Chapter 719: The Magic of the Great Toad Immortal

Land of Lightning, western port town.

A seemingly ordinary office building.

If someone were to enter the conference room on the top floor, they would likely show an extremely shocked expression.

There were actually three “Kage” standing at the pinnacle of the Ninja World in this single conference room.

In the spacious conference room, three people were seated: the Third Raikage, the Third Tsuchikage, and the Fourth Kazekage.

Behind each of the three Kage stood a guard.

“Gentlemen, tell me your thoughts. After all, the Shinobi Sect’s new actions this time probably won’t affect Kumogakure here,” the Third Raikage said directly in his rough voice.

Currently, only two forces warranted a joint meeting of the three Ninja Villages: one was Konoha, and the other was the Shinobi Sect. And this time, what brought the three Kage together was the Shinobi Sect’s movements in the Land of Rivers.

“Raikage, what you’re saying isn’t quite appropriate. Regardless of which side among us suffers a loss, it’s a loss for the alliance. We should find a way to stop them,” Ōnoki said in a deep voice.

After a series of overt and covert collaborations, the three-village alliance had established a certain level of trust. Otherwise, Ōnoki and Rasa would not have personally come to the Land of Lightning for a meeting.

This was their first three-Kage meeting since they allied.

Previously, they had always sent trusted subordinates or high-ranking Ninja Village officials to attend meetings.

“That’s right. If we let the Shinobi Sect continue to grow, it will affect far more than just the surrounding countries,” Rasa quickly added.

If the Land of Rivers were truly taken by the Shinobi Sect, Hidden Sand Village would undoubtedly suffer the greatest loss.

Hidden Sand Village had considerable interests in the Land of Rivers.

“Of course, I understand that. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come to this meeting. My point is that you two are closer and understand the situation in the Land of Rivers better,” the Third Raikage explained.

If possible, he certainly didn’t want the Shinobi Sect to grow. In the long run, it would be detrimental to Kumogakure.

“We should spread negative propaganda about the Shinobi Sect in the Land of Rivers, and also dispatch elite Ninja to disrupt their actions there,” Rasa said after some thought.

Rasa didn’t have the guts to invade the Land of Rain and attack the Shinobi Sect’s homeland, but he felt he could try to sever the Shinobi Sect’s tentacles.

He couldn’t just stand by and do nothing; otherwise, Sunagakure would ultimately not have a good outcome.

If Sōsuke truly came to attack Hidden Sand Village because of this, then everyone would be doomed and it would all be over.

Hidden Sand Village couldn’t kill the God of Shinobi, but could it really not handle a Ninja force like the Shinobi Sect?

As long as Sōsuke cared about the Shinobi Sect, Sunagakure could mutually deter the Shinobi Sect.

Of course, mutual destruction with the Shinobi Sect was a last resort, the worst of all options. Rasa’s ideal solution should be for the three great Ninja Villages to act together to curb the Shinobi Sect’s development.

At that time, the Shinobi Sect would have to expend considerable effort just to investigate, and even if they learned the truth, they would most likely not dare to directly attack.

After all, these were three great Ninja Villages, equivalent to half of the Ninja World’s Ninja power.

“Unacceptable. This would quickly bring our conflict with the Shinobi Sect into the open,” Ōnoki shook his head, deeming Rasa’s idea too radical.

“Once the conflict fully escalates, Sōsuke’s personal strength will be an unmanageable problem.”

To solve the Shinobi Sect problem, the three great Ninja Villages had dispatched their respective elites to form a specialized assassination squad, solely to assassinate Sōsuke.

The three great Ninja Villages had expended considerable manpower and resources for this, but no matter how they simulated it, the success rate of the assassination was extremely low.

If not for the gains the three great Ninja Villages had made in other areas through their alliance, coupled with the changing situation in the Ninja World, this alliance would have long since dissolved.

“Then are we just going to watch the Shinobi Sect continue its rapid development? Right now, we can still use our influence to deter the Shinobi Sect, but if the Shinobi Sect develops for another eight or ten years, that might not be the case.

At that time, the Shinobi Sect might no longer be establishing branches in small countries like the Land of Rivers, but in large countries like the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Lightning,” Rasa emphasized the seriousness of the issue.

The Shinobi Sect’s development model was also one of the important reasons for Rasa and the others’ apprehension.

This was a model different from Ninja Villages, and it was extremely aggressive.

The conference room became very quiet for a moment, and Ōnoki and the Third Raikage were both deep in thought.

How could they not understand what Rasa was saying? But this was indeed a major matter that could not be easily decided.

“Perhaps we should try to contact Konoha,” Ōnoki suddenly said.

“Konoha?”

Rasa and the Third Raikage looked at Ōnoki with some confusion.

