"Old man! Old man! That old geezer has woken up!"
At that moment, Shima rushed over, shouting at the top of her lungs.
Chapter 74: The Great Toad Sage
"What did you say, old hag? Grandfather woke up?" Fukasaku Sage froze for a moment, then quickly came back to his senses. "Old hag, you should show Grandfather a little more respect."
"What does it matter?" Shima Sage replied casually. "He's just a doddering old fool."
Hearing that, the corner of Fukasaku's mouth twitched, and he was left completely speechless.
"Oh right, do you want to take little Xia Li to see Grandfather?" Shima asked.
"Of course," Fukasaku nodded. Though the chances were slim, he still wanted to see whether Xia Li might be the Child of Prophecy.
After all, Xia Li already met many of the conditions mentioned in the prophecy, and this extraordinarily gifted young man had long since gotten Fukasaku used to surprises. In his eyes, there was no one more talented than Xia Li. Perhaps others surpassed him in certain areas, but overall, Xia Li was the strongest he had ever seen.
"The Great Toad Sage?" Xia Li was also curious. This was the only toad on Mount Myōboku he had never met—and one said to be even more legendary than the Sage of Six Paths.
He wasn't sure whether the Great Toad Sage would give him a prophecy, but Xia Li was extremely curious about what he looked like.
"Yes. Come with me, little Xia Li," Fukasaku said, leading him solemnly to a towering door and slowly pushing it open.
Inside was a vast, lofty hall. Upon a throne sat an enormous, ancient toad.
"Grandfather, I'm Fukasaku. I've brought little Jiraiya's disciple to see you," Fukasaku called out.
"Who's there?" the Great Toad Sage muttered groggily, barely opening his eyes.
Fukasaku sighed inwardly and repeated himself. "I'm Fukasaku. I brought Jiraiya's student to pay his respects."
"Who's Jiraiya?" the Great Toad Sage asked.
Fukasaku was left utterly speechless. Xia Li also fell silent—this scene felt strangely familiar, as though he had once seen it before, long ago.
"That old fool! Little Jiraiya is the one you gave the prophecy to back then!" Shima finally snapped, shouting bluntly.
"Oh… little Jiraiya…" The Great Toad Sage's eyes shifted slightly. "He's not here, is he?"
"It's not Jiraiya! It's his disciple! Xia Li!" Shima yelled. If Fukasaku hadn't been holding her back, she might have already punched him.
"Xia… Li?" The Great Toad Sage murmured, his half-lidded eyes finally settling on Xia Li. Suddenly, his eyes opened slightly wider.
"Aren't you supposed to be dead?"
In an instant, Xia Li, Fukasaku, and Shima all stiffened.
"You senile old idiot!" Shima exploded. "He's standing right in front of you! How could he be dead?!"
After all, if Xia Li were dead, who would praise her cooking every day?
For the past three years, she had lived very happily, listening daily to Xia Li's heartfelt compliments—unlike everyone else, who barely reacted when they ate.
"Oh… oh, I suppose he's not dead," the Great Toad Sage muttered, closing his eyes again.
The hall fell silent.
After a moment, the two sages and Xia Li realized that the Great Toad Sage had apparently fallen asleep again.
Shima was nearly at her limit and was about to lash out when Fukasaku stopped her with sharp eyes and swift movement. "Don't act rashly."
This clearly wasn't the first time Shima had wanted to attack him, nor the first time Fukasaku had stopped her.
Xia Li suspected that if Fukasaku hadn't intervened, Shima really would have done it.
As for what the Great Toad Sage had just said, Xia Li couldn't help but feel shaken. But thinking carefully, he realized that he should have died. If not for his soul crossing time and entering Sina's womb, both the original Xia Li and Sina would have perished. By that logic, could he truly be considered "alive"?
At last, the Great Toad Sage opened his eyes again. This time, his gaze was more serious.
"Xia Li, is it?"
"Yes, Great Toad Sage."
"Hm… I cannot fully understand your fate," the Great Toad Sage said slowly. "It seems your destiny was once severed at birth—yet later reconnected. Curious…"
Xia Li sighed inwardly. Just as he suspected—one body, two lives.
Shima muttered something about the old fool again, while Fukasaku was left puzzled, unsure why Grandfather would say such a thing.
After pondering briefly, the Great Toad Sage continued, "I only see vague fragments of your future. But every fragment shares the same backdrop."
Xia Li looked at him with curiosity, wanting to know what those fragments were.
This time, the Great Toad Sage did not fall asleep. "Xia Li, you will certainly stir up a bloody storm across the entire ninja world. But I cannot tell whether it will bring benefit… or disaster."
Fukasaku's heart sank. No matter how you looked at it, "bloody storm" was not a pleasant phrase.
He found it hard to believe. Over the past three years, Xia Li had shown himself to be gentle and steady—nothing seemed capable of shaking him.
