"We've reestablished contact with Mount Myōboku!"
Jiraiya exhaled deeply, a rare glimmer of relief on his face.
Before Tsunade could share the latest report from Kumogakure, Jiraiya eagerly performed the summoning technique.
Boom!
A puff of white smoke appeared, and out came Gamatora, its elongated body covered in blue-green patterns, its lower half a scroll.
"Gamatora, it's you! What's happening at Mount Myōboku? How are things there?" Jiraiya immediately greeted the toad, his voice filled with urgency.
"Jiraiya…"
Gamatora raised its head, scanning the room at the Hokage's office, its gaze settling on Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the assembled Konoha shinobi. It shook its head slowly, its tone heavy as it delivered the devastating news:
"Mount Myōboku… is gone."
"What do you mean, 'Mount Myōboku is gone'?"
At first, Jiraiya couldn't grasp the meaning of those words. After all, Mount Myōboku was massive; it wasn't something that could simply vanish.
But then—
Seeing the unfeigned sorrow etched across Gamatora's face, Jiraiya froze.
Mount Myōboku… gone?
Realization began to dawn, and with it came dread.
Tsunade, holding the latest intelligence report in her hands, reacted even faster than Jiraiya.
Her pupils shrank as a single, horrifying thought consumed her mind. Her fists clenched tightly as she uttered one name:
"Naruto…"
The fleeting relief on Jiraiya's face vanished.
A terrifying possibility struck him, one he couldn't believe—one he didn't want to believe. His voice trembled as he asked again:
"Gamatora, what exactly happened? What do you mean, 'Mount Myōboku is gone'?"
Gamatora took a deep breath before replying in a solemn tone:
"Gensou utterly destroyed Mount Myōboku. Many of the toads… are dead. Kosuke, Idate, Tada… even Elder Iwasuku… and the Great Toad Sage… are gone."
"What?!"
Even though Jiraiya had braced himself for bad news, the reality hit him like a thunderbolt.
"Haha! This must be a joke, right? There's no way Gensou could destroy Mount Myōboku! Idate, Tada… and Iwasuku—the elder toad was so strong, so wise! And the Great Toad Sage—it lived for over a thousand years! How could Gensou possibly kill them? This can't be true…"
Jiraiya's voice cracked as he forced a laugh, trying desperately to reject the truth.
Mount Myōboku was like a second home to him, a place that had nurtured and guided him. The toads were more than allies; they were family.
And the Great Toad Sage… its prophecies had been the compass guiding his life's journey.
If even the Great Toad Sage had been slain, what did that mean for its prophecies? For his life's work?
"This isn't real! Maybe Gamatora is under a genjutsu!"
Jiraiya clung to his denial, his mind reeling.
But Tsunade would have none of it.
Striding forward, she grabbed Jiraiya by the collar and flung him aside.
Her voice was sharp and unwavering as she demanded,
"What about Naruto?"
Gamatora hesitated before answering:
"Naruto… is dead too."
Crack!
The floor beneath Tsunade fractured, spiderweb cracks radiating outward as her immense strength unconsciously poured out.
For a moment, her mind was blank except for one phrase repeating over and over:
"Naruto is dead… Naruto is dead… Naruto is dead…"
The boy who had dreamed of becoming Hokage… was gone.
Just like Dan. Just like Nawaki.
Everyone she cared about… was gone.
Meanwhile, Team 7 and the others, who had just arrived and been silently observing, began to realize something was very wrong.
Among them, Sakura's face paled, her voice trembling as she stammered,
"W-wait! Lady Tsunade… Gamatora-san… what are you saying?"
She didn't dare speak the words she feared, her heart rejecting the very idea.
Naruto… dead? It couldn't be true.
Sakura's mind screamed for an explanation, for some kind of misunderstanding.
Gamatora was about to elaborate when the entire Hokage's office began to tremble.
Tsunade's uncontrolled chakra surged outward, threatening to collapse the building.
A steady hand pressed down on her shoulder, grounding her.
"Tsunade, calm down," Jiraiya said quietly.
Jiraiya himself was overwhelmed by a cold numbness. The news of Naruto's death chilled him to the core, forcing him into an eerie state of clarity.
Suppressing his own anguish, he steadied Tsunade and gestured for Sakura and the others to calm down.
Then, turning back to Gamatora, his bloodshot eyes revealed the depth of his emotions as he said:
"Gamatora, tell us everything. What happened?"
Gamatora nodded, recounting what it knew of the events at Mount Myōboku. While it hadn't witnessed the entire battle, it explained the beginning and the aftermath clearly.
Finally, Gamatora produced a familiar necklace from its mouth.
It was Naruto's—the First Hokage's necklace.
The necklace had been dislodged when Naruto's chest was pierced, and the toads had retrieved it later.
Tsunade reached out with trembling hands, taking the necklace.
This was the third time.
Crack!
With a forceful squeeze, Tsunade shattered the priceless necklace.
The sight, coupled with Gamatora's story, left no room for doubt.
Naruto… was truly gone.
"No… this isn't possible… Naruto!!!"
Sakura collapsed, her knees giving out as she fell to the ground.
Yamato caught her just in time, his expression grim.
"This… is grief?" Sai murmured, clutching his chest as unfamiliar emotions surged within him.
Tears streamed freely from Guy and Lee's eyes, while Tenten and Neji remained stoically silent.
"Naruto…"
Neji sighed inwardly, recalling their battle during the Chūnin Exams.
Unknowingly, Naruto had become an integral part of so many lives.
Gamatora, familiar with grief, finally produced another scroll, handing it to Jiraiya.
"This was entrusted to me by the Great Toad Sage before its death. It's meant for you, Jiraiya."
Jiraiya accepted the scroll, his hands trembling slightly.
He opened it and read:
"Jiraiya, by the time you read this, I will already be gone. Naruto, too, has perished. I'm sorry, but his death was a necessary sacrifice to delay Gensou's fusion with the Ten-Tails."
Jiraiya's expression darkened instantly.
(End of Chapter)
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