The Great Toad Sage slowly uttered two words, each syllable carrying enough weight to overturn everything the shinobi world thought it knew.
"Senjutsu."
Mount Myōboku fell into silence once again.
Every toad froze.
Senjutsu?
Back in the ancient era, when the chakra system had yet to spread—and when Kaguya alone monopolized chakra—the Great Toad Sage had already been teaching... Senjutsu?
Wasn't Senjutsu supposed to emerge only after the Sage of Six Paths spread chakra throughout the world?
Otherwise, why was it defined as the fusion of Natural Energy and chakra?
Yet the implications of this revelation were staggering.
It meant that before chakra—that "foreign" source of power—invaded the world and gradually became the dominant system, there had already existed an ancient and powerful native power: Senjutsu.
And Mount Myōboku—or more precisely, the Great Toad Sage himself—was likely one of the guardians and inheritors of that primordial tradition.
Above, within the Heavenly Curtain, Hagoromo trekked through the legendary forest for what felt like an eternity. Guided by the sound of rushing water and an inexplicable instinct, he finally arrived before a secluded waterfall encircled by towering ancient trees.
Mist drifted through the air, faint rainbows shimmered in the spray, and the surroundings were so tranquil that they seemed completely isolated from the outside world.
On a smooth boulder beneath the waterfall—its surface polished mirror-like by the endless current—Hagoromo finally found the one he had been searching for.
It was a tiny toad, no larger than the palm of a hand.
Its body was a deep golden hue, its skin covered in intricate, mysterious markings.
Unlike an ordinary toad, it wasn't crouching on all fours. Instead, it sat cross-legged in an almost human posture, its eyes gently closed.
Its tiny forelegs formed an unfamiliar hand seal as it remained perfectly motionless, as though it had become one with the surrounding natural world. An ancient, inscrutable aura radiated from the little creature—one completely at odds with its diminutive size.
Throughout Mount Myōboku, every toad stared with wide eyes.
Although they had already guessed the answer, seeing their revered master appear in the Heavenly Curtain in such a tiny yet imposing form still left them deeply awed.
After all, the Great Toad Sage of the present day was as immense as a mountain.
Back in Konoha, Jiraiya's heart skipped a beat.
"As I thought... It's the Great Toad Sage."
That appearance.
That bearing.
It was exactly the same vast, ancient presence he had felt when he first met the Great Toad Sage at Mount Myōboku.
Within the Heavenly Curtain, Hagoromo was likewise captivated by the toad's unusual appearance and demeanor.
He could immediately tell that this was no ordinary creature.
Suppressing both his excitement and uncertainty, he stepped forward a few paces while keeping a respectful distance.
Carefully, he asked,
"Are you... the legendary Toad Sage?"
The cross-legged toad offered no response.
It was as though it had withdrawn into its own world—or perhaps it was testing the patience of its visitor.
Hagoromo did not press the matter.
Instead, he quietly stood where he was, watching intently while calming the slightly uneven rhythm of his breathing and the anxious thoughts stirred by his long journey.
Time slowly slipped away, accompanied only by the thunder of the waterfall.
At last, just as Hagoromo began to think he would receive no answer...
The dark golden toad slowly opened its eyes.
What extraordinary eyes they were.
Ancient.
Profound.
Filled with the passage of countless ages, as though entire galaxies had drifted through them over the course of history.
The contrast between those immeasurably old eyes and its tiny body was almost surreal.
Rather than looking directly at Hagoromo, the toad gazed into the waterfall's drifting mist, as if watching the invisible river of time itself.
"We... have finally met, Hagoromo."
Its voice was old and tranquil, yet carried absolute certainty.
It had spoken Hagoromo's name immediately.
Startled, Hagoromo had yet to process this when the toad calmly added,
"Oh, and you may call me... Gamamaru."
"...Gamamaru."
Hagoromo quietly repeated the name, connecting it to the legendary figure known as the Toad Sage.
Then he voiced the question weighing on his mind.
"You know my name? Were you... waiting here specifically for me?"
To Hagoromo's surprise, Gamamaru simply shook his head.
"No."
His voice remained calm and without emotion.
"I do not know you, nor was I waiting specifically for you."
"Huh?"
The contradictory answer left Hagoromo utterly bewildered.
If they had never met, and Gamamaru hadn't been waiting for him, then why had he greeted him by name and said, "We have finally met"?
Gamamaru seemed unconcerned by his confusion.
His distant gaze never wavered as he continued,
"It is... the guidance of fate."
"I received a revelation from fate, telling me that I needed to come here... at this time... and wait for someone."
"And then... guide that person toward fulfilling a mission upon which the survival of this world depends."
"To save this world."
"...Save the world?"
Hagoromo quietly repeated the words, his expression growing increasingly complicated.
He wanted to change the world as it was.
He wanted to stop his mother's tyranny.
He wanted to end the sacrifices.
Perhaps that truly could be called saving the world.
He nodded slowly before asking another question.
"Then... why me? There are countless living beings in this world. Why would fate choose me?"
Only then did Gamamaru finally turn his gaze toward Hagoromo.
Those deep eyes seemed capable of seeing straight through his soul—or perhaps beyond him, toward a destiny already set in motion.
After a long silence, Gamamaru spoke once more in the same calm yet unquestionable tone.
"It is... the guidance of fate."
No explanation.
No reason.
Only those two words.
Fate.
Hagoromo fell silent.
Looking at the enigmatic Gamamaru before him, his heart was filled with questions.
Yet, at the same time, a hope unlike any he had ever known began to burn within him.
If this so-called guidance of fate was real...
If Gamamaru truly possessed the power to foresee or perceive destiny...
And if he was willing to guide him toward obtaining the strength necessary to stand against his mother...
Then this might be his only chance to break the deadlock and accomplish his goal.
Even if it proved to be a trap...
Even if it was merely another scheme...
At this point, Hagoromo had no other choice.
He needed power.
He needed direction.
He needed any ally he could find.
After another moment of silence, he set aside the impossible question of why fate had chosen him.
Since Gamamaru had no intention of offering a clear answer, dwelling on it served no purpose.
What he desired above all else was power—
Power great enough to shatter the present order and free himself from his mother's suffocating, absolute rule.
Taking a deep breath to steady the storm within his heart, Hagoromo looked directly at the tiny golden figure seated upon the stone and asked the question that mattered most.
"Then, Gamamaru... according to this 'guidance of fate' you speak of, how do you intend to guide me? And what must I do to obtain the power capable of... changing everything?"
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