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Mastermind of the Akatsuki 413
🕑 Added 2025-06-18 16:00:08 +0000 UTCChapter 413: Sage Mode of Mount Myōboku
After hearing the transmission from the Great Toad Sage, Fukasaku felt a weight lift from his heart.
Facing the imposing Byakuya, he didn’t know how to respond. Byakuya was a prodigy who could master Sage Mode within just a few hours and was also the leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces.
He really didn’t have much confidence to refuse Byakuya’s invitation.
With a complicated expression, Fukasaku looked at Byakuya and said, “I can’t decide on Mount Myōboku joining Akatsuki, but the Great Toad Sage intends to meet you. Perhaps you two can talk.”
Byakuya nodded, then said, “In that case, please lead the way, Fukasaku.”
A few minutes later, Fukasaku brought Byakuya to the Toad Shrine. On the stone platform sat a giant toad meditating with closed eyes.
Fukasaku pointed at Byakuya and said, “This is the Great Toad Sage. Usually, he roams the Shinobi world in his dreams, but today, for some reason, he wants to see you.”
Byakuya stared at the giant toad for a long time.
Though he seemed to be sleeping on the stone platform, his natural energy had already merged with the surroundings. Byakuya had no doubt he possessed power at the level of a Kage.
Upon reflection, this guess made sense.
The great sages of the three sacred places, if they could not surpass the current Five Kage in strength, the three sacred places wouldn’t have survived in the Shinobi world for a thousand years.
Byakuya didn’t believe that no ninja had tried to attack the three sacred places in the past thousand years; most simply hadn’t succeeded.
As if sensing Byakuya’s arrival, the sleeping Great Toad Sage slowly opened its eyes, looked down at Byakuya, and spoke in a low voice, “Byakuya, you have finally come. I have been waiting here for you many years.”
Byakuya showed surprise. “I’ve long heard that the Great Toad Sage can foresee the future. I didn’t expect that it predicted I would come to Mount Myōboku years ago. Truly admirable.”
Pausing briefly, Byakuya continued, “However, since the Great Toad Sage can predict the future, can it also foresee his own time of death?”
Facing Byakuya’s provocation, Fukasaku and Shima frowned.
The Great Toad Sage smiled and said, “I cannot make predictions about myself, nor do I want to fall into the trap of your words. If my guess is right, if I predict that I will die today, you will refrain from acting. And if my predicted death is in the future, you would strike now.”
Byakuya smiled, “As expected of the Great Toad Sage, seeing through my thoughts. But I truly have no intention of killing the Great Toad Sage. Besides learning Sage Mode, my main purpose is to have Mount Myōboku join Akatsuki.”
Hearing this, Fukasaku was somewhat surprised and asked, “Byakuya, aren’t you interested in the Great Toad Sage’s predictions? Though vague, the Great Toad Sage’s predictions have never been wrong.”
“I don’t like predictions, nor do I like an unchanging future.”
Byakuya looked toward the Great Toad Sage not far away and said, “Even if the Great Toad Sage wanted to tell me the future of the Shinobi world, I wouldn’t take it seriously.”
The Great Toad Sage quietly gazed at Byakuya, then said to Fukasaku, “Fukasaku, Shima, you two may leave first. Byakuya and I have some things to discuss.”
“Great Toad Sage…” Fukasaku hesitated but finally left the Toad Shrine with Shima.
The large shrine quickly emptied, leaving only Byakuya and the Great Toad Sage. The two exchanged looks.
The Great Toad Sage spoke bluntly, “Byakuya, who exactly are you? In the futures I have seen, you do not exist. Furthermore, the Fourth Shinobi World War should break out several years later.”
“I am the leader of Akatsuki and also the leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces. As for other matters, I don’t know what the Great Toad Sage means.”
Byakuya answered calmly, not responding to the Great Toad Sage’s doubts about the war.
As a transmigrator, he clearly understood what the Great Toad Sage was wondering.
According to the original timeline, the war should have broken out in three years, but he had triggered it early. His goal for the war was not Infinite Tsukuyomi, but the Ten-Tails, the God Tree, and the entire Shinobi world.
Seeing Byakuya’s puzzled expression, the Great Toad Sage muttered, “But in the futures I have seen, Naruto is the prophesied child who will save the Shinobi world. That person shouldn’t be you.”
“Naruto is the prophesied child?”
