so you're indeed a special case."
Akaba wasn't surprised by this.
After spending more time with the Yumekuma, he understood why genuine Yumekuma looked down upon Danzo.
Their Secret Techniques connect with the contractor's Spirit Points. For them, ninja like Danzo who have weak spiritual power are practically spiritual corruption.
What's the point of going on a mission that gives you nothing but lowers the purity of your spiritual energy?
The wiser they become, the higher their requirements. In this aspect, Mount Myoboku has similar standards for its contractors.
"Did you summon me to Mount Myoboku to ask me to bring salvation to the world?"
Akaba asked.
The Great Toad Sage sat up, stared at him for several seconds, and then said, "Perhaps it will be you, or perhaps it's the Child of the Prophecy destined to meet Jiraiya—who can tell? The future has always been shrouded in mystery. But what I am about to reveal to you involves [deep mysteries] of the Rinnegan."
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