"Cough cough cough—"
The continuous coughing made my chest feel heavy.
Jiraiya struggled to wake up in the darkness, and with the help of the dim light, he groped his way to sit up slowly on the narrow bed.
But as soon as he moved, he was struck by a tearing pain all over his body.
What's wrong?
Where are they now?
Jiraiya's memories were unusually chaotic, and his body felt cold. Only the moist and warm air made him relax a little, but he felt pain and fatigue all over his body.
"Little Jiraiya! Why are you sitting up!"
Just as he subconsciously wanted to leave and find a safe place, he heard a familiar, sharp, rhythmic voice coming from the doorway, followed by a series of pattering footsteps.
Upon hearing that voice, Jiraiya's tense nerves immediately relaxed by a third.
"Lord Shima?"
As soon as Jiraiya made a sound, he found that his voice was unusually hoarse and dull, and extremely difficult to hear, as if he had not drunk water to moisten his throat for a long time.
"So I was being clever all along?"
How did I get here?
"do not you remember?"
"Wen Tai said you were in danger, so he hurriedly came to me and the old man to bring you back through reverse communication."
"The way you looked when you first arrived, tsk, you were almost beyond saving."
Shima the Sage is a small toad with purple skin and lips. Despite his appearance, he has actually lived for over 800 years and is the second greatest toad in the entire Mount Myōboku after the Great Toad Sage. He is also one of Jiraiya's teachers.
However, in Jiraiya's eyes, she was no different from the old ladies on the street.
As Shima the Hermit spoke, he hopped and skipped onto his bed, smacking a bowl and a pestle in his hands, making a series of soft, cracking sounds as worms were squeezed by the pestle, and occasionally a little sauce would splatter out, all while gossiping and asking for news.
"In the current ninja world, is there really anyone who can push you to this extent?"
Following Shima Senjin's description, Jiraiya covered his head and gradually recalled what happened before he fainted.
Hiruzen-sensei, the main branch of the Hyuga clan, a mysterious young man with white hair, possesses incredible ninjutsu, and attacks that even the Nine-Tails cannot withstand.
"Oh no."
Jiraiya had just remembered all this when he forgot all the pain in his body and struggled to get out of bed again, groping for his clothes:
"Lord Shima, I must return to Konoha immediately!"
"Even if something really happened, it's too late for you to go back now!" Shima Sento's sidelong glances were irritating. "You've been lying here for almost half a month, what good will it do to go back now?"
"Lie down properly now."
"The old man went through a lot of trouble to sew your body back together. He'll be furious if he sees this!"
Upon hearing this, Jiraiya was taken aback.
It's been half a month already?
He looked down at his broken body.
Most of his body was covered in bandages, with fine stitches visible in the occasional exposed areas. His left arm and right leg were not very flexible, and even the slightest movement caused a tearing pain.
Looking at his body, Jiraiya lay down again, powerless, his eyes vacant.
In this state, even if I went back, I really wouldn't be of much help.
And it's been so long already.
Could it be that all the teachers are dead?
As if reading his mind, Shima Senjin casually said, "Don't worry, we know exactly what you're worried about."
"Someone went to check on Ye a while ago, and your village is perfectly fine."
"Jiraiya, the most important thing for you right now is to heal your injuries—replenishing your nutrition is crucial." "Ah, open your mouth!"
Upon hearing the first half of the sentence, a glimmer of light appeared in Jiraiya's empty eyes, and hope returned.
But upon hearing the second half of the sentence, he looked down at the half-eaten, wriggling worm in the bowl, thicker than his wrist, and his face immediately turned green.
"Lord Shima!"
"Don't come any closer!"
"You've been eating this for so long, why aren't you used to it yet? Open your mouth!"
Under Shima Senjin's forceful feeding, the large bowl of worms mixed with sauce was finally stuffed into Jiraiya's mouth until it was full of pus, making him feel nauseous.
However, with something in my stomach, I didn't feel as uncomfortable as I did at first.
Although the food here was not very palatable, the care provided by the Sage Shima was meticulous. After meals, there would be a series of medical ninjutsu treatments, and occasionally he would be allowed to get out of bed and move around.
Two or three days later, Jiraiya was almost able to move around freely again.
It will take some time before the bandages can be removed.
According to Shima and Fukasaku, when he first arrived, it was as if he had encountered a spatial turbulence, and his whole body was twisted and contorted.
If he can be cured, he's lucky to be alive.
Jiraiya recalled the last scene on the battlefield, and couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
Even now, he still can't figure out where the Hyuga clan found that strange-looking young man.
But when he tried to ask the Great Toad Immortal for some answers, the two immortals gave the same response as always.
"The old man is asleep, and we can't wake him up no matter what we do."
Left with no other choice, Jiraiya had to stay in Mount Myōboku and slowly recover from his injuries.
A few days later, just as he felt he had recovered enough and was preparing to return to Konoha, news suddenly arrived from Fukasaku's side that the Great Toad Sage had awakened.
"The ninja world is about to perish."
Upon first meeting Jiraiya, the ancient toad sage, so old that even lifting his eyelids was extremely difficult, suddenly spoke to him with an unprecedentedly serious expression.
Jiraiya was taken aback, then habitually said, "Great Toad Sage, I am Jiraiya. I know you are Little Jiraiya."
