The Great Toad Hermit's heavy silence seemed to be part of the prophecy itself. It weighed heavily, causing the hearts of those present to tighten into a tight knot of anxiety. Finally, the sage's ancient eyes settled on the guest.
"Jiraiya, return to Konoha," he rasped slowly. "The seat of the coming disaster is there. And remember: no matter what you see, do not dare interfere. Just leave."
With these words, he closed his eyes, sinking into his age-old slumber.
Jiraiya left Mount Myōboku with a heavy heart.
"Damn it... What could have happened? Konoha is the seat of disaster? No, I must return immediately!"
Summoning the last of his strength, he counter-summoned. The air around him distorted, and there he was, standing in the middle of an unfamiliar plain. The hermit's words echoed loudly in his head, but his heart, burning with anxiety, drove him forward. Jiraiya, a blur, took off, racing toward the borders of the Land of Fire.
"What kind of catastrophe could put the fate of the entire world at stake? It's unthinkable..."
A shinobi's speed erases distance. Soon, Jiraiya passed the Land of Rice Fields and penetrated deeper into the Land of Fire. The closer he got to Konoha, the stronger the ominous premonition grew. Soon he saw them—an endless stream of refugees, in whose haggard faces he recognized the inhabitants of his home village.
"Lord Jiraiya! You've returned!"
"What's going on here? Why did you leave the village? Where is your teacher?!" Jiraiya glared at the shinobi gathered around him.
They exchanged confused glances until Shikaku Nara, head of the Nara clan and one of Konoha's wisest men, stepped forward. His face was a gray mask of grief.
"Jiraiya... the Third Hokage... fell in battle," he muttered.
"What?!"
The world shook. Jiraiya stared at Shikaku in disbelief, unable to accept his words. His teacher... died? How?
Shikaku's voice, quiet and broken, told him a terrible story. The story of how Shimura Danzo, the "Darkness Shinobi," decided to finally eradicate the Uchiha clan. His plan, in a sense, succeeded, but it gave birth to a monster that all of Konoha's might could not contain.
"That madman unleashed the last of them, Uchiha Yue," Shikaku continued. "We thought we could stop him... But his power was inhuman. The village was drowned in blood. We lost hundreds of shinobi... and the Hokage."
"Uchiha Yue..." Jiraiya growled, clenching his fists until his knuckles cracked. "Danzo... That damned old fool! Why did he bother the Uchiha?! Why did he condemn Konoha to destruction?!"
There was no one left to blame, however. Shikaku explained that both Danzo himself and his entire Root unit had been destroyed by this Yue. The entire blame for the ruins their village had been reduced to lay on the shoulders of one man.
"Could this really be the universal catastrophe?" Jiraiya mused gloomily. "But how could a single, even maddened, Uchiha threaten the entire world?"
He couldn't comprehend it. No matter how strong a shinobi is, he's not a creature of nature.
"No... I must see it with my own eyes. He grew up in Konoha. Perhaps the Will of Fire still glimmers within him. His rage is merely a consequence of tragedy. Perhaps I can reach him... bring him to his senses."
With these words, Jiraiya was ready to rush toward the village.
"Don't you dare!" Shikaku grabbed his arm tightly. "You won't even get close to him! He's not a man, Jiraiya, he's a monster! The village needs a leader, not another martyr. Don't be impulsive!"
"We'll talk about the Hokage later," Jiraiya snapped, gently pulling his arm free. "How can you know for sure without trying?"
Seeing he couldn't be persuaded, Shikaku merely sighed heavily and assigned several jōnin to accompany him. He hoped the sight of Konoha's destruction would force the legendary hermit to retreat. Such power was beyond human control.
They stood atop the hill, and everyone caught their breath. Before them lay a world split in two. On one side, a vibrant, sunlit land. On the other, a realm of impenetrable darkness, spreading before their eyes. The boundary was unnaturally clear. An absolute, deathly silence emanated from the dark zone.
"His power is growing," one of the shinobi whispered in horror. "This area was smaller when we left... It's already beyond the village's borders."
Jiraiya took a deep breath, steeling himself, and rushed forward. A moment later, he stood at the very edge of the anomalous zone. To reason with or kill Uchiha Yue, he needed to confront him face to face. He knew this territory was draining his life force, but he was Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin. He had to hold out long enough to reach the center.
With that thought in mind, he stepped inside.
And then he froze. His expression twisted in shock. He felt chakra rushing out of his body in an unstoppable, all-consuming torrent. It was like a dam bursting—his life force was leaking out, and he couldn't stop it.
"Bad!"
With a lightning-fast leap, he leaped back. The shinobi who had rushed up to him immediately caught him.
"Lord Jiraiya, are you alright?"
"Alright..." he breathed out, shaking his head. His gaze was fixed on the spreading darkness. "I didn't think... its power was so monstrous."
He expected resistance, a leak, but not such a complete absorption. He couldn't resist it for a single second. If this is how it is at the very edge, then what is happening deep within? This is certain death.