Chapter 66: The Game of Fate

Inside the vast temple, the air was heavy and silent.

"Lord Fukasaku," Jiraiya whispered, turning to Fukasaku. "Could Great Elder possibly be mistaken? Perhaps it wasn't Heiyan who died..."

"No," Fukasaku shook his head slowly but firmly. "Frogs rarely dream, but whatever they dream always becomes reality because a frog's dream is fate itself! So far, every single prophecy made by Great Elder has come true one hundred percent."

What he said was true… Jiraiya didn't know what to say.

Thus, all three turned to Heiyan, their eyes full of deep pity. They hesitated, at a loss for words.

Just imagine—an ambitious young boy, moments ago still Konoha's Number One Prodigy, on the verge of learning Sage Art and destined for a bright future—only to have Gamamaru's prophecy declare that he won't survive the year.

No matter who faced such a thing, it would be impossible to accept.

Except for Heiyan himself.

From the moment Gamamaru pronounced that horrifying omen of death until now, these few minutes had found him completely calm.

Because he knew what Gamamaru had seen from him was the original fate of "Uzumaki Heiyan."

Uzumaki Heiyan had originally been just an ordinary member of the Uzumaki clan. According to the events of the original timeline, he probably would have died during the destruction of Uzu Country.

However, there was no way Gamamaru could ever have imagined—that the Heiyan standing before him now was a transmigrator from another world.

Therefore, Heiyan hadn't taken Gamamaru's prophecy too seriously.

"I will remain here," Gamamaru suddenly spoke again, his voice slow, his eyes half-closed and expression unreadable. "I have something important to tell you both."

"Jiraiya-kun, take Heiyan back first," Fukasaku instructed.

"I understand," Jiraiya nodded, then walked out of the temple together with Heiyan.

As soon as the two had left, Grandma Shima couldn't wait any longer and asked Gamamaru, "Old fool, can you finally tell us what exactly you saw in your dream?"

"I saw that not long from now, Uzu Country will be attacked by many nations at once. Uzugakure will be utterly destroyed. The Uzumaki clan…will perish entirely. That little boy named Heiyan also comes from the Uzumaki clan. Alongside countless clansmen, he dies in that war..."

Gamamaru described in detail the battlefield scenes it had dreamed of, deeply shocking both Fukasaku and Shima on the spot.

"What about Konoha? Aren't they allies of the Uzumaki clan?" Grandma Shima thought carefully and sensed inconsistency, frowning as she questioned.

"As allies of Uzugakure, Konoha did not offer assistance—they chose to remain bystanders." Gamamaru answered meaningfully.

"Why?" Both Fukasaku and Shima asked simultaneously, completely baffled.

"Regardless of the reason, you must remember firmly—this was Konoha's final decision. We at Mount Myoboku should neither become curious nor intervene. Otherwise, we will surely disrupt the fate of the shinobi world."

Gamamaru's tone suddenly turned stern as he warned the two.

"That Heiyan..."

"That little brat from the Uzumaki clan is a variable. He was never meant to appear on Mount Myoboku."

Gamamaru sighed and continued warning Fukasaku and Shima, "Remember! Never teach him Sage Art, nor help him forcefully resist fate. Otherwise, you will surely suffer backlash from fate itself. Even this sacred land could be plunged into calamity."

Gamamaru had always firmly believed in fate—or rather, the power of predestination.

As a prophet, he'd believed for many years that fate was the strongest force in the world. All fates—past, present, and future—had already been decided.

Some people were destined to die like ants. Others were destined to save the world.

A true wise man just needed to go with the flow of fate, take the right stance at key moments, and help the Child of the Prophecy defeat the destined villain. Only then would great rewards follow.

That was the way the game was played.

Next, Gamamaru briefly laid out his arrangements for Heiyan.

"Since we've brought the kid up the mountain already, it's definitely improper to just chase him away immediately."

"Here's what we'll do: Let that little brat stay around for ten days or half a month. When the time comes, send him back home."

"You two don't need to get involved anymore. I'll have Bunta handle it."

He spoke methodically.

Fukasaku and Shima exchanged glances upon hearing this.

The Great Elder before them was articulate and sharp-minded—nothing like the senile old fool they were used to.

So the whole time, that doddering act had just been an act.

But still...

This time, they could only apologize to young Heiyan.

On one of Mount Myoboku's small paths, Jiraiya and Heiyan walked one after the other.

As they rounded a corner, both suddenly spotted a towering figure over five meters tall, standing in the middle of the path with its back turned to them.

It was a red-skinned giant frog, wearing deep blue clothing. On its back was embroidered a single character—"Shrimp."

"Bunta?"

Jiraiya hesitated slightly, uncertainly calling out the name.

Hearing this, the frog slowly turned around.

Its first impression could be summarized in one word—tough.

It wore a wide smirk, a massive pipe sticking out its mouth. A vertical scar ran down from above its left eye. Below that, bandages wrapped around its waist, from which protruded a sharp tanto blade, its white steel blade gleaming coldly.

It radiated a tough, hardened aura.

Exactly Mount Myoboku's top gangster—Gamabunta.

Of course, Bunta was still growing then; he hadn't yet reached his full height of seventeen meters.

"Jiraiya, you can return to Konoha now."

Gamabunta announced while looking down on the pair, the pipe still dangling from his mouth. "From now on, I'll be watching over this brat."

"Why?"

Jiraiya asked, confused by the sudden change. Since when had Bunta ever cared this much?

"What do you mean why? That's the Great Elder's order."

Gamabunta frowned impatiently. Then it crouched low, narrowed his eyes at Jiraiya, and growled, "Are you leavin' or not?"

"But..." Jiraiya hesitated, clearly worried about Heiyan.

"Senior Jiraiya," Heiyan stepped beside him and said, "since this is the Great Toad Sage's decree, you should head back to Konoha for now."

"Then... okay."

Jiraiya scratched his head, still confused, but finally walked off.

"Kid, follow me."

Gamabunta glanced at Heiyan before turning around to lead the way forward.

Before long, the boy and the massive frog reached a rather isolated hut.

"For the next few days, you'll stay here. When the time comes, someone will send you back to Konoha. Remember, don't wander off on your own, or else..."

As Gamabunta said this, he glared at Heiyan with an irritated expression and threatened, "I'll make sure you can't walk for a month."

However, what surprised Gamabunta slightly was that his usual intimidating tactics had little effect on this silver-haired kid.

Because Heiyan didn't show even a hint of fear.

In fact, Gamabunta couldn't shake the feeling—he wasn't even seen as a threat?

Realizing this, Gamabunta became furious.

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