Mount Myoboku.
Faced with Fukasaku and Shima, the two Toad Sages, Jiraiya found himself at a loss for words.
"Little Jiraiya, how did the battle go?" Shima asked.
Jiraiya's face was filled with deep guilt, and for a long time, he couldn't find the words to respond.
It was Fukasaku who sighed first. "You failed, didn't you?"
Jiraiya nodded, forcing himself to speak. "Not only did I fail, but..."
He couldn't continue. It wasn't a failure due to overwhelming odds but rather a deliberate choice to abandon the battle. Yet, if that were the case, what would the Great Toad Sage's sacrifice mean?
"Come with me, Little Jiraiya. The Great Toad Sage is waiting for you," Fukasaku said as he turned around, calling to Jiraiya from behind.
"The... the Great Toad Sage isn't...?" Jiraiya asked in shock.
Fukasaku nodded. "Yes, it has indeed passed away. But before it died, it left behind a fragment of its spirit. It said that if you failed and found it hard to explain yourself, I should bring you to see it."
Something like this?
Then Jiraiya remembered—the Great Toad Sage was known for its prophetic abilities. Perhaps it had foreseen this possibility long ago.
Summoning his courage, Jiraiya followed Fukasaku back to the grand hall.
The Great Toad Sage was still resting in its giant water basin. But with Jiraiya's current strength, he could clearly sense that what stood before him was no longer a physical entity but a fragment of spiritual energy.
"Great Toad Sage!" Jiraiya greeted respectfully.
"Little Jiraiya, your presence here means that events have once again taken an unpredictable turn," the Great Toad Sage said, opening its eyes. Strangely, despite the worsening situation, it seemed to have lost its previous sense of urgency.
"Yes," Jiraiya nodded. "I have failed the Great Toad Sage's expectations. But the First Hokage..."
He began to recount the events, his guilt growing heavier with each word. Yet, instead of receiving cold reproach or anger, he was met with a sigh and words of comfort.
"This is the embodiment of Ashura, the one who represents love. His choice may have deviated from my plans, but it was not beyond my expectations."
"Jiraiya, do not feel guilty or disheartened."
"From this point on, you must continue to move forward bravely. Cooperate with the anomaly of destiny and strive to create new miracles of fate."
"But... what is really going on here?" Jiraiya asked, bewildered. He had spent so long as a follower of destiny, but today, he was desperate to uncover the truth.
The Great Toad Sage did not evade his question. "I have waited here for your return to reveal the entire truth to you."
"The entire truth?"
"Yes. Where should I begin?" The Great Toad Sage's expression turned contemplative, as if reminiscing about the distant past.
"First, let's talk about the ninja world. The world we stand on is actually a planet. That's the first thing you need to understand."
"A... planet?" The term was entirely foreign to Jiraiya, who couldn't grasp its meaning.
"Roughly speaking, the universe is filled with many planets. The sun, the moon, and the stars we see are all planets. Our planet is unique in that it harbors life," the Great Toad Sage explained, materializing an image of a planet in midair to illustrate its point.
Once Jiraiya had a basic understanding, it continued. "About a thousand years ago, this planet was visited by an extraterrestrial being. She was the progenitor of chakra, known as Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, the Rabbit Goddess."
"Wasn't the Sage of Six Paths the progenitor of chakra?" Jiraiya asked in shock.
The Great Toad Sage shook its head. "No, the true progenitor of chakra was this Rabbit Goddess. She was the mother of the Sage of Six Paths."
"Mother?!" Jiraiya was stunned once again, but this time, he refrained from interrupting and waited for the Great Toad Sage to continue.
"This Rabbit Goddess possessed immense power and quickly came to dominate this planet. However, for reasons of her own, she later sought to kill all the inhabitants of the planet and turn them into a weapon."
"Her two sons did not agree with her actions. Thus, the Sage of Six Paths and his brother joined forces to seal her away. The moon was created as a means to imprison her."
Jiraiya was shaken to his core. The ninja world had long passed down the legend that the moon was created by the Sage of Six Paths, but it was always regarded as mere myth. After all, even for a god, such a feat sounded absurd.
"Of course, what I've just told you is a simplified version. In reality, that battle involved not only the Sage of Six Paths and his brother but also the sages of the three great sanctuaries."
"The five of us together barely managed to seal the Rabbit Goddess, but we each suffered severe injuries."
"The Sage of Six Paths and his brother bore the brunt of the damage. To complete the seal, they had to extract a portion of their own power. Eventually, their injuries caught up with them, and they passed away not long after."
"I see," Fukasaku sighed. He had always been puzzled by the Sage of Six Paths' untimely death, given his extraordinary power. Now, it all made sense.
The Great Toad Sage paused briefly. "I, too, was gravely injured. As a result, I often drift in and out of consciousness. Though I've lingered for a thousand years, my life is nearing its end."
"Even without passing my power on to you, I wouldn't have lasted much longer."
"And what about the other two sages?"
"The White Snake Sage was the most cunning, so it sustained the least damage. As for Katsuyu, her power is the greatest, and she excels in recovery and self-preservation. The injuries had little impact on her."
Jiraiya processed this flood of information in silence. After a moment, he realized something was missing.
So far, the revelations were indeed shocking, but no new enemies had been mentioned. Could it be that the Rabbit Goddess was about to break free from her seal?
The Great Toad Sage shook its head. "That is only one of the threats currently facing the ninja world."
"There is another, more immediate danger."
"Little Jiraiya, let me ask you this: where do you think I came from? Why do I possess such great power?"
That's right! Sage Techniques draw upon natural energy, a distinct system of power that couldn't possibly have originated from the Rabbit Goddess.
The Great Toad Sage didn't keep him in suspense. "Before the Rabbit Goddess arrived, this planet already had its own ancient gods."
"These ancient gods each wielded unique powers and were incredibly strong."
"For example, the three great sages, Mōryō of the Land of Demons, the Shinigami summoned by the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, and the deity of Jashinism—we were the original rulers of this planet."
"When the Rabbit Goddess descended, she sealed or exiled all of us. That's why you've never been able to perceive the ninja world as a planet."
"The far side of this planet is inaccessible to you because it is the location of the Rabbit Goddess's seal."
"Is the Rabbit Goddess's seal about to fail?" Jiraiya asked anxiously. If beings on par with the Great Toad Sage were to emerge, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The Great Toad Sage chuckled enigmatically. "The seal has long since weakened to a certain extent. Otherwise, how do you think the three great sanctuaries remain connected to the outside world?"
"Back then, to defeat their mother, the Sage of Six Paths and his brother sought help from us ancient gods."
"The three of us agreed to assist, and as compensation, we were granted free connection to the outside world."
"But the other ancient gods have not emerged, not because they can't, but because they feared the Sage of Six Paths, his brother, and the three great sages who sided with them."
"Now, as our power continues to wane, beings like Mōryō no longer fear us. They are preparing to return."
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