"Jiraiya, what the hell is wrong with you?!"
Fukasaku's voice thundered with disbelief.
Tears streamed down Jiraiya's face as he muttered apologies over and over.
Fukasaku could see it clearly now—Jiraiya wasn't under any genjutsu. No one was controlling him. He was doing this of his own will.
Naruto's Kotoamatsukami didn't forcibly control Jiraiya. Instead, it reached into the depths of his subconscious, planting an unshakable belief in the vision shown to him.
What Jiraiya saw within the Tsukuyomi world—the prophecy, the destruction—it all felt real. Too real.
"Fukasaku-sama… Shima-sama… I… I can't stop this," Jiraiya sobbed, raising his hands slowly. "It's all for the future of the Shinobi world… so that the world won't collapse."
"I'm sorry."
Snap—
Another crack of the whip echoed. Shima was struck again and thrown aside.
The ground trembled.
Thick wooden walls rose as trees transformed into a sprawling, living compound—an enormous containment farm. Every toad from Mount Myoboku was trapped within.
Only a small area remained open, left intentionally so that some could watch Jiraiya.
To see whether he would still cling to the Great Toad Sage's prophecy.
Fukasaku and Shima were among those left outside.
Elsewhere, Black Zetsu spoke to Kaguya, suggesting she move the Chibaku Tensei imprisoning the Great Toad Sage closer, so the ancient seer could observe the fall of Myoboku firsthand.
After finishing her adjustments, Kaguya glanced toward the distant Naruto.
Then she turned away. The scent from Konoha was already drawing her back.
Before leaving, Black Zetsu had another idea.
Kaguya opened a new portal—an opening at the bottom of the containment sphere for the toads. (There had been no previous exit—think of it like a spinning hamster ball.)
"Mother, I'm going to open a shop here one day… Call it Minghui Charcoal-Grilled Myoboku Frog," Black Zetsu grinned.
"Make it smell delicious every single day!"
Kaguya nodded, opened a new rift, and returned to find the girls still feasting.
Black Zetsu left to join White Zetsu and carry out his plans. With a shop nearby, he could monitor both the toads and their new environment.
Back in the pen, Naruto's hand never stopped. His face was streaked with tears, but he kept driving the toads into the wooden enclosure with the whip.
Finally, he sealed the entrance shut with his own hands.
"You've sealed away the Great Toad Sage… I can't do this anymore, Master Fukasaku. Because of the prophecy... I had no choice."
Pfft—
Fukasaku coughed up blood and collapsed.
Shima too spat blood and fell unconscious.
Even so, Jiraiya gritted his teeth and dragged their bodies into a reinforced cage.
"I'll make sure you never go hungry or thirsty," he whispered. "It's the only way to preserve Myoboku Mountain."
He looked toward Gamabunta, whose massive arm was torn and bloodied. His face softened with sorrow.
"A prophecy... it can't be wrong."
"Bunta… I'm sorry. This time, I have to offer you as a sacrifice to Heaven."
Gamabunta's face twisted with rage. "Sacrifice? Have you lost your mind, Jiraiya?!"
"This is the Great Toad Sage's prophecy!"
Those words froze every toad in place.
Then Jiraiya began to explain. He recited the prophecy in full, his voice hoarse and shaking.
Pfft—
Fukasaku and Shima, who had briefly regained consciousness, fainted again.
But amid the silence, Gamaken and the others looked to Gamabunta.
The elder toad lowered his head.
He gave a bitter smile.
"There's no choice, is there? If it's the Great Toad Sage's prophecy… then do it, Jiraiya. I know you don't want to. But we've always followed the prophecy."
Pfft—
Jiraiya struck down his old comrade with his own hand.
He personally carried Gamabunta's body to Konoha's gates.
Gatekeepers Izumo and Kotetsu stood frozen, stunned.
"The sacrifice must be performed in Konoha," Jiraiya murmured. "As long as the body is placed here, the ritual will be complete within hours."
Naruto said nothing.
There was still one more task.
He summoned Kurama.
