Jiraiya stared at Hiruzen.
A trace of admiration shone in his eyes.
"I thought that after spending two years at Mount Myōboku and mastering Sage Mode..."
"I'd finally surpassed you, Sensei, and become someone you could rely on..."
"But after everything that's happened today, whether it's strength or state of mind, you're still the one I rely on. You're like a mountain that will never collapse... one that makes everyone around it feel safe."
Jiraiya let out a long breath.
Although every muscle and bone in his body burned with searing pain, the warmth in his heart dulled more than half of it.
To him, today's beating had been worth it.
This was how men truly communicated with one another—especially a master and his disciple. Their fists were the medium through which they conveyed their convictions.
"Jiraiya, do you understand what I'm trying to tell you now?"
"First you said you wanted to find the Child of the Prophecy, and now you're calling me the Teacher of the Prophecy..."
"But if we follow the prophecy you've clung to all these years, then as the disciple of the Teacher of the Prophecy... aren't you yourself the Child of the Prophecy?"
"And my own sensei was Hashirama-sama. Every shinobi of Konohagakure follows the Will of Fire and is Hashirama-sama's successor. By that logic, everyone in the village is one of the 'Children of the Prophecy' you keep talking about..."
Hiruzen laid out his reasoning from two different angles.
One was grounded in reality.
The other was based on the Mount Myōboku prophecy Jiraiya had believed in for decades.
Between the two, he had effectively blocked off every possible counterargument.
Jiraiya's mouth slowly fell open into a perfect circle, his face frozen in astonishment.
It... could be interpreted that way?
But the more he thought about it, the more his teacher actually made sense.
So the key to achieving peace had been beside him all along—right here in the village where he lived.
The Child of the Prophecy was him.
And it was every shinobi who believed in the Will of Fire.
Every companion who quietly worked hard for the village and fulfilled their duties.
Jiraiya had an epiphany.
Watching the expression on Jiraiya's face, Hiruzen smiled faintly.
He wasn't just speaking empty platitudes.
The shinobi world truly differed from his previous life.
This world possessed supernatural power. Individuals capable of fighting hundreds—or even thousands—of enemies alone genuinely existed. One couldn't simply copy the logic of his former world without adjustment.
But even so, those so-called powerful individuals had never been born invincible.
They had only reached those heights because countless "ordinary people" had supported them every step of the way.
Even Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, despite growing up during the brutal Warring States Era, had their clans providing them with the resources and environment necessary to survive and become stronger.
That was especially true for Hiruzen himself.
The upper limit of his talent was built upon the growth and progress of every shinobi in Konohagakure.
Their sweat and hard work expanded the possibilities that allowed the Hokage to climb to ever greater heights.
Whether their contribution was large or small, Hiruzen sincerely believed these shinobi—people who had endured hardship for most of their lives—had all done their absolute best within the limits of their abilities.
So regardless of how much each of them had contributed to him, the Hokage appreciated every last one of them.
Those with strength could contribute their strength.
And even those without it could at least offer emotional support.
That, too, had value.
"I understand now, Sensei..."
Jiraiya exhaled softly.
"I was always thinking about solving everything by myself. I thought that as long as I found the Child of the Prophecy, everything would work itself out."
"But in doing so, I overlooked all the companions around me who'd been quietly working hard this whole time."
"I won't keep fantasizing about carrying the burden of peace by myself anymore. I'll stand together with everyone in the village and do everything I possibly can to fulfill the role only I can."
Hiruzen nodded with a satisfied smile.
The fact that Jiraiya could say those words meant he had truly begun to change.
"Would you two mind coming over for a chat?"
Hiruzen smiled at Fukasaku and Shima before turning to Tsunade and giving her a slight nod.
Understanding immediately, Tsunade summoned one of the Slug Sage's split bodies and picked up a stack of Medical Chakra Scrolls before walking over.
Fukasaku and Shima exchanged glances.
After Enma had carried them away, the two of them had simply given up resisting.
In fact, they'd ended up having quite an enjoyable conversation with him.
Among the summon clans, the Monkey Clan occupied a position much like the Sarutobi Clan did among shinobi.
They couldn't compare with clans like the Uchiha or Senju, but they firmly stood near the top of the second tier.
No matter where they went, simply announcing their name was enough to earn them a respectable amount of respect.
The two toads and the monkey made their way over to Hiruzen.
The Slug Sage silently settled onto their backs, supplying chakra while healing their injuries.
Taking the Medical Chakra Scrolls from Tsunade, Hiruzen handed them to Fukasaku and Shima.
"I've long heard of the two of you, honored sages."
"These are Medical Chakra Scrolls developed by Konohagakure. They're extremely useful for battlefield emergency treatment."
