Chapter 290: The Child of Prophecy

After the temporary meeting ended, Minato Namikaze gave a few simple instructions before departing for the Fire Daimyō's residence.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Ren remained behind to discuss with Shikaku Nara  how to handle the remaining issues regarding Root's secret bases.

By the time their discussion was nearly finished, the heads of the other shinobi clans had already left.

However, three people still remained.

Tsunade glared angrily at Uchiha Ren.

Jiraiya stood beside her with an awkward smile.

And Orochimaru watched quietly with a blank expression.

It was clear that the three of them were waiting for Ren.

Seeing this, Ren turned to Shikaku.

"Clan Head Nara, go ahead and lead the team to the Root bases. You can speak with Yakushi Nono or Fugaku Uchiha —either of them can make decisions."

Shikaku naturally understood the situation and nodded.

"Understood. Then I'll take my leave."

With that, he used the Body Flicker Technique (Shunshin no Jutsu) and vanished, leaving the space to Ren and the others.

Ren glanced at Orochimaru before turning to Tsunade and Jiraiya.

"So, what else do you need?"

Orochimaru was clearly an ally, and given his personality, he wouldn't stay behind unless something important was involved.

Otherwise, he would already be back in his laboratory.

So Ren intended to deal with Tsunade and Jiraiya first before speaking with Orochimaru in detail.

Jiraiya's smile faded slightly.

He glanced at Tsunade first. Seeing that she had no intention of speaking first, he turned back to Ren.

"Clan Head Uchiha, I do have something to ask you."

"But this isn't exactly the best place to talk."

"How about we find a tavern and discuss it over a drink?"

Compared to Tsunade and Orochimaru, Jiraiya was the most down-to-earth of the Legendary Sannin, and also the most socially adept.

He didn't particularly enjoy stiff conversations like this.

Ren didn't mind.

Instead, he looked toward Orochimaru with a questioning glance.

Orochimaru smiled faintly and shrugged.

"I'm not in a hurry. It's a good opportunity to take a short break."

"Then," Ren said, "Lord Jiraiya, please lead the way."

Seeing that Ren had not refused, Jiraiya burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Follow me then. I know a tavern with excellent snacks to go with sake."

Under Jiraiya's lead, the four of them arrived at a small tavern on the edge of Konohagakure.

The tavern was modest—three stories tall.

The first floor was a small hall of roughly thirty square meters with a dozen tables.

The second floor contained several private rooms.

The third floor served as the owner's residence.

Jiraiya was clearly a regular there and led them directly to a private room on the second floor.

Perhaps because it was already late—or perhaps because the shockwaves from the day's events had not yet settled—the tavern had no other customers.

Their arrival caused little commotion.

Once the owner served their drinks and dishes and left the room, Jiraiya poured sake for everyone.

"This tavern belongs to the widow of one of my former subordinates," he explained.

"It may be small, but the food here is just as good as the big places on the commercial street."

"Go ahead and try it."

Tsunade tilted her head back and drained her cup of sake in one gulp.

Then she snatched the bottle from Jiraiya's hand.

"Hmph. Are you sure it's the food you like here… and not the pretty owner?"

In this world—originally derived from a fictional universe—even ordinary civilians tended to be fairly attractive unless the author deliberately made them otherwise.

Especially the women.

The tavern owner was around thirty years old—at the peak of her beauty. Combined with her status as a widow, she possessed a certain mature charm.

Given Jiraiya's well-known habits, Tsunade's suspicion wasn't unreasonable.

"Slander! That's slander!" Jiraiya clutched his chest dramatically.

"Sachi's kid is almost graduating from the Ninja Academy. How could I possibly have that kind of thought about her?!"

"What kind of thought are you talking about?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes.

"If you were serious about her, I'd respect you more."

"But your habit of enjoying the benefits without taking responsibility—that's the worst kind of behavior."

In most matters Jiraiya was admirable.

But when it came to women… his reputation was far from spotless.

At this stage in his life he was nowhere near as mature as he would later appear in canon.

He truly was someone who wandered through countless romantic encounters without ever settling down.

No wonder Tsunade had never been interested in him when they were younger.

Jiraiya chuckled awkwardly.

Tsunade had hit the mark exactly.

Marrying the tavern owner had never crossed his mind.

But the idea of a little mutual "practice of skills" had certainly crossed his mind before.

Still, he mainly visited the tavern to help support the widow and her child by bringing them business.

Seeing that Tsunade seemed ready to continue the argument, Jiraiya quickly turned toward Ren to change the subject.

"Clan Head Uchiha, the main reason I invited you tonight is that I have a question for you."

Ren's eyes flickered slightly.

"'Advice' might be too strong a word," he replied calmly. "But if you have doubts, feel free to ask."

"As long as it's something I can answer, I won't avoid it."

After all, Jiraiya was Minato's teacher. If possible, Ren preferred not to sour their relationship and put Minato in a difficult position.

Jiraiya seemed satisfied with Ren's straightforward attitude.

At least Ren wasn't trying to evade him with empty formalities.

After thinking briefly, Jiraiya spoke directly.

"Clan Head Uchiha… I want to know something simple."

"The relationship between you and Minato—is it more complicated than it appears?"

Earlier that day, after confirming with Tsunade that Orochimaru had deliberately stalled him, Jiraiya had already concluded that Uchiha Ren must have been involved—at least indirectly—in Danzō's coup attempt.

