"The leader of Mount Myōboku, a subspace of the Ninja World affiliated with the World Government—Gamamaru, answers the call!"
Inside the Sage Hall, the Golden Giant Dorry stood at the center, addressing Gamamaru seated atop the platform with solemnity, delivering Imu's decree with gravity.
Surrounding him were Mount Myōboku's top brass—Fukasaku, Shima, Gamashi, Gamabunta, Gamaken, Gamahiro, and the rest.
"This old one, Gamamaru… accepts the decree."
The aged voice of Gamamaru responded hoarsely and with pauses.
Even so, one could hear the earnestness in his tone.
Dorry continued: "In light of Mount Myōboku's neutral stance during the World Government's conquest of the shinobi world, the toad clan is hereby granted the status of a friendly race. You shall enjoy the same rights and treatment as the minor intelligent species of the Starfish World. Free travel is permitted between all worlds under the World Government's jurisdiction—including the Starfish World. Furthermore, Mount Myōboku shall retain full autonomy, and the toad clan shall receive comprehensive protection and support from the World Government in all aspects."
To be honest, Fukasaku, Shima, and the others weren't entirely sure how beneficial all that would be for Mount Myōboku just yet.
But one thing was clear—it was definitely a good thing.
At the very least… they wouldn't be annihilated.
"Ve-very grateful to Lord I…mu."
Gamamaru responded with a content smile.
His remaining years were few. Having trained in Sage Techniques, he had already lived for over a thousand years, and what concerned him most now was the fate of his many descendants.
With the protection of the World Government, he could finally rest easy.
But just as Gamamaru was thinking this, Dorry suddenly pulled out a 'small' white box from his person.
Of course, "small" was relative—for beings over 20 meters tall, the box looked tiny. But for a human of average size, the box was well over a meter in height.
"In addition, Lord Imu has bestowed upon Gamamaru a 'Pure Gold Ring' to preserve his longevity."
No sooner had Dorry finished speaking than he handed the box to Gamabunta, gesturing for him to deliver it to the great sage above.
Gamabunta stepped forward, accepted it, and opened the lid right then and there. Immediately, he saw a platinum ring inlaid with a massive diamond.
After giving it a careful once-over, Gamabunta found nothing amiss and silently approached the Great Toad Sage.
At the same time, Dorry began explaining what exactly this 'Pure Gold' was and what it could do.
Maintain bodily functions at their current state?
Drastically slow cellular aging and death, minimizing the loss of life force?
Every word from Dorry struck the hearts of every toad present like a thunderclap.
Even Gamamaru, seated above them all, couldn't help but widen his eyes as he stared at the diamond ring now held before him. His murky yellow-orange eyes trembled violently.
He had always possessed the poise to face death calmly.
But that was only when there was no hope of avoiding it.
If given the chance to live—who would willingly let go?
Gamamaru never expected that the World Government—or rather, that mysterious Lord Imu he had never met—
Would grant him such an incredible gift from the very start.
This… this was life itself being granted!
As a toad, he lacked the near-immortality of the Slug Sage, who could split and regenerate endlessly. He also didn't possess the Snake Sage's ability to devour others' life force to extend his own.
So Gamamaru had known, from very early on, that he would be the first of the "Sages" to die.
But now… if this "Pure Gold" truly held such miraculous power, then perhaps that fate was no longer set in stone.
The Great Toad Sage of the shinobi world slowly, shakily raised his wrinkled right hand.
Seeing this, Gamabunta quickly took the ring and slipped it onto Gama Maru's thumb. He then carefully pressed the diamond atop the ring.
The next moment—
The brilliant diamond split open to either side.
At the instant that seam appeared, a dazzling golden light burst forth, bathing Gama Maru's aged face in its glow—and at the same time, rekindling the light in his eyes.
That light…
Very soon, Gamamaru sensed it—his life force, which had been ebbing away bit by bit every passing moment, now seemed to have paused.
And the suffocating psychological pressure of impending death… vanished entirely.
He felt a profound sense of ease and relaxation, both in body and mind.
