Before long, the three of them reached the area above the Hokage Rock.
"Just five hundred meters further, inside the woods." Guy pointed to the dense trees ahead, then smugly glanced at Kakashi.
Kakashi rolled his eyes, completely ignoring Guy's childish antics.
At this point, Kakashi had not fallen into darkness like in the original timeline. While his father had committed suicide and his best friend Obito had "died," thanks to Sora's intervention during the Nine-Tails incident, he still had his teacher and his teacher's wife—and even gained a good friend in Sora.
Some events had been forcibly restored to the original track, but Sora's butterfly effect had stirred the wind in many places.
With their level of strength, the 500-meter trek took the three Jonin no time at all.
What greeted Sora's eyes exceeded all his expectations.
Surrounded by lush greenery and thick forest on all sides was a wide, flat clearing blanketed with grass and flowers. At the center of it all, a small serene lake shimmered in the light. It was like a scene from a painting.
"This is the place!" Sora clapped his hands, decision made.
Next came building the house—which neither he, Kakashi, nor Guy could do by themselves.
Earth Style might be versatile, but it wasn't meant for house building.
After all, mud wasn't exactly the same as brick and cement. It wasn't pretty, and definitely not safe.
Who knew when the thing might collapse? It wasn't like Sora was going to sit around acting as a power bank, pumping chakra into the walls every day.
Still, it wasn't a big issue. When Orochimaru had joined his team, he had also brought along intel on a child.
That child was Tenzo, or as he'd later be known—Yamato.
Once it was discovered he had Wood Style, Minato and Hiruzen had arranged to keep him under close observation.
Did Sora plan to call Yamato? Not at all.
It was just Wood Style—Sora could use it too, and his version was indistinguishable from the First Hokage's.
"Wood Style – Mansion Construction Technique!"
After visualizing the model in his mind, Sora got to work without hesitation.
One by one, thick wooden beams sprouted from the earth. In less than thirty seconds, a luxurious villa stood tall before them.
Kakashi and Guy stood frozen, eyes wide and mouths agape, unable to utter a single word.
They had known Sora possessed multiple kekkei genkai, but rumors were nothing compared to witnessing it firsthand.
Before long, the three of them had most of the villa completed, leaving only details like installing glass and furnishings.
Guy volunteered to go back to the village and carry the furniture himself, claiming it was good for his training.
With a spirited shout of youth, both Kakashi and Sora immediately agreed.
In less than two hours, everything was set up, marking the end of Sora's move.
That evening, he hosted a celebratory dinner with the Legendary Three, Minato and Kushina, as well as Kakashi and Guy, who had helped him.
But as they laughed and enjoyed themselves, none of them knew that far away in the Land of Grass, the traitor Shinobi of Konoha—Shinno—had already set his sights on Sora.
After years of research, his forbidden technique, the Chimera Technique, had finally been perfected. What he needed now was a collection of kekkei genkai.
At first, he had his eyes on others, but then he heard the news about Sora.
Like the Fourth Raikage, he didn't believe the exaggerated rumors of Sora's strength, but the part about his numerous kekkei genkai? That, he found credible.
Exaggerating his strength might deter rival villages, but no one would bother lying about bloodline limits.
"Excellent. Heaven itself has delivered me a gift right after I perfected the Chimera Technique."
Though he hadn't captured Sora yet, Shinno already considered him a prize waiting to be claimed.
Eager to enhance his own power, Shinno packed some essentials and headed for Konoha.
It was risky, but Sora certainly wouldn't come to him—he'd have to find a way to kidnap him.
///
The night passed without incident. The next morning, after a light meal, Sora headed to Jiraiya's place.
Now that Konoha was thriving, Jiraiya had chosen to settle down for good.
First, because Konoha was growing fast and needed capable hands.
Second, Tsunade was here—if he wanted to see her, he had to stay.
And third, Konoha had become the most prosperous place in the Land of Fire—perhaps even the entire shinobi world. The women were the prettiest, and the hot springs the most luxurious!
Yes… the second and third reasons were the real ones. But regardless, he had stayed.
Bang! Sora flung open the door. "Ready yet? Can we go to Mount Myoboku now?"
They had discussed this the night before, but Jiraiya had to wait for the toads' approval, hence the delay.
"You're up early…" Jiraiya yawned, stumbling out in his pajamas. "The Great Toad Sage said yes. Let me get dressed."
Less than three minutes later, Jiraiya the Toad Sage reappeared, and without another word, brought Sora straight to Mount Myoboku.
Opening his eyes, Sora took in the surroundings—it was exactly as he remembered from the original timeline.
"Little Jiraiya, is this the kid who wants to come to Mount Myoboku? The Great Toad Sage wants to see you."
A deep, elderly voice came from beneath his feet. Looking down, Sora saw it was none other than Fukasaku and Shima, the Elder Toads.
After greeting them, he followed them toward the Great Toad Sage.
This was his main reason for coming here—why would he refuse?
"You've come, boy who will change the shinobi world," the Great Toad Sage said in his usual drowsy tone, eyes half-closed as if still asleep.
"I'm honored. What did you want to see me about?" Sora tilted his head curiously.
From Jiraiya, he had already learned that all three Great Holy Lands had been showing his portrait around, searching for him.
"You are a variable in the shinobi world. Because of your presence, I can no longer see the future. That's why I want to form a contract with you."
"Sure. No problem at all."
Sora agreed without hesitation. He understood perfectly what the Great Toad Sage meant.
He had changed the course of the world—and had rendered the Toad Sage's foresight useless.
To prevent Mount Myoboku from being endangered, having Sora contract with them as their summoner made perfect sense.
This way, their fates would be tied—Sora wouldn't harm his own summoning beasts.
The Great Toad Sage nodded in satisfaction. It was always easier dealing with smart people—no need for endless explanations.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya stood slack-jawed.
The Great Toad Sage couldn't predict the future because of Sora?
He struggled to reattach his jaw and stammered, "Great Toad Sage… do I still need to find the Child of Prophecy?"
"Who are you again?"
"That's Little Jiraiya! Little Jiraiya!" Shima interjected, her small frog body housing a massive voice.
"Oh, Little Jiraiya! Right…" the Great Toad Sage turned back. "Once the variable has appeared, the future of the shinobi world belongs to the variable."