Except eating bugs. That didn't count.
How could someone like that be connected to a bloody storm?
Fukasaku sighed deeply. Since Grandfather hadn't mentioned the Child of Prophecy, it meant Xia Li was not that child.
What a pity.
As for Xia Li, the prophecy surprised him slightly, but it was also expected. He knew himself well—if necessary, he wouldn't hesitate to unleash a storm of blood.
Still, he didn't fully believe in prophecy. A prophecy could fail. Even if the Great Toad Sage's predictions were reliable, Xia Li disliked the idea of a predetermined fate.
Child of Prophecy? Bloody storm?
Xia Li smiled.
He would walk his own path. Why should he care so much? Did they expect him to live his life shackled by prophecy like Jiraiya?
And did Jiraiya truly believe it from the beginning? There were reasons—but not only that.
Chapter 75: Return
After finishing Xia Li's prophecy, the Great Toad Sage grew even sleepier and closed his eyes again before they left.
Xia Li and the two sages exited the hall.
"Xia Li, don't take Grandfather's words too seriously," Fukasaku said gently. "Perhaps those things are unavoidable for ninjas…"
"Don't worry, Grandpa," Xia Li said with a smile. "I don't mind."
"That's good," Fukasaku nodded, though his heart felt heavier than before. He knew all too well that the "bloody storm" was no simple matter.
"Don't listen to that old fool," Shima added irritably. "He was probably just talking nonsense."
"Thank you, Grandma," Xia Li replied.
Over the years, he had worked very hard to avoid eating bugs—and saying nice things had helped a lot.
The strategy worked wonderfully. His relationship with Shima was especially good now. And his praise wasn't empty—Shima truly put great care into her cooking. Every fruit was carefully selected, every mix refined. Even the pickiest eater couldn't complain.
This treatment, however, was reserved solely for Xia Li.
When Jiraiya found out, he shamelessly begged Shima while teaching Xia Li the Rasengan—but she still refused.
Probably because she knew Jiraiya could eat bugs.
The look of envy in Jiraiya's eyes was unmistakable.
"This isn't fair! I was here first!"
"Three years already… Little Xia Li won't be coming as often anymore, will he?" Shima asked sadly.
"Grandma, I'll visit you and Grandpa whenever I have time," Xia Li said.
"Then it's settled. If you don't come, I'll be angry," Shima said brightly. Even Fukasaku smiled, pushing the prophecy aside—for now, Xia Li mattered more.
"I'll remember," Xia Li nodded. Once his sealing techniques improved, he could even build a permanent teleportation array in Konoha.
For now, though, he dared not use Flying Thunder God to return—if he did, he wouldn't have enough chakra to come back. Walking from Mount Myōboku to Konoha would take a very long time.
"If you need it, feel free to use summoning jutsu," Fukasaku added. "The toads here are usually free."
"Yes, even that kid Bunta," Shima said. "If he misbehaves, tell me—I'll straighten him out."
"I will," Xia Li laughed. Connections mattered—especially toad connections.
"Well then, Grandpa, Grandma, I'm heading home," Xia Li said, activating Reverse Summoning and leaving Mount Myōboku.
Watching him go, Fukasaku and Shima exchanged glances, both feeling a bit lonely. For three years, not just they, but all the toads of Mount Myōboku had grown used to Xia Li's presence.
He had changed the atmosphere of the mountain.
Konoha—Xia Li's hometown.
Pushing open the door, Xia Li stretched lazily, feeling the power surging within him. Three years of foundational training were finally over. During this phase of rapid growth, he no longer needed to train as brutally as before.
How far could he go now? Xia Li was curious—but first, he needed to see the Third Hokage.
Suddenly, Xia Li vanished.
An ANBU ninja hidden in the trees was stunned. After waiting so long for Xia Li to return… had he really just lost him?
"Hello."
A voice sounded behind him. Beneath the mask, the ANBU's face stiffened.
If the other party wanted to kill him, he'd already be dead.
Cold sweat poured down his back.
"You've been guarding this place for three years. That doesn't mean nothing can happen," Xia Li said calmly.
The ANBU said nothing, silently reflecting. He had grown careless.
And yet—even so—he couldn't deny the strength of this ten-year-old boy.
Perhaps… he had already surpassed a chūnin.
And Xia Li's words implied he'd noticed him three years ago.
The ANBU finally nodded. "I understand."
"Good. Please inform the Third Hokage that I've returned and would like to see him," Xia Li said.
"Yes." The ANBU hesitated, wanting to say you could just go yourself—but he didn't dare.
Strength earned respect.
Soon, the ANBU returned with the message.
"Lord Xia Li, the Third Hokage says you may come directly."
"Alright." Xia Li headed toward the Hokage Tower.
He entered the office without obstruction.
The Third Hokage was still at work.
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