[Sponsored] Chapter 80: Great Toad Sage

[This chapter is proudly sponsored by "Gustavo Cunha." Please join me in expressing your thanks in the comments! If you're interested in sponsoring a chapter, consider joining the Patreon.]

"Mount Myōboku."

Naruto had never really paid much attention to this place.

He was only interested in the "Summoning Jutsu" itself. As for the toads, to be honest, they weren't particularly appealing, and their strength was rather average.

They hadn't played a significant role in his battles.

As for the "Sage Mode" related to Mount Myōboku, he had some interest.

However, the importance of learning it was lower than what he was currently focused on, so he had never taken the time to pursue it.

But now, is he going to have to deal with these guys?

He picked up a pen and wrote a letter, arranging a meeting with Jiraiya.

Three days later, at a snack shop in a small town on the border of the Land of Fire...

"Naruto, you've grown taller over the past year," Jiraiya remarked, looking down at the blond boy in front of him, sighing.

He paused and then complimented, "This outfit looks pretty good too."

Much better taste than Minato's.

It seems, in this regard, he inherited his mother's good genes.

"You, on the other hand, haven't changed much, Jiraiya-sensei," Naruto raised his hand, inviting him to sit.

Jiraiya scratched his head and laughed, "At my age, what could possibly change?"

"I just hope that before I die, I can do some more useful things, make up for some past regrets."

He took the tea handed to him by Karin, his smile fading as his expression turned serious. "In your letter, you said you wanted to go to Mount Myōboku. Are you planning to start training in Sage Mode?"

"I think it might be better if you waited a few more years to learn it."

It's not that Naruto doesn't need the training.

The problem is his age.

The first step in Sage Mode is to balance one's spiritual energy and physical energy, and on that basis, skillfully mix it with natural energy to reach a balanced state among the three, which is the key to successful training.

Naruto is still young. Although he is already very strong, his chakra, body, and even spiritual energy are still growing.

The "balance" achieved this year might be disrupted by the growth that comes next year, rendering the training results futile.

It would be more appropriate to wait until his body has stabilized, around sixteen or seventeen years old, before attempting to learn it.

"It's not for Sage Mode," Naruto shook his head, smiling slightly, "I want to ask the Great Toad Sage a few things."

Jiraiya was taken aback.

Consult the Great Toad Sage?

"Do you want it to prophesy for you?" Jiraiya wasn't surprised that Naruto knew about the "Great Toad Sage." In the circle of Summoning Beasts, the Three Great Sages are held in the highest regard, and rumors about them are no secret, although without a certain level of strength, one wouldn't have the means to learn about them.

Naruto shook his head again, "I heard that the Great Toad Sage has lived for over a thousand years. I want to ask it about some matters related to history, gods, and the Pure Land."

The legend of the Sage of Six Paths seems to be from more than a thousand years ago.

This answer didn't surprise Jiraiya.

He had heard that over the past year, Naruto had been searching for "gods."

Others didn't understand what he was trying to do, but Jiraiya knew all too well.

"Then I'll take you there," Jiraiya nodded, agreeing immediately. After communicating with the toads of Mount Myōboku, he added to Naruto, "Don't resist later, it's a normal jutsu."

"Mount Myōboku is too far away. Summoning Jutsu will be more convenient."

After he finished speaking, Naruto immediately sensed a chakra fluctuation rising from beneath him. He quickly reached out to grab Karin, releasing his own chakra to envelop her.

"Reverse Summoning Jutsu."

The formation activated, transporting him and Karin away.

Jiraiya was a step behind but was also teleported away.

With a flash of white smoke, the scenery in his vision changed.

Towering mountains rose steeply, waterfalls cascaded down, and in the distance, there were towering broadleaf trees. Some enormous toads were resting and playing there, and among the shade of these giant trees, a few huge, insect-like buildings could be faintly seen.

It gave one the bewildering feeling of having been shrunk down.

"How is it, pretty impressive, huh?" Jiraiya said with a proud smile. "This is Mount Myōboku, one of the Three Great Sage Lands."

Naruto nodded and looked to the side.

Over there, two presences were approaching.

The chakra was somewhat weak, but it contained powerful natural energy.

It was two frogs wearing cloaks.

"Jiraiya, is this the kid you mentioned?" asked the green-skinned frog with three tufts of white hair on its head.

"Why is there also a red-haired little girl?" The purple-skinned frog beside it was examining Karin.

"I brought her along. I didn't feel comfortable leaving her alone outside," Naruto replied.

Jiraiya acted as an intermediary and introduced them to each other.

The male toad was named "Fukasaku," and the female toad was named "Shima." They were elders of Mount Myōboku, both bearing the title of "Sage."

"The Great Sage has agreed to meet you," Fukasaku said kindly, gesturing with his hand. "Follow me."

They climbed the steps and entered the temple behind them, stepping into a spacious room.

