Shinichi stopped in his tracks, his gaze falling upon the high platform.
He searched his memories for information regarding this old toad—a being who had lived for over a millennium, a contemporary of the Sage of Six Paths, and one who had once guided Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki in senjutsu training.
He was the bystander and silent guide of the ninja world's destiny.
"A truly long-lived species, indeed... to have survived for so long," Shinichi whispered to himself.
Fukasaku leapt onto one side of the high platform. He looked up and called out, "Great Lord, wake up. Little Jiraiya has brought the person you wished to see."
The Great Toad Sage, seated high above, paused his breathing for a moment before his heavy eyelids flickered and slowly opened.
This time, his eyes were not as clouded as usual. His gaze fell directly downward, finally settling on Shinichi.
Taking in a face that was even more young than the one in his dreams, the Great Toad Sage spoke in a deep, rumbling voice.
"Oh... you've finally arrived."
Standing to the side, Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by the ancient toad's unusually lucid opening.
In his memory, the Great Toad Sage was always dazed for a long while after waking up, speaking only in muddled and incoherent riddles. A greeting as clear and direct as today's was incredibly rare.
Jiraiya's thoughts whirled for a moment before he flashed a grin...
"How about it, Great Lord? This is the person you wanted to see!" He stepped aside and gestured towards Shinichi with his thumb... "Tejima Shinichi"
"Konoha's greatest genius today, even hailed as the village's future! Isn't he incredible?!" he added boastfully.
Listening to Jiraiya's introduction, the corners of the Great Toad Sage's mouth twitched upward.
'The future of Konoha?' he repeated in his heart, recalling the terrifying visions he had witnessed in his dreams.
'No... he is far more than just the future of Konoha.'
At that thought, the old toad's smile slowly flattened.
Shinichi had no interest in small talk. He took a few steps forward and got straight to the point.
"Jiraiya said you wanted to see me. Although he didn't mention exactly why, I know the reason. It's about me... or rather, about how my appearance has changed the 'future' you envisioned, isn't it?"
The hall immediately fell silent. Jiraiya's confident smile froze. He snapped his head toward Shinichi, shock and deep suspicion flashing in his eyes.
He had genuinely never mentioned any details of the Great Toad Sage's dreams to the boy. How could Shinichi possibly know?
Fukasaku and Shima turned their heads simultaneously, their toad eyes meeting. Shima leaned closer to Fukasaku, gently tugging at his back with a forelimb as she lowered her voice...
"Pa... this child... doesn't seem like the type who's easy to talk to."
Fukasaku rested his chin on his short staff and nodded slightly. "Mm, it seems he's not a boy who plays by the rules. To speak so directly to the Great Lord..."
"So, did you call me here to stop me?" Shinichi pressed. "Or... do you want to 'guide' me, just as you guided the Sage of Six Paths? Do you intend to change my will and adjust my path?"
Seeing the Great Toad Sage remain silent, Shinichi tilted his chin up slightly. "If that's the case, you can save your breath. Because I don't make a habit of letting others dictate my actions."
The Great Toad Sage could no longer sit still. The tranquil calm in his eyes shattered into shock as he stared at the youth.
If Shinichi merely knew of his ability to prophesy, it would still be within the realm of reason... after all, his millennium of peering into the future through dreams and silently nudging the ninja world was not an absolute secret.
But the Sage of Six Paths? ...That was a matter from a thousand years ago!
Shinichi's words left Fukasaku and Shima reeling. They had completely failed to anticipate that today's conversation would unearth such ancient history.
Jiraiya furrowed his brow, his gaze darting between Shinichi and the Sage.
"Guided... the Sage of Six Paths?" he whispered, processing the immense weight behind those words.
He knew the Great Toad Sage was ancient and possessed the gift of foresight, but he had never linked the toad to the legendary founder of ninshu.
He certainly hadn't expected Shinichi to know such ancient lore and speak of it with absolute certainty.
The Great Toad Sage took a slow breath and spoke solemnly. "You know... more than I imagined."
