"Mount Myoboku."
Naruto had never bothered to learn about this place.
He was only interested in the art of summoning itself, and truth be told, those toads didn't appeal to him much either. They weren't particularly impressive, nor were their abilities anything to write home about.
In terms of his own battles, they wouldn't be very effective.
However, the "Sage Mode" associated with Mount Myoboku did pique his interest a bit.
But prioritizing its importance still came below what he was currently working on, so he hadn't pursued it.
Now, though, was he going to have to deal with these guys?
He put pen to paper, writing a letter to arrange a meeting with Jiraiya.
Three days later, at the border of the Land of Fire, in a small town's snack shop, "It's been a year, Naruto, you've gotten taller," Jiraiya remarked, looking down at the blond-haired teenager before him, his voice tinged with nostalgia.
He paused for a moment, and then complimented, "This outfit looks great on you."
Much better aesthetic taste than Minato.
Seems like he inherited the finer genetic traits from his mom in this area.
"Master Jiraiya hasn't changed much," Naruto gestured for him to sit down.
Jiraiya chuckled, scratching his head, "At my age, what changes can you expect?"
"Just hoping to do more useful things before I die, to make up for some of the past regrets."
Taking the tea Karin handed him, Jiraiya's smile faded, his expression turning serious, "In your letter, you mentioned wanting to go to Mount Myoboku, planning to start training Sage Mode?"
"I think it might actually be better if you waited a few more years to learn it."
It's not that Naruto didn't need the training.
The concern was about "age."
Sage Mode requires balancing one's spiritual and physical energies first, and then intricately blending with natural energy to achieve a perfect balance among the three, marking the successful completion of the training.
Naruto is still young; although already quite powerful, his chakra, body, and spiritual energies will continue to grow.
The balance he achieves this year might be thrown off by next year's growth, rendering the results of his training null.
Waiting until his body stabilizes in his mid to late teens would be a more suitable time to learn.
"Not for Sage Mode," Naruto shook his head, a slight smile on his face. "I want to ask the Great Toad Sage some things."
Jiraiya was taken aback.
Seeking out the Great Toad Sage?
"Is it to have it prophesy for you?" Jiraiya didn't question why Naruto knew about the "Great Toad Sage"; in the circle of summoning beasts, the Three Great Holy Lands were exalted entities. Rumors of them weren't secret, just that without a certain level of power, there was no way to encounter them.
Naruto shook his head again. "I heard the Great Toad Sage has lived for a thousand years, and I want to ask it about history, gods, and the Pure Land."
The legend of the Sage of the Six Paths, after all, dates back over a thousand years.
This answer didn't surprise Jiraiya.
He had heard that over the past year, Naruto had been seeking "gods."
Others couldn't comprehend his intentions, but Jiraiya knew all too well.
"Then I'll take you there," Jiraiya nodded, agreeing immediately. After communicating with the toads of Mount Myoboku, he continued to instruct Naruto, "In a moment, don't resist — it's a normal technique."
"Mount Myoboku is too far away. Using a Summoning Technique would be more convenient."
As he finished speaking, Naruto immediately sensed a faint chakra fluctuation emanating from beneath him. He quickly reached out, grabbing hold of Karin, enveloping her with his own chakra.
"Reverse Summoning Technique."
The formation unfolded, transporting him and Karin.
Jiraiya followed a moment later, also caught in the teleportation.
In a blink of white smoke, the scenery changed.
Majestic mountains rose around them, waterfalls cascading down, and in the distance were towering leafy trees. Some gigantic toads were resting and frolicking here, with massive dwellings resembling bent bugs faintly visible amidst the foliage.
It all gave a disconcerting feeling of having shrunk in size.
"How is it? Pretty breathtaking, isn't it?" Jiraiya smiled, his tone a little proud. "This is Mount Myoboku, one of the Three Great Holy Lands."
Naruto nodded, looking to the side.
Over there, two auras were approaching.
The chakras were somewhat weak but carried a potent natural energy within.
There were two cloaked frogs.
"Jiraiya, is this the kid you mentioned?" The green-skinned frog with tufts of white hair on its head greeted.
"And who's this red-haired girl?" The purple-skinned frog beside it scrutinized Karin.
Naruto replied, "I brought her along. I wasn't comfortable leaving her outside alone."
Jiraiya played the role of mediator, introducing them to each other.
The male frog was named "Fukasaku," and the female was "Shima." Both were elders of Mount Myoboku and carried the title of "Sage."
"The Grand Elder has agreed to see you," Fukasaku said gently, gesturing them to follow him. "Come with me."
They ascended the steps, entering the temple behind them and stepped into a spacious room.
