During their escape, Sarutobi Hiruzen and his group were unsurprisingly pursued. Sasuke didn't make a move himself—instead, he ordered the former Konoha shinobi who had pledged loyalty to the daimyō to carry out the attack, as a show of fealty.
Those poor Konoha ninja were forced to slaughter their own comrades. But what did that matter? Sasuke hadn't even made them kill their own parents yet.
With Jiraiya escorting them and the defectors intentionally going easy, Sarutobi Hiruzen successfully escaped with his people.
Sasuke remained silent the entire time, simply watching coldly as Jiraiya summoned a giant toad. Unnoticed, a faint trace of demonic energy quietly coiled around it.
...
While fleeing through the forest, Hiruzen encountered Hyūga Neji. Up until now, the Hyūga clan hadn't shown themselves at all—this confirmed it. The Hyūga were finished.
Neji laid waste to the group with a brutal flurry of strikes, but thanks to timely intervention by the Sarutobi Clan's ape summons and the toads from Mount Myōboku, the survivors managed to get away. Neji didn't give chase. After all, the real reckoning would come later—there was no need to rush it.
Hiruzen and the others hid in the remote mountains, while Jiraiya made his way to Mount Myōboku.
"Great Toad Sage, you summoned me here so suddenly—does something urgent require my attention? Or… have you seen something strange in the future again?" Jiraiya asked, weariness and seriousness weighing heavily in his voice.
As the contract holder of Mount Myōboku, Jiraiya held deep respect and trust for the Toad Sages. He believed in the Great Toad Sage's prophecies without question.
Previously, the Great Toad Sage had spoken of a "Child of Prophecy," destined to bring lasting peace to the shinobi world. Jiraiya had once thought that person was Namikaze Minato. Unfortunately, Minato died during the Nine-Tails incident. He had ended the Third Great Ninja War but couldn't bring true peace.
Over the past few years, Jiraiya had wandered the world—searching not only for Orochimaru but also for that prophesied child.
"I've seen a vague vision of the future again," the Great Toad Sage said slowly. "War… has vanished."
Jiraiya brightened momentarily—only to hear the rest.
"But peace isn't the reason. War vanished because nearly all living beings have gone extinct. With no one left to fight, there is no war."
Jiraiya froze, face twisting with exaggerated disbelief.
"That… what… How is that even possible?!"
"My powers of foresight have been interfered with by an unknown force. All I can see in my dreams is a blood-red world, barren and unfit for life," the Great Toad Sage said, his voice heavy with sorrow. "Jiraiya… you must find the source of this apocalypse and stop it before it's too late. I suspect the disaster originates from the sea. Beyond that, I can say no more. The rest is up to you."
Jiraiya's expression turned grave. He knew the Great Toad Sage had lived for over a thousand years and was not one to speak lightly. But this was a burden almost too great to bear. All he could do was mutter, dry-mouthed,
"Understood."
Fukasaku and Shima, the elder toads, gave Jiraiya a few more careful instructions before sending him back.
"What a turbulent time we live in…" Fukasaku sighed.
"Indeed…" the Great Toad Sage murmured, deeply worried. "To see the future comes with a price. And speaking it aloud may cost even more. After I shared those words with young Jiraiya just now… I suddenly felt a deep and ominous foreboding…"
"Don't scare me like that, Old Sage!" Shima croaked anxiously.
The Great Toad Sage remained silent, his mind drifting to a tale from the ancient past.
A prophet once foresaw that a certain boy would one day become a destroyer of worlds. Hearing this, the mighty of the land hunted the boy relentlessly, slaughtering almost all his loved ones along the way. In the end, the boy snapped… and decided to end the world.
Prophecy is both cause and effect.
...
While the toad sages sat deep in worried conversation, the air within the Toad Palace suddenly rippled and trembled violently, like waves surging across a pond.
"What's going on?!" Shima exclaimed.
"Something's forcing its way into Mount Myōboku!" Fukasaku shouted. Just as the words left his mouth, the air cracked like shattered glass, revealing a hidden and ancient pathway.
A young man emerged, stepping into the sacred land of Mount Myōboku.
He wore a long black robe. His hair was loose and dark. His face—handsome yet laced with an undeniable aura of corruption. One glance made it clear—he did not come in peace.
Fukasaku and Shima glared furiously at the intruder.
"Who are you? Why have you invaded Mount Myōboku?!"
Uchiha Shiran said nothing.
As a vessel for the true demon, this false identity had not appeared in a long time. He had remained buried in the cold depths of the ocean for what felt like ages. Compared to that, Mount Myōboku was practically a paradise. What a lucky bunch of toads, finding a land with such perfect energy flow.
The Great Toad Sage, whose eyes were usually closed in slumber, slowly opened them. He stared at Shiran with rare seriousness.
"Sage…" Fukasaku murmured. It was the first time he'd seen the Great Toad Sage so solemn.
The Great Toad Sage tried using his prophetic sight to peer into Shiran's being. But due to the effects of [Concealment], he could not see the demon's true form—nor even glimpse into Uchiha Shiran's physical body. It was all an empty void, an illusion.
"Are you human?" the old sage asked, his ancient voice laced with astonishment. Before him stood a being untouched by the past or future, unstained by karma—a phenomenon of nature itself.
But the Great Toad Sage did not believe such an existence was truly possible. Hence, he asked.
"Am I human? Hard to say," Shiran replied with a smile. "But you certainly aren't. What I've always wondered is this—you toads live hidden away in this secluded pocket of the world, detached from shinobi conflicts. So why do you keep intervening to help Konoha?"
"Old man," Shima muttered, glancing sideways at Fukasaku, "this guy's not right in the head. Should we just take him down now?"
"Wait. Let's hear what the Sage has to say," Fukasaku whispered back.
The Great Toad Sage didn't answer Shiran's question. Instead, he replied with one of his own.
"Why have you come to Mount Myōboku? We've always welcomed those fated to find their way here. If you have a request, speak it plainly."
He couldn't see through Shiran's nature and thus didn't dare provoke him. Better to try a diplomatic approach.
He had always treated the unknown with reverence and caution. Long ago, when he was just a tadpole, the Rabbit Goddess Kaguya descended from the heavens. Her arrival brought calamity to all life. It was through caution and respect that he earned the trust of her son.
The Sage of Six Paths killed his own mother—but who could say how much influence that little toad, Gamamaru, had in the outcome?
"A request?" Shiran chuckled, stepping forward. "I'd like to borrow your life for a bit. Would you be so kind as to hand it over?"
With that, a tidal wave of demonic energy erupted from his body.
"Old man!" Shima shouted in alarm, turning to Fukasaku. "Now!"
Senjutsu chakra surged in an instant. Layers of deep, resonant toad-song spread through the air.
This was their signature technique—Genjutsu: Toad Confrontation Chant, a powerful illusion on par with the Sharingan's might.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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