Xingtie: My silly online friend is actually a raccoon!

The sudden feeling of being pulled apart caught Jiraiya off guard.

There was a loud "bang".

Jiraiya landed steadily amidst the swirling smoke, and looking up, he found himself at Mount Myōboku, one of the three sacred sites.

He was very familiar with this sacred land of toads, which was always full of natural energy.

However, this sudden forced reverse psychic summoning also left Jiraiya with many questions.

Normally, he is the only one who actively communicates with the toad; it is extremely rare for him to be forcibly recalled by the Holy Land through reverse communication.

Just as he was pondering the reason, two old toad figures slowly emerged from the forest. They were the two great hermits of Mount Myōboku—Fukasaku and Shima.

Jiraiya quickly stepped forward to greet him, his tone tinged with confusion.

"Master Fukasaku, Master Shima, why have you suddenly summoned me to Mount Myōboku? Has something serious happened?"

Neither of the two sages immediately offered an explanation when Jiraiya asked them.

The forest fell silent for a moment, with only the soft rustling of leaves in the breeze.

After a moment, the immortal Fukasaku slowly spoke and explained the reason.

"It's not us looking for you, it's the Great Toad Sage who wants to see you."

Upon hearing that he had been summoned by the supreme toad sage of the holy land, Jiraiya's expression turned serious.

He quickly asked the hermit Fukasaku to lead the way, preparing to set off for the palace where the Great Toad Hermit lived.

However, Shima, the sage standing to the side, warmly urged him to stay.

"This isn't urgent. It's not far. Let's stay and have a meal before we go!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Master Shima turned around and brought out a plate full of special dishes, including wriggling green worms and pupae, which are unique to Mount Myoboku.

Looking at this plate full of insects that made his scalp crawl, Jiraiya's stomach churned instantly. He forcibly suppressed the rising urge to vomit and forced a stiff smile onto his pale face.

Jiraiya quickly waved his hand in refusal.

"No, no! The Great Toad Immortal has summoned me; it's of utmost importance. I can't keep him waiting any longer. We'll talk about food later!"

Jiraiya never wanted to experience that feeling of worms crawling around in his stomach again after he had eaten his fill.

Seeing that he refused, Master Shima did not try to persuade him to stay, but simply nodded kindly.

"Alright, you guys go ahead first, and you can enjoy a proper meal when you come back."

Jiraiya had just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Shima's next sentence, and he stumbled and almost fell on the spot.

He quickly steadied himself and hurried away.

Led by the hermit Fukasaku, the two passed through layers of misty sacred mountains and soon arrived at the deepest part of Mount Myōboku.

The ancient and solemn temple is located atop the mountains, with a throne inscribed with a huge character for "immortal" standing in the center of the main hall, exuding a majestic aura.

Seated on the throne was the supreme being of the entire Mount Myōboku—the Great Toad Sage.

It wears a large hat, has a string of Buddhist beads engraved with the character "oil" around its neck, and is huge and heavy. With its eyes closed, it gives the impression that it may die at any moment.

Jiraiya stepped forward respectfully and bowed.

"Great Toad Sage, how have you been lately?"

The aged Great Toad Sage slowly opened his cloudy eyes, stared at Jiraiya for a long time, and said with a blank look in his eyes.

"Hmm? Who are you... again?"

Clearly, the elderly toad sage has relapsed into his dementia and has completely forgotten about Jiraiya.

The immortal Fukasaku, who was standing to the side, seemed to be used to this scene. He gently reminded him.

"Sage, this is little Jiraiya!"

After this reminder, the confusion in the eyes of the giant toad immortal slowly faded, and he nodded in sudden understanding.

"Oh! It's Jiraiya, isn't it? I'm getting old, and my memory is getting worse."

Then there is no more.

Seeing that the Great Toad Sage was about to fall asleep again, Fukasaku could only remind him once more.

"Sage, didn't you say you had important business with Jiraiya?"

The Great Toad Sage then slowly opened his eyes again.

He slowly revealed the prophecy he had glimpsed.

"A chaotic era is about to descend upon the ninja world. At the horizon where the sea meets the sky, a strange light from beyond the heavens falls upon the earth."

"Without roots or soil, it does not bear a great name, nor does it belong to any of the five kingdoms."

"Floating in mid-air, forming its own world."

"Not bound by fate, not bound by destiny, but transcending the millennia-long cycle of cause and effect in the ninja world."

"This person possesses the power to create a new world, capable of saving the ants of a chaotic era and altering the fate of all living beings."

"The future turmoil and shifts in the ninja world will be completely altered by this one anomaly."

This incoherent statement left not only Jiraiya bewildered, but even Fukasaku was completely baffled.

Finally, the Great Toad Sage gave a few words of advice.

"You may travel to the land of water and seek out the newborn phenomenon."

Observe the situation and investigate the changes; there is no need to interfere or meddle.

To see clearly what the new path is amidst this chaos.

Having finished explaining all the prophecies and instructions, he didn't wait for Jiraiya to ask for details.

The aged toad immortal drooped his eyelids, nodded his head, and once again transformed into his old, senile, forgetful, and lazy appearance.

Seeing this, Jiraiya could only suppress his doubts and confusion, silently bow and take his leave, and leave the palace with Fukasaku.

After leaving the solemn palace, the two returned to the residence of the hermit Fukasaku.

The hospitable Shima-sensei still remembered the meal and didn't give Jiraiya a chance to refuse, insisting that he sit down and enjoy a special insect dish from Mount Myoboku.

Jiraiya, who was forced to eat dry food the whole time, had his stomach stuffed full of little green worms and looked utterly hopeless.

After finally enduring the entire banquet, he returned to the ninja world in a disheveled state, his stomach churning with worms.