Chapter 41: Team Kakashi
Just as Hyuga Ritsu and Uchiha Shisui were rushing to the Stone Drum Mountain defense line, the forward camp had completed its reorganization of all understaffed ninja squads after a flurry of activity.
Nearly all the Hyuga clan shinobi had been assigned to different teams.
The jonin, without question, all served as squad leaders. They were currently holding their squad rosters, searching for their team members. Because there weren't enough jonin available, some special jonin were also serving as squad leaders.
However, Hyuga Akiba wasn't among those selected special jonin.
She and the other special jonin who likewise hadn't been chosen as squad leaders gathered together—about a dozen people in total. They all sat in a large tent on small folding stools, waiting for their respective squad leaders to come call for them.
In fact, even chunin with slightly more seniority were qualified to lead squads of three genin on missions, but mission difficulty varied greatly. Squads with that composition were obviously only suitable for simple tasks.
To execute more difficult missions required elite squads—selecting capable jonin as leaders. At such times, even veteran chunin and special jonin could only serve as team members under jonin command.
Without exception, every Hyuga clan shinobi had been assigned to these elite squads with higher average strength.
Before Akiba could grow bored, a white-haired youth wearing a face mask walked in, holding two sheets of paper. He scanned the room, his gaze locking onto Hyuga Akiba and another black-haired, black-eyed girl. "Hyuga Akiba, Uchiha Aika, you're coming with me!"
With that, without waiting for them, he walked back outside.
Akiba stood and left together with the other Uchiha girl. Outside the tent, they saw the white-haired youth waiting, with a brown-haired girl with a gentle, cute face standing beside him.
Kakashi looked at the two approaching girls and greeted them in a flat, emotionless voice. "I'm Hatake Kakashi. Starting today, you two are my squad members."
"Hello, squad leader! I'm Hyuga Akiba, fourteen years old, special jonin. My specialties are the Byakugan and Gentle Fist!"
Akiba introduced herself energetically. Though what she said was completely redundant—which Hyuga clan shinobi's specialty wasn't the Byakugan and Gentle Fist?—her personality seemed lively enough, suggesting she wouldn't be difficult to get along with.
After Akiba finished, the black-haired, black-eyed girl with delicate features and refined looks like someone from a painting smiled sweetly. "Uchiha Aika, also fourteen, special jonin. I excel at genjutsu and Fire Style, with some Lightning Style abilities as well!"
Hatake Kakashi nodded.
Though both new team members were girls, one came from the Hyuga and one from the Uchiha. Fourteen-year-old special jonin couldn't compare to himself—a twelve-year-old jonin—but they could still be called geniuses.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Nohara Rin, a chunin and medical ninja."
The brown-haired girl with two purple marks painted on her face introduced herself to her new companions with a gentle smile. Even her voice was soft and sweet, carrying a water-like tenderness.
"Rin, you're a medical ninja? Then I'll have to trouble you to heal my injuries from now on!"
Akiba's face lit up as she moved closer, pressing against Nohara Rin in an affectionate way. She was quite naturally familiar, calling Rin by her first name as if they'd been friends for over a decade.
"Don't worry about that, Akiba. Though I might not be able to help much in combat, I guarantee I'll do excellent support work. If you get injured, just come find me!" Nohara Rin also had an outgoing, lively personality. She likewise immediately called Akiba by her first name without any sense of distance.
Uchiha Aika didn't join in bonding with her female companions. Instead, she looked at Hatake Kakashi and asked, "Squad leader, what about you? What are you good at?"
"Sword techniques. Lightning Style."
Kakashi's answer was concise and clear.
Then he looked at the three and said, "Now you all know each other. No need for more idle talk. Our battle with the Mist is at a critical juncture, and a mission is waiting for us to execute. I'm giving you ten minutes to prepare. Assemble at the camp gate in ten minutes."
"Yes, squad leader!"
Akiba answered loudly.
"Then please excuse me!"
Uchiha Aika was very polite.
After the two departed in different directions one after the other, Nohara Rin came to Kakashi's side and said with a smile, "That's wonderful, Kakashi! The new companions both seem easy to get along with!"
"Rin, you don't need to accompany me on field missions. With your medical ninjutsu, you could stay in the main camp treating the wounded." Kakashi didn't discuss the new teammates. Instead, he once again attempted to persuade Rin to remain in the safer rear.
"Kakashi, Obito is already gone. If I leave too, won't you be all alone? Besides, I believe you can protect me, Kakashi. And our new teammates are both excellent—one's a Hyuga, and one's from the Uchiha like Obito. They're both pretty too. Speaking of which... do either of them match your type?"
Nohara Rin rattled off a string of words, just like always, refusing to stay in the safer rear.
Kakashi scratched his head and sighed silently, looking up at the sky. He asked mentally, "Obito, how can I convince Rin to stay behind?" Unfortunately, his departed companion couldn't provide any answers.
Only the lively, gentle girl continued chattering away. "...In terms of beauty, it's definitely Uchiha Aika—she's so beautiful even I'm attracted to her as a girl. But Akiba is actually very pretty too, bright and spirited. Kakashi, which type do you like?"
Kakashi turned a deaf ear.
He didn't take the bait at all.
He had absolutely no interest in such topics.
He simply walked with Nohara Rin toward the camp gate to wait for the new teammates to assemble.
---
Outside the camp gate, about twenty meters away, in an old tree.
Concealed beneath dense branches and leaves, a half-black, half-white yin-yang face emerged from the trunk, blending as naturally as a growth on the tree. Not a single unnatural detail could be found.
"Why give Hatake Kakashi and Nohara Rin such capable teammates? Aren't we supposed to kill this Nohara Rin to open Obito's eyes? Finding them teammates like these just creates trouble for ourselves, doesn't it?"
The half-white face spoke.
"Just killing Nohara Rin isn't enough. We also need to make Obito understand that Rin's death is entirely Konoha's fault, the Mist's fault, this wretched world's fault—and absolutely not our fault!"
The half-black face stared at the four-person squad assembling at the camp gate. "The Mist and Konoha are currently brewing conspiracies against each other. We'll simply take advantage of the situation. Even if Obito becomes suspicious afterward and investigates, everything will be reasonable and proper, without any flaws or loopholes."
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