Malphegor
patreon
HSU: Ch. 183
🕑 Added 2025-02-06 18:46:30 +0000 UTCMasashi removed his gas mask.
That mist had been irritating him, but now that he had entered Mount Myōboku, he could finally take it off.
Following the messenger toad, he began walking through this secret realm famous across the ninja world.
Toads could be seen everywhere.
There were small ones like the messenger toad, as well as others several meters tall. Some lazed about on giant lotus-like plants, napping, while others, full of energy, were gathered in groups doing frog jumps.
Mount Myōboku might be a secret realm, but first and foremost, it was the home where these toads thrived.
These toads were not particularly aggressive, but they were very mindful of protecting their home.
For survival, they had no choice but to cooperate with humans.
After the ninja villages were established, human power had grown significantly, forcing Mount Myōboku to take a side.
Masashi's attire, clearly marking him as a Konoha ninja, allowed him to move freely in this place.
The toads all recognized this as the garb of an ally.
In terms of geography, Suna might have been a more suitable ally for Mount Myōboku, but it could not provide enough security for the toads.
After all… even Suna had been sneak-attacked by Kumo, despite being separated by several countries.
As he continued walking, Masashi noticed buildings ahead.
Structures built to match the toads' proportions.
Compared to the giant snakes, the toads' way of life was much closer to that of humans.
Under the guidance of the messenger toad, Masashi ascended a flight of stairs leading to a high platform.
Seated on a massive green-backed throne was an ancient, elderly toad. Hanging from the chair was a large blue cloth.
Masashi still remembered that the Great Toad Sage, known as Gamamaru, had encountered the Ōtsutsuki brothers and taught Hagoromo the ways of senjutsu.
In Shippuden, the Sage was portrayed as senile, fond of playing with balls, sleeping, and telling supernatural tales. However, from what the Sage of Six Paths had said, it was clear that they had indeed known each other.
As for whether Hagoromo had ever studied senjutsu from Mount Myōboku, that remained uncertain.
Like the White Snake Sage, the Great Toad Sage wore a similar hat adorned with a crystal ball and had a necklace.
The Great Toad Sage slowly opened its eyes, leaned forward, and looked at Masashi.
"Great Toad Sage, greetings," Masashi said, presenting a token from the White Snake Sage. "This is a token from the White Snake Sage."
The messenger toad raised both hands and stood on tiptoes, catching the stone sphere that Masashi placed in its hands.
"Well then, I'll take my leave now."
The messenger toad was taken aback, not expecting him to say that. Wasn't he here to enter Mount Myōboku?
"No need to rush, little Uchiha," the Great Toad Sage finally spoke.
"Do you have a message you'd like me to deliver to the White Snake Sage?" Masashi asked patiently. Since he had no requests, he felt no pressure in this conversation.
"The young ones were indeed a bit rude, but please understand—Mount Myōboku is not as strong as outsiders think." The Sage sighed and shifted its massive body. "The White Snake Sage has already spoken with me. We would be happy to teach you Mount Myōboku's senjutsu."
"Great Toad Sage, you are a friend of the White Snake Sage, so I won't lie to you," Masashi shook his head. "I have no particular opinion on this matter. Mount Myōboku has its own stance. However, since our compatibility isn't great, let's not force things. It's better for us to walk our own separate paths."
The Sage gazed at the young man before him and thought—he really did resemble someone.
He was just like Indra.
Indra's personality had been straightforward: if they got along, they were friends; if they didn't, they simply went their separate ways. No unnecessary arguments.
But great power easily created distance between people.
As a result, Indra became the most solitary figure of his era.
And yet, he never bothered to explain himself.
If people misunderstood him, he would simply respond with confrontation.
"You are very similar to Indra—kind-hearted, yet easily misunderstood."
"You misunderstand," Masashi replied. "My comrades and I speak openly. There is no room for misunderstandings."
"The children of Mount Myōboku mean no harm. They're just wary of strangers," another voice interjected.
Masashi turned toward the source.
"You must be Elder Fukasaku? Jiraiya mentioned you before. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"That's right." As one of Mount Myōboku's highest-ranking toads, Fukasaku wasn't much larger than the messenger toad. "Jiraiya has spoken of you many times. We've always wanted to meet you."
Mount Myōboku's hierarchy was led by the elders, with the Great Toad Sage as the Great Elder. Fukasaku was just one rank below.
Since he had spoken so earnestly, Masashi had no choice but to respond.
