Once all the students had set off, Arima used the Body Flicker Technique and followed behind Tsunade in person. He felt more at ease guarding her this way.
Since the plan for the day was to have a cookout by the creek in the forest, Arima created a few Wood Clones to carry all the barbecue supplies to the destination ahead of time.
Thanks to the continuous feedback from his clones, Arima could monitor how the students were performing.
At first, the students crowded together, jostling for position. It was chaotic and lively. But as time passed, gaps started to form between them.
Leading the first group was Might Duy, who regularly trained with running and other physical exercises.
Close behind were Tsunade, Sakumo, and then Orochimaru and Dan.
Surprisingly, in the second group, the frontrunner was none other than Jiraiya. To Arima, it was obvious Jiraiya had a lot of experience chasing and being chased.
As they moved into the latter half of the route, the top group remained neck and neck, while the second group gradually began to stretch out.
On average, each student was over a hundred meters apart, forming a long line through the forest.
According to Arima's prediction, even a fully-trained genin would be exhausted if they ran the entire route in one go. They would certainly need to rest at some point.
Tsunade had her own plan. She'd already had the family guards scout out the area in advance and mapped out the optimal path.
In her view, that wasn't cheating. Her older brother had often told her that a ninja must use every information advantage to ensure victory.
Besides, Arima had informed everyone of the field trip plans a full week in advance. Surely he had expected something like this.
Thanks to her preparation, Tsunade moved smoothly and, after a short rest midway, overtook everyone and claimed the lead.
But fate had other plans. As she neared the endpoint, just half an hour away, her heart was full of joy, imagining spending more time with her beloved brother, when suddenly she heard faint cries for help from nearby.
She froze. Listening closely, she confirmed that someone was calling for help. Now she faced a choice: keep going, or turn back to rescue them.
She could rush to the endpoint first, then come back, but saving someone could be a matter of life or death. Not knowing the situation, she couldn't bring herself to ignore it.
'I'll go take a look,' Tsunade thought. 'Maybe I can handle it quickly, it's not far anyway.'
And so she turned and headed toward the source of the cry.
When she arrived, she discovered an elderly woman, probably in her sixties, with an injured leg. Scattered around her were freshly picked mushrooms and wild fruits.
In a forest like this, dangerous animals, bears, maybe even snakes, could appear. If Tsunade left now, it might be too late to come back and save the old woman later.
Arima observed the entire situation but did not intervene.
Just as his grandfather once guided him, Arima now felt a sense of responsibility, to see how Tsunade would handle this kind of choice.
Tsunade struggled with her decision. She wanted that first place badly, but the situation was urgent.
Her conscience wouldn't let her leave the old woman alone. But asking Arima's clone for help would mean forfeiting the competition reward.
Her grandfather and granduncle were Hokage, guardians of the village, loved and respected by all.
Her brother had always treasured his comrades and often helped others.
She knew he'd sacrificed much for this belief, enduring cold stares, indifference, even mockery, yet he had never wavered.
These three figures had planted the seed of protection in her young heart. She was proud of them and had quietly vowed to one day protect the village and help its people in her own way.
With that thought, she made her choice. She would call for help and give up the race.
She raised her hand to signal surrender. A figure appeared before her, it was not a clone, but her real brother.
Arima was deeply gratified by Tsunade's choice. This was what it meant to pass on one's beliefs.
He stepped forward and gently picked her up, placing a light kiss on her cheek as a reward.
Tsunade had been feeling defeated, but this surprise filled her with joy. It wasn't a clone, it was Arima himself.
Realizing he had been by her side all along, and now he'd kissed her cheek, made her a little shy. To her, it was a huge reward.
She happily wrapped her arms around Arima's neck, and all her earlier frustration and doubt vanished.
With a warm smile, Arima said, "Tsunade, I'm proud of your decision. A ninja must follow the rules and never abandon a mission.
But the beliefs in our hearts are even more important. Just like Grandfather always said, live in a way your conscience can be proud of."
Tsunade sweetly kissed his neck and rested her head on his shoulder, saying cheerfully, "I'll remember that, Arima-nii."
Arima created a Wood Clone to take the elderly woman home safely. Then, carrying Tsunade, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport directly to the destination.
No students had arrived yet. At the earliest, Arima estimated it would be at least ten more minutes before anyone showed up.
His clones were already busy slicing meat, preparing sauces, and arranging vegetables and drinks for the cookout.
Tsunade, seeing so many Arima bustling around, couldn't wait to join in and help. Arima gently set her down and let her do as she liked.
Roughly ten minutes later, rustling sounds came from the distance, followed by a silhouette. It wasn't anyone from the leading group, but from the second, Jiraiya.
Jiraiya looked around and realized he was the second to arrive.
Disappointment washed over him. He hadn't expected someone to beat his clever trick. His excitement deflated, and his mood dropped.
Arima was surprised to see Jiraiya arrive first. He had expected Sakumo or Orochimaru.
