"Of course—it's like ten thousand miles away! Or maybe even light-years!"
"Uh..."
Shima the Toad immediately fell silent.
Tens of thousands of miles—nearly three times around the Earth. Considering the Naruto world was only about the size of Japan, just how terrifying this distance was became obvious.
Well, Ye Liang was just pulling numbers out of thin air.
"Ao'lan..." murmured the Great Toad Sage gravely.
Suddenly, it closed its eyes, and bubbles began forming in its nose.
Fell asleep?
Ye Liang was stunned.
Seeing his expression, Fukasaku the Toad quickly explained, "Lord Ye Liang, please don't misunderstand. Great Toad Sage isn't sleeping—he's actually foreseeing the future."
Foreseeing the future?
Upon hearing Fukasaku's words, Ye Liang stopped talking further.
The Toad Sage remained still as if in deep sleep, with multiple bubbles on his nose bursting one after another.
Roughly after three hours, he finally woke up.
"I saw it!"
"I saw a completely white future!"
"I saw two of you fighting in absolute nothingness, standing atop a deep-blue planet—that must be Ao'lan."
He really saw it!
Ye Liang was shocked.
Originally, according to Ye Liang's understanding, the Toad Sage might only see glimpses of his journey within the Naruto world. Yet he had actually seen Earth!
The blue planet the Toad Sage described definitely referred to Earth. As for that other self of his fighting against him?
Ye Liang frowned slightly.
Unsurprisingly!
That bastard Fake Ye Liang wasn't dead yet!
During the last journey across dimensions, Ye Liang had already sensed something wrong.
If Fake Ye Liang had truly died, then who used [Heavenly Lightning] at the end!
So he really was still alive!
Immediately, Ye Liang felt an urge to return.
He pressed on, asking the Great Toad Sage, "Old man, one last thing—between me and him... who wins?"
This was what concerned him most now. Since the Toad Sage could prophesy the future, knowing who would live or die should be entirely possible.
However, the Toad Sage shook his head.
"It's unclear. They're both you—exactly alike. But the victor seemed to summon a blue [Heavenly Lightning], and the other one fell."
"What! I lost!"
Ye Liang panicked!
Whoever used [Heavenly Lightning] must be Fake Ye Liang!
He had actually been defeated by Fake Ye Liang!
How could this be possible!
Previously, whenever he met Fake Ye Liang, he always felt that although the guy was powerful, he was constantly overwhelmed with rage!
Moreover, aside from his overwhelming strength, there was clearly no intelligence in his mind.
Yet someone like that actually defeated him!
"Honorable Toad Sage, may I ask—what is your prophecy accuracy rate?" Ye Liang asked urgently.
"One hundred percent!"
A definitive answer came right back.
His heart sank.
His legs trembled. Slowly, he made his way to the temple entrance.
"Thank you very much!" a voice devoid of strength echoed from afar, and Ye Liang didn't even turn around before leaving.
"Why did Lord Ye Liang suddenly freak out like that? He seemed perfectly fine before, right?"
Shima asked her husband, but he merely shook his head firmly.
"Great Toad Sage, may I ask—if Ye Liang ultimately met his doom, did he really fall in the end?" Fukasaku questioned the Toad Sage again.
"Truth or falsehood—who can truly know? He was merely one person; how could there be true failure?"
The Toad Sage refused to answer directly.
After speaking these words, he once more fell into a deep slumber.
Outside, Ye Liang had slowly emerged. He wasn't even hiding—just walking in plain sight.
"Who's there!"
Two guardian toads suddenly noticed Ye Liang. But as they stared at him, they stood frozen and could not raise their heads.
"Did I really lose?"
Ye Liang gazed blankly at the road ahead.
Powerful people always believed they could face death head-on. Yet when such things actually happened to oneself, how could one accept it calmly?
It was like facing a terminal illness—if you knew the exact day you'd die, where would your will to live come from?
Ye Liang returned to Team 7's location.
He didn't approach directly, instead watching them from a distance.
"Naruto, it's not like this hand seal—you should pull it back slightly."
"Sakura, I think my way is better. It's easier to sense Sage Chakra."
"Naruto! This is what our teacher taught us! You don't even believe Master Ye Liang's methods?"
"Alright then."
The distant group carried on with their conversation, debating whether to change their preferred techniques based on Ye Liang's instructions.
Ye Liang swept his gaze toward them briefly.
These were young, lively souls—ignorant of their own fates, yet still pushing forward bravely.
Take Naruto, for example: his father sacrificed himself for the village, and his mother was killed protecting him by Obito. Naruto knew nothing of this, yet he kept striving for the village blindly, unaware that his fate had already been sealed.
As for Sasuke, he sought his cruel older brother relentlessly, even sacrificing his own body. He handed his destiny over to the power of recognition, living solely to pursue strength.
His fate was equally tragic—he reached his goal, only to realize too late that his brother had been acting under hidden motives all along.
And then there was Sakura, Hinata... Their fates were slightly kinder than Naruto's and Sasuke's, yet ultimately mediocre. They worked hard their whole lives, only to remain minor characters who never got as much attention as the villains.
Ye Liang shook his head and walked closer.
If everyone was already mercilessly trapped by fate, then why keep trying to grow stronger?
What was the point of chasing power anymore?
Ye Liang moved forward.
"Master, you're here," Sakura cheerfully approached him, failing to notice his sorrow since he wore a forced smile.
Naruto also called him "Uncle" without a care, maintaining his posture while practicing.
Hinata simply smiled, saying nothing more.
Just as Ye Liang was about to announce that today's break was over, Sasuke suddenly approached.
He spoke just a single sentence.
"Master Ye Liang, after this training session, can you take me to see my older brother? I miss him. Can we go?"
[Heavenly Lightning] struck without warning!
Ye Liang's body stiffened abruptly.
Sasuke actually missed his older brother?
Exactly!
Sasuke's fate has changed!
Who says fate cannot be changed?
Didn't I already change Sasuke's fate!?
Suddenly, he realized something!
The Toad Sage once predicted that the real Ye Liang would be killed by Heavenly Lightning, but he never figured out which one was the true Ye Liang! If he could master Heavenly Lightning himself, didn't that mean the final outcome was still up in the air!?
"If I can change Sasuke's fate, why can't I change my own!? I'm Ye Liang! The main character of this world!"
A thunderous roar erupted in Ye Liang's mind!
[Quest Complete!]
[Player], you've completed the hidden quest: Fate's Will!
[Reward] Chosen of Fate title!
At the same time, the Toad Sage suddenly opened his eyes!
"The Fated One, destined to reshape the world's destiny, has awakened!"
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>