Chapter 95

The scorching sun hung high in the sky, making people irritable. If someone had just been utterly defeated moments earlier, that irritation only worsened.

Jiraiya was in exactly that mood—frustrated and restless. He couldn't find a way to vent his frustration, so it just festered inside him.

"Damn it, the gap between Hui and me is only growing wider," he muttered, feeling uncomfortable.

"I need to find a way to get stronger!" he said, desperately thinking of a method to bridge the widening gap.

But no matter how much he thought, he couldn't come up with anything substantial. Hui was simply too strong, and this recent sparring match made Jiraiya feel completely overwhelmed.

Before, he had always heard Sarutobi-sensei speak highly of Hui, but the actual extent of Hui's strength was always a bit abstract to him. There had never been a clear comparison or demonstration.

This time, however, Jiraiya felt the gap firsthand. It was like an insurmountable chasm between them.

And it wasn't just Hui. In that battle, Jiraiya also realized how powerful Orochimaru had become.

Even though they had been teammates and had completed many missions together, most of those missions lacked any real danger, so Jiraiya hadn't truly felt how strong Orochimaru had become.

Not to mention Tsunade. Jiraiya had experienced her monstrous strength firsthand, and it terrified him.

As a result, Jiraiya was the only one in the Sarutobi team whose power had fallen far behind the others.

In other words, if they ever faced a real crisis, he might once again become the "burden."

This was something Jiraiya simply could not accept. He didn't want to feel helpless and desperate again, like he did in the past.

"Wait, maybe I can use that technique!"

Suddenly, Jiraiya's eyes lit up, and he jumped to his feet, filled with excitement.

"Although Sarutobi-sensei said I need to form a contract with another creature to use it, it shouldn't be a problem.

Maybe I'll be able to summon a powerful toad! If that happens, my strength will soar, and even if I can't surpass Hui, I can at least catch up to Orochimaru."

Talking to himself, Jiraiya quickly formed hand seals.

"Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram! Summoning Jutsu!"

"Jiraiya, stop!!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's panicked voice rang out.

He had originally planned to comfort Jiraiya and reignite his determination, but instead, he saw Jiraiya recklessly performing the Summoning Jutsu!

This was bad. The Summoning Jutsu required a contract with a creature to work properly. Who knew what could happen without one?

But it was too late. As Jiraiya completed the hand seals, a powerful force grabbed hold of him, pulling him into another dimension. 

All that was left behind was his fading scream.

Sarutobi stared at the spot where Jiraiya had disappeared, his heart pounding with anxiety.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya, who had been sucked into the other dimension, felt as if the world around him was spinning. The next moment, he found himself high up in the sky, rapidly falling.

Luckily, he wasn't too high up, and with his reflexes, he managed to land safely.

"That was close! What is this place? Whoa, that's a giant toad… and a huge snake!!"

Jiraiya barely had time to catch his breath before his attention was drawn to the massive creatures in front of him—a huge toad and an enormous snake were facing off.

Without thinking, Jiraiya rushed over, grabbed the snake's tail, and flung it aside with all his might.

"Phew, that was scary!" Jiraiya sighed in relief, though he wasn't quite sure why he had a sudden distaste for snakes.

"Human child."

A voice suddenly spoke from behind Jiraiya, startling him.

"Who's there? Who's talking?" He spun around but saw no one, just the giant toad staring at him.

"The toad… the toad can talk?!" Jiraiya exclaimed, staring at the large, reddish-brown toad, who was none other than Gamabunta.

"You're just a puny human, yet you somehow made it to Mount Myoboku!" Gamabunta replied, equally surprised but not entirely shocked. He had been expecting this.

"What do you mean by that?" Jiraiya asked, sensing there was something deeper behind the toad's words. It was almost as if they had been expecting him.

"Follow me," Gamabunta said, not offering any further explanation just yet.

Though confused, Jiraiya obediently followed Gamabunta, taking in the strange and foreign surroundings as they walked.

Everything here seemed familiar yet different—trees, mushrooms, grass, and even insects were all gigantic.

Jiraiya couldn't tell if he had shrunk or if he was in a land of giants. The air here felt particularly fresh, and he found himself feeling strangely at ease. Even his breathing seemed smoother.

As they walked, Jiraiya also noticed numerous stone statues, most of them resembling toads, all frozen in meditative poses as if practicing some kind of jutsu.

Everything in this place was so new and fascinating to Jiraiya that he couldn't help but get lost in the wonder of it all.

After a while, Gamabunta brought Jiraiya to a massive toad statue, from which a strange liquid flowed out of its mouth. To be honest, it looked a bit disgusting.

Perched on top of the stone toad was an old green toad with white hair and eyebrows. The elderly toad wore a robe and looked remarkably like a human elder.

"Great Lord Fukasaku, here is the human child," Gamabunta said, addressing the elder toad with deep respect.

Fukasaku glanced at Jiraiya and nodded. "So, he has finally arrived."

Jiraiya, still bewildered, spoke up, "It's almost like you knew I was coming."

"Yes, we knew," Fukasaku replied with certainty. "It was foretold by the Great Toad Sage."

Apparently, the arrival of Jiraiya had long been predicted by the Great Toad Sage, Gamamaru. In one of his dreams, he had seen a vision and spoken these words:

"One day, a human child will find his way to Mount Myoboku. When that time comes, impart to him the power of the sages and the prophecy. That is the dream I had for myself—a prophecy."

Since no human had formed a contract with Mount Myoboku for a long time, and even longer since anyone had stumbled upon it by accident, when Jiraiya appeared, they immediately knew he was the child of prophecy. 

There was no doubt about it.

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