“Konoha also borders the Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers, and Konoha has also had conflicts with the Shinobi Sect in the past, so they definitely don’t want to see the Shinobi Sect grow stronger,” Ōnoki explained.

Although Konoha later engaged in some minor collaborations with the Shinobi Sect, this was clearly driven by self-interest.

From a geopolitical perspective, the threat the Shinobi Sect posed to Konoha was similar to that it posed to Sunagakure.

“Konoha is probably the least afraid of the Shinobi Sect. If Hayate Mugetsu continues to grow, he might not be inferior to Sōsuke in the future,” the Third Raikage was not optimistic about this.

Konoha, holding the initiative, could completely sit back and watch the tigers fight, letting the Shinobi Sect contend with other great Ninja Villages while quietly developing itself. In terms of potential, Konoha was no worse than the Shinobi Sect.

“But if the Shinobi Sect can be stifled in advance, there won’t be another Ninja force of Konoha’s caliber for decades, which would be very attractive to Konoha,” Ōnoki said.

He believed that Konoha’s high-ranking officials would very likely not miss this opportunity to become the strongest.

If the Shinobi Sect were allowed to develop, then Konoha and the Shinobi Sect might become the two poles of the Ninja World in the future.

If the Shinobi Sect was suppressed in advance, then Konoha would be the strongest for at least several decades.

If the Land of Rain didn’t border the Land of Earth, Ōnoki might be willing to see the Shinobi Sect become another pole to contend with Konoha.

But being too close wasn’t fun. The Land of Fire itself wasn’t very far from the Land of Earth, and with another Land of Rain, how would Iwagakure develop?

The alliance was merely a temporary measure. Ōnoki had not given up on Iwagakure’s ambition to dominate.

“Whatever we do, we must act!” Rasa said.

Whether it was allying with Konoha or whatever, Rasa just hoped they would act quickly. If the Shinobi Sect continued to expand, the Land of Wind would be surrounded by the Shinobi Sect.

Ultimately, Ōnoki persuaded Rasa and the Third Raikage to first try communicating with Konoha.

…

After Muzuki waited for a while.

One afternoon, Fukasaku came to Muzuki and excitedly said:

“Little Muzuki, do you have time now? The Great Toad Sage is willing to teach you Sage Art. If you have time, let’s go to Mount Myōboku with me now.”

Muzuki first thanked Fukasaku, then nodded, indicating that he could depart.

With the help of Shima on Mount Myōboku’s side, the two were quickly summoned to Mount Myōboku.

Then Fukasaku and Shima together brought Muzuki to a secluded temple deep within Mount Myōboku.

Unlike Fukasaku and Shima, the Great Toad Sage’s body was enormous.

As soon as Muzuki walked in, he saw the Great Toad Sage lying on a platform inscribed with the character for “Sage.”

The Great Toad Sage’s skin was orange, and likely due to his advanced age, his skin appeared very loose and full of wrinkles.

Of course, this was just what the naked eye could see.

When Muzuki activated his Byakugan, he saw the dense vitality within the Great Toad Sage’s body.

The loose skin and wrinkles were merely superficial; this old toad’s life force was extremely powerful, capable of living for another thousand years, perhaps.

Muzuki quickly used an appraisal on the Great Toad Sage.

【Name: Gamamaru】

【Chakra: 99230000】

【Skills: Sage Art (Perfect Level: 36000 / 80000)…】

Now Muzuki was confident that he could gain enough from the Great Toad Sage. This was the skill with the highest proficiency he had ever seen.

Even with his cheats, his highest proficiency Perfect Level skill only had a little over four thousand proficiency points.

However, Muzuki was not flustered. Aside from the exaggerated Sage Art skill, the Great Toad Sage’s other skills were relatively normal and within his manageable range, with no possibility of unexpected events.

Sensing someone’s arrival, the Great Toad Sage’s eyes slightly opened, revealing somewhat cloudy eyes.

“Great Toad Sage, this is Muzuki. He is the Ninja with the strongest Sage Art talent I have ever seen,” Fukasaku proudly introduced Muzuki to the Great Toad Sage.

The Great Toad Sage didn’t speak, fixing his gaze on Muzuki.

At this moment, Muzuki was also observing the Great Toad Sage, and their gazes met.

After about twenty seconds, the Great Toad Sage retracted his gaze, his eyes narrowing as he chuckled:

“Indeed, a rare Sage Art genius. Furthermore, your cooking is the most delicious food in the Ninja World.”

Muzuki also showed a gentle smile, thanking the Great Toad Sage for his praise.

Seeing Muzuki and the Great Toad Sage getting along so well, Fukasaku also smiled.

As there was nothing they needed to do, Fukasaku and Shima soon left the temple.

