บท 56: Chapter 56: Back

I have to say, Jiraiya's willpower is really something else.

Much like Naruto in the future, Jiraiya possesses a resilient and indomitable spirit. Even when he's down in the dumps, he always manages to bounce back, lifting himself up with his sheer determination. Maybe that's why so many people in the future end up admiring him. He's positive, optimistic, and full of a kind of energy that never fades.

After resting for a bit, the group resumed their journey towards The Land Of Rice Fields. The mission went off without any real trouble. Aside from encountering a few small-time bandits and a group of wandering ninjas, there were no significant threats.

When it came to the bandits, Orochimaru didn't even need to lift a finger. Jiraiya and Tsunade took care of everything swiftly.

The only real confrontation worth mentioning was with the wandering ninja group a team made up of one chuunin and three genin. However, they were no match for the strength of Orochimaru's team. The battle was over before it even began.

During that fight, Orochimaru noticed something strange about himself a growing sense of ruthlessness. He had no desire to let his enemies live. The moment the chuunin engaged him, he killed the man in an instant. If it weren't for Tsunade and Jiraiya stopping him, the three genin would have likely faced the same fate, without the chance to flee.

Orochimaru didn't reflect on this too deeply. To him, it was the natural course of things. In this world, you either survived or you didn't, and his growing instinct to eliminate threats seemed logical perhaps even necessary.

---

The mission, a B-rank, had a payout of 150,000 ryo. Despite its difficulty being on the higher side of B-rank, the commission was the maximum amount for that rank. However, this mission had stretched out for a full eighteen days, and when Orochimaru thought about it, making money as a ninja was no easy task.

Ninjas, despite their immense power and the dangerous work they undertook, were still essentially highly-paid mercenaries. The 150,000 ryo had to be split among the village, the team, and the individual members. After all the deductions, there wasn't much left.

That said, the mission wasn't without its personal rewards. After completing their escort, Orochimaru took a couple of days to investigate the Land of Rice Fields. He concluded that this small nation lacked any ninja villages and was sparsely populated. Even the daimyo's residence was unimpressive. It wasn't grand or opulent just a bit more spacious than the average home.

It wasn't hard to see why Orochimaru had chosen this place to establish his base in the original timeline. The daimyo of such a small country would be easily bribed, and without a powerful political structure or a significant population, it was the perfect place to establish a hidden village without drawing much attention.

---

By the time Orochimaru and his team returned to Konoha, eighteen days had passed.

As they entered the village gates, they overheard two gatekeepers talking.

"The recovery power of this new potion is unreal! Did you hear about how Rukawa survived his mission thanks to it?"

"Really? That's incredible!"

"Yeah, I've got to say, it's been a game changer for a lot of missions."

"No kidding. I ordered one for myself after hearing all the hype. I wasn't sure it'd live up to it, but now I'm convinced."

"You didn't believe the rumors? You didn't see the demonstration by Harano at the hospital?"

"No, I had something else going on that day…"

"Ah, makes sense."

As they continued walking, Tsunade and Jiraiya exchanged a glance, both turning their eyes to Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru, this recovery potion you developed… It's really making waves," Tsunade remarked, impressed. "But with something like this, won't that make medical ninjutsu obsolete?"

Tsunade's expression turned thoughtful, almost worried. When she first started studying medical ninjutsu, her goal had been to reduce the casualties of her comrades in battle, to save lives. But with Orochimaru's potion being so effective at healing wounds, what use would there be for her medical skills? Was her chosen path becoming pointless?

Orochimaru, sensing her concern, responded calmly, "It's not quite like that. The potion is expensive not everyone can afford it. And many of the ingredients are rare, so there's a limit to how much we can produce. Even if you have the money, it doesn't mean there will always be stock. But more importantly, the potion doesn't deal with poisons or complex injuries that require more than just healing."

"Poisons…" Tsunade repeated, her tension easing. "So it can't detoxify or deal with diseases?"

Orochimaru nodded. "Exactly. Medical ninjas are still essential. You can treat a far wider variety of conditions than the potion can. And besides, there's always a need for personalized care."

Tsunade's shoulders visibly relaxed, a smile crossing her face. "Good. For a moment there, I thought my skills were becoming useless."

She was right to be relieved. Medical ninjutsu, after all, went beyond just healing cuts and bruises. Medical ninjas were lifesavers in a wide array of scenarios, from curing diseases to handling life-threatening injuries and poisons.

"By the way, Orochimaru, since this potion is so rare, do you carry a spare?" Tsunade asked, her curiosity piqued.

Orochimaru smirked, pulling out a scroll. "Of course." With a puff of smoke, two bottles appeared in his hand. "Here, one for each of you. Let's hope you won't need them."

"Hehe, thanks!" Tsunade said, not wasting any time taking one for herself. She figured there was no need to be modest after all, she was already considering herself Orochimaru's girlfriend, so there was nothing wrong with accepting a gift from him.

Jiraiya, however, turned his head away, crossing his arms with a huff. "Heh! Jiraiya sama doesn't need such things. I'm strong enough without a potion."

He stood there, expecting Orochimaru to tease him, maybe argue with him a little. But instead, there was… silence.

After a moment, Jiraiya turned around, confused. To his surprise, Orochimaru had already walked away, leaving him standing there.

"Wait! Orochimaru! Aren't you going to say something?" Jiraiya called out, but Orochimaru didn't even look back.

Tsunade, meanwhile, burst into uncontrollable laughter. "Haha! Oh Jiraiya, why do you always do this to yourself? Take the potion already."

Realizing he had missed his chance to impress anyone, Jiraiya sulked and glanced at the potions in Tsunade's hand. He finally figured it out Orochimaru had given both potions to Tsunade without hesitation, leaving Jiraiya out in the cold.

"Well… he didn't even offer it to me directly…" Jiraiya muttered, scratching his head in defeat.

As he stared at Orochimaru walking further away, he realized that maybe Orochimaru wasn't so bad after all despite everything, his friend still looked out for him in his own way.

"Hey, Orochimaru, wait up!" Jiraiya called out, running to catch up, potion in hand.