One by one, the toads began gathering—first just a few, then dozens, drawn by the sounds of battle echoing across Myoboku.
Some were enormous, towering tens of meters high, while others were small enough to fit in a hand. The clash had stirred up quite the ruckus, and now toads from all across Myoboku were converging on the scene.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The earth rumbled as two large toads, each the size of Gamabunta arrived first. One was a purple-skinned toad wielding a massive trident—Gamaken, who'd fought alongside Jiraiya against Pain in the original timeline. Beside him was the green toad warrior, Gamahiro, known for his skill with swords but infamously one-shot by Pain's Shinra Tensei in Konoha.
These two toads were part of Myoboku's elite council and close brothers to Gamabunta.
"Bunta! How'd you get yourself walloped like this? Hahaha!" Gamaken laughed heartily, poking fun at his brother.
"Looks like I may be clumsy, but I'd never end up with a broken weapon like you!" Gamahiro added with a grin.
"Hey, Bunta! Our elder told you to bring the guest here, not beat him up!"
"My dad! My dad! Are you alright?"
The air filled with the murmuring of the toads, some of the odder-looking ones even rolling on the ground in laughter at Gamabunta's misfortune.
[You have collected 200 Chakra points]
[You have collected 100 Chakra points]
[You have collected 300 Sage Energy points]
[You have collected 20 Sage Skill points]
Golden energy swirled around Kazuya, flying toward him in waves.
This… this was Myoboku?
It was truly a paradise for farming Sage energy experience points!
Though many of the toads were unnerved by the sight of Gamabunta, Myoboku's strongest warrior, lying defeated, none of them made a move against Kazuya. Even Gamabunta, scorched and bruised, had no intention of resuming the fight.
Then—
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two small, yet immensely powerful toads appeared, teleporting swiftly to the scene.
These were none other than Fukasaku and Shima, the ancient toads who served as the Great Toad Sage's closest advisors and protectors.
As Fukasaku surveyed the crowd, his voice cut through the murmuring: "Nohara Kazuya, on behalf of the Great Sage, we apologize. Myoboku has no intention of antagonizing you. The Great Sage has specifically requested an audience with you."
"Bunta here was acting on his own," Shima added, her tone respectful. "Please, Kazuya, come with us. The Great Sage awaits."
These two elder toads were markedly friendlier than Gamabunta had been.
"Thank you," Kazuya replied with a polite nod.
Several small toads hopped forward, eager to introduce themselves, and it was clear that the toads of Myoboku bore him no ill will. Even during Gamabunta's attack, he hadn't gone all out. But Kazuya, while holding back a bit, had decisively put Gamabunta in his place.
Soon, Kazuya followed Fukasaku and Shima deeper into Myoboku, leaving the scene behind.
As they departed, a few healer toads bounded over to Gamabunta, checking on his injuries.
To be fair, Fukasaku and Shima were both slightly unsettled by what they'd witnessed. It wasn't every day that they saw the mighty Gamabunta in such a state. Kazuya's strength… was almost intimidating.
They led Kazuya through Myoboku's lush terrain, passing waterfalls cascading from tall cliffs and vibrant greenery. Eventually, they reached the heart of Myoboku.
There, sitting on a massive stone throne with "oil" beads around his neck, was a very ancient, drowsy-eyed toad. The Great Toad Sage.
[You have collected 1,000 Chakra points]
[You have collected 3,000 Chakra points]
[You have collected 2,000 Sage Energy points]
[You have collected 200 Sage Skill points]
[Your Sage Skill has leveled up to Level 4 (0/1,000)]
[Sage Mode duration increased to 60 minutes]
Just being in the presence of the Great Sage caused an explosion of golden orbs around Kazuya. His Sage Skill level had surged from 3 to 4, extending his Sage Mode from 20 minutes to a full hour.
Kazuya's eyes widened.
The sheer quality of energy the Great Toad Sage was exuding was incredible. Without even engaging in battle, the sage had released 5,000 Chakra points and more than 6,000 Sage Energy points. This was the most substantial yield he'd ever encountered, bar none.
Even his encounters with figures like Jiraiya or the Fourth Raikage hadn't yielded anything close to this—at most a few hundred points each time. But here, in the presence of the Great Sage, the output was easily tenfold.
Kazuya couldn't help but feel a sense of caution. This sage toad was immensely powerful. If he harbored any ill will, even Kazuya might struggle.
Yet the Great Toad Sage simply observed Kazuya with kind, sleepy eyes. His voice was gentle, with the weight of ages behind it.
"You're the young man Bunta and Jiraiya mentioned?"
"Yes," Kazuya replied, maintaining a respectful tone.
"Good," the Great Sage said, sounding as if he were speaking from the depths of time itself.
After studying Kazuya for a long moment, the sage spoke again. "There's no need to worry, young one. Myoboku will be your ally, not your enemy."
"In time… you will understand this well."
With that, he gestured to Fukasaku and Shima. "Fukasaku, Shima, take this young man to begin his Sage training. And… let's keep today's events discreet."
"Yes, Great Sage!"
"Yes, Sage Elder!"
Fukasaku and Shima bowed deeply. But as they turned back to Kazuya, they couldn't hide the glimmer of intrigue in their eyes.
It almost felt as if the Great Sage was addressing Kazuya not as an ordinary young shinobi, but as an equal.
An equal?
The notion felt absurd, but there it was.
The Great Sage Toad was the oldest creature in Myoboku, a being who had seen centuries pass, and was rumored to have fought alongside the ancestor of all shinobi, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, against Kaguya herself. And now he spoke to Kazuya as if they were of the same status.
This human was truly… special.
At this point in history, the Great Toad Sage was so old that any living being—human, toad, or otherwise—was at best like a great-grandchild to him. So why was he treating this young man with such respect?
"That old sage is losing his mind," Shima muttered under her breath.
To her, it seemed the Great Sage was just getting foggier with age, prone to whims and visions that no one else understood.