“Muzuki, do you know, seeing you reminds me of an old friend from a thousand years ago,” the Great Toad Sage suddenly said.

“Oh? I’d love to hear more,” Muzuki had a guess in his heart, but his expression remained calm.

“He was called the progenitor of Ninja. Those he saved believed he was a creator god from heaven, coming to bring peace to the human world. His annihilated enemies believed he was a demon from hell. He was rarely considered human, often treated as a mythical figure,” the Great Toad Sage said with a hint of nostalgia.

“I usually called him Hagoromo, but he has a title you’re very familiar with — the Six Paths Sage.”

Muzuki nodded. Once the ‘progenitor of Ninja’ was mentioned, it was basically confirmed.

He thought it was no wonder people a thousand years ago considered the Six Paths Sage a divine being. After all, the Six Paths Sage didn’t really look like an ordinary person; what kind of good person had horns on his head and could fly?

Compared to the people of the Ninja World, the Six Paths Sage was more like an Ōtsutsuki.

“Hagoromo also came to Mount Myōboku to learn Sage Art, and like you, he displayed extraordinary Sage Art talent,” the Great Toad Sage continued.

“How long did it take the Six Paths Sage to master Sage Mode?” Muzuki asked curiously.

If Naruto and Sasuke were cheaters, then the Six Paths Sage was the cheater among cheaters. He remembered that the Six Paths Sage in the manga seemed to have the Rinnegan from birth.

“He learned it after I explained it,” the Great Toad Sage replied.

Muzuki was not surprised; after all, this was the Six Paths Sage.

Even Kaguya, who had consumed the God Tree’s fruit, was still defeated by the Six Paths Sage in direct combat and sealed by him.

Even after the Six Paths Sage died, he could leave behind methods to keep his Chakra in the world, preventing Kaguya’s resurrection.

Muzuki estimated that the Six Paths Sage had a full set of Perfect Level skills, and their proficiency would not be low.

As for whether he had skills beyond Perfect Level, Muzuki couldn’t say.

Even the Great Toad Sage, the patriarch of the sacred land who had lived for thousands of years, was still so far from beyond Perfect Level in Sage Art. The probability of the Six Paths Sage having skills beyond Perfect Level was too low.

From Proficient Level to Perfect Level was already a qualitative leap. Calculating the abilities of skills beyond Perfect Level based on this span, Muzuki found it a bit hard to imagine.

After briefly recounting some past events of the Six Paths Sage, the Great Toad Sage formally began teaching Muzuki Sage Mode.

Having someone teach him versus slowly figuring it out himself was indeed different. Muzuki’s Sage Mode skill proficiency growth accelerated again.

After two days of enlightenment, Muzuki left Mount Myōboku as usual and returned to Konoha.

“How strange. For such a person, my ability didn’t gain any information…”

Looking at the disappearing figure in the crystal ball, the Great Toad Sage closed his eyes.

Upon returning to Konoha, Muzuki immediately went to the Hokage Office and dismissed the Shadow Clone he had specifically used to handle political affairs while he was away from Konoha.

As the memories flowed back into his mind, Muzuki let out a slight sigh of relief. These Ninja Villages finally couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Notify Minato, the Sandaime, and the two Advisors to come to the high-level conference room for a meeting,” Muzuki called an Anbu and ordered.

“Yes, Lord Fourth!” The Anbu nodded in obedience and quickly left the Hokage Office.

Muzuki then went directly to the conference room reserved for high-ranking officials, waiting for them to arrive.

“Muzuki, has something urgent happened?” Minato Namikaze was the first to arrive at the high-level conference room and asked.

Generally, suddenly convened high-level meetings meant a sudden major event had occurred.

“Strictly speaking, it’s not too urgent. Minato, please sit down first,” Muzuki smiled.

Minato Namikaze trusted Muzuki greatly, and feeling relieved, he sat in the seat next to Muzuki.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was the second to arrive, but he didn’t rush to ask questions like Minato Namikaze, instead looking at Muzuki.

Seeing Muzuki greet him unhurriedly, Hiruzen Sarutobi roughly understood the nature of the matter.

This matter might be important, but not urgent.

So, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled back at Muzuki and Minato Namikaze, and also sat down next to Muzuki.

The two Advisors arrived together. They also didn’t question Muzuki, and sat down together in the seats next to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Muzuki stopped keeping them in suspense and informed the high-ranking officials of the intelligence and demands from Iwagakure.

PS:

Regarding the Six Paths Sage, the manga and anime are somewhat different.

In the manga, the Six Paths Sage was born with the Rinnegan and was born from Kaguya’s blessing. In the anime, he became the son of Kaguya and a human, and his Rinnegan was also an upgrade.

I will try my best to adopt settings that are more imposing. Kaguya falling in love with a native of the Ninja World feels a bit…