Chapter 80: The Child of Calamity (Patreon)

Kumogakure and Konoha were at war.

This day arrived earlier than anyone had anticipated. Faced with Konoha's active declaration of war, the Fourth Raikage was furious, having been scolded by the Daimyō of the Land of Lightning. But at least, this was exactly what he wanted.

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi had said in the declaration of war: "You want war? Then war you shall have."

Including the Raikage, everyone was momentarily stunned when they hear these words. They hadn't expected such a statement to come from Hiruzen Sarutobi. Was this still the weak, easily bullied, indecisive Third Hokage? Had the old man suddenly grown a spine and turned tough in his twilight years?

Because of this single short sentence, even the ever-eager, war-thirsty Fourth Raikage felt a twinge of apprehension, let alone the other Kumogakure ninja. However, although Kumogakure's morale was somewhat shaken, the hatred left over from the Third Great Ninja War remained. Both sides' desire to kill each other was equally potent.

And the one commanding Konoha's side was none other than one of the Legendary Sannin: Jiraiya.

Currently, within Konoha's camp at the southern border of the Land of the Frost, Jiraiya looked at the shocking casualty report inside his tent, his brows knitted almost into a single line. And this was only from the initial probing attacks from both sides. If things escalated, this number could easily double.

"War... This is war. Unending war," he murmured.

In war, the extinguishing of any life was merely a speck of dust being crushed. He had originally been traveling the world, searching for the "Child of Prophecy" as foretold by the Great Toad Sage. But midway, he suddenly received a recall from the old man, saying Konoha was preparing for a large-scale military operation against Kumogakure.

Jiraiya hadn't really wanted to return. Having experienced endless battles and witnessed countless deaths in the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars, Jiraiya had come to understand his own weakness and powerlessness all too well. In his view, the wars between the Great Nations were utterly meaningless, yet they always repeated the same mistakes.

Jiraiya knew he couldn't stop the old man, nor could he halt the ongoing or inevitable future wars. If possible, Jiraiya truly wished he hadn't come back. He would have preferred to continue searching for the "Child of Prophecy." In his eyes, that was the only hope for truly changing the shinobi world.

But he couldn't. Because he had received a third prophecy from the Great Toad Sage.

The Great Toad Sage, the founder of Mount Myōboku, was a "sage" who had lived for at least a thousand years, his power immeasurable. He possessed terrifyingly vast chakra and an extremely accurate prophetic ability.

The Great Toad Sage's first prophecy for him was that he would become an outstanding ninja and, after becoming capable on his own, would begin taking disciples.

The second prophecy was that his future disciple would become the one to instigate a great upheaval in the shinobi world. It could lead to peace or destruction, and he would need to guide and make choices.

Thus, Jiraiya had been tirelessly searching for the "Child of Prophecy," trying to find and guide them toward good to bring stability to the shinobi world, while also traveling the world and writing books as the prophecy suggested.

But the third prophecy was different. This time, the prophecy involved not only the so-called Child of Prophecy but also...

"The Child of Calamity."

"Wherever he goes, calamity and destruction follow like a shadow. Peace and order are overturned. The boundaries between life and death become blurred. In the end, the world is left with only hollow echoes."

Thinking about the contents of that prophecy, the unmasked ominousness and malice, Jiraiya's gaze darkened. Fear and gravity pressed down on his heart once more. If the Child of Prophecy represented "hope" or "upheaval," then the Child of Calamity represented only "calamity" and "destruction."

Unfortunately, the Great Toad Sage hadn't described the features of the Child of Calamity. Fortunately, he had dreamed of the features of the Child of Prophecy.

"Eyes brilliant as the starry sky... and wearing a Konoha forehead protector?"

Jiraiya stroked his chin, lost in thought. "According to the Great Toad Sage, he saw the Child of Prophecy standing before everyone, facing the Child of Calamity alone."

Sounds like the savior from novels and stories.

The scope was already narrowed down to Konoha. With such distinctive eyes, it should be easy to find him, right?

"Ahhh, I really want to go back and search right now!"

Jiraiya frantically scratched his messy hair but soon let out a sigh, suppressing his impatience. The Child of Prophecy likely hadn't fully grown yet. Only by quickly ending this meaningless war could the Child of Prophecy have time to continue growing.

Whoosh.

At that moment, the tent flap was pulled aside. Jiraiya instinctively looked up and saw two figures entering.

"Kakashi?"

Recognizing one of the familiar faces, Jiraiya's expression showed surprise.

"Lord Jiraiya, forgive the intrusion," Hatake Kakashi's tone and attitude remained respectful, but his dead-fish eyes seemed even more sunken.

"Don't blame yourself too much," Jiraiya said, clearly aware of some of the reasons. "No one expected someone to suddenly appear and block our alliance with Hanzō."

Undoubtedly, the death of all the ninja he had brought was a heavy blow to Hatake Kakashi.

"Thank you. However, there's another matter requiring your assistance."

Hatake Kakashi took a deep breath, forcibly pushing down the bitterness in his heart. His expression turned serious. "The Third Hokage hopes you can allocate some personnel to accompany me to the Land of Hot Water."

As the two spoke, Hyūga Kumokawa, who had remained silently behind Kakashi, looked up. A glint flashed in his eyes as he observed Jiraiya.

He was now certain that the sudden influx of 8,000 points earlier was because that old toad, Fukasaku, had set its sights on him. It must have used its prophetic ability on him and informed Jiraiya of the results.

Because the moment he saw Jiraiya, a prompt sounded in Hyūga Kumokawa's mind.

[Ding. Your lie has been judged as [Deceiving Heaven and Crossing the Sea]. Jiraiya experiences intense emotional fluctuations, reaching the level of [Utter Conviction]. Gained 2000 Realization Points.] [Remaining Realization Points: 19,754]

Watching Jiraiya, who was still discussing with Kakashi, the corner of Hyūga Kumokawa's eye twitched uncontrollably.

'So many points... The more bizarre the lie, the more points it yields.

What exactly did that old toad prophesy? If the prophecy were accurate, I shouldn't have received points. Just what image of my future self did that old toad and Jiraiya see?'

While Hyūga Kumokawa's mind was filled with question marks, Jiraiya suddenly turned his gaze toward him.

"So, you're that Hyūga Kumokawa?" he asked with some curiosity.

"Yes, Senior Jiraiya," Hyūga Kumokawa replied with a gentle, humble smile. "I am Hyūga Kumokawa. I look forward to your guidance."

Jiraiya's gaze swept over his face, and his first impression of the young man's appearance and temperament was quite good. However, he didn't say anything more. After all, he knew the old man's line, "You want war? Then war you shall have," had actually come from this very youth. He wasn't particularly fond of that statement.

Meanwhile, behind Konoha's camp in the Land of the Frost, within the borders of the Land of Hot Water.

Several figures flitted through the forest under the cover of night. If Jiraiya were here and saw the leader's face, his expression would surely change drastically.

Straight, light brown hair, a long braid reaching her waist, and a Kumogakure forehead protector. The female ninja appearing silently behind the camp was none other than Kumogakure's current Two-Tails Jinchūriki.

Yugito Nii.