Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha.

Chapter 152 The Child of Prophecy Has Disappeared?

At the end of January, in a special care ward at Konoha Hospital, Kushina lay on the bed, looking anxiously at her husband. Minato smiled gently and whispered reassuringly, "It's okay, Kushina, don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Just as Kushina was about to respond, the door was pushed open, and Sarutobi Biwako quickly came to the bedside with a smile on her face. She handed over the report and said in a low voice, "Congratulations! A new family member."

"During this time..."

Just as the old man was about to give her another word of advice, Kushina shouted happily, hugging Minato and nudging him wildly, her face flushed as she yelled, "I did it! I almost thought Jinchuriki couldn't be mothers!"

"We're really amazing."

Minato Namikaze, holding his wife, awkwardly nodded and apologized to Biwako Sarutobi. Seeing Kushina's happy expression, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Thinking that he was about to become a father, Minato finally snapped out of his daze and grinned foolishly. In a few months, a brand new life would begin.

Sarutobi Biwako waited quietly with a smile on her face for the two to calm down. After seeing Kushina shrink back into the blankets, she gently reminded her, "As a Jinchūriki, the process of conceiving a child may be quite difficult."

"During this period, the seal within the body will gradually weaken, and when the child is born, the Nine-Tails will definitely become restless."

"This is also the most dangerous time, and we need to prepare in advance."

Seeing the two nod solemnly, Sarutobi Biwako thought for a moment and then instructed again, "This news can only be told to Tsunade. Do not reveal it to anyone else."

"No matter how close the relationship, it won't work. This is the best way to ensure Kushina's personal safety."

"Minato, you'll be taking on S-rank missions from Tsunade for the time being, and stay by Kushina's side."

"If there are any difficult tasks, Furukawa will take care of them for you. Don't find it troublesome. Everything will return to normal after the baby is born."

Minato nodded in agreement, then, as if remembering something, scratched his head and asked with a smile, "Not even Jiraiya-sensei? Speaking of which, I was hoping Jiraiya-sensei could help me name this child..."

"Minato, it's not too late to name the child after he's born. Jiraiya won't blame you."

"If that guy has any objections, let him come to me. Kushina's safety is the most important thing. With my and Tsunade's medical ninjutsu helping her, there won't be any accidents."

Sarutobi Biwako shook her head in refusal. Although Jiraiya was loyal, the fewer people who knew about this matter, the safer it would be.

Two generations of Hokage plus a super-fast ninja is enough. Minato is skilled in sealing techniques, and after the child is born, he can work with Kushina to continue sealing the Nine-Tails.

Minato Namikaze thought for a moment, a serious expression appearing on his face. He whispered his assurance, then turned to his wife and said softly, "I'll be relying on you for the next while!"

"Could it be a boy? I really want to see him soon!"

Kushina embraced her husband and whispered happily, knowing that she would no longer be alone in the future, and that even if Minato went on a mission, her child would be by her side.

The air in Mount Myōboku was still filled with the croaking of frogs. Fukasaku was enjoying his insect ramen, about to praise his wife, when suddenly Gamabunta's booming voice rang out from outside: "Boss! The Master has suddenly summoned you, saying he has something important to tell you!"

Upon hearing the news, the toad's face immediately showed displeasure. He swallowed the insect dish in one gulp and complained irritably, "Is the master having another episode?"

"Honey, don't talk nonsense. It must be related to a prophecy. Let's go quickly."

Fukasaku hurriedly left, and after jumping onto Bunta's head, Shima followed.

Upon arriving at the enormous palace, Gamabunta bent down, his eyes crinkling into a smile, and asked curiously, "Boss, is this related to the Child of Prophecy? Jiraiya seems to have been investigating this matter for some time now."

"Isn't Minato the child of prophecy? After he came to cultivate immortality a while ago, I haven't seen him for a long time."

"That old idiot is just talking nonsense after he woke up!"

Shima, the sage, complained again in an annoyed tone, then jumped into the palace with her forelegs tucked in. Fukasaku, the sage, coughed awkwardly and whispered, "Go ahead and get busy, Bunta. I'll summon you if I need you."

After the two toads entered the room, the Great Toad Sage, unlike his usual confused demeanor, took off the crystal ball hat on his head and stared wide-eyed as if he were casting a spell.

"My...Master, what's wrong?"

"Oh, you've come at the right time. It's rather strange, the Child of Prophecy has lost his power!"

"My previous predictions were somewhat wrong; the power that belonged to the Child of Prophecy has almost disappeared..."

As he spoke, the giant toad sage looked puzzled. There was no useful information on the crystal ball, and a jumble of images kept flashing by.

The power to devour the chakra of the prophesied child seemed to exist without a trace; no matter how much the Great Toad Sage searched, he couldn't find a single clue.

"My lord, shall we summon Jiraiya?"

"He's been investigating the matter of the Child of Prophecy lately, so he might know something about it. You can ask him."

Fukasaku gave timely advice, and Shima stopped mocking the old toad. This was the first time in recent years that she had seen the old man so serious.

"Alright, I just happened to have something to tell Jiraiya."

"I never expected things to develop this way. I hope those words I said back then won't cause him any trouble."

