Hokage's Office.
After a long conversation, there was an extended silence.
Both sides had confirmed each other's identities.
Looking at the familiar face in front of him, Uzumaki Naruto spoke with a complex expression, "When I was a kid, I had a dream. But it was so long ago that I almost forgot about it—until recently, when Hinata reminded me."
"In that dream, I went to another world. In that world, I had a big home… and a lot of family."
Jiraiya could feel the heavy emotions in the man before him.
From the very first moment their eyes met, Naruto's feelings had been evident, though Jiraiya couldn't fully understand them.
"I want to ask for your help to save my world," Jiraiya said.
Standing to the side, Shikamaru hesitated.
He felt he should persuade the Hokage to stay—there was no need to take such a risk.
But as someone who had grown up alongside Naruto, he knew better than anyone how much Jiraiya meant to him.
As expected, Naruto's response came quickly: "Alright."
Shikamaru sighed in exasperation. "Naruto, you need to think this through. You're the Hokage."
Naruto grinned. "Of course, I know that. Even though so many years have passed, I still remember the people in that world who I should remember."
Shikamaru pressed on, "No matter whether you go or not, or what happens in that world, it won't affect our world in any way. But if something happens to you, it would be a huge blow to Konoha."
At this moment, Jiraiya turned his gaze toward the man who looked strikingly similar to Shikaku—right down to the beard, though his face bore no scar.
"May I ask, what is your relation to Shikaku?" he inquired.
"He is my father," Shikamaru replied.
Jiraiya nodded in understanding.
If Shikaku from his own world hadn't died, he would likely have had a child as well—someone the same age as Naruto.
Naruto fell silent for a moment before suddenly declaring with unwavering determination, "I'm going!"
Seeing that he couldn't dissuade him, Shikamaru sighed and said, "How are you going to explain this to your family?"
"I think… Hinata will support me."
Then, Naruto turned to Jiraiya and said, "I need to say goodbye to my family first. Wait for me for a little while, Pervy Sage."
Jiraiya smiled lightly and nodded. "Of course, I—"
Before he could finish his sentence, his face suddenly froze.
"Wait… what did you just call me?"
Naruto scratched his head and gave a "sheepish" smile. "…I'll be heading home now."
Watching Naruto's retreating figure, Jiraiya turned to Shikamaru, still unwilling to let it go.
"What did he just call me?"
Shikamaru's expression was strange as he replied, "You… must have misheard."
Jiraiya's expression became quite colorful.
—
Naruto returned home and found Hinata to talk about the matter.
After a moment of contemplation, Hinata softly asked, "You… want to see your mother from that world again, don't you?"
"Ah… so you figured it out."
Hinata gently replied, "I support you, but you must be careful."
Naruto nodded firmly. "Yeah!"
.............
When Naruto returned to the Hokage Building, he said to Jiraiya, "Perv— Uh… we can set off now."
Noticing the unfriendly look in Jiraiya's eyes, Naruto quickly stopped himself mid-sentence.
Jiraiya, however, suddenly froze and then stood there in silence, saying nothing.
Shikamaru called out, "Jiraiya… sir?"
He originally intended to address him as "Lord Jiraiya," but since this wasn't their Jiraiya, he decided to change his wording.
Naruto also found it odd. "Pervy Sage?"
Jiraiya looked a little embarrassed but chose to let go of the name issue, instead saying, "I think… I don't actually know how to get back."
"..."
Shikamaru's mouth twitched.
The man before him truly was just like the Jiraiya he remembered.
Jiraiya genuinely had no idea how to return.
When he came here, the Great Toad Sage had only opened a passage for him—he hadn't given him anything, nor had he taught him any specific techniques.
Naruto felt speechless.
I already said my goodbyes to my family—are you telling me I have to go back home today?
Shikamaru spread his hands. "So, what do we do now?"
Jiraiya stood there deep in thought for a moment before suddenly clapping his hands. "Mount Myōboku!"
Both Naruto and Shikamaru were momentarily stunned.
"I was sent here by the Great Toad Sage. If I can find this world's Great Toad Sage, there must be a way back!"
