"Konoha's Dimensional Pirate: Reborn Uchiha Gin"

Jiraiya soon arrived at the Hokage's office and stepped inside.

The room was already filled. Uchiha Gin sat at the desk, while surrounding him were Uzumaki Mito, Uchiha Hikari, the First and Second Hokage—Hashirama and Tobirama—Tsunade, Orochimaru, Nara Shikaku, Hyūga Hizashi, and several others.

"You're back," Gin said, speaking first. "You were summoned to Mount Myōboku, weren't you? Did the toads deliver a new prophecy?"

He was probing. Gin suspected there might still be lingering ties between the Great Toad Sage and the Sage of Six Paths. If the toads truly were prophetic, they could very well serve as another surveillance point for the so-called Sorcerer—if not, then no matter.

"Uh? Yeah… How'd you know?" Jiraiya blinked in surprise.

"So there really is a new prophecy?" Tobirama raised an eyebrow. The entire room leaned in slightly.

"What was it?" Hashirama asked with curiosity. "I never knew there were creatures with prophetic abilities like this Great Toad Sage. Madara, we were never told anything about him back when we were alive. If we had known, perhaps we could've avoided some of our mistakes."

"Hmph." Madara narrowed his eyes, scoffing with clear disdain.

"Just another parlor trick, no doubt. The future isn't something you can tame or predict. If some oversized toad could foresee everything, wouldn't it already be invincible? I don't see that happening."

At that, a few glances shifted instinctively toward Gin.

In some sense, Gin was indeed something akin to invincible—and his deep knowledge of past and future events was nothing short of eerie.

"Well… That old geezer's ability isn't entirely fake," Jiraiya said as he stood, scratching his head awkwardly. He then launched into a full explanation of the events at Mount Myōboku.

He told them about the altered prophecy—the future now obscured, the disappearance of the so-called "Child of Destiny," and the vision of Konoha uniting the ninja world.

"So, he foresaw Konoha's rise to unify the world?" Tobirama muttered, tapping his chin. "Maybe that ancient toad really does have some ability."

Indeed, given Gin's position and strength, along with the might of Hashirama, Hikari, and Mito—what other outcome could the world expect?

Even if the other villages united in an attempt to halt Konoha's rise, it would be in vain. At best, they could cause some inconvenience. The end result had already been carved into fate.

"And that's not all…" Jiraiya continued, recalling another part of the visit. "Fukasaku and Shima are on their way here. They're coming to personally apologize, offer compensation, and hand over Mount Myōboku's summoning scroll. They'll also teach Sage Mode techniques."

Gin raised an eyebrow, amused. "Sounds like that 'Great Toad Sage' saw something bad for Mount Myōboku in the future. They didn't tell you what, or were they just quiet about it?"

Jiraiya's face twitched. He wasn't sure how to answer.

"Let me guess," Gin said coolly, reclining slightly in his chair. "In the future where they don't come to apologize and open up to you—where they keep deceiving you—Konoha's foreign policy eventually puts Mount Myōboku on the opposing side?"

He glanced sideways.

"And in that case… with my temperament, I would've utterly annihilated them. The Great Toad Sage saw this, realized resistance was pointless, and chose to surrender. Is that about right?"

His voice was light, but the weight of the words struck hard.

Jiraiya swallowed, stunned by how accurately Gin had unraveled it.

"Y-Yeah… That's more or less it," he admitted. "I didn't think you'd piece it together so fast, Hokage-sama. You must be the variable the old toad was talking about. He was right to fear you…"

He glanced cautiously at Gin. "So… will you meet with them and accept their apology?"

Jiraiya was hoping for reconciliation. Though the Great Toad Sage had misled him for years, Mount Myōboku had also given him strength. He hadn't spent all his time chasing the mythical Child of Destiny—most of it had gone toward training in Sage Mode. The benefits were tangible. Perhaps, with time, his resentment could fade entirely.

Gin looked around the room instead of answering immediately.

"What do you all think?"

"In matters like these, it's your call," Mito replied first.

"She's right. You're Hokage—your decision," Hikari added.

"Agreed. You decide," said Orochimaru, with several others echoing the sentiment.

"All right then," Gin said finally, turning back to Jiraiya. "Summon them."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama!" Jiraiya bowed with genuine gratitude.

He's so formal now, Jiraiya thought with a wry smile. But I guess it makes sense. That kid… he's Hokage now. Everything's different.

He bit his thumb, pressed his bloodied palm to the ground, and activated the Summoning Technique.

Poof!

Two small clouds of smoke appeared—and from them emerged Fukasaku and Shima.

Seeing them, Madara immediately frowned.

"That's it? That's the Great Toad Sage? This is the creature that can supposedly predict the future?" he sneered. "Laughable."

Fukasaku: "…"

Shima: "…"

The two elder toads twitched in frustration but held their tongues the moment they recognized Madara Uchiha. They had seen his power firsthand during trips to the shinobi world. No sane creature would pick a fight with a death god like him.

If he felt like it, he could summon his Susanoo and flatten them into paste.

"Um… Actually," Jiraiya said quickly, "these are just the two sages—Fukasaku and Shima. The Great Toad Sage is far too old—over a thousand years. He's enormous and immobile, so he couldn't come himself."

"These two run things on Mount Myōboku now."

"Yes." Fukasaku and Shima stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"We are the sages of Mount Myōboku—Fukasaku and Shima. We greet you, Hokage-sama."

"We've come on behalf of the Great Toad Sage to apologize to you and to Konoha for the deceptions involving Jiraiya. We hope to rebuild our friendship."

"To that end, we offer the Mount Myōboku summoning scroll. With it, your village may choose worthy candidates to form contracts with us."

"Furthermore, we are willing to teach your people Sage Mode."

"But we must warn you in advance," Shima added. "Our method of training Sage Mode is dangerous. It's safest to train at Mount Myōboku, using our special toad oil under our supervision."

"And Sage Mode isn't for everyone," Fukasaku noted. "It requires a rare talent. Tsunade-hime and Orochimaru-san should know what we mean."

All eyes turned to the two Sannin.

Tsunade sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, it takes talent. Especially a very specific kind of temperament. You have to be able to completely quiet your mind and merge with nature. Chakra control and volume aren't even the biggest hurdle."

"Orochimaru and I… we think too much," she admitted. "Our minds are constantly running. We can't achieve the kind of mental stillness required. That's why we couldn't master Sage Mode."

"But that's in the past." Her eyes gleamed with challenge as she glanced at Jiraiya. "Thanks to Gin, that won't be a problem for much longer. I'll master Sage Mode within a year—and I'll perfect it."

"Just wait. When that happens, I'll rub it in your face ten times over. Hmph!"

She hadn't forgotten how Jiraiya used to tease her and Orochimaru over this.

"W-Wait, Tsunade, isn't that a bit much?" Jiraiya stammered, waving his hands.

He turned to Gin, curious. Could Gin really help them master Sage Mode? If so, could he finally achieve the perfect version himself?

His current Sage Mode was incomplete—it caused toad-like features to appear on his face. It ruined his image, which was why he avoided using it in public.

If Gin could help the others reach perfection… maybe he could too.

"Heheh… Oh no, you're not escaping this," Tsunade said, cracking her knuckles. "I've waited years for payback. Now it's my turn."

"Same here," Orochimaru added with a wicked smile. "Just wait, Jiraiya…"