"Did the procedure fail?" Kaida asked in a gloomy voice. He had desperately tried to stay scious during the whole ordeal, but he knew he had lost the battle at some point and succumbed to unsciousness.

  "Who do you think your sensei is? Something like this is child's py for me! You’ll see the effects of the procedure once you activate the seal," Jiraiya said proudly, a grin on his face.

  "Really?" Kaida asked, his voice tinged with hope as he felt a wave of relief wash over him.

  "Yes, you held on through the most important part. After that, it was easy." Jiraiya nodded, choosing not to mentioest Kaida had unknowingly endured.

  "Thank God, I thought I ruined everything," Kaida said, letting out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

  "Don't worry about it now. But since you've been asleep for so long, it's already night. We’ll tihe training tomorrow. For now, you’re free to do whatever you want," Jiraiya said, rising from his seat.

  Kaida, realizing that Jiraiya had waited patiently for him to wake up, smiled in appreciation.

  ‘This world is se. There are people like Danzo, Hanzo, and Obito who treat life so cheaply, killing without hesitation. And then, there are people like Naruto and Jiraiya, who form deep bonds with people after only meeting them a few times. But, it’s not a bad thing,’ Kaida thought with a soft smile.

  "Sensei, my family runs the first medial bathhouse in Konoha. Since we have some time, would you like to visit it with me?" Kaida offered.

  "Sure, why not?" Jiraiya grihe idea of rexing his tired muscles in a premium bathhouse was too tempting to resist.

  ---

  They arrived at the bathhouse and indulged in the luxurious baths one by one. While Jiraiya appreciated the bathhouse's quality, he had a love-hate retionship with it. There was no p the ehhouse where he could do any “research” ued. Hae had ehat privad security were maintaio protect the bathhouse's reputation—and Jiraiya's owioendencies were well-known.

  The fact that Hae wasn’t there when they arrived spared Jiraiya the awkwardness of any iion. When they finished, Jiraiya politely deed Kaida’s offer to visit his home, g he had important matters to attend to.

  Kaida, not pushing the matter, returned home alone and was greeted warmly by his family. Hae, overjoyed to see him after a week, insisted he eat until he was nearly bursting before they settled down for hours of heartwarming versation.

  Meanwhile, Jiraiya used reverse summoning to return to Mount Myoboku. A toad had approached him while Kaida was unscious, requesting his presence.

  ---

  Poof

  “Long time no see, Jiraiya-boy,” Fukasaku, knoa, greeted him as soon as Jiraiya appeared atop Mount Myoboku.

  “Sorry for the dey, Pa. I was busy with something,” Jiraiya said.

  “Yes, I vividly smell the medial and flowery sts on you. You must have been really busy.” Pa's tone was light, but Jiraiya couldn't help but ugh awkwardly.

  “We don’t have time to joke around. Gamamaru-sama is waiting,” Pa said, his expression being serious.

  ---

  “Good evening, Gamamaru-sama,” Jiraiya greeted with a respectful bow before the Great Toad Sage, Gamamaru, a being that had lived for hundreds of years.

  “Jiraiya, you always had a knack for taking iing students, hahaha,” Gamamaru chuckled.

  “Yes, my ret student is quite talented. I’m certain he’ll surpass me in his prime,” Jiraiya replied with a satisfied smile.

  “Yes, but he is also the reason for the ge iure I initially saw,” Gamamaru said, his tone being more solemn.

  “The prophecy about the Child of Prophecy?” Jiraiya asked, his heart tightening at the mention.

  “Yes, but that prophecy is no longer one hundred pert true. Although that child will still be the pivot of the world, there are now two possible paths. One where the oute brings true peace for everyone, and another..." Gamamaru paused, his expression grave.

  "What about the other one, Gamamaru-sama?" Jiraiya asked, tension evident in his voice.

  “The other future is filled with so much age that even I, who have seeh in all its forms, was startled. And your udent, Kaida, is tied to both of these futures," Gamamaru said.

  “What I do to prevent the sed future from happening?” Jiraiya asked urgently. He knew Gamamaru wasn’t joking. Somehow, Kaida had bee deeply iwined with the fate of the entire world, and Jiraiya was determio do whatever it took to guide things toward the peaceful path.

  “Nothing.”

  “Nothing?”

  “Yes, there’s nothing you do. Just let things unfold naturally and observe. But after three months, bring that boy to me. I will take my rest now, and when I wake up, I want to see him. There’s something peculiar about him that I o uand.” Gamamaru closed his eyes and drifted into slumber.

  Jiraiya, knowing the versation was over, bowed again. “Uood, Gamamaru-sama.”

  “So, are you heading back, or will you stay? Ma has just prepared a delieal. You could join us if you want,” Pa said.

  ‘I don’t want to eat i soup and sad, not at all,’ Jiraiya groaned internally. Out loud, he said, “After hearing all of this, I’ve lost my appetite, Pa. I’ll return for now and think about it.”

  “Hmph, your loss,” Pa said, hopping away toward his home for what Jiraiya was certain would be a feast he was gd to miss.

  ---

  Unaware of any of this, Kaida eacefully sleeping in his room, mentally preparing for the grueling training that awaited him the day.

  ---

  The m, Kaida woke up, had breakfast with his family, auro Training Area 2. Jiraiya was already there, sitting ihought. Unlike usual, he wasn’t w on his novel or reading.

  Seeing Jiraiya in such deep ption, Kaida chose not to disturb him, silently standing at his side.

  “You’re not my guard, Kaida. Besides, you don’t have the luxury to wait around. We only have three weeks left, and there’s much for you to learn. For the wo weeks, we’ll focus solely on stabilizing your progress,” Jiraiya said.

  “Yes, Sensei,” Kaida replied, though he couldn’t shake the feeling that Jiraiya had something more to say but had chosen not to.