After distributing the next phase of missions, Arima ordered the team to rest well for the night; there might be a fierce battle awaiting them co dawn.
Just then, a squad of Konoha Anbu, who had been monitoring the movents of the Three Kage nearby, rushed in to deliver urgent intel.
Through Byakugan surveillance, they had discovered the targets flying en masse into the sky, destination unknown.
After hearing the report, Arima fell briefly into thought before deciding to move out imdiately under the cover of night.
He suspected that the Three Kage might have also located the airborne fortress.
Arima had to capture Miyadera before they did. Both the Zero-Tails and the mysterious teorite fragnt held by the Star Ninja Village were objectives he could not afford to miss.
Without delay, Arima gathered the entire team, reorganizing the arriving Anbu into two squads and putting their pre-planned operation into motion.
anwhile, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya, having separated from Arima earlier, had finally reached the Land of Wind after traveling nonstop.
But unexpectedly, they received troubling news from the village.
The Three Kage had ambushed the Third Hokage, and the Konoha-Kumo allied forces now stood in a tense standoff against the other three great ninja villages.
The original plan had been to cut directly through Sunagakure's defenses and rendezvous with Arima in Roran.
Unfortunately, they had encountered a large force of Sand shinobi along the way, forcing them to take a long detour just to shake off pursuit.
This mission, launched alongside the Third Hokage, had seen them constantly dancing to the enemy's tune. It was hard not to feel passive and reactive.
Now, with only half a day's travel remaining, they expected to reach Roran before sunrise.
The scorching heat of the desert had faded with the day. A cool breeze brushed across the dunes, bringing refreshing comfort.
The night sky above the desert was brilliant, stars scattered across a vast expanse, their splendor enough to make one feel how small and insignificant they truly were.
At that mont, the trio sat beside a sand dune to rest, planning to make their final push to Roran at first light.
Orochimaru raised his head, gazing up at the starry sky, and for once, he couldn't help but murmur with admiration, "What a beautiful world. How many secrets lie hidden beneath this sky, waiting for soone to uncover them?"
Jiraiya flicked away a scorpion crawling near his foot, pulled out a water pouch, sipped carefully, and then scooped up a handful of fine sand to wash the weariness from his face.
Hearing Orochimaru's remark, he replied without thinking, "Hey, you damn Snake, what do you think those shining stars really are?"
Orochimaru had no answer to that. He simply shook his head. "No idea. What made you suddenly think of that?"
Jiraiya recalled with a smile, "I rember back in the Academy, the Third Hokage once chatted with about a mysterious world he'd seen in a dream, sothing so different from ours."
Tsunade, bored from sitting around, perked up at the ntion of gossip. She vaguely rembered Arima had once told her stories about gods and immortals.
She jumped in, saying, "I rember Arima-nii once told that when his Sharingan first awakened, his consciousness entered a chaotic space. There, he saw a world completely different from our own.
According to him, people there could fly through the skies and burrow through the earth, move mountains and part seas with a gesture.
He even said that above us, in the night sky, there might be countless worlds just like our ninja world."
Orochimaru was instantly intrigued. If what they said was true, then the stars above weren't so lonely after all.
But the next mont, he was struck by how short a human lifespan was, just a few decades. Perhaps he'd die before ever glimpsing such a world.
Jiraiya looked up at the vast heavens, muttering, "Do immortals really exist in this world?"
Tsunade answered with firm conviction, "Of course they do! Arima-nii received a gift from the Sage of Six Paths himself, that's how he awakened Wood Release!
And Grandpa always said that before Arima-nii was born, he used to have the sa dream over and over. But once Arima-nii was born, the dreams stopped. See? That's divine guidance!"
Orochimaru recalled sothing the Third Hokage once said: that the ultimate secrets of the shinobi world would lead back to the Sage of Six Paths.
It seed their teacher knew more than he let on. A seed was planted in Orochimaru's heart, he would seek evidence of the Sage's existence.
Jiraiya was equally amazed. The Third Hokage's life was truly legendary.
Suddenly, he rembered: the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku had supposedly lived for over a thousand years.
If the Sage of Six Paths really had existed, then maybe the Great Toad Sage had actually t him.
The idea fired him up.
Jiraiya raised his arm dramatically and exclaid, "The Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku may have t the Sage of Six Paths himself! Excellent!
Then I, the mighty Jiraiya, must also have a grand title, sothing the whole ninja world will rember for centuries to co!"
He paused, deep in thought, pondering a na worthy of his ambitions, one as grand as the Great Toad Sage's.
Seeing Jiraiya furrowing his brows in deep contemplation, Orochimaru couldn't resist teasing him.
"Jiraiya, I've thought of a na. It's loud, it's immortal-sounding, and it suits your ahem unique temperant."
Jiraiya imdiately glared at him, knowing Orochimaru was up to no good. "No thanks, you damn snake!
I won't fall for your tricks again! Too many years have passed for to fall for your crap. I've got it! My na will be…"
"Toad Sage!"
"Pervy Sage!"
Those two nas ca out almost simultaneously, one from Jiraiya, the other from Orochimaru.
Tsunade burst out laughing so hard that tears nearly rolled down her cheeks.
Between gasps, she managed to get out, "Pe… pervy… Sage! Wha… what a na! Hahaha!"
Even Orochimaru couldn't resist laughing along, infected by her amusent.
Jiraiya sulked, watching Tsunade doubled over with laughter.
"Tsunade, you're picking up all of Kata's bad habits! Even your speech is getting choppy now! Better be careful, or the Third Hokage might ditch you for a younger, prettier girl!"
Tsunade wasn't bothered in the slightest and just laughed even harder. In her mind, "Pervy Sage" was a perfect match for Jiraiya, it might as well have been made for him.
When the jab failed to land, Jiraiya turned to Orochimaru, fuming. "You're the pervy sage, you damn snake! I'm the Toad Sage!
Walking protector of the ninja world from Mount Myōboku's sacred land! I oughta turn your snakes into wallets!"
Orochimaru chuckled. "If you can catch them, go right ahead."
Jiraiya knew all too well how difficult it would be to capture Manda. Besides, he'd only said it out of frustration.
"I'm the Toad Sage, got it?!" he bellowed. "Pervy Sage makes sound like so old creep! If the kids at the Academy hear it, where's my dignity supposed to go?!"
Tsunade and Orochimaru couldn't help but picture a future where Jiraiya, now famous across the ninja world, walked into a classroom only to be greeted by a chorus of students chanting "Pervy Sage!" The thought was too much.
They both burst into laughter all over again.
Still, they were comrades, Tsunade and Orochimaru would never truly undermine Jiraiya. It was just a pity. "Toad Sage" was actually a pretty good na… until that idiot ruined it for himself.
After so more banter and laughter, the trio finished their rest and resud their journey toward Roran.
As dawn approached, winds stirred and clouds gathered, Roran would be the stage for sothing truly extraordinary.
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