"Thank you to everyone at Mount Myōboku for your support on the battlefield. At the same time, I deeply regret that you've suffered so many casualties."
"So if there's anything you need on your end, please don't hesitate to ask me. The trust between Mount Myōboku and our village has been forged through blood and fire on the battlefield."
The toads of Mount Myōboku—especially those that possessed intelligence—generally all had unique abilities.
Taken as a whole, many of them possessed combat strength on par with Special Jōnin.
Keeping those toads battle-ready would only benefit Konohagakure.
Naturally, the village's own shinobi came first, but as long as there was sufficient surplus, allocating part of those resources to Mount Myōboku was entirely worthwhile.
The expanded production capacity in Amegakure, combined with the ever-growing productivity of Konohagakure's industrial shinobi, gave Hiruzen the confidence to make such promises.
Fukasaku and Shima were both stunned.
There were actually shinobi who cared this much about summon beasts?
He truly deserved the title of Teacher of the Prophecy.
"Thank you... thank you, Hokage-sama..."
Fukasaku said repeatedly.
Those toads capable of fighting on the battlefield were, for all intents and purposes, his descendants.
As for the ones incapable of developing intelligence...
Those were simply expendable resources.
That was Mount Myōboku's simple and straightforward standard of classification.
"Slug Sage-sama, I'd also like to thank you for everything you've done to support Konohagakure over the years."
"If there's ever anything you need, please let me know. I'll do everything I can to coordinate and help."
Hiruzen extended a fist and gently touched one of the Slug Sage's antennae, speaking with complete sincerity.
The reputation of the Three Sage Regions—and the profits generated by turning their discarded resources into valuable materials—had become an important source of revenue for Konohagakure. Their contributions to the village were tangible and substantial.
"There's no need to thank me, Hokage-sama..." the Slug Sage replied in a soft, gentle voice. Though her appearance resembled a slug, she sounded like a refined and graceful woman.
"If I had to ask for anything... I'd simply like to continue our contract with Konohagakure."
Hiruzen blinked.
There was actually a deal this good?
He knew her true body was an unimaginably enormous slug, somewhat similar to the Nine-Tails.
After splitting herself apart, her chakra reserves diminished, her body became smaller, and her mentality also grew somewhat more childlike.
But wasn't this a little too selfless?
"To be honest, I've always hoped that another Hashirama-sama would one day sign a contract with me..." the Slug Sage said shyly.
"If someone like that ever appears in the village, I'd appreciate it if Hokage-sama would let Shikkotsu Forest have the first chance. I'd really love to witness a genius like him once again."
The corner of Hiruzen's eyebrow twitched involuntarily.
Hashirama's reputation was still carrying weight.
Which meant the story he'd heard as a child—that Hashirama had accidentally wandered into Shikkotsu Forest, casually learned Senjutsu after looking around for a while, laughed heartily, and left without even signing a contract—was actually true...
'Comparing people really is enough to make you furious...'
Hiruzen sighed with emotion as he shook his head.
His thoughts suddenly drifted to Uchiha Madara.
Madara had also stood at the absolute pinnacle of what a shinobi could become.
Yet spending an entire lifetime competing against a monstrous genius like Hashirama and still maintaining his composure...
That alone was remarkable.
Still, Hiruzen wasn't in any hurry.
Jiraiya had already gained a preliminary grasp of Senjutsu. Once Orochimaru's Cursed Seal became more widespread, perhaps one day Hiruzen himself would receive some "performance bonus" in that area as well.
After all, everyone had at least one special talent of their own.
"Hashirama-sama's talent..."
Fukasaku chuckled as he shook his head.
Both he and Shima had lived for centuries.
Over the years, they had naturally noticed that the Senju and Uchiha Clans consistently produced monsters who far exceeded normal standards.
Yet whenever the subject came up, the Great Toad Sage would simply keep silent. If pressed, he'd just play dumb.
Even so, whenever Fukasaku and Shima talked privately, they couldn't help but marvel that, among all the absurdly powerful shinobi to have appeared throughout history, Senju Hashirama's talent and strength were still the most outrageous of them all.
"If someone like that ever does appear, Mount Myōboku would gladly let Shikkotsu Forest have the first opportunity," Fukasaku said generously.
Simply because he didn't believe there would ever be another Hashirama.
The odds were just far too small.
"No need to divide things so clearly."
Hiruzen chuckled as he smoothed things over.
"If you ask me, the Three Sage Regions are one family. Since fate has brought everyone together in Konohagakure, matters regarding summoning contracts can always be worked out."
If another little Hashirama really did appear, having him sign a contract with only one Sage Region would be a terrible waste.
Far better to bind all three of them firmly to Konohagakure's war chariot.
"Would you two mind demonstrating Senjutsu chakra one more time?"
