Uchiha Ran and Orochimaru talked for a long time, and when they finally parted, both sides were satisfied.
Not long after, Ran encountered Minato Namikaze and his group. Minato was walking toward Jiraiya's house with a grim expression.
Ran immediately stopped them and cast a genjutsu on Naruto, allowing Minato, Naruto, and Kurama to witness everything that had just happened.
Only then did Minato relax. He bowed slightly and said sincerely, "Thank you."
"You're too polite, Fourth Hokage," Ran replied with a smile. "My father was once your closest friend. Now that you've returned, why not come to the Uchiha Clan Compound for some hot tea?"
"Of course," Minato said with a bright smile.
Together with Kakashi and the others, he followed Ran toward the Uchiha Clan Compound.
---
Outside Jiraiya's residence.
A sake flask suddenly smashed against the window.
Startled, Jiraiya and Orochimaru exchanged a glance and immediately stepped outside.
They saw Tsunade glaring at Jiraiya, fury blazing in her eyes.
"You bastard!" she shouted. "Acting all noble, talking about freedom and searching for the Child of Prophecy—and now what? You actually came back to inherit that bullshit Fifth Hokage position?!"
"Isn't Konoha rotten enough already?" Tsunade slammed Jiraiya against the wall, pinning his arms with both hands. "Say something, Jiraiya!"
"Don't you know the Old Man just wants a puppet?" she roared, clearly drunk and unconcerned with who might overhear. "And you're rushing to take the seat—are you trying to destroy Konoha?!"
Jiraiya swallowed hard. He didn't explain. He simply turned his head away.
Tsunade's pupils shrank.
Ignoring her?
Grinding her teeth, she raised her fist—thick as a sandbag—ready to strike.
Orochimaru's pupils contracted. He stepped in at once and grabbed Tsunade's arm.
"Big sister, big sister—calm down," he said quickly. "Listen to me. It's not what you think."
Tsunade froze when she heard Orochimaru's voice. Hearing his words, she took the opportunity to pull back.
She stormed into Jiraiya's house, sat heavily on the sofa, and crossed her arms, waiting for an explanation with a sulky expression. Shizune followed behind her, looking awkward.
Orochimaru struck Shizune lightly on the back of the neck, knocking her out. He couldn't afford to be careless—secrecy was everything, and she was Kato Dan's niece.
Tsunade said nothing.
Jiraiya sat across from her. He opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Seeing his cowardly behavior, Tsunade's anger only grew.
Orochimaru looked at Jiraiya helplessly.
After the Second Great Ninja War, Tsunade had once asked Jiraiya what he planned to do next.
Back then, there had been light in her eyes. Orochimaru had thought his old friend might finally find happiness.
Instead, Jiraiya said he planned to travel the world in search of the Child of Prophecy.
Orochimaru clearly remembered the moment the light in Tsunade's eyes went out, and her quiet murmur:
"So this is Jiraiya's destiny…"
But now wasn't the time to dwell on the past.
"Tsunade," Orochimaru said seriously, "you've misunderstood. Jiraiya inheriting the Fifth Hokage position is part of a plan—one that he and I devised together."
After hearing the full explanation, Tsunade slammed the table.
"Orochimaru, have you thought this through?" she snapped. "If you succeed, fine. But if you fail, won't Jiraiya end up just like you—branded a rogue ninja?"
"The Old Man isn't easy to deal with," she continued coldly. "He may be old, but his strength is unfathomable. If he has some hidden trump card, what then?"
Orochimaru scratched his head, helpless. Reasoning with Tsunade right now was impossible.
She turned to Jiraiya, eyes blazing.
"Honestly, at your age, you're still getting involved in a coup?" she said bitterly. "Aren't you afraid those Uchiha brats will throw you away once they get what they want and dump all the blame on you?"
"You're forty-five years old and you've only grown older, not smarter," she continued. "Are you planning on making me collect your corpse too?"
Her voice wavered at the end. She bit her lip and turned her head away.
Orochimaru shot Jiraiya a look, urging him to say something.
Jiraiya didn't move. He only sighed.
Orochimaru's face darkened.
This is hopeless. I can't breathe. I need a mental health consultant…
In the end, the Three Legendary Sannin ate some oden and drank sake together at Jiraiya's house before going to sleep.
Tsunade took the bed.
Orochimaru slept on the sofa.
Jiraiya lay on the floor.
In the silence, Orochimaru suddenly spoke.
"Jiraiya… can't you see how Tsunade feels?"
Jiraiya was quiet for a long time.
"The Child of Prophecy has already appeared," he said at last. "But I haven't found him yet—haven't guided him."
"The last Child of Prophecy failed," he continued softly. "I don't want to miss this one."
"With my strength alone, I can't change the entire shinobi world," Jiraiya said. "But I believe the Child of Prophecy can. When that day comes, the world will enter an era of true understanding."
Orochimaru stared at the ceiling, his emotions complicated.
He couldn't tell whether Jiraiya was truly foolish or just stubborn. A woman was right there within reach, yet Jiraiya chose to believe in some distant prophecy.
If it were him, he'd rather just follow Uchiha Ran and sweep across the shinobi world—faster and far more efficient.
Jiraiya stared at the ceiling, then at Orochimaru's open eyes, and sighed.
---
Mount Myōboku.
The Great Toad Sage yawned and slowly awakened. He immediately summoned the two great sages, Shima and Fukasaku.
"Tell Jiraiya…" the Great Toad Sage murmured, "the Child of Prophecy has changed."
"He will lead the shinobi world into a great transformation unseen in a century."
"Assist him… and only then will you survive…"
With that, the Great Toad Sage fell asleep once more. The prophecy had drained too much of his mental strength.
Sage Shima and Sage Fukasaku immediately sent a message to Jiraiya.
Back in Konoha, Jiraiya was about to fall asleep when he sensed their summons.
"The two Toad Sages want me to go to Mount Myōboku," he said to Orochimaru.
"Understood," Orochimaru replied, rolling over. "Go and come back soon."
Jiraiya nodded and used a summoning scroll to travel to Mount Myōboku.
Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima looked at him solemnly.
"Little Jiraiya," Fukasaku said, "the Great Toad Sage just woke up."
"This prophecy consumed an enormous amount of his strength," Shima added. "He fell asleep immediately after delivering it."
Jiraiya's expression tightened.
"Is it about the Child of Prophecy?" he asked intently.
"That's right," Shima said. "Listen carefully…"
She repeated the Great Toad Sage's words as Fukasaku nodded beside her.
When Jiraiya finished listening, his expression changed completely.
A great transformation unseen in a century?
One tied directly to his own fate?
Damn—this was big.
------
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