Bei Yuan Feng slipped naturally into the role of squad leader. In truth, he'd been doing it for a while already.
Ever since becoming a chunin, he'd led several missions. During peaceful times, most tasks weren't dangerous, so Akai Akimoto had long since adopted a hands-off approach. Today was just the official confirmation that authority had been passed down.
"Today's mission is garbage collection. Ugh, another boring job."
Xiangtian Yuanlong sighed dramatically.
"When are we gonna get a real ninja mission?"
"If that happens, you'll be too scared to move again," Hyuga Keiko said flatly.
That brought back a very specific memory. During one mission, the first time Yuanlong had witnessed an actual battle between ninja, he'd been so overwhelmed by the killing intent of a hostile chunin that he froze completely.
Even in the original story, the most forgettable elite chunin could overwhelm ordinary genin without effort.
"That was forever ago," Yuanlong protested. "Teacher said I'm at chunin level now. I'll definitely pass the next chunin exams."
Bei Yuan Feng nodded. Both his teammates had reached the threshold of chunin strength. Under normal circumstances, getting promoted wouldn't be difficult.
But the next chunin exams… were hell mode.
The combined attack from Otogakure and Sunagakure was coming. In the end, only Shikamaru, with his exceptional mind and leadership abilities, earned the right to become a chunin. Everyone else became collateral damage.
Early Naruto still followed the rule: to be promoted, you needed the intelligence and capability to command a squad.
Later on, that rule basically vanished.
"Let's go. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can leave."
Bei Yuan Feng waved them onward.
By the time they wrapped up, they had spent most of the day collecting trash. After receiving ten thousand ryo in mission pay, Bei Yuan Feng returned home. His mother, Bei Yuan Fangzi, had dinner ready. Once he ate, he went straight to his study.
He unsealed the small scroll he carried and retrieved a finely bound diary.
As usual, he began writing.
May 11, clear skies.
[I can't believe Akai-sensei got promoted to Tokubetsu Jonin. It's good news, but him being assigned to the Anbu is definitely not. The Konoha Crush Plan is about to begin. Being anywhere near the Third Hokage during that mess is basically a death flag. Orochimaru might kill him casually.
This is still Shippuden territory. This isn't the era where Kage-level ninja become dirt cheap. At this point in the story, even Hatake 50/50 going all out against Orochimaru wouldn't manage mutual destruction. Orochimaru's pressure is overwhelming. Later he turns into 'Snake Aunt' and suddenly anybody and their dog can beat him up…
But that's the future. Different era, different rules.]
Meanwhile, inside the Hatake ancestral home, Kakashi felt the diary tremble with an update. He dropped the towel he was using to dry his hair and hurried to his desk. Opening the diary, he scanned the new entry in seconds.
Beside the diary was a folder containing everything he'd gathered about Bei Yuan Feng. He flipped it open.
Bei Yuan Feng:
Father, an ordinary chunin, killed on a mission.
Currently living with his mother, Bei Yuan Fangzi.
The Bei Yuan family had been among the original inhabitants when the First Hokage founded the village. Not a shinobi clan, no special talents, but loyal and reliable village citizens for generations.
His instructor was Akai Akimoto, an unremarkable elite chunin.
Kakashi crossed out "elite chunin" and wrote in "Tokubetsu Jonin."
"So he really got promoted…" Kakashi murmured.
It didn't match the older intel he'd received, but that didn't matter. If it happened today, it made sense he hadn't been updated yet.
These files weren't classified. He'd gotten them through a colleague in the Anbu. The Bei Yuan family simply wasn't important enough to lock down.
But none of that mattered, because one phrase in the diary made Kakashi's eyes narrow slightly.
Konoha Crush Plan.
Those words instantly drew every instinct he had into high alert.
And this guy wasn't a spy?
He even knew the name of the invasion operation.
Kakashi looked back at the file. Bei Yuan Feng was described as an average chunin. Hard-working, but nothing special. He'd only been promoted half a year ago and had the strength of a typical chunin.
Promotion to chunin… That felt like a lifetime ago for Kakashi. Nearly twenty years.
For someone like him, promotion had never been a challenge. Reaching jonin hadn't been difficult either.
But the price he paid after receiving Obito's final gift had been steep.
His fingers brushed his left eye. The Sharingan. Obito's eye. He had seen the world through Obito's vision for so many years it felt like a part of him.
He had lost everything—his father, mother, teacher, teacher's wife, Obito, Rin.
Even now, hardened as he had become, a faint ache passed through his chest.
He forced the memories back and returned to the diary.
Konoha. Crush. Plan.
And… Orochimaru.
Just the name was enough to make anyone in Konoha go rigid.
A man said to rival the Kage of every great village.
Kakashi had personally fought Orochimaru during his defection. He had nearly died.
But did Bei Yuan Feng really write that even if Kakashi fought with everything he had, he still wouldn't achieve mutual destruction?
That might've been true back then. But now… Kakashi wasn't entirely sure. Maybe he could at least drag Orochimaru down with him?
Maybe.
But what did "turning into Snake Aunt" mean?
He reread it twice. It made no sense.
And even if Orochimaru became some strange "Snake Aunt," there was no universe where anybody, let alone "people and dogs," could beat him casually.
Kakashi simply couldn't picture a world like that.