Byakuya was slightly stunned, continuing to play the part: “That kid’s talent is indeed remarkable and may one day surpass the Five Kage in strength. But calling him the prophesied child seems too high a praise.”
The Great Toad Sage shook its head, saying, “You don’t understand. Naruto is no ordinary person. It’s difficult to explain this to you clearly. Knowing too much isn’t always good.”
Byakuya smiled faintly, staring at the Great Toad Sage, “Are you referring to the two mysterious chakras within Naruto and Sasuke? I have long noticed those chakras and suspected someone tampered with them. Now it seems the Great Toad Sage knows the truth.”
The Great Toad Sage obviously knew. It even knew those chakras belonged to the sons of the Sage of Six Paths, Indra and Asura.
But this was clearly a secret it could not reveal, as it concerned the Sage of Six Paths’ family affairs. Though the Sage of Six Paths’ physical body had been dead for over a thousand years, his soul still existed in another dimension and could descend into the Shinobi world at will.
The Great Toad Sage had a good relationship with the Sage of Six Paths, but also feared his rebuke.
After all, the Shinobi Sect, founded by the Sage, had ruled the entire Shinobi world for over a thousand years, and all current shinobi villages were branches of that sect. “I know the truth, but I cannot speak.”
The Great Toad Sage did not want to offend the Sage of Six Paths or Byakuya, so it said this, “Knowing but not telling?”
Byakuya frowned but didn’t press the Great Toad Sage further, continuing, “If the Great Toad Sage doesn’t want to say, so be it. I don’t have the habit of forcing others. But I suggest the Great Toad Sage think carefully about my earlier proposal. If Mount Myōboku does not join Akatsuki, it will no longer be under the protection of the Allied Shinobi Forces.”
The Great Toad Sage asked without hesitation, “Mount Myōboku may join Akatsuki, but I have one request. I hope Byakuya, the leader, agrees.”
“What request?” Byakuya asked curiously.
The Great Toad Sage looked into Byakuya’s eyes and said, “Byakuya, I want to know your true strength and spar with you.”
“Spar?”
Byakuya grew interested. He was also quite curious about the Great Toad Sage’s combat power, and asked, “Great Sage, do you want to spar in taijutsu, genjutsu, ninjutsu, or senjutsu?”
“Any will do,” the Great Toad Sage replied. “As long as it can prove the strength of Leader Byakuya, any method is fine. My home, Mount Myōboku, also wants to know if the Akatsuki truly has the capability to protect us…”
Before the Great Toad Sage finished speaking, Byakuya suddenly created several black rods out of thin air.
The black rods are creations of Yin-Yang Release. Their sudden appearance in Byakuya’s hands clearly demonstrated just how strong he was.
Seeing the seemingly ordinary black rods in Byakuya’s hand, the Great Toad Sage breathed a sigh of relief and said, “So that’s how it is. Since you have already mastered Yin-Yang Release, then coming to Mount Myōboku to learn senjutsu was just an excuse. Even the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha back then couldn’t create black rods. In my memory, that ability belongs to the Rinnegan and the Sage of Six Paths,” the Great Toad Sage added.
Pausing briefly, the Great Toad Sage then spoke his true thoughts: “Leader Byakuya, the Fourth Great Ninja War that broke out several years early… was that initiated by you?”
“I started the Great Ninja War?” Byakuya’s expression shifted slightly. “Great Sage, what exactly are you talking about? That war was started by Madara Uchiha, wasn’t it? What does it have to do with me?”
“The Old Toad doesn’t care who started the Great Ninja War, but I want to ask you this: What kind of ninja world do you truly want?”
Byakuya pondered for a few seconds, then said, “The major ninja villages in the ninja world have been fighting amongst themselves for too long. It’s time for them to be united. As for why they need to unite, Great Sage, you should already know, right?”
“Is the enemy of the ninja world really only Madara Uchiha and the Ten-Tails?”
Byakuya’s answer made the Great Toad Sage smile. He finally understood Byakuya’s intentions and sighed softly, saying, “It’s comforting to see you have such a vision, but the unification of the ninja world was something the Sage of Six Paths once attempted. Even he, a child of destiny, ultimately failed.”
“Do you really think your power can surpass the Sage of Six Paths?”
“How will I know if I don’t try?” Byakuya looked at the Great Toad Sage calmly and said, “Also, I don’t believe my future strength will be weaker than his. Enemies he couldn’t deal with, I will wipe out completely.”
