https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-269-Konoha-in-Anxious-Anticipation/12553628/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-271-Present-Strength-is-Not-Enough-We-Can-Only-Look-to-the-Past/12553637/
Chapter 270: Myoboku Mountain...Gone; Naruto...Gone
Chapter 270: Myoboku Mountain...Gone; Naruto...Gone
"We've re-established contact with Myoboku Mountain!"
Jiraiya heaved a sigh of relief.
Without waiting for Tsunade to report the latest news from Kumo, Jiraiya eagerly performed the Summoning Technique.
Bang!
A puff of white smoke emerged, and a tall figure with a scroll for a lower body and blue-green patterns covering its body appeared in the Hokage's office—it was Gamakichi.
"Gamakichi, is that you? How is the situation at Myoboku Mountain?" Jiraiya quickly greeted him and inquired about the current state of the mountain.
"Jiraiya," Gamakichi replied, lifting his head to survey Jiraiya and the other shinobi present in the room, including the Hokage. He slowly shook his head and said gravely,
"Myoboku Mountain is gone."
"What do you mean, Myoboku Mountain is gone?"
Jiraiya didn't quite grasp the meaning at first, as Myoboku Mountain was vast and couldn't just disappear like a person.
But in the blink of an eye, he noticed the unfeigned grief on Gamakichi's face, and his expression froze.
Myoboku Mountain...gone?
Suddenly, he began to understand the true meaning of those words.
Beside him, Tsunade, who was holding the latest intelligence, reacted even faster than Jiraiya.
Her pupils contracted, and she suddenly thought of something, unconsciously clenching her hands tightly.
"Naruto..."
Soon, the joy on Jiraiya's face vanished.
Thinking of a possible scenario, he couldn't believe it and didn't want to believe it. He anxiously asked in a panic:
"Gamakichi, what happened? What do you mean 'Myoboku Mountain is gone'?"
Gamakichi took a deep breath and replied in a low voice, "Hayuki Gengetsu completely destroyed Myoboku Mountain. Many toads have died. Kosuke is dead, Iron is dead, Chu is dead, Iwayado is dead, and even the Great Elder is dead!"
"What?!?"
Although Jiraiya had his suspicions, he still couldn't bring himself to believe what he was hearing at that moment.
"Hahaha! This must be a joke, right? How could Hayuki Gengetsu possibly destroy Myoboku Mountain? Iron, Chu...they're strong! And Iwayado is so huge and powerful! Not to mention the Great Toad Sage! He's a sage who has lived for a thousand years! How could Hayuki Gengetsu possibly kill him? It's impossible!"
Jiraiya found it hard to accept the reality and even started laughing.
Myoboku Mountain had contributed significantly to his achievements.
Aside from Konoha, Myoboku Mountain was like a second home to him.
He had deep affections for the mountain and the toads residing there.
How could he accept this harsh reality?
Moreover, he had dedicated his life to fulfilling the Great Toad Sage's prophecy.
And now, he was being told that the powerful sage who made that prophecy had been killed by someone else.
What did that make the prophecy, and what did that make him?
Impossible!
Myoboku Mountain, one of the Three Great Dojutsu, had existed for so long. It couldn't have met such an end at the hands of just Hayuki Gengetsu.
Perhaps Gamakichi had fallen under an illusion!
Jiraiya wanted to say something more to steady his shaken heart.
Tsunade strode forward, grabbed his collar, and flung him aside. She then stepped in front of Gamakichi.
Unlike Jiraiya, who had deep emotional ties to Myoboku Mountain, Tsunade was currently concerned about only one thing.
"Where's Naruto?" she asked, her eyes fixed intently on Gamakichi.
Gamakichi gave his answer:
"Naruto...is also dead."
Crack! Crack!
The floor beneath Tsunade's feet couldn't bear the pressure and rapidly cracked in all directions.
In that moment, there was nothing else on her mind except for one sentence repeating over and over in her head.
Just like Dan and the Nameless Tree in the past.
They're all dead. They're all dead.
Having just entered the Hokage's office and not having had a chance to speak, Yamato and the others, who had been quietly standing by, now realized that something was amiss.
The faces of those close to Naruto paled.
Sakura, her voice trembling, asked, "Wait! Tsunade-sensei, and that toad, what are you talking about?"
"Naruto... what happened to Naruto?"
Sakura had heard what Gama Toro said, but she dared not utter the word 'death'. She refused to believe it, thinking there must be some misunderstanding!
How could Naruto possibly be dead?
He should never be defeated!
Hearing this, Gama Toro was about to explain.
But the Hokage's office suddenly became unstable.
As the office and even the entire building seemed about to collapse due to Tsunade's uncontrolled release of power, a hand reached out and placed itself on her shoulder, snapping her back to her senses.
"Tsunade, calm down."
Jiraiya stepped forward once more.
Initially, Jiraiya had been even more emotionally unstable than Tsunade, but upon hearing the news of Naruto's death, he suddenly felt a chill in his heart, calming him down to a certain extent. In fact, he was even calmer than usual. Jiraiya held back the erupting Tsunade and signaled for Sakura and the others to calm down as well.
The only indication of his true emotions was his bloodshot eyes, which once again turned to Gama Toro, and he said, "Gama Toro, tell us what happened from the beginning."
Gama Toro nodded. He and the other toads didn't have the strength to observe the middle part, but he knew the beginning and the end, and quickly relayed what he knew.
At the end, he spat out a scroll from his mouth, one that was very familiar to everyone present.
It was the First Hokage's necklace that Naruto always wore.
When Naruto was pierced through the chest by the toad's tongue, the necklace was also shattered and fell to the ground, only to be found by the toads who arrived later.
Tsunade tremblingly took the necklace.
This was the third time.
Crackle!
Unlike before, this time, Tsunade crushed the priceless necklace with all her might.
And after hearing Gama Toro's story and seeing the First Hokage's necklace, everyone present could no longer deny the truth.
Naruto was truly dead.
"Impossible... Naruto!!!"
Sakura's eyes dimmed, as if she had lost her spirit, and her body went soft as she fell to the ground.
Sai, who was equally grieved, quickly supported her.
"Is this what sadness feels like?" Sai mumbled to himself, a hand over his heart, as he experienced a surge of intense emotions that he hadn't felt in a long time.
The passionate Might Guy and Rock Lee couldn't hold back their tears.
Tenten and Neji, on the other hand, remained silent.
"Naruto..."
Neji sighed inwardly, remembering the Chunin Exams from years ago.
Unknowingly, Naruto, who once had no friends, had become an important part of many people's lives.
Gama Toro was no stranger to the grief that filled the room.
He finally spat out a scroll from his mouth and handed it to Jiraiya, saying, "This is what the Great Toad Sage asked me to give to you before he passed away."
Jiraiya took the scroll in a daze.
But as he opened it and began to read, his expression changed.
"Jiraiya, by the time you see this scroll, I will already be dead. Also, Naruto is dead. I'm sorry, but it was necessary for me to kill him to delay the fusion of Hayuki Gengetsu and the Ten-Tails."
In an instant, Jiraiya's face underwent a drastic change.
(End of Chapter)
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