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"The Sage of Six Paths... Great Toad Sage, how are you communicating with the Sage of Six Paths?"
Jiraiya was stunned after hearing this, even glancing at Fukasaku, wondering if the Great Toad Sage was confused, mistaking a dream for a prophecy.
How could anyone talk to someone who died over a thousand years ago? Surely, the body of the Sage of Six Paths would have decayed by now.
Fukasaku was also skeptical because the Great Toad Sage had never mentioned anything about the Sage of Six Paths before, so he asked loudly, "Great Sage, how did you meet the Sage of Six Paths?"
"Dreams are a mysterious thing; there's no need to delve too deeply into it. In short, Hagoromo is still out there somewhere, watching over the ninja world."
The Great Toad Sage smacked its lips before continuing, "He asked me to keep an eye out, but Mount Myōboku is a summoning sanctuary, and we rarely venture outside. Jiraiya, can I entrust this task to you?"
"I'll keep an ear out while I'm on missions. But, Great Toad Sage, what are the signs of this other pair of Rinnegan besides Nagato?"
Jiraiya agreed, though he was beginning to doubt the Great Toad Sage. After all, how could the Sage of Six Paths, who had died over a thousand years ago, still be alive? And even if he was, why wouldn't he intervene directly?
The Great Toad Sage thought for a moment before responding slowly, "With the ultimate power of Yin Release and the ultimate power of Yang Release, one can acquire Hagoromo's eyes."
Jiraiya was puzzled and asked, "What does that mean?"
Fukasaku, who had been pondering the words, finally spoke, "Jiraiya, if we're talking about the ultimate powers of Yin and Yang Release, the most representative would be the Senju and Uchiha clans. While other ninja also possess Yin-Yang Release techniques, none are as renowned as those two clans."
Hearing this, Jiraiya immediately thought of Yōichi, who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and could use Wood Release. The power that once ended the Warring States period was embodied in him alone.
While many in Konoha could now use Wood Release, Jiraiya felt that Yōichi was the only one who fit the Great Toad Sage's description.
Jiraiya said, "Fukasaku, Great Toad Sage, there's a ninja in Konoha who might fit what you're describing. Not only has he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, but he also uses Wood Release. Most importantly, he's a summoner of Ryūchi Cave."
Hearing this, Fukasaku recalled the Great Toad Sage's earlier prophecy about a potential threat to Mount Myōboku, linked to a summoner of Ryūchi Cave.
Jiraiya had searched the ninja world for a long time, but aside from Orochimaru and Yōichi, he hadn't found any other Ryūchi Cave summoners. After persistent questioning, he learned from Orochimaru that there were only two summoners—Orochimaru and Yōichi.
One prophecy might not mean much, but two pointing to the same person made Jiraiya start to believe that the Great Toad Sage's predictions were accurate.
"Jiraiya, if that's the case, the person you're talking about is highly suspicious. But he's Konoha's advisor."
Fukasaku sighed. Not only was Yōichi Konoha's advisor, but he was also the head of the Uchiha clan and a summoner of Ryūchi Cave. They couldn't handle him as they would an ordinary person, or it could lead to serious consequences.
If it were any other matter, Fukasaku wouldn't want to get involved in the ninja world unless a summoner requested it. But this was different, as it concerned the survival of Mount Myōboku.
The Great Toad Sage's prophecies had never been wrong, and Fukasaku, who had lived in Mount Myōboku for centuries, would not allow it to be destroyed by anyone.
"Don't worry, Fukasaku, I won't let him harm Mount Myōboku."
Although Jiraiya said this, he wasn't entirely confident. He planned to return to Konoha and discuss the matter with the old man. While he wasn't sure what Hiruzen was up to lately, Hiruzen was one of the few people Jiraiya could rely on.
Just as Jiraiya was about to ask the Great Toad Sage more questions, the sage had already fallen asleep.
Seeing this, Fukasaku advised, "It's time to go back, Jiraiya. Once the Great Sage falls asleep, nothing can wake it."
