Chapter 124: Prophecy
While following Fukasaku Sage toward the center of Mount Myōboku at high speed, Masahiko Uzumaki kept his sensory abilities active.
"Creatures with chakra reactions... thirty, forty?" Some of the chakra signatures were faint and intermittent, so Masahiko wasn't entirely certain.
"Mount Myōboku is like a small hidden village; it has ninja toads and civilian toads."
Upon reaching the peak, a palace appeared before Masahiko. The massive chakra he had sensed earlier was coming from inside.
Masahiko observed the structure, his face turning strange. "Fukasaku Sage, why is the palace built in this shape? Is it eating itself?"
In Mount Myōboku, even the exterior of the palace was shaped like a toad, and the entrance was the toad's mouth. Masahiko found it a bit hard to accept.
"How do you know my name is Fukasaku?"
The old toad's question made Masahiko's expression stiffen.
"Er, didn't you say it?"
"From start to finish, I have only spoken one sentence to you, and I never told you my name."
Masahiko smiled awkwardly. "Who knows? Maybe you mentioned it? Or maybe I dreamed it or something..."
At this, Fukasaku's expression became even more bizarre. "You even know the Great Elder's ability?"
Masahiko was startled. Just as he was about to make up another excuse, another elderly female toad arrived, bringing Jiraiya-kun with her.
"Old Monster! Why are you here too?" Jiraiya-kun's expression was exaggerated. "What kind of ghost place is this?"
Masahiko sighed. "This is the underworld. My lifespan has ended. I didn't expect you to be caught by the toad grim reapers so young..."
Jiraiya-kun turned pale with fright. "I clearly used the Reverse Summoning Jutsu! How could I end up in the Land of the Dead? I, Lord Jiraiya, don't want to die so young..."
Then, he suddenly snapped out of it, his mouth twitching. "Old Monster, you're lying to me, aren't you? How could a grim reaper be a toad?"
Jiraiya-kun looked left and right. "And they're just an old man and an old lady toad."
Fukasaku and Shima looked at each other. "Two brats, the Great Elder requests your presence. Please enter!"
"Brats..." Masahiko's expression froze. He was nearly a hundred years old and yet he was being called a brat. However, looking at the two old toads who were nearly eight hundred years old, Masahiko endured it.
Masahiko entered the toad palace with a look of disdain, while Jiraiya-kun, who didn't dislike toads, looked quite normal.
Inside the palace, Masahiko finally saw the Great Toad Sage, who appeared to be a massive accumulation of Senjutsu chakra. He lay on a giant rattan chair, his eyes closed as if in a deep sleep.
Unlike Jiraiya-kun, who looked around like a curious child, Masahiko was not curious about the surroundings; his heart was filled with tension.
He wasn't worried that the Great Toad Sage would attack him—even if the difference in chakra was immense, the outcome of a battle would still be unpredictable. Masahiko was worried that because of his influence, the Great Toad Sage's prophecies might have changed.
In his past life, although the Great Toad Sage didn't appear often, every prophecy was successfully fulfilled, especially the prophecy concerning the Child of Prophecy.
"Young man, you have finally arrived." At some point, the Great Toad Sage had opened his eyes and was staring intently at Jiraiya-kun.
Jiraiya-kun, who had been looking around, was startled. He wiped away some sweat and whispered, "So he is alive..." Masahiko broke into a cold sweat for him.
Clearly, the Great Toad Sage ignored Jiraiya-kun's rudeness and spoke slowly. "Hundreds of years ago, I dreamed of the only prophecy concerning myself: that you would come to Mount Myōboku and sign a contract with our clan."
"A contract?" Jiraiya-kun was stunned. "Old Monster! You really were lying to me! This isn't the underworld at all!"
Masahiko was taken aback, stuck between laughter and tears. He had spoken so convincingly earlier that Jiraiya-kun had actually believed half of it.
"Fukasaku, go and fetch our clan's contract scroll."
"Yes, Great Elder."
"Hey, I haven't agreed yet..." Jiraiya-kun was only halfway through his sentence when Masahiko used gravity to shut his mouth, making him unable to speak.
Masahiko smiled. "Great Toad Sage, he agrees." Jiraiya-kun let out muffled "wuu wuu" sounds, unable to make a noise.
Hearing Masahiko's words, the Great Toad Sage finally turned his gaze toward him and pondered for a moment.
"Who are you?"
Masahiko's face darkened. What is going on? You called me here and then forgot who I am? He really is senile...
Beside him, Jiraiya-kun's body twitched. Masahiko was startled and quickly relaxed the gravitational force.
"Whew... whew! Old Monster, were you trying to kill me?"
Masahiko smiled awkwardly. He had been so distracted by the senile toad that he almost suffocated Jiraiya-kun.
The Great Toad Sage was still thinking. Beside him, Shima reminded him: "Great Elder, he is Masahiko Uzumaki. You are the one who called him here."
"Masahiko Uzumaki..." The Great Toad Sage paused. "I remember now."
Masahiko smiled. "Is there any prophecy about me? What am I like? The ender of tragedies, or a reliable old senior?"
"In my dream, you will fight a young man who possesses the same eyes as Hagoromo, bringing disaster and destruction."
Masahiko's smile slowly stiffened. "A young man with the Rinnegan? A battle? Disaster and destruction?"
"How is that possible..."
Masahiko's heart gradually sank. The one with the Rinnegan should be Madara. Does that mean Madara will successfully be resurrected, and he will be his future opponent?
"Why me? What about Naruto and Sasuke? Could the plot changes I made have erased them?"
Masahiko's mood was low, but then he froze. "Wait, Jiraiya-kun still came here. The Child of Prophecy..."
Just as Masahiko was about to ask for more details, the Great Toad Sage spoke again on his own. "I did not foresee the outcome of the battle. However, I can see that while you are fighting, fierce battles are also taking place in other locations."
"Is there more than one opponent?" Masahiko knit his brows. "Who is the other one? Obito...?"
"Impossible. If things go as expected, that shouldn't happen."
"Great Toad Sage, did you see clearly who my opponent is?" Masahiko hesitated for a moment before asking.
"It couldn't be Nagato or even Sasuke, could it...?" Masahiko muttered inwardly.
"I did not see the specific appearance clearly," the Great Toad Sage shook his head. "I only saw that he has black hair."
Masahiko's heart tightened. "It's not Nagato."
"And he also has hair buns on both sides." The Great Toad Sage's subsequent words caused his expression to change drastically.
"Hair buns? Who is that?" Many people flashed through Masahiko's mind, but not one of them fit the description.
"Possesses the Rinnegan, but it's not Madara or Sasuke..." Masahiko's mind was in turmoil. "As expected, I've changed the plot too much. I'm afraid something I don't know about is going to happen."
Beside him, Fukasaku Sage had already brought the contract scroll. Jiraiya-kun did not resist any further; he could tell from Masahiko's expression that this was likely a powerful summoning clan.
Jiraiya-kun's signing of the contract only brought Masahiko 10 Witness Points, but Masahiko didn't have the time to care about that.
"Who is it? Who could fight the future me and be evenly matched, as the Great Toad Sage implies?" Masahiko fell into deep thought.
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