Chapter 12: Child Of Darkness, Toad Sage’s Prophecy
With the Third Hokage’s command issued, all Konoha ninjas began to mobilize, conducting a thorough inspection of Konohagakure’s village protection barrier.
The Barrier Division’s task was even heavier.
This was already the second time in three years that a mysterious ninja had silently breached the barrier and infiltrated the village, rendering the Barrier Division utterly useless, which greatly angered the Third.
Three years ago during the Nine-Tails Attack, ordinary villagers and ninjas only thought it was the Nine-Tails rampaging.
However, only the Konoha High Council knew it was a meticulously planned attack.
It resulted in the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, the Third’s wife Biwako, and a medical kunoichi responsible for the delivery.
This time, another mysterious ninja infiltrated, killed the Cloud Village special envoy, and attempted to provoke a war between the two countries.
Konoha’s top prestigious Hyuga Clan, in order to stop the opponent, had their clan head and his brother one seriously injured and one lightly injured. Even if Cloud Village had suspicions, the Konoha High Council’s attitude was extremely firm.
They insisted unequivocally that it was the mysterious ninja who killed the Cloud Village special envoy.
This resolute stance ultimately foiled Cloud Village’s conspiracy.
On the other side.
In the shadowy Root Base, Danzō listened to the report from his subordinate Yuruma Aburame and let out a light hum.
“It seems lively outside, huh? Lord Danzō.” Orochimaru pushed open the door to Danzō’s office.
On his way from the secret laboratory to the Root Base, he saw many Konoha ninjas mobilized, even Anbu ninjas. Such a large-scale operation piqued the curiosity of this science fanatic who had long been holed up in the lab.
Danzō sat in his chair and didn’t answer Orochimaru directly, merely gesturing for Yuruma Aburame to explain.
Yuruma Aburame understood and said to Orochimaru: “Last night, a mysterious ninja infiltrated the village, killed the Cloud Village special envoy, and dumped Cloud Village’s body in the Hyuga Clan Territory…”
The Hyuga clan head and his brother were injured, yet this mysterious ninja managed to escape unscathed under the pursuit of numerous Hyuga jonin and Root ninjas, even pulling off a counterattack and killing another?
A glint of interest flashed in Orochimaru’s golden eyes, and his long tongue licked his lips.
‘Looks like the outside world is still full of excitement.’ Orochimaru had once fought side by side with the Hyuga clan head brothers and knew their combat power well—even if the enemy was a village kage, they could withdraw calmly.
“Enough of that. This time, I’m here hoping Lord Danzō can provide more experimental subjects.” Orochimaru spread his right hand, directly demanding research funding and materials from Danzō.
Hearing this, Danzō’s single eye furrowed.
“The experimental subjects I gave you last time are used up already?” Danzō was somewhat dissatisfied with Orochimaru’s consumption rate of experimental equipment.
“After all, there has been progress, so ordinary experimental subjects no longer meet my needs.” Orochimaru brushed aside his long hair on one side, growing increasingly confident in his research direction.
That accidental Wood Release experimental subject might have been snatched by Danzō, but his existence proved that Orochimaru’s research direction was feasible.
Thus, Orochimaru was no longer satisfied with ordinary people as test subjects and kept demanding more ninjas from Danzō as experimental subjects.
“I’ll have someone deliver them to you, but don’t go overboard.” Danzō warned darkly.
The prisoners in the Konoha prison were already insufficient, and Danzō had captured quite a few civilian ninjas over the years.
In Danzō’s eyes, to make Konoha great again, any sacrifice was worth it!
As long as it wasn’t his own.
“Hmph hmph, then I’ll await the good news.”
Orochimaru chuckled meaningfully twice and vanished into the shadows.
——————
Land of Hot Water, capital city.
This city built in a hot spring land had always been a tourist hotspot in the ninja world. Because the Land of Hot Water was located in the northeast of the ninja continent, bordering the Land of Lightning, Land of Moon, Land of Sound, Land of Fire, Land of Water, and Land of Waves, it fueled the city’s economic prosperity.
In a brothel, Jiraiya was surrounded left and right by geisha, chatting about various ninja world anecdotes, engulfed by makeup and perfume, immersed in the land of gentleness.
Bang—
Suddenly, a puff of smoke dissipated, and a small toad completely red with a pair of diving goggles around its neck appeared in the room.
“Jiraiya!” The small toad shouted loudly, but the room’s laughter and chatter drowned it out, unnoticed.
Helpless, the small toad jumped onto Jiraiya’s face.
Jiraiya, who was drinking, was startled.
Upon recognizing it as a toad from Mount Myōboku, Jiraiya sobered up a bit and hurriedly shooed the geisha courtesans out of the room.
The geisha who had just been intimate with Jiraiya left the room with faces full of resentment.
“Gamahiro! What are you doing here?” Jiraiya removed Gamahiro from his face and drank directly from the teapot nearby.
“Sage Fukasaku told me to come find you.” Gamahiro urged Jiraiya.
After downing a whole pot of tea, Jiraiya began performing the reverse summoning technique.
Together with Gamahiro, he arrived at Mount Myōboku, one of the three great sage regions.
In a vast swamp, toad stone statues stood everywhere, and at the end of the lake, a wooden palace building loomed high.
“Sage Fukasaku, you wanted to see me?” When Jiraiya arrived, Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima had already been waiting at the palace door for a while.
Compared to Jiraiya, who reeked of alcohol and was somewhat sloppy, Sage Fukasaku said gravely: “The Great Toad Sage said he dreamed something terrible.”
“Huh? Something terrible?” Jiraiya’s drunkenness vanished instantly.
It had been a long time since he last heard a prophecy from the Great Toad Sage—unexpectedly, this one was bad news?
Thus, Jiraiya hurriedly entered the hall with Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima.
Deep in the palace, a large orange toad wearing something like a doctoral hat on his head sat soaking in a pot, with a string of beads around his chest, the most prominent being one with the character ‘oil’.
“Great Toad Sage!” Jiraiya knelt on one knee and looked up at the Great Toad Sage.
“Ah, it’s little Jiraiya.” The Great Toad Sage slowly opened a slit of his eye: “What brings you here?”
Hearing the Great Toad Sage’s counter-question, Jiraiya staggered and fell to the ground.
Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima jumped to the Great Toad Sage’s sides, and Sage Shima scolded directly: “You called little Jiraiya here, you old fool?”
“Oh oh.” The Great Toad Sage recalled and said slowly: “I remember now, I had a dream.”
“In the dream, the entire ninja world was gradually enveloped by darkness, and all countries including the five great nations and ninja villages would be swallowed by the darkness.”
!!!
Jiraiya was shocked; even the Child of Prophecy that the Great Toad Sage had previously prophesied to bring change to the ninja world wasn’t this detailed.
“I saw in the darkness a back silhouette too blinding to look at, who would utterly destroy the entire world!” the Great Toad Sage continued.
“Do you have any more detailed characteristics of him?” Jiraiya frowned, though he held little hope.
“Abyss…” the Great Toad Sage said slowly: “When he turned around, I only saw an endless abyss, an abyss that made even me feel heart palpitations…”
“Abyss, huh?” Jiraiya mused thoughtfully.
“The… Child of Darkness who destroys the world?!”
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