Time went by in a flash. Without Izanami's intervention, Naruto's life went through the same plot. He was sent to Team 7, with Kakashi as their teacher. Just like in the original work, he went through a whole month of doing boring D-class missions until they finally got a C-rank mission, all of which led to them fighting Zabuza in the Land of Waves.
However, unlike what was shown in the original plot, Naruto this time didn't need Kurama's power to complete this mission. Because this time, Naruto was strong enough to fight Zabuza to a draw with the help of Kakashi and Sasuke.
And at the end, Naruto didn't hesitate to use his greatest weapon to bring two rare talents back to Konoha. He threw more banknotes than any person had ever seen at the two of them, making these two poor rogue ninjas defect to his side immediately. Facing a literal mountain of cash, all their thoughts of fighting completely vanished.
And just like that, Naruto managed to bring a great bodyguard and a great mascot for his booming auction house business. Zabuza was perfect for keeping any troublemakers in line, while Haku's pretty face was the best tool to attract customers.
When Izanami heard this news, she was very happy about it that she even gave the barely surviving toad clan to Naruto as a group of pets. Yes, that's right, she gave the newly conquered toad clan that had sages to Naruto as a gift.
To Naruto, this was the ultimate jackpot. He didn't care about the history of Mount Myōboku or how legendary these creatures used to be. In his eyes, a toad was just a toad, but a toad gifted by Izanami was a golden business opportunity!
Well, this is because he saw many other animal tribes in Izanami's shadow. And each of these tribes is far stronger than the toad clan, making him lose the reverence one has for one of the Three Great Sage Lands.
He immediately put the smaller toads at the front doors of the auction house, dressing them up in tiny suits to bow and greet the wealthy merchants. The giant warrior toads, who used to wield massive swords, were now forced to carry heavy boxes of treasure and act as delivery mounts for VIP clients.
As for the ancient toad sages, Shima and Fukasaku? Naruto found the perfect role for them. Because of their unique, wrinkled looks and old voices, he put them on display inside glass showcases as "rare talking artifacts" to attract massive crowds.
And just like that, Naruto's auction house became more popular. After all, no ninja had ever seen such a luxurious line of. Especially in Konoha, where the three great sage lands are very revered because of the three Sanins.
The proud toad clan could only weep silently in their hearts. After all they are now at their weakest moment, with 80% of the sage toads being in deep sleep and injured. And what's more, the terror that Izanami caused them to have nightmares every day.
When Jiraiaya found out about this, he was silent. Then, using his excellent espionage skills honed by peeping into bathhouses for many years, he sneaked inside the auction and found Fukasaku to learn about what happened.
When Jiraiya heard the complete story, he fell silent. In one hand, he wanted to go and storm into Izanami's place and ask her why she was this ruthless, but in the other hand, he didn't dare to appear in front of her after she gave him a death order.
He still remembered the terrifying killing intent Tsunade gave towards him the last time he had gone to provoke Izanami. He didn't doubt for a second whether Tsunade's fists would come straight at his face if Izanami decided to cut the village's funding because of him. To Tsunade, money and the village's economy were way more important than his perverted old life.
So, the great Toad Sage could only sit in a dark corner of a tavern, drinking his sorrows away in complete helplessness. His beloved Mount Myōboku was gone, his contract summons were now acting as circus animals and door greeters for an auction house, and he couldn't do a single thing about it.
And what made him worse was that the one who owned the auction house was his own godson. For a moment, Jiraiaya wondered what he should do.
Unable to make a decision, he decided to go to the nearby pub to drown his sorrows with alcohol. He didn't go back home until the shop closed, but even then, he just slept right on the shop doorstep and didn't go back to his own place.
The moment he woke up the next morning, he would stumble right back into the bar and drink himself senseless all over again. Day after day, the legendary Toad Sage became nothing more than a pathetic, smelly drunk clinging to a bottle.
This went for three whole days until a team of Anbu ninjas came to take away Jiriaya towards the Hokage office.
When Jiraiya was dragged into the Hokage office by the Anbu, he looked completely pathetic. His clothes were stained with stale sake, his hair was a messy nest, and he reeked of alcohol and the cold street floor.
Tsunade sat behind her desk, a vein literally popping on her forehead as she glared at the miserable-looking Toad Sage. The office was suffocatingly tense. She had been buried under a massive mountain of paperwork for three days straight, completely alone, while this idiot was out drinking himself senseless despite promising to help her.
BANG!
Tsunade slammed her fist onto the desk, instantly shattering the heavy wood down the middle and sending papers flying everywhere. The Anbu ninjas holding Jiraiya flinched and immediately retreated a step.
"JIRAIYA!" Tsunade roared, her golden eyes flashing with pure rage. "You absolute bastard! You stood me up for three whole days! I've been cracking my skull open with these village budgets while you were face-down in your own vomit outside a pub?! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't break every single bone in your body right now!"
Jiraiya didn't even flinch. He didn't make a perverted joke, and he didn't try to laugh it off like he usually did. He just stood there, looking completely hollow, his eyes glued to the floor.
"Mount Myōboku is gone, Tsunade," Jiraiya said, his voice completely flat, drained of any emotion. "The toad clan is enslaved. Fukasaku-sama and Shima-sama are now treated as slaves working in Naruto's auction house. The whole clan has been reduced to a bunch of slaves."
The roaring rage in the room instantly vanished.
Tsunade's fist remained raised in the air, but her entire body froze. The furious expression on her face stiffened, her jaw tightening as the words sank in. She stared at her old teammate, looking for any sign of a bad joke, but Jiraiya's broken appearance spoke the absolute truth.
Slowly, she lowered her fist. The anger was gone, replaced by a cold, heavy silence that filled the ruined office.
"What... did you just say?" Tsunade muttered, her voice dropping to a low whisper.
"I sneaked in. I talked to Fukasaku-sama myself," Jiraiya chuckled weakly, a bitter, self-deprecating sound. "They're broken, Tsunade. Eighty percent of the sage toads are injured or in a deep sleep. Izanami completely crushed them and gave them to Naruto as a business gift. "
Tsunade sank back into her chair, her face turning pale. She knew Izanami was terrifying, but to completely dismantle one of the Three Great Sage Lands and turn it into a public attraction for a kid's auction house... it was a level of ruthlessness that made a chill run down her spine.
She looked at Jiraiya, seeing the deep, agonizing pain in his eyes. Mount Myōboku wasn't just a summon contract to him; it was his second home, the place that raised him. Among all of them, Jiraiya had the best connection with his summoning clan. So such a reality dealt a heavy blow to him.
"Jiraiya..." Tsunade started, the fury completely drained from her system, leaving her just as exhausted as him. She rubbed her temples, looking at the scattered papers on the floor. "I... I didn't know."
"Now you know," Jiraiya whispered, leaning against the wall as if his legs could no longer support him. "I don't know what to do, Tsunade. Should I hate my own godson? Should I risk my life to free them? Every time I think about doing something, I hesitate as I don't want to conflict with both parties."
"And you are very wise to keep it that way."
The temperature in the Hokage office instantly plummeted to absolute zero.
Both Tsunade and Jiraiya froze. The shadow in the corner of the room suddenly rippled like water, expanding across the floor until the very light in the room seemed to be swallowed whole.
*******
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