Chapter 123 - Mount Myoboku

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"Tobirama, I'm heading out."

In the Hokage's office, Akio slung a travel pack over his shoulder and said his goodbyes to Tobirama.

"I'll come back when the Hokage selection process starts."

It had been a week since the Joint Jonin Exam. Most of the ninja from the other villages had already left, and with no further business to attend to, Akio prepared to return to his clan. According to his calculations, Kushina should be about a year and a half old by now. He was eager to see what she looked like as a toddler.

"Great-uncle, are you really not staying a bit longer?" Tobirama asked, trying once more to get him to stay.

Akio frowned. For some reason, ever since he arrived in Konoha, Tobirama had been unusually persistent in asking him to stay longer.

Before Akio could question him further, Hiruzen burst into the room in a panic.

"Sensei... Elder Akio!"

Tsunade and Orochimaru followed close behind, both panting heavily.

Tobirama looked at them. "What's gotten you all so worked up?"

Hiruzen caught his breath, looking a little awkward. "Sensei... it's Jiraiya. He..."

Half a day earlier.

Hiruzen had just concluded a special training session with Orochimaru and was returning to Konoha.

At the village gates, Jiraiya and Tsunade had come to greet them. Jiraiya immediately began bragging to Orochimaru about how he'd been promoted to Jonin and claimed that his strength had improved dramatically—so much so that Orochimaru was no longer his match.

Orochimaru calmly responded by showing off his newest achievement: a Summoning Contract with a giant serpent. Jiraiya was stunned into silence.

Looking for some reassurance from Tsunade, he was instead met with her nonchalant revelation that she, too, had signed a contract—with the Slug Clan—after becoming a Jonin. She even summoned a massive slug on the spot.

With nowhere else to turn, Jiraiya looked pleadingly at Hiruzen, who simply suggested that he could sign a snake contract like Orochimaru—or perhaps ask Elder Akio to let him sign with the Slug Clan.

Jiraiya scoffed, "No way!" and ran back home.

"And then?" Tobirama asked flatly.

Hiruzen sighed, half amused, half exasperated. "He used Reverse Summoning... we have no idea where he ended up. Some summoning beasts are extremely dangerous. He should be fine for a short while, but the longer he stays, the higher the risk. Sensei, since you can sense spatial fluctuations, we were hoping you could locate the place he was transported to."

Tobirama shook his head. "That's beyond even me." He turned to Akio. "Do you have a way?"

Akio thought to himself, Of course I do. I don't even need to think—he definitely ended up at Mount Myōboku. Should I go find him?

After a brief hesitation, he tossed his travel bag onto Tobirama's desk. "Don't worry. I have a good idea of where he went. I'll go get him."

Hiruzen exhaled in relief. "Thank you, Elder!"

Akio took off into the sky, thinking, If Jiraiya signs the Toad Summoning Contract, I should gain a few Witness Points. As for the location of Mount Myōboku...

Biting his finger, he performed a hand seal. Summoning Technique!

"Lady Katsuyu, do you know where Mount Myōboku is?" Akio asked. Since the Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest was also one of the Three Great Sage Beasts, she should know.

"All three Great Sage Realms are actually connected to the same space."

Akio froze, caught completely off guard.

"Meaning?"

"If you continue traveling south through Shikkotsu Forest, you'll reach Mount Myōboku. Head north and you'll arrive at Ryūchi Cave. Of course, there are other entrances that don't pass through Shikkotsu Forest, but I don't know their exact locations."

Akio nodded and dispelled the summon, changing course and flying south toward the forest.

After a quick greeting to the Slug Sage, he shot further south, worried he'd miss the moment Jiraiya signed the contract and waste the trip.

The farther south he went, the more his brow furrowed—the environment was growing damp and chilly.

"This distance..." Akio muttered. He'd already been flying for more than half an hour. He must have left the Land of Fire by now.

So the Three Great Sage Realms really do exist in separate dimensions...

After an hour of flight, the air around him grew noticeably fresher. Suddenly, he felt an unusual shift in his surroundings. Looking up, it was as if he'd entered another world.

This is Mount Myōboku?

Akio marveled. Unlike the gloomy and humid Shikkotsu Forest, Mount Myōboku was filled with birdsong and floral fragrance.

"Birds?" Akio blinked. "No, those are bugs..."

Being natural predators of insects, any real birds here would likely have been driven out by the toads.

Looking into the distance, layers of mountain ridges obscured his vision. Enormous plants blanketed the landscape, giving the place the serene beauty of a hidden paradise.

"Alright then... Kagura's Mind Eye!" Akio formed the Tiger Seal with his right hand and maximized his sensory range.

Jiraiya... he's over there. No chakra signatures around him—he must not have met any toads yet. No contract signed.

Akio breathed a sigh of relief—he hadn't missed the moment for Witness Points. But suddenly, his eyes widened and his mouth twitched.

That chakra presence… it's overwhelming.

He had just sensed the most immense chakra he'd ever encountered.

Overwhelming doesn't even begin to describe it. Do the Ten-Tails have this much? It's dozens of times stronger than the Nine-Tails!

Akio gave a wry smile. I really underestimated this. It must be the Great Toad Sage.

Having sensed the Slug Sage's chakra up close before, Akio felt confident that the Slug wasn't a match for him—but this Great Toad Sage...

Even if the Slug Sage isn't combat-oriented, there shouldn't be this much disparity between the Great Sages. The Snake Sage can't be this strong, either. So the Great Toad Sage really is an exception?

Akio shook his head. "No wonder he's known for predicting the future. He probably already knows I'm here. Well then—time to broaden my horizons."

At the same time, atop the highest peak of Mount Myōboku, a massive toad was slumped in a chair engraved with the kanji for "Sage." A necklace with the kanji for "oil" hung around his neck, and he wore a scholar's cap.

"Mmm..." With a groan, the bubble rising and falling from his nose popped. The Great Toad Sage opened his eyes.

Two smaller toads appeared before him—it was Fukasaku and Shima.

"Great Elder, you're awake?"

"The boy I foresaw would come to Mount Myōboku centuries ago has arrived. Go bring him here. There's another guest too—Uzumaki Akio. Bring him as well."

Meanwhile, Akio was quickly closing in on Jiraiya's location. But as he drew closer, his brows knit together—Jiraiya was rapidly moving deeper into the mountain.

"Hmm?" A small toad suddenly appeared at his side—it was Fukasaku.

"Yo, Grandpa Toad!" Akio greeted cheerfully. It had been years since he'd met anyone older than himself.

"Uzumaki Akio, the Great Elder has requested your presence."

Akio was momentarily stunned. He even knows my name? So the Great Toad Sage has had a prophecy about me too. I wonder how I'm described in it?

The elder who changes the world?

Or maybe...

Speculating to himself, Akio followed Fukasaku deep into the heart of Mount Myōboku.

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