Naturally, his appreciation for the World Government—and for Imu—soared to its peak.
Gamamaru felt deeply fortunate that he had made the decision to remain neutral back then, going so far as to strictly forbid any toad from taking part in the shinobi war.
Even more fortunate was the fact that he possessed the ability of "prophetic dreaming."
His only regret was that the "Pure Gold" couldn't restore his body to a better state—otherwise, he would have gladly knelt in reverence to receive Lord Imu's divine command, to express his gratitude and loyalty.
"Now, Lord Imu's requests for Mount Myōboku," Dorry continued once he saw Gamamaru had calmed down.
"First, from this day forth, Mount Myōboku shall fall under the direct authority of Umigakure. You are to cooperate fully with Umigakure's operations and hand over the 'Summoning Scroll' for safekeeping and use by Umigakure."
Gamamaru, Fukasaku, Shima, Gamabunta, Gamashi, and the others all understood what this meant.
It was essentially a request for them to accept summoning contracts from Umigakure shinobi.
That was perfectly acceptable.
In the past, they had only served a few shinobi who had deep ties with Mount Myōboku.
But now, they would be bound to serve any shinobi who wrote their name on the "Summoning Scroll" and stamped it with their blood.
Of course, before that, they'd need to retrieve the scroll from Jiraiya.
"Second, Mount Myōboku is responsible for training any shinobi willing to study Sage Techniques here. You are also obligated to assist the World Government in researching Sage Techniques. Additionally, you must deliver 100 liters of toad oil annually to Umigakure."
The toads present all nodded in agreement—this demand wasn't difficult to meet.
One hundred liters of toad oil—while it sounded like a lot—was only once a year, so it wasn't really a big deal.
After all, this substance was produced by cremating toads after death, and not every toad practiced Sage Techniques in the first place.
Even for those who did, reaching a level where it could extend their lifespan was extremely rare. In truth, most toads didn't even live as long as humans.
"Third, Gamamaru is obligated to assist the World Government with his prophetic dreams and to produce 'Sacred Seal Tags' for the World Government."
As Dorry's words fell, Fukasaku, Shima, and the other toads exchanged confused looks.
They were aware that the Great Toad Sage's dreams could reveal visions of the future—but what were these 'Sacred Seal Tags'?
Gamamaru, startled, asked, "May I ask how the World Government came to know of the 'Sacred Seal Tags'?"
Dorry replied coolly, "Lord Imu's insight is boundless. There's no need for astonishment."
"I see… The 'Sacred Seal Tags' was an invention of the previous Great Toad Sage. It could seal vast amounts of natural energy into a small charm and had the power to resurrect someone who had died within a short window of time. The problem is, the only one that ever existed was already used. I no longer have one in my possession."
Gamamaru spoke with difficulty, clearly troubled.
"You don't have one?"
Dorry frowned. "Since you're also a Great Toad Sage, you should know how to create one, yes?"
"I do," Gamamaru admitted, "but forging a Sacred Seal Tags harms the natural environment of the shinobi world, so I've never attempted it."
He let out a long sigh.
In truth, the only talisman ever made had been used to revive Ōtsutsuki Hamura. It was created by the former Great Toad Sage after foreseeing in a dream that Ōtsutsuki Kaguya would destroy the shinobi world's ecosystem with the God Tree. The talisman had been crafted as a last resort.
In other words, the transformation of the Land of Wind into a desert… was partially the former sage's doing.
But he had sacrificed one region to help seal Kaguya and save the broader ecosystem of the shinobi world.
"If there's ample natural energy, how long would it take to make another?" Dorry asked.
"Hm… about eight months, I'd say. It's an extremely taxing process, and the environmental damage would be immense. Also, it only works on those who've died within the past twenty-four hours. And I mean within the shinobi world," Gamamaru added, visibly distressed. He truly didn't wish to bring harm to the land.
"Then my task here is complete. Mount Myōboku must dispatch senior representatives as soon as possible to meet with the relevant departments of the World Government in Rōran."
With that, Dorry turned and left the grand hall—
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