"Ah, Naruto Uzumaki… Jiraiya's disciple, the young ninja who inherited the Sage Arts of Mount Myōboku…"
Naruto's eyes lit up.
"Now I remember! I dreamed about you last night!"
His excitement immediately returned, and he swallowed nervously.
"Really? Then… what kind of dream did you have?"
The Great Toad Sage closed his eyes and thought for a moment.
"Hmm… let me think about it…"
A few seconds passed.
"Zzz… Zzz…"
Naruto: "…"
He fell asleep again!
Is this really the legendary Great Toad Sage everyone talks about?
Fukasaku smiled awkwardly and added with a hint of sarcasm, "The Great Toad Sage is very old, so it's only natural that he's a little forgetful… cough, cough… and perhaps a little confused and sleepy as well."
The Great Toad Sage struggled to open his eyes once again.
"Hmm? Who are you?"
Naruto: "…"
The frog beside him patiently reminded him once more.
"Ah, yes, yes…"
"Little Naruto, I saw you in my dream…"
"You will soon face a difficult choice…"
Naruto's heart trembled.
"What kind of choice?"
"It's not entirely clear…"
Naruto: "…"
Great Toad Sage, I really want to hit someone.
Stay calm!
The Great Toad Sage rubbed his head, desperately trying to recall the details.
"Ah… I seem to remember something about the two most important people in your life…"
Naruto's expression immediately became serious.
"They will both face a life-or-death situation at the same time, and you will only be able to save one of them…"
Naruto's face changed dramatically.
"The two most important people in my life?!"
"They'll both be in life-or-death situations at the same time?"
"What does that mean, Great Toad Sage?!"
The Great Toad Sage chuckled.
"Prophecies are inherently vague, so they can never be perfectly accurate. Little Naruto, you will soon encounter such a situation…"
A wave of panic suddenly swept through Naruto's heart.
The most important people…
Iruka-sensei… Kakashi-sensei… The Perverted Sage… Hinata… or… Sasuke?
Can I really only save one of them?
How can that be?!
"Great Toad Sage… what… what should I do?"
The Great Toad Sage laughed heartily. His ancient voice trembled slightly, yet it still carried an inexplicable majesty formed through thousands of years of experience and countless trials.
"Little Naruto, a prophecy is only a prophecy…"
"The person who truly controls your destiny is still you."
"It is your choices that determine your future."
"Neither I nor the Sage of the Six Paths can make that decision for you."
Naruto clenched his fists tightly.
"I understand…"
The Great Toad Sage smiled.
"Don't be so pessimistic, Naruto. Difficult choices are a normal part of life."
"Two choices. One right and one wrong."
"But that is not truly a choice."
"Whatever you choose, if you later discover that it was wrong, then that is still the path you chose."
"Just listen to the voice of your heart…"
"Moreover, I believe that once you overcome this obstacle, the road ahead will become much easier."
"And perhaps your greatest dream will no longer be merely a dream…"
Naruto's eyes gleamed.
Could this prophecy actually be his final test?
If he could overcome it, perhaps becoming Hokage would truly be within his reach!
Episode 185: Pain Invades Konoha! The Final War Begins! Please Vote for Me!!!
Naruto's emotions became extremely complicated.
On one hand, the Great Toad Sage's prophecy suggested that, in the near future, at least two of the people most important to him would face life-threatening situations, and he would have to choose only one person to save.
On the other hand, if he overcame this obstacle, he would have a chance to achieve his dream of becoming Hokage.
Without a doubt, this would be the greatest test he had ever faced.
Naruto clenched his fists. His heart was pounding, but he quickly calmed himself down.
"Great Toad Sage…"
"Whatever happens in the future, I will never abandon anyone!"
"I want to protect the people who are important to me, and I want to fulfill my dream…"
"I want everything!"
Fukasaku was deeply moved by Naruto's determined expression. He nodded with a gentle and satisfied smile.
"You're absolutely right, Little Naruto."
However, the Great Toad Sage seemed largely unimpressed.
