Jiraiya had just returned to Konoha, and perched on his shoulders were two toads—but no, he wasn't in Sage Mode.
"Man, it's been so long since I've been to Konoha. Feels nostalgic!" said Fukasaku, a green-skinned toad with white eyebrows, a white beard, and white hair.
"Old man, you've only ever been here twice," replied Shima, another green-skinned toad with long purple hair and naturally violet lips. "Can you even be nostalgic about a place you barely know?"
"Toads…"
"They're talking!"
A voice suddenly cut through the crowd, grabbing Jiraiya and the toads' attention. "Tsunade-sama! Those toads—they're talking! Frogs that talk! Hic!"
"Tsunade?" Jiraiya blinked, turning to see her holding up a completely flushed, clearly drunk Shizune.
Tsunade looked a little buzzed herself, but nothing compared to Shizune, who was reeking of alcohol and struggling to stand.
What a coincidence.
But why was Shizune, of all people, blackout drunk? Jiraiya remembered she didn't even like drinking.
Tsunade noticed Jiraiya's confusion and glanced at the toads on his shoulders. With a shrug, she gave a half-hearted explanation.
"Had a rough day, went out for a drink. Shizune got worried I'd get hammered, so she grabbed the bottle from me—and chugged the whole damn thing."
"That was over 50% proof. Even I have to sip it slowly. And this lightweight? One gulp and she's out cold like this."
Jiraiya nodded. That made sense.
Tsunade squinted at the toads. "They're from Mount Myōboku, right? Look kinda familiar… Who are they again?"
"Fukasaku Sage," said one.
"Shima Sage," said the other.
"They're elder sages from Mount Myōboku," Jiraiya explained. "You've met them before. They're basically second in command under the Great Toad Sage. Been around for more than 800 years."
Tsunade paused, digging into her memory, then nodded. "Oh, right… So why are they here now?"
"Uh…" Jiraiya hesitated.
"To see Uchiha Chizumi," Fukasaku said directly, smiling. "The Great Elder believes there's a ninja in Konoha—Uchiha Chizumi—who has eyes that can see the future. We're here on his orders to confirm if that's true."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "The Great Elder?"
"The Great Toad Sage," Jiraiya added quickly.
"Oh! That one," Tsunade smirked. "The same old toad who sent you on that wild goose chase across the world, just to get schooled by Chizumi?"
Jiraiya: "…"
Sweat rolled down his back as he glanced nervously at Fukasaku and Shima, worried that Tsunade's bluntness might tick them off.
"It's fine," Fukasaku said with a shake of his head. Then he turned to Tsunade. "Didn't Chizumi say the Child of Prophecy is real? Why do you think our elder misled Jiraiya?"
Shima joined in. "You're the Slug Sage's contractor from Shikkotsu Forest, right? Even she wouldn't talk like that to the Great Elder."
Supporting Shizune with one arm, Tsunade gave a lopsided grin. "Sending Jiraiya around the world chasing after some mythical 'Child of Prophecy'—you seriously don't think that's manipulation? Banking on one person to bring peace to the whole shinobi world is a joke."
"Like Chizumi said: one savior won't fix the world. If the world gets better, it's because everyone can be a savior. Real change takes many people working together."
She paused, then looked at Jiraiya. "Saving the world isn't about one person. It's about an idea—one that everyone can believe in. Like Chizumi's 'Absolute Justice.'"
"And yeah, I'm saying this because I'm from Shikkotsu Forest. That toad of yours? Way too noisy compared to the other sages from Ryūchi Cave or my place. It's always him stirring things up."
"He's lived for centuries, but does he ever chill? You sure he's acting for the good of the world, and not out of ambition?"
"Only he knows the answer to that."
She gave Jiraiya a casual wave while lifting Shizune. "Anyway, I gotta go. This kid drank my liquor and passed out—what if some creepy old man snuck off with her?"
Jiraiya: "…"
Why did that sound directed at me?
Watching her leave, Shima frowned. "Jiraiya, dear… Are all Slug Sage inheritors this rude? Doesn't she screen their manners?"
"Shhh!" Jiraiya hissed in a panic. "You don't mess with drunk Tsunade. I'm the one she'll deck!"
Fukasaku sighed. "When the true Child of Prophecy brings real change, she'll realize our elder was right."
"Let's not rush to meet Chizumi just yet. He's not leaving Konoha anytime soon. Jiraiya, make a list of candidates you think might be the prophecy child."
"Alright." Jiraiya exhaled.
…
At the Academy…
"Finally! School's out!" Naruto ran out of class, then turned and shouted, "Sasuke! Hurry up! We gotta find Izumi-senpai and go serve justice around the village!"
