Mount Myoboku.
With a bang—
Jiraiya appeared amid a puff of smoke.
"Jiraiya-chan, long time no see."
The grey-robed Fukasaku Sage seemed to have known he was coming.
There was no change of expression on his face.
"Boss Fukasaku, how's your health?"
Jiraiya gave a warm smile.
"Same as ever."
Fukasaku waved. "Go see the Great Lord first. It's waiting for you. We can chat over a meal at my place after."
"Can we… skip the meal?"
Jiraiya's mouth twitched, his smile faltering.
That food is for toads, not for humans…
"What? You don't like Shima's cooking?"
Fukasaku rubbed his chin, puzzled. "I think it's tasty."
"I wouldn't dare."
Jiraiya waved both hands. "I'll pay my respects to Shima Sage later."
"Good."
Seeing him agree, Fukasaku smiled. "Shima will be delighted."
Jiraiya grumbled silently that he'd be more delighted not to eat.
Just thinking about those colorful bug dishes turned his stomach.
Nothing beats drinking and chatting with pretty ladies at an izakaya.
Jiraiya followed Fukasaku deep into Mount Myoboku.
A towering temple.
"Huh."
Jiraiya was surprised.
The Great Toad Sage wasn't sleeping today.
Not only that, it didn't even play its favorite "Who goes there?" skit.
Something was off.
Surprise gave way to unease.
Another new prophecy?
"Jiraiya-chan."
The Great Toad Sage squinted and asked, "Have you found the Child of Prophecy?"
"A few days ago I settled on a candidate and planned to return to Konoha to check—then you called me to Mount Myoboku."
Jiraiya hesitated. "The only snag is that he's not my student. He's Tsunade's."
"What's the problem there? With your relationship with Tsunade, you can take him as a student too."
Fukasaku chuckled. "But why are you so sure he's the Child of Prophecy?"
In the ninja world, it wasn't rare to have multiple teachers.
In the original, when Jiraiya took Naruto as a student, Naruto was already Kakashi's student.
Fukasaku also knew the Sannin's bond, hence the suggestion.
"His name is Natsume. He's already Hokage, very strong, has Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode and the Senju kekkei genkai—Wood Release."
Jiraiya gave a brief intro. "Most importantly, he's still young. His influence on the ninja world will only grow."
Aside from not being his student, he was almost certain Natsume was the Child of Prophecy.
If not him, Jiraiya couldn't imagine another youth surpassing him.
"From your description, he does sound like it."
Fukasaku nodded, then looked to the Great Toad Sage. "Great Lord, what do you think?"
Jiraiya also looked at it.
After all, it had eyes that could peer into the future.
The Great Toad Sage pondered.
Sage Mode and Wood Release—wasn't that basically the reincarnation of Hashirama?
As a thousand-year-old toad, it knew or had lived through many things.
Like Hagoromo Otsutsuki's two sons, Asura and Indra.
It had long suspected the so-called Child of Prophecy to be their reincarnation.
Natsume, as described, was very similar.
Could he really be the Sage of Six Paths' son?
What irked it was: how did Shikkotsu Forest beat it to the punch again?
It had planned years in advance through Jiraiya, and still failed.
After its thoughts circled, the Great Toad Sage said, "Whether he is or not, decide for yourself, Jiraiya-chan."
It truly wasn't certain.
But the prophecy said Jiraiya would be the teacher, which likely wasn't wrong.
"Understood!"
Jiraiya said at once. "Soon I'll return to Konoha to spend time with Natsume and learn his character."
"Mm."
The Great Toad Sage asked, "You've been searching a long time for the one who will destroy Mount Myoboku. Any leads?"
Years ago, Jiraiya first heard that prophecy.
Since the Great Toad Sage hinted at special eyes, he focused on the Hyuga and Uchiha.
He returned to Konoha and happened upon Orochimaru and Danzo fighting Shisui.
Seeing the Mangekyo and Susanoo, he thought this might be the prophesied person.
