Chapter 322: Investigation
"Prophecy, huh..."
The Great Toad Sage murmured softly, as if trying to recall something.
Everyone—man and toad alike—quietly waited in place. But as time passed, the two who knew the Great Toad Sage best, Fukasaku and Shima, suddenly realized: the sage wasn't lost in deep thought—he had simply spaced out again.
When he wasn't sleeping, he was always like this.
"Ahem, Great Toad Sage, little Jiraiya and little Tonari are waiting to hear your prophecy," Fukasaku coughed lightly to remind him.
"Oh, oh." The Great Toad Sage shuddered slightly and returned to the moment.
He looked at Tonari once more, but instead of starting the prophecy, he asked, "The little fox and the little cat—they're inside you, right?"
Little fox and little cat?
Naturally, he was referring to Kurama, the Nine-Tails, and the Two-Tails, both sealed inside Tonari. Probably no one else in the world dared to refer to them like that.
Tonari nodded. "Yes, they are."
The Great Toad Sage gave a grandfatherly smile. "Watch over them carefully. Don't let them be taken away."
Tonari's eyes narrowed. "Great Toad Sage… did you dream something important?"
This time, the old toad didn't hesitate. Slowly, he said,
"Dark clouds will soon cover the clear skies.
People from the past will begin to appear one by one.
The course of the world has drastically changed.
The Child of Prophecy has vanished without a trace.
And a youth from another world will embrace the power of the nine beasts."
Next to him, Jiraiya looked completely bewildered. Even Fukasaku and Shima, who were well-versed in the sage's riddles, couldn't grasp what he meant.
But Tonari's eyes narrowed sharply—he understood.
His heart stirred uncontrollably.
Everything else could be rationalized, but that phrase—"a youth from another world"—struck deep.
Because Tonari knew, better than anyone, his greatest secret:
He didn't belong to this world.
Yet this Great Toad Sage… somehow sensed it.
At that moment, Tonari found himself questioning:
Can I really raise the ninja cat clan to become one of the Great Summoning Lands like Mount Myōboku?
Not just in scale—this old toad's mysterious ability alone far surpassed any ordinary summoning beast.
Everyone remained lost in thought, parsing the prophecy.
"The Child of Prophecy has vanished… vanished…"
Jiraiya kept repeating it, then looked at the sage in disbelief.
"Great Toad Sage, do you mean the Child of Prophecy is gone? Or… did he die?"
"Mm…"
But the sage didn't give a clear answer. He simply gave a faint hum, then his breathing slowed. It seemed he had fallen asleep again.
"Great Toad Sage! Great Toad Sage!" Jiraiya called out in a panic.
But Fukasaku and Shima stepped in to stop him.
"Little Jiraiya, no need to call. Once the Great Toad Sage sleeps, no shouting will wake him. If you want answers, wait for next time," Fukasaku explained.
"Yes, little Jiraiya. He waited a long time for you and little Tonari to arrive," Shima added.
"But... what does it mean that the Child of Prophecy has disappeared?" Jiraiya looked devastated.
It was understandable. Ever since he first came to Mount Myōboku, Jiraiya had dedicated his life to the search for the one spoken of in the Great Toad Sage's prophecy.
To him, that child was his life's purpose.
Tonari also remained deep in thought.
"Little Jiraiya," Fukasaku spoke up, "if you don't understand, why not ask little Tonari? This prophecy was mostly directed at him."
Jiraiya's eyes lit up. "Tonari, do you understand what the Great Toad Sage was saying?"
Tonari's contemplation was broken. He glanced at Jiraiya and sighed, understanding the older man's urgency.
"It's not that hard to interpret. The prophecy says a terrifying force is preparing to destroy—or consume—this world. And because events are unfolding sooner than expected, the Child of Prophecy hasn't had time to grow." Tonari placed his hands on the table, expression grave.
"And what about people from the past reappearing?" Jiraiya asked again.
"Those likely refer to people who are dead—or should be dead. Like Uchiha Madara, who recently fought me."
Jiraiya's face turned serious.
He hadn't witnessed the battle in person, but rumors of Tonari's fight with Madara had reached even the front lines.
"Madara… He really didn't die?" Jiraiya asked hesitantly.
Tonari shook his head, then nodded. "I thought he was dead. But after hearing this prophecy… it seems he might still be alive. Or perhaps he died… and came back to life."
"Revived? No one has that kind of power… unless—"
Jiraiya's pupils shrank. A sudden thought struck him.
He turned to leave—but Tonari held him back.
"I know what you're thinking. But it's too dangerous. Let me handle it. What you need to do now is bring Tsunade back."
"Tsunade?" Jiraiya froze.
"She's been gone from Konoha too long. It's time for her to return. If this prophecy is right, a major disaster will hit this world within three years. Konoha needs her strength."
Jiraiya fell silent, torn between two urgent missions.
"These two things… they're not equal," Jiraiya thought. But his heart couldn't decide.
"You might not know," Jiraiya said slowly. "After the Second Great Ninja War, I took on three disciples in the Land of Rain. One of them…"
Tonari stood, slowly removing his white Hokage robe. "I know. The Rinnegan."
"You know about the Rinnegan?!"
"That's why I said—leave this to me. I understand the risks far better than you. Your job is to bring Tsunade back."
Beneath the robe, Tonari now wore his battle gear.
"Have someone call Lord Shikaku and Shikamaru."
A voice responded from the corner. "Yes!"
Soon after, the Nara father and son duo arrived.
Tonari and Jiraiya didn't share the prophecy with them. It was still uncertain, after all—not something to spread.
But as Hokage, Tonari was entitled to make key decisions.
He reversed the postwar policy of delaying graduation for Academy students. If they were strong enough, they could graduate early.
Though confused, the Naras trusted Tonari—and nodded.
"That's all. I'll be away for a while. If anything happens, you can speak to my shadow clone."
"Pervy old man—Tsunade's in your hands. I'm heading to Sunagakure, but I'll investigate along the way. Don't let her down."
With that, Tonari left quietly.
...
Arriving once again in the Land of Rain, Tonari noticed the clouds were darker than ever. Oppressive.
Two Root agents met him.
"Hokage-sama!"
Tonari nodded. "Anything unusual in Amegakure?"
They reported everything as normal—but the Akatsuki side had grown more guarded and defensive. Any attempt to cross their boundary was met with immediate response.
Tonari narrowed his eyes. He moved forward, Root agents in tow.
"If Nagato and Yahiko still end up being manipulated by Black Zetsu and Obito after all this, then I really give up," he thought bitterly.
He had saved Yahiko precisely to prevent Nagato from falling.
And yet… if the prophecy and the recent intel were right, Akatsuki might have already fallen into enemy hands.
That thought annoyed him.
He even regretted not killing Nagato back then.
But realistically… he wasn't sure he could've won.
A fully awakened Rinnegan Nagato? That was a force even Kurama Mode Naruto and Killer Bee couldn't take lightly.
And Tonari… wasn't someone who killed for pleasure.
He only eliminated obstacles.
But Nagato wasn't an enemy then. He was still a young man fighting for his ideals.
Well… truth be told—
Tonari just didn't think he could win at the time.
Not against a peak Rinnegan user like Nagato.
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