Naruto Uzumaki?
Hearing that familiar name, Ron couldn't help but sigh softly.
The son of the Fourth Hokage, who gave his life for Konoha.
Because the Nine-Tails was sealed within him, Naruto never received special care—
instead, he was isolated.
Even the village's so-called support barely amounted to stale milk and cheap bread.
At that moment, the system's mechanical voice pulled Ron back to the present.
[Ding. Customer Jiraiya: "Throw Everything at Them" Technique, Sage Mode, Fire Release, Earth Release…
Host may choose one ability.]
"'Throw Everything at Them'… what kind of name is that?" Ron chuckled quietly.
Then he said calmly,
"Select Jiraiya's Sage Mode. Begin fusion."
[Ding. Optimizing ability flaws. Compensating missing aspects—completed.]
The moment the notification ended—
Ron felt as though he had turned into a massive pump.
Strange forces surged in from every direction, pouring into his body and being rapidly absorbed.
This was Sage Chakra—
formed by blending natural energy with one's own chakra.
Before long, the state stabilized.
A faint shadow appeared around Ron's eyes, and crimson markings formed along his cheeks.
At the bar, Jiraiya stared in surprise.
"Sage Mode?"
"How did you learn that, boss?"
"Doesn't this world cultivate something called Haki instead?"
Even Silvers Rayleigh wore an expression of deep curiosity.
Ron explained softly,
"You should know—
Sage Mode is simply the use of natural energy to create Sage Chakra."
"And natural energy can also be understood as dark energy, spiritual energy, or even magic."
"Different systems, different philosophies—
but with a bit of conversion, they can all become the same kind of power."
The string of explanations only made Rayleigh and Jiraiya more confused.
Every word makes sense…
but together, it feels like nonsense.
And the more they thought about it, the more it felt like Ron was bullshitting them—
yet they had no way to refute it.
Seeing their dazed expressions, Ron deactivated Sage Mode and smiled.
"Want me to keep explaining where this power really comes from?"
Rayleigh immediately shook his head.
"No, no. My head already hurts."
"Damn… this is what happens when you're uneducated."
"If I hadn't boarded Roger's pirate ship back then, I'd probably have a house full of kids by now!"
"That road is pitch black—littered with corpses and bottomless."
Ron: "..."
Old man.
You'd better be talking about the road.
Whether Jiraiya caught the deeper meaning or not, he drained his cup and said calmly,
"Once you choose a path, you never give up."
"That's my ninja way."
Ron asked quietly,
"To spend your entire life chasing a vague prophecy—
is that really worth it?"
Jiraiya shook his head. The haze of drunkenness faded, replaced by resolve.
"That's my goal."
"For a ninja, how you live isn't important—
how you die is."
He laughed softly.
"But looking back… my life has been nothing but failure."
Back then, when Jiraiya trained in Mount Myōboku, the Great Toad Sage told him:
He would travel far and wide, write countless books.
He would gather disciples along the way.
And among them would be a Child of Prophecy—
one who would either destroy the world or bring it peace.
At first, Jiraiya's dream was simple.
Learn ninjutsu.
Chase the wildest women.
But the moment he was reverse-summoned to Mount Myōboku—
the gears of fate began to turn.
He was given opportunity…
already marked with a price.
From that day on, he could only walk forward.
"Was it all really failure?" Ron took a sip of wine and replied slowly.
"I don't think so."
"No bloodline. No clan inheritance. No natural talent."
"Yet you were given opportunities others could only envy."
"You chased the wildest women."
"Befriended the strangest companions."
"Taught the best disciples."
"Lived the most unrestrained life."
"Your proudest student became the Fourth Hokage."
"The Will of Fire you upheld never faded."
"And your ending…"
Ron paused and did not continue.
Jiraiya's eyes softened.
So… I wasn't that bad after all.
Rayleigh immediately urged,
"What about the ending?"
"Kid, don't stop halfway!"
"People who do that get their legs broken!"
Nearby, Tu Shan Yaya, Homelander, Grey Wolf, and others leaned in with curiosity.
Ron sighed helplessly.
Was it really appropriate to spell out a man's ending—
to his face?
After a moment, he spoke calmly,
"The ending can be summed up in a few lines."
"A roaming dragon should return to the sea—
yet the sea refuses Jiraiya."
"A fierce tiger should return to the mountains—
yet the mountains refuse the great hero."
"A clouded crane should return to the heavens—
yet the heavens refuse the Sage of Myōboku."
"If they refuse—
then I, Jiraiya, walk on alone."
The words carried immense momentum.
Even those who didn't fully understand felt shaken.
Jiraiya's eyes lit up.
"Brilliant."
"I'll use that as the ending of Tales of a Gutsy Ninja."
"Boss, I need to head back and write."
"I'll drink again tomorrow."
"Rayleigh, thanks for the booze!"
He finished the last sip, stood up, and walked toward the door.
"The sea, the mountains, the heavens… they all refuse."
"The ending you didn't say aloud—
it's death, isn't it?"
"And in the sea, at that."
A man who had spent his life on the ocean, Silvers Rayleigh struck the core with a single sentence.
Ron didn't respond.
His gaze followed the retreating figure outside the window.
Perhaps—
Jiraiya had already understood.
And yet—
he remained calm.
Perhaps his life was filled with failure.
But he warmed countless others.
He taught Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko how to survive.
He gave Naruto the care of a father.
He became the unshakable pillar behind the woman he loved for a lifetime.
Among the Three Legendary Sannin—
one never aged, one never died.
Only Jiraiya became immortal.
"Can he be saved?" Rayleigh asked quietly.
He didn't want a kindred spirit to die so soon.
At the very least—
he wanted to finish reading Icha-Icha Paradise first.
Ron shook his head slightly.
"Whether he's saved or not—
neither you nor I get to decide."
"If a man is determined to die—
no one can save him."
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