When the Nine-Tails appeared, she was grinning.
"Finally! Hehehe… This is it!"
"What do you want now? Let me tell you, if this is about—"
Before she could finish, Naruto summoned Sasuke and Boruto.
Their second meeting.
Boruto narrowed his eyes. "Handsome… Grandpa Minato was handsome too. I want long hair like that. Only idiots cut it short like—uh, no offense, Dad! I meant the version of you from my world!"
When he mentioned the alternate world and his own father, Boruto's voice was laced with scorn.
Naruto chuckled and shook his head.
Then he began to speak.
"Boruto, don't resist later."
Boruto didn't know what Naruto was planning, but he trusted this version of his father completely.
He nodded earnestly, then hesitated for a second before asking,
"Dad… will we make it to the frog feast afterward?"
"My mom and Grandma Kushina went to Ichiraku Ramen. I wanna go too."
Sasuke sighed and rubbed his temple. "Seriously?"
Still, the food in this timeline had left an impression on him.
"Nine Lamas."
Kurama grunted, "Huh?"
She walked over, narrowing her eyes at Naruto. "What now?"
"I want to use Clan Insight with Boruto—see what kind of darkness he's carrying."
Naruto's gaze softened.
"I'm still his father. Even if he doesn't want me to know, I should be the one to bear that burden."
Boruto's pupils constricted.
His eyes flashed red for a moment.
This version of his father…
A strange warmth filled his chest.
He suddenly didn't want to leave.
Sasuke stared, momentarily frozen. He thought of Sarada.
Taking a deep breath, he clenched his fist.
No more mistakes, Peanut. This time, Daddy won't mess up.
[Flashback Note: In Boruto's future timeline...]
Kakashi once told Sasuke, "If you want to improve your relationship with your daughter, you need a good nickname. It shows closeness."
So Sasuke stared at Sarada for an awkwardly long moment…
"...My cute little peanut~"
Sarada blinked. "I'm not a bean, Dad."
Undeterred, Sasuke put his cloak around her shoulders like a dorky dad.
That day, Konoha gained another Uchiha who resented Kakashi-sensei.
Kurama's eyes flicked between Naruto and Boruto. A mischievous glint lit up in her gaze.
A mental lightbulb popped up.
If I can't mess with the old fox, I'll mess with the cub!
Without a word, she approached Boruto and held out her fist.
"Fist bump. Let's go!"
Boruto flinched at her sharp-toothed grin, but with his father watching, he forced himself to reach out.
Their fists touched.
No one noticed the faint curl of Naruto's finger.
Buzz——
In Boruto's spiritual world, Kurama was already laughing wickedly.
Just imagining it—Naruto's son, full of secrets, trying to keep a brave face... Oh, she lived for this.
She could already see the terrified look on his face as she spilled all his embarrassing memories.
Kurama licked her lips.
"Boruto..."
But before she could finish—
A chilling roar shattered the space around her.
"Get lost!"
BOOM—!
A massive surge of power erupted.
An unmistakable Otsutsuki presence surged from Boruto's core.
Kurama's eyes widened—just before she was violently blasted out of the spiritual realm.
Thrown out like a ragdoll.
She hit the ground, fur bristling.
"...What the hell was that?!"
At the same time—
A searing heat pulsed from Boruto's palm.
In an instant, the Kāma mark flared to life, its intricate black pattern rapidly spreading across his entire body like wildfire.
Whoosh—
Boruto's eyes grew hazy, his mind slipping into confusion. His body swayed slightly.
The mark crept up to his face, flowing through his right eye.
In that moment, his deep blue iris shifted—becoming a pale, almost glowing blue.
The sclera darkened, turning pitch black.
This wasn't the Byakugan.
This was a mutation—the Jōgan, the Pure Eye.
But Kurama didn't care about any of that.
Her crimson eyes locked onto Naruto with an icy glare.
She didn't scold him, didn't roar.
She just snorted, flicked her massive tail in frustration, and turned her back.
Her voice was low and cold as she left:
"Just wait, Naruto."
...
TN:
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