After Chiyu left, Minato Namikaze stood rooted to the spot for a long time.
Minato Namikaze thought about many things, but his mind was a mess. He simply could not understand Chiyu.
"Minato."
Jiraiya appeared before Minato Namikaze. He had heard every word of the conversation between Minato Namikaze and Chiyu.
Minato Namikaze asked somewhat blankly, "Teacher Jiraiya, was I wrong? But I don't think I was. They were our comrades. I wanted my comrades to live, and I was never softhearted toward enemies."
Jiraiya placed a hand on Minato Namikaze's shoulder and consoled him. "Minato, you weren't wrong, and neither was Chiyu. But this is war. There will always be sacrifices in war; there is simply no way to have the best of both worlds.
Chiyu is very much like Orochimaru. Both of them are extremely rational. They make plans according to whatever is most advantageous under the current circumstances and never let emotion cloud their judgment. As long as the gains outweigh the losses, they do not place much importance on those losses.
You, on the other hand, are very much like me. Until the very last moment, you are unwilling to abandon your comrades, hoping that every one of them can live well.
But... this is the battlefield. You've been here for so long now, Minato. You should be getting used to it. There is no war without sacrifice. We can only temporarily bury our feelings and act rationally.
We are all doing this for Konoha. But Minato, you do not need to doubt yourself. You are more outstanding than Chiyu, and I'm not talking about strength."
Minato Namikaze looked up at Jiraiya, not understanding in what way Jiraiya believed he was more outstanding than Chiyu.
Jiraiya smiled. "Minato, you have inherited the Will of Fire. The