Chapter 29: The Run and the Reward
Orochimaru led the run the entire time, leaving Tsunade and Jiraiya far behind. Jiraiya and Tsunade ran one in front of the other, with Jiraiya slightly ahead.
Suddenly, Tsunade's foot caught on a small stone. She stumbled, losing her balance. In a blur of motion, Tenchi used the Body Flicker Technique to appear beside her, catching her before she could fall.
"Are you okay, Tsunade?" he asked, his voice soft.
"I-I'm fine," Tsunade stammered, her face flushing red as she realized he was holding her.
"I know this distance is tough, but you can do it. Keep going," Tenchi encouraged, letting her go.
Her face still bright red, Tsunade nodded and ran off, quickly catching up to run side-by-side with Jiraiya. Tenchi fell into step beside them.
"Hey, Brother Tenchi, you're running with us?" Jiraiya asked, looking at him with surprise.
"Watching you run made me want to join in. Consider it a warm-up," Tenchi said with a grin. "That way, I can eat more tonight." He smirked, thinking about how Hiruzen was footing the bill. It felt good to get one over on his old teacher.
Jiraiya just looked confused. *'If he's treating us, why does he need to work up an appetite? This guy is weird.'*
"You both look exhausted. Let me tell you a story to take your mind off it," Tenchi offered, thinking about the old days with Hiruzen.
The two listened, their focus on him.
"Your teacher, Sarutobi... you could say he's half my master. I was on the very first team he ever led. All my early training was arranged by him." He reminisced about those years of training and going on missions together.
"Eh? I didn't know you were on Sarutobi-sensei's team!" Tsunade exclaimed. "But why only 'half' a master?" Jiraiya looked equally curious.
"Well, for that, you'd have to ask your Second Grandpa, Tobirama," Tenchi said, shaking his head slightly.
"Second Grandpa? What does he have to do with it?" Tsunade's interest was immediately piqued.
Jiraiya also perked up, eager to hear about the Second Hokage.
"Your Second Grandfather... because I'm an Uchiha, he never liked me. Even though he assigned me to a Jōnin team, he forbade the Jōnin from officially taking me as a disciple. So, Sarutobi could only ever be half a master to me." Tenchi explained this with a casual wave of his hand, as if it didn't matter much anymore.
"Yeah... Second Grandpa really didn't like the Uchiha very much," Tsunade admitted, nodding slowly.
"Then, Brother Tenchi, how did you get so strong later?" Jiraiya asked eagerly. He desperately wanted to know Tenchi's secret. Maybe he could use the same method. He was so tired of being last.
"Well... how to put it?" Tenchi thought of his system. "Let's say it was three parts luck and seven parts hard work. Everyone has their own opportunity. When that chance comes, if you work hard, you can truly soar." In his case, the "luck" was far more important than the "hard work," but he kept that to himself.
"Oh," Jiraiya said, his face falling. It seemed this method wasn't something he could copy.
"Don't be so discouraged, Jiraiya," Tenchi said, seeing his disappointment. "I truly believe your own opportunity will come soon. And when it does, you will soar to great heights." He wasn't just saying it to be nice. He knew that in the original story, it was around this age that Jiraiya would find his way to Mount Myōboku, learn Sage Mode, and truly become powerful.
"Thanks, Brother Tenchi," Jiraiya said. He didn't really believe the encouragement, but he appreciated the sentiment.
"Jiraiya, I have high hopes for your future. I believe you will become a pillar of Konoha. And you, Tsunade."
Hearing herself praised, Tsunade blushed again.
"Come on, let's catch up to Orochimaru!"
With that, the two of them found a new burst of energy from somewhere. They sped up, chasing after Orochimaru, and caught up to him within five minutes.
"Oh? You caught up?" Orochimaru looked curiously at the two now running beside him.
"It's not just them. I'm here too," Tenchi said, appearing smoothly in front of Orochimaru.
"Captain Tenchi, have you joined our running training?" Orochimaru asked. Shouldn't he be napping in a corner somewhere? Why was he joining the run? It was strange.
Hearing this, all three genin looked at Tenchi with puzzled expressions.
"Don't look at me like I'm a freak," Tenchi said. "Your teacher Sarutobi trained me the exact same way. If you want to blame anyone, blame him. He's the one who came up with this method." He neatly shifted all responsibility to Hiruzen.
"Captain Tenchi, were you also Lord Sarutobi's student?" Orochimaru instantly understood.
"No, just a former teammate. And you can just call me Brother Tenchi."
"Alright, pretty boys and pretty girl," Tenchi announced, using words they didn't quite understand. "Let's head for the finish line! The barbecue is waiting!" With that, he shot off ahead.
Though confused by the "pretty" comments, the three genin felt his excitement and rushed after him.
They finally finished their thirty laps at 9:15 in the evening, all three of them gasping for air, completely drained.
Tenchi checked the time. "You didn't finish within the time limit. That means no barbecue."
Hearing this, their faces fell, filled with disappointment. For Jiraiya, who had pushed through solely on the promise of food, it was a crushing blow.
"But," Tenchi said, his tone flipping instantly, "Lord Sarutobi is treating us tonight. So the barbecue is still on!"
"Yeah!" Jiraiya jumped for joy. Even Tsunade and Orochimaru broke into tired but genuine smiles.
"Don't keep Sarutobi waiting. To the barbecue restaurant, let's go!" The moment Tenchi finished speaking, the three genin vanished in a gust of wind, sprinting toward the food.
"This bunch..." Tenchi shook his head with a laugh. Then, he used the Body Flicker Technique and appeared directly at the door of the barbecue restaurant.
After waiting a short while, the three genin came sprinting up. As soon as they arrived, they saw Tenchi leaning against the doorframe, smiling at them.
"Oh, that was fast. I thought I'd have to wait a little longer," he teased.
"How did you get here so fast? Weren't you behind us?" Tsunade and Jiraiya exclaimed in unison.
Orochimaru wasn't surprised. Given Tenchi's strength, beating them here was completely normal.
"Enough talk," Tenchi said, cutting them off. "Sarutobi's waiting inside. Let's go in."
They all rushed inside, Tenchi included.
Entering the restaurant, they saw Hiruzen already sitting at a table, the grill hot and meat sizzling. They hurried over. Orochimaru and Jiraiya sat on one side, Tenchi and Tsunade on the other, with Hiruzen at the head of the table.
"Tenchi," Hiruzen said, watching them all scramble to sit down. "You're acting just like them."
"You're the one treating us. Of course I have to be enthusiastic," Tenchi replied, completely unbothered.