After all, Mount Myōboku was an important ally of Konoha. If Fukasaku were to visit the Hokage's office, he would be received by the Hokage himself. Though Masashi found the toads' conduct somewhat questionable, with Fukasaku putting it this way, he had to show some respect.
"Although I don't know why you want to meet me… fine, go ahead," he said.
"When the Great Elder sleeps, he has prophetic dreams. But in recent decades, his visions have become harder to interpret," Fukasaku said worriedly. "Mount Myōboku is an ally of Konoha, and we will always support our allies. However, when necessary, we must also seek help from them. The truth is, the change in the Great Elder's dreams recently has made us anxious, which led to the poor hospitality you experienced earlier."
"In that case, I should have been more understanding." Masashi was slightly taken aback. He hadn't remembered the Great Toad Sage's prophecy working this way.
Besides, was this detail even present in the original timeline?
Regardless, if the Sage's dreams had changed, it would naturally cause distress among the toads, who relied on its guidance.
"Do you need help?" Masashi asked.
"Ah… well, we're still completely in the dark. Even though we wish to seek assistance, we don't even know where to start," Fukasaku admitted, scratching his head in frustration.
"If an ally is in trouble, Konoha will not turn a blind eye. But with Jiraiya around, Mount Myōboku should be in good hands," Masashi said.
This wasn't an excuse—Jiraiya was undeniably one of the strongest ninja in the current era.
Not just Jiraiya, but also Minato.
With those two, Mount Myōboku's safety was practically guaranteed.
Anyone daring to challenge Mount Myōboku would be challenging both master and student, which meant declaring war on Konoha.
The cost of that would be astronomical.
"We greatly appreciate that," Fukasaku nodded. Mount Myōboku's concerns were about the future, not the present.
However, with Masashi emerging as another powerhouse after Jiraiya and Minato, Mount Myōboku certainly wanted to strengthen their ties with him.
"To secure our future, we should forge even closer bonds. Masashi, would you be willing to become a summoner of Mount Myōboku?"
"Apologies, Elder Fukasaku, but I must refuse," Masashi shook his head. "Not for any particular reason—honestly, I rarely use my contract with Ryūchi Cave either. Signing with Mount Myōboku would just be wasting a slot. Besides…"
"I'm afraid that if I summon the wrong one, you might get beaten to death the moment you appear... That's something we both don't want to see, right?"
Three years ago, Masashi had not been as strong as he was now.
Accumulating strength and then erupting all at once was a terrifying thing. When entering the explosive phase, one's growth accelerated at an astonishing pace—so fast that even the person experiencing it might fail to notice.
This was clearly demonstrated in Naruto and Sasuke—textbook examples of this phenomenon.
At the start of the series, Naruto had been a nobody, while Sasuke, though not leagues ahead, had still been significantly stronger.
By the time they fought in the Valley of the End, they had been about evenly matched.
Three years later, at the beginning of Shippuden, after rigorous training, Sasuke had once again been far stronger than Naruto.
But when they reached the Six Paths level, Naruto could directly go head-to-head with Kaguya, whereas a fully powered Susanoo was nothing more than a few punches away from destruction in front of her.
Sasuke's mentality collapsing in the end had been completely understandable.
If Masashi had been in his shoes, he would have probably broken down too.
It had been just too much.
Now, hearing Fukasaku's invitation, he truly felt it—he had indeed become quite formidable on a conventional level.
Unfortunately... The real enemies in his heart weren't even human.
The level of opponents one chose determined one's own level. This statement was an absolute truth.
"Masashi, it's... not an issue," Fukasaku said with a smile. "Helping allies is a principle of Mount Myōboku."
Masashi's tone had already softened compared to before, and Fukasaku knew that the misunderstanding between them had been resolved in time.
Mount Myōboku was friendly with Konoha, but did that mean all Konoha shinobi were friendly with Mount Myōboku?
Obviously not.
Especially at a certain level, personal will became incredibly strong.
The Great Toad Sage might have been the Great Elder of Mount Myōboku, but he was not Mount Myōboku itself.
Just like when Masashi first met the Great Toad Sage—he had been respectful, but that was due to his relationship with the White Snake Sage, not because of Mount Myōboku.
Fukasaku truly didn't want Mount Myōboku to leave an impression on Masashi as a place that "only aged but never grew stronger."
Forming alliances with the strong—or those with the potential to become strong—had always been Mount Myōboku's strategy. When it came to talent, toads could not compare with humans, but they lived longer, had complete knowledge inheritance, and their understanding and utilization of natural energy were best suited for humans.
