Chapter 297

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"No need to go, Lord Hiruzen."

Not long after leaving Konoha Hospital, Orochimaru encountered Hiruzen on his way there.

"He's gone?"

"Yes, and he begged me endlessly. In the end, Jiraiya chose Mount Myōboku over Konoha."

Hiruzen's expression changed, immediately guessing that Jiraiya hadn't left under official orders but had evaded the ANBU and slipped away quietly, likely heading to Mount Myōboku.

This fool… Doesn't he realize that Uchiha Yoichi possesses the Flying Thunder God Jutsu? Jiraiya's as good as dead now!

Barely able to contain his anger, Hiruzen spoke bitterly, "Orochimaru, you knew this would be fatal for Jiraiya. Why did you—"

"Lord Hiruzen, if you were in my place, you would have helped break Jiraiya's seal too." Orochimaru chuckled lightly. "If you had refused him, it would have been the same as killing him."

With that, Orochimaru walked away, heading toward his laboratory. He had already tried to dissuade Jiraiya, and if he hadn't, someone else would have helped Jiraiya break the seal.

"Orochimaru…" Hiruzen wanted to say more, but seeing Orochimaru's retreating figure, he knew it was useless. Just then, two members of the security force also rushed past him.

"Jiraiya…" Hiruzen suddenly felt as though he'd aged ten years. With slumped shoulders, he turned back towards the Sarutobi clan's residence.

Compared to his two sons, Jiraiya was always the one closest to his heart, someone with whom he could speak openly. Now, knowing that Jiraiya was likely facing death, he felt helpless.

Boom!

A figure was summoned to Mount Myōboku. Seeing Jiraiya's battered appearance, Gamabunta took his pipe out of his mouth and asked, "Jiraiya, what happened to you? Why do you look so terrible?"

"I'll explain later, Bunta."

Glancing around, Jiraiya quickly ran into Mount Myōboku. Having visited countless times, he knew the locations of Fukasaku and Shima's residences as well as his own home. This was urgent; there was no time to explain to Bunta.

"What's with him? He seems to be in a hurry. Gamakichi, do you know anything?"

"Boss Bunta, I'm just the messenger. You'll have to ask Jiraiya yourself."

After Gamakichi hopped away, Gamabunta, his curiosity piqued, decided to follow.

Soon after Gamabunta left, another figure appeared at Mount Myōboku—Yoichi's clone.

"It's so far… Relying on shinobi alone, it would've been nearly impossible to find this place, especially with this barrier."

Yoichi's clone sensed the powerful barrier that hindered chakra detection, which even his Six Paths level couldn't fully penetrate. The combination of the distance and the barrier posed a significant obstacle.

"Luckily, I can still determine the general direction. I'll lead the team here myself when the time comes."

With that, Yoichi's clone formed a Truth-Seeking Orb into a short blade and thrust it deep underground. This weapon, imbued with a sensory seal, would allow Yoichi to track Mount Myōboku's location.

Having set everything up, Yoichi's clone dispersed without a trace. No one noticed his actions, as even the Great Toad Sage remained asleep, possibly foreseeing the future or communicating with the world of shinobi.

"Lord Fukasaku, Lady Shima!"

When Jiraiya knocked and was welcomed inside, he looked at the two elder toads with a complex expression, skipping his usual terms of endearment.

"Little Jiraiya, what's brought you here? What happened?" Shima asked, noticing he looked injured.

"Elder Sages, I was possessed by the Sage of Six Paths, who used my body to attack the Fifth Hokage. Was this Mount Myōboku's doing?" Jiraiya asked bluntly.

Fukasaku and Shima were shocked, their tiny toad faces filled with disbelief. Though Fukasaku had noticed the Great Toad Sage's slight interference with Jiraiya, he hadn't expected it to be an attempt to allow the Sage of Six Paths to return.

"Little Jiraiya, what nonsense are you talking about?" Shima protested indignantly. "Mount Myōboku would never do something like that! Who told you—"

"Alright, Shima, let him speak." Fukasaku interrupted and said to Jiraiya, "Follow me. This is something only the Great Elder can answer."

Jiraiya, disheartened by Fukasaku's lack of outright denial, followed him towards the Great Toad Sage's chamber.

When they arrived, the Great Toad Sage was asleep, but Fukasaku uncharacteristically yelled, "Elder, wake up!"

The loud call startled the Great Toad Sage awake. Seeing Jiraiya and Fukasaku, he asked, "Fukasaku, little Jiraiya, what's the matter?"

