Konoha Village Hot Springs.
Jiraiya was in the middle of his usual "research."
At that moment, he had his face pressed against the crack of the door, drool hanging from his lips.
"Yeah, yeah, that's how a girl should look...⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄"
Before he could finish his thought, Shinju's figure appeared behind him like a ghost.
"You're one of the Legendary Sannin, yet you spend your days peeking at girls bathing... No wonder Tsunade-sama doesn't want to see you. (ー_ー)!!"
Without even turning around, Jiraiya replied,
"Nonsense. Tsunade and I have a perfectly good relationship. →_→"
"And another thing—can you please remove that Flying Thunder God mark you left on me? (′д｀σ)σ"
"You come and go as you please. Don't I get any privacy at all?!! ヽ('⌒´メ)ノ"
Shinju shrugged.
"That mark was placed on you when I brought you back to life. I only left it there in case something happened to you again, so I could find you easily. ┐(´-｀)┌"
"And it's not like I use it every day."
Jiraiya turned his head, staring at Shinju with a serious look.
"Either way, find a way to remove it! That mark on me... it's affecting my mood! (｡•ˇ‸ˇ•｡)"
Shinju lifted his hands. "Can't be done. Once the Flying Thunder God mark is engraved, it never fades."
"Of course, if you really don't want me teleporting to you, you could just carve off that bit of skin with the mark on it... --003d_--003d"
Jiraiya froze. "Wha—carve it off?? You brat, is that how you talk to your teacher?! ٩(๑`^´๑)۶"
Shinju didn't back down in the slightest.
"And which teacher acts like you, huh? ＜(￣3￣)＞"
Jiraiya: "..."
A moment later, Jiraiya led Shinju to the sauna room by the baths.
Inside, Jiraiya wiped away the sweat trickling down his forehead and said,
"You should head to Mount Myōboku when you have time. Gamaken told me the Great Toad Sage had another dream—it's about you."
Shinju nodded. "Alright, I'll head over soon."
Even though the Great Toad Sage's prophecies were often vague, Shinju's curiosity got the better of him. He wanted to hear firsthand what kind of message the Sage had this time...
After finishing their sauna, Shinju put on his clothes. Before leaving, he reminded Jiraiya,
"During the war, I won't be around—so be careful."
"And also... cut down on peeping at women. Õ_Õ"
...
Mount Myōboku.
Shima and Fukasaku were in the forest, foraging for bugs.
"How about I fry some grasshopper legs for dinner tonight?" Shima said with a smile, carrying a small bamboo basket.
Fukasaku nodded. "Sounds good. I trust your cooking, but could you add some steamed leeches too? Suddenly got a craving for that..."
Shima chuckled. "Of course."
Once they gathered enough ingredients, the two toads happily hopped their way back home.
On the way, Fukasaku said, "I wonder what the Great Toad Sage dreamed this time—he was in quite a hurry to summon Shinju. ~_~"
Shima replied, "It must be something important. I haven't seen him that agitated in ages."
Fukasaku mused, "If my guess is right, his dream probably has something to do with the Fourth Great Ninja War."
"Too bad Shinju doesn't summon the toads from Mount Myōboku very often. We can't even use Reverse Summoning to bring him here ourselves. We had to ask Jiraiya to pass along the message... It's been so long now, you don't think that guy Jiraiya forgot about it, do you? ㅍ_ㅍ"
As they spoke, the two toad sages passed by the Toad Square.
In the middle of the square stood the Flying Thunder God kunai Shinju had left there for teleportation.
The next moment—
Whoosh!
A shadow flashed before them—Shinju, dressed in black, appeared in an instant, hand gripping the kunai.
Fukasaku grinned. "Ha! Just in time, boy! Shima and I were just talking about you."
Shima's face brightened.
"Oh, little Shinju, you're here! It's been almost a year since we last saw you. Come to Granny's house for a meal first, then we'll take you to see the Great Toad Sage. (＾ワ＾)"
Shinju glanced at the bamboo basket in Shima's hand. The moment his eyes caught sight of the slippery, wriggling leeches inside, he faltered.
"Ah, no need. The Great Toad Sage seemed pretty urgent—I'd better go see him right away. o(〃--0027▽--0027〃)o"
Shima nodded understandingly.
"Alright then. Dear, you take little Shinju to the temple. I'll go home and prepare dinner."
Then she turned to Shinju with a warm smile.
"Once you're done with your business, don't forget to come eat, okay? ╭(′▽`)╯"
"Gulp~"
Shinju swallowed hard. Knowing he couldn't escape that meal, he forced a smile.
"Of course! I love your cooking! (*꒦ິ⌓꒦ີ)"
...
Temple at the heart of Mount Myōboku.
The Great Toad Sage sat there, wearing his scholar's cap, gazing down at Shinju.
"So, you've been to Ryūchi Cave... and learned its Sage Mode?"
His voice was ancient and heavy.
Shinju nodded. "Yes."
Upon hearing that, the Great Toad Sage's half-closed eyes seemed to widen slightly. He muttered to himself,
"At first, I wasn't sure if the figure in my dream was you... It was just a shadow of red light. But now that I know you've mastered the Sage Arts of Ryūchi Cave..."
The more Shinju listened, the more confused he became.
"Great Toad Sage, what exactly did you dream about?"
The Great Toad Sage bowed his head, seemingly deep in thought, silent for a long while...
After a while, Fukasaku finally spoke up.
"Great Toad Sage! Don't fall asleep now! Shinju's asking you a question!!!（‵□′）"
The old sage stirred. "Zzz... Huh? You were asking me something? (꒪⌓꒪)"
"Oh right, yes, I had something to tell little Shinju."
He looked at Shinju again.
"So, you've been to Ryūchi Cave... and learned its Sage Mode?"
Shinju: ∑(✘Д✘๑)
Fukasaku leaned over and whispered,
"The Great Toad Sage's memory isn't what it used to be. He dozes off all the time now... Try to be patient. He's really old. (ー ー゛)"
Shinju nodded. "Yeah, I understand."
Still, a question lingered in his mind—both the Great Toad Sage and the White Snake Sage were ancient beings guarding sacred lands. So why was the White Snake Sage sharp as ever, while the Great Toad Sage seemed so... senile?
For quite some time after that, the Great Toad Sage drifted between sleep and wakefulness, mumbling about vague things—red light, the heavens, gods... completely abstract.
Finally, Shinju managed to piece together what he meant.
"So basically... you're saying I shouldn't take part in the Fourth Great Ninja War, right?"
The Great Toad Sage: "Zzz... Huh?? Oh, little Shinju, you came to visit me..."
Shinju: ~(* ﹏ *)~
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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