Chapter 142 – The Failed Prophecy and the Sage of Six Paths' Pawn Theory
"Miss Ninja, we meet again."
Renji looked at Konan with interest. A few days ago, he'd noticed her departure and assumed she likely wouldn't be coming back—at least not anytime soon.
But to his surprise, it hadn't been long, and Konan had returned again.
Had she decided to stay?
But why was she alone?
"My name is Konan."
Konan had originally considered using an alias, but after some thought, she found it unnecessary—especially since she'd heard that Jiraiya had left the village again to resume his travels.
Though most people had chosen to stay in Konoha, Jiraiya remained restless, eager to gather material and see whether the prophecy would truly come to pass.
Another reason was that he'd spent too much time in the village, and with Konoha's rapid expansion, many facilities were still incomplete.
There had been several complaints about a village peeping tom, and it wasn't hard for people to guess who it was. The moment Tsunade received word, she brought people over and gave Jiraiya a good beating, promising the village's women that if Jiraiya ever tried peeking again, she'd personally deal with him.
So, with no more peeping opportunities, Jiraiya simply chose to travel once more.
After his departure, the last trace of concern Konan had was gone. Had Jiraiya still been in the village, she would have feared him recognizing her identity.
Which would have inevitably dragged Nagato and Yahiko into the mess—something she absolutely wanted to avoid.
"So, Konan, does that mean you've decided to stay?"
Renji was curious—what had made her come to this decision?
"Yes. I want to see if what you said will actually come true. Do you have any job recommendations?"
As Konan spoke, she couldn't help but recall what Nagato had told her before she left.
She needed to climb higher—to see things more clearly.
But how could an outsider like her possibly rise to a high position?
Surely, if they were going to employ anyone, it would be locals from Konoha or the Mist who had already pledged allegiance—not someone like her with an unknown background.
"What are you good at? You could also register as a ninja and take missions!"
Renji thought for a moment. Since Konan had chosen to stay, he naturally welcomed her.
After all, Konan served as a bridge between himself and Nagato. Her being here likely had to do with intelligence gathering.
Konan's arrival was, in a way, a sign of Nagato's trust. Given how important she was to him, he normally wouldn't allow her to take such a risk unless he believed this was worth it.
And since she was planning to work here, it likely meant a long-term stay.
Renji had an idea—he'd have to work on gradually winning Konan over during this period.
"I no longer wish to be a ninja. I'm tired of killing."
Back in the Land of Rain, Konan had already disliked bloodshed. Though her hands were stained with blood,
she had never truly desired to kill. In Amegakure, she was called an angel for a reason—her nature was kind.
Now that she was in Konoha, she certainly didn't want to live as a ninja.
"No more killing?"
Renji paused and asked instinctively, "Then what do you want to do?"
"Is there any administrative work or something I can do within the village?"
Konan thought for a moment and offered her preferences.
Since she wanted to gather real intel, staying inside the village was the best option.
"Then how about becoming my secretary? I just so happen to need one."
Recently, Shikaku had been promoted and was no longer assisting as the Hokage's advisor. Renji currently had no one to help manage documents.
Most of the paperwork he received involved civilian matters, while major issues were handled by the five decision-makers and Shikaku's group. They would only come to him after they reached consensus—never leaving sensitive information in documents.
This way, there'd be no risk of intelligence leaks. Konan could work for him while staying close, and he'd gradually use his "talk-no-jutsu" to change her mindset.
"Are you sure?"
Konan's expression became strange—she could hardly believe it. She remembered what Nagato had told her before she left: to rise as high as she could and try to get close to the upper ranks. Back then, she had insisted it wouldn't be that simple.
After all, there was no reason for them to use an outsider when they had their own people. She had expected to spend several years in deep cover before getting anywhere near the middle ranks.
Yet now, he'd directly offered her a secretary position?
It might not be a top position, but seeing Renji daily probably granted her even more access than the higher-ups.
"Yes. It's just paperwork. The pay's good. I was about to open applications anyway. Oh—and it's not just you. It'll be a full secretary team."
Renji nodded. Due to the merger, one secretary wouldn't be enough. He needed a full staff.
Shikaku had already been screening candidates for him.
"Alright then."
