"Cough, cough!"
Jiraiya coughed awkwardly, mumbling as he tried to explain himself.
"It's just... well, I was on the battlefield, so I didn't have the time to properly teach Minato. It's not like I wanted to neglect him on purpose."
"Besides, wasn't Orochimaru the same as me?"
Why could Orochimaru get away with it but not him? Nawaki's double standards were starting to irk him!
"That's why Orochimaru-sensei gave me plenty of help and compensation. So, what do you plan to offer Minato as compensation?"
Nawaki grinned mischievously, tossing the hot potato back to Jiraiya.
Damn it! I take it back!
Hearing the word "compensation," Jiraiya immediately backed down. Not that he was unwilling to give anything—he just found it bothersome.
Sure, Orochimaru's compensation to Nawaki was something he could match, but Minato didn't need it.
Minato, being independent and resourceful, didn't expect Jiraiya to compensate him. He felt that his teacher had already given him enough.
But whether or not someone wanted something was one matter; offering it was another.
"What are you guys talking about?"
Suddenly, Minato appeared, slightly out of breath. It was clear that long-distance teleportation was taking its toll on him.
More than once, Minato had envied the vast chakra reserves possessed by Takuya and Kushina.
He didn't expect to be on par with Takuya or Kushina, but even having Nawaki's chakra capacity would be enough.
If he had that, there'd be no limit to what he could do.
Too bad—it was just a wishful thought.
"We were talking about why your teacher didn't give you compensation."
"Really?"
Minato glanced at his speechless teacher and scratched his head, chuckling as he spoke up for Jiraiya.
"Actually, sensei did want to give me some compensation. I just turned it down."
See! It's not that I didn't offer—it's that Minato refused! You all better not go around calling me, the Toad Sage Jiraiya, stingy!
"Sensei, please get ready. I'll be back soon."
After resting for a bit, Minato teleported the second group of people, then the third.
Once everyone was moved, the warship set sail back towards the Whirlpool Country's waters.
Takuya and the others had successfully retreated and left Flying Thunder God markers on several of the islands along the way. If they wanted to, they could teleport back for a surprise attack whenever they chose.
Yagura had forced Suikazan Fuguki to lead his troops and search island after island, trying to track down Takuya and the rest. But all they found was nothing—empty islands.
When the warship returned to the Whirlpool Country's port, the group disembarked, and Nawaki immediately called out in excitement.
"Sensei!!"
Orochimaru had arrived at the Whirlpool Country?
"Weren't you supposed to be at the coastal camp? What are you doing here in the Whirlpool Country?"
In response to Jiraiya's question, Orochimaru explained, "Shikaku is overseeing the camp; it should be fine. If anything unexpected happens, he'll inform me."
"Tch! I thought you were here to reprimand us."
Jiraiya couldn't help but raise his middle finger at Orochimaru.
Like he didn't know what kind of person Orochimaru was. Why the pretense?
Orochimaru cast Jiraiya a sidelong glance, too lazy to respond. Looking around at the group, he said, "Everyone, head to the command center. There's something I'd like to discuss."
With that, Orochimaru took the lead and walked towards the command center.
Jiraiya, feeling ignored, grumbled as he followed along.
"Hey, hey, hey! What's the big idea, Orochimaru? Stop right there, you arrogant snake!"
"Shut up, you idiot!"
"Cough, cough!"
No one expected these two seasoned warriors to suddenly bicker like children—one taunting, the other shouting.
Everyone's expressions became a little awkward. Nawaki glanced at Minato, amused.
Minato sighed, rubbing his forehead. He couldn't fathom why Jiraiya behaved this way.
Maybe it was just his personality?
Takuya once said that men, no matter how old, were still like children. Maybe he wasn't wrong.
"But... is sensei really here to reprimand us?"
Nawaki suddenly felt uneasy.
Day to day, it was hard to tell, but when something went wrong, Orochimaru could be pretty terrifying.
After all, he was their teacher. Plus, Orochimaru's expressionless demeanor often gave off a menacing vibe, much more intimidating than Jiraiya.
This was bad. Everyone started looking at Takuya.
If Orochimaru was here to demand accountability, wouldn't Takuya be in trouble?
After all, it was his idea to change the battle plan and adjust the mission.
If blame was being placed, he'd be the first in the line of fire.
"Accountability, my foot."
Takuya swatted Nawaki on the back, making him wince in pain. Watching Orochimaru's back, he said, "If he doesn't reward me, I'd consider myself lucky. Do you really think he's here to scold me?
"You're overthinking it."
If it had been the Third Hokage and his cronies, they'd probably try to pin some blame on him.
Then again, if it was an order from the Third Hokage, Takuya wouldn't bother giving it much thought anyway.
The group arrived at the command center.
Orochimaru sat at the head of the table, leisurely sipping tea. Meanwhile, Jiraiya, who had been yelling earlier, now looked sullen—arms crossed, clearly upset.
Who knows what Orochimaru had said to provoke him like that?
"Everyone, take a seat."
Orochimaru put down his cup.
Once everyone was seated, he laid out a map on the table, giving Takuya a glance before smiling slightly.
"Takuya, your suggestion for the mission gave me quite the surprise. My original plan was to break the island chain, occupy one of them, and force Kirigakure to dispatch troops to surround the island, starting a full-scale battle."
"That would lead to significant casualties," Takuya replied after a moment of thought.
Orochimaru smiled and shook his head. "To achieve victory in war, losses are inevitable."
Fair enough—Orochimaru was still the same risk-taker, willing to do whatever it took for victory. No change there.
If Kirigakure surrounded the islands and clashed with Konoha's reinforcements, the losses would be enormous. Once the battle started, Orochimaru doubted that Yagura could maintain control over his forces.
One couldn't forget that manipulating people's hearts was Orochimaru's specialty.
But, of course, such a move would come at a significant cost.
Takuya's suggestion had led Orochimaru to change his plan.
If they could force Kirigakure into a head-on confrontation without suffering heavy losses, why not?
You're the boss. Whatever you say goes.
Takuya shrugged, indicating he had nothing more to add.
As the saying goes, compassion has no place in warfare. To win, sacrifices sometimes have to be made.
"I'll make sure to record everyone's contributions. Now, there's something else I need to mention."
"Takuya Yagami and Minato Namikaze, please stay behind. Everyone else, you can go and rest. I'll be assigning you new tasks soon—you'll receive your orders shortly."
"Yes, sir."
The group stood up and began leaving the command center when Orochimaru added one more thing.
"Nawaki, that includes you."
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Next Bonus: 2100 Power Stones. ╰ (´꒳`) ╯
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 360+ at patreon com/ Emik01. ಥ‿ಥ
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