Naruto: An Informant from the Uchiha

Mount Myōboku. Jiraiya, having reverse-summoned himself here, now stood before the Great Toad Sage.

On the high platform, Gamamaru looked like he had just woken up and groggily asked: "You are...?"

Fukasaku, the elderly toad beside him, quickly responded: "It's Jiraiya, little Jiraiya! Old man, you've forgotten again."

Gamamaru pondered for a long time and looked ready to doze off again.

Shima, the matronly toad nearby, snapped: "We just saw him a month ago, you senile fossil! Don't you dare fall asleep again!"

Fukasaku chided her. "Dear, you can't speak to the Great Sage like that!"

Shima grumbled. "Am I wrong? If he can't remember anything, he's senile!"

The shouting snapped Gamamaru out of it. He grabbed a sake bottle and chugged it down.

"Alright, alright, don't fight. Even married toads should live in harmony."

He squinted at Jiraiya again. "Right... and you were... who, again?"

After another reminder from Fukasaku and an eye-roll from Jiraiya, Gamamaru finally sighed: "So you've grown up, little Jiraiya."

"About the person you asked me to look into last time... over the past month, I've seen a different future in my dreams."

'A different future?'

Jiraiya froze. 'Had the prophecy changed? What about the future of the Child of Prophecy?'

But Gamamaru didn't give him time to dwell on it:

"I saw... many, many... many ninja... farming."

"Farming?!"

They all blurted out their confusion, Jiraiya, Fukasaku, and Shima alike.

If taken literally, the idea of ninja working the fields just didn't make sense.

Gamamaru continued:

"After a massive war, the majority of the ninja were farming. Earth Release for tilling the soil, Water Release for irrigation, Fire and Taijutsu for forging tools, Lightning Release for power, Wind Release for cutting lumber and stone. Everyone had a role, working together…"

The bizarre vision left Jiraiya stunned.

'Ninjas… producing goods? Impossible!'

He was about to ask more when Gamamaru added:

"The future is no longer predictable. Even the dreams of the toads have been disturbed. That's all I can tell you, little Jiraiya."

Then, after downing another bottle of sake, Gamamaru passed out.

But what he said left Jiraiya shaken.

'The future is no longer predictable? What about the Child of Prophecy meant to guide the world to peace? A great war... and then ninja farming?'

'A large war seemed possible; history had proven it multiple times. But ninja farming en masse? That defied logic.'

"Don't worry too much, little Jiraiya," Shima said, "The old man's senility has been getting worse lately."

Then she added:

"But if all the ninja really did start farming, it wouldn't be a bad thing. At least humans wouldn't keep fighting."

That comment struck a chord with Jiraiya.

She was right. If ninjas truly dedicated themselves to farming, war would naturally disappear. In a way… that was a pretty good future.

Fukasaku leapt onto Jiraiya's shoulder:

"It's midday already. If you're not in a rush, why not stay for lunch?"

In that instant, Jiraiya nearly bolted.

'Lunch in Mount Myōboku? That meant a table full of bugs! Time to run.'

Within the Land of Rain.

Ku paused upon seeing a flamboyantly dressed figure ahead.

'Jiraiya? What's he doing here in the Rain Country?'

In his memory, the old perv didn't even realize what had happened to Amegakure or to his three former students until the day he died.

'So… why would he come here now to gather intel?'

Jiraiya first went to the hut he once stayed in, but found nothing left but ruins.

With his old illness acting up, he headed into town to "gather information" by visiting a brothel.

Hidden in the shadows, Ku quietly observed.

Too many things have changed already. If Jiraiya really ends up fighting the Six Paths of Pain, maybe I'll get a spare arm or two out of it.

Night fell. Full and satisfied, Jiraiya began his nightly "research."

Outside the women's bathhouse, a pervy old man with spiky white hair crouched low, peeking inside while wiggling his butt in anticipation.

From the shadows, Kuu covered his face with a hand.

I should've known this old man wouldn't do anything proper. Maybe he just passed through the Rain Country on a "research" detour. Unbelievable...

Ku smirked, then formed the Ram seal with both hands.

'Wood Release: Deep Forest Penetration'

In an instant, under Ku's control, a sharp tree branch broke through the soil.

It pointed right between the cheeks of its target.

'Damn it, could you stop wiggling?!'

Shhhwip!

The tree branch shot forward with great force.

Splat.

A flower bloomed... right in the middle.

"Aaaaagh!!"

With a scream, Jiraiya shot forward, crashing through the wooden door and landing in the hot spring.

"Ahhh—!"

"A man! A pervert!"

"Get him!"

"Where's my towel?!"

"Why bother with a towel? Cover your face!"

Amid the screams, a puff of smoke erupted behind Ku.

There stood a man clutching his butt, white hair spiky like a hedgehog, face still painted with makeup.

"Kid, don't you know that when a shadow clone disperses, all its pain comes back to the original? I—"

Jiraiya froze, eyes widening.

"...Uzumaki Ku?"

Ku looked at him with disdain:

"Did the tree branch make noise when it came out of the ground? Pretty fast with that shadow clone, I didn't even notice. If I hadn't aimed, I'd have turned you into a kebab instantly."

That made Jiraiya tense up, that sensation just now had been too real...

They both asked at the same time:

"Why are you in the Land of Rain?"

Jiraiya chuckled: "Minato told me you're someone who knows everything. So, shouldn't you already know why I'm here?"

Kuu replied calmly: "No one truly knows everything. Every variable creates new branches of possibility. At best, I've only seen a possible ending."

"An ending?"

Jiraiya thought for a moment, then asked: "What kind of ending did you see?"

Kuu looked him up and down in disdain: "You couldn't afford the answer. Or to put it another way, you don't have anything I want in exchange."

"You went back to Konoha, you should know my intelligence comes at a price. And sadly... you're worthless."