idk man [discontinued]

31

The Toad Sage was right. He did have an angry Namikaze to handle the next morning. Minato is not one to shout or to display acts of anger or negative emotion. But he has his own special way of being disappointed.

Jiraiya thought it was rather childish now the kid was all grown up into a young man now, but experiencing his wrath personally was something else.

The old man would chastise himself if it meant not hearing the continuous nagging of the Namikaze. It ate him up from the inside and the impeding guilt was no less intense. And the amount of ignoring you'd get later was worse. Jiraiya would think he'd never be able to see his student ever again.

The white haired male sat pitifully, right outside the big building where the Hokage resided. The bridge he sat on was incomplete and resembled a mini hill rather than a bridge. The civilians were scarce and all you'd see were men walking outside. No women, no children.

Shinobi stationed neatly and alert at any threats that not even an ant could enter without it being informed. The war was technically over. 

But that was just on paper.

Post-war battles and skirmishes around the borders were sure to exist. That's why he couldn't see that blond haired Uzumaki when he looked around. That guy was hurt and at the hospital.

"Jiraiya-chan is so pitiful. Are you going to wallow around the whole day like this?"

Jiraiya got startled at the sudden voice, "Whoa, you scared me there!"

Shima the toad just shakes her head as the smoke from her summoning disappeared, "I came up to give you some news but sensing your sadness has now ruined my mood."

"Oh, I'm sorry 'bout that Shima. I just did something I shouldn't have done and I feel guilty. Real nice of me." Jiraiya sighs as the toad slowly climbs down him and hops down to the bench.

"You got away with only a few scratches. Lucky you!" says Shima as she scans the male but he points to his left hand, "Welllll yeahhh about that. Sorta fractured my hand? And maybe some fingers...and maybe some organ damage?" he adds the last part hesitantly.

Shima has her eyes widened dramatically, yet very seriously staring at the male. Her mouth tips down slightly as if she were frowning before saying, "What the hell did you do? Jump down from Mount Myoboku barefoot?"

"I would have a leg fracture from that. Never mind though. My fingers are healed but they wanted to have my left hand naturally heal so I have  a cast. My stomach sorta got sewed and now I can't eat ramen." Jiraiya answered and there was an awkward silence between the two.

Shima takes one more last look at Jiraiya before bringing a webbed hand to her practically non-existent nose, massaging herself. 

"I'm going to get a headache."

"Yeah, my bad." Jiraiya chuckles. "So, you were going to bring me some news?"

"The news is about the Child of the Prophecy." answered Shima immediately. "Isn't that why you've come down here?" 

"Oh yeah I did. I figured it'd be Minato. Just look at him, the student I'm most proud of. He's already a war hero!" Jiraiya exclaimed as his mood immediately changed, thinking about the Namikaze. "That kid is all grown up now." he sniffed, wiping away imaginary tears. Shima stares at the man judgingly before saying, "So about that. Gamamaru-sama has a new prophecy about the Child of the Prophecy."

"Oh really? What is it? Why couldn't you have just called me?"

Shima waved a dismissive hand(?), "Nope. Gotta do it now. Anyway, what the he's got to say is that the Prophecy is disappearing."

"Huh?"

Jiraiya didn't catch that.

"Disappearing. It's fading away. The dreams he's been getting are crumbling away. He can't see anything further than what he's seen previously." Shima explained. "The building that's been built is getting demolished now. He's says that there was a misconception about the whole prophecy gig." 

"Misconception? Gamamaru? Never! He never get's anything wrong!" Jiraiya exclaimed, visibly shook. Gamamaru was known for the accuracy of his prophecies and it never failed him, but this was a first.

"Well, he never said anything about not misunderstanding the prophecy." Shima simply shrugged her shoulders. 

Jiraiya was in disbelief. "Are you sure about that? Wait are you even Shima?!" he grabs the toad with his hand and squishes it's cheeks.

"Of course I am!" Shima shouts as a spit of venom defensively squirts out of her mouth, leaving the male with a melted hand guard.

Jiraiya flinched. 

Okay so that was definitely her. 

"Silly child. Do that one more time and I might really burn your face." 

"Sorry."

"Anyway," Shima continued, "There's a poppy in the field of daisies but it's going to die soon. A lot of people come to water it and visit it everyday but it withers bit by bit everyday."

That was the vision Gamamaru had seen. 

"Ojiji-sama says he can't see further than that."

Jiraiya thought for a while. What could that vision mean? A poppy in a field of daisies was a common metaphor for someone being the odd one out or someone left out. 

"Who could be a poppy in a field of daisies?" Jiraiya muttered, putting some more thought into it. 

"No idea. I'll be leaving anyway. Don't hurt yourself." Shima warned before she disappeared into a poof of smoke. 

Jiraiya would never know that the dream Gamamaru had literally applied to the Child of the Prophecy. The colors, the sights, the people around him.

It was all coming together. 

And one day it would crumble. He would finally be at rest. The shattered mirror would repair itself, the wilting flower would come back to life and the dying embers would roar back to life. 

***

written; wednesday, 22 december, 2021

published; wednesday, 22 december, 2021

I guess that's the end of season two. Season three will start next year and boy am I excited. This book has been going on for three years now and I'm so glad I've improved! I can see it when I read my old drafts. 

Anyway, thank you all for accompanying me in this long journey of a book. I hope I'll be able to finish it in between the next ten chapters? I'm not sure if I'll be able to cuz I write too much, but yeah! :)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. God bless! <3