I've Already Confronted the Five Kage, and the System Just Arrived!

"Isn't it just old age catching up?" Shima grumbled, flipping her eyelids dismissively.

"Confusion before, uneasiness now—it's all the same. I've heard humans develop all kinds of senile conditions as they age. The Great Lord is so ancient; it's only natural he'd show signs of it too!"

Fukasaku hesitated to argue with his wife. After a vague nod, he glanced at Naruto training hard in the distance and frowned, recalling something.

"Little Jiraiya instructed me to send Naruto back to the village after mastering Sage Mode. Perhaps the Great Lord made a momentary mistake with the order to keep Naruto here."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Shima clapped her hands. "Let's go wake him up and have him retract the order. For all we know, he might have already forgotten about it!"

Though Shima frequently called the Great Lord senile and lacked formal respect in conversation, the truth was different.

As the Great Toad Sage, an elder who had lived for over a millennium, his authority in Mount Myōboku was unquestionable. Shima and Fukasaku would never openly defy his will. Even if the order was mistaken, it had to be rectified through him.

The two quickly and skillfully made their way to the Great Lord's chamber.

The Great Toad Sage, Gamamaru—once a small, ordinary toad who assisted Hagoromo during the battle against Kaguya—had grown into an immense being.

Adorned with prayer beads engraved with the kanji for "oil" and wearing a scholar's hat, he sat atop a throne marked with the kanji for "sage."

Shima and Fukasaku's arrival didn't catch his attention.

Upon closer inspection, they noticed his eyes were closed, and faint snores were escaping his mouth.

"See?" Shima threw Fukasaku a knowing look.

Ignoring his attempts to stop her, she leaped closer to the Great Lord's ear and shouted:

"Great Lord! Great Lord! Wake up! It's urgent!"

After several loud calls, the Great Toad Sage finally stirred, barely opening his eyes to peer at them.

"Who are you?" he asked groggily.

Shima sighed heavily. "He's getting worse!"

"Don't speak of the Great Lord like that," Fukasaku chided, albeit weakly.

Once the Great Toad Sage had fully awakened and recognized them, he let out a massive yawn.

"So, it's you two. What brings you here?"

Fukasaku quickly spoke before Shima could interrupt, explaining the purpose of their visit.

The Great Toad Sage listened, his expression turning contemplative. After a few seconds, he asked,

"Who's Little Jiraiya? And who's Naruto?"

Fukasaku froze.

Shima spread her hands in exasperation. "See? What did I tell you?"

Leaning in, she yelled again, reminding him of Jiraiya and Naruto.

After a moment of recollection, the Great Toad Sage nodded in understanding.

Then came a long silence.

Just as Shima and Fukasaku feared he'd drifted back to sleep, the Great Toad Sage suddenly spoke.

"No!"

The unexpected firmness in his voice left both Shima and Fukasaku stunned.

For as long as they'd known him, the Great Toad Sage had always been gentle, almost absent-minded. But now, his tone was unyielding, brooking no argument.

Even Shima, who was rarely intimidated, lowered her voice as she cautiously asked,

"Why... why not?"

The Great Toad Sage fully opened his eyes for the first time in centuries, his usual laziness replaced with solemnity. Adjusting himself on the throne, he sat upright and peered down at them.

For the first time in hundreds of years, the true aura of Mount Myōboku's elder descended upon the chamber.

Overwhelmed by the atmosphere, Shima and Fukasaku remained frozen, unable to move or speak.

Time seemed to stretch endlessly until a deep sigh echoed through the room.

When they dared to look up again, the Great Toad Sage appeared noticeably more fatigued.

"I dreamed of different futures," he began quietly.

"Dreams? Different futures?"

Fukasaku furrowed his brow.

He was well aware of the Great Toad Sage's ability to foresee the future through dreams.

Though Shima and some other toads dismissed these dreams as mere senile ramblings, many—including humans like Jiraiya—took them seriously.

Jiraiya had firmly believed in the prophecy, dedicating his life to finding the Child of Prophecy.

But now the Sage was speaking of "different futures." Did this mean the prophecy had changed?

Fukasaku's gaze locked on the Great Toad Sage.

The elder's voice grew somber, even trembling slightly, as he continued,

"I saw... a sky dyed red, a full moon falling from the heavens. I saw... the earth crumbling, the world wailing in agony. I saw... time and space in chaos, beings from infinite voids tearing everything apart. Too vast, too distant, too chaotic..."

"A great calamity... far beyond the Shinobi World... is approaching!"

A new prophecy.

Though much of it was unclear, Fukasaku could feel the despair in the Great Toad Sage's words.

Even Shima, who was usually skeptical of prophecies, felt a flicker of doubt.

This time, the Sage's demeanor was too different, too unusual.

Could it really be true?

Fukasaku suddenly thought of something and quickly asked,

"So, Great Lord, is Naruto staying here because he can avert this crisis?"

Jiraiya had once told him that Naruto was likely the Child of Prophecy.

Though Jiraiya had made errors in the past regarding the prophecy's fulfillment, this time he had been certain.

Fukasaku, having seen Naruto's potential and rapid mastery of Sage Mode, had also come to believe it.

But if Naruto was the Child of Prophecy, could keeping him at Mount Myōboku really prepare him to face such a crisis?

The Great Toad Sage didn't offer a detailed explanation. His gaze pierced through layers of space to where Naruto was training by the waterfall.

"Naruto will stay at Mount Myōboku," he declared firmly.

"This decision cannot be changed."

(End of Chapter)

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