Yahiko and Konan were overjoyed, waving towards Jiraiya. "Mentor! You're also going to the Land of Rain!"
Jiraiya first nodded to the Captain, Yahiko, and Konan, acknowledging them.
Then, he walked over to Torifu. "Big Brother Torifu, you can rest assured this time. I'm taking these three kids on this mission with me, and nothing will go wrong."
Torifu patted his shoulder. "Okay, I trust your strength."
Though the intention was for Minato and the others to gain experience, the Land of Rain harbored hidden threats. It was only reasonable to arrange a guardian for his younger brother and disciples, wasn't it?
Isn't that how it's always written in novels?
Jiraiya had already cultivated Sage Art, making him a genuine Sage, and he was also the teacher who had taught Yahiko and Konan.
For him to act as this guardian was naturally the most suitable choice.
Moreover, Torifu actually had a small, private agenda. The previous night, Torifu had already taught Minato his comprehensive method for cultivating Sage Art.
He wanted Minato to primarily cultivate Sage Art during this period. With such a great Sage by his side every day, if Minato made mistakes during his training, Jiraiya would surely offer guidance.
Although Torifu's Sage Art differed from that of Mount Myōboku, both ultimately involved the utilization of natural energy, so they were more or less the same.
Furthermore, the Land of Rain had an unusual climate, raining continuously all year round.
In Torifu's view, it should be a region extremely abundant in natural energy.
He himself had only managed to cultivate Sage Art after finding a beautiful lake within the Land of Fire back then.
If the entire Land of Rain was like a lake, how immense would the natural energy be?
But this was merely Torifu's speculation. Even if Minato didn't master Sage Art, laying a good foundation would still be beneficial. Torifu could slowly teach him more when Minato returned.
"This… so Jiraiya-sama will accompany us to the Land of Rain?"
Jiraiya burst into laughter, giving a thumbs-up. "Of course! There's less combat power in the Land of Rain, so I need to be stationed there and also look after these three kids."
The Captain nodded immediately upon hearing this, not thinking it was any special privilege.
Minato's talent was evident to everyone in Konoha Village, and Yahiko and Konan had also recently dominated their peers, finding no rivals.
Such two prodigies definitely needed protection. The Captain had originally thought that if he encountered them during a mission, he would definitely look after them.
He hadn't expected the Hokage had already arranged for Jiraiya, which meant he wouldn't need to worry about it.
The other ninja had similar thoughts. While great talent sometimes attracted jealousy, Konoha Village was quite united. When it was time to confront external threats, no one would engage in internal strife.
So, even if someone was dissatisfied, they would simply endure it.
After the mission, they might vent a little, but those who heard it would just treat it as a joke, and no one would care.
Jiraiya slowly walked to the front of the line, and the Captain also consciously stepped back to the second position.
"Alright everyone, let's go!"
With that, he quickly started running, and the entire large group of people also rapidly followed suit.
Minato and the others only briefly glanced back at Torifu. They didn't even have time to wave goodbye before they were swept away by the crowd and ran off into the distance.
"In the end, he still couldn't feel at ease letting the three of them go train on their own."
If they truly encountered dangers they couldn't handle, Minato could use Flying Thunder God to escape, but Yahiko and Konan would just be left to die there.
And that guy, Minato, in Torifu's judgment, would definitely be the first to die while covering his junior disciples.
Torifu hesitated repeatedly. Just in case, he ultimately decided to ask Jiraiya to protect the children.
This guy had a straightforward and magnanimous personality, and he already knew Yahiko and the others, so they would surely get along very well.
If it were anyone else, the effect certainly wouldn't be as good as with Jiraiya.
Coincidentally, he hadn't been traveling recently, nor was he busy writing his atrocious novels.
So Torifu had him come over.
As the ninja gradually moved away from Konoha Village, the first ray of dawn light in the sky illuminated the entire ninja world.
These ninja, facing the light of hope, rushed towards the battlefield.
At the same time, the system, which had been inactive for a long time, also spoke again.
[Ding – Chaos Event triggered. Malicious individuals conspired in secret, determined to seize the Land of Rain.]
[Mission Objective 1: Eliminate the rogue ninja camps within the Land of Rain. Current Progress: 1252/12780]
[Mission Objective 2: Not yet active.]
Well, it had been a long time since a Chaos Event was triggered. Torifu had even started to think the system had no other use besides exchanging items.
He hadn't expected the function could still be used.
"Ah, a Chaos Event, it's been a long time. The last time I heard about one was five years ago."
Back then, it was also about dealing with matters in the Land of Rain. Now, it was also about dealing with matters in the Land of Rain. A small, insignificant country actually caused Torifu so much trouble.
Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
Torifu rubbed his temples, looking at the mission displayed on the system panel. "Oh, has it evolved? It even has mission hints now."
"1252/12780. It seems the first batch of ninja who arrived have already started making their move."
But what surprised Torifu was that a small Land of Rain actually had so many camps? When did this happen?
Could the Land of Rain have become a 'Land of Rogues'?
Torifu found it hard to believe this land was still his territory.
"It must have been premeditated for a long time, otherwise, it's impossible for so many rogues to suddenly appear. Perhaps other smaller nations are involved again this time."
Those smaller nations surrounding the Land of Rain had all been punished by Torifu. Their countries were still in their most basic stage.
They had nothing. They were the most backward in the entire ninja world.
It was inevitable that they would try to retaliate out of resentment this time.
However, they were just a disorganized mob. Even if ants united, they would still be crushed underfoot, just like back then.
Torifu had never taken them seriously. He only hoped he was overthinking things.
"The second mission is still locked? It'll probably only unlock after the first mission is completed, right?"
Torifu stroked his chin in thought. "In that case, I hope everyone puts in their best effort. I'm quite curious about this second mission."