"Not as confused this time," Fukasaku muttered before hopping to Jiraiya's side. "Elder, Jiraiya has a question for you."

Jiraiya asked directly, "Great Sage, was it Mount Myōboku that enabled the Sage of Six Paths to possess me?"

The Great Toad Sage sighed. "Yes. The pill you ingested was left by Onmyoji centuries ago, designed to communicate between realms. However, as you lack training in Onmyodo, you could only passively connect with souls from the Pure Land."

Jiraiya quickly understood. Although he didn't know much about Onmyodo, he realized the pill had allowed the Sage to use his body.

"But why? Why attack our village's Hokage? Now I am…"

Despite his anger, Jiraiya's heart held only sadness.

"I apologize, little Jiraiya, but Hamura and I agreed that Kaguya's revival must be prevented."

The Great Toad Sage placed a crystal ball before Jiraiya, saying, "You've traveled the shinobi world, but I doubt you've been beyond the Five Great Nations."

Jiraiya looked at the crystal ball, seeing a desolate landscape filled with barren craters and lifeless abysses.

"What is this…?"

"This is beyond the lands of the Five Nations, the battlefield where Kaguya and her sons, Hamura and Hagoromo, fought millennia ago."

The Great Toad Sage explained, "To seal Kaguya, they fought for over a month, nearly destroying half the shinobi world. Even 100 kilometers from Mount Myōboku's barrier, the land turned to desert."

Jiraiya listened in shock as the Great Toad Sage recounted Kaguya's acts: draining the planet's energy, creating an army of White Zetsu, and waging a brutal war until her sons finally sealed her.

The sage continued, "That ancient battle devastated the world. Survivors fled to what are now the Five Great Nations. We must prevent Kaguya's return, as she would ruin everything."

"But Kaguya is incredibly powerful. After consuming the God Tree's fruit, she became immortal, so she had to be sealed."

Hearing this, Jiraiya agreed. Kaguya's sealing seemed necessary if this was the case.

"But then why attack our Hokage? Because of that, I've become a missing-nin."

"Because of prophecy and his actions. That person's destiny leads to ruin. His actions shattered the hope of resealing Kaguya; he is the reincarnation of Indra and Asura's chakra."

The Great Toad Sage shared Hamura's view that Yoichi had to be sealed to ensure Kaguya remained contained. Even if certain people were revived, they would eventually return to the Pure Land.

After hearing all this, Jiraiya fell silent, contemplating everything. Slowly, he started to see things from their perspective.

"If that's the case, then Kaguya must indeed be sealed… and while Yoichi's intentions may not be malicious, his alliance with her is a mistake."

"Great Sage, Elder Fukasaku, the Sage of Six Paths has failed."

"Yes, I've already communicated with him in the Pure Land," the Great Toad Sage replied with a sigh. "It's truly troublesome."

"No, I mean Mount Myōboku is in danger. Konoha has decided to act against you. I know Yoichi well enough to know he won't back down!"

Jiraiya warned, "You must leave Mount Myōboku, both of you!"

"Don't worry, little Jiraiya. Mount Myōboku isn't so easily found," Fukasaku said, trying to reassure him. "Even you don't know our exact location without Reverse Summoning, and there's a barrier that prevents detection."

"Is that so…"

Jiraiya felt relieved momentarily but quickly realized something troubling.

Why had he escaped so easily? Orochimaru's last look before leaving… what did it mean? Why did he mention he would die?

Connecting the dots, Jiraiya's sharp mind pieced it together. He'd escaped too easily, even with Orochimaru's help.

"Elder Fukasaku, please check if I have any markings on me!"

Jiraiya quickly stripped off part of his clothing, and Fukasaku spotted three strange tomoe symbols on his back. "You have three tomoe marks. I'll make a water mirror so you can see."

Peering into the mirror, Jiraiya's face fell when he saw the Flying Thunder God marks.

"This is bad. These are Flying Thunder God marks. I was allowed to escape on purpose—Mount Myōboku may have already been discovered!"

Jiraiya, panicked, urged, "Elder Fukasaku, Great Sage, take the other toads and leave. Mount Myōboku may already be exposed! Run!"

"This really is… quite a troublesome matter," the Great Toad Sage said, while Fukasaku, shocked, was at a loss for words.

Evacuate?

There was nowhere to go.

Mount Myōboku was the last sanctuary of its kind. Here, they had the Toad Oil Pool, one of the few places rich in natural energy that was essential for the toads' growth.

Without it, Mount Myōboku would decline within a decade. Many of the toads, especially the Great Toad Sage, couldn't survive without it.

(End of Chapter)

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