"Keep your voice down," Sasuke muttered, lips twitching. All the stares were making him uncomfortable. Did this idiot not realize how embarrassing he was being?
Just as he was about to follow, Sasuke stopped and looked toward Ino, who was walking by with her cute school bag.
"Hey."
Sasuke called out, "Wanna come with us?"
He was serious. "You understand justice better than either of us. From how you've acted before, you clearly agree with Chizumi-sensei's idea of absolute justice. So we're teammates. And teammates stick together."
"Right, Dobe?"
He looked at Naruto.
"Right!" Naruto nodded hard—then glared. "Wait a sec, did you call me dobe again?!"
Sasuke looked away awkwardly.
Part of him did it out of habit, but part of him… needed to. Ever since Naruto unleashed the Nine-Tails in front of him, Sasuke had felt that weight—the pressure of being overtaken.
It was a strange, bitter instinct he couldn't explain.
Maybe it was just pride.
"…No thanks," Ino shook her head, her expression a little complicated. "I have to get back to the Nara Clan compound and help my dad with the bodies."
"Bodies?" Sasuke blinked.
Ino explained, "The criminals Chizumi-sama killed—if their heads are intact, they're brought to the Yamanaka Clan. We use our secret jutsu to extract memories from the dead and gather all the proof of their crimes. That way, the village can confiscate their illegal gains."
Sasuke understood now.
In Chizumi's version of justice, he was the executioner. The Yamanaka Clan cleaned up the aftermath, gathering evidence and writing reports.
"Wait… have you seen their memories?"
If he remembered right, the crimes those criminals committed were horrific.
"Nope. I haven't learned the technique yet," Ino said calmly. "I just help my dad."
And with that, she walked off.
"No wonder she seems more mature than us," Sasuke muttered.
"Huh? Why?" Naruto asked from the gate.
Sasuke said, "She's seen stuff we haven't. Darker stuff. That probably made her grasp justice deeper than we can."
Naruto rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Not long after…
"Ino! Ino!" Sakura called out, jogging after her.
"Huff… huff…"
Catching her breath, Sakura looked up with a conflicted face. "Ino… why don't you like Sasuke-kun anymore?"
"I mean… you're different. You're not the Ino I remember. You've been changing, and it's like I don't even know you now. Did something happen?"
Back then, Sakura had been too stubborn to ask. But once she realized Ino was no longer interested in Sasuke, she pushed that pride aside.
"…Nothing bad happened," Ino said, then paused. "Well, aside from being temporarily homeless. But Dad and the clan elders already contacted the construction team. We'll have our compound back in about a year."
She shook her head, voice still soft and young. "As for why I don't like Sasuke anymore…"
"I used to like pretty boys. Now I like pretty boys who aren't immature. Something about childish guys just makes me uncomfortable now, and I don't know why."
Ino wasn't shy about being a looks-first girl.
But clearly, she had a new rule. And Sasuke didn't meet it anymore.
"Sakura," Ino took a deep breath. After losing her obsession with Sasuke, her view of Sakura had become more normal—more friendly.
She said seriously, "Here's a tip. The time you have in the Academy might be the last peaceful years of your life before you're thrown into this dark, messed-up shinobi world."
"Don't waste that time chasing a pointless, one-sided crush."
"Because when you graduate and start seeing the darkness of the real world, if you don't have the strength to resist it—or the heart to stay clean—you'll fall into it."
She paused. "That's something my dad once told me. I'm just passing it on."
Sakura stood frozen.
Maybe it wasn't Sasuke who had changed. Maybe it was Ino—matured far beyond what their age should allow.
Even though Ino said nothing bad had happened… Sakura felt like she was hiding something.
Maybe they were no longer in the same world.
Sakura stayed silent.
…
Not far away, hidden behind a tree,
"Yamanaka Ino—the clan head's only daughter," Jiraiya whispered to Fukasaku and Shima. "I added her to the list of possible prophecy children this morning."
"The Yamanaka Clan and Chizumi are close. You could even say their relationship is... inseparable."
"What do you think?" he asked. "Could she be the one?"
Shima, crouched on Jiraiya's left shoulder, rubbed her chin. "The Child of Prophecy—the one destined to bring peace and revolution—would have to be exceptional, right? Is this girl a prodigy?"
Jiraiya shook his head. "From what I've seen, she's above average at best. She might reach jōnin level, but nothing beyond that."
"Then it's not her," Shima said flatly. "A prophecy child who lacks talent can't change the world."
Jiraiya nodded, silently agreeing, and shifted his gaze toward another student exiting the Academy—one who walked right past a dazed-looking Sakura without even noticing.
