Hopping and skipping away from the mountain temple, Fukasaku returned to his hut only to find that his wife—Shima—wasn't home. She was likely off in Konoha buying groceries and hadn't returned yet.
The children were nowhere to be found, probably off frolicking somewhere. Just when he needed people—or rather, toads—not a single shadow could be seen.
Fukasaku took a couple of deep breaths and hopped over to a fountain spraying toad oil. He began forming hand signs. "Little Jiraiya, you'd better answer my call..."
"Summoning Jutsu: Reverse Summoning!"
A massive summoning array spread across the ground, and Fukasaku's chakra pierced through time and space, reaching out into the distance.
Somewhere within a major city in the Land of Fire.
Having finished his negotiation mission, Jiraiya was supposed to head back to Konoha to report. However, he happened upon a famous city of hot springs. The sheer number of unique baths was as formidable as any monster. Feeling powerless to resist such a challenge, he shamelessly stayed behind, sending the negotiation team ahead to Konoha while claiming he needed to stay and investigate the nutritional intake of the commoners.
The official term was 'field research.' Locally, it was known as peeping.
"That old gatekeeper lady is so naive. Thinking a mere hag could see through my disguise... you're a hundred years too early! Hahaha!"
Jiraiya felt quite smug. He had planned this for a long time. When the bathhouse closed at midnight, he had snuck in and used the Transformation Jutsu to turn into a rock near the pool. Since this bathhouse emphasized a natural garden aesthetic, many decorative rocks were placed around the pool for people to sit on while washing.
This trick only worked far away from Konoha. The bathhouse matrons in Konoha were seasoned veterans with eyes sharper than Anbu, easily spotting Jiraiya's disguises. Furthermore, with Uchiha patrols outside, there was no longer any room for traditionalists like Jiraiya to survive.
Only reformists like Hiruzen could still manage to cling to life.
During the day, the bathhouse opened for business, attracting tourists from all over the Land of Fire. Jiraiya got an eye-full, shaking with excitement.
"Huh?" A young girl who had just sat down looked puzzled. She thought she felt the rock beneath her shudder twice. Just then, in the midst of his bliss, Jiraiya felt a summoning call from afar. The familiar chakra told him instantly that Fukasaku was using Reverse Summoning to call him.
'Why now... of all times!' Jiraiya cursed his luck, but the calls came faster and faster. He could feel Fukasaku's urgency; it had to be something important.
Left with no choice, Jiraiya responded to the call. With a poof, he vanished in a cloud of white smoke.
The girl who was rinsing herself suddenly fell onto her backside. She stared blankly for a few seconds.
Soon after, a piercing scream echoed through the women's bath.
At Mount Myoboku, Jiraiya appeared in a puff of smoke. He immediately wiped the nosebleed and put on a serious face. "Lord Fukasaku, why the urgent call? What happened?"
"Something big!" Fukasaku replied solemnly, ignoring Jiraiya's suspicious nose-wiping. He hopped onto Jiraiya's shoulder and gestured toward the back of the mountain. "It concerns the peace of the ninja world. The Great Toad Sage wants to see you!"
Jiraiya's heart skipped a beat. He cast aside all distractions, his face hardening as he walked toward the back mountain.
Meanwhile, at Shikkotsu Forest, Makiya sat cross-legged by the central pool. He was continuously drawing in natural energy from the air, mixing it with the chakra refined in his body to create a new, special energy: Sage Chakra.
As the Sage Chakra accumulated, complex black markings appeared on Makiya's forehead and around his eyes, radiating a strange ripple of power.
Suddenly, his absorption rate wavered for a split second, falling out of sync with the internal fusion process. The natural energy lost control and began rampaging through his body.
Makiya thrust a palm out, using a chakra-release technique to expel all the natural energy. The pool erupted in a violent explosion, sending a massive amount of water into the sky before it rained back down like a torrential storm.
"Lord Makiya, you truly are a genius. You were so close just now!" A Katsuyu clone commented from the side. To master the steps of fusing Sage Chakra in less than a week—Makiya's talent was the greatest she had seen in her long life.
Even Hashirama Senju hadn't reached this level in a single week back then.
'A genius? I've still got a long way to go.' Makiya knew his own situation. Having absorbed so many memories, especially the cultivation methods from Liao Zhai Makiya, he was highly experienced in energy control. With so many boosts, a week felt slow to him.
Cultivation was exhausting for both mind and body. As the sun set, Makiya felt a gnawing hunger. He opened his eyes to see a Katsuyu clone crawling toward him, carrying a large pile of tender leaves.
The emerald leaves looked quite inviting under the sunset. They seemed to be freshly picked by Katsuyu, who had specifically brought the most delicious parts for him.