Jiraiya, unwilling to believe it, shouted a few times, but the Great Toad Sage remained motionless, showing no response.
With no other choice, Jiraiya left with Fukasaku. He had originally planned to ask about the Child of Prophecy. Once, he believed that two people had the potential to be the Child of Prophecy, but one now resented Konoha and had strayed from the path.
The other had died, and as a mentor, he hadn't even been able to retrieve his student's body.
Lately, he had been gathering intelligence on Nagato and looking for clues about Ryūchi Cave, but he had found nothing. Jiraiya felt exhausted, so he wanted to ask the Great Toad Sage about the Child of Prophecy.
If he could find someone to solve all these problems, he could rest easy knowing that the future was in good hands.
After leaving Mount Myōboku, Jiraiya returned to Konoha and went straight to the Sarutobi clan to find the old man.
"Old man, I've got a gift for you. You can use this for tea from now on."
Jiraiya greeted him as he entered, feeling a bit more relaxed in Hiruzen's presence.
"A teacup? You might as well bring me some good tobacco."
Hiruzen accepted the gift, sounding a bit dismissive but still carefully examining it before placing it on a nearby tray, indicating that he intended to use it in the future.
After Jiraiya sat down, Hiruzen lit his pipe and said, "It's rare for you to visit. What's on your mind?"
"I'm having some trouble in the village, so I wanted to ask for your help."
Jiraiya took a sip of tea and slowly began, "Today, I went to Mount Myōboku and heard something rather unbelievable from the Great Toad Sage."
He then explained in detail the second pair of Rinnegan and the possibility of the Great Toad Sage communicating with the Sage of Six Paths, including his own analysis.
After listening, Hiruzen found it all quite surreal and said with a twitch of his mouth, "Jiraiya, you can't seriously believe this, can you? The Sage of Six Paths is already a pretty mystical figure."
"Moreover, the Rinnegan is the fusion of Wood Release and the Sharingan. If what the Great Toad Sage said is true, then Yōichi should already have the Rinnegan."
Jiraiya's expression became serious as he said, "Speaking of which, old man, I've been meaning to ask you. Do you know what Yōichi's Mangekyō abilities are?"
After awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, a user would gain two unique abilities, one in each eye. The Second Hokage had faced Uchiha who had awakened the Mangekyō, and he had studied the Sharingan extensively, understanding that the Mangekyō had two unique abilities and Susano'o.
"Do you know about Nawaki's resurrection? Could that be one of the Mangekyō abilities or a power of the Rinnegan?"
Hiruzen asked, "Your student has the Rinnegan, doesn't he? Has he shown any ability to resurrect the dead?"
Jiraiya shook his head, "No, even though I've fought him twice, I still haven't fully grasped the extent of the Rinnegan's abilities. I have a feeling that the next time I face Nagato, he'll have even more new powers."
"As for Yōichi's abilities... to be honest, I don't know."
Hiruzen sighed, "The only people who might know are those who've fought him. Fugaku might know, or perhaps the Fourth Raikage, but as for others, it's hard to say. After all, his power is..."
Too strong! To Hiruzen, Yōichi seemed like someone even more talented than Minato. Hardly anyone could force him to use his Mangekyō abilities in battle, making it difficult to gather intelligence.
"Old man, could you help me gather some information? I'll also ask Orochimaru. This is very important to me."
"Jiraiya, this won't benefit you at all. If Yōichi finds out that you're gathering intelligence on him and planning to..."
Hiruzen didn't finish the sentence, but the consequences were clear.
Mount Myōboku had always remained neutral in the ninja world. If they were to align with Konoha, wear Konoha's headbands, and become Konoha's summon creatures, Hiruzen would consider taking the risk for Jiraiya. But now, risking his plans for those toads wasn't worth it.
"Please, old man, this is a very important request from me. Do it for your student's sake."
Jiraiya clasped his hands together, pleading. After some persuasion, he finally got Hiruzen to reluctantly agree.
But even then, Hiruzen wasn't sure he could fulfill the request. Sakumo was on the verge of handing over the role of the next Hokage to Yōichi, and although Yōichi wasn't Hokage yet, gathering intelligence on a Hokage's advisor made Hiruzen's head ache just thinking about it.