"Hyūga Neji," Jiraiya said. "He's also on the list. Easily the most talented kid in the school. Just a second-year, and he's already holding his own against sixth-years. He hasn't had much contact with Chizumi, but he interacts a lot with Sasuke and Naruto."
"Hyūga Neji…"
Fukasaku scanned Jiraiya's list, stroking his beard while watching Neji walk by. "Might be worth meeting this one first."
…
Elsewhere—inside a Konoha inn:
A man dressed like a traveling merchant stepped into his room. After locking the door, he bit his thumb, slammed his palm to the floor, and dark sealing lines instantly spread out.
Poof!
A puff of white smoke erupted, and a thick, black snake the size of a grown man's thigh appeared.
"Tell Orochimaru-sama," the man said to the snake, "every single spy he planted in Konoha has vanished. Probably captured by the village—or killed."
He paused, then added, "I still don't know how they were exposed. None of them knew each other, and they didn't communicate. Even if one got caught, the others shouldn't have been compromised. But now they're all just… gone."
The snake gave him a cold, long stare, flicked its tongue—and vanished in another puff of smoke.
…
Somewhere deep within the Land of Fire…
In a hidden lab, Orochimaru received the intel in less than half an hour.
"Heh… So that's why I haven't heard anything from them."
Golden eyes narrowed, Orochimaru stared at the wall with a sinister smile. The man who summoned the snake was one of his new spies in Konoha. His mission: gather intel on Uchiha Chizumi.
Ever since Zetsu came to him, Orochimaru had suspected that Chizumi had something—something powerful enough to make even the Akatsuki wary.
Maybe an item.
Maybe knowledge.
Maybe… an overwhelming power.
"Heh… Whatever it is you people are so desperate to know… I want it too. If I can beat you to it, maybe I can use it to control Akatsuki. Or at least use it as leverage."
His long tongue flicked out, licking his lips.
No way was Orochimaru going to play along with Akatsuki's little game. He had plans of his own—always had.
"But…" he murmured, face shifting slightly. "Chizumi's growth rate is way beyond anything I expected."
"He killed Danzō. And even Hiruzen's two sons. Both gone—by his hand."
Orochimaru sneered.
"Hiruzen loses two sons to this man… and still tolerates his existence. But when I conducted necessary experiments, Hiruzen went all out to stop me. Tried to kill me, even."
"One set of rules for me. A whole different set for Uchiha Chizumi, huh, Sensei?"
"Ha… ridiculous."
A flash of cold fury flickered through his eyes.
…
Meanwhile, Biwa Jūzō had made up his mind.
He didn't want to piss off either Uchiha Obito or Konan. Whatever he'd learned today—he'd take it to his grave.
As far as the world was concerned, the mission failed. No results, no intel.
Konan had only promised that success might earn him a spot among the Akatsuki's core. She hadn't said failure would cost him his life.
But either way, he wasn't going to stick around.
Konoha was giving him serious bad vibes.
Uchiha Chizumi knew too much. Maybe even things about Jūzō himself. That guy could probably kill him in a flash, just like he knew the secret behind Obito's phasing jutsu.
"Staying one more day in Konoha feels like a death wish," he muttered.
Chizumi… was one of the few people who truly terrified him. Aside from maybe Might Duy.
So, as the sun went down, Jūzō slipped away, ditching the other Rain ninja and vanishing into the forest outside the village.
But he hadn't even made it ten kilometers before something felt… off.
The air was wrong.
He stopped dead in his tracks, eyes scanning the dense trees. His massive Executioner's Blade was already off his back and gripped tightly in his hands.
The moonlight barely filtered through the branches, shrouding everything in darkness.
He couldn't see anything—but his instincts screamed danger.
Then he smirked cruelly and called into the shadows, "A bunch of cowards hiding in the dark, huh? Been waiting for me?"
"How'd you know I was leaving tonight? Got a spy in Konoha?"
Just then, a voice rang out:
"You noticed? Impressive. As expected from a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—your danger sense is truly elite."
Jūzō didn't hesitate. He instantly pulled out two kunai with explosive tags and hurled them toward the voice.
BOOM! BOOM!
Fire and shockwaves lit up the forest. A tree exploded in two.
In the flash of light, he saw the figure—an Akatsuki cloak and a strange swirling mask.
"Madara-sama," a second voice spoke from behind him, "it wasn't his senses—it was your killing intent. Any experienced shinobi would've noticed."
Jūzō spun around and spotted another cloaked man—his shoulders decorated with weird pitcher-plant-like armor, and a face split evenly between ghost-white and pitch-black.
"…Madara-sama?"