Still, he wasn't too shocked. From the start, he'd felt Jiraiya's future was hard to predict. The boy often broke expectations.
Seeing Jiraiya go from elation to dejection was amusing. Arima didn't want to tease him further, he looked pitiful enough. And he had earned the win through skill.
Jiraiya stood near the water, sulking. Arima walked over and gently patted his head.
"Congratulations, Jiraiya, you're the first to arrive. Tsunade ran into an emergency and withdrew from the race."
Jiraiya lit up. He jumped excitedly, only to land awkwardly on a smooth stone and twist his ankle.
Arima couldn't help but laugh. 'Is this what they mean by too much joy bringing sorrow?'
Thankfully, Arima was skilled in medical ninjutsu and quickly healed Jiraiya's injury. Otherwise, Jiraiya would've been limping for days.
Then Arima handed him a freshly grilled skewer. "You've earned it," he said.
Jiraiya's family was poor. He rarely had the chance to eat barbecue. His mother had once taken him to a restaurant for his birthday, and that memory stayed with him ever since.
He'd promised himself, 'Someday, when I'm rich, I'll eat barbecue every day.'
He took a careful bite of the steaming meat. The flavor was even better than what he remembered from that restaurant. He was stunned. His teacher could cook, too?
'If only I could learn this skill,' Jiraiya thought. 'Then I could cook for mom at home... cheap, tasty, and maybe even start a little business.'
Of course, he didn't dare ask out of nowhere. But then he remembered, didn't the winner get one wish?
Suddenly, Jiraiya was beaming. 'Good thing I planned ahead over the weekend. I really am a genius.'
Soon, other students began arriving. Sakumo was second, Orochimaru third. They all took longer than Arima had expected, about half an hour more.
Arima gradually recalled all his clones and took time to organize the information they'd gathered. Finally, he understood what had happened.
Jiraiya had set up a decoy route marker the day before. On the day of the race, while others rested, he rushed ahead to replace the real marker.
The others had followed the false path, even the sharp minded Orochimaru.
Orochimaru and Sakumo had noticed the forest getting denser and darker. It didn't seem like a place people often visited.
Orochimaru recalled that the destination should be a forest clearing, a place likely to have tracks and signs of human activity, but this area had none.
He quickly returned to the fork and discovered the switch. He found the real marker not far off.
Sakumo and the others reached similar conclusions and redirected their path.
When they finally arrived, they saw Jiraiya and Tsunade enjoying a feast by the table.
Tsunade was too proud to pull a trick like that. The culprit was obvious, Jiraiya, the master of chaos.
Seeing Jiraiya lounging like a king, eating meat and sipping juice, while they arrived tired and hungry, missing the chance at first place, filled them with rage.
They all wanted to teach him a lesson.
Arima quickly called everyone over to barbecue together.
Getting hands-on distracted them a bit. They gnawed on the meat as if venting their frustration on Jiraiya himself.
Sensing the tension, Arima said, "This race's winner is Jiraiya. Tsunade withdrew due to unforeseen circumstances. Everyone else will be ranked accordingly."
He paused and then added, "I know you're upset with Jiraiya, but I want to praise him."
The students looked puzzled, but Orochimaru, now calm, began to understand.
Arima gestured to him. "Orochimaru, care to explain?"
Orochimaru nodded.
"When a ninja goes on a mission, gathering intel is step one. Sensei told us about this event a week in advance, obviously to see if we'd act on that information.
And the only rule was that seeking help would disqualify you. Jiraiya stayed within the rules."
Arima smiled. "Exactly. Jiraiya competed fairly. But remember, in real missions, life and death don't care about fairness.
You'll have to rely on yourselves. Think of this as a miniature survival drill. Reflect on it when you return."
Then he turned to Tsunade, his expression softening.
"I want to praise one more student, Tsunade, I'm proud of you."
Tsunade blushed at the attention and praise. The admiring looks from the others made her beam with pride. It felt better than winning a three-day streak at the gambling tables.
As the First Hokage's granddaughter, much was expected of her.
Her classmates often looked at her like she had inherited her grandfather's greatness. But she wanted to earn respect through her own actions.
Arima continued, "Tsunade also scouted the route ahead of time, so she wasn't misled by the marker.
But when she encountered an injured civilian, she chose to help and gave up the task.
Some might say a ninja who abandons the mission is trash, but one who doesn't value their comrades is worse than trash.
Remember this: never betray your own conscience."
The words struck a chord in these still growing children. It was like planting seeds in their hearts, seeds that would one day bloom.
With a smile, Arima said, "Now go enjoy yourselves. If anything's unclear, you'll figure it out in time."
He called for the food to be brought out. The atmosphere softened, and the hostility toward Jiraiya faded.
Jiraiya let out a quiet sigh of relief. He'd worn extra clothes today, just in case he got beat up.
He walked to the riverside, gazing at the drifting clouds above. The tension melted from his body.
"I survived another day," he muttered contentedly.