Chapter 209: Orochimaru and Jiraiya Clash

"You mean Aida Sui?" Takuya thought for a moment, then shook his head with a sigh. "That kid is kind of like Nawaki. I've taught him the basics, and pointed him in the right direction. The rest is just up to him—he needs to finish missions, earn some credit, then either get proper training in swordsmanship or find ninjutsu that suits him."

Takuya continued, "But Aida's got a mindset issue. He's desperate for the approval of Ryoji Uchiha and Hyuga Suzune, and he wants to be on their level. I've tried correcting him a few times, but it doesn't seem to help."

Honestly, why does he have to compare himself to others? People like Ryoji and Suzune have family legacies and resources. Aida's a talented kid, but he needs to be more realistic.

"He sounds like a bit of a problem child. Looks like you'll have your hands full with him in the future," Jiraiya chuckled, rubbing his chin with amusement. He already had images of Takuya being driven crazy by his students.

Too bad for Jiraiya, Takuya didn't care at all. He shrugged indifferently. "Just to clarify—I'm not their teacher, only their team captain. I don't have any obligation to make sure they succeed. I just need to do my job, and the rest is on them."

Takuya's frustration finally surfaced. Normally, he kept a relaxed demeanor, but when he was with Minato and Nawaki, he allowed himself to vent about things like this.

"You haven't changed," Minato said, smiling as he shook his head.

Back in Amegakure, Takuya had refused to let Yahiko and Konan call him 'sensei,' and even now, as a jonin-sensei, he still didn't want his team calling him their teacher.

"Changed? Don't make it sound so bad," Takuya said, playfully punching Minato in the chest before leaning back against the wall, arms crossed. "I'll do my part as a jonin-sensei, but the rest is up to them. Ryoji Uchiha and Hyuga Suzune will be fine. Aida just needs to get his head on straight. If he can focus and work hard, at the very least, he can become a Special Jonin. But if he keeps comparing himself to others, no amount of effort will help."

"Do you want me to have a chat with him?" Jiraiya offered. It was rare to see a talented civilian ninja, and Jiraiya felt it would be a waste to let Aida struggle without proper guidance. Such kids deserved the chance to reach their full potential.

"Wow, so generous?" Takuya smirked, giving Jiraiya a knowing look but said nothing.

Sensing the tension, Minato quickly intervened, steering Jiraiya toward the door. "Sensei, we've got a lot to discuss here. Why don't you head home, take a bath, change into some clean clothes, have a nice meal, and maybe relax in the hot springs?"

"Don't worry, I'll come by to visit you again. And when you're discharged, I'll even have a gift for you," Orochimaru said as he patted Nawaki's bedframe and headed for the door.

As Orochimaru left, Minato turned back to Takuya, trying to explain, "Sensei didn't mean anything by it, he just…"

Takuya raised a hand, cutting him off. "I know. He just doesn't want to see a promising kid like Aida lose his way. No need to overthink it."

Outside the hospital, Orochimaru glanced sideways at Jiraiya and couldn't resist muttering, "Idiot."

Under normal circumstances, Jiraiya would've been enraged by that. But today, he just looked at Orochimaru seriously and said, "Orochimaru, I wasn't trying to undermine Takuya's leadership with Aida. I just don't want to see a talented kid like that go down the wrong path."

"Takuya was right, though. Aida does have a mindset problem. If no one helps him adjust, it could lead to trouble later on."

"And what makes you think you're in any position to advise him?" Orochimaru sneered. "You can't even manage your own students properly, so how can you go around telling others what to do?"

Jiraiya was taken aback. Orochimaru's words cut deep.

"Don't forget the reason Takuya became a jonin-sensei in the first place. You played a part in that, too. So don't get too full of yourself—there are some people who don't see you as important as you think you are."

"What are you talking about?" Jiraiya asked, taken aback.

Orochimaru smirked coldly. "If it weren't for you, Takuya could've been on the battlefield, earning glory and making a name for himself across the shinobi world. But no, thanks to people like you, he's stuck as an unnoticed jonin-sensei, hesitant to even leave the village on missions."

"That's not true!" Jiraiya protested. He accepted responsibility for tricking Nawaki and Minato into going to the battlefield, but he wasn't about to take the blame for what Orochimaru was implying.

"The Hokage and those two elders made that decision, not me! I tried to stop them, but my voice didn't carry enough weight."

Orochimaru just gave him a knowing smile before walking off, leaving Jiraiya standing there, seething in frustration.

"Damn it!" Jiraiya shouted, punching a nearby tree. The impact left a deep dent in the trunk, shaking loose a flurry of leaves. Why did things always have to be this way? Was it just because Takuya wasn't aligned with the Hokage, or maybe because of his Uchiha blood? Why did they insist on molding him into another Uchiha Kagami?

In that moment, Jiraiya felt the overwhelming urge to leave Konoha, to escape from the swirling vortex of village politics.

Back in the hospital, with the room now cleared of extra people, Takuya turned to Nawaki, his expression serious. "Next time, don't be reckless. Saving people is fine, but don't risk your own life like that."

Takuya reached over and grabbed Nawaki's ear, giving it a firm tug. "You're an idiot, aren't you? You've got all these ninjutsu at your disposal, but instead of using them, you throw yourself into danger. What about your ninjutsu, huh? Where's your brain?"

"Ow, ow, ow! Okay, okay, I get it! I was just in a hurry, alright? Oww!" Nawaki yelped, clearly in pain.

Minato, sitting on the side, couldn't help but laugh at the scene. Takuya was doing exactly what Nawaki needed—he had gotten a little too overconfident after his recent successes on the battlefield. Minato had tried to rein him in, but Nawaki hadn't really listened. Takuya was the only one who could get through to him.

Serves him right, Minato thought with a grin. If anyone could knock Nawaki back down to earth, it was Takuya.

Nawaki, on the other hand, was less amused. He silently vowed revenge, even though he knew he probably wouldn't be able to take on Takuya when the time came. Still, once his injuries healed, he'd get his payback somehow. He just had to figure out how…

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