Chapter 106

He found it rather amusing in his heart,

and even felt a secret thrill.

When he had seen this scene, the shock in his heart was even greater than theirs!!

"Do you two think I have any reason to lie to you?"

"When I taught this kid the senjutsu of Ryūchi Cave, I thought he would need at least several months to get started…"

"It would take at least three years before he could cultivate the senjutsu of Ryūchi Cave to the Great Completion stage."

"But I never expected that the moment he heard my explanation, he completed the cultivation of Ryūchi Cave's senjutsu… and the level he reached even surpassed my own."

【Jiraiya: I never thought the lofty sages of the three great holy lands would one day show such an expression… especially the Great Toad Sage. From the moment I met him until now, I have never known him to have such a face.】

【Orochimaru: The sages of the three great holy lands are not true gods either. They have simply lived long enough, and their strength is greater than ours. Once they encounter an existence beyond their comprehension, they are no better off than us…】

【Tsunade: Sigh… sometimes I even doubt whether I'm really my grandfather's biological granddaughter. Why don't I have even one-tenth of his talent? Otherwise the Senju clan wouldn't have declined under my watch, and Nawaki wouldn't have…】

【Orochimaru: Tsunade, stop deceiving yourself. Although some of the problems you mentioned do have your own reasons, why did the Senju clan decline? You should go ask our teacher, the Third Hokage, my lord…】

【Hiruzen Sarutobi: Orochimaru!! Don't judge me with your already twisted and fallen thoughts. You are already a rogue ninja of Konoha. The affairs of Konoha do not need you meddling in them!!】

【Shimura Danzo: Monkey… I told you long ago, you would definitely regret this.】

"Heh… I'll give Hashirama Senju some face today."

"I won't make a move against you here in Shikkotsu Forest…"

Slowly retracting his snake tail,

the White Snake Sage's body sat back down.

"If Hashirama Senju weren't here…"

"Do you think you could still return to Ryūchi Cave safe and sound today?"

The Great Toad Sage likewise retracted the serious expression he had just worn,

and changed back to his previous half-asleep look.

Seeing that the two of them were not preparing to fight here,

the Slug Sage breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

If the Great Toad Sage and the White Snake Sage were to fight here,

his Shikkotsu Forest would likely be unable to be preserved.

The strength of the two sages was no less than his own,

and he did not have the ability to stop two people from fighting fiercely at the same time.

However,

Hashirama Senju summoning the sages of the two great holy lands at the same time

still exceeded the Slug Sage's expectations.

This meant that the relationship between the two great holy lands and Hashirama Senju was even closer,

and these two old friends of his might have even reached some kind of agreement with Hashirama Senju.

Otherwise, they could not have been summoned here through this summoning beast contract!!!

Thinking of this,

the Slug Sage took another deep look at Hashirama Senju.

"Gamatō… White Snake… it's truly been a long time."

"It's been far too many years since we last met…"

The Slug Sage swayed the antennae on his forehead,

and said with a smile to the other two.

Hearing him say this,

a trace of complicated expression also appeared on the faces of both the Great Toad Sage and the White Snake Sage.

"Yes… I also didn't expect that the three of us would still have the chance to sit together like this."

The White Snake Sage lowered his eyes,

and said in a low tone.

"…Perhaps it is fate that has brought us together again."

"Who can truly explain all of this wonder?"

A trace of nostalgia also appeared in the Great Toad Sage's cloudy eyes.

All three sages felt an extremely strange sensation in their hearts.

Several hundred years ago, they had thought they would never meet each other again,

nor would they sit together and talk like this again.

Yet this incarnation of Asura's reincarnation

had actually brought the three of them together once more.

"Three sages… rest assured."

"This certainly will not be the first time you sit here like this, nor will it be the last."

"The situation of the three great holy lands each operating on their own may soon be coming to an end."

"In the future to come, you and I will all be comrades fighting side by side."

【Jiraiya: …I originally thought that summoning the sages of the two great holy lands as summoning beasts was already shocking enough for the First Hokage, my lord… it seems the Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest will also become his summoning beast in the future.】

【Tobirama Senju: …The three great holy lands — gaining the aid of just one of these forces is already enough to become the hegemon of the ninja world. To gain the common aid of all three, I don't think there is anything that can stop another Big Brother's footsteps.】

【Hashirama Senju: Too terrifying… each of the three great sages is an existence more fearsome than the Nine-Tails, and senjutsu is far more troublesome than chakra. Yet the other me can actually suppress all three sages at the same time.】

【Madara Uchiha: I truly want to see what the other Hashirama's Sharingan actually looks like. If I could have a battle with him, I would die without regret.】

【Kakashi Hatake: Could it be that the Will of Fire we inherited is wrong? Is there a problem with the path this world has taken?】

【Nara Shikaku: Hmm… although the First Hokage-my lord put an end to the chaotic era and ended the Warring States period, after his death, war broke out again, and it was even more severe than before… this alone reveals a few problems.】

【Gaara: If the First Hokage hadn't given the One-Tailed Shukaku to the Sand Village, how would I have become a jinchuriki?? How would I have become a monster despised by everyone?? It's all his fault!!】

……

Jiraiya stared at the three great sages on the screen,

and a strange feeling stirred in his heart.

The relationship between the three great sages was just like the relationship between the Legendary Sannin.

He and Orochimaru symbolized the Great Toad Sage and the White Snake Sage, who were hostile toward each other,

while Tsunade represented the neutral Slug Sage!!

But what gave Jiraiya the biggest headache was still this live-stream comparison system,

its appearance shattered everything Jiraiya knew,

and it threw every single one of his plans into complete disarray!!!

He now seriously questioned whether his own decisions had been right or wrong,

did the Child of Prophecy spoken of by the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku truly exist?

Had all his efforts over so many years been for nothing?!!

And what Jiraiya feared most was the resurrection of his own disciple, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze,

he knew of the conflict between Minato Namikaze and Hiruzen Sarutobi,

one was the teacher he regarded as a father,

and the other was the disciple he regarded as a son,

caught between the two, Jiraiya had no idea what to do.

"Sigh… this really is a headache."

"I told the old man long ago about the problems that exist in Konoha."

"He still chose to follow Danzo's advice and stubbornly insist on his own way…"

"Otherwise things wouldn't have developed to where they are today."

Jiraiya rubbed his aching brow.

Rather than saying it was a problem with Konoha,

it was more accurate to say it was a problem with his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, himself.

At the same time, a trace of longing and a trace of envy stirred within him.

If only he possessed the power of Hashirama Senju shown on the black screen,

could he have changed everything?!