Chapter 200: Slug Sage Enters The Fray! The Toads’ Apprehension
The bright red blood slowly flowing on the ground added a few eerie shades of color to this deathly still town in the Land of Water, and the gradually spreading bloody smell also overpowered the stench of garbage by the roadside.
Uchiha Izumi chose to use her own method to enforce her absolute justice in the Land of Water.
Even if the group of children in front of her had been sold to human traffickers by their parents. In a place like the Land of Water, it might not constitute a crime.
But in the girl’s eyes, turning a blind eye to all this would be a desecration of justice!
The rules set by the laws of the Land of Water are not necessarily right!
This was also something Senior Ikeizumi had once taught her.
Her own beliefs, her own behavior, if they are as clear as a mirror, without the slightest confusion, and without the slightest will that violates justice. Then what she does is true justice!
So…
She made her move against the three human traffickers, three flashes of blade light vanishing in an instant, directly taking the lives of the three human traffickers.
But the girl did not kill the human traffickers in an overly bloody manner.
In front of this group of severely malnourished children who had clearly suffered some mental trauma, she definitely could not let them see an overly bloody scene, or it would likely cause them even greater stimulation.
So the method Izumi used was very simple and straightforward.
It was a single stab through the heart, directly stopping their hearts from beating.
By the time the three human traffickers’ faces went slack and they collapsed powerlessly to the ground.
Blood only then slowly flowed out from their hearts.
“Don’t look down at them.” Izumi had already unobtrusively sheathed her ninja sword. She gently half-squatted down and smiled at the children bound with iron chains in front of her: “All look at me. My name is Uchiha Izumi, a ninja from the Konoha Village Police Force. From today on, these bad people can no longer harm you.”
Juzo Biwa walked over with a complicated expression and asked: “You and Uchiha Ikeizumi only plan to purge the sins here in the Land of Water. If you have to take care of this group of kids, do you still have time to enforce justice?”
Izumi fell into a brief silence.
“We can’t just do nothing, and this is also tacitly approved by Senior Ikeizumi.” Finally, she let out a soft breath and said: “When villains appear in front of you, even though it’s within your ability to execute them, you still don’t act.”
“I cannot accept such an indifferent approach. I chose to believe in absolute justice and to follow by Senior Ikeizumi’s side precisely to purge all the sins in the ninja world together with him.”
“Whether big evils or small evils, as long as they are within my ability and I see them, I will never let them go.”
This time, it was Juzo Biwa who fell silent.
He looked at the few timid kids and said: “I have a few trustworthy friends in the Land of Water. I can give them money to help take care of these kids.”
Izumi stood up with a bright smile: “Thank you.”
Juzo Biwa kept a cold face and said: “Don’t forget that I am now also standing on Uchiha Ikeizumi’s side. Strictly speaking, I also believe in absolute justice.”
“I’m your colleague now too. Since even you kids can devote yourselves wholeheartedly to justice, I can do it as well.”
This Mr. Juzo Biwa seems to have a sharp tongue but a soft heart; in reality, he wants to help these children more than I do. — Such a thought flashed through Uchiha Izumi’s mind.
…
At the same time.
Konoha.
Jiraiya forced himself to temporarily forget about “Sarutobi Hiruzen not understanding his search for the Child of Prophecy.”
He found Uzumaki Naruto yet again.
And struck a very comical weird pose, appearing in front of Naruto and blocking his path.
“Clang! Clang! Clang! Child of Mount Myōboku, one of the Konoha Sannin, the freest hero in the ninja world! Sage Jiraiya arrives in grand style!”
Jiraiya grinned toothily at Naruto: “Uzumaki Naruto, you’ve rejected me repeatedly because you don’t know how great I am. I can train you to become Konoha’s finest Hokage!”
“I can even teach you many powerful ninjutsu. You should already know there’s a terrifying existence inside you, right? I can also teach you how to control it and use its power!”