It was as good as a confession. Fukasaku and Shima gasped, and Jiraiya's breath hitched.
Meeting the Sage's astonished gaze, Shinichi's expression remained perfectly neutral. He didn't care that he had casually revealed such profound secrets.
The reason was simple... absolute strength. His current power could no longer be measured by the standards of ordinary shinobi.
The awakening of Wood Release, his mastery of Sage Mode, and the ultimate jutsu that placed him at the pinnacle of power—layer upon layer of strength had elevated him to an untouchable height.
In the ninja world, those qualified to influence him were few and far between.
Those worthy of being considered his rivals could be counted on one hand.
As for those so-called millennial secrets, so what if he knew them? So what if he spoke them aloud? He was the one who awakened Wood Release, controlled senjutsu, and manifested the Thousand-Armed Kan'on.
In this world, who could possibly kill him?
The Great Toad Sage gazed down at the youth. Shinichi's eyes seemed bottomless, and the ancient toad easily deciphered the unspoken arrogance within them.
"No... you are overthinking it. I never intended to guide you," the Sage said, shaking his massive head with an emotional laugh.
"Since you know of the Sage of Six Paths, you should also know the end he eventually met. Everything he did was ultimately just walking the path he chose for himself. I realized long ago that my so-called 'guidance' was merely my own self-importance as a bystander."
The Great Toad Sage's gaze grew distant...
"Even without me, he would have eventually stepped onto that path. That was his long-destined future."
His eyes fell back onto Shinichi. "I asked you to come this time simply out of curiosity. I wanted to see for myself what kind of person could completely upend the established visions in my dreams."
"And..." his voice suddenly dropped low, "...to tell you about the future I have seen. After all, the future you... truly surprised me."
Shinichi listened to the Sage's words without arguing. The old toad was stating a fact.
The three Great Sage Regions—Shikkotsu Forest, Mount Myōboku, and Ryūchi Cave—had always remained transcendent, entirely removed from the worldly affairs of shinobi.
They lived in seclusion in their respective dimensions, acting as silent observers watching over the ninja world's developments.
They would never intervene in mortal conflicts, not even during massive internal strife within ninshu, unless a disaster occurred that threatened the very foundation of the planet—like the arrival of the Ōtsutsuki clan a thousand years ago, and their intent to devour and destroy the world.
If Gamamaru's purpose was merely to satisfy his curiosity and share a vision, Shinichi didn't mind listening.
Who would refuse an opportunity to glimpse the course of the future? Who wouldn't want to know the absolute heights they could reach and the legacy they would leave behind?
Although Shinichi possessed an understanding of this world's 'original' trajectory, everything had violently deviated the moment he appeared, sailing straight into the unknown.
Moreover, an ally who could predict the future was vastly preferable to an enemy with the same ability.
"If it's only that..." Shinichi's tone lost some of its previous sharpness, "then I should thank you. No one is entirely indifferent to their own future. Being able to see a few fragments in advance and knowing the heights one might reach... that isn't a bad thing."
He paused, looking directly at the Great Toad Sage...
"But let me state this clearly. No matter what you see, whether the vision is auspicious or ill-omened, a smooth path or a bottomless abyss—the one who ultimately makes the decisions and walks the path will only be me."
"I will listen, but I will not blindly follow. I will take it as a reference, but I absolutely will not be bound by it."
Shinichi's meaning was crystal clear.
If the prophesied future benefited him, he wouldn't mind going with the flow. But if the prophecy declared he would die, or that he must accept a sacrificial fate for the sake of the ninja world... then he would carve his own way.
Understanding the resolute weight behind Shinichi's words, the Great Toad Sage fell silent for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Heh... Hahaha!"
The corners of his mouth pulled back in a wide grin, his massive body trembling with mirth, causing the gemstone on his cap to wobble.
