Red sand dust

In the Country of Yu, taking advantage of the opportunity to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, Jiraiya took Naruto Uzumaki to enjoy some special hot springs, then turned south, crossed the border, and walked slowly along the coast of the Country of Fire.

Just as the winter snow is gradually melting away, the warm wind coming from the sea in the southeast is blowing green all over the Land of Fire. The snow-capped mountains and snow peaks also reveal the emerald-green needle pines that never fall all year round. From the sea The returning schools of fish, large and small, followed the rivers and lakes to their source, allowing the master and apprentice to enjoy the taste of the first batch of plump barbecued sturgeons in the new year.

For ninjas, survival in the wild is a course that should be learned in ninja schools. Jiraiya and Uzumaki Naruto are both official ninjas. How to make themselves live better when traveling in the ninja world is a basic skill.

They took out the treasured seasonings from the ninja bag and sprinkled them on the fragrant grilled fish. After eating until they were eight to one cent full, they drank some fresh spring water, then comfortably rubbed their bellies and basked in the sun.

"Naruto, this is a bit far from Konoha Village. It faces the Kingdom of Thunder across the sea to the northeast, and the Kingdom of Whirlpool to the southeast. Unfortunately, it has long been ruined. It used to be a beautiful place..."

"The Kingdom of Whirlpool? Never heard of it!"

The indifferent child of destiny is now just a half-grown kid with little common sense and only knows how to practice. The past history is like a story that happened in another world.

"Oh! Ninja school should have geography classes, right? What did you learn..."

The Toad Immortal sighed helplessly and shook his head. Even though he was called the Crane Tail, he was not as neglectful in learning basic courses as the blond boy in front of him.

He didn't even know about his mother's family's homeland, the Country of Uzumaki, and he naturally knew nothing about the meaning of the name Uzumaki.

Just when Jiraiya was about to preach a few more words, a burst of chakra smoke exploded not far away, and a red-skinned toad with sunglasses on his body appeared.

"Kousuke, what's the matter?"

Jiraiya was startled, seeing that it was the familiar telepathic beast from Mt. Myoboku, and couldn't help but ask strangely.

Kosuke Toad replied:

"Your Excellency Jiraiya, the Great Toad Immortal is awake and seems to have something important to ask you!"

"It's so sudden. Do you have any new instructions?"

"I'm not sure. You'll know when you get there. Please make your trip as soon as possible. You also know the memory of the Great Toad Immortal. If you delay for a while, you may forget to come to see you for something!"

"Okay, got it!"

After swatting away the messenger from Mt. Myoboku, Jiraiya scratched his damp and messy hair in confusion and said to Uzumaki Naruto:

"You wait here for a while, I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Eh? It's such a troublesome thing, why can't you take me with you?"

"It's not the time yet, but it's really a bit unsafe to leave you alone!"

As he spoke, Jiraiya quickly formed a seal, used his psychic technique, and summoned a gourd toad that was proficient in concealment, swallowing Uzumaki Naruto into the barrier in his belly for protection.

"please!"

The gourd toad, who didn't answer, nodded silently and watched Jiraiya use the counter-spiritual technique to go to Miaomu Mountain.

A moment later, Jiraiya saw the big toad sage who was taking a nap and was about to fall into sleep again. He was disturbed by several reminders of dry coughs. When he opened his eyes, he saw the person he was looking for.

"Little Jiraiya, you're here! What do you need from me?"

"It was you who asked me to come and listen to the teachings!"

Jiraiya was not disrespectful at all to the Lord of Miaomu Mountain who was sitting on the enshrined throne and had lived for who knows how many years.

"Oh? That's right, I remembered it!"

The Great Toad Immortal showed a kind smile. At least he had not forgotten what happened not long ago.

"I had another dream just now, and then I woke up involuntarily!"

"Is it a new prophecy?"

Jiraiya, who was already experienced, asked hurriedly.

He has deep faith in the Great Toad Sage and has already found the son of destiny who will determine the future of the ninja world based on the prophecy made decades ago. It would be great if there are further hints.

"I don't know! I seem to have seen the figure of the Child of Destiny, but I can't confirm whether it is true!"

"This...can you recall the memories carefully?"

Such a vague prediction is of little reference value.

"Prophecies are not foolproof, little Jiraiya. I have told you before that the future depends on you to guide the choices of the children of destiny, and you are not the only one who affects the children of destiny..."

"what do you mean……"

Jiraiya lowered his head and thought for a moment, and then suddenly realized,

"Are there any other unexpected forces that are beginning to interfere with the child of destiny's choice?"

"Can't see clearly! This kind of thing has never happened before, this is the first time!"

The giant toad sage opened his mouth and seemed to be recalling thousands of years of time. He couldn't help but be stunned for a long time. Just when Jiraiya was wondering if he had fallen asleep again, he said faintly,

"There have been moments where I couldn't understand, didn't recognize, or even had no beginning or end. It was as blurry as old eyes. It must have been fate that blinded my eyes. So, be careful..."

"Will fate... also deceive the child of destiny?"

Jiraiya, who had been searching for the son of destiny for most of his life because of the prophecy of the Great Toad Sage, couldn't help but feel a little confused.

"You need to confirm this. In the era of ninjas, you need to decide the future path for yourself!"

The Great Toad Immortal who was talking gradually closed his sleepy eyes and said vaguely,

"Reality and illusion, yin and yang, none of them exist but there are infinite possibilities. The soul fire born on the other side of the heart crosses the sea of ​​subconsciousness and comes to the present world, making the filth crawling in the shadows invisible... "

There was a lot more mumbling behind him, but the vague words could no longer form a complete sentence for Jiraiya who was listening to understand.

"Soul fire, shadow, filth? It looks very dangerous! What are the other shores of the heart and the sea of ​​subconsciousness?"

Jiraiya looked at the sleeping Toad Sage in confusion.

Although the previous prophecies were a bit vague, they still pointed to something, but this time I couldn't figure out what they meant at all.

But one thing is certain.

"Naruto is in danger. I want to protect him and grow up. As long as the child of destiny doesn't make any mistakes, there will be no problem!" 』

After exchanging a few words with the equally confused Shima Sage and Fukasaku Sage, Jiraiya, who was worried about Uzumaki Naruto's safety, quickly went back and continued his training in teaching the Nine-Tailed Jinchuuriki.

At the same time, Orochimaru, who was standing with his men in front of a dilapidated wooden house covered by rocks, stretched out his long tongue and licked the corner of his mouth with interest.

"This is it..."

"We're finally here! It feels so desolate!"

Xianglin couldn't help but shrink her neck and walked a little closer to Uchiha Sasuke.