"Jiraiya, I'll do this for you, but you have to agree to one condition."
"What condition? Just tell me, old man. If I can do it, I will."
Hiruzen exhaled a puff of smoke, then solemnly said to Jiraiya, "Stay in the village and try to become the Fifth Hokage!"
"What!?"
Jiraiya was stunned and immediately shook his head, "Old man, I can't..."
"It's time to stop running away."
Hiruzen, frustrated with Jiraiya's avoidance, said, "It's no longer about what you want. You have to take responsibility. Stop looking for some Child of Prophecy. Minato is gone now. You keep circling around Minato's home whenever you return. It's time to take on Minato's dreams and responsibilities."
At the mention of Minato, Jiraiya lowered his head. He always believed Minato's death could have been avoided, but Minato had died to save him.
"But, old man, I'm really not suitable for..."
"You have the strength, reputation, and connections to be Hokage. If you take on this responsibility, you have a good chance of becoming the Fifth Hokage. Even if you're not as strong as Yōichi, it doesn't matter. Being Hokage isn't about who's the strongest."
Seeing that Jiraiya was wavering, Hiruzen continued, "Starting tomorrow, focus on completing missions, gaining fame and connections. I'll help you with the rest because I'm your teacher."
"Old man..."
"If you truly don't want to, I won't force you. You can continue as you were."
After saying this, Hiruzen stopped persuading Jiraiya and silently replaced the tobacco in his pipe.
Jiraiya remained silent for a while, then finally said, "Alright, I'll do my best to become the Fifth Hokage. And then, I'll take on Minato's son as my student and train him to be the Sixth Hokage!"
Hearing this, Hiruzen smiled, "That's the spirit, Jiraiya. I'll support you all the way."
Aside from Jiraiya, Hiruzen didn't have a better candidate in mind. His eldest son, despite having Wood Release, hadn't become significantly stronger because of it. After much consideration, Jiraiya was the most suitable.
——————————
In the afternoon, Yōichi was suddenly called to the hospital by Tsunade, who took a sample of his flesh.
Then she sent Yōichi away without even giving him a chance for a warm moment.
However, Yōichi understood that Tsunade's research might have made a breakthrough, so he left after providing the sample without disturbing her.
From what Tsunade had said, it seemed she had discovered traces of the Ōtsutsuki clan. The integration of Byakugan and Shikotsumyaku was going smoothly, and there was a tendency for the Senju and Sharingan genes to complement each other.
After discovering this, Tsunade had asked Yōichi if he knew anything about it, but he had only mentioned that it was a hypothesis based on some ancient records.
After all, the Hyūga clan had close ties with the Taketori clan, and the Taketori clan had split from the Kaguya clan long ago.
As for the Senju and Uchiha, there was the Uchiha clan's ancestral stone tablet, which, although altered, was enough to satisfy Tsunade.
He couldn't exactly tell her he was a time traveler.
Tsunade hadn't pressed further and just informed him that the progress on the clone was going well. They had successfully extracted the genes and were in the initial stages of fusion. The next step was to attempt to create the embryo.
Artificial clones wouldn't need the lengthy natural growth time, and within a year, they could resemble a three- or four-year-old child.
With this good news, Yōichi left. However, as he returned to the clan compound, he thought about White Zetsu clones and decided that if he had the chance, he would definitely capture a few for Tsunade to study.
"I'm back."
After leaving the hospital, Yōichi knew that Yugito had just returned from a mission, so he headed home to extract some more tailed beast chakra.
With three tailed beasts at his disposal, Yōichi was rather extravagant in his usage.
"Yugito, are you home?"
No sooner had Yōichi finished speaking than a girl with a single ponytail stepped out of the house. Compared to two years ago, Yugito had grown significantly, her figure now graceful and mature, her white socks emphasizing the elegance of her feet.
But her expression was the same as before. When she saw Yōichi, she huffed lightly and asked, "What do you want?"
(End of Chapter)