Jiraiya took a deep breath, then bit his finger and formed a hand seal before slamming his palm onto the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Boom!
As the white smoke cleared, an elderly toad appeared—it was none other than Fukasaku.
Jiraiya let out a sigh of relief.
Even in a different world, the summoning contract still works.
When Fukasaku saw Jiraiya, he wore an expression as if he had just seen a ghost.
Jiraiya spoke directly to him, "I'll explain later, boss. For now, could you send Naruto and me to Mount Myoboku?"
Naruto grinned and greeted him, "Long time no see, Grandpa Sage."
Fukasaku was momentarily confused.
He looked at Jiraiya, then at Naruto. "Little Naruto, what's going on? Why is Little Jiraiya…?"
Naruto explained, "This is Pervy Sage, but he's not our Pervy Sage."
Fukasaku looked even more bewildered.
Naruto continued, "Anyway, let's go to Mount Myoboku first. We want to see the Great Elder."
Fukasaku glanced back and forth between Naruto and Jiraiya.
In the end, he nodded.
He naturally trusted Naruto completely, and the other person did seem to be Jiraiya.
Forming a hand seal with his webbed hands, he vanished into thin air.
Moments later, Naruto and Jiraiya disappeared from the spot as well.
At Mount Myoboku
Fukasaku led Jiraiya and Naruto into the grand hall where the Great Toad Sage resided.
The ancient, enormous toad sat upon his stone throne.
Jiraiya had seen him not long ago—just before his own death.
"Great Elder!" Jiraiya greeted respectfully.
The Great Toad Sage spoke in a slow, aged voice, "So, you have truly arrived."
Jiraiya was surprised. "Great Elder, you knew I was coming?"
The Great Toad Sage slowly spoke, "A long time ago, I had a vague and hazy dream. I once thought it was nothing more than a distant and illusory vision… But if that corrupted god gains complete control over time, then all of time itself will be thrown into chaos. It will devour everything until nothing remains."
Jiraiya couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is this so-called god? Great Elder, can you tell me?"
Ever since he had been given this mission by the Great Toad Sage of his original world, he still felt like he was lost in a fog.
He didn't even know who his enemy was—the Great Toad Sage had only told him to find someone and save them.
"He was once the god who governed life and death, the most impartial and selfless being. He existed before me, before the Sage of the Six Paths, before even the Otsutsuki."
"In your original timeline, during Orochimaru's battle against the Third Hokage and Namikaze Minato , he split himself into two.
The part of him that retained kindness and emotions was sealed within the Shinigami's body along with the Third Hokage's soul.
Later, Orochimaru found a way to break the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, but he did not choose to reintegrate with that lost part of himself.
The price of this decision was that his remaining soul contained only greed, cunning, ruthlessness, and coldness—all the extremes of his nature.
This left him struggling to maintain his sanity and clarity. In his attempt to cope, he continued splitting himself further. But what he lacked at his core could never be regained—over-splitting only brought numbness.
Each fragment of his soul that was created was pure evil."
"The god, in an effort to purify these souls, devoured them all. But their sheer number was too great, and in the end, he was corrupted by them."
As the Great Toad Sage laid out the full story, Jiraiya finally understood the truth behind it all—it was connected to events from the past.
His heart grew unbearably heavy.
Orochimaru's death had always been a source of regret for him.
He had long believed that if he had handled things better back then, Minato and Orochimaru wouldn't have had to end up that way...
Jiraiya suddenly turned to Naruto and asked, "Is this world's Orochimaru still alive?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah, but he's still a dangerous figure. He's under constant surveillance by Konoha."
Jiraiya let out a long sigh, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and looked toward the Great Toad Sage. "Great Elder, can you send us back?"
But the Great Toad Sage replied, "It's not enough. Two more people are needed."
Jiraiya immediately asked, "Who?"
"Uzumaki Hinata and Uchiha Sasuke."
Naruto was taken aback. "Hinata too…?"
The Great Toad Sage continued, "Uzumaki Hinata has also been to that world."
Naruto suddenly realized what was going on. "So that's how it is… Then Sasuke too?"