The Great Toad Immortal, who was always half-asleep and couldn't even recognize his own descendants, was completely different this time. He gestured for the man to listen to him continue:
"The collapse of this world is already a foregone conclusion."
"A new world is being born."
"What I said before about the 'child of prophecy' is no longer valid."
"With his limited power, he is no longer able to save the world."
"Fate has undergone a dramatic change."
Jiraiya was stunned.
After truly realizing that he was just an ordinary person with no ability to change this tragic world, Jiraiya devoted almost his entire life to finding and nurturing what he considered to be potential "children of prophecy."
The toad sage's intermittent dream prophecies were not merely a matter of a charlatan feigning ignorance for him; they negated most of his life.
What do you mean?
At that moment, he even forgot to use honorifics, staring intently at the dead toad in front of him, his fists clenched tightly.
"Jiraiya, I know you're angry, but don't be angry yet."
The Great Toad Sage spoke in his usual tone, but his words were unusually rational and coherent: "This dream has lasted for half a year, and the process and outcome predicted by the dream are constantly changing."
"Even I, an old man, cannot see what the person who is disrupting the world looks like, or even how he is overthrowing the world."
"The only thing that can be absolutely certain is that this world is destined to be destroyed."
"Ninjas will be wiped out from this world."
Upon hearing this result, Jiraiya's breath caught in his throat.
Are ninjas about to disappear?
What does this mean for him?
Jiraiya didn't need to think about this at all.
"Isn't there any way to save them? The Child of Prophecy, or someone else... If the power of the five great nations were to unite..."
He instinctively wanted to find a lifeline.
"I don't know either."
The Great Toad Sage pointed at him, then at himself: "Because, before you ninjas disappeared, the three holy lands had already been completely destroyed."
Jiraiya's mind went completely blank.
Not to mention ninjas, even sacred sites can't escape the fate of destruction?
So, what should he do?
Go and search for it.
As if seeing through his confused heart, the Great Toad Sage spoke thus: "Find the one who is about to destroy this world and create a new one."
"Stop him, or... give in to him."
"Whether it's for the fate of the Holy Land or for yourselves as ninjas."
"Please, Jiraiya."
Konoha, the home of the new Uchiha clan.
Uchiha Ryou sat in the captain's seat of the security team, reviewing documents that should have been handled by the captain himself.
His slightly short stature seemed somewhat out of place compared to the large desk, but no one ever said anything about it.
In less than two months, the Uchiha clan changed two clan leaders.
Now, he is the only one qualified to sit in this position.
However, even when he learned of Shisui's death, Uchiha Ryu remained very calm.
A fool like him, who is so blind to his own limitations, will eventually die by his own hand.
But when I put down my pen and looked out the window at the bright sunshine, I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of loss.
"Itachi-kun, are you there?"
Someone knocked on the door, and it was Quan's voice.
"Please come in."
Itachi Uchiha greeted him, but did not get up.
Uchiha Izumi brought tea and snacks into the office, thoughtfully placing them on his right side, while muttering to himself:
"Tomorrow should be the inauguration ceremony for the new clan chief. Remember to go home and rest early today, and don't skip dinner like you did yesterday."
"Lord Fugaku told me before he passed away that he wanted me to take good care of you."
"Thank you, Izumi."
Uchiha Ryu has now learned to smile naturally at those close to him, but his expression stiffens slightly when he hears that name that has begun to feel unfamiliar.
However, it doesn't seem to be a big deal.
Ultimately, this world will have to undergo the necessary changes, just as that adult said.
Those who stand in the way of history, whether it be oneself or one's father, are all destined to disappear sooner or later.
Uchiha Ryo had already prepared himself mentally.
Just as he picked up his teacup to take a sip, he noticed that Uchiha Izumi's attention had been drawn to the window, and she whispered, "Itachi! Look over there."
"Is that child Sasuke?"
Uchiha Ryou silently sipped his tea, his previously smiling expression gradually turning cold, and even his voice became flat:
"Ignore him."
"Wait?!"
Konoha Park.
Uchiha Sasuke ran all the way, fleeing from the clan's territory as if he were escaping, until he was panting heavily. Then he found a swing in the park, sat down, and slowly recovered his strength.
The moment that bastard's gaze fell on the window, Sasuke knew that his 137th assassination attempt had failed again.
The only saving grace is that even if that bastard catches him now, he won't send him to a mental hospital again.
Now even the hospital admits that he's no longer sick, so let's see what else he can do!
However, now that he no longer had to stay cooped up in the hospital, young Sasuke, who hadn't yet officially become a ninja, was about to face a new round of challenges.
9
A series of buzzing sounds came from my stomach.
The little guy, who had never had to worry about food or clothing since childhood, first glanced around nervously, and when he noticed that there was no one around, he started rubbing his stomach.
He has serious problems.
Because all the pocket money I brought from home has been spent.
But he didn't want to steal the money that bastard had earned himself.
Therefore, the problem of having nothing to eat naturally arose.
"How awful!"
"It's all that bastard's fault that I can't eat my mother's cooking!"
Sasuke's stomach rumbled, and he sounded a little aggrieved.
However, since that incident happened so long ago, he no longer cries easily just because he misses Zhe.
Just as he was wondering whether he should go into the forest to pick some fruit to fill his stomach or go to the Naga River to catch some fish to grill, he heard a cheerful voice calling out from behind him:
"Hey! You brat!"
"Are you also a one-person company?"