This was the foundation of their alliance.
"I'm really not just being polite, Fukasaku." Masashi said, "If I sign a contract with Mount Myōboku, to be blunt, the toads here would be in mortal danger."
"If you say that, it means you know who your real enemy is." Fukasaku's expression grew serious. "If that's the case, please allow us to lend you a hand."
Masashi felt like scratching his head.
These toads were unexpectedly stubborn.
"How about this—I know a kid with great potential. I'll bring him here, and you can assess his aptitude before deciding whether to sign a contract with him."
It wasn't that Masashi was being petty or holding a grudge. He really wasn't targeting Mount Myōboku—it was just that the toads wouldn't be very useful in the fights ahead.
For example, against Nagato, summoning the three toad sages would be nothing more than a sideshow—it would be much more effective to just have Matatabi fire off a Tailed Beast Bomb.
"That doesn't have to be an issue," Fukasaku said. "You can just sign both contracts."
The Great Toad Sage narrowed his eyes as if deep in thought.
Then, he suddenly spoke.
"Masashi, tailed beasts are indeed powerful. But precisely because they are so strong, they also come with inconveniences."
Seeing the Great Toad Sage had spoken, Fukasaku stepped aside.
"Our enemies may no longer be ones that can be dealt with through technique alone." Masashi looked at the Great Toad Sage. "I'm considering Mount Myōboku's well-being as well—I don't even have full confidence myself."
"But effective techniques can make your actions easier," the Great Toad Sage said. "The toads of Mount Myōboku may not be able to assist you in battle, but in other areas, they can support you well."
Masashi pondered for a moment.
That might be true.
In the original timeline, the toads of Mount Myōboku had demonstrated an impressive range of functionality.
For example, the messenger toads that could directly contact Konoha.
Decoy toads that could draw enemy attention.
Gourd toads that contained an acidic lake inside their bodies to kill enemies.
Immobilizing toads that used the Toad Confrontation Chant to seal an enemy's mind and body.
And even diving toads with a barrier inside their stomachs that could block chakra sensing—perfect for infiltration.
From a functional perspective, the toads truly had a wide array of abilities.
Masashi had been thinking of traveling around the continent during this peaceful period.
His ninjutsu was mainly focused on offensive firepower, with relatively little functionality.
That was something the giant snakes of Ryūchi Cave couldn't provide either.
The snakes had functional abilities too, but very few.
"I understand now. I'll trouble you then," Masashi said.
The toads had clearly expressed their willingness to form an alliance, so there was no need for him to keep pushing back.
As long as they didn't regret it later.
Teaming up with him was no easy task—probably even harder than partnering with Jiraiya.
"As for Sage Mode, Fukasaku will guide you carefully," the Great Toad Sage smiled. "I'll also try to get in contact with Shikkotsu Forest. Though the environment there is unfriendly, we will find a way."
Masashi was truly surprised.
"Thank you, Great Toad Sage."
This time, his gratitude was sincere.
Among the Three Great Sacred Lands, Shikkotsu Forest was the most mysterious. Its master, the Slug Sage, wasn't just a medical cheat code—it could also replenish a human's stamina.
In the original Fourth Great Ninja War, Tsunade and Sakura, with the help of the Slug Sage's clones, had ensured the fighting capability of the Allied Shinobi Forces and the Kage.
Masashi hadn't expected the Great Toad Sage to personally reach out to the Slug Sage for him.
That was a huge favor.
"Do you have any requests in return?" he asked.
There was no such thing as a free lunch—even family kept track of debts. It was better to clarify things.
"I have dreamed of you," the Great Toad Sage said. "At a crucial moment, I hope you will protect Mount Myōboku."
"I can't make absolute guarantees," Masashi replied solemnly, "but I will do my best."
Some people said "don't just do your best, go all out"—from his life as Muzo, Masashi had always shut those people up with a slap.
"That is enough..." The Great Toad Sage's voice gradually faded until it disappeared.
Masashi and Fukasaku waited for a moment—then the Sage started snoring.
He had fallen asleep that fast?!
"Let's not disturb the Great Elder," Fukasaku said, unfazed by the rapid dozing-off. He turned to Masashi with a smile. "Come with me, I'll help you train in Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode. Also, even if you're not a jinchūriki, if you earn a tailed beast's recognition, you can still use its power. I'll teach you that as well."
Masashi's eyes lit up—this was exactly what had been troubling him.
He really didn't know how to do this, but he also didn't want to become a jinchūriki.