The Great Toad Sage muttered to himself, and Fukasaku Sage no longer hesitated. He immediately performed the Reverse Summoning Technique, and after a puff of white smoke, Jiraiya appeared in front of the three toads wrapped in a bath towel.

"I'm coming..."

Just as Jiraiya was about to throw the towel aside, he chuckled softly before realizing something was wrong. He quickly wrapped the towel back around himself and looked at his three seniors with a helpless expression, saying, "Actually, I should go back and organize my clothes and supplies. I hope I don't have to bring back some weird food again."

""

"Little Jiraiya, the prophecy foretells another change. Concentrate and listen to the Master's instructions!"

As soon as Fukasaku finished speaking, the giant toad sage in front of him put his crystal ball hat back on his head, leaned back in his chair with his massive body, and said in a low voice, looking as if he had exhausted himself, "Something's strange. My senses were a bit vague before, but now I can confirm it completely!"

"Jiraiya, the child of prophecy, may have disappeared."

"That chakra that has been circulating for many years seems to have been absorbed by some kind of power, which also means that the entanglement between the two will officially come to an end."

"Whether the remaining, meager strength can make a difference, I cannot predict."

"ha?"

Completely astonished, Jiraiya cried out in surprise, nearly slipping his towel off. He quickly wrapped it around himself again before shouting, "What happened? I have no idea!"

"It means you've disappeared. Everything will change. Little Jiraiya, your mission may be complete."

The Great Toad Sage resumed his usual calm and collected demeanor, squinting as he gave a simple reply. Noticing Jiraiya's hesitant expression, he simply gave a clear instruction: "There's no need to search for the Child of Prophecy anymore, little Jiraiya. It's time for you to return to your own life."

"Perhaps someone else will change the ninja world, but I cannot predict it."

At that moment, Jiraiya felt as if his life had been negated. He looked at the three sages before him and loudly questioned, "How could this be? Has someone broken the prophecy?"

"Without a prophets, how can the ninja world maintain peace?"

"...call..."

Seeing the Great Toad Sage suddenly fall asleep, Shima Sage could no longer hold back and loudly complained, "That wretched old fool! Jiraiya, don't take those words to heart."

"Perhaps the prediction will change again after some time."

Fukasaku the Sage wanted to offer some words of comfort, but Jiraiya's emotions fluctuated violently, and he released the summons with a bang.

The prophesied child has disappeared, and Jiraiya is suddenly lost and confused about what to do next.

Unlike his friend, Orochimaru, who was immersed in his newfound power every day, was not confused. With his life entering eternity, he had already begun to study the truth.

There were so many ninjutsu techniques to learn and so much new knowledge to master. Orochimaru was busy and happy, and even the unsuccessful container experiments couldn't dampen his good mood.

Late at night, in the Root base laboratory, Orochimaru kept flipping through the ninjutsu scrolls, a thoughtful look appearing on his face from time to time.

"Shu, what do you think of this ninjutsu?"

"The Second Hokage was truly evil, manipulating the souls of the dead."

Orochimaru gave the Impure World Reincarnation scroll he had looted from Danzo to Osamu Furukawa. He had some ideas about this incomplete forbidden technique.

"Let's make a bold assumption! It's just that this technique seems to be used more for tactical suicide."

"If the technique is not yet perfected, the reincarnated person will not be very strong. The sacrifice is crucial, but the better the sacrifice, the more outstanding the ninja's strength will be."

"If we were to reincarnate under these circumstances, the consequences might outweigh the gains."

After taking a closer look, Furukawa stopped paying attention. Perfecting this ninjutsu would take too much effort, and with his current level of skill, he couldn't restore the creature's strength from its previous life.

"That's true, but it still has research value."

"The Root has accumulated many interesting techniques over the years. This is the First Hokage's Wood Release ninjutsu. Unfortunately, all the test subjects from back then died."

Orochimaru handed over another scroll, which Furukawa Osamu quickly flipped through. He found that the wood-style ninjutsu on it were extremely "simple," mostly involving clapping hands together.

"The First Hokage has other secrets. Even now, we still cannot fully utilize the power of these cells."

Furukawa Osamu nodded in agreement, a strange look flashing across his eyes: "Orochimaru-sensei, the body cultivated using the special experimental subject is more than half complete. The Hashirama cells are integrating very smoothly, without any rejection reaction."

Thinking of the material called "letter," Orochimaru licked his lips, looked at the spare container he had prepared, and replied cheerfully, "Very good, three years is enough time for me to make full preparations."

"Shu, won't you consider the power of the Uchiha clan? I don't mind sharing this ninjutsu as a reward for your mission in Ryuchi Cave."

"No need, teacher. I'm still young, and it's better for me to take care of my own body."

Orochimaru didn't seem to care when Furukawa refused. He chuckled twice, then simply walked to the side and summoned a long sword from the scroll: "The Kusanagi Sword has no special effects. Take it!"

"It's not something too precious; it's just a sturdy chakra sword. You'll be able to use it once you grow a bit taller."

Looking at the long sword without a handguard, Furukawa Osamu drew it, glanced at it, and then respectfully replied, "Thank you for your care, Orochimaru-sensei."

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