"Rest assured, Shinichi," he said slowly, chuckles still rumbling in his throat. "Your future is destined not to be boring, nor will it end as easily as the lives of ordinary men. Precisely because of that, just as I said before—I am thoroughly surprised by your future."
He turned his heavy head to the side. "Fukasaku. Shima."
The two elder toads immediately straightened up. "Here, Great Lord."
"Take Little Jiraiya outside," the Great Toad Sage instructed. "I wish to speak with Shinichi alone."
Fukasaku hesitated... was there a secret even they weren't allowed to hear?
"Great Lord, is this—"
"Go." The Great Toad Sage waved a forelimb, leaving no room for argument.
Having no other choice, Fukasaku and Shima leapt down from the high platform and landed beside the Sannin.
"Little Jiraiya, let's go," Fukasaku said.
Jiraiya, who had been utterly bewildered throughout the exchange, looked at Shinichi.
The boy offered him a slight, reassuring nod.
"Alright then." Jiraiya sighed, turning to walk toward the exit with the two elder toads trailing behind him.
Their footsteps faded into the distance.
Clack!
The heavy doors slowly swung shut. Only Shinichi and the Great Toad Sage remained in the vast hall.
"Now then," the ancient toad began slowly. "Let us begin." His gaze fell upon Shinichi, heavy with scrutiny...
"But before I share my vision, I must ask you one thing. How much do you actually know of the ninja world's true history?"
Shinichi pondered for a moment before answering calmly. "I know of the outsiders... The Ōtsutsuki clan."
The sentence was brief, but the terrifying weight of that name was enough to visibly move the Toad Sage. He stared at Shinichi for a long time before slowly exhaling a heavy breath.
"I see... I didn't expect you to know even that."
Gamamaru did not press Shinichi on how or why he knew. Such probing was both impolite and unnecessary. At their level of existence, some answers were simply accepted...
"Since you already know so much...our conversation will be far easier. Over a month ago, I shared fragments of the future with Little Jiraiya. You... were in those visions."
The Great Toad Sage's gaze seemed to pierce through the fabric of time and space. "I saw you standing atop a towering wooden statue. Behind you stood two others...the Child of Prophecy, bathed in a brilliant golden light, and a youth whose eyes harbored a cursed destiny."
"The three of you fought side-by-side against a 'God'. Or, to be precise, a member of the Ōtsutsuki clan. Together, you protected the ninja world."
Shinichi listened closely, his dark eyes narrowing in thought.
This prophecy aligned perfectly with his current plans. Sasuke and Naruto were two incredibly crucial chess pieces on his board. By keeping the Uchiha firmly under his thumb, Naruto would naturally fall into his orbit as well.
It was the exact layout he had meticulously engineered to counter the impending planetary crisis. It was the entire reason he had interfered so heavily in Sasuke's life.
It seemed his grand strategy was absolutely correct.
But the Great Sage wasn't finished.
"However," Gamamaru's voice suddenly grew distant, "what I dreamed of... entailed far more than just that."
Shinichi's thoughts raced. More than that? What else had the toad seen? Could it be... that Gamamaru saw him becoming the Ten-Tails jinchūriki?
The mere thought made his stomach drop.
He had already tasted the intoxicating flavor of true power. Wood Release, senjutsu, the True Several Thousand Hands... with every peak he scaled, the horizon of his potential expanded.
He was no longer satisfied with merely stagnating at the Kage level, or even remaining beneath the so-called Six Paths level.
Beyond the ninja world, there was an infinite starry sky. The sheer scale of the universe was the boundary he truly yearned to conquer.
He would never allow his growth to stop here.
He had wrestled with similar concerns recently. Although the power of Wood Release was devastating, it ultimately originated from this planet and was bound by earthly limits.
Even his Wood Dragon Technique, which had mutated to the point where it could openly gorge on Shukaku's chakra, seemed to be brushing up against a vague, insurmountable ceiling.
If Wood Release wasn't enough, then becoming the Ten-Tails jinchūriki was the necessary path he had mapped out to shatter his mortal shackles and reach to absolute heights...