Chapter 299: Chapter 299: Compassion Has No Place in Warfare

Chapter 299: Chapter 299: Compassion Has No Place in Warfare



"Cough, cough!"

Jiraiya coughed awkwardly, mumbling as he tried to explain himself.

"It's just... well, I was on the battlefield, so I didn't have the time to properly teach Minato. It's not like I wanted to neglect him on purpose."

"Besides, wasn't Orochimaru the same as me?"

Why could Orochimaru get away with it but not him? Nawaki's double standards were starting to irk him!

"That's why Orochimaru-sensei gave me plenty of help and compensation. So, what do you plan to offer Minato as compensation?"

Nawaki grinned mischievously, tossing the hot potato back to Jiraiya.

Damn it! I take it back!

Hearing the word "compensation," Jiraiya immediately backed down. Not that he was unwilling to give anything-he just found it bothersome.

Sure, Orochimaru's compensation to Nawaki was something he could match, but Minato didn't need it.

Minato, being independent and resourceful, didn't expect Jiraiya to compensate him. He felt that his teacher had already given him enough.

But whether or not someone wanted something was one matter; offering it was another.

"What are you guys talking about?"

Suddenly, Minato appeared, slightly out of breath. It was clear that long-distance teleportation was taking its toll on him.

More than once, Minato had envied the vast chakra reserves possessed by Takuya and Kushina.

He didn't expect to be on par with Takuya or Kushina, but even having Nawaki's chakra capacity would be enough.

If he had that, there'd be no limit to what he could do.

Too bad-it was just a wishful thought.

"We were talking about why your teacher didn't give you compensation."

"Really?"

Minato glanced at his speechless teacher and scratched his head, chuckling as he spoke up for Jiraiya.

"Actually, sensei did want to give me some compensation. I just turned it down."

See! It's not that I didn't offer—it's that Minato refused! You all better not go around calling me, the Toad Sage Jiraiya, stingy!

"Sensei, please get ready. I'll be back soon."

After resting for a bit, Minato teleported the second group of people, then the third.

Once everyone was moved, the warship set sail back towards the Whirlpool Country's waters. Takuya and the others had successfully retreated and left Flying Thunder God markers on several of the islands along the way. If they wanted to, they could teleport back for a surprise attack whenever they chose.

Yagura had forced Suikazan Fuguki to lead his troops and search island after island, trying to track down Takuya and the rest. But all they found was nothing-empty islands.

When the warship returned to the Whirlpool Country's port, the group disembarked, and Nawaki immediately called out in excitement.

"Sensei!!"

Orochimaru had arrived at the Whirlpool Country?

thought anyway.

The group arrived at the command center.

Orochimaru sat at the head of the table, leisurely sipping tea. Meanwhile, Jiraiya, who had

been yelling earlier, now looked sullen-arms crossed, clearly upset.

Who knows what Orochimaru had said to provoke him like that?

"Everyone, take a seat."

Orochimaru put down his cup.

Once everyone was seated, he laid out a map on the table, giving Takuya a glance before

smiling slightly.

"Takuya, your suggestion for the mission gave me quite the surprise. My original plan was to break the island chain, occupy one of them, and force Kirigakure to dispatch troops to surround the island, starting a full-scale battle."

"That would lead to significant casualties," Takuya replied after a moment of thought.

Orochimaru smiled and shook his head. "To achieve victory in war, losses are inevitable." Fair enough—Orochimaru was still the same risk-taker, willing to do whatever it took for victory. No change there.

If Kirigakure surrounded the islands and clashed with Konoha's reinforcements, the losses would be enormous. Once the battle started, Orochimaru doubted that Yagura could maintain control over his forces.

One couldn't forget that manipulating people's hearts was Orochimaru's specialty.

But, of course, such a move would come at a significant cost.

Takuya's suggestion had led Orochimaru to change his plan.

If they could force Kirigakure into a head-on confrontation without suffering heavy losses,

why not?

You're the boss. Whatever you say goes.

Takuya shrugged, indicating he had nothing more to add.

As the saying goes, compassion has no place in warfare. To win, sacrifices sometimes have to

be made.

"I'll make sure to record everyone's contributions. Now, there's something else I need to

mention."

"Takuya Yagami and Minato Namikaze, please stay behind. Everyone else, you can go and

rest. I'll be assigning you new tasks soon-you'll receive your orders shortly."

"Yes, sir."

The group stood up and began leaving the command center when Orochimaru added one more

thing.

"Nawaki, that includes you."

Next Bonus: 2100 Power Stones. L(x)J

(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 360+ at patreon com/ Emiko1. _X