Naruto: The Immortal Sage

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"Keep your voice down! This is embarrassing. You're making everyone stare!" Gamabunta caught Jiraiya with one broad hand and hurried him deeper into Mount Myōboku.

"..." Jiraiya kept glancing around.

People walked by holding small glowing panels, and loud metal vehicles rushed down the streets. Each new sight amazed him even more. It felt like he had stepped into a city from the future.

"I think I just wandered into heaven…" he muttered.

"Heaven? That's a fair description of Mount Myōboku." Gamabunta glanced at him.

As they walked, the tall buildings became less common. The mist around them grew thicker, and the air felt heavy with sage chakra. At the end of the path, a huge, old hall waited for them.

When Jiraiya reached the doors, he felt a powerful presence pressing down on him. He stood frozen, filled with a sense of awe he couldn't shake off.

"Go on in." Gamabunta bowed his head and gestured for Jiraiya to enter alone, remaining outside the hall.

Jiraiya took a deep breath and walked in, suddenly serious.

A very handsome young man sat straight on the throne in the middle of the hall. He seemed almost otherworldly. Just looking at him made Jiraiya feel like he was facing a god.

For once, the boy who was always causing trouble hardly dared to breathe.

"Jiraiya. You're here." Manji looked up at him. The boy had grown quite a bit since Manji had left Konoha.

"H-hello, sir. I'm Jiraiya. It's an honor to meet you!" Jiraiya bowed, his hands clenched at his sides.

"You can relax. We're family." Manji smiled and raised a hand to put him at ease.

Jiraiya looked at him in confusion, unsure what he meant.

"Gamamaru, you explain." Manji turned to the toad beside him.

Gamamaru stepped forward to address Jiraiya. "Yes, I saw your arrival at Mount Myōboku in a prophetic dream. You were destined to come here and learn our Sage Arts. The Grand Sage has given his permission for us to teach you."

So this really was Mount Myōboku. Jiraiya was still trying to process that when the rest of what they said sank in.

Was he going to learn Sage Arts? That would make him stronger, wouldn't it?

He imagined himself strong enough to take on Hiruzen Sarutobi and beat Danzō Shimura easily.

Maybe Tsunade would finally start chasing after him. Even Orochimaru might have to ask him for advice.

"Jiraiya, would you… would you go out with me?" Tsunade would ask.

"Jiraiya, you're the greatest genius in Konoha. I'm the one who belongs at the bottom of the class," Orochimaru would admit.

"..."

Jiraiya tried hard not to grin. He didn't want anyone to notice him smiling to himself.

"Before we teach you, though, you'll need to sign a contract." Gamamaru waved a hand. An old scroll appeared in midair and floated into Jiraiya's hands.

Jiraiya unrolled the scroll and read the rules. He had to keep everything about Mount Myōboku a secret. He couldn't share anything that might help outsiders find it, and he wasn't allowed to teach or talk about the Sage Arts without permission.

"I agree. I'll honor every condition!" Jiraiya gave a firm nod after reading the last line. He didn't hesitate.

..............

"Have any of you seen this human boy?" Back in his clan's territory in the summoning realms, Enma held out a photograph with curling edges.

The monkeys crowded around for a closer look. After exchanging a few glances, they all shook their heads.

"Never seen him. Is he your brother?"

"No. He's a friend's student," Enma replied.

His next stop was the clan of giant clams that specialized in genjutsu, the same clan as the Second Mizukage Gengetsu Hōzuki's summon.

"Have you seen this boy?" Enma asked.

"No." The giant clam's heavy shell opened and closed as its voice rang out like a low bell.

Enma kept looking. He visited the dogs, the Lucky Cat Clan, the pandas, the Baku Clan, and the ninja hawks. After traveling through most of the summoning world and asking every clan he knew, he still hadn't found anyone who had seen Jiraiya.

"I hope nothing's happened to him… I'll have to try the Three Great Sage Regions. At least no one can say I didn't try everything… Maybe the Grand Sage can help me find him." Enma sighed.

He held the photograph tighter and headed for the sacred regions.

He didn't really expect to find Jiraiya there. The Grand Sage had put up strong barriers around all three regions to keep out people from the mortal world. No one had broken through in a thousand years.

What chance did a human kid who had just learned about summoning have?

Unless the boy was unbelievably lucky, he had to be somewhere else. Enma's real hope was to convince the Grand Sage to help bring him back.

Soon, he arrived at Mount Myōboku. As the strongest member of the Monkey King Clan and a close friend of the mountain, Enma could ask to see the Grand Sage himself.

"Another visit, Enma? Weren't you just here a few days ago? What brings you back so soon?" Manji smiled at the Monkey King standing before him in the great hall.

"Grand Sage, I'm looking for someone. A student of a human friend of mine used the Summoning Jutsu by mistake, and now he's missing. I wanted to ask whether he'd turned up here." Enma returned the smile, careful to show due respect.

Manji understood at once. So he was here for Jiraiya.

"The boy named Jiraiya?" he asked.

"You knew before I even told you, Grand Sage!" Enma's face lit up.

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