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Chapter 148 - Chapter 148: Jiraiya vs Elder Fukasaku

"This kid is the one young Jiraiya took under his wing," Elder Fukasaku replied respectfully. Upon hearing this, the Great Toad Sage—who had been drowsing with his eyes closed—suddenly snapped them open and focused on Minato.

"Immortal, it's an honor to meet you," Minato said with a bow.

Silence filled the room. Jiraiya and Elder Fukasaku kept their eyes glued to the Great Toad Sage, while Minato just seemed distant.

They all suspected they might be the Child of the Prophecy, yet Minato knew that if Kushina and the Nine-Tails' chakra hadn't caused space-time distortion, he would've died long before becoming the Fourth Hokage.

Clearly, he wasn't the prophesied child. Minato believed the prophecy must refer to his newborn son, Naruto.

It might've sounded a bit far-fetched, but Minato truly believed that this child—named by his teacher and inheriting both his and Kushina's bloodline and will—would save the Ninja World.

"This little fellow..."

About a minute later, the Great Toad Sage finally seemed ready to speak. Everyone held their breath, anxiously awaiting his words.

"He's pretty cute."

"Eh?"

Everyone was stunned. Jiraiya's face went blank, and even Elder Fukasaku broke into a sweat.

"What are you saying? What we want to ask is whether young Minato is truly the Child of the Prophecy!" Elder Fukasaku quickly clarified their purpose. They had hoped the Great Toad Sage could reveal something about the prophecy.

Hearing this, the Great Toad Sage shook his head. "Regarding that prophecy, I only saw a glimpse of the future. Therefore, I can't say for sure whether he is indeed the Child of the Prophecy."

"I see," Jiraiya sighed. Their attempt to gain information from the Great Toad Sage had come up empty.

Minato, however, wasn't surprised. He looked at the Great Toad Sage and pressed on, "Honored Sage, may I ask what the future you saw regarding the Ninja World's transformation and destruction looks like..."

He believed that even a single clue would make this trip to Mount Myoboku worthwhile.

At this point, the Great Toad Sage drooped his eyelids, looking drowsy as he muttered, "Let's discuss these things after I wake up from my nap."

Then, the Great Toad Sage fell asleep at an incredibly fast rate.

Seeing this, Elder Fukasaku advised Minato, "In that case, we'll just have to wait until the Great Toad Sage wakes up again. Perhaps new prophecies might appear in his dreams."

Minato nodded in agreement.

"Then, what should we do in the meantime?" Jiraiya asked.

Elder Fukasaku chuckled slightly and said, "Since we haven't seen each other for such a long time, let me, an old man, test your current abilities."

Jiraiya had trained at Mount Myoboku since childhood. His skills came not only from the Third Hokage but also from Elder Fukasaku's teachings.

In fact, Elder Fukasaku was also Jiraiya's master.

"Sure thing," Jiraiya responded enthusiastically. He certainly didn't believe he'd be beaten down by Elder Fukasaku like before.

Then they escaped from the toad guards. As soon as the Great Toad Sage awoke, he immediately summoned them here.

Afterward, they departed at once.

...

On an open field somewhere in Mount Myoboku.

"Minato, you just watch the battle."

Jiraiya said. Though Minato was young, his strength was already formidable. Jiraiya believed that his fight with Fukasaku would offer Minato valuable insight.

Minato nodded and steeled himself, watching attentively.

Fukasaku smiled. Its tiny figure before the towering Jiraiya looked as if it could be crushed beneath his foot.

Whoosh!

Yet in the next instant, its body vanished completely. The speed was such that Minato could barely catch a faint glimpse.

Minato naturally understood Elder Fukasaku's level; placed within the ninja world, it was undoubtedly a powerful expert.

Jiraiya's pupils narrowed. Then he threw a punch straight forward.

Boom!

Their fists met midair. The ground beneath Jiraiya's feet cracked, and he immediately stepped back several paces to dissipate the full force of the impact.

"Your reflexes and strength are quite impressive," Fukasaku chuckled mid-air.

Minato knew that although Master Jiraiya's current power was no weakling's, compared to Elder Fukasaku, there was still a gap.

After stabilizing himself, Jiraiya lunged directly at Elder Fukasaku, showing no intention of using any ninjutsu.

Because he clearly understood that attempting ninjutsu against this opponent would simply be asking for a beating.

The techniques Elder Fukasaku used had already transcended ordinary ninjutsu; they were... Sage Arts.

Jiraiya thrust both fists forward—one straight punch, one hook—cutting off Elder Fukasaku's escape route.

But Elder Fukasaku simply extended one hand to block Jiraiya's punch, landing lightly on the arm that delivered the hook.

Jiraiya's hook punch seemed to hit some immense invisible force, its entire momentum completely nullified.

Standing lightly on Jiraiya's hand, Elder Fukasaku released the arm that had blocked the punch and immediately countered with a blow aimed squarely at Jiraiya's chest.

In desperation, Jiraiya pulled back the arm he had clashed with Elder Fukasaku, but the latter moved too fast for him to fully evade.

Ultimately, his right arm managed to block part of the attack, allowing the strike to only graze across his chest.

Even so, the force sent him staggering back over ten steps before he finally steadied himself.

"Boss is still as strong as ever," Jiraiya muttered with a bitter smile, while Elder Fukasaku showed no further intent to continue fighting.

The entire exchange happened extremely quickly. Minato saw bits of it, but if he himself had been in the fight, he probably wouldn't have even blinked before being taken down.

It was because his reflexes couldn't keep up — his eyes could see the movements, but his brain couldn't process and react in time.

Elder Fukasaku smiled slightly and nodded. "Not bad. At your current level, you should rank among the top in Konoha."

That Jiraiya couldn't defeat Elder Fukasaku wasn't strange, because the latter wasn't relying solely on basic taijutsu.

Its strength clearly surpassed Jiraiya's. That was because Elder Fukasaku was drawing on the natural energy floating in the air.

Minato was well aware of this as well. The fact that Teacher Jiraiya could go head-to-head with Elder Fukasaku in taijutsu without losing was already extremely impressive.

"Thinking about it, it's been over ten years since your first visit to Mount Myoboku, hasn't it?" said Fukasaku.

"Yeah."

Back then, after learning the Summoning Technique, Jiraiya didn't sign a contract with any summoning beast clan — he used the technique on his own, without permission.

The place he eventually arrived at was Mount Myoboku.

"Now you've become a ninja who can stand on your own two feet, and you've even taken on disciples yourself. So now... I should pass on the [Sage Art] of Mount Myoboku to you," Elder Fukasaku said with a gentle smile.

"Elder, are you serious?" Jiraiya couldn't help his eyes lighting up upon hearing this, and joy immediately spread across his face.

...

...(To be continued.)

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