Chapter 071: The New Prophecy of the Toad Sage

Let us briefly shift our gaze from the Land of Waves to the Hidden Leaf Village in the Land of Fire. Rewind the clock about ten days; it was a sun-drenched afternoon, and a long-absent wanderer was finally returning home.

"Jiraiya, you’ve finally decided to come back," said Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of the Leaf Village, leisurely puffing at his iconic pipe as he addressed the white-haired ninja before him. Wisps of smoke drifted upward, whispering tales of time’s passage and the weight of old memories.

"Yes, Sensei, I’m back." Jiraiya, one of the legendary Three Sannin, adjusted the forehead protector bearing the faded symbol for "oil." His voice carried a trace of emotion, almost imperceptible, and the worn script on his protector bore witness to countless adventures and battles.

"A few years ago, I intended to investigate the disturbances in the Land of Rain, but you stopped me with orders and intelligence. I ought to have returned to the Leaf then, but if it weren’t for the Great Toad Sage revealing that prophecy to me, I would have come back long ago," Jiraiya murmured, his gaze drifting through the haze of smoke, as if searching the past.

Hiruzen coughed, unable to suppress it. "I’m quite curious about the Great Toad Sage’s prophecy. Will you tell me?"

Jiraiya flicked his fingers, and a strand of hair suddenly elongated, snatching Hiruzen’s pipe away. "Old man, you really shouldn’t be so greedy for smoke at your age," he said. After confiscating the pipe, Jiraiya continued, "The prophecy given to me by the Great Toad Sage goes like this: 'The time for a complete transformation of the ninja world has arrived. A wanderer will return from afar, bringing unknown powers and ideas. This seemingly insignificant factor, foreign to the world of ninjas, will ultimately be the key catalyst for breaking the endless cycle of impotence.'"

With the prophecy recited, Jiraiya took a practiced sip of tea from the table and said, "That’s the reason I’ve come back. Besides your summons, the Great Toad Sage has hinted that the opportunity for the prophecy’s fulfillment lies here in the Leaf. I must return to find it."

Hiruzen smacked his lips, indifferent to such mystical proclamations, and abruptly shifted the subject. "Jiraiya, I need you to go to the Land of Waves," he said.

Jiraiya frowned, silent, awaiting Hiruzen’s explanation.

Hiruzen took a sip of water to moisten his throat and continued, "Just over half a month ago, I sent Kakashi and his team to the Land of Waves on an escort mission. After departure, apart from receiving a report that there was a change in the mission but they were continuing, there’s been no further contact. I want you to investigate what’s happening. I wouldn’t trust anyone else for this."

"Kakashi’s team encountered a thorny problem on their very first mission. What was supposed to be a C-rank assignment escalated unexpectedly—they met Terumi Mei, a powerful contender for the title of Mizukage. A C-rank mission suddenly turned into an A-rank, and it’s even developing toward S-rank territory. If the situation in the Land of Waves has truly escalated, only you can ensure Kakashi and his team return safely."

As if to forestall any refusal, Hiruzen spoke urgently, "Naruto, Minato’s son, is now one of Kakashi’s subordinates. For both personal and official reasons, you ought to check on them."

The mention of Naruto left Jiraiya unable to sit still. "Old man, I’ll go at once!"

Even before reaching the Land of Waves, Jiraiya, standing on the coast of the Land of Fire, glimpsed the steel leviathan sprawled across the sea. He soon discovered the steam-powered robots busily working around it.

"The use of steam as motive power… why does this seem so familiar?" Jiraiya muttered. "Could it be that the machines from Orochimaru’s Dragon Works, powered by steam engines, have been procured by the Land of Waves for their construction?"

But he quickly dismissed his own suspicion. From afar, he saw numerous airships ferrying robots and supplies from the southwest. Jiraiya sensed these robots were linked to the Land of Waves’ transformation, and so he followed their route to investigate.

He traced them to the Land of Whirlpools, to Whirl Tide Village, and to a secret factory nestled in the nearby valley. Yet, this was as far as he could go. The defenses of Whirl Tide Village were formidable, with numerous Uzumaki clan members patrolling with powerful weapons.

Jiraiya knew well that among the Uzumaki, there were likely those who had awakened the Kagura Mind’s Eye, and many had surely mastered the ancestral sealing arts of the village. Even with his abilities, he could not slip past the Kagura Mind’s Eye and detection-type sealing jutsu without giving himself away or alerting the guards. He could not uncover all the secrets of Whirl Tide Village.

So Jiraiya turned around, intending to probe the Land of Waves more closely. Tracking the airships from the Land of Whirlpools to the Land of Waves, he felt a stirring excitement.

So many Uzumaki clan members had returned to Whirl Tide Village and wielded such formidable power! In all his years traversing the ninja world, aside from rumors of Orochimaru clandestinely gathering Uzumaki survivors, he had never heard of the clan reassembling here.

Who could have accomplished this? Which Uzumaki possessed such ability?

Jiraiya kept his suspicions to himself, but he guessed that all would be revealed in the Land of Waves.

As he stood at the edge of the newly completed bridge, gazing down at the orderly ranks of steel gunboats on the sea below, the feeling grew stronger. Who could have orchestrated this?

Jiraiya looked toward the fleet of gunboats advancing across the water. He imagined that, on the deck of the largest vessel, stood a figure with golden hair.

Meanwhile, aboard the flagship of the Land of Waves’ First Security Fleet, the Uzumaki Security Gunboat, Naruto seemed to sense something, turning his gaze toward the steel bridge.

"Hmm… It seems an important guest has arrived," Naruto murmured to himself.

Hinata Hyuga, who had only recently arrived in the Land of Waves, asked with concern, "Naruto, what’s wrong? Is something happening at the bridge? Do you need me to use the Byakugan to check?"

"No need, Hinata. You’ve just arrived and the journey has been exhausting. Rest for now," Naruto said, gently patting her head.

Hinata blushed, her face turning red, but she looked utterly content.

Nearby, Hyuga Hizashi watched the scene, clicking his tongue in annoyance. He recalled how, before this journey, his elder brother—the father of Hinata—had been boasting about his daughter, wondering aloud which scoundrel would one day win such an exceptional girl.

Now it seemed his precious little sister had already been stolen away, though her father remained blissfully unaware.