"This…"
Minato was speechless for a moment.
Honestly, he wanted to ask—
Are you just trying to pick a fight?
The Great Toad Sage hadn't lashed out at Kyoichi purely out of restraint. It was because Kyoichi's strength wasn't weak, and his body had already shown signs of natural Sage transformation. But if it had been Gamabunta instead of the Sage… a fight might've already broken out.
Of course, that was just Minato's own thought.
Even Gamabunta wasn't the type to lose his head entirely—unless he saw the other as an enemy, in which case, there'd be no "rules of the shinobi world" to speak of.
"What prophecy did the Great Toad Sage give you?"
Minato thought for a bit and decided to steer the topic elsewhere. Best not to linger on the previous matter.
Kyoichi didn't hide anything.
"He said I'll stand with a boy possessing the Rinnegan… and together we'll use a technique that creates a moon."
"…Isn't that a good thing? That means the technique you and Nagato are researching will eventually succeed."
Minato looked puzzled.
"Chibaku Tensei is a sealing technique. Its purpose is to imprison something. The prophecy only said you'd create the moon—it didn't say the sealing would succeed. You're assuming success, but that's not what he said."
"This…"
Minato was young, after all. His first instinct was to see the prophecy as a good omen—proof of success. But now that it was pointed out… he realized it wasn't that simple.
They were two different things entirely.
Thinking back, none of the Great Toad Sage's prophecies had ever been straightforward. They were always vague—more suggestions than certainties.
Like Jiraiya's, for instance.
Among Jiraiya's students, there would be one Child of Prophecy who would save the shinobi world.
But—
When would that child appear?
No clear answer.
So what had Jiraiya done all these years? He took in every promising child he met, trained them earnestly… and by probability alone, one or two geniuses were bound to emerge.
And it's geniuses who change the shinobi world, aren't they?
Not to mention legends like Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara—
Even the Second Hokage and the other village founders were all once "men of their age."
So perhaps this "Child of Prophecy" business… didn't really mean much.
Minato frowned.
"These prophecies are like that—they leave room for all sorts of outcomes. They sound like promises of success, but really, they're just… guidance."
Not that it was wrong, per se.
Minato could understand the Sage's reasoning. It's better to guide people toward hope than despair—to motivate rather than discourage.
At the very least, it had worked for Jiraiya. That hopeless idiot had become one of the most respected shinobi in the world.
And that was, in no small part, thanks to the Great Toad Sage.
So Minato understood—Kyoichi wasn't trying to lecture the Sage seriously. He was just venting his frustration.
He looked at Kyoichi and said, "Alright, enough jokes. Let's focus. We should compile all the intelligence we've gathered, so we can meet with everyone later and plan our next move."
"Kaguya Ōtsutsuki… she's terrifying, yes. But what worries me isn't her. Her body is sealed within the Gedo Statue. As long as we keep it safe, she can't return."
Kyoichi truly wasn't concerned about Kaguya.
Black Zetsu was a nuisance, yes—but it didn't have the power to do anything by itself. It could be dealt with in time.
But… those aliens out there?
That was a different story.
"You mean the lineage of the Sage of Six Paths' brother? The Ōtsutsuki clan itself? Are you saying Kaguya might have kin still out there?" Minato frowned.
But if she did… why hadn't even a whisper of their existence ever reached the shinobi world?
"I don't know. But… have you seen the God Tree we created?"
"Uh… I went to look at it once."
Minato thought for a moment, then realization dawned.
According to Tsunade and Orochimaru, the replica God Tree was slowly absorbing the planet's life force. That trait didn't come from Hashirama's cells—it came from the original God Tree.
So then… was the God Tree truly a natural phenomenon?
If it was—
Why had they never seen another like it in all these centuries?
It was a grim thought, but not an unreasonable one.
If there were beings who created such trees to consume worlds… the entire shinobi world could be wiped out in an instant.
Minato finally understood Kyoichi's concern.
"What did the Great Toad Sage say about all this?"
"What could he say? He basically told me—'Handle it yourselves. Don't pin your hopes on prophets and prophecy.'"
Kyoichi brushed the dust off his shoulders.
Prophecy and fortune-telling might inspire courage—but they didn't change reality. If anything of value came from this trip, it was the Sage's recounting of history.
Though, it wasn't a total loss.
At least now… he could probably visit Mount Myōboku whenever he wanted.
If nothing else, the natural energy there was incredible.
Training there regularly would accelerate the perfection of his Sage Body, and perhaps even lead him closer to understanding the Ten Tails' chakra or the Sage of Six Paths' power.
Even if the Sage had said he didn't understand them fully, surely he could still recognize them when he saw them.
"I'll head to the Anbu office and compile everything. The meeting… can wait until later. When the time comes, it'll happen anyway."
Minato spoke up first.
Kyoichi smiled. Minato had completely grown into his role as Anbu captain—taking initiative, stepping up naturally.
First Orochimaru, now Minato.
How fortunate he was to have comrades like them.
With a quick swish, Kyoichi vanished.
Minato, meanwhile, used Flying Thunder God to move rapidly between his markers—he'd learned that trick from Kyoichi, and now preferred teleportation to walking whenever possible.
But when he arrived back at the office… something felt off.
Wait—wasn't Kanda Kyoichi the actual Anbu captain?
So why was he the one hurrying to do all the work, while Kyoichi just strolled off like it was nothing?
Minato sighed.
"Captain Minato, sir—you're back. A report just arrived from the border of the Land of Rivers."
"Let me see it…"
He set aside his doubts and focused on the intelligence report.
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
Kyoichi was already deep in thought.
Returning from Mount Myōboku had clarified many things. There was no more need for half-truths or hesitation.
He'd also given Inahori a kenjutsu scroll before he left… he wondered how the boy was progressing.
If Inahori had grown strong enough, maybe it was time to let him show his strength a little—to make Fugaku calm down.
Not that Fugaku was foolish, but when too many voices surrounded him, his thoughts tended to sway with the crowd. Best to remind him where real conviction lay.
Right now, Itachi and Inahori were unwavering.
It was time for the young ones to take the stage.
Kyoichi pondered for a moment, then sent a message to Shisui through the Flying Thunder God technique.
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Read advanced chapter ahead of everyone else on my P@treon.
P@treon/GodDragcell