"Huh? Where am I?"
"A dream…"
"Did I forget something? Yes… I really want to forget something important. I entered the precognitive dream…"
"Eh? What was I thinking just now? Never mind… I'll sleep a bit more first, then think about it…"
…
"No. I definitely forgot something important…"
…
"Yes! I remember now! I saw an immortal in white robes, with ominous blood-red eyes… someone who changed the course of the ninja world's history…"
Toad Maru racked his brain, trying to piece together the fragments of the dream. When he finished the precognitive vision, he forgot to wake up and inform Fukasaku and Shima. No—perhaps he hadn't forgotten, but instead was forcibly interrupted. A strange force interfered just as he was exiting the dream.
"Yes… it wasn't simple forgetfulness. I was affected…"
…
Mount Myoboku.
After an unknown stretch of time, the Great Toad Sage—Gamamaru—finally stirred awake, his aged lids peeling open with effort.
"The old confused one's awake!"
Immortal Shima's keen senses felt the subtle ripple of chakra and natural energy shift from the temple housing the Great Toad Sage. She turned sharply toward it. Fukasaku, too, noticed the change at once.
Fortunately, Namikaze Minato had now fully grasped the workings of Sage Mode. Without that, Shima's distraction might've led to him being overwhelmed by natural energy during meditation.
"Huh? The Great Toad Sage is waking up?"
Jiraiya, also training nearby, was pulled from his thoughts. The approaching war had cast a heavy shadow over the world, and Jiraiya desperately sought foresight from the Great Toad Sage. So much was uncertain. If any insight could be gleaned—even a fragmented prophecy—it would ease his mind.
This was one of the reasons Jiraiya remained in Mount Myoboku—not only to oversee Minato's training but to stay close in hopes of a vision from the Sage.
Now, after two long years of silence, the Great Toad Sage had stirred—Jiraiya could hardly hide his hope.
Even Minato, who had only just succeeded in stabilizing Sage Mode, canceled it prematurely and turned toward the temple.
To be honest, he had never even set foot into the Great Toad Sage's chamber.
Under the guidance of the elder toads, Jiraiya and Minato approached the sacred temple, eager to hear what the old sage had seen. A slumber lasting two whole years—surely this vision was something monumental.
"Ah… Fukasaku… and this one must be Jiraiya… and who is…"
Before the sluggish Sage could complete his sentence, Shima interjected impatiently, "This is Minato. A disciple Jiraiya recently accepted."
"Oh… Watergate…"
The Sage's gaze drifted lazily as if sleep threatened to reclaim him once more.
Everyone felt an anxious stir—especially Shima and Fukasaku. The precognitive dream had yet to be shared! They couldn't let him sleep again—not yet.
"Great Toad Sage, please don't sleep just yet," Fukasaku pleaded, "You entered the state of precognition two years ago, remember?"
"Ah… that's right. I nearly forgot. Yes, I did enter a precognitive state. But I didn't see the future exactly… no, it was more like a glimpse of a tremendous event that disrupted the very fate of the ninja world. I only caught a fragment…"
His tone sharpened slightly, his usual lethargy replaced by an edge of gravity.
"What did you see?" Jiraiya pressed, his tone sobering. Even if it wasn't a glimpse of the future, anything that could shake the foundations of fate itself couldn't be ignored.
"Ah… what was I saying again?"
Shima groaned audibly, her patience thinning. "You said you saw a glimpse—something that altered the fate of the ninja world."
Just when everyone feared he'd dozed off again, the Great Toad Sage spoke once more.
"I saw…"
The pause stretched, but it didn't feel like absent-mindedness. This time, it was memory. A cautious recollection.
"…An immortal in a white robe… and eyes—blood-red eyes…"
And with that, the Great Toad Sage succumbed once more to sleep.
This time, there was no stopping it.
Before anyone could speak—before any questions could be asked—the old sage slipped into unconsciousness again.
"An immortal in white robes? With blood-red eyes? Are we talking about one person… or two? Could a battle between them have altered fate?"