That title sent a chill down Jūzō's spine. He glanced at the masked man.
"…You're Uchiha Madara?!"
"So even after all these years… the young ones still remember my name."
His voice was low, gravelly, and chilling. "You know who I am, and you still haven't dropped your weapon? Bold."
"Heh. Maybe I was born brave," Jūzō lied, sweat pouring down his neck.
Damn it.
Uchiha Madara—no, Uchiha Obito!
He was here? Waiting for him?
Did he already know about Jūzō's meeting with Chizumi?
Was this an execution?
Or was Obito bluffing—just testing him?
Jūzō clung to that last thread of hope.
"Biwa Jūzō," Obito said flatly, "you made the wrong choice. The moment you accepted that woman's mission and stepped into Konoha… your fate was sealed."
Zetsu: "…" He wanted to interrupt, but honestly, what was the point? Obito had just exposed that Chizumi knew something threatening—and now, they had to kill Jūzō anyway.
So whatever.
"Hey—come on!" Jūzō took a small step back, pretending to stay calm. "We're all Akatsuki, right? There's no need to kill me. Aren't you even curious what I learned from Chizumi? Might be useful intel."
"Not interested," Obito growled.
Then he vanished.
In a blur, he appeared right in front of Jūzō—his right hand reaching into the air and pulling out a blade from seemingly nowhere.
In the blink of an eye, Obito slashed at Jūzō's throat.
CLANG!
Jūzō barely blocked with his Executioner's Blade. His hands trembled from the impact.
And then—
He felt the ground beneath him shift.
Before he could react, a dozen thick vines burst from the earth, wrapping around his legs like snakes, slithering upward, and constricting tightly.
They crushed him.
BOOM!
Jūzō's body exploded—but it wasn't blood.
Just water.
His Executioner's Blade clattered to the ground.
"A water clone?" Zetsu narrowed his eyes, glancing toward a distant shadow. "He ditched his weapon too—just to sell the trick?"
"Chase him!" Obito barked. "He's running back toward Konoha. Don't let him get there!"
And with that, he disappeared into the darkness.
…
Late at night, just outside Konoha's outer edge…
"What's this kid doing sneaking out here so late?" Jiraiya muttered to himself, quietly tailing Hyūga Neji through the darkened outskirts of the village.
He had been tracking Neji for over three hours now. The goal was simple: let Fukasaku and Shima observe him and decide if this boy could be the prophesied one.
Fukasaku, perched nearby in the trees, narrowed his eyes. "He's not wandering around aimlessly. He's been asking villagers for information all along the way. He's clearly searching for something—or someone."
Shima added, "Hey, Jiraiya. Looks like he's trying to sneak out of the village. Whatever he's after… it's outside."
Jiraiya frowned. "He's not gonna get far. Konoha's patrols are tight. Even if he slips past the first line, he'll be caught within a few hundred meters."
Fukasaku chuckled softly. "Then maybe we give him a little help."
With a light hop, he vanished into the treetops.
…
At the same time, not far ahead—
Neji paused, breathing steadily under the moonlight. The village behind him was quiet. Too quiet.
"If that last guy I talked to wasn't lying… and his memory's good… then Chizumi went this way."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long white ribbon. Without a word, he tied his hair back, tightening it behind his head.
"…Hyūga Neji," he muttered to himself.
"What are you even doing?"
No one else was around. He wasn't asking anyone. He was asking himself.
"There's no real reason for this. You don't need to go this far."
"But…"
He clenched his fists.
"If you don't do something bold, how will that man even remember you exist? How will he know how serious you are? How will he understand what justice means to you?"
Sasuke's words from earlier kept echoing in his mind—but they hadn't discouraged him. If anything, they lit a fire under him.
"Two first-years—Naruto and Sasuke—can believe in Absolute Justice, so why not me?"
"I'm not doing this just for strength," he told himself. "I want justice—for my father."
Neji's tone grew more certain with every word. Without hesitation, he turned and slipped through the trees, quietly crossing the outer barrier of the village.
…
He ran.
One kilometer. Two.
Heart pounding. Breath quickened.
Eventually, he paused and turned to glance behind him.
No one was following him.
That… was unexpected.
He had braced himself for a chase. He thought he'd have to play cat and mouse with the patrol teams. Maybe even get caught and dragged back, humiliated and scolded.
But nothing happened.
The patrols weren't there.
It was like the village had… stepped aside for him.
…
Back in the shadows behind him—
"This kid…" Jiraiya murmured to himself as he watched from the trees. "He's trying to find Chizumi, isn't he?"
Fukasaku's voice echoed in his mind.
"Chizumi… he's already left the village?"
~~~
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