After they had finished receiving treatment, Hiruzen turned to Fukasaku and Shima.
The two toad sages paused.
They still hadn't fully recovered from the shock of Konohagakure's technology.
Medical ninja tools this convenient...
The boost they could provide to an entire army's morale and combat effectiveness was almost unimaginable.
"Of course!"
Fukasaku and Shima gathered Senjutsu chakra once more.
Hiruzen nodded and again used Spirit Release to probe at the stability of the Senjutsu chakra.
This time, however, nothing happened.
Hiruzen nodded thoughtfully.
In his view, once natural energy fused with chakra, the resulting Senjutsu chakra should become a dense, tightly integrated whole, just as it was in Fukasaku and Shima's case.
It shouldn't be so easy to pull apart.
"Um..."
"I'm not sure what technique that was, Hokage-sama, but once someone becomes proficient with Senjutsu chakra, it has very few drawbacks in actual combat."
Thinking Hiruzen was questioning Mount Myōboku's methods, Fukasaku hurried to explain.
"What happened just now was because little Jiraiya lost his focus. On top of that, he's only just begun mastering Senjutsu."
"When we fight in our fused state, although my wife and I are the ones gathering the Senjutsu chakra, the overall control is still centered on little Jiraiya."
Hiruzen nodded in understanding.
"The two honored sages are a tremendous help, but you need to learn to master it on your own as well."
Jiraiya scratched his head.
"I can gather a little on my own, but I can't speed up the process. It feels like I'm missing the equivalent of resistance training... but I can't think of any good way to do it."
Hiruzen's eyes lit up.
"Isn't that exactly what I'm here for?"
His beginner-level Spirit Release and Jiraiya's beginner-level Senjutsu were practically made to sharpen each other through repeated practice.
The Hokage had been looking for a new sparring partner lately.
Jiraiya froze for a moment before instinctively nodding.
Come to think of it...
His teacher's bizarre technique could interfere with the stability of his Senjutsu chakra.
If he learned to gather natural energy under those conditions, doing it on his own later would undoubtedly feel much easier.
But the moment he remembered Minato talking about Hiruzen's "Three Forms"...
Realizing that such an embarrassingly chuuni description had actually been completely accurate...
Jiraiya couldn't help wearing a bitter expression.
Once master and disciple started sparring...
There was no way they'd only practice Sage Mode.
He was going to get beaten up again...
"Honored sages, though my abilities are still lacking, I have a great interest in Sage Mode as well..."
Hiruzen coughed lightly.
Fukasaku immediately picked up where he left off.
"No problem at all, Hokage-sama! Whenever you'd like to come train, Mount Myōboku will welcome you anytime!"
After hearing Hiruzen's earlier words, both Fukasaku and Shima had gained an entirely new respect for the Great Toad Sage.
Maybe that old geezer's prophecy really was accurate after all.
Turns out he hadn't just been blurting out random lines from his dreams.
"Though... would that really be alright without a summoning contract?"
Hiruzen asked with slight hesitation.
"Didn't you just say that the trust between Mount Myōboku and Konohagakure was forged through blood and fire?"
Fukasaku waved one webbed hand magnanimously.
"Don't worry about something like that! It's all for peace in the shinobi world."
Where else could they find a Hokage who genuinely cared about the safety and well-being of summon beasts?
If they didn't seize this opportunity, his wife would definitely call him useless once they got back.
"I was actually thinking..."
Hiruzen cleared his throat.
"I know my own situation. My ability to sense natural energy is practically nonexistent. But Enma might have the aptitude for it. Would you be willing to help train him instead?"
Enma of the Monkey Clan had fought alongside Hiruzen as his trusted companion for many years.
Enma had once lamented that he possessed some natural talent for Senjutsu, but the Monkey Clan had no systematic training methods for it. With only scattered bits of knowledge to rely on, he had never been able to take the first step.
It was watching Jiraiya fight alongside Fukasaku and Shima that had inspired Hiruzen.
There was no need for him to master it immediately.
After all, it wasn't as though he lacked ways to improve himself. The Ten Thousand Seals Body Integration Seal was still only in its early stages, strengthening his body would be a lifelong endeavor, and Spirit Release still required further development and refinement.
No matter how much energy he had...
It wasn't infinite.
Enma froze.
Wait...
Even at his age...
Was he really supposed to start working hard all over again?
He'd assumed Hiruzen wanted to learn it himself.
But after seeing Hiruzen's powerfully built physique and resolute expression, a fighting spirit welled up within Enma's heart.
He couldn't allow himself to fall behind the comrade who had fought beside him for so many years.
'Besides... wasn't this exactly what I'd always wanted when I was younger?'
'Now that Hiruzen has found a path for me, if I don't seize it with everything I've got, then it's I who'll have grown complacent...'
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