Later, when Jiraiya approached Minato and suggested using the authority of the Fourth Hokage to thoroughly investigate the matter…

Minato had awkwardly declined.

From Minato's hesitant attitude, Jiraiya realized something shocking.

His beloved disciple might not be as simple as he had always believed.

For Jiraiya, that discovery felt like the sky collapsing.

In his heart, Minato had always been a pure, flawless disciple.

He was even a possible candidate for the Child of Prophecy foretold by the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku.

But now Jiraiya suspected that beneath that pure image… there might be something darker.

After careful thought, Jiraiya concluded that Minato himself wasn't inherently corrupt.

Rather, he had simply been influenced by someone close to him.

And the person Minato was protecting—Uchiha Ren—naturally became the prime suspect.

That was why Jiraiya had developed some hostility toward him.

Since it was difficult to press Minato directly, Jiraiya decided to question Ren instead.

Ren thought for a moment before smiling slightly.

"You're correct, Lord Jiraiya."

"My relationship with Minato is indeed not as distant as it appears."

"To put it simply… we're like kindred spirits."

"You could even say we're brothers—even if we don't share the same parents."

"In fact, if my Uchiha identity didn't make it politically unsuitable for me to become Hokage right now…"

"Minato would actually be more supportive of me becoming Hokage than himself."

Given how events were unfolding, the relationship between Ren and Minato would likely become public at tomorrow's Jōnin Council meeting anyway.

There was little point hiding it.

Jiraiya and Tsunade both inhaled sharply.

Only Orochimaru remained unfazed.

They had suspected the two might be close—but not this close.

Especially Jiraiya.

He knew how important the Hokage position was to Minato.

If Minato was willing to yield that position willingly, then Ren's ability and influence must be extraordinary.

Jiraiya asked seriously,

"Then what exactly do you mean by 'kindred spirits'?"

Ren's lips curled into a faint smile.

"We intend to bring great change to this world."

"Either we will lead it toward peace…"

"Or we will lead it toward destruction."

Jiraiya froze.

The words were eerily similar to the prophecy spoken by the Great Toad Sage.

Could Uchiha Ren be the Child of Prophecy?

No… that didn't match.

The prophecy described a blue-eyed boy.

Ren was already an adult—and his eyes were black… or red when his Sharingan awakened.

Minato had blue eyes, but he was already grown and even about to become a father.

After a flurry of thoughts, Jiraiya took a deep breath to calm himself.

"You know about the prophecy given to me by the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku?"

"Did Minato tell you?"

Ren nodded—then shook his head.

"I do know the prophecy that old toad told you."

"But I didn't hear it from Minato."

"In fact… I know more than Minato, more than you, and even more than that toad itself."

Jiraiya frowned.

He ignored Ren's claim of superior knowledge and instead focused on Ren's tone.

"Clan Head Uchiha, that is the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku—a being who has lived since the era of the Sage of Six Paths."

"You should show some respect."

Ren calmly shook his head.

"That toad may be a revered figure in your eyes."

"But in mine… it's just a toad that destroyed a family."

"I repeat—its origins, actions, and history…"

"I understand them far better than you do."

Jiraiya's frown deepened.

He was about to respond when Tsunade suddenly pressed his shoulder to stop him.

Then she looked curiously at Ren.

"Alright then. Tell us."

"What exactly did the Great Toad Sage do that counts as destroying someone's family?"

Ren chuckled.

"You don't need to use tricks to draw information from me."

"If something can be said, I'll say it."

"As for that toad…"

"It's not particularly important. But if you want to know, I can tell you."

"That toad's real name is Gamamaru."

"And yes—it truly has lived since the era of the Sage of Six Paths."

"No—more precisely, since the era of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya."

"It was the one who taught the Sage of Six Paths Senjutsu."

"And it was also the one who guided the Sage to turn against his own mother, bringing an end to Kaguya's era."

"If that doesn't count as destroying a family… what does?"

Jiraiya and Tsunade both frowned deeply.

What Ren was saying sounded utterly unbelievable.

After all, even the Sage of Six Paths was little more than a myth to them—let alone stories involving his mother.

Orochimaru, however, showed clear interest.

Although he didn't know where Ren had obtained this information, Orochimaru already believed about ninety percent of it.

The remaining ten percent was merely allowance for possible errors.

His mind was already considering how to obtain more information.

Ren continued,

"The full story would take three days and three nights to explain."

"So let's talk about the key issue instead."

"The prophecy Gamamaru gave you."

Jiraiya frowned slightly.

"Are you saying the Great Toad Sage's prophecy is false?"

Ren shook his head.

"No."

"Gamamaru's prophecies are generally reliable."

"But the prophecy you received is simply incomplete."

"It's not wrong—just unfinished."

Jiraiya accepted this explanation fairly easily.

After all, the Great Toad Sage's prophecies came from dreams.

The toads of Mount Myōboku rarely dreamed—but when they did, the dreams often foretold the future.

Dreams were vague by nature.

And considering the Great Toad Sage's extreme age—and occasional senility—it wasn't surprising that his prophecies were fragmented.

Ren continued calmly.

"I can confirm one thing."

"The Child of Prophecy does exist."

"And that person indeed has the power to either bring peace to the shinobi world…"

"Or destroy it entirely."

"But if you ask whether that child has actually brought any real change to the world…"

Ren chuckled softly.

"That's something that never truly happened."

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