“Hey, creepy old man.” The cold, childish voice didn’t come from Naruto’s mouth but from Sasuke’s beside him: “This is already the fifth time. If you keep popping out to harass us, we’ll notify the Police Force.”
Naruto also furrowed his brows, his little face showing clear disgust: “I’ve already said I’m not interested in your teaching.”
“I already have Teacher Iruka, Teacher Ikeizumi, Senior Izumi, and Senior Kijiro teaching me usually, and Grandpa Hokage occasionally teaches me too.”
“I don’t need some weird perverted sage like you!”
Jiraiya was stunned: “Perverted sage?!”
Sasuke crossed his arms, his little face cold: “Don’t think we haven’t investigated you, creepy old man. We already know some of the novels you wrote are very indecent. We’ve also heard rumors in the village that you used to peep into women’s bathhouses.”
“Don’t let us catch you in the act, creepy old man! Otherwise, we’ll definitely throw you into Konoha Prison and lock you up for a few years!”
Cold sweat beaded on Jiraiya’s forehead; he hadn’t expected his novels to be read by these two kids.
In the eyes of these kids, the manly art in his novels, cough, was indeed a bit indecent.
But Icha Icha Paradise isn’t just pure smut!
The real focus inside is the ninja way he summed up!
“Hoo!” Jiraiya took a deep breath. It seemed he had to reveal something to make Uzumaki Naruto realize the heavy burden on his shoulders.
Jiraiya straightened up, his expression turning serious: “Naruto. Since you believe in absolute justice, you should know that this ninja world is already terminally ill, right?”
Naruto nodded.
He had already witnessed many sins alongside Teacher Ikeizumi and Senior Izumi.
Just the sins in Konoha Village alone were enough to shock him.
Giving Naruto at this age a huge psychological impact.
“The ninja world needs a change. Only after a proper change can the ninja world recover from its terminally ill state. And the one who can bring change to the ninja world… is called by the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku—the Child of Prophecy!”
Jiraiya’s words made Naruto and Sasuke exchange glances.
Jiraiya continued with emotion: “I’ve been wandering the ninja world for countless years searching for the Child of Prophecy. Yet I never expected that the true Child of Prophecy… is right here in Konoha Village!”
Sasuke seemed to catch a flash of insight: “Creepy old man, the Child of Prophecy you’re talking about isn’t that dead-last Naruto, is it?”
“Yes.”
Jiraiya nodded frankly: “Naruto is the Child of Prophecy, the savior who will bring change to the ninja world. But the premise is… he needs my careful guidance. He needs me to teach him what the ninja world is really like. Only then… can Naruto become the savior of the prophecy.”
Jiraiya’s expression was serious as he earnestly said: “That’s why I’m so persistent. Naruto, what you bear on your shoulders is not just justice—you bear the entire ninja world.”
Hearing Jiraiya’s words, Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima on his shoulders finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed little Jiraiya had completely cast aside his hesitation.
Since he had laid his cards on the table with Uzumaki Naruto, it meant little Jiraiya was prepared to teach the Child of Prophecy.
Sarutobi Hiruzen’s disapproval hadn’t affected little Jiraiya too much.
It just made him, for that brief instant…
A bit dazed.
“Placing the ‘great mountain’ of the ninja world’s future on a single child is irresponsible and selfish behavior. Hmm, at least in my eyes… that’s how it is. As for what my main body thinks, I don’t know—maybe the same as my idea.”
At that moment, a clear, pleasant female voice rang out from nowhere, sounding particularly abrupt at this time.
Jiraiya was taken aback.
Meanwhile, the two Mount Myōboku sages on his shoulders had their pupils suddenly contract.
Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima immediately locked their gazes on Uzumaki Naruto’s golden hair.
There—
A small slug emerged from the hair on Naruto’s head!
“This is…” Sage Fukasaku murmured: “A Slug Sage clone? I hear each Slug Sage clone has different personality and thinking. But sometimes, the main body’s mind descends upon its clones.”
Sage Shima said gravely: “Child’s dad, shouldn’t the most important thing right now be why the Slug Sage is here? Even though it’s a clone… hmm?”
