Chapter 104: The Great Toad Sage's Prophetic Dream! The World is Doomed!

Chapter 104: The Great Toad Sage's Prophetic Dream! The World is Doomed!

Meanwhile, in the Ninja World...

Jiraiya stood atop a tree, gazing at the bustling Konoha in the distance, a smile tugging at his lips. "Konoha, I'm back," he murmured. "I wonder how that scoundrel Naruto is doing now." Anticipation stirred within him.

Suddenly, a puff of smoke appeared, and a toad materialized by his side. "Jiraiya! Jiraiya! The Great Toad Sage has an urgent matter to discuss with you," the toad exclaimed.

"The Great Toad Sage is looking for me? Lead the way," Jiraiya nodded. In an instant, they reversed the summoning technique and appeared on Mount Myoboku.

Jiraiya soon found himself in the presence of Fukasaku and Shima, who led him directly to the Great Toad Sage.

The ancient and frail Great Toad Sage slowly opened his eyes. "Young Jiraiya... you've come," he rasped.

"You summoned me, Great Toad Sage. Is something the matter?" Jiraiya asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.

The Great Toad Sage, Fukasaku, and Shima seemed oddly unperturbed by the fact that Jiraiya had stated the obvious—that he was the one who had been summoned.

"I... had a dream," the Great Toad Sage began, his voice slow and heavy.

Jiraiya, Fukasaku, and Shima were shaken to their cores.

"A dream? A prophetic dream?" Jiraiya asked, his voice laced with concern.

"I... dreamed of a world akin to hell..." The Great Toad Sage's eyes clouded over, and his voice took on a somber tone.

"What?! A world like hell?!" Jiraiya exclaimed, his eyes widening in alarm.

"The sky was black... the earth was rent asunder... a colossal tree pierced the heavens, sucking the life force from the land... and the entire world was plunged into ruin," the Great Toad Sage continued, his voice filled with foreboding.

"How can this be? Great Toad Sage, didn't you say that the Child of Prophecy would save the world?" Jiraiya questioned, his voice tight with worry.

"Before this world-ending tree... there stood a tall and formidable man. He... will rule over the new world..." The Great Toad Sage trailed off, his voice growing weaker.

"What must we not do, Great Toad Sage?" Jiraiya pressed, his brow furrowed in concern.

The Great Toad Sage began to cough violently, interrupting the flow of his words. "You mustn't... you must never..." he croaked between coughs.

"Never what, Great Toad Sage?" Jiraiya asked, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Never... never..." The Great Toad Sage's final words caught in his throat, and he let out a mournful cry, his body slumping back, lifeless.

Jiraiya, Fukasaku, and Shima were horrified. They rushed to the Great Toad Sage's side, only to discover that he had passed away.

"How can this be?! The Great Toad Sage is dead?!" Jiraiya exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock as he took a step back.

"He seemed fine earlier! Could it be because of the prophetic dream? Such dreams are incredibly draining on the body and mind... This explains why the other two old sages from the three great hermit villages are still alive and well, while the Great Toad Sage has been in a state of decline," Fukasaku mused.

"What was the Great Toad Sage trying to tell us before he died?" Shima asked, her voice filled with concern.

"Perhaps it was a warning to stop that terrifying enemy," Fukasaku speculated.

"This prophetic dream must have occurred recently. Could it mean that the Child of Prophecy has fallen in battle against this fearsome foe?" Jiraiya wondered aloud, his brows knit together.

"What do we do now? Is the world truly doomed?" Shima asked, her voice shaking.

"No! We cannot let this come to pass!" Jiraiya declared, his eyes flashing with determination. "We must not let the Great Toad Sage's sacrifice be in vain! I will stop this from happening!" His face reflected both sorrow and steely resolve.

In the Ninja World, Konoha...

The room where the Kage summit had just concluded slowly emptied as the participants took their leave one by one. Eventually, only Tsunade and a group of elite Konoha shinobi remained. Their expressions were grave.

"Tsunade-sama, are we really going to be so direct? Contacting the five great nations and attempting to persuade them to surrender... if things don't go well, it could escalate into a world war," Choji Akimichi said, his round face creased with worry.

"Yes, those ninja villages probably won't surrender so easily," another shinobi added.

"I am aware of that," Tsunade replied, rubbing her temples wearily. "But the Empire will handle the rest. Don't you think there's a reason why people from other villages in the Empire have come to this side?"

Tsunade, the leader of the Ninja World, felt exhausted. The events that had transpired at the entrance of Konoha earlier that day had left her mentally drained. The actions of her former teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the other three elders had been outrageous, to say the least. She felt that their behavior brought shame to Konoha, and it had affected her state of mind, making her feel disinclined to deal with such matters.