He'd planned to question Shisui—then a mysterious Wood Release user intervened and took him away.
Wood Release and Mangekyo, and acting so maliciously—
Jiraiya concluded the mysterious Wood Release user was the one to destroy Mount Myoboku.
But he never found a trace.
Later he heard the night the Uchiha were massacred, the figure had appeared again.
He wasn't in Konoha and missed the clue again.
Only recently, with missing Uchiha returning, did he gain a ray of hope.
"I have a lead. I was about to return to Konoha to confirm."
Jiraiya thought, then said, "I'll report back to you."
"As soon as possible."
The Great Toad Sage's tone was grave. "I've been dreaming frequently again—every time I see Mount Myoboku awash in blood. I fear the day of destruction is near."
"How is that possible?!"
Jiraiya's face showed horror.
"I can't make sense of it either."
Fukasaku glanced at the Great Toad Sage. "Toads from our clan live all over the ninja world, but we've found no one on par with the Sage of Six Paths."
He cited the Sage of Six Paths because he felt anyone who could destroy Mount Myoboku would be no weaker.
The Great Toad Sage's strength was no joke.
Plus there were the friendly White Snake and Slug Sages who could help.
The Three Great Sage Lands had always supported each other; if one had trouble, the other two wouldn't sit idly by.
In other words, this person needed strength to confront all three Sages.
Thinking it through, only the Sage of Six Paths matched.
The Great Toad Sage had also considered Kaguya Otsutsuki and Isshiki Otsutsuki.
But the former was sealed, the latter dead.
As for Kaguya breaking free, it thought that impossible.
First, it knew the Sage of Six Paths still labored to save his mother.
Second, if the seal had broken, the moon wouldn't be so quiet—there'd have been a huge commotion.
As for Takashi—or rather, the Emperor of the Land of Ancestors—records said he'd died of old age.
"Great Toad Sage, any new clues?"
Jiraiya burned with urgency. "I'm not sure the Konoha lead will find him."
"Your lead may be right."
The Great Toad Sage returned to the point. "That's why I called you today."
"Right?"
Jiraiya frowned, then brightened. "You mean he's in Konoha?"
"Correct."
It nodded. "The new prophecy says he comes from the Leaf—but I'm not sure he's a Leaf shinobi."
"I understand."
Jiraiya exhaled. "I'll definitely drag him into the light!"
"I await your good news."
The Great Toad Sage slowly closed its eyes and, moments later, began to snore.
Jiraiya scratched his head.
As expected of the Great Toad Sage.
So calm even with disaster looming.
"Let's go, Jiraiya-chan."
Fukasaku hopped onto his shoulder. "We'll eat at my place before you head back."
…
Hokage Building.
After confirming that, with Mui's help, Sasuke and Naruto were growing through hardship, Natsume returned to the Leaf.
He picked up a file.
Oh?
News on the great Scapegoat Kage, Shimura Danzo.
He'd appeared in the Land of Demons.
Interesting.
Natsume rubbed his chin. Was he trying to contact the priestess Shion?
No, wait—maybe Yomi.
In the original, it was Yomi who awakened the otherworldly demon Mōryō and summoned a ghost army.
Which meant the Land of Demons' commission should be on its way.
Earlier, when he'd met the priestess Kukuri, he'd made a promise—and he'd already farmed Fate Points from Shion.
No reason she wouldn't come to him.
He'd deal with it when the time came.
For now, he planned to handle Hozuki Castle first.
A knock sounded.
"Come in."
Natsume looked up—it was Shizune.
He was a bit puzzled.
She rarely came to the Hokage Building these days.
Either she followed Tsunade around to gamble, or she practiced at Konoha Hospital.
"Shizune, what's up?"
Natsume smiled. "Did my teacher send you?"
"No."
Shizune gave him a look and said slowly, "Lord Jiraiya is back. He's chatting with Lady Tsunade—about you."
"Oh?"
Natsume narrowed his eyes.
