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At this mont, Jiraiya seed to have countless thoughts swirling in his mind, yet he felt utterly blank, unable to process anything.
If all of this were true, then the mission he had clung to, dedicated his entire life to, would beco nothing more than a cruel joke!
Could it be that all his efforts, all his struggles over the years, were aningless fantasies?
Such a realization was sothing even a steadfast man like Jiraiya found nearly impossible to accept in an instant.
But what if Kaito was lying?
Jiraiya recalled his one and only encounter with Kaito, when that man had entrusted him with a ssage for Mount Myōboku.
He didn’t want to doubt the toads of Mount Myōboku.
After all, they were his second family.
Without the help of those toads, he, who had once been a dead-last, would never have reached the heights he had achieved today.
Even so, his intuition told him that Kaito’s words might very well be true.
At that ti, neither the Great Toad Sage nor Lord Fukasaku had shown any unusual behavior.
Lord Fukasaku’s explanations had seed entirely reasonable.
Yet, in hindsight, Jiraiya felt that sothing about it didn’t sit right.
"Minato!" He looked up and forced a weak smile. "I’m going to see Tsunade!"
"Understood, Jiraiya-sensei," Minato replied, having already guessed his intent.
"It’s good to get to the bottom of this. Even I can’t be sure if what Kaito said is true or not."
"I’ll find out," Jiraiya said, his expression more serious than ever as he stepped out of Minato’s house.
He looked up at the sky, took a deep breath, and leaped onto a neighboring rooftop, heading straight for the Hokage’s office.
---
"Tsunade!"
Jiraiya pushed open the door to the Hokage’s office and strode in.
"What are you doing here again?" Tsunade set her pen down and glared at him irritably.
"You’ve heard from Minato, haven’t you? About this so-called truth from Uchiha Kaito."
Jiraiya got straight to the point.
"Huh?" Tsunade frowned, her irritation growing. "How would I know if it’s true or not? At best, we can only ntally prepare ourselves."
She glanced at the towering stack of paperwork on her desk and tossed her pen aside.
If it’s true, even better!
Let the world end already!
I’m done with this job!
"No! I have a way to verify it!" Jiraiya stepped forward, speaking in a low voice.
"You?" Tsunade looked at him skeptically.
"Summoning animals!" Jiraiya reminded her. "Especially the sages of the Three Great Sacred Lands. They’ve lived through countless eras and surely know the truth of history!"
"Then why don’t you ask the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku?" Tsunade asked, still doubtful. "Isn’t he the sa old fraud who sent you chasing after this so-called Child of Prophecy all these years?"
Jiraiya’s tone grew somber. "Precisely. That’s why I can’t ask the Great Toad Sage."
"You don’t know this, but there’s sothing I’ve never ntioned before," Jiraiya said. "Kaito once entrusted with a ssage for Mount Myōboku."
"What was the ssage?" Tsunade’s expression grew serious.
"’A thousand years have passed. I hope this ti, they make the right choice.’" Jiraiya repeated Kaito’s words.
"It seems that the summoning beasts are indeed tied to the history Kaito spoke of," Tsunade murmured, her expression shifting.
"Exactly," Jiraiya said, wiping his face. "And later, Mount Myōboku’s explanation was completely contradictory to Kaito’s words."
"What did they say?" Tsunade asked.
Jiraiya repeated Fukasaku’s explanation.
"So Fukasaku implied that Kaito, as an Onmyoji, sought to enslave the summoning beasts?" Tsunade pondered this for a mont.
"I understand now." She looked at Jiraiya. "I’ll ask the Slug Sage myself."
"Do it now," Jiraiya urged, his impatience clear.
"Have you considered that even if Kaito’s words are true, the Slug Sage’s account might be the sa as the Great Toad Sage’s?" Tsunade stood up.
"No," Jiraiya shook his head. "If the Slug Sage’s words align with Fukasaku’s, it ans neither is lying. But if their accounts differ, even if both contradict Kaito’s version, it ans they’re hiding sothing."
"Then let’s ask," Tsunade agreed.
She bit her right thumb and drew a line of blood across her left palm.
Forming a series of hand seals, she pressed her palm to the ground, summoning jutsu swirling under her hand.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Poof!
With a burst of smoke, a half-human-sized slug appeared on the floor.
"Tsunade-sama."
The slug raised its head and extended its antennae.
Tsunade straightened up.
"Slug, I need to speak with the Slug Sage. Take to the Shikkotsu Forest."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama."
The slug split into two, one half disappearing with a poof.
Monts later, Tsunade vanished as well.
Jiraiya, left behind, began pacing anxiously around the office.
"What’s going on?" the remaining slug asked.
"Tsunade has gone to confirm sothing. You’ll know soon enough," Jiraiya replied without elaborating.
"I see. Now I understand," the slug said after a mont.
Jiraiya continued pacing restlessly.
"You seem anxious," the slug said, its antennae twitching. "I can tell you the answer."
"Really?"
Jiraiya stopped in his tracks, his eyes fixed on the slug.
"Of course."
The slug raised its head slightly.
"Please, tell , Slug Sage!"
Jiraiya knelt down eagerly.
"Yes, Uchiha Kaito, the one who beca an Onmyoji," the slug said in its usual unhurried tone.
"Yes, that’s him," Jiraiya said urgently.
"What Kaito said about history is the truth," the slug confird. "As for the present or future, I cannot say."
"It’s true?"
Despite having ntally prepared himself, Jiraiya still felt a heavy blow. He collapsed onto the floor, sitting in stunned silence.
"Is it hard to accept?" The slug tilted its head.
Jiraiya lowered his head, saying nothing.
"You’re a legacy of Mount Myōboku, aren’t you? Is it because they didn’t tell you the truth?" the slug asked.
Jiraiya finally managed to speak. "For years, I’ve been searching for the Child of Prophecy ntioned by the Great Toad Sage."
"Gamamaru?" the slug said. "Don’t worry. He hasn’t led you astray."
Jiraiya fell silent again.
The slug nudged him gently.
"Don’t worry. When the Six Paths brothers sealed Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, Gamamaru played a significant role. Mount Myōboku is fine."
"And the Child of Prophecy?" Jiraiya asked, still hung up on his years of work.
"The future is uncertain. Gamamaru only sees fragnts of possibilities," the slug explained. "He just prefers to be prepared."
"And what about you?" Jiraiya turned to the slug. "Why did you choose to reveal the truth directly?"
"It’s simply an animal’s instinct to survive. I dislike conflict," the slug replied, slithering away. "Tsunade-sama is returning. Goodbye."
Poof!
White smoke rose, and Tsunade reappeared.
"Well then, I’ll take my leave as well."
Poof!
The slug disappeared.
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