The vague clues left Jiraiya and the toads puzzled. The descriptions were too brief. Too cryptic.
But one thing stood out—this wasn't a glimpse of the future.
This happened two years ago.
Two years ago… but what? What happened then?
Jiraiya racked his memory. As a high-ranking shinobi and a trusted agent of Konoha's intelligence network, he was aware of most significant events across the ninja world in recent years.
But nothing matched this.
"Dear, could the Sage have meant Sage Mode? Are there other ninja across the world who've mastered it besides our own?"
"We've had no new students at Mount Myoboku," Shima replied. "Perhaps the Shikkotsu Forest?"
"Little Jiraiya, don't you have companions who are contract holders of the other sacred lands?" Fukasaku asked. "You might ask them when you return."
Jiraiya nodded, filing the suggestion away for later. For now, he was drawn to one particular detail—the blood-red eyes.
Blood-red eyes—was the Sage referring to the Sharingan? Or something else?
His head ached at the ambiguity. The Great Toad Sage was infamous for cryptic, fragmented visions, and while Jiraiya had long accepted this, it didn't make decoding them any easier.
The eye color was significant. The Sharingan had red tones, yes—but it also featured black tomoe. Could the Sage have missed that?
"The Blood Dragon Eye is another possibility," Fukasaku mused. "Or perhaps a rare dojutsu altogether. Some forbidden techniques can also affect the appearance of the eyes temporarily."
Jiraiya considered this. The problem wasn't only interpretation—it was timing. Whatever happened occurred two years ago.
He needed records. He needed facts.
"I must return to Konoha," he said aloud. "I need to investigate what happened two years ago. If there's anything, I'll find it."
The two elder toads understood and prepared the reverse summoning.
…
Clear Island.
"The Eternal Mangekyō… it's finally coming to fruition."
Uchiha Kiyo stood in the heart of his secluded training grounds, deep within Clear Island. His expression remained unreadable.
After establishing a solid foundation in this timeline, he'd remained isolated for two years. Much of that time had been spent refining his body, his fighting methods, and—most importantly—studying his eyes.
The cost of using a standard Mangekyō was too steep—progressive blindness. So he worked relentlessly to evolve it.
Thanks to his future self's inheritance of another Mangekyō Sharingan—one improved after avenging the Uchiha clan—he had the perfect material to study.
And now, that research was bearing fruit.
"With the Eternal Mangekyō, I can finally use Susanoo freely."
Until now, Kiyo relied heavily on his mechanical Gundam Mode in combat, avoiding prolonged use of Susanoo due to its toll on his vision.
But now, that was no longer necessary.
The Gundam Mode hadn't been a waste, though. On the contrary, it taught Kiyo invaluable lessons about large-scale combat, synchronization of movement, and chakra efficiency. That experience would now feed directly into mastering Susanoo.
Susanoo, after all, wasn't a one-size-fits-all weapon. Its power and form varied greatly depending on the user's mastery. Uchiha Madara could summon an advanced fourth-form Susanoo even with only the standard Sharingan, whereas someone like Itachi might suffer severe pain with even partial transformations.
The gap between users was vast. Mastery was a matter of experience, training, and biology—not just talent.
"The Eternal Mangekyō… it's a stabilized pattern of regular chakra flow. It allows the eyes to absorb natural energy directly. Structurally, it's still similar to the Mangekyō…"
Kiyo's findings were conclusive. After awakening his Mangekyō, he noticed that the cells in his eyes absorbed significantly more natural energy than those in other body parts. That amplification only increased after integrating the improved Mangekyō from the other timeline.
The Eternal Eye, as he theorized, didn't just enhance vision—it reshaped the eye's very structure, reconditioning it to absorb nature energy as a form of chakra replenishment.
This transformation wasn't instantaneous. It required time. Adjustment. Synchronization.
And now… he stood on the threshold.
Even so, Kiyo was cautious. "Even if I awaken them… I won't rush to modify anything right away…"