First, he hadn't expected Jiraiya to return.
Second, he was surprised Shizune would tip him off.
On second thought, it made sense.
Though Jiraiya had high prestige in Konoha, in Shizune's heart he couldn't compare to Tsunade and Natsume.
"What did they say?"
He was curious.
If it was ordinary, Shizune wouldn't have bothered to warn him.
"Two things."
Shizune didn't hesitate and relayed the two prophecies from Mount Myoboku.
Prophecies weren't especially top secret.
And Jiraiya wouldn't hide them from Tsunade.
As for why he didn't go to Natsume—lack of trust, or familiarity.
"Thank you, Shizune."
Natsume's gratitude seemed genuine.
Though prophecies couldn't affect him, hearing them early let him set the board and harvest Fate Points.
"It's… fine."
Seeing his expression, Shizune suddenly grew bashful. "As long as I can help you."
Natsume blinked.
Before he could respond, Shizune hurriedly said, "I'll head back before Lord Jiraiya gets suspicious."
She turned and left in a rush.
Her retreating back looked a lot like fleeing.
"Do I eat people? Why run that fast?"
Natsume couldn't help teasing.
He had to admit—the Great Toad Sage's prophecies were something.
But Jiraiya pegging him as the Child of Prophecy felt odd.
At a glance, though, it fit.
The Child of Prophecy sounds fancy, but it's essentially one thing: the power to unify or destroy the ninja world.
To many, Natsume was a second Hashirama.
And the God of Shinobi was the God of Shinobi because he ended the Warring States.
If Jiraiya lived in Hashirama's era, calling him the Child of Prophecy would be spot on.
Even the Great Toad Sage wouldn't object.
For Natsume, the title didn't matter—but destroying Mount Myoboku sounded fun.
Before that, he needed a fall guy.
Special eyes, Wood Release, connected to the Leaf.
You there!
Uchiha Obito—no, Uchiha Madara.
Let Jiraiya chase him.
For Tsunade's sake, Natsume couldn't deal with Jiraiya directly.
With that thought, he appeared at the Uchiha compound.
…
"Natsume."
Mikoto stood at once, a smile rising instinctively.
Before Natsume could speak, she had already embraced him.
She didn't know why, but the moment Tsunade's pregnancy was confirmed, her heart had felt off.
"Worried about Sasuke?"
Natsume smiled and asked.
"Mm."
Mikoto lowered her head, cheeks slightly flushed.
She didn't understand what was wrong with her.
Ever since Sasuke left on a mission, she'd been anxious.
Seeing Natsume, though she wanted to ask about her son, she couldn't help herself first.
"Don't worry. He's doing fine."
Natsume thought a moment. "In a while, I can take you to see him."
Mikoto actually needed combat practice too.
That monster Satori would be perfect.
And it could give Sasuke a small, shocking dose of his real mom.
Mm, that scene sounded nice.
"Thank you!"
Mikoto lifted her gaze, eyes both grateful and hazy, biting her lip—a trace of allure and restraint on her face.
She'd noticed her body changed whenever she touched Natsume.
"Aunt Mikoto, is this how you want to thank me?"
Natsume caressed her soft cheek and smiled.
Mikoto's heart pounded, her body trembling.
The next second, she sealed his lips—became a sea of flame, as if to burn him to ash.
Feeling her searing breath and seeing tears fall, Natsume couldn't quite figure this aunt out.
What stage were they at now?
Still, this made talking business easier.
In this state, whatever he said, Mikoto would likely agree.
Even if it involved one of the Sannin—Jiraiya.
Natsume suspected that if Uchiha Fugaku were resurrected, Mikoto might not be as decisive as before.
Once someone fell into darkness, returning was very hard.
Time passed.
An hour later, Natsume had finished what he came for.
In her daze, Mikoto had agreed to many things.
Would she regret it when she woke?
Too late for that.
Seeing it was still early, Natsume didn't go home, but headed to the Hokage Building.