Three Disciples and the Examination

Setting aside the daily bickering between Jiraiya and Orochimaru, Torifu Akimichi had a plan in mind.

As an old teammate of the Third Hokage, Torifu Akimichi possessed a deeper understanding of this mission.

On the surface, their elite squad was tasked with protecting a merchant caravan traveling from the Land of Fire to the Land of Soup.

But on a deeper level, the objective was to seize the opportunity to investigate why the Land of Lightning had been frequently contacting Kekkei Genkai families lately.

They had already secretly slipped away from the actual merchant caravan they were supposed to be escorting and infiltrated the Land of Soup.

In times of peace, mutual probing never ceased, but before any decisive action was taken, everything had to be masked; one could not act too blatantly.

The Land of Soup bordered both the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, and its coastline was not too far from the Land of Water. The country was famous for having a thousand natural hot springs, earning it the title of the Land of a Thousand Springs. It was blessed with unique advantages, making its commerce and tourism industry extremely developed, with people coming and going and information flowing freely.

Therefore, since Konohagakure was not yet clear about the specific movements of Kumogakure and did not want to make a big scene, coming to the Land of Soup to gather information became the best choice.

Of course, this mission also had an atmospheric layer: it was a test for the three disciples of the Hokage.

As disciples of the "Strongest Hokage," the talents of Tsunade Senju, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru went without saying. Even Jiraiya, who was a late bloomer, was already a solid Jonin. The combat strength of the three was even above that of an average Jonin. However, because their team leader was the Hokage himself, their opportunities to participate in missions were not very frequent; after all, the Hokage could not take them out to run errands, so they usually performed missions led by other ninjas.

As their strength and age increased, the three had reached the time to stand on their own, and this mission was a test.

Because it involved the power struggle between two hidden villages, this mission was rated A-rank even if it might not necessarily require combat, and it could escalate to S-rank at any time. Furthermore, due to a lack of specific intelligence, this mission required a high degree of autonomy; they needed to decide how to act based on the situation, which was a great test of the three's comprehensive abilities.

As a veteran Elite Jonin and a former teammate of the Hokage, Torifu Akimichi was there to hold the line and also served as an examiner to help the Third Hokage evaluate these three disciples.

He had already made up his mind: he would find the best hot spring inn, hole up inside, and let the three juniors handle the rest. Anyway, Hiruzen Sarutobi had provided plenty of funds, so he could enjoy the scenery of the Land of Soup to his heart's content.

No, wait—it was to give them the opportunity to fully demonstrate their abilities.

After all, he couldn't help them too much, could he? This was an exam, after all.

As for safety, Torifu Akimichi felt that in times of peace, with himself, a veteran Elite Jonin, plus three talented new-generation Jonin who were no slouches, this force could steamroll some smaller hidden villages.

It was as stable as a mother burning paper for her son—absolutely secure.

"This mission is quite complex, and I estimate it won't be completed quickly. Let's first go to the capital of the Land of Soup, find a place to stay, use it as a base of operations, and then scout for information."

"Understood." Since he was a teammate of their teacher's generation and a great senior, the three had no objections.

Several hours later...

"That's the situation. The Land of Soup is accessible from all directions and has a prosperous economy; we will definitely find clues. You guys discuss what to do next. I have a secret mission to carry out and cannot act with you." As Torifu Akimichi spoke, he shoved an entire row of sushi into his large mouth.

Chew? The Akimichi clan had not yet fallen to such a level!

Tsunade and the others squinted, cold sweat dripping down their faces, looking at him with utter distrust.

Perhaps feeling that it was inappropriate himself, Torifu Akimichi wiped his mouth and added, "Of course, I will be here most of the time. Madam, three more orders of eel rice! Hmm, if you have any emergencies, you can notify me via my Summoned Beast. Remember, focus on gathering intelligence. It's a time of peace, so try not to expose your intentions. However, if it's truly unavoidable, make sure to do it cleanly." Torifu Akimichi's small eyes narrowed. Having experienced the First Shinobi World War, he leaked a trace of killing intent, but his attention was immediately drawn away by the miso soup next to him, and he happily finished a large bowl.

"Ha, as expected of one of the top three gourmet hot spring inns in the Land of Soup! Boss, another 10 orders of sushi!" Torifu Akimichi had happiness written all over his face.

Orochimaru grabbed Jiraiya and Tsunade tightly, preventing them from going to cause trouble for Torifu Akimichi.

Leaving Torifu Akimichi's room, Jiraiya was still grumbling.

"Idiot, didn't you see it? This mission is likely a test for the three of us. Senior Torifu is intentionally letting us act on our own."

"A test? Why?" Jiraiya still didn't understand.

"All three of us are already Jonin; we can't always stay in the same squad. According to the village's regulations, we should have been leading teams independently long ago. It was only delayed because of our special status. This time, the teacher likely has the intention of evaluating us. Of course, the mission itself is real; it wasn't fabricated just to test us."

"Then what do we do now?" Tsunade asked.

As the strategist among the three, Orochimaru began to analyze the situation.

"Although the Land of Soup borders both the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire, since the last Great Shinobi War, it has leaned more toward the Land of Lightning. This can be considered the sphere of influence of the Land of Lightning. Judging from the intelligence provided by the teacher, Kumogakure, which is contacting Kekkei Genkai families all over the shinobi world, is likely trying to relocate these small Kekkei Genkai families to Kumogakure. If so, they would inevitably be traveling with their families. In this situation, the other party is very likely to resupply or rest in the Land of Soup. Even for families that have already reached Kumogakure, they might have left traces behind."

"Since it's a test, I suggest we three split up to collect information and then meet up periodically. How about that?" Orochimaru proposed.

"A free-spirited approach? I like it. Then I'll go check out Kabukicho," Jiraiya said excitedly.

"Then I'll go check out the casinos, hahaha!" Tsunade also revealed a fanatical expression.

Orochimaru felt helpless. With the two of you acting like this, and you had the nerve to want to go argue with Senior Torifu just now? It's truly embarrassing.

"Dada, it's just an ordinary blacksmith shop. Why are you so concerned? The best blacksmith shop in the Land of Soup is in the capital. This shop has neither history nor any famous works." Yotsuki Ki squatted at the entrance of a blacksmith shop, looking helplessly at Dada, who was writing and drawing with a pen.

"No, no, no, you don't understand. This blacksmith shop is not simple." Dada didn't even lift his head, continuing to sketch structural diagrams in his notebook.

"How can I not understand? This is clearly just a second-rate blacksmith shop that can only produce sword blanks; it doesn't even have its own famous blades..."

Dada didn't have the time to pay attention to Yotsuki Ki and continued making records to himself, because this wasn't a blacksmith shop at all—it was a factory...

[If you like this novel, I hope you can share it on Facebook. The author would be very grateful.]