In the sparse jungle, a dozen figures continuously shuttle and jump among the trees. Occasionally, there are waterfalls and flames appearing, and the earth trembles from time to time, while the figures gradually decrease.
"Is it all resolved?"
Only when there were five people left did their movements stop. After quickly gathering, Tatsuma formed the hand seal, touching the ground with his fingertips. Then he nodded and said, "There are no more Rain Ninja traces."
"Why are you injured again? Do you act as if you don't have a left shoulder?"
At this moment, Tsunade came to Tatsuma's side, using Medical Ninjutsu while expressing dissatisfaction. Tatsuma glanced at the wound, which was estimated to be deeper than a toothpick's length, and said, "It's just a scratch from a Shuriken, nothing serious."
"What if these Rain Ninja's weapons are poisoned? There have been quite a few cases of poisoning in the main forces."
Tsunade's tone still carried dissatisfaction as Tatsuma glanced at his sensei with a strange look, knowing that the Shuriken that hit him was thrown by Tsunade.
However, the Shuriken was knocked away by a Rain Ninja and happened to graze Tatsuma's left shoulder while he was fighting another Rain Ninja. It was considered friendly fire, but it seemed to activate the effect of "Growing Through Battle."
In just a few words, Tatsuma's wound had completely healed. Orochimaru, at this time, had finished examining the bodies of several Rain Ninja and returned to the group, saying, "They are all reconnaissance Ninja and communication Ninja. They were probably sent to scout the situation on our side by the rear forces. According to the intelligence gathered from them, they are still unaware that the Land of Iron has decided to send troops."
Jiraiya nodded and said, "That's good, but we need to return to the village as soon as possible. Several countries here have agreed to make way, and our mission is complete."
With that, Jiraiya looked at Tatsuma and Minato, saying, "Congratulations to both of you. You've probably broken the record for the youngest Ninja to complete an S-rank mission in the village."
Minato smiled shyly and didn't attach too much importance to this. Tatsuma was even more indifferent, considering that he had already completed an S-rank mission last year, albeit one that the village couldn't officially recognize.
In twenty days, traveling between five countries, persuading the Land of Iron to send troops, convincing countries like the Land of Fields and the Land of Grass to yield, this involved tasks that could rewrite the current war situation, fully deserving of an S-rank mission.
Orochimaru sighed softly at this moment, saying, "It only alleviated some pressure. Sand Ninja, Rain Ninja, Cloud Ninja, and even the Mist Ninja whose intentions are still unclear, are all watching us like hawks. I wonder if the next Shinobi World War will be on such a scale?"
In an instant, any hint of joy from completing the mission vanished, yet Orochimaru didn't stop. He continued, "According to the intelligence received by the village in the past two days, sensei is preparing to advance the graduation exams at the ninja academy and encouraging early graduation. Additionally, the Chunin exams will no longer be open to outsiders this time; instead, they will be internal promotions. There are even plans to send Uchiha and other Ninja to retrieve Sakumo-senpai."
Jiraiya looked at Tatsuma and Minato, asking, "Do you want to participate in the Chunin exams? Although with your strength, it would be just a formality, raising the rank of a Genin is still a good idea."
Upon hearing this, Tatsuma instantly understood what Jiraiya meant. It implied the upcoming three-front operation, and Jiraiya didn't want the two of them to be among the first batch of Ninja to go to the front lines.
Although the Chunin exams were already being urgently prepared, various arrangements would take about ten days to half a month, including the examination time and the reorganization of teams after the exams. It could take a month or even longer.
In this way, even without considering the front line against the Sand Ninja, the war against the Rain Ninja or the highly likely outbreak of conflict with the Cloud Ninja had already begun for some time. The first batch of operational Ninja would bring back a wealth of intelligence.
This intelligence would be a tool for increasing the survival rate of future Ninja teams.
Currently, the front line against the Sand Ninjas was under the command of Danzo. Even if Orochimaru and the other two resumed their frontline command duties, it would most likely be on the front lines against the Rain Ninjas or the Cloud Ninjas.
In this way, the experience accumulated by Tatsuma and Minato from their multiple battles against the Sand Ninjas last year would not be put to use. Therefore, delaying their deployment to the battlefield would be extremely advantageous for the two of them. This could be seen as a small favor from Jiraiya.
Orochimaru and Tsunade nodded in agreement with Jiraiya's idea at this moment, and Tatsuma couldn't help but ponder.
He knew that the Cloud Ninjas probably wouldn't actually participate in this Shinobi World War. At most, they would continue to divert the forces of Konoha Ninja, waiting for an opportunity.
So, if he and Minato were to return to the battlefield again, it was highly probable that they would follow Orochimaru and the others, heading to the battlefield in the Land of Rain to fight against the Rain Ninjas. Fighting against the Sand Ninjas within the Land of Rain would be doubly effective, but the situation with the Rain Ninjas was different.
The Sand Ninjas were unfamiliar with the rainforest terrain, and most of their Ninjutsu and Chakra attributes wouldn't be able to exert their maximum power in the rainforest. This was also why Danzo insisted on dragging the battlefield into the Land of Rain.
Although Danzo's actions angered Hanzo, leading to the escalation of the current war, it must be said that by completely dragging the battlefield into the Land of Rain, he greatly favored the victory of the Sand Ninjas in the war.
If it weren't for this reason, Tatsuma estimated that Sarutobi Hiruzen would definitely not allow Danzo to continue leading the Konoha Ninjas to stay in the Land of Rain, because fighting against the Sand Ninjas in the Land of Rain was advantageous for Konoha.
