"The Child of Prophecy. Only he can save everything."
Gamamaru gently tapped his cane on the ground, speaking with great certainty. "In my dream prophecy, I saw a boy with green eyes playing joyfully with the Nine Tails. That is the Child of the Prophecy. And one day in the future, he will be born in Konoha. That's why I came here."
So that's how it was.
Gamamaru had come for the Child of the Prophecy.
"But your prophecy seems inaccurate. Heiyan already proved that. Who knows whether this so-called prophecy is just a cover?"
Tsunade still refused to believe Gamamaru's words. She stared intensely at him and questioned sharply.
"Listen. I feel deeply sorry about Heiyan's death. I have always carried a heavy sense of guilt toward him."
Gamamaru sighed, paused for a moment, then made another shocking statement:
"Therefore, I'm going to bring Heiyan back to life."
"What?!"
As soon as those words were spoken, Tsunade instantly lost her composure. Both Fugaku and Hiashi shot upright in their beds. They stared at Gamamaru in shock, their minds reeling over what he had just said.
Bring Heiyan back to life.
For those in the room, the significance of those words didn't need to be explained.
Under the watchful eyes of the Konoha group, Gamamaru smiled slightly and took out an amulet.
On this amulet were densely packed seal characters resembling tadpoles, with the character 'Immortal Sage' clearly marked in the center, emitting extremely powerful natural energy fluctuations.
"This is Mount Myoboku's supreme treasure—the Immortal Sage Talisman. By using it on a deceased person, they can obtain immense sage power and return from the underworld."
Gamamaru held up the talisman, explaining carefully to Tsunade and others, "Long ago, when Hamura Otsutsuki was killed by his mother Kaguya, Hagoromo Otsutsuki came to me for help. I gave him this Immortal Sage Talisman, allowing him to revive his younger brother..."
Recalling past events, Gamamaru went on to describe in vivid detail how he once fought alongside Hagoromo and Hamura to save the world of shinobi.
By now, even Tsunade no longer doubted Gamamaru's words.
Or rather, if bringing Heiyan back was possible, she had no choice but to believe Gamamaru—and believe in miracles.
"There is, however, one condition," Gamamaru suddenly changed tone after finishing his story, explaining to everyone, "the deceased must have died not long ago, with their soul still lingering inside the physical body. As for Heiyan... His body was destroyed during self-destruction, and his soul has long since gone to the underworld homeland. Therefore, the process would be extremely difficult."
"Then what should we do?"
Tsunade immediately asked anxiously, her face showing visible urgency.
"Does your Konoha preserve any cell tissues of Heiyan?"
Gamamaru looked around at the group, offering a suggestion, "If we had Heiyan's cellular tissue, I could use Mount Myoboku's secret technique to recreate his physical form, solving half the problem."
"Yes!"
After desperately recalling in her mind for a moment, Tsunade's eyes suddenly lit up with excitement as she blurted out delightedly.
Because she remembered that Heiyan had once told her he would periodically provide Orochimaru with samples of his cellular tissue for research.
"Quickly, go fetch Orochimaru."
Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately ordered his men to search for Orochimaru at Root headquarters.
Hope surged among those present.
Ten minutes later, Orochimaru arrived at the ward carrying a test tube of Heiyan's cellular tissue.
"This makes things much easier."
Gamamaru took the test tube from Orochimaru and once again wore a peaceful smile as he continued, "As for Heiyan's soul, after I restore his physical body, I'll find a way to summon him back from the underworld paradise.
However, since the underworld is unimaginably vast, finding one soul among countless others is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Even if we employ special techniques to improve efficiency, it will still take some time.
Therefore, I hope you understand—the process cannot be rushed. Please wait patiently."
"But exactly how long would that take?" Tsunade couldn't help but press.
"Hmm, let me think. Since Heiyan's body was an Immortal Sage Body, restoring his flesh completely won't be easy—it should take about two to three years. Afterward, retrieving Heiyan's soul from the underworld would require another one or two years. Therefore, my estimation is that Heiyan could be revived within five years at most."
After careful calculation, Gamamaru offered a five-year timeframe.
"Five years..."
The few people inside the room murmured over this number before exchanging glances.
Five years—though not short, wasn't particularly long either.
Considering that after Heiyan's Self-Destruction, he had practically been wiped out entirely. If Gamamaru could indeed perform a miracle and revive Heiyan, then not only five years, even ten or twenty years would be worth waiting.
They would wait for Heiyan's return.
Understanding this, everyone's hearts reignited with hope.
