Bab 188: Chapter 188: Getting Close to Leaders Doesn't Necessarily Mean Holding High Positions
Yahiko and the others aren't ninjas; they don't know the difficulty and significance of Jiraiya and the others isolating Hanzo on the battlefield, let alone the value of it. They only know they never fought three against one. On the other hand, Tatsuma effortlessly injured Hanzo in a single move, a feat they couldn't even dream of achieving. Then, with another move, he defeated hundreds of Rain Ninjas, appearing incredibly powerful.
Moreover, Tatsuma seems kinder than the big jagged guy with oil-painted marks on his face before them. They just witnessed Tatsuma healing others, and from the vague conversations among the ninjas, they gathered that Tatsuma and the handsome brother who smiles a lot were the ones who saved them.
In their hearts, the ideal sensei candidate is undoubtedly the "powerful" and kind Tatsuma, followed by the handsome brother who smiles a lot. As for the flamboyant uncle before them, he's not even in the running.
Noticing the various gazes directed at him, Tatsuma snapped back to reality. He looked at Yahiko's admiring yet longing gaze, then at Jiraiya's eyes, filled with sorrow and resentment, not knowing what had happened.
Though he felt a pang of jealousy, akin to being robbed of love by a former student, Jiraiya quickly briefed him on the situation, and Tatsuma's expression became increasingly strange.
A powerful ninja? Him? Tatsuma couldn't believe it. Even if Jiraiya let him use only one hand, he wouldn't stand a chance.
True, Tatsuma did possess techniques that could seriously injure or even kill Jiraiya, but having the means doesn't guarantee success. Just like killing Senju Hashirama, is it difficult? Not at all.
Take a knife, chop off his head, and the body separates—Senju Hashirama would be dead! But no one could manage to slide a knife across Senju Hashirama's neck.
Tatsuma had several jutsu, indeed powerful ones, but Jiraiya wouldn't give Tatsuma the chance to land a hit.
On the contrary, if Jiraiya wanted to control Tatsuma, he could do so without even using Ninjutsu. With sheer strength and speed alone, he could keep Tatsuma pinned down.
But Tatsuma probably also realized that Yahiko and the others truly didn't understand. So he said, "I'm going back to Konoha. If you want to learn from me, you'll have to come to Konoha too."
Upon hearing this, the three hesitated. After all, they had never left the Land of Rain before. Even when Yahiko initially proposed learning Ninjutsu, he talked about helping the Land of Rain become better.
But if they left the Land of Rain, how could they help make it better?
These kids weren't thinking about returning after learning; they didn't even know how vast the ninja world was, let alone the distance between the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire.
Leaving was just leaving; as for coming back, they hadn't thought about it yet.
In contrast, Jiraiya's willingness to stay behind, to remain in the Land of Rain that nurtured them, to teach them—it suddenly made him much more attractive.
Jiraiya seemed to understand the implied meaning in Tatsuma's words and gave him a satisfied look. Indeed, he was worthy of being his former student.
Although they didn't ultimately become his disciples, they still understood gratitude and didn't resort to underhanded tactics.
But suddenly, Jiraiya felt something was amiss. He had generously wanted to stay behind and teach the three, so why did he now have to consider Tatsuma's opinion?
And these three little troublemakers had "abandoned" him before. Why did he feel inexplicably excited now that they were turning back?
Yahiko's eyes shifted between Jiraiya and Tatsuma, then he spoke reluctantly, "Sorry, Ninja-sama. We don't want to leave the Land of Rain."
Looking at Jiraiya, he continued, "Can you teach us Ninjutsu, Ninja-sama?"
Upon hearing Yahiko's explicit mention of learning Ninjutsu, Jiraiya hesitated for a moment. Seeing the three's faces darken, he couldn't bear to refuse them.
Jiraiya rubbed Yahiko's head and said, "What I, Jiraiya-sama, promised won't be broken, but as for Ninjutsu, I won't teach it to you too quickly. I'll teach you how to become an excellent person. Whether I teach you Ninjutsu or not depends on your talent."
"Forget it, Jiraiya. You're not even an excellent person yourself, and you want to teach others?" Tsunade jabbed, and Orochimaru nodded in agreement. Jiraiya's expression froze, and suddenly Yahiko wondered if his choice was wrong.
But soon, his gaze became firm again. Even if the Ninja in front of them weren't excellent or powerful enough, there were already plenty of things to learn from Jiraiya for them.
Seeing that Yahiko didn't regret his decision, Jiraiya breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and looked at Tsunade and Orochimaru. Orochimaru looked at Jiraiya and asked, "Are you really not going back?"
"Not for now. The war has already ended, and there may still be some loose ends, but with you two here, it's enough."
Jiraiya looked at Minato, who had been silent, and said, "Minato, from now on, Sensei won't be able to help you much with your path."
"It's okay, Sensei. I'll work hard on my own."
Minato smiled in response, but Jiraiya felt even more guilty. He rubbed Minato's head and said, "Minato, Sensei hopes you can forge a path different from mine, and then surpass Sensei! That's what I believe a Sensei would be most proud of and what I admire the most."
"I will, Sensei."
