Chương 35: Teammates and the Leading Jonin

Watching the newly formed squads being led away one by one, Yugao Uzuki began to grow