At the far end of the room was a throne inscribed with the character "Sage."

An enormous orange toad was seated upon it.

It wore a square-shaped hat, and around its neck hung a beaded necklace with the character "oil(油, abura)," exuding an aura of extreme old age.

"Who goes there?" Feeling the approach of another presence, it spoke with a trembling voice, like that of an elderly person in the twilight of their life, its mind unclear.

"It's me, Jiraiya," Jiraiya replied in kind. "And with me is Uzumaki Naruto, Minato's child."

"This time, he has something he wishes to consult you about."

The Great Toad Sage nodded, its head slowly turning. When it saw Naruto, its eyes suddenly widened, as if it had sensed something, revealing its yellow pupils. "Uzumaki Naruto, is it?"

"What an interesting child. What is it you wish to know?"

Naruto looked up at it and raised his voice. "I want to know about natural energy and chakra."

"I also want to know about those gods, especially the Shinigami."

"And I want information about the Pure Land."

The Great Toad Sage lazily tilted its head. "You certainly have a lot of questions."

"Let me think about how to answer you."

It pondered in silence, remaining motionless and speechless, appearing as though it had fallen asleep.

Naruto waited patiently.

Karin, however, was not as patient and tugged at Naruto's sleeve.

Even the three Toad Sages seemed to be growing impatient.

Finally, the Great Toad Sage continued. "This is a very ancient matter. Back then, I was just a little toad."

"In this world, chakra as an energy originally did not exist."

"There was only natural energy, known as 'Senjutsu'."

"The gods were beings who mastered this Senjutsu energy and were worshipped by humans. They once held many natural powers."

"But then one day, a God Tree descended from the heavens, followed by a woman who came to this world."

"She fell in love with the reigning king at the time and gave birth to the Sage of Six Paths."

Naruto listened intently.

Jiraiya, hearing this for the first time as well, looked serious.

"But it seems that the woman's ambition did not stop at becoming queen. She sought to obtain the power of the God Tree and thus turned the king and his subjects into sacrifices for the tree."

"The Sage of Six Paths, unable to bear seeing humanity suffer, mastered the power of chakra, defeated his mother, sealed her on the moon, and sent the God Tree away from this world, saving humanity."

"Afterward, to restore the desolate land, the Sage of Six Paths traveled the world, sealing those gods, including the Shinigami, and then founded the Ninshū (忍宗, Shinobi Sect)."

"This covers the first two matters you wanted to know about."

The Great Toad Sage paused at this point.

Naruto furrowed his brow.

Karin, with practiced ease, took out a scroll and recorded what had just been said.

They knew of the legend that the Sage of Six Paths founded the Ninshu, but they hadn't expected there to be a story before that.

So, the records of the Uzumaki clan were not wrong.

The Shinigami was indeed an existence older than the Sage of Six Paths.

No wonder that along their journey, they only heard legends about gods but never encountered any. It turns out they had all been sealed by the Sage of Six Paths.

Was the "Shinigami" sealed in the same way?

The Great Toad Sage continued: "As for the third matter you wish to know about, the one known as the Pure Land."

"I do not know much about it."

"The only thing I can confirm is that when I was still young, I heard about the existence of the Shinigami and Yama, but there were no rumors about the Pure Land."

Naruto pondered this statement.

So, the Pure Land was created by the Sage of Six Paths?

Was the force he had sensed earlier, pulling at the souls of the dead, something originating from the Sage of Six Paths?

Some of the doubts in his heart were slightly resolved.

Naruto thanked the Great Toad Sage: "Thank you very much for answering my questions."

The Great Toad Sage shook its head, staring silently at Naruto without speaking.

Naruto and Karin withdrew, with no intention of further exploring Mount Myoboku for now, and were summoned away by two toads.

Jiraiya hadn't left yet.

"Great Toad Sage, is Naruto the Child of Prophecy?" he asked.

The Great Toad Sage shook its head. "Jiraiya-chan, that's something you must find the answer to yourself."

Jiraiya fell silent.

"But I do see something different in this boy," the Great Toad Sage continued.

Jiraiya looked up.

"Fog and confusion," it said, cautiously uttering the two words.

Fog? Confusion?

Jiraiya stared blankly, puzzled. These terms could describe a person, but wasn't it a bit inappropriate to use them for Naruto?

He wasn't lost, his heart was firm, and his mind wasn't confused.

The Great Toad Sage remained silent.

It, too, had some small doubts.

In its eyes, this blond boy should still be a Konoha ninja at this moment and should not possess such strong power.

He was supposed to embark on a journey with Jiraiya.

Not long after, Jiraiya would be injured by him with a chaotic red power.

But that's not how things turned out; Uzumaki Naruto left Konoha on his own.

"Confusion" referred to the confusion of prophecy.

Besides this, there were some experiences within this boy that it couldn't see through—this was the "fog."

Just like that woman who had suddenly appeared with the God Tree.