Deciding on the Mission

Seeing Jiraiya's excitement, Tianqi stopped Tang He before he could speak.

"Under normal circumstances, giving up the mission or retreating would indeed be the best choice in a situation like this. Tsunade, Orochimaru, your decision wasn't wrong."

"Unfortunately, this time you're with me. For me, a mission like this is child's play. I'm confident I can protect you and complete the mission, and I hope you'll continue it. This will be good training and improve your combat skills. What do you think?" Tianqi finished and looked at the two of them. After all that, giving up now would be a real disappointment.

"This..." Orochimaru hadn't wanted to continue the mission under any circumstances, but Tianqi's words had left him conflicted.

Betting his life was never worth it. Tianqi was strong, but who could guarantee he'd really protect him in battle?

"Fine, I agree to continue." Tsunade didn't overthink it. If Tianqi was willing to vouch for them, she was willing to go. She knew what he was capable of—he'd taken down hundreds of Cloud Ninja by himself. His strength spoke for itself.

Seeing that Orochimaru was still hesitating, Tianqi shook his head. Orochimaru was certainly cautious at this age. What a pity.

"If a ninja backs down at the first sign of trouble, then even with great strength, he'll never amount to much. If someone doesn't even have that much courage, he might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes. Let's go." With that, Tianqi set off with Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Tang He, leaving Orochimaru behind in silence.

After they had walked some distance,

Jiraiya asked, "Are we really not waiting for Orochimaru?"

"Yeah, Big Brother Tianqi," Tsunade said. "What you said to Orochimaru might have discouraged him."

"Lord Ninja, are we really leaving that Orochimaru behind?" Tang He asked.

As the three of them chattered away, Tianqi smiled. "I believe in Orochimaru. He'll make the right decision. There's no way he'll stop here." He looked up at the sky.

"I hope so," Tsunade and Jiraiya said at the same time. Orochimaru was their teammate, after all. They couldn't bring themselves to leave him behind.

Just as they had walked some distance, a voice came from behind them.

"Tsunade, Jiraiya, wait for me!"

"Hm! It's Orochimaru." Jiraiya looked at the person behind them.

Orochimaru stepped forward and stopped in front of Tianqi. "Captain Tianqi, I think you're right. A ninja shouldn't back down at the first sign of trouble. I'm going with you. I, Orochimaru, won't stop here."

At that, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Tianqi's mouth. "Welcome back, Orochimaru." He patted Orochimaru on the shoulder.

"Hahaha, we're together again! Those damn ninjas from the Land of Hot Water don't stand a chance against all of us!" Jiraiya immediately threw an arm around Orochimaru.

"Idiot." Orochimaru rolled his eyes at Jiraiya. He acted as if he didn't care, but deep down, he had come to value Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya's right for once. If we work together, nothing can stop us," Tsunade said, not arguing with him this time.

The three exchanged glances and laughed.

Seeing them like that, Tang He felt he'd chosen the right people for the mission.

"All right, now that we're all here, let's go over the ninjutsu each of us knows. I don't know what any of you can do yet, so I'll see how to arrange things," Tianqi said.

"Me, me! I'll go first. I know Fire Release Ninjutsu—Fire Release: Flame Bullet!" As soon as Tianqi finished speaking, Jiraiya eagerly raised his hand.

"I know Wind Release and Fire Release Ninjutsu, as well as the technique I developed myself, Hidden Shadow Snake Hands," Orochimaru said proudly. His overall strength had already reached Chunin level, so he had every reason to be proud.

"Me, me! I'm decent at Taijutsu, and I know a little Medical Ninjutsu," Tsunade said sheepishly. She really wasn't good at ninjutsu. She was decent at Taijutsu, but ninjutsu simply didn't suit her.

After listening to the three of them, Tianqi had a good idea of their abilities.

"Mm, Orochimaru, you're impressive. You know both Wind and Fire Release, and you even developed your own technique. No wonder you're a genius. Tsunade, you may not know any elemental techniques, but your Taijutsu is strong, and you know Medical Ninjutsu. You'll make a great support for the team." Tianqi voiced his approval of both of them.

"Big Brother Tianqi, I can't use any offensive ninjutsu. Don't you think I'm useless?" Tsunade asked, puzzled.

"Tsunade, why would you think that? To me, you're actually the most important one. If you devote yourself to learning Medical Ninjutsu, I'm sure you'll become an excellent ninja." Tianqi rested one hand on Tsunade's head.

"But aren't offensive techniques more important on the battlefield?" Tianqi's touch made Tsunade blush.

"Offense is important, but it depends on the person. What suits you is what matters most. I'd suggest focusing on Taijutsu and Medical Ninjutsu. Forcing yourself to learn offensive ninjutsu would only hold you back." Tianqi knew that Tsunade wasn't suited to ninjutsu in the original story, while she had extraordinary talent for Medical Ninjutsu.

"Mm, I understand. I'll focus on those from now on." Tsunade agreed that Tianqi was right. She really wasn't suited to training in offensive ninjutsu. She might as well listen to him and focus on Medical Ninjutsu.

"Big Brother Tianqi, what about me? You haven't said anything about me yet!" Seeing that Tianqi hadn't evaluated him, Jiraiya asked anxiously.

"You?" Tianqi looked Jiraiya up and down, then summed him up in two words: "Ordinary."

"Jiraiya, you're too ordinary. I can't see anything that sets you apart from an average ninja. Average talent, average ninjutsu, average looks—you're a triple-average guy."

Hearing Tianqi's words, Jiraiya froze on the spot. "T-triple-average? I'm actually that ordinary? Big Brother Tianqi, are you sure? I'm so handsome—how could I possibly be ordinary?"

"Hahaha!" Seeing Jiraiya act like a clown despite being so thoroughly insulted, Tsunade and Orochimaru burst out laughing.

"Although you're rather ordinary, you're still a decent meat shield. For this mission, Orochimaru and Jiraiya will deal with the enemy, Tsunade will provide support, and I'll back you up." They hadn't even reached the Land of Hot Water, and Tianqi was already assigning roles.

The group set off again.

Hearing that he was only suited to being a meat shield, Jiraiya fell silent for the rest of the journey. He didn't say a word.

Tsunade and Orochimaru could tell that Jiraiya might really have been discouraged. He was usually the most talkative one, but now he wasn't saying anything.

Seeing that Jiraiya was genuinely upset, Tianqi thought for a moment and made a decision.

"Jiraiya, do you want to learn ninjutsu from me?" Tianqi asked, putting an arm around Jiraiya's shoulder.

"I do, but I already have a teacher." Jiraiya certainly wanted to, but then he thought of Sarutobi and shook his head.

"You brat, it's not as if you can only learn ninjutsu from your teacher. I'm not going to be your teacher. I'm not much older than you, and being called your teacher would make me feel old." Tianqi tapped Jiraiya on the head.

"All right, then. Big Brother Tianqi, what ninjutsu can you teach me?" Jiraiya thought it over and realized Tianqi was right. A teacher wasn't the only person who could teach him ninjutsu. He eagerly asked Tianqi.

"The ninjutsu I'm going to teach you is no ordinary technique. It doesn't require any Hand Seals, and you can release it with one hand. It's incredibly powerful, and if you use it well, you can kill a Jonin." Tianqi spoke proudly.