However, with the enemy now being the Rain Ninja, the disadvantageous position shifted to Konoha. Last year, after spending three months undercover in the Land of Rain, Tatsuma's entire sensory team had to be extremely cautious to evade the Rain Ninja's reconnaissance.
Once the battle erupted, Konoha would instantly find itself at a disadvantage compared to when fighting the Sand Ninjas, because the Rain Ninja were more skilled, especially in their home territory. They understood how to utilize the terrain and topography of the Land of Rain to launch attacks, defenses, ambushes, and other actions.
To understand the Rain Ninja's fighting style, frontline layout, and more would require countless lives of Konoha Ninjas in exchange. In such a situation, even Jonin wouldn't dare to guarantee their own safety, let alone Tatsuma and Minato.
After realizing this, Tatsuma took a deep breath and said straightforwardly, "I understand. Then Minato and I will stay in the village to participate in the Chunin exams."
Minato was somewhat puzzled but didn't speak up. After all, between the two of them, Tatsuma had always played the role of decision-maker, and he trusted Tatsuma's judgment and decisions.
Upon hearing Tatsuma's response, Tsunade nodded satisfactorily. In truth, she was afraid that Tatsuma would refuse and feared he might say something like "obey sensei's arrangements," which would seem hypocritical.
Since they could see the intention behind the arrangement, it was best to accept it candidly, and that's exactly what Tatsuma did. This made Tsunade even more fond of her disciple, unlike some people in the village who were so hypocritical.
Orochimaru also nodded in satisfaction and continued, "Chunin exams usually consist of three-person teams, but your situation is special. I believe sensei will understand and make appropriate arrangements."
If possible, Orochimaru even wanted these two to avoid this war entirely. After all, considering the talent demonstrated by Tatsuma and Minato, given time, catching up with the three of them or even surpassing them was not impossible.
The unpredictable growth environment of war could unearth many strong individuals, but it also led to the premature deaths of many talented individuals. Orochimaru had high hopes for the future of the two, so he didn't want them to perish prematurely.
"Haha, alright, let's hurry back to the village. Oh, by the way, you two should remember to review the encryption translation more. The Chunin exam pays attention to that," Jiraiya said as he stood up, a smile returning to his face. However, Orochimaru rolled his eyes and said, "Someone mistranslated all the village's encrypted messages a couple of days ago. Tatsuma and Minato were needed to help correct them."
Upon hearing this, Jiraiya's face reddened, then he glared at Orochimaru with embarrassment turning into anger, mimicking his tone, "I wonder who it was"
Orochimaru squinted his eyes and said, "Since you put it that way, I'll indulge you. You! Jiraiya! Lagging behind! Needing two students to help you correct encrypted translations! Are you satisfied?"
"What do you mean, am I satisfied?! Besides, I just had a momentary lapse! It wasn't an error!"
Jiraiya was furious, hopping in agitation. The banter between the two brought smiles to Tsunade, as well as Tatsuma and Minato. The slightly somber atmosphere just now was completely shattered.
After taking a moment to tidy up the surroundings and conceal any traces, the group of five set off once again towards the direction of Konoha, the Land of Fire.
Along the way, they encountered several Rain Ninjas or wandering Ninjas, but with the configuration of the five, they basically cleared through without any injuries. Tatsuma's injury, which would heal itself if left untreated, was the only concern.
Orochimaru even teased Tatsuma. Initially, he was very hopeful that Tatsuma, once reminded by him, would experience another rapid progress. Unfortunately, it seemed that Orochimaru's words were true; Tatsuma's left shoulder was always injured in battle.
The only improvement was that the wound was getting smaller, but even a small wound could be dangerous, so Orochimaru was still very dissatisfied.
Even as they neared the village of Konoha, he proposed sparring with Tatsuma to teach him practical combat. However, during their practice, Tatsuma never exposed any weaknesses in his left shoulder, in stark contrast to real battles.
After pondering for a while, Orochimaru could only speculate that during combat, Tatsuma's mind was excessively tense, preventing him from approaching warfare with a calm mind. The solution? Well, participating in more battles in the future would likely improve this.
After all, eventually, every Ninja would come to see battle as part of life and approach it with a calm mind, of course, when facing ordinary enemies.
It took them three days, but they finally returned to Konoha. This time, Tatsuma and Minato were also brought in for debriefing, although it was Orochimaru and the others who did most of the talking, and Tatsuma and Minato felt like they were just standing there as punishment.
In the end, when Sarutobi Hiruzen cast the Genjutsu: Will of Fire on the two, they finally had a small part to play, but any rewards were not mentioned by Sarutobi Hiruzen.
After the debriefing, Tsunade and Jiraiya suggested that Tatsuma and Minato participate in the Chunin exams. Naturally, Sarutobi Hiruzen had no objections. However, as the Chunin exams were still being prepared, the specific way in which the two would participate needed further discussion.
After finishing the debriefing, Jiraiya took Minato for training before the next mission arrived. Tatsuma intended to return home to study Senju Tobirama's notes, but...
"Sensei, Orochimaru-sama, is there anything else? If not, I'll take my leave."
"There is!" x2
Just as Tatsuma politely bid farewell and prepared to leave, Tsunade and Orochimaru simultaneously spoke up. Tatsuma was puzzled, but as he raised his head, he met Orochimaru's sparkling eyes.
"Tatsuma-kun, you haven't had your check-up yet. Both your sensei and I may be leaving the village soon, so we need to ensure your health first."
In Orochimaru's tone, there was an unexpected warmth, but coupled with his pale complexion and overly fervent thirst for knowledge in his eyes, Tatsuma thought, "I don't believe a word you say!"
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