"So… Great Sages, is this prophecy good or bad?"
After listening to Fukasaku explain a whole lot, Jiraiya felt like he understood, yet also didn't quite.
It sounded like the Great Toad Sage was terrified at first when he saw the prophecy, but the later scene surprised him instead.
Looking at it this way, it should be a frightening scene, but it didn't end with the terrifying outcome he had expected.
'So it probably isn't a bad prophecy, right?'
At least based on what Fukasaku had said, this was the conclusion Jiraiya came to.
"We can't give you an answer to that. We'll only know after meeting the Great Lord."
"Alright then."
Jiraiya didn't say anything more, and the drowsiness he had earlier was gone.
As a top-tier ninja, controlling something like that was easy.
He followed the two toads into the depths of Mount Myoboku, then entered a temple.
It was a grand hall. Sitting atop the central stone platform was a gigantic, aged toad wearing a scholar's cap and a string of Buddhist beads around its neck.
This was the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku, Gamamaru, who had lived since the time of the Sage of Six Paths, surviving for over a thousand years.
But at this moment, it sat in its place with its eyes tightly shut, looking as if it were asleep.
"This…"
Fukasaku and Shima exchanged glances when they saw the Great Toad Sage sleeping so soundly. Both could see the helplessness in each other's eyes.
The two toads then jumped onto the stone platform to the left of the Great Toad Sage and respectfully said, "Great Lord, we've brought Little Jiraiya here."
"..."
However, faced with Fukasaku's call, the Great Toad Sage still kept its eyes shut, showing no reaction.
Jiraiya stood below the stone platform, looking up at the massive old toad. If not for its steady breathing and the rise and fall of its chest, he might've suspected that it had seen an absurd prophecy and passed away from emotional shock.
"Old lady, it's up to you."
Fukasaku looked at Shima somewhat helplessly.
"Haa!"
Shima could only take a deep breath in resignation. Then she amplified her voice with senjutsu chakra and sent it into the old toad's ears.
"Great Lord! Little Jiraiya has arrived!"
Seeing this scene, Jiraiya couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
Fortunately, at that moment, the Great Toad Sage's eyelids finally moved.
"My apologies… When you get old, it's hard to control the urge to sleep…", The Great Toad Sage spoke slowly.
"Oh right… who are you again?"
"..."
Jiraiya was completely speechless.
Fukasaku and Shima also showed awkward and helpless expressions.
Fukasaku quietly explained from the side, "Great Lord, this is Little Jiraiya. Didn't you say you had some things about the ninja world to ask him?"
"Oh, I remember now. So it's Little Jiraiya."
A look of realization appeared on the Great Toad Sage's face.
"..."
Jiraiya also took a deep breath. After all this, his curiosity was already hard to suppress, so he directly asked, "Great Toad Sage, you called me here this time, what did you want to ask me?"
"What was it…"
The Great Toad Sage paused for a moment, as if recalling, before speaking, "Has anything notable happened in the ninja world recently? Any famous figures appearing?"
Although it could use the Telescope Technique to observe the ninja world, due to its advanced age, and with the Child of Prophecy growing steadily as expected, it hadn't used it for some time.
It had simply been waiting here for that person's arrival, so it wasn't very aware of what had been happening in the ninja world.
"A famous figure… and major events…"
Upon hearing this question, Jiraiya didn't even need to think. A name appeared directly in his mind.
"If we're talking about that, then it's probably Shirakumo Aoba becoming the Daimyo of the Land of Fire."
"Shirakumo Aoba…"
The Great Toad Sage repeated the unfamiliar name. This was a name that didn't belong to the original trajectory of fate.
It had never seen this name in past prophecies, and yet he had actually become a Daimyo.
Seeing the Great Toad Sage fall into silence, Jiraiya didn't say anything further.
As for Aoba becoming a Daimyo, he himself had been quite surprised. After all, that kid was way too young.
He still remembered when he gave that kid a copy of his famous work back then, he had almost gotten beaten up by Tsunade.
In the blink of an eye, he had become a Daimyo.
But aside from that, he didn't feel much else.
After all, he was Tsunade's disciple. Inheriting the position of Daimyo didn't seem that strange.
Anyway, the ninja world had been getting more and more peaceful these past few years. So peaceful that he had grown lazy about searching for the Child of Prophecy.
It was just that the way that kid Aoba achieved peace was a bit… strange.
But thinking of the Child of Prophecy, Jiraiya quickly asked, "Oh right, Great Toad Sage. Aoba is Tsunade's disciple, which makes him a contractor of Shikkotsu Forest. I want to ask, does that Slug Sage also make prophecies? And is there another Child of Prophecy?"
All these years, the reason Jiraiya hadn't stayed in Konoha and instead wandered the ninja world, aside from not wanting to be tied down by village affairs, the other reason was to search for the Child of Prophecy foretold by the Great Toad Sage.
According to the prophecy, someone would appear in the future who could bring about a great transformation to the ninja world and achieve peace.
That person would be the Child of Prophecy and would become his disciple.
But now… He felt like that kid Aoba fit the role pretty well.
"Hm?"
The Great Toad Sage came back to his senses and asked, "A contractor of Shikkotsu Forest? Little Jiraiya, do you have any basis for saying that?"
"Well…"
Jiraiya thought for a moment and shared some non-critical information he knew, "Among the Five Great Ninja Villages, Aoba is now the Hokage of Konoha. The Tsuchikage and Mizukage are his fiancees, the Kazekage's older sister is his fiancee, and the two currently managing the Hidden Cloud Village are, reportedly… uh, his girlfriends."
'Better not mention the term 'ninja weapons.''
"In short, the Five Great Ninja Villages basically all listen to him now. There probably isn't a more peaceful situation than this, right?"
"..."
After hearing Jiraiya's words, the hall fell silent.
Fukasaku and Shima were already completely stunned.
They had witnessed the wars of the ninja world over the past decades and had even participated alongside Jiraiya, but they never expected things would end up like this.
They couldn't help but feel curious about who this Aoba really was, to actually end the ninja world's wars in such a way.
After hearing Jiraiya's account, a trace of understanding flashed through the Great Toad Sage's previously cloudy eyes.
'To be able to accomplish all this, then this Aoba is very likely…'
'But… should this matter be reported to Hagoromo?'
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