Minato nodded firmly. In fact, over the past year or two, Jiraiya had gradually reduced his planning for Minato's growth path. Minato was now exploring it on his own, with Jiraiya providing guidance when needed. However, having a sensei there and not having Sensei there made a difference. When Sensei was around, Minato could ask him anything without any psychological burden.
And in situations where he wasn't there, others might be willing to teach Minato, but Minato might not necessarily accept it openly. So, Jiraiya looked at Orochimaru and said, "Orochimaru, I..."
"Mm."
Before Jiraiya could articulate his request, Orochimaru nodded. Jiraiya was just too easy to understand; he didn't need to speak for Orochimaru to guess what he wanted.
It was nothing more than asking him to proactively inquire if Minato encountered any difficulties in his path and to help him understand and solve them.
After all, Nawaki was destined to be unable to inherit his Sensei's talent in Ninjutsu, but Orochimaru didn't mind imparting his knowledge to individuals like Minato and Tatsuma, who had exceptional potential.
Yahiko also understood what was happening. With eyes filled with apology, he looked at the handsome big brother who smiled so beautifully. If it weren't for his request, this big brother might not have to part ways with his Sensei.
But Yahiko didn't want to miss this opportunity, so he could only watch Minato like this, and Minato naturally noticed and once again showed Yahiko a sunny smile.
Finally, Jiraiya looked at Tsunade, somewhat awkwardly asking, "Tsunade, will you wait for me to return?"
"Hmph! Your feet are under your control. When you want to return to the village, return. What does it have to do with me? Or do you want me to stay here in the rain, waiting for you to finish teaching these three brats?"
Upon hearing this, Jiraiya's head hung even lower, and he didn't say anything more. He simply led Yahiko and the others away from the group, and Orochimaru issued orders for the team to head back to Konoha.
The return journey started off slowly, and it took a day and a half to leave the Land of Rain. As they looked at the sky lighting up again, the mood among the Ninja in the team improved considerably.
After two days of silence, the team began to talk again, occasionally mixed with laughter, bringing a sense of victory to the atmosphere.
As they got closer and closer to Konoha, the atmosphere within the team continued to improve because all the Land of Fire civilians they encountered along the way praised and hailed them as heroes who had quelled the war.
During conversations with these Land of Fire civilians, nicknames like "Sannin" and "Konoha's Dragon," coined by Hanzo, began to spread.
The injuries of the wounded gradually healed, but the return journey did not speed up. In fact, it slowed down quite a bit because every time they passed through a town, Tsunade would go to the gambling houses.
Tsunade was responsible for losing, and Tatsuma was responsible for winning, barely managing to balance their expenses. Of course, this was only when Tatsuma strongly insisted that Tsunade limit her gambling to simple games like betting on even or odd or black or white, which only had two possible outcomes.
Otherwise, if they played roulette, Tatsuma wouldn't be able to win it back.
However, as they continued to gamble, they ended up completely draining their money. After all, if Tsunade bet big, the house might not necessarily play small; it could also be a clean sweep by the bank.
In addition, Tatsuma didn't have much initial capital; it was just what he had taken from some Rain Ninja. Even if he could win, the growth was limited due to the limited capital. After a few rounds of winning, they naturally ended up losing it all.
The village was very tolerant of them and didn't require them to return immediately, so it took nearly ten days for them to complete a journey that would normally take less than three days.
Because their return was so "unpredictable," the villagers of Konoha didn't anticipate their arrival. Only a few people welcomed them along the way. Although the number of people was small, their smiles were sincere.
Tatsuma went with Tsunade and the others to report their mission, as the overall direction of this operation was proposed by Tatsuma. Therefore, Sarutobi Hiruzen specifically summoned him.
Although the battle reports had already been sent back, as a leader, it was still necessary to ask a few questions in person to demonstrate one's importance. Moreover, praising someone face to face would make the subordinates even more excited.
After the mission report, Tatsuma also talked about his analysis of the post-war situation. However, he returned too late this time, and the village had already come up with similar analysis results.
Although Tatsuma didn't contribute much, Sarutobi Hiruzen appreciated him even more. After all, the analysis results from Shikato and his entire staff were remarkably similar to Tatsuma's analysis.
While Shikato's team provided clearer and more detailed data in their analysis reports, presenting the pros and cons and impacts of their proposed plans, this level of work couldn't be handled by Tatsuma alone, making his analysis seem somewhat superficial.
However, Tatsuma's keen insight and foresight had already been demonstrated, which was something Sarutobi Hiruzen admired.
Just as Tatsuma was about to finish his mission report and leave to take a bath and get a good night's sleep, Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly asked:
"Tatsuma, do you have any plans for yourself after the war?"
Upon hearing this, Tatsuma was taken aback because he hadn't thought about this question before. After all, it had been a few years of living a life where he took on missions when available and enjoyed his free time during breaks. He hadn't really considered any career plans with a specific direction.
However, Tatsuma quickly grasped the situation. Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed to be offering him a clearer path for promotion. Curious, Tatsuma asked, "Hokage-sama, I haven't thought about this question. Do you have any suggestions?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, his face showing a smile. Tatsuma's keen insight and comforting way of speaking were much better than dealing with his three prodigies. With a cheerful tone, Sarutobi Hiruzen said, "Sakumo will be busy for some time to come, so he won't be able to continue as the Hokage's guard. Are you interested in filling the vacancy left by Sakumo?"
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