C 76

"Teacher Jiraiya, is it really okay for me to be here? They might want to discuss something with you privately. Maybe I should go back to training," Namikaze Minato asked in a low, hesitant voice. 

He had just signed the Summoning contract and was already called to the legendary Summoning holy place, which left him feeling quite nervous.

"It's fine," Jiraiya reassured him. "You're now a contractor of Mount Myōboku and my disciple. There's no harm in getting to know the Toad sages early."

He then leaned in close to Minato and whispered, "If you can build a good relationship with them, it'll be a big advantage in future battles."

Hearing this, Minato recalled the huge toad he'd seen just moments before and nodded. "Understood, Teacher Jiraiya. I'll do my best."

Jiraiya nodded, patting Minato on the shoulder. He was increasingly satisfied with this apprentice, who had a gentle attitude, a solid foundation, high talent in training, and clear goals. Sensei who recommended Minato had indeed chosen well.

After a short walk, the two arrived in the depths of Mount Myōboku. The natural energy was very dense here, and streams of toad oil trickled down from the mountain. This was where the sage of Mount Myōboku resided. 

Jiraiya had only been here once before; today was the second time he'd been summoned.

When Fukasaku saw Jiraiya, he greeted him. "Little Jiraiya, you're here. And who is this?"

"This is my disciple, Boss Fukasaku," Jiraiya replied proudly. "He just signed the Summoning contract with Mount Myōboku, and I believe his talent makes him even more suited for that training than I am."

Fukasaku nodded. "Since you're also a contractor of Mount Myōboku, let's all listen together. It's rare for the Toad Sage to make a prophecy."

Shima, standing nearby, muttered irritably, "Calling it a 'prophecy'—more like sleep-talking."

"Old lady, don't disrespect the Toad Sage like that!" Fukasaku protested.

"Just an old guy who's half-asleep," Shima grumbled. "I was busy when he summoned me!"

Their bickering woke the Great Toad Sage from his slumber. "Alright, alright, stop arguing," he murmured groggily.

When the Great Toad Sage awoke, Fukasaku and Shima stopped talking and waited for him to speak of the prophecy. The Great Toad Sage paused, then blinked sleepily and asked Jiraiya, "Now, what brings you two here?"

Shima, frustrated, yelled, "You old fool, didn't you summon little Jiraiya yourself!"

"Oh, right—little Jiraiya. Which one of you is little Jiraiya again?" The Great Toad Sage often became confused after making a prophecy, and Mount Myōboku was used to it. 

Shima, however, didn't fully trust the Sage's prophecies, believing they were merely the musings of an old toad who slept too much.

Then the Great Toad Sage addressed Jiraiya after recognition: "In my latest vision, I saw a split in the future of the ninja world. You must choose to guide the Child of Destiny along the intended path of reform, or another, different path—one that could lead to the end of the ninja world."

The end of the ninja world? Was this truly the end of everything?

Jiraiya asked anxiously, "Great Toad Sage, can you be more specific? What is this 'split'?"

The Great Toad Sage went silent, as if struggling to recall details from his prophecy. After thousands of years, his memory was often unreliable. Finally, he spoke, "The split involves a person, someone in direct opposition to the Child of Destiny. It would be best to locate this person. If left unchecked, even the Child of Destiny may not be able to save the ninja world, little Jiraiya."

Jiraiya felt both anxious and helpless; the clues were too vague. Without specific characteristics, finding either the Child of Destiny or this other individual seemed impossible.

"All I can say is, he doesn't fit into the world of ninjas. That sort of person is likely the one you're looking for, little Jiraiya." With that, the Great Toad Sage drifted back to sleep, exhausted.

Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato left Mount Myōboku feeling a heavy weight. They still hadn't identified the Child of Destiny, Konoha was on the brink of war, and now this dark prophecy had come from the Great Toad Sage.

Back in Konoha, Minato noticed Jiraiya's troubled expression and tried to reassure him. "Teacher Jiraiya, I'm now a contractor of Mount Myōboku too, so I'll do my best to help you."

Hearing this, Jiraiya smiled slightly and replied, "Alright, but first, you'll need to become stronger. With your current skills, you wouldn't be of much help."

"Yes, I'll work hard, Teacher Jiraiya," Minato said firmly, his resolve strengthened not only for Jiraiya's worries, but also for someone he cared deeply about.

