Three Disciples and Their Trial

Leaving aside Jiraiya and Orochimaru's usual bickering, Torifu Akimichi had a plan in mind.

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

On the surface, their overpowered little team was escorting a merchant caravan from the Land of Fire to the Land of Hot Water.

But on a deeper level, they were to investigate why the Land of Lightning had recently been making frequent contact with Kekkei Genkai Families.

They had secretly left the merchant caravan they were actually assigned to escort and infiltrated the Land of Hot Water.

In peacetime, mutual probing never ceased. But before any decisive action was taken, everything had to be concealed; they could not act openly.

The Land of Hot Water bordered both the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, while its coastline was not far from the Land of Water. It boasted a thousand natural hot springs and was known as the Land of a Thousand Springs. Blessed by nature, its commerce and tourism were extremely developed. People came and went, and information flowed freely.

Thus, while Konohagakure still did not know Kumogakure's exact movements and was unwilling to make a big show of things, coming to the Land of Hot Water to gather information was the best choice.

Of course, there was another layer to this mission: testing the Hokage's three disciples.

As disciples of the "Strongest Hokage," Tsunade Senju, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru's talents went without saying. Even Jiraiya, who had been a late bloomer, was now a bona fide jonin. The three of them were stronger than ordinary jonin, but because their team leader was the Hokage himself, they had not participated in many missions. After all, the Hokage could not possibly run missions with them, so they were usually led by other shinobi.

As their strength and age increased, the three had reached the point where they needed to stand on their own. This mission was a test.

Because it involved a contest between two great hidden villages, this mission was rated A-class even if combat might not be necessary, and it could become S-class at any moment. Furthermore, due to the lack of concrete intelligence, the mission allowed for great autonomy. They would need to decide how to act according to the circumstances, making it a severe test of their overall abilities.

As a veteran Elite Jonin and the Hokage's former comrade, Torifu Akimichi was here to hold the fort. He was also an examiner, helping the Third Hokage assess these three disciples.

He had already made up his mind. When the time came, he would find the best hot spring tavern, settle into it, and let the three youngsters handle the rest themselves. Hiruzen Sarutobi had given him a generous budget, after all, so he could properly enjoy the sights of the Land of Hot Water.

No, he was giving them ample opportunity to display their abilities.

After all, he could not help them too much. This was an exam.

As for safety, Torifu Akimichi felt that in peacetime, a veteran Elite Jonin like himself plus three talented young jonin of considerable strength could steamroll even some small shinobi villages.

It was so secure that it was practically burning funeral offerings to stability itself—stable to death.

"This mission is rather complicated, so it probably won't be completed quickly. Let's first head to the capital of the Land of Hot Water, find somewhere to stay, and use it as our base of operations. Then we'll gather intelligence."

"Understood." Since he was a great senior from their teacher's generation, none of the three objected.

Several hours later...

"That's the situation. The Land of Hot Water is connected in all directions, and its commerce is thriving. We'll definitely be able to find some clues. Discuss what to do next. I have a secret mission to carry out, so I can't act with you." As Torifu Akimichi spoke, he shoved an entire row of sushi into his huge mouth.

Chewing? The Akimichi clan had not fallen that low!

Tsunade and the others narrowed their eyes, cold sweat streaming down their faces as they looked at him with utter distrust.

Perhaps even Torifu Akimichi felt that it was inappropriate. He wiped his mouth and added, "Of course, I'll be here most of the time. Landlady, three more servings of eel rice! Mm, if anything urgent comes up, you can notify me through your Summoned Beasts. Focus on gathering intelligence. It's peacetime, so try not to expose your intentions. But if it truly can't be avoided, make sure to leave no traces." Torifu Akimichi narrowed his small eyes. Having lived through the First Shinobi World War, he let out a trace of killing intent. But in the next instant, the miso soup beside him caught his attention, and he happily drained a large bowl.

"Ha! No wonder this is one of the top three gourmet hot spring inns in the Land of Hot Water. Boss, ten more servings of sushi!" Happiness was practically written across Torifu Akimichi's face.

Orochimaru had to hold Jiraiya and Tsunade back with all his strength to keep them from going to settle the score with Torifu Akimichi.

After leaving Torifu Akimichi's room, Jiraiya was still grumbling.

"Idiot, can't you tell? This mission is probably a test for the three of us. Senior Akimichi is deliberately making us act on our own."

"A test? Why?" Jiraiya still did not understand.

"The three of us are already jonin. We can't always remain in the same squad. According to village regulations, we should have been leading teams on our own long ago, but it was delayed because of our special status. Our teacher is probably using this chance to assess 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 brains of the trio, Orochimaru naturally began to analyze the situation.

"Though the Land of Hot Water borders both the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire, it has leaned more toward the Land of Lightning since the last Shinobi World War. This place can also be considered part of the Land of Lightning's sphere of influence. Based on the intelligence our teacher gave us, Kumogakure, which has been contacting Kekkei Genkai Families across the Shinobi World, is very likely trying to relocate these smaller Kekkei Genkai Families to Kumogakure. That means they must be traveling with their families. Under those circumstances, they would likely resupply or rest in the Land of Hot Water. Even families that have already reached Kumogakure may have left behind some clues here."

"Since this is a test, I suggest the three of us split up to gather intelligence first, then meet up regularly. What do you think?" Orochimaru proposed.

"A freewheeling approach? I like it. Then I'll go take a look around Kabukicho," Jiraiya said excitedly.

"Then I'll check out the casinos. Hahahaha!" Tsunade also revealed a lecherous grin.

Orochimaru was speechless. With the two of them acting like this, they had the nerve to want to argue with Senior Torifu just now? How embarrassing.

"Dada, it's just an ordinary blacksmith shop. Why are you so concerned about it? The best blacksmith shops in the Land of Hot Water are in the capital. This one has neither history nor famous works." Yotsuki Ki squatted outside a certain blacksmith shop, watching Dada draw and scribble in a notebook with helplessness.

"No, no, no. You don't understand. This blacksmith shop is not simple." Dada did not even raise his head as he continued drawing structural diagrams in his notebook.

"How could I not understand? This is clearly a second-rate blacksmith shop that can only make sword blanks. It does not even have a famous blade of its own..."

Dada had no time to pay attention to Yotsuki Ki. He continued recording things on his own, because this was not a blacksmith shop at all, but a factory...