He slowly shook his head and sighed.
"Some sacrifices are unavoidable."
"Some prices must be paid."
"Prophecies may not always come true, but changing destiny is incredibly difficult."
Naruto looked up at him.
"Then let it be my destiny to change fate!"
The Great Toad Sage was stunned for a moment.
Then, suddenly, he began to laugh.
"Hahaha…"
"My child, I don't know who you are, but somehow, I seem to see the shadow of an old acquaintance in you…"
The frog beside him quickly explained, "He is Uzumaki Naruto."
The Great Toad Sage smiled mysteriously.
"I remember this time…"
For a moment, Fukasaku, the other frog, and even Naruto himself were stunned.
If the Great Toad Sage remembered him, then why had he initially acted as though he didn't even know Naruto?
And who exactly was the old acquaintance he had mentioned?
Naruto wanted to ask more questions, but before he could say anything, the Great Toad Sage let out a huge yawn.
"Enough… I'm tired. I'm going to sleep."
The frog beside him immediately said, "Fukasaku-sama, Naruto, please return."
"The Great Toad Sage has already said everything he needed to say."
"But…"
"There's no 'but,' Little Naruto. The Great Toad Sage has told you everything he can. Let's go."
Naruto had no choice but to nod and follow Fukasaku out.
After they left, Naruto finally asked,
"Fukasaku, what exactly did the Great Toad Sage mean?"
Fukasaku laughed.
"How would I know? It's something related to you, Little Naruto."
"Even Little Jiraiya never fully understood what the Great Toad Sage told him back then…"
They soon returned to Shima's house.
Shima listened to their story with obvious disdain.
"Little Naruto, don't take that old man's words too seriously!"
"He's been talking for thousands of years. He's probably senile by now!"
Fukasaku was shocked.
"Wife! How can you speak about the Great Toad Sage like that?!"
Shima crossed her arms.
"Why not? When was the last time you saw him stay awake through an entire conversation?"
"Even if he is the Great Toad Sage…"
"So what? Can't he make mistakes?"
Fukasaku paused.
"Well… that's true…"
"Exactly!"
Listening to the two of them bicker, Naruto suddenly felt the heavy burden in his heart lift considerably.
He clapped his hands together.
"Alright! I'll do it!"
Naruto immediately felt an indescribable wave of exhaustion wash over him, so he quickly focused on his meal and began devouring it.
He had gradually grown accustomed to the soup and worms that had once disgusted him. The revulsion was long gone, and he had even started to appreciate their taste.
Naruto couldn't help but secretly mock himself.
I feel like I'm gradually drifting further away from being human and getting closer and closer to becoming a frog…
Despite thinking that, he never stopped eating.
To become stronger and train more effectively, he needed to consume as much food and energy as possible.
And Naruto would never compromise when it came to training.
"Fukasaku, I'll continue training after dinner."
"I won't bother you this time. The Two Lives Technique training is already complete, but I want to go even further…"
"I want to master Sage Mode to the highest level entirely on my own!"
"Even without relying on the Two Lives Technique, I want to maintain Sage Mode continuously during battle!"
Shima couldn't help but praise him.
"Well done, Little Naruto! Your determination and willpower are far stronger than Little Jiraiya's!"
"That man was always lazy and never bothered to complete this final step."
Naruto chuckled.
"As the Perverted Sage always said, a student must surpass his master!"
"Alright, I'm leaving!"
Naruto quickly devoured the rest of his meal.
After bidding farewell to Fukasaku and Shima, he immediately headed toward the training grounds of Mount Myōboku alone.
The prophecy still lingered in the back of his mind.
Two people.
One choice.
One life saved.
But Naruto had already made up his mind.
He would not accept a fate that forced him to abandon anyone.
If destiny truly wanted him to choose between protecting his loved ones and achieving his dream…
Then Naruto would simply defy destiny itself.
He would become strong enough to protect everyone.
And he would become Hokage.
No matter how difficult the road ahead became, Naruto Uzumaki had no intention of giving up.
________________________________________
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