Gamamaru watched the subtle facial changes on each person, a sharp glint flashing briefly within the murky depths of his old eyes.
Truth be told, he never planned to bring Heiyan back at all.
It wasn't that Gamamaru couldn't—he simply wouldn't.
After all, the Immortal Sage Talisman was incredibly precious; it had taken Gamamaru, revered as the Great Toad Sage, a thousand years to create just one. Even if saving lives were necessary, they'd better save it for the future Child of the Prophecy.
As for Heiyan—what was he in Gamamaru's eyes? Regardless of how powerful he had been in life, right now he was merely a dead failure.
The fervent vows Gamamaru swore to the Konoha people were nothing more than carefully spun lies. His goal was simple: to earn their trust by feigning commitment to reviving Heiyan—using it as an excuse to consolidate power and interfere in Konoha Village affairs.
This was Gamamaru's hollow vow.
"Next, I shall remain here in Konoha to complete this task. During this time, my two trusted aides—Fukasaku and Shima—will also lead the toads from Mount Myoboku to assist in stabilizing order in Konoha Village, and even to eventually assume governance over the Land of Fire."
Now in charge, Gamamaru naturally made this declaration.
The primary reason he came out of retirement was to await the birth of the Child of the Prophecy within Konoha. And during this period, Gamamaru did not wish to see any unexpected disruptions happen.
Gamamaru still firmly believed in his own prophecy, convinced that only the Child of the Prophecy could save this world from the Otsutsuki Clan.
And the Frog Clan of Mount Myoboku, as this world's guardians, was destined to come out on top in the end.
At this moment,
"I represent everyone in Konoha Village and thank Great Toad Sage for your help. From now on, we leave everything in Mount Myoboku's hands."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped forward, speaking as the Third Hokage, and solemnly bowed deeply to Gamamaru and the Fukasaku and Shima behind him, expressing his gratitude for Mount Myoboku's assistance.
"I'm sorry for what I said earlier... I was wrong. Please forgive me."
Tsunade took a deep breath and also bowed deeply, apologizing to Gamamaru for her previous rudeness. To show sincerity, she kept her head lowered, staying deeply bowed for quite some time.
If bowing could bring Heiyan back to life, let alone just bowing, even if it meant giving up everything, she would gladly do it.
"Tsunade, quickly rise. We understand how you feel."
In the end, it was Sage Shima who jumped onto Tsunade's shoulder and used chakra energy to gently lift her up.
Among all in Mount Myoboku, only Shima and Fukasaku truly felt sorrow over Heiyan's death.
"Oh my, it's been so long since I came out last time—I feel a bit tired. Indeed, one can't ignore aging when getting older."
Gamamaru yawned slightly and sighed.
"Sakumo, prepare rooms immediately and escort Great Toad Sage to rest."
Seeing this, Hiruzen gave orders to Sakumo Hatake.
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Without delay, Sakumo carefully led Gamamaru away to rest.
As for Fukasaku and Shima, following Gamamaru's instructions, they remained behind to cooperate with the Konoha ninja.
Several hours later,
A ninja army numbering in the thousands, personally led by Hiruzen Sarutobi, left Konoha and rushed toward the Daimyo's Mansion of the Land of Fire.
Within the army were also Fukasaku and Shima. Once they reached the Daimyo's Mansion, [Summoning Jutsu] would be performed to summon key battle forces like the Toad Trio from Mount Myoboku directly onto the battlefield.
This alliance between Konoha and Mount Myoboku was more than enough to crush any rebellion within the Land of Fire.
...
When the Land of Fire was thrown into chaos, other nations also experienced intense internal upheaval.
The daimyos of the Four Great Nations had all received messages from the Fire Country's daimyo, and each expressed strong interest in forming an allied army to attack Konoha.
After all, no matter how powerful Konoha's ninja might be, there was no way they could resist a joint force from four nations. With millions of troops, even overwhelming them through sheer numbers alone would ensure Konoha's destruction.
Once Konoha fell, the armies of these four countries wouldn't easily retreat, but instead seize the opportunity to divide and conquer the Land of Fire.
By then, both Konoha and the Land of Fire would vanish together from the history of the shinobi world.
However, just as the daimyos of those four nations were assembling their forces,
In a single day,
Within merely one day, after the Fire Country's Daimyo's Mansion was reduced to ruins, the mansions of the Four Great Nations were also attacked one after another by unknown assailants.
In those attacks, the daimyos of the Four Great Nations... were all killed!
This was truly a world-shaking, history-altering event.
In an instant, chaos erupted across every nation, and the plan to form the allied army of four nations collapsed before it could even begin.
