Seeing how excited Jiraiya was, Isamu raised a hand to stop Tōwa from speaking.
"Under normal circumstances, when encountering a situation like this, abandoning the mission or retreating would indeed be the best choice. Tsunade, Orochimaru—your decision isn't wrong."
He paused before continuing.
"However, this time you're on a mission with me. For me, a mission like this is very easy. I'm confident I can protect all of you while completing the mission."
"I also hope you'll continue. This will serve as valuable training and help improve your real combat experience."
"What do you think?"
After speaking, Isamu looked at the two of them. If they still chose to give up after hearing all that, it would mean he had failed to persuade them.
"This…"
Orochimaru originally had no intention of continuing the mission. But after hearing Isamu's reasoning, he began to hesitate.
Risking his life wasn't worth it. Even though Isamu was very strong, who could guarantee he would truly protect everyone in the middle of battle?
"Fine. I agree to continue," Tsunade said first.
She didn't think as much as Orochimaru. Since Isamu dared to guarantee their safety, she was willing to trust him. She had already heard about his achievements—he had wiped out hundreds of Cloud ninja by himself. His strength was beyond doubt.
Seeing Orochimaru still hesitating, Isamu shook his head slightly.
The current Orochimaru was simply too cautious.
"If a ninja retreats the moment they face a little difficulty, then even if they possess great strength, their future achievements will be limited."
"If someone doesn't even have this much courage, they might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes."
"Let's go."
After saying that, Isamu turned and left with Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Tōwa, leaving Orochimaru standing silently behind.
After walking some distance—
"Are we really not waiting for Orochimaru?" Jiraiya asked.
"That's right, Big Brother Isamu," Tsunade added. "If you talk to Orochimaru like that, I'm afraid it might discourage him."
Tōwa also spoke nervously. "Master Ninja… are we really leaving that Orochimaru behind?"
Seeing the three of them talking at once, Isamu smiled.
"I trust Orochimaru. He'll make the right decision."
"Orochimaru's path doesn't end here."
After saying that, he looked up at the sky.
"I hope so," Tsunade and Jiraiya said at the same time.
After all, Orochimaru was their teammate. If they really left him behind, they wouldn't feel good about it.
Just then, a voice came from behind them.
"Tsunade! Jiraiya! Wait for me!"
"Huh? It's Orochimaru!" Jiraiya shouted, turning around.
Orochimaru quickly caught up and stopped in front of Isamu.
"Captain Isamu, I think you're right. A ninja shouldn't retreat just because they encounter a little difficulty."
"I want to continue the mission with you."
"I, Orochimaru, will not stop here."
Hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Isamu's lips.
"Welcome back to the team, Orochimaru."
He patted Orochimaru on the shoulder.
"Hahaha! We're together again!" Jiraiya laughed as he threw an arm around Orochimaru.
"What kind of nonsense ninja from the Land of Hot Springs? As long as the four of us are together, they're no match for us!"
"Idiot," Orochimaru muttered, rolling his eyes.
Although he looked annoyed, he still valued Jiraiya in his heart.
"Jiraiya is actually right for once," Tsunade said with a smile. "As long as we work together, nothing can stop us."
The three of them exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
Watching them, Tōwa felt certain he had chosen the right people.
"Alright," Isamu said.
"Since everyone's here, tell me what ninjutsu each of you knows. I still don't know your abilities, so I need to figure out how to arrange our roles."
"Me! Me! I'll go first!" Jiraiya raised his hand immediately.
"I know Fire Release ninjutsu—Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
"I know Wind Release and Fire Release ninjutsu," Orochimaru said proudly.
"And I also created my own technique: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."
His overall strength had already reached the chunin level, so he had every reason to be confident.
"Me… um…" Tsunade said awkwardly.
"My taijutsu is pretty good, and I know a little medical ninjutsu."
She wasn't very skilled with ninjutsu. Her taijutsu was decent, but elemental techniques just weren't her strength.
After hearing their explanations, Isamu quickly formed a clear picture in his mind.
"Orochimaru, very good," he said with a nod.
"You know both Wind and Fire Release, and you even created your own ninjutsu. That's impressive—you truly deserve the title of genius."
"Tsunade, even though you don't know elemental ninjutsu, your taijutsu is strong. Combined with medical ninjutsu, you'll become excellent support for the team."
"Big Brother Isamu," Tsunade asked in confusion, "don't you think I'm useless since I don't know any offensive ninjutsu?"
"Tsunade, why would you think that?" Isamu replied.
"In my opinion, you're actually the most important one here."
"As long as you continue studying medical ninjutsu seriously, I believe you'll become an outstanding ninja."
He gently patted her on the head.
"But… isn't offense more important on the battlefield?" Tsunade asked, blushing slightly.
"Attack is important, yes," Isamu replied. "But it depends on the person. What suits you is always the best choice."
"I suggest that you focus on taijutsu and medical ninjutsu in the future."
"If you force yourself to learn offensive ninjutsu, it will only hold you back."
Isamu already knew that in the future Tsunade would become the greatest medical ninja in the ninja world.
"Alright. I understand," Tsunade said with a nod.
She also felt that his advice made sense.
"Big Brother Isamu, what about me?" Jiraiya asked anxiously.
"You haven't evaluated me yet!"
"You?" Isamu looked Jiraiya up and down.
After a moment, he gave his verdict.
"Ordinary."
"Jiraiya, you're too ordinary."
"I don't see any difference between you and the average ninja."
"Your talent is ordinary. Your ninjutsu is ordinary. Even your looks are ordinary."
"You're a true triple-ordinary person."
Jiraiya froze completely.
"T-triple ordinary?! I'm that ordinary? Big Brother Isamu, did you see wrong? I'm clearly handsome—how could I just be ordinary?!"
"Hahaha!"
Tsunade and Orochimaru burst out laughing at Jiraiya's exaggerated reaction.
"Although you're ordinary," Isamu continued calmly, "you can still serve as a solid meat shield."
"For this mission: Orochimaru and Jiraiya will engage the enemy, Tsunade will provide support, and I'll oversee the battlefield."
After assigning their roles, the group resumed their journey toward the Land of Hot Springs.
Hearing that he was only good enough to be a meat shield, Jiraiya became unusually quiet for the rest of the trip.
Tsunade and Orochimaru noticed immediately. The usually talkative Jiraiya hadn't said a single word.
Isamu glanced at him and thought for a moment before making a decision.
"Jiraiya," he said, throwing an arm around his shoulder.
"Do you want to learn ninjutsu from me?"
"I do," Jiraiya replied honestly.
"But… I already have a teacher."
Thinking about Sarutobi, he shook his head.
"You brat," Isamu said, smacking him lightly on the head.
"It's not like you can only learn from your teacher. I'm not trying to become your teacher anyway."
"I'm not that much older than you. If I became your teacher, I'd feel old."
"Alright then!" Jiraiya said excitedly.
"What kind of ninjutsu are you going to teach me, Big Brother Isamu?"
"The technique I'm going to teach you isn't simple," Isamu said proudly.
"It requires no hand seals, can be used with one hand, and has incredible power."
"If you learn it properly…"
"You could even kill a jonin with it."