Konan hesitated for a moment, but with the opportunity in front of her, there was no reason not to accept.
And so, Konan agreed.
"Great. Come with me, then. The others have arrived today. Let's meet them together."
Renji was quite curious about the candidates Shikaku had picked for him.
He brought Konan to the old Hokage office building, which had now been expanded several times over.
He opened the door.
The first person inside was Samui. Not bad—Shikaku clearly knew his preferences.
Second was Kurotsuchi. She glared at Renji with dissatisfaction. She had been forced into the role by her grandfather and was not happy—but couldn't resist it either.
Third was Shizune. Tsunade had assigned her, stating she didn't want to keep her around anymore.
Fourth was Chiyo.
"You don't look pleased. What a pity—our village doesn't have many young, pretty girls."
Chiyo chuckled, teasing Renji based on his expression. Renji quickly waved his hands and said, "Not at all! Older women bring stability and wisdom. An elder at home is a true treasure."
The fifth was the former Mizukage's aide.
It seemed each of the five villages had sent one representative. Along with Konan behind him, the six of them formed Renji's secretary team.
"Orochimaru, how much longer do you need?"
Zetsu and Obito handed over the latest batch of materials to Orochimaru. He had been working continuously on the Edo Tensei experiments.
Both Obito and Zetsu knew too much. Their knowledge had filled in the gaps in Orochimaru's own research.
"It's not working—the Fourth can't be revived."
Orochimaru shook his head. He had tried, but aside from the Fourth Hokage, all others could be revived.
Was it because of the Reaper Death Seal?
The soul had been consumed by the Death God, making resurrection impossible.
"We need the Uzumaki clan's secret technique. Find that mask and cut open the Death God's belly to release the soul."
Zetsu said calmly.
He was a thousand-year-old monster. What didn't he know?
It was only because he couldn't learn ninjutsu that he had resorted to schemes.
If he'd had bloodline limits, he wouldn't have needed conspiracies over the centuries. With those abilities, he could've carried out the plan himself.
"You can do that? Zetsu, you sure know a lot."
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with excitement. Hearing Zetsu's explanation only convinced him further that these two were no ordinary individuals. Through Obito's mask, Orochimaru thought he saw a flash of red light—was that a Sharingan?
"Is this guy also from the Uchiha clan?"
"Orochimaru, I'm warning you—don't get any funny ideas. Everything you know now is because we provided it. Without cooperating with us, you won't get what you want."
Zetsu spoke coolly.
Was Orochimaru targeting Obito?
If so, he was in for a rude awakening.
"Hehe, just give me a little time to study the technique you mentioned. Also, give me a few White Zetsu samples—I think I have an idea of how to proceed."
Orochimaru was a genius in the truest sense. Everything Kabuto knew was built upon the foundation Orochimaru had laid.
Without Orochimaru, Kabuto's entire body of work would never have been possible.
As the originator, Orochimaru naturally knew how to move forward.
And this research-based lifestyle satisfied him immensely. He had always hungered for knowledge.
Until he unraveled everything, Orochimaru had no intention of turning on them.
Besides, if he really wanted to obtain that power, cooperation was the only path forward.
"Great Toad Sage, it seems your prophecy didn't go quite as expected—Renji has already unified the ninja world."
After leaving Konoha, Jiraiya went to visit the Great Toad Sage.
The ninja world was already unified—completely contrary to the prophecy, and this left Jiraiya deeply confused.
"Little Jiraiya, are you saying Konoha has unified the entire ninja world?!"
Fukasaku's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Jiraiya. How long had it even been? And Konoha had already unified everything?
Not even Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara had achieved such a feat.
"Yeah, the ninja world is unified now. I feel like the whole 'Child of Prophecy' thing might've been wrong."
Jiraiya scratched his head, troubled. He'd spent his entire life chasing that prophecy—and now it seemed it was all a mistake.
So where was this so-called Child of Prophecy?
"The prophecy failed?"
The Great Toad Sage slowly opened its eyes, gazing deeply at Jiraiya.
Its predictions had never failed before—but based on what Jiraiya said, it seemed they had this time.
Why had this happened?
Back when Jiraiya had used the Summoning Technique, he'd been reverse-summoned to Mount Myōboku.
