Because It Was Carrying Out Orders!

Tsunade would not be as impulsive as Jiraiya. Even if the base contained secrets vital to the village, they had to be able to obtain them first. Otherwise, they could end up getting themselves killed at any moment.

"Very good."

Like Jiraiya, the Third Hokage offered no explanation. He merely smiled, nodded, and looked at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru furrowed his brows, glanced at Tsunade and Jiraiya, and said after a moment of thought, "I agree with Tsunade. If the enemy is too strong, we should seek help. We can't take such a reckless risk."

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru all leaned toward taking action. Since the base contained secrets vital to the village, why not make a move?

The Five Great Shinobi Villages appeared peaceful on the surface, but even allies had plenty of covert conflicts. Shinobi died every day, and assassinations and the theft of enemy secrets happened repeatedly. There was simply no way to stop it all, as long as things did not get out of hand.

"Hmm..." The Third Hokage nodded again and looked at Hiko, the last one.

Not only the Third Hokage, but Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya all looked over as well. They wanted to know what Hiko would do if he were in that situation.

Hiko raised his head and met the Third Hokage's gaze directly. His expression did not change in the slightest as he said calmly, "I would note down the base's coordinates, return to the village to report in, and submit the intelligence."

Hiko's answer made Orochimaru's already furrowed brows crease even deeper. Tsunade was very surprised; in her impression, Hiko was not someone who feared death. Jiraiya was even more direct, shaking his head as he said disappointedly:

"Why wait until you return to the village to report it? Wouldn't that mean letting the opportunity slip through our fingers?"

"Hahaha."

The Third Hokage laughed heartily. As he looked at Hiko, a trace of satisfaction flashed in his eyes, though he was also curious how Hiko would answer Jiraiya's question.

Hiko glanced at Jiraiya and answered unhurriedly, "Because I was carrying out orders."

Hiko put particular emphasis on the words "carrying out orders."

"Since I was ordered to carry out a mission, then I must eliminate every factor that could cause the mission to fail, including the base Lord Hokage mentioned. Recording the coordinates, returning to the village, and reporting it is the most reasonable course of action."

"If a shinobi does not even obey orders and likes to act recklessly, would the village still dare entrust him with important missions?"

"..."

Jiraiya's face instantly flushed red. Hiko's final sentence was clearly saying that Jiraiya had been acting recklessly!

Tsunade and Orochimaru were both astonished. They had not expected Hiko to think much further ahead than they had, even considering that point.

Shinobi were trained with countless resources spent by the village. If they could not even obey orders, would the village still send them on important missions?

Moreover, rashly attacking an unknown enemy base could mean charging headfirst into an enemy ambush. When that happened, the entire force might be wiped out.

The village trained shinobi not to send them to their deaths.

"Hahaha... Well said."

Hiko had not disappointed the Third Hokage. The main reason he had asked was to see what choices the four of them would make in such a situation.

In the end, only Hiko had considered everything most thoroughly. Orochimaru and Tsunade were fairly commendable, but Jiraiya... he had simply been recklessly charging about.