"It's probably so that when conflict arises, there will be people who can show restraint and mercy, or perhaps to deal with the corresponding villages," Shikamaru Nara speculated.

"Exactly. There's no one more reliable than your own people," Tsunade agreed, leaning back in her chair and gazing up at the ceiling.

"Tsunade-sama, earlier... Uchiha Sasuke and Itachi seemed to have disappeared. They may have..." Shikamaru hesitated.

"I know... Let them be. Given what those four elders did, they deserve nothing less than annihilation. It's just a pity that so many people had to die because of them," Tsunade said, her voice heavy with regret.

Jiraiya, where have you been? Why haven't we heard from you until now?" Tsunade suddenly smiled.

"Yeah..." Jiraiya replied, his expression turning unusually somber.

Tsunade was taken aback by his uncharacteristic demeanor.

"What's wrong? Why are you so down? That's unlike you," she remarked.

"The Great Toad Sage is dead..." Jiraiya said gravely.

"Is that so..." Tsunade fell silent, her smile fading.

"Before he passed away, the Great Toad Sage had a prophetic dream," Jiraiya continued.

"A prophetic dream? What did he dream about?" Tsunade inquired, her eyes narrowing.

"The sky was black, the earth was torn asunder. A towering tree pierced the heavens, sucking the life force from the land, plunging the entire world into ruin," Jiraiya recounted, his voice filled with foreboding. "In front of this world-ending tree stood a tall and formidable man. He will rule over the new world, and we must stop him."

Tsunade's expression turned solemn as she listened to Jiraiya's account.

"World destruction? A tall and formidable man... ruling the new world..." Tsunade trailed off, her features twisting in discomfort as these descriptors reminded her all too vividly of a certain man.

"What's wrong, Tsunade? Do you have any thoughts on this dream? Or have you seen such a man before?" Jiraiya asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Jiraiya, you've been away from Konoha for a long time, and you're unaware of many recent events. Let me brief you on the current situation," Tsunade sighed, and proceeded to fill him in on the latest developments.

As Jiraiya listened, his face underwent a series of transformations, reflecting his growing astonishment.

"Another world, the Shenwu Empire... and us... Is this all true?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"You can go and see the accommodations I've prepared for the visitors from the other world. Once you meet them, you'll know I'm not exaggerating," Tsunade said wearily.

"If all this is true, then the other world is definitely not as friendly as it seems on the surface... Their true intention might be to destroy our world!" Jiraiya stated, his expression grim.

"Are you jumping to conclusions? I've interacted with them for a long time, and many of them are no different from us," Tsunade objected, her face clouded with worry.

"Another world is another world, and we are who we are. The two are distinct," Jiraiya countered. "And as for the Shenwu Emperor, Senju Tianren, there is no such person in our world. With his existence, anything is possible! Add to that the Great Toad Sage's prophetic dream... I'm certain they're not to be trusted."

"Even if you say that, it won't change anything. Their strength is beyond your imagination," Tsunade said, her voice tinged with helplessness.

"Are they really that powerful?" Jiraiya asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Strong beyond measure," Tsunade affirmed. "Some of their powerful individuals could single-handedly destroy a village."

"That's hard to believe. It's too exaggerated," Jiraiya scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Then let's go to the back mountains of Konoha and spar. You'll get a sense of the power of martial arts, and you'll understand the disparity," Tsunade suggested.

In the back mountains of Konoha, a series of booming sounds echoed through the air before eventually fading away.

Jiraiya, clutching his stomach, wore an expression akin to being constipated as he gazed at the approaching Tsunade. "Tsunade... you've indeed become much stronger. I concede," he admitted.

"How do you feel now? Do you understand the might of martial arts?" Tsunade asked, slowing her pace.

"I understand... It's incredibly powerful, and you're just a beginner," Jiraiya said, his expression dimming. "But even so, I won't let them destroy our world!"

"You're being impulsive," Tsunade chided. "It was just a dream. You were talking about a savior before. If all these prophetic dreams come true, then why bother with our efforts? Let the savior save the world."

Tsunade sighed and rubbed her forehead.

Jiraiya fell silent, at a loss for words. He knew that their fundamental differences in ideology meant that convincing her was futile.

"Don't be hasty," he said after a moment. "If the prophetic dream is accurate, is it possible that our resistance will be the cause of the world's destruction?"

Tsunade was taken aback by this suggestion, her expression turning uncertain.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end