According to the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, the Child of Prophecy was Jiraiya's student, destined to bring peace—or destruction—to the ninja world.
Yet peace had now arrived, and the person responsible wasn't Jiraiya's student. That certainly diverged from the prophecy.
"Exactly. Now I've got nothing to do anymore."
Jiraiya had roamed the world for years in search of the Child of Prophecy.
He had first believed Nagato to be that child.
But over time, he realized that probably wasn't the case. So many years had passed—Nagato and the others had long vanished.
"Impossible... How strange."
The Great Toad Sage frowned. Its prophecies had never failed. And yet this one, involving Jiraiya, seemed to have gone completely awry.
"Well, so be it. Let it fail. Little Jiraiya, maybe it's time for you to finally enjoy your life. There's no need to chase after that elusive Child of Prophecy anymore."
Since the prophecy had failed, the Great Toad Sage simply decided to let it go.
It was surprising, but at least the child hadn't come from one of the other two Sage Lands. After all, the Three Great Sage Lands had always been in quiet competition.
Long ago, it had chosen the Sage of Six Paths and succeeded. With the founding of the Ninja Sect, Mount Myōboku had risen to unprecedented prominence in the ninja world.
Though Shikkotsu Forest never cared, Ryūchi Cave's inhabitants had never given up.
"Well then, I'll be heading off now."
Jiraiya had come here only to share his doubts with the Great Toad Sage.
Now that even the Sage had told him not to dwell on it, he saw no reason to linger.
Perhaps the prophecy truly had failed. After all, how could someone like him—a hopeless case—ever produce a student capable of changing the world?
After Jiraiya left, the two elder sages departed as well. A shadowy figure silently entered the Great Toad Sage's temple.
The moment it appeared, the Sage's cloudy eyes widened in shock. It stared at the figure and said:
"I never imagined... after all these years, I'd see you again."
The Sage of Six Paths.
Even the Great Toad Sage was surprised. It had assumed it would never meet him again in its lifetime.
Though it could sense his presence all these years, the Sage had shown no intention of coming.
Now, with his sudden arrival, the Great Toad Sage couldn't help but wonder—had something gone wrong?
"Your prophecy wasn't wrong. The one meant to change everything was never supposed to be Uchiha Renji."
The Sage of Six Paths directly addressed the topic Jiraiya and the Great Toad Sage had just been discussing.
The prophecy hadn't failed—the one destined to bring change was indeed Jiraiya's disciple.
"Oh? You had it all arranged?"
The Great Toad Sage was intrigued. Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo—this guy had been dead for centuries and was still pulling the strings of the ninja world?
Then again...
Wasn't it doing the same?
The Great Toad Sage chuckled to itself.
"The one meant to change everything should have been Ashura and Indra. But now, even their life trajectories have changed drastically. Originally, Jiraiya was supposed to take Ashura as his disciple and then form a contract with Mount Myōboku."
Ultimately, he had wanted his own children to be the ones to change the world.
This age-old problem was meant to be resolved by the original Ashura and Indra.
But as he watched from the Pure Land after his death, Hagoromo saw them continue to fight endlessly. So he chose to remain, observing the world and trying to guide reconciliation.
During the time of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, he thought the destined struggle had finally ended—but unexpectedly, Madara chose to follow Indra's path again.
That made the Sage of Six Paths realize his plan had gone awry.
And what happened next was beyond his expectations—Madara awakened the Rinnegan and began planning the Eye of the Moon.
That plan would lead to the resurrection of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
The Sage of Six Paths realized his mother had left behind a hidden contingency. After Madara's death, he quickly arranged for Ashura and Indra to reincarnate once again.
He didn't know who was hiding in the shadows of the ninja world—but he knew he couldn't sit back and do nothing. If Kaguya were to emerge from her seal, it would spell disaster for the ninja world.
The Sage of Six Paths always believed this world belonged to him. He would not allow it to be destroyed.
The ninja world needed balance. Conflict was tolerable—but an external force like the Ōtsutsuki clan would bring ruin.
That was why he had spent years cultivating the Pure Land—so that if disaster struck, he could act.
As for the so-called prophecy... in truth, it had all been orchestrated. Only others were unaware.
[End of Chapter]
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