The sky above Mount Myōboku was as blue as ever.
Far from human settlements, the place was overflowing with natural energy—so dense that ordinary humans would probably drop dead or turn into stone before they could even say "what the hell is this place."
Fukasaku stared at Jiraiya for a long moment before slowly asking,
"Little Jiraiya… did you finally find the Child of Prophecy this time? Otherwise, the Great Toad Sage wouldn't have woken up from his nap."
Jiraiya scratched his head, looking a bit helpless.
"I did find someone who might be the Child of Prophecy. He's… my student's kid. Naruto Uzumaki. Minato's son. Former Nine-Tails Jinchūriki."
"Minato's son?" Fukasaku nodded. "That sounds promising—wait…"
He paused, then frowned.
"Former Nine-Tails Jinchūriki? Don't tell me… he's no longer a Konoha ninja?"
Jiraiya gave a bitter smile and nodded.
"Yeah. For a lot of reasons, Naruto left the village. And even when I found him… the brat didn't need my guidance at all."
Fukasaku blinked.
"Isn't he still just a kid?"
"He is a kid," Jiraiya said, sighing. "But in terms of strength and status… he's already surpassed me. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he's fully synced with Kurama by now—a perfect Jinchūriki."
After a short pause, he added quietly,
"Maybe that's what a Child of Prophecy looks like… someone who doesn't need anyone holding his hand."
Fukasaku frowned slightly. The last prophecy from the Great Toad Sage had already been weird enough—but this?
Yeah… this was getting out of hand.
After chatting for a while, Fukasaku led Jiraiya deeper into the temple to meet the Great Toad Sage.
The massive old toad, wearing a scholar's hat and prayer beads, looked far more awake this time. His cloudy eyes slowly settled on Jiraiya.
"So… Little Jiraiya," said Great Toad Sage with a faint smile,
"Have you met the Child of Prophecy?"
Jiraiya nodded.
"I have. But… it didn't go the way I expected. He doesn't need my guidance at all—and he's ridiculously strong."
The Great Toad Sage chuckled softly.
"That is precisely what makes a Child of Prophecy special. Without extraordinary ability, how could they change the future of the ninja world?"
He paused for a moment, then casually dropped a bomb:
"Since this one doesn't need guidance… go guide another."
"There's another one?" Jiraiya frowned.
The old toad nodded.
"Of course. Every era produces individuals capable of changing the world. They are all 'Children of Prophecy.'"
Jiraiya thought for a moment.
"You mean… people like Nagato or Minato Namikaze?"
"Exactly," the Great Toad Sage said. "But they failed. They became influential figures… not world-changers."
Jiraiya's brow furrowed.
"…You never told me that before."
"I assumed you'd figure it out yourself," the old toad replied calmly. "But it seems I overestimated you a bit."
Jiraiya: …damn, even the toads are roasting me now.
The Great Toad Sage continued,
"It's not too late. Go find another Child of Prophecy. This one is still in Konoha."
Jiraiya fell silent for a few seconds, then nodded.
"…Understood."
Without another word, he turned and left.
After he was gone, Fukasaku looked at the Great Toad Sage with concern.
"Wasn't that a bit harsh? He's been working his ass off for Mount Myōboku all these years."
The Great Toad Sage's expression turned serious.
"Little Fukasaku… I can no longer see the future of the ninja world."
Fukasaku's face changed instantly.
"…Is the world going to be destroyed?!"
The old toad shook his head.
"No. I've simply lost the ability to foresee it."
"Because of that… I had to push Jiraiya to find a new Child of Prophecy."
For a long time, "Child of Prophecy" had essentially meant the reincarnation of Asura—the one acknowledged by the Sage of Six Paths.
But now?
Something had gone wrong.
If Asura couldn't fulfill that role anymore… then they would have to settle for the next best thing—
Indra's reincarnation.
Meanwhile, far away in Uzushiogakure…
A high-level meeting was in progress.
The purpose was simple: review the village's development over the past six months—and plan the next three years.
Even though Naruto usually acted like a lazy boss who dumped everything on others, he still showed up for important meetings.
After all, he didn't want to end up like Hashirama Senju—officially the Hokage, but secretly letting his brother run the whole damn village.
The current mess in Konoha wasn't just the Third Hokage's fault—the First Hokage's "hands-off" style had contributed too.
The meeting focused on two main points:
Education
Economy
As for military strength?
No one was worried.
With Naruto casually throwing around attacks comparable to Tailed Beast Bombs, any enemy dumb enough to invade head-on would basically be volunteering for a flashy death.
When it came to education, Naruto proposed:
"Nine years of ninja education. No early graduation."
Shisui Uchiha frowned.
"Isn't that too long? The major villages only use six years. And banning early graduation might limit geniuses."
Uzumaki Homura nodded in agreement.
Nine years was expensive as hell.
In wartime, villages could train a combat-ready ninja in just two years. Anything longer was basically burning money.
Naruto crossed his arms and said firmly:
"Six years is too short. Ninjas aren't disposable tools—we're building a country, not just a village."
"We need people who can govern, not just fight."
"And as for early graduation? Look at Konoha. How many of those 'geniuses' turned out normal? That alone should be enough of a lesson."
Shisui and Homura exchanged glances.
"…Fair point."
Then they added awkwardly,
"But the problem is… we're broke."
Naruto paused.
"…Yeah. That's a problem."
He rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
To develop the economy, Uzushiogakure's best advantage was its location—perfect for maritime trade. In theory, it could become the financial hub of the ninja world.
In practice?
The entire ninja world's economy was so primitive it might as well be cavemen trading rocks.
Hard to build a financial empire when people barely understood basic commerce.
Just as Naruto was thinking—
Knock knock.
Izumi Uchiha entered after getting permission.
"Lord Menma… we were just attacked."
Naruto blinked.
"…By who?"
Izumi hesitated slightly before replying:
"A group of rogue ninja."
Naruto sighed.
"…Great. Just when we're discussing budget problems, someone shows up asking to get killed for free."
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