Jiraiya now understood what the Great Toad Sage of his original world meant by "those who have been toyed with by time."
But then, the Great Toad Sage clarified, "It's Uchiha Sasuke from another timeline. First, bring Uzumaki Hinata here."
Naruto hesitated.
He was willing to take the risk and go on this dangerous journey with Jiraiya, but bringing Hinata along…
The Great Toad Sage spoke again, "If the fallen god devours those who wield the power of time, then all time, all existence, will come to an end."
"…I understand."
Half an hour later, Hinata was also brought to Mount Myoboku and stood before the Great Toad Sage alongside the others.
The ancient toad slowly raised his withered hand, and before them, a pitch-black chaotic vortex began to swirl—identical to the one Jiraiya had seen when he first arrived.
This dimensional rift likely led to the timeline where Uchiha Sasuke resided.
Naruto suddenly felt a surge of anticipation.
He was curious—what kind of person was the Sasuke of another world?
However, just as the Great Toad Sage was about to complete the process, his arm suddenly fell limp, and he fell silent.
Fukasaku was shocked and immediately rushed forward to check.
"Great Elder! Great Elder…!"
Jiraiya stood there, staring blankly at the now-unresponsive Great Toad Sage.
His heart sank.
Was he about to witness the Great Elder's death all over again?
"Let's go, Pervy Sage!"
Naruto's firm voice suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts.
"…Alright."
The three of them stepped into the dimensional rift.
Jiraiya once again experienced that familiar sensation, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself in a place identical to where they had just been.
The Great Toad Sage's palace—only now, there was another figure present.
"You're here."
"…Sasuke." Naruto stared at the black-haired man before him and immediately recognized him.
The man appeared to be in his thirties, yet unlike the Sasuke he knew, he didn't have his hair covering his eyes.
He looked much the same as he did in his youth, with both eyes dark and, most noticeably—his left arm was intact.
Jiraiya asked, "You knew we were coming?"
Sasuke replied calmly, "I am the strongest person in this timeline."
The fact that he was at Mount Myoboku at all was already unusual.
Naruto grinned. "I see. Looks like you already know everything."
Sasuke responded, "That emperor once helped me. Without him, I would have ended up like the Sasuke from your timeline."
He then turned toward the Great Toad Sage seated on the stone throne and said, "You can send us now."
"Wait!" Jiraiya quickly interrupted.
He looked at the Great Toad Sage and asked, "Great Elder, if you do this… will it cost you your life?"
The Great Toad Sage replied in a calm, aged voice, "Sending you to another timeline will cause time to devour me."
Jiraiya fell silent.
He didn't even know why he had asked—was he hoping that, by questioning it, he could somehow stop this from happening?
Compared to what they were about to do, nothing else seemed to matter anymore.
"Its death is worth it." Sasuke stated.
"Because we are going to save every world!"
Jiraiya frowned. "You're that confident?"
Sasuke said, "If we fail, that so-called god will devour all timelines—past and future alike. But the fact that we're standing here, talking right now, means that we have already succeeded in the future!"
His words instantly awakened the others.
At first, they felt that Sasuke made sense, but something about it still seemed strange.
If the future was already predetermined, then would the future be destroyed if they chose not to save the Emperor?
What was ensuring that they would inevitably go and rescue the Emperor?
At that moment, the Great Toad Sage spoke, "The future is not set in stone. What you call the future is merely the future of one timeline. You have not transcended time, nor can you control it, so you cannot define the future."
"What must be done still needs to be done. Only by giving your all can you guide the future along the path you desire."
"The Emperor is the one who wields the power of time. He alone has the strength to defeat the god. You must never allow the god to consume him."
Hearing this, everyone—except Sasuke—nodded solemnly.
Suddenly, Naruto grinned and said, "In that world, this Emperor is our father."
Hinata smiled and agreed.
Sasuke's face darkened, and he turned his gaze away.
Naruto's words left Jiraiya with a complicated mix of emotions.
The one who had once sent him to the execution platform… the one who had personally killed his beloved disciple…
And now, he was supposed to save him?
--------------
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