Tsunade passed on Kain's words to Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others. Sarutobi Hiruzen nearly crushed his pipe when he heard the demand to double the price.

"Tsunade, this price—"

"Old man, don't look at me. Kain was very clear, and he said that you all know what you've done. I seem to be the only one in the dark here, caught in the middle!" Tsunade replied in frustration. 

She was fed up with being caught between both sides, and she announced that, from now on, she wouldn't handle these matters. The Konoha Hospital she managed wasn't the logistics department.

With that, she left the Hokage building. After she was gone, Sarutobi Hiruzen called in Danzo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu. When they were all assembled, he relayed Tsunade's message to them.

Boom!

Utatane Koharu slammed her hand on the table in anger. "Double the amount? This man has no shame! The price is already high—where is Konoha supposed to find the money if it's doubled?"

Mitokado Homura frowned and asked, "Hasn't our cooperation been good so far? There must be a reason for this sudden increase. Hiruzen, Danzo, what have you done?"

Utatane Koharu, in charge of finances, and Mitokado Homura, in charge of logistics, were already stretched thin with military supplies. Now there was a major issue with medical supplies as well. 

Many critical medicines came exclusively from Kain. Other medical supplies, like bandages, were also sourced from the Kain Chamber of Commerce, leaving Konoha with no time and few alternatives.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo remained silent under Mitokado Homura's questioning. The matter had been a calculated risk, sanctioned by Sarutobi Hiruzen, but it had unexpectedly backfired.

"A foreign merchant daring to threaten us… Hiruzen, let Root handle this," Utatane Koharu suggested coldly. 

Her ideal solution involved getting the drug formulas, though previous attempts by Konoha Hospital had failed. Tsunade, who was best suited to decipher them, was occupied with other matters.

Danzo replied in a deep voice, "It's difficult. Root has already tried, but he seems to know a kind of space-time ninjutsu. We'd need a specific barrier to trap him."

As disciples of the Second Hokage, they knew well the challenges of space-time ninjutsu. Had their retreat not been covered back then—and with the strength of the Gold and Silver Brothers—the Second Hokage's strength alone wouldn't have saved them.

The two Root squads are considered top-notch in terms of strength, able to capture the average Jōnin. But against space-time ninjutsu, numbers don't matter; and preemptive poisoning is equally useless.

"As for poisoning and illusions, they're probably ineffective," Danzo added.

Both Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo knew how resilient Nawaki had become after being injected with the Extremis virus. He had basic immunity to illusions and toxins, and could fully recover from severed limbs within a minute. 

His resilience was practically unmatched. And on top of that, Kain could also wield a mysterious space-time ninjutsu.

After hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo, Mitokado Homura felt a wave of dizziness from the pressure now falling on him. But he had no solutions.

Glancing at Utatane Koharu, he said, "It's too late to find a new merchant. Can you scrape together the funds?"

"Absolutely not, unless Hiruzen can get the daimyo to approve a batch of war funds," Utatane Koharu shot back. 

Konoha's income was limited; even covering pensions would be impossible if they spent all their money on medical supplies. So after hearing Homura's words, she passed the problem to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a few puffs of his pipe, allowing the silence to linger before he finally said, "I'll have Tsunade negotiate again. If it doesn't work, buy some essentials for now. In the meantime, both of you should try to find any alternatives."

"I understand, Hiruzen," Mitokado Homura replied, but he still felt a sense of helplessness. The Kain Chamber of Commerce's medical supplies were nearly monopolizing the Fire Country. 

And if Kain decided to bundle his products, they couldn't simply buy only what they needed.

"Hiruzen, give me the Enchantment Corps for a while," Danzo suddenly said, resolved. It wasn't just for Konoha; it was for himself. He needed his strength restored.

After seeing Nawaki's abilities, Danzo's desire for the Extremis virus serum reached its peak. Recovering from any injury, plus having Wood Style's bloodline ability—if he could attain this power, then the Fourth Hokage's seat would be within his reach.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Danzo carefully. "Danzo, are you aiming for…?"

Danzo replied firmly, "Yes. Tobirama-sensei left an incomplete space-time ninjutsu barrier. If the Enchantment Corps and Sealing Corps work together to perfect it, we might have a chance."

After a moment of silence in the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally said, "Very well. The Sealing Corps and Enchantment Corps are yours for now."

….

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