Although he was touched, Makiya politely declined. He would rather go three meals without eating than swallow a heap of chlorophyll. Though, thinking back on Jiraiya, he felt this place wasn't so bad. Jiraiya actually had to eat raw, wriggling bugs at Mount Myoboku.
The humidity in Shikkotsu Forest was incredibly high. While perfect for Katsuyu, it wasn't suitable for humans. Living here meant your laundry would never dry. To avoid being perpetually soggy, one had to use Fire Style to warm things up.
To prevent joint pain or other strange ailments, Makiya had set up a barrier around his dwelling. It continuously dispelled dampness and cold while providing defense and early warning.
Even though Katsuyu harbored no ill will, the habit of caution was etched into his bones. One should not seek to harm others, but one must always guard against being harmed.
Lying on a log bed he had crafted himself on the spot, the exhausted Makiya fell asleep instantly, appearing on the grey path.
In the mysterious space, a group of Makiyas sat in a circle, sharing their recent gains. Because time flowed differently in each world, some had only experienced a few days, while others had lived through many years.
Attendance was high today. Since it was a grand gathering, the Makiyas were in high spirits. After sharing memories, they began acting like armchair generals, critiquing each other's operations with an air of tactical mastery.
Many years had passed for Soul Reaper Makiya. He had been steadily increasing his power and training Soi Fon in Hakuda. After much effort and sweat, Soi Fon's skill level was significantly higher than in the original story. Unfortunately, her A-cup status remained unchanged. Zero stars.
Navy Makiya was obsessed with training. In his words, how could a Devil Fruit compare to a body tempered a thousand times? Time in the One Piece world flowed similarly to the Naruto world. This Makiya had already mastered Armament and Observation Haki and was currently figuring out Conqueror's Haki. He ignored the Navy's orders so much he had almost been put on a wanted list.
Ho-Oh Makiya discovered he was in the Gold and Silver version of his world. While traveling to observe the local customs, he passed through the west and found a tower burning in a rainstorm. It was said the fire had burned for three days and nights. Eventually, three Pokemon perished in the flames.
Ho-Oh Makiya decided to show off. Descending from the sky, he used his innate abilities to resurrect them, turning them into Raikou, Entei, and Suicune. He gained a massive following of human fans and a three-member guard detail.
Wuxia Fusion World Makiya had mastered all the world's martial arts. Lately, he had been practicing the cultivation methods from the Liao Zhai world. He felt the world's rejection of him growing, sensing an imminent ascension.
Wizard Makiya was studying under the alchemy master Nicolas Flamel. Nothing major had happened, though he had unexpectedly met Fleur Delacour, who had been sent there by her family connections to study.
The young lady was beautiful indeed, but she had absolutely no talent for alchemy. However, she was incredibly sweet-talkative, keeping the Flamel couple constantly smiling. They tacitly allowed her to visit frequently.
Time moved slower for Hacker Makiya, Zombie World Makiya, and Liao Zhai Makiya. The latter two were following their masters to perform heroic deeds and cultivate their spirits.
The SAO NPC Makiya had survived until the game's finale. He successfully broke free from the game's code, leaving backdoors in every root server. He was now wandering through various VR games, becoming an urban legend.
Conan World Makiya could perfectly use Ninjutsu and Reiatsu. He had already eliminated the mastermind behind the Black Organization and was now using Transformation Jutsu to roleplay, gradually making the organization's style very strange. The double agents were full of questions, thinking they had only scratched the surface of a deep, dark conspiracy.
Resistance World Makiya hadn't used any supernatural powers from other worlds. However, with everyone's energy stacked on him, his body had undergone a mysterious change under the local world rules. He was now essentially Superman, minus the flight.
Resistance Makiya had just achieved the feat of trampling the cherry blossoms and was currently on a rampage. To let future generations know he was right, he planned to set aside a small island to preserve a primitive version of them as a museum.
The most heavyweight was Magic Emperor Makiya from the continent of Arad. Time there moved very fast, and a long time had passed.
After long training and endless slaughter, Magic Emperor Makiya finally understood the essence of elements. Infinite magic power remodeled his body, his eyes became one with the darkness, and the annihilation of elements caused massive explosions. He had completed his second awakening, promoting to Oblivion.
The path after promotion was even harder, and his strength had stagnated. However, after the second awakening, a character creation interface appeared. He could keep his current character and create new ones for new adventures.
To benefit all the Makiyas, Magic Emperor Makiya grinded levels and training, experiencing all the mainstream classes. He mastered each one deeply, expanding everyone's skill pool.
Gun-fu, intelligent machinery, and elemental heavy cannons were all covered. Peerless swordsmanship and secret blade techniques were mastered. Fists, kicks, and Nen were not lacking either. His research into his original specialty, magic, went deep into the source. By experiencing every class, the Makiyas could always find a profession that suited their world's rules and their own strengths.
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