Jiraiya's Decision

Chiba Etsu and his companions pursued the direction Jiraiya and his group had departed in for a long distance, only to eventually stop at the edge of a cliff, having gained nothing.

"Damn it. We're still too slow."

Yahiko shouted, filled with frustration.

Chiba Etsu and the others remained silent.

They had finally caught a glimmer of opportunity, yet who could have known they would be dealt such a blow once again.

Chiba Etsu carefully recalled the plot; how had their group originally encountered them? Right, it seemed to be...

Just as Chiba Etsu remembered something, Yahiko's foot suddenly tripped over an object.

"Look out, it's a trap!"

Before the group could react, the cliff behind them suddenly exploded.

"BOOM!"

Accompanied by a blinding flash of fire, the group tumbled together into the turbulent river below.

After being tossed about by the dizzying, swirling undercurrents, they finally surfaced a moment later in a place resembling an underground karst cave.

"Thank goodness, you're all okay."

Yahiko shouted with joy.

Konan and Nagato's faces were also filled with the relief of having survived a disaster.

However, Chiba Etsu had already sensed something.

If he wasn't mistaken, this was once again the handiwork of Zetsu.

According to the original plot, this was exactly how their group was led to the Sannin, and this time was naturally no exception.

For a moment, Chiba Etsu couldn't help but sigh; Zetsu really had worked hard throughout their journey.

He had to clear away dangerous traps and obstacles for them, secretly intervene to save them at critical moments, and finally find ways to lure them to the Sannin—all while ensuring his assistance remained completely undetected.

He had to be on call twenty-four hours a day, without a single mistake.

Thinking about it, Chiba Etsu felt Zetsu must be exhausted.

But it was precisely because of Zetsu's care that they were able to survive, and it was because of Zetsu that they could find Jiraiya and the others. If they had relied solely on themselves, given their speed, they probably wouldn't have even caught a glimpse of the Sannin.

Chiba Etsu felt increasingly grateful that he had successfully joined Yahiko's team from the very beginning.

A short while later, the group turned a few corners and, just as Chiba Etsu expected, encountered Jiraiya and his companions, who were resting after a fierce battle.

At this moment, Jiraiya and the others were eating to replenish their strength while chatting away.

"Hahaha, the war in the Land of Rain is finally over. Come to think of it, we really stole the show this time. I can already imagine how many beauties will be crying and begging to tell me how much they admire me when we get back."

Jiraiya laughed heartily, completely ignoring the eye-rolls from the two people beside him.

Faced with their disdain, Jiraiya was not discouraged; instead, he leaned in close to Tsunade's face.

"Seriously, Tsunade, why don't you consider being my girlfriend?"

"Jiraiya, are you looking to die?"

"Hmph, if you won't agree, then fine. I don't even care."

As he spoke, Jiraiya cast a disdainful glance at Tsunade's chest.

"Washboard."

"What did you say?"

"POW!"

While the group was bickering, Yahiko stepped out first.

"Hm?"

Jiraiya and the others instantly went on high alert.

However, after only a moment, Jiraiya frowned again.

"Not ninjas. They're just children. How could there be children here?"

Yahiko gathered his thoughts for a moment before carefully explaining their purpose and the journey they had taken to get here.

"We witnessed your power long ago, so we followed you all the way here."

"You're saying you want to learn ninjutsu from us?"

After hearing the experiences they described, Jiraiya couldn't help but be surprised.

He truly couldn't imagine the courage and persistence these children before him must have possessed to reach the core area of such a battlefield.

Especially since they had actually managed to survive by luck and successfully find them.

It had to be said that, for a moment, Jiraiya was moved by their courage and conviction.

However...

Jiraiya frowned slightly, lost in thought.

He was not the type of person to have the spare time to raise children; even in Konoha, he barely had any time to take on disciples, let alone the fact that the children before him were not from Konoha. It was impossible for him to just take them back with him.

Furthermore, deep down, Jiraiya did not wish for these children to walk the dangerous path of becoming a ninja.

After a brief moment of silence, looking at the expectant gazes of Yahiko and the others, Jiraiya hesitated, unsure of how to bring himself to refuse them.

Just then, Orochimaru spoke up.

"Kill them."

"What!"

Yahiko and the others instantly recoiled in a flash of terror.

Orochimaru pulled at the corners of his mouth, revealing a cruel smile.

"I have seen too many war orphans like these. Their fates are almost always miserable, so it would be better to simply kill them. It would be a mercy for them."

"Uh..."

Yahiko and the others exchanged fearful glances, already preparing to flee.

"Stop it, Orochimaru."

At that moment, Jiraiya finally made a decision.

"You and Tsunade go back first. I will stay behind to look after them."

"Huh?"

Tsunade's eyes were filled with disbelief.

Beside her, Orochimaru was also slightly taken aback.

"Consider it a form of compensation. The reason they ended up like this has a lot to do with us. I will look after them for a few months and teach them some survival skills until they can stand on their own."

"Heh, foolish mercy."

Orochimaru laughed dismissively, his face full of mockery.

Tsunade also could not understand Jiraiya's behavior and hesitated, wanting to say something.

"Jiraiya..."

Jiraiya waved his hand gently, cutting her off before she could finish.

"No need to say more. I have already made my decision."

Seeing that he could not be dissuaded, Tsunade could only nod: "Fine. I will explain it to the teacher."

A moment later, Tsunade and Orochimaru turned and walked away into the distance.

Suddenly, having walked halfway, Tsunade seemed to remember something and walked back.

"Hm?"

Facing Jiraiya's puzzled gaze, Tsunade offered no explanation, simply walking slowly until she stopped in front of Chiba.

Then, to the astonishment of everyone present, Tsunade yanked down Chiba's pants.