Mount Myoboku.
The atmosphere was unusually heavy today. Jiraiya had been urgently summoned, and under the guidance of the two elder toads, he rushed into the grand hall where the Great Toad Sage resided.
"Great Toad Sage, do you have new instructions for me?" Influenced by the tense atmosphere, Jiraiya unconsciously adopted a more solemn tone.
"Jiraiya-boy, the threads of fate have completely unraveled." The Great Toad Sage's first words struck like a bolt of lightning, making Jiraiya's heart tremble.
"Great Toad Sage, what do you mean by that?" His urgency overrode his usual respect, and he lifted his head to meet the Sage's gaze. Man and toad locked eyes.
Jiraiya's heart sank further. The look in the Great Toad Sage's eyes told him that this was no joke.
"Is it because of Akatsuki?" After a moment of silence, Jiraiya asked.
"Yes… and no."
"The anomaly in fate has indeed appeared within Akatsuki, but Akatsuki is not the only factor." The Great Toad Sage answered.
"Then who is the true anomaly?" Jiraiya asked curiously.
"Deidara." The straightforward answer caught Jiraiya off guard. He had expected another prophecy, something cryptic and difficult to interpret, but this time, the response was shockingly direct.
"Deidara?" Jiraiya was stunned for a moment. His impression of Deidara was limited to their last encounter—when the rogue ninja had used an unknown method to counter his genjutsu, forcing Jiraiya to retreat.
After that, he had known Deidara was a member of Akatsuki and participated in their missions, but nothing about him had seemed particularly extraordinary.
"Yes." The Great Toad Sage nodded, his form visibly weakening.
"Jiraiya, eliminating Deidara, restoring Akatsuki to its destined course, and bringing fate back on track—this is our last chance."
"But…" Jiraiya forced a bitter smile. "He's incredibly strong. I can't defeat him, not even with Fukasaku and Shima fighting alongside me."
"What if you had my power as well?"
The Great Toad Sage's words were like another thunderclap.
"You're going to fight personally?!" Jiraiya could hardly believe what he was hearing. The Great Toad Sage was a being from the era of the Sage of Six Paths. For him to step in personally… what kind of future was unfolding that warranted such drastic action?
But the Great Toad Sage shook his head, dispelling Jiraiya's assumption.
"I am old. I can no longer fight."
Before Jiraiya could ask, the Sage continued, "But I will give you my power. You will be the one to save the world's fate."
Jiraiya's heart pounded violently. Combined with the heavy atmosphere in Mount Myoboku today, he suddenly understood the gravity of the situation.
"Does it really have to go this far?" He asked, sadness and disbelief in his voice.
The Great Toad Sage's response was resolute. "Jiraiya-boy, you do not understand."
"The shinobi world is far more dangerous than you realize."
"If the threads of fate are altered and the future becomes uncertain, then the most likely outcome is total destruction."
"So no matter what, you must set fate right!"
A burden heavier than anything before descended upon Jiraiya. Yet, in that moment, he found himself unexpectedly calm.
"This time, it's not just us who will act."
"I have also allied with Ryuchi Cave and Shikkotsu Forest. Their power will be at your disposal as well."
"Now, Jiraiya, will you accept this power and responsibility?"
Jiraiya nodded firmly. "I will."
"Come forward." As the power transfer began, the Great Toad Sage's vitality slowly faded.
Hagoromo, this is all I can do. The rest is up to you.
...
Shikkotsu Forest.
After being healed by the Slug Sage, Tsunade had been recuperating here for the past few days.
Too much had happened recently, and she had no idea how to face the world upon her return. Konoha was destroyed, Akatsuki's overwhelming dominance, being controlled by that old bastard Danzo through Kotoamatsukami—it was all too absurd and humiliating.
And now, to top it all off, the Slug Sage had summoned her and given her an even more unbelievable mission.
"So, I need to help Jiraiya restore the fate of the world?"
"But to put it simply, I just have to beat down our enemies, right?" Tsunade asked uncertainly.
The towering Slug Sage wiggled its feelers playfully, its voice still carrying a sweet, goddess-like tone.
"Tsunade-sama, that is indeed the gist of it."
Despite its ancient lineage and immense power, the Slug Sage's mind was always childlike. This was due to its nature as a collective lifeform—its consciousness was formed by countless smaller slugs merging together, but never completely, leaving it eternally naive.
"So, Tsunade-sama, will you accept this power and responsibility?"
Tsunade nodded. "I will."
No matter what, she couldn't just stand by and let the world be destroyed.
She stepped forward. Unlike the Great Toad Sage, who had transferred all his power, Shikkotsu Forest and Ryuchi Cave were merely sharing portions of their strength.
...
Ryuchi Cave.
Orochimaru, now reincarnated as Uzumaki Yusuke, had been reverse-summoned here. At the moment, Obito was too busy running for his life, so their temporary disappearance wouldn't raise suspicion.
The White Snake Sage lounged lazily, casually explaining the situation to Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru, will you accept this power and responsibility?"
Orochimaru didn't answer immediately. Instead, he licked his lips with interest and asked, "As far as I know, the Akatsuki group is also striving for peace."
"They don't seem like villains. Isn't it an exaggeration to say they'll lead the world to destruction?"
Perhaps because of the gravity of the situation, the usually irritable White Snake Sage was willing to explain further.
"Orochimaru, good intentions don't always lead to good results."
"The shinobi world harbors countless hidden dangers. If fate proceeds as originally intended, these dangers will eventually be overcome."
"But if Akatsuki continues to meddle, they might succeed… or they might fail disastrously."
"The original path had a 100% success rate. Anything less than that is, in effect, an act of destruction. Do you understand?"
"So, they must be eliminated, even if their intentions are good?"
"Yes. It is a necessary sacrifice." The White Snake Sage nodded.
"Then tell me—what exactly are these hidden dangers?" Orochimaru pressed.
The White Snake Sage chuckled darkly. "That, I cannot tell you."
"Orochimaru, you yourself are a dangerous entity. If you knew, it would only complicate matters further."
Orochimaru shrugged. "Fair enough."
The White Snake Sage's expression turned serious. "Orochimaru, will you accept this power and responsibility?"
To the shock of the three Great Priestesses, Orochimaru shook his head.
"No. I refuse."
"I reject stagnation. Akatsuki has stirred the winds of change in the shinobi world. I find that thrilling—why would I stand against them?"
"Orochimaru, do you realize what you're turning down?!" Tagitsuhime cried out in disbelief. This was a portion of the White Snake Sage's power! Even she and the other priestesses coveted it.
The White Snake Sage, however, remained calm. "I knew you would refuse."
"So I chose a replacement from among your subordinates. I hope you don't mind."
A round-faced young man with glasses stepped forward, adjusting his frames as he looked at Orochimaru with a hint of deference.
"Orochimaru-sama."
Orochimaru's lips curled in amusement.
"So it was you, Kabuto."
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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