Chapter 19: The Three Disciples and the Test
Jiraiya and Orochimaru's daily bickering aside, Choza Akimichi had a plan. As an old teammate of the Third Hokage, he had a deeper understanding of their current mission.
On the surface, their overqualified squad was tasked with protecting a merchant caravan traveling from the Land of Fire to the Land of Hot Water.
But the real mission, one layer deeper, was to investigate the reason for the Hidden Cloud's recent and frequent contact with various bloodline clans. They had already secretly broken away from the real caravan escort and slipped into the Land of Hot Water.
Even in peacetime, the dance of espionage between the great villages never stopped. But until a decisive move was made, everything had to be done under a veil of secrecy. You couldn't just march in openly.
The Land of Hot Water bordered both the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, and its coastline wasn't far from the Land of Water. It was a nation blessed by nature, boasting a thousand natural hot springs, earning it the nickname "The Land of a Thousand Springs." As a result, its commerce and tourism industries were booming. It was a crossroads of people and information.
Therefore, with Konoha still in the dark about the Cloud's specific movements and unwilling to launch a large-scale investigation, coming to the Land of Hot Water to gather intelligence was the best option.
Of course, this mission had another, even more important layer: it was a test for the Hokage's three disciples.
As the students of the "Strongest Hokage," the natural talent of Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru was beyond question. Even Jiraiya, the late bloomer of the group, was now a full-fledged Jonin. All three of them were stronger than the average Jonin. However, because their direct mentor was the Hokage himself, they hadn't had as many opportunities for real-world missions. The Hokage couldn't exactly take them along on D-rank errands; they were usually assigned to other shinobi for routine tasks.
Now, as they had grown in both age and strength, it was time for them to stand on their own. This mission was their final exam.
Because it involved the political maneuvering of two great hidden villages, the mission was designated A-rank, with the potential to escalate to S-rank at any moment, even if combat wasn't guaranteed. Furthermore, due to the lack of concrete intelligence, the mission was highly autonomous. They would have to assess the situation and decide on a course of action themselves, a true test of their comprehensive abilities.
And Choza Akimichi, a veteran elite Jonin and the Hokage's former teammate, was here as their chaperone and, unofficially, their proctor. His job was to evaluate the three disciples on Hiruzen's behalf.
He had already made up his mind. He would find the best hot spring inn in town, hole up inside, and let the three youngsters handle the rest. Hiruzen had given him a generous expense account, after all. He was going to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Land of Hot Water.
No, wait. He was going to give them an opportunity to fully display their capabilities. After all, he couldn't help them too much, could he? This was a test.
As for their safety, Choza wasn't worried. In peacetime, a veteran elite Jonin and three prodigy-level new-generation Jonin were a force to be reckoned with. They could probably steamroll a minor hidden village on their own. The mission was as safe as it could possibly be.
"This mission is complex and will likely take some time to complete," Choza announced. "First, we'll head to the capital of the Land of Hot Water, find a place to stay, and set up a base of operations. Then, we can start gathering intelligence."
"Understood," the three replied in unison. He was their teacher's former teammate, a grand senior. They had no objections.
Several hours later...
"Alright, here's the situation," Choza said, shoving an entire row of sushi into his mouth. "The Land of Hot Water is a major hub of commerce and travel. We're bound to find some clues here. You three discuss your next move. I have a secret mission of my own to attend to, so I won't be able to join you."
Chewing? The Akimichi clan had not fallen so low!
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru narrowed their eyes, their faces a mask of disbelief.
Perhaps sensing his excuse was a bit thin, Choza wiped his mouth and added, "Of course, I'll be here most of the time. Waitress, three more orders of eel rice! Ahem. If you run into any trouble, you can contact me via your summoning animals. Remember, your primary objective is intelligence gathering. This is peacetime, so try not to reveal your intentions. But if you have to get your hands dirty, make it clean." Choza's eyes narrowed, and for a fleeting moment, a hint of the killing intent of a man who had survived the First Great Ninja War leaked out. Then, his attention was immediately captured by the bowl of miso soup next to him, and he slurped it down with a cheerful grin.
"Hah! This place really is one of the top three gourmet hot spring inns in the country! Sir, another ten orders of sushi!" Happiness was practically radiating from his face.
Orochimaru had to physically restrain Jiraiya and Tsunade from lunging across the table at Choza.
After leaving the room, Jiraiya was still grumbling.
"You idiot," Orochimaru hissed. "Don't you see? This mission is a test. For the three of us. Choza-senpai is intentionally leaving us to our own devices."
"A test? Why?" Jiraiya asked, still confused.
"We're all Jonin now. We can't stay in the same squad forever. According to village regulations, we should have been assigned to lead our own teams long ago. It was only delayed because of our special status. Sensei is likely using this mission to evaluate us. Of course, the mission itself is real; it wasn't just fabricated for our sake."
"So what do we do now?" Tsunade asked.
As the brains of the group, Orochimaru naturally took the lead.
"Although the Land of Hot Water borders both our countries, it has leaned more towards the Land of Lightning since the last war. This is essentially their territory. According to the intelligence from Sensei, the Cloud is making contact with bloodline clans all over the ninja world, likely with the intention of relocating them to their village. That means they would be traveling with their entire families. It's highly probable that they would stop in the Land of Hot Water to rest or resupply. Even for the clans that have already reached the Cloud, there might be traces of their passage left here."
"Since this is a test, I suggest we split up to gather information and meet up periodically to share what we've found," Orochimaru proposed.
"A freelance approach? I like it!" Jiraiya said excitedly. "In that case, I'll go check out the kabuki district!"
"Then I'll go check out the casinos! Hahaha!" Tsunade cackled, a wicked glint in her eyes.
Orochimaru sighed. And these two had the nerve to get angry at Choza-senpai. How embarrassing.
"Dana, it's just an ordinary blacksmith's shop. Why are you so interested?" Arashi asked, crouching by the entrance and watching his brother with a perplexed expression. Dana was furiously scribbling in his notebook. "The best blacksmiths in the Land of Hot Water are in the capital. This place has no history and has never produced a famous blade."
"No, no, you don't understand," Dana said without looking up, still drawing a structural diagram. "This shop is not what it seems."
"What's not to understand? It's a second-rate forge that can only produce rough sword blanks. They don't even have a single named sword to their name."
Dana had no time to argue with Arashi. He was too busy taking notes. Because this wasn't a blacksmith's shop. It was a factory.
~~~
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