Of course, this entire incident had been orchestrated by Heiyan.
After openly declaring at the Five Kage Summit that he would eliminate the Daimyos of the Five Great Nations, he was determined to follow through.
No one would suspect him.
After all, the irrefutable news of Heiyan's death had already spread across every corner of the shinobi world.
Moreover, Heiyan acted swiftly and cleanly, leaving no clues behind—he not only made perfect use of the Seven-Tails' armor's invisibility trait for stealth assassinations but also combined Flying Thunder God with [Far Body Water Technique (Enshinsui)] to rapidly relocate, hitting all four Daimyo Mansions in a single day.
Under these circumstances, no one could possibly imagine that the simultaneous deaths of five Daimyos—separated by vast distances from each other—had all been carried out by a single person.
Within the Land of Iron.
On the battlefield of the snow-covered plain stood a ruined house, the site of Heiyan's clash with experts from the Four Great Ninja Villages several days earlier.
Beside a well in the courtyard.
"It seems the sealing is working."
Heiyan thought inwardly as he examined the Sealing Formula on Guagua the Stealth Frog.
Those formulas were ones he had carved onto Guagua shortly after executing his fake death plan several days ago.
He had intentionally allowed Guagua to leave Mount Myoboku.
Partly because since following him, Guagua had suffered mistreatment and ostracism from other frogs at Mount Myoboku. Also, it was to avoid exposing the truth that he was still alive.
After all, continuously summoning Guagua and using the Far Body Water Technique after being officially declared dead could easily raise suspicion from Mount Myoboku.
Fortunately,
As Heiyan knew, all frogs of Mount Myoboku had their names recorded in the family registry. Once a frog died, its name would vanish from the register.
This function was clearly achieved via some tracking or sensing ninjutsu.
Thus, Heiyan located the mark of that technique on Guagua and covered it with a Sealing Formula, successfully erasing Guagua's name from the registry of frogs.
To the frogs of Mount Myoboku, judging by the time Guagua's name disappeared, he obviously perished alongside his master Uzumaki Heiyan during the latter's self-destruction.
"Good, stay here and wait for me."
Heiyan gently patted Guagua's head, leaving behind several bags of snacks.
"Kero."
Guagua obediently stayed in place, watching Heiyan leave toward the direction of the Three Wolf Mountains.
Ten minutes later.
At Three Wolf Mountains, the ground was littered with corpses. Countless warriors sprawled across the snowy terrain, their armor shattered, their swords broken, blood staining the snow and converging into crimson streams.
It was a civil conflict within the warrior faction.
One side consisted of warriors led by Mifune.
They had not forgotten the founding principles of the Land of Iron—they remained firmly committed to neutrality, resolutely opposing any allegiance with the Fire Daimyo's court or becoming his lackeys.
Unfortunately, those like Mifune who could resist temptation and remain true to their original ideals were in the minority.
Within the entire warrior faction, initially only a few hundred stood alongside Mifune. After enduring brutal civil warfare, now fewer than a hundred remained.
Most of the remaining warriors were once supporters of Musashi, the great general of the fallen Land of Iron.
Under the banner of avenging Musashi and eliminating traitors, they launched a fierce crackdown against Mifune and his allies. At last, their war had reached its climactic moment.
On the snowy battlefield, Mifune and his group found themselves tightly surrounded by enemies that outnumbered them several times over.
Many of them were already severely wounded, their fighting strength nearly gone. Their side barely managed to avoid complete annihilation solely thanks to Mifune's determined wielding of the Heavenly Ruyi Sword.
*Huh... huh...*
Mifune gasped heavily, trembling hands tightening around the Heavenly Ruyi Sword as he glared fiercely at the encircling enemies.
These people surrounding him had once been his comrades.
He was like an injured wolf, his gaze burning with savage determination. Though death was inevitable, he would drag as many enemies to their graves as possible before him.
Mifune could have escaped.
Yet he had promised Heiyan long ago that he would wait for him at Three Wolf Mountains. Since Heiyan had died protecting Konoha, Mifune resolved to die upholding his own beliefs as well.
"Come!"
Thinking thus, he roared loudly at the surrounding enemies.
"Kill him!"
"Absolutely must eliminate Mifune! Don't let him escape under any circumstances!"
Enemy warriors cried out with bloodthirsty fury as they charged forward, weapons raised.
At that very moment—
Wuwuwu...
A bitter wind swept into Three Wolf Mountains, howling across the snow-covered ground. Bringing piercing chill—and along with it, countless specks of green Scale Powder drifted through the air.
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