At the end of the room sat a throne adorned with the character "Sage."
An enormous orange toad was perched atop it.
It wore a square hat and a bead necklace marked with the word "Oil," exuding an ancient aura.
"Who approaches?" Feeling their presence, it spoke with a quavering, elder-like voice, sounding senile.
"It's me, Jiraiya," he responded, "And this is Naruto Uzumaki, the son of Minato."
"He has come with questions for you."
The Great Toad Sage nodded, its head turning slowly. Upon seeing Naruto, its eyes widened slightly, a yellow hue evident: "Naruto Uzumaki?"
"What do you wish to know?"
Naruto looked up, raising his voice, "I want to understand natural energy and chakra."
"I'm also curious about the gods, especially the God of Death."
"And I want info on the Pure Land."
The Great Toad Sage lazily tilted its head. "Your questions are quite numerous."
"Let me ponder, how best to answer you."
It fell silent, lost in thought, not moving or speaking, seemingly asleep.
Naruto waited patiently.
Karin, less patient, tugged at Naruto's sleeve.
The Three Great Toad Sages were nearing the end of their patience.
It was then that the Great Toad Sage finally began to speak: "This is an ancient tale, from a time when I was but a small toad."
"In this world, there once existed no such energy as 'chakra.'"
"There was only the natural energy known as 'sage power.'"
"The gods were beings who wielded sage power and were revered by humans through rituals. They once held many powers of nature."
"Then one day, a divine tree descended from the heavens, soon followed by a woman."
"She fell in love with the reigning king at the time and gave birth to the Sage of the Six Paths."
Naruto listened intently.
Jiraiya, hearing this for the first time, had a serious expression.
"However, the woman's ambitions did not end at becoming a queen. She sought the power of the divine tree, thus turning the king and his people into offerings for it."
"The Sage of the Six Paths, unable to bear humanity's suffering, mastered chakra's power, defeated his mother, and sealed her on the moon, banishing the divine tree from this world, saving the people."
"Afterwards, to heal the barren lands, the Sage of the Six Paths traveled the world, sealing away those divine beings, Death God included, and subsequently founded the Shinobi Sect."
"These are the first two things you wanted to know."
With this, the Great Toad Sage paused.
Naruto frowned.
Karin adeptly pulled out a scroll to jot down the information they had just heard.
They knew of the legend that the Sage of the Six Paths founded the Shinobi Sect, but they did not expect such a story preceding it.
Thus, the records of the Uzumaki clan weren't wrong after all.
It turns out the Death God truly predates the Sage of the Six Paths.
No wonder on their journey, they could only hear of legends concerning the gods, yet encounter none, as they were all sealed by the Sage of the Six Paths.
Could the "Death God" be included in this?
The Great Toad Sage continued: "As for the third matter, the one named Pure Land."
"I do not know much about it."
"I can only confirm that in my early days, I heard of the existence of the Death God and Yama, but there was no talk of Pure Land at that time."
Naruto pondered over the words.
"So, this Pure Land was created by the Sage of the Six Paths?"
Could the power he sensed tugging at the souls of the departed have originated from the Sage?
Some of his doubts were beginning to unravel.
Naruto expressed his gratitude to the Great Toad Sage, "Thank you for answering my questions."
The Great Toad Sage shook its head, staring silently at Naruto.
Naruto and Karin stepped back, lacking the desire to explore Mount Myōboku further, and were spirited away by two summoned toads.
Jiraiya, however, remained.
"Great Toad Sage, is Naruto the prophesied child?" he inquired.
The Great Toad Sage shook its head, "Little Jiraiya, you must find that answer yourself."
Jiraiya fell silent.
"But in this young boy, I see something different," continued the Great Toad Sage.
Jiraiya looked up.
"It is chaos and mist," the Sage spoke cautiously, articulating the two words.
Chaos?
Mist?
Jiraiya blinked, utterly perplexed. While those might describe a person, applying them to Naruto seemed rather inappropriate.
He was neither confused nor was his heart wavering; his thoughts were clear and focused.
The Great Toad Sage spoke no more.
It harbored some small doubts of its own.
In its eyes, this blonde-haired kid should currently still be just a ninja from Konoha, not possessing such formidable power.
He would embark on a journey with Jiraiya.
Not long after, Jiraiya would be wounded by a chaotic and red power.
Yet contrary to expectations, Naruto Uzumaki had left Konoha alone.
"Chaos" refers to the disruption of prophecies...
Beyond that, there are experiences on this young one that it cannot perceive, which is the "mist".
Just like that woman who appeared suddenly alongside the Divine Tree back then.
(End of Chapter)