“That’s truly a difficult challenge.”
The Great Toad Sage gave a bitter smile, then said, “However, as long as you are willing to protect the ninja world, the planet will respond to your wishes. The planet no longer wants outsiders to continue controlling this world.”
The mention of “the planet” made Byakuya frown slightly.
But he quickly realized that the “planet” the Great Toad Sage referred to must be the ninja world itself and the natural energy of the planet.
The sages of the three great holy sites rely on natural energy for longevity, and naturally, they must interact with the will of the planet.
The will of the planet naturally hates the Ten-Tails and the Ōtsutsuki clan who collect chakra from planets across the universe. So was the Great Toad Sage actually negotiating with Byakuya on behalf of the will of the planet?
If Byakuya refused the Great Toad Sage’s request now, would they immediately go to war? Just thinking about fighting the Great Toad Sage made Byakuya’s blood boil, and he was eager to try.
But in the end, he gave up this reckless idea. The God Tree itself needs thousands of years to absorb the planet’s natural energy.
To oppose such a power would be like smashing a rock with an egg. No need to stir up extra trouble.
After pondering for a moment, Byakuya said, “Great Toad Sage, rest assured, I know my limits. I also hate those outsiders telling us what to do.”
More than ten minutes later, Byakuya left the Toad Shrine holding a senjutsu talisman.
Seeing the talisman, Fukasaku and Shima were clearly stunned. They said to Byakuya, “Byakuya, did the Great Sage really give you this?”
Byakuya nodded slightly and said, “Fukasaku-sama, Shima-sama, you two should start calling me ‘Leader’ now. I’ve already convinced the Great Sage to have Mount Myōboku join the Akatsuki. This senjutsu talisman is also a gift from him.”
Fukasaku and Shima exchanged a glance but eventually accepted this reality.
The senjutsu talisman is the Great Toad Sage’s most treasured artifact. Over a thousand years ago, in an era before they were even born, the Great Toad Sage used this talisman to save the Sage of Six Paths’ younger brother.
The power of this talisman is evident.
As long as the injured person is not dead, they can be fully revived using the talisman. Such an important senjutsu talisman appearing in Byakuya’s hand can only mean two things: either the Great Toad Sage has already died by Byakuya’s hand, or Byakuya has persuaded the Great Sage.
Whether the former or the latter is true, they all must show Byakuya proper respect.
A ninja of Byakuya’s caliber already has the power to destroy Mount Myōboku. He is the most powerful ninja of this era.
Pausing, Fukasaku and Shima asked, “Since the Great Toad Sage has agreed, we will obey your orders. Leader Byakuya, how many people do you plan to send from Mount Myōboku to join the ninja alliance?”
“Respond to summoning contracts as before. Other than that, you don’t need to do anything extra.”
Byakuya did not force Fukasaku and Shima to dispatch the Toad Army, for a very simple reason: he had already gained the reward for reclaiming Mount Myōboku.
[Mount Myōboku has joined the Akatsuki. You have gained the Mount Myōboku Sage Mode (Full).]
Silently claiming the reward, Byakuya could clearly feel the natural energy around him become much clearer. He could even faintly sense the presence of the will of the planet.
It seemed his mastery of Sage Mode was not inferior even to the Great Toad Sage.
Pulling his scattered thoughts back, Byakuya, Fukasaku, and Shima headed down the mountain and found Jiraiya by the roadside, nibbling on wild fruit.
Jiraiya said he wasn’t hungry, but his body was honest, actively searching everywhere for food.
Seeing Byakuya and the two sages, Jiraiya awkwardly approached, “I’m not hungry. I was just a little thirsty earlier. By the way, Byakuya, how do the specialties of Mount Myōboku taste? Are they especially delicious?”
“I didn’t eat those bugs…” Byakuya shook his head. “I have other things to do.”
“What things?” Jiraiya looked puzzled. “Could it be the Great Toad Sage called you? That makes sense, you are the leader of the ninja alliance. The Great Toad Sage would definitely want to see you.”
“You really are, Jiraiya. You guessed it.”
Byakuya gave a thumbs-up and then said loudly, “Since that’s the case, I won’t keep it from you. I just convinced the Great Sage to join the Akatsuki. Now Mount Myōboku is under my command, and the ninja alliance has gained additional combat strength.”
“Ah?” Jiraiya involuntarily said, stunned.