Suddenly.
Sage Shima shockedly shifted her gaze to Sasuke on the other side.
There on Sasuke’s shoulder was also a Slug Sage clone!
This clone’s voice was identical to the one on Naruto, and it spoke: “This child has rejected you multiple times already. There’s no need to keep forcing him, is there? You should respect his wishes, even if he’s just a young child.”
Sage Shima realized something was off: “Why does this Uchiha kid also have a Slug Sage clone on him?”
“Because Shikkotsu Forest has reached a cooperation with Uchiha Ikeizumi—or more precisely, an alliance.” Another voice rang out, also the Slug Sage’s.
Now even Jiraiya’s forehead started sweating.
Jiraiya immediately looked down, squinting hard, and only then saw a clone smaller than an ant right in front of his feet—it was the one that had just spoken.
The rooftop of the house to the left also echoed with a Slug Sage clone’s voice: “Tracking a child repeatedly like this seems a bit excessive, Lord Jiraiya.”
On Jiraiya’s hair, unbeknownst when, a flea-sized clone had appeared, and it said: “If this child Naruto is truly going to bring change to the ninja world in the future, why must Mount Myōboku train him? Is it really the Great Toad Sage’s prophecy, and not the Great Toad Sage’s selfish desire?”
Jiraiya suddenly felt chills all over; he hadn’t even noticed when a clone had landed on his head.
Is this the ability of the ‘sages’ from the three sacred grounds?
“Moreover…” Jiraiya’s back also echoed with the Slug Sage’s voice: “Prophecies… are not set in stone. If the future can be prophesied, it can also be changed. How dare the Great Toad Sage claim the future’s trajectory hasn’t changed?”
In the air, a slug clone lighter than a feather was blown afloat by the wind, its voice ethereal: “If the future has already changed, how can the Great Toad Sage be sure that following the original prophecy will make the future unfold as prophesied?”
A slug clone larger than a person boldly appeared behind Naruto and Sasuke, slowly saying: “Mount Myōboku has interfered in the ninja world for too long. It’s time to let the ninja world develop along its natural course, no?”
Gentle voices of slug clones layered over each other from all directions, slowly echoing: “Don’t we make sense?”
The Slug Sage’s voice was very gentle and soft, but it sent shivers down Jiraiya, Sage Fukasaku, and Sage Shima.
Unbeknownst to them, they had already been surrounded by the Slug Sage!
They couldn’t even count how many slug clones were hidden throughout Konoha!
Some clones had already climbed onto his—Jiraiya’s—hair without him noticing.
Were there clones that had already entered his—Jiraiya’s—body through nostrils, ears, urethra, or whatever?
—This was absolutely a warning from the Slug Sage to Mount Myōboku!
Shikkotsu Forest was getting involved in the ninja world’s situation!
And since Shikkotsu Forest had only the Slug Sage, its involvement meant the Slug Sage’s involvement!
That was a sage who had lived for over a thousand years!
“Little Jiraiya, the situation isn’t good.” Sage Fukasaku said gravely in a low voice: “The Slug Sage might not tear face with Mount Myōboku over this, but if conflict really erupts, the residents near your Konoha will be in danger.”
Sage Shima said warily: “Child’s dad, why beat around the bush? The current situation is we don’t know how long the Slug Sage has been laying out nearby. We have zero intel.”
“If it really makes a move… with the three of us completely unprepared, it could instantly grievously injure us. Unless… we immediately activate sage mode.”
“But putting on that stance in front of the Slug Sage would probably mean tearing face for real.”
Jiraiya didn’t even dare take a deep breath, afraid of inhaling some invisible slug clone from the air into his body.
“I’ve never seen Tsunade summon the Slug Sage to use this kind of technique.” Jiraiya murmured: “It seems… the Slug Sage is serious about stopping Mount Myōboku from contacting the Child of Prophecy. And its alliance with Uchiha Ikeizumi is real too.”
…
…
