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On the White Snake Sage's divination crystal ball, the face etched with bitterness and resentment was none other than… Obito Uchiha!
The background behind him was a dimly lit stone chamber, its location unknown.
"So… he transplanted Nagato's Rinnegan after all."
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed, his hand clenching slightly.
There was no sign of Tsunade in the chamber.
She must have been sealed away in his time-space dimension. Otherwise, Lady Katsuyu could have easily reverse-summoned her to Shikkotsu Forest.
"Hm?"
Then, a figure standing behind Obito caught Jiraiya's attention.
When he saw the person's face clearly, Jiraiya's eyes snapped wide open.
Shikaku Nara!?
The Shikaku in the image showed no sign of being a prisoner. On the contrary, he stood respectfully behind Obito, as if he were a subordinate.
Had Obito used a Sharingan ability to control Shikaku?
Jiraiya smiled bitterly.
Who would have thought… Obito Uchiha had this kind of foresight and ambition? This is real trouble now. The man already possessed formidable ocular power and the Gedo Statue. Now, with Shikaku's brilliant mind at his disposal, the situation had just become exponentially more difficult.
"White Snake Sage, where is his hideout?"
The White Snake Sage closed her eyes briefly, then opened them. "The Land of Earth. To be precise, a mountainous region near its border with the Land of Rain. From the gates of this mountain, it would still take a full day to reach."
"A full day… I'm afraid he might relocate by then."
"That, you need not worry about."
Sss… sss… sss…
From beneath the Sage's sleeve, a black, worm-like creature crawled out.
"This is a 'Shadow Grub,' paired with my location divination. Swallow it, and you will sense the target's positional changes in real-time. Of course, you cannot sense him if he's in a separate dimension, but the inability to sense him would confirm he isn't in this one. In a way, that's a form of detection itself."
"I see. So there's such a handy thing…"
Jiraiya crouched before the Shadow Grub, extending his broad palm as the creature crawled onto it.
He'd had his share of experience with bugs on Mount Myoboku. Even if he hadn't, his desperation to save Tsunade overrode any squeamishness. Gritting his teeth, he gulped—Gulp!—and swallowed the grub whole.
Instantly, a vague, intangible sense of perception established itself.
Wiping a sticky residue from his lips, Jiraiya stood.
Whoosh!
The image on the crystal ball vanished. "I won't keep you," the White Snake Sage said.
Jiraiya declared, "Regardless of the final outcome, I will not forget your kindness!"
The White Snake Sage's eyes remained closed. "Spare me. I need to recover my Sage Power. Be on your way."
Jiraiya turned to bow in farewell.
Just then, the Sage squinted at his retreating back. "Wait!"
Jiraiya stopped and turned. "Does the Sage have further instructions?"
The White Snake Sage pulled open a drawer beside her throne, retrieving an aged talisman. With a flick of her wrist, it landed in Jiraiya's hand.
Resuming her seat, she took a long draw from her pipe and spoke through the swirling smoke. "This is a life-saving talisman, infused with the Sage Power of Ryūchi Cave. Keep it on your person. In a critical moment, it might just save your life."
Jiraiya was both honored and alarmed. "This… such a precious treasure! How can a junior like me accept it? I could never repay such a great debt!"
The White Snake Sage replied indifferently, "Good, you have some self-awareness. However, this talisman was made a hundred years ago. It's nearing its expiration date. It was just sitting there. Consider it a convenient favor. Now, take it."
"Ah… I see. But I remain eternally grateful!"
Much more at ease, Jiraiya tucked the talisman inside his clothing, bowed respectfully once more to the Sage's throne, and finally exited the temple.
After he left, Lady Kōshin appeared at the foot of the Sage's throne.
"What 'nearing expiration'?! The older a life-saving talisman is, the higher its quality! A century-old talisman could save someone even if they were smashed to pieces! Grandma, why would you give such a precious thing to someone you just met? Especially a disciple from Mount Myoboku, whom we don't even get along with!"
Facing Kōshin's questions, the White Snake Sage took another puff, her tone grave. "We Immortals are a displaced people, our original homeworld taken by the Otsutsuki. We were forced to migrate to this human planet a millennium ago. We established our sacred mountains, drawing in nearly half this world's natural energy. Nurturing the outstanding among humanity serves both to strengthen our own ranks and as a form of compensation to this land, to offset our karma. This has caused much unpleasantness between us Immortals. But in the near future, an inherent enemy of all life will awaken. It is time to set aside old grievances and unite against a common foe."
Kōshin, as the White Snake Sage's niece, knew this history.
"I understand the reasoning, Grandma… but did it have to be that human?"
The White Snake Sage slowly revealed the truth. "That Jiraiya… he bears a Heavenly Mandate. And he is fated to face a great calamity. A calamity so severe that even that life-saving talisman may not fully save him. Whether he survives will depend on his own fortune. We are merely… aiding his fate."
…
Land of Wind, Sunagakure.
Sakura and Neji walked towards the Konoha outpost.
Sakura's current strength was no longer inferior to Neji's.
As a result, Neji's respect for her now went beyond simple camaraderie.
He had agreed to keep her newfound power a secret.
He hadn't asked why, but something else weighed on his mind.
"Sakura. You seem to know something about Sasuke, don't you? Is it related to that genjutsu you were under?"
"…"
Sakura considered it. Should she tell Neji now?
I trust Neji… but Neji might not trust me.
After all, something like time travel would sound like pure fantasy to most people.
On top of that, it's an undeniable fact that I fell into a months-long coma from Sasuke's genjutsu. He would have every reason to suspect these 'memories' were forcibly implanted. That would only create unnecessary complications.
After careful deliberation, she decided against it. The timing wasn't right.
Sakura chose her words carefully. "That's right. I do know some things about Sasuke-kun, and it is related to the genjutsu he used on me. But for that very reason, I'm still verifying the facts. Once I'm certain, I'll tell you everything. Is that okay?"
Neji observed Sakura's calm expression as she spoke.
"Hn. If you hadn't gained that seal on your forehead, if you hadn't proven your newfound strength, I would have heard those words, incapacitated you, and handed you over for an examination to see if your mind was being controlled."
"But now, that seems unnecessary. I will keep both your current strength and what you just told me a secret. But we have a deal. The moment you have your proof, you come to me first."
"Thank you." Sakura offered a small smile, then smoothly changed the subject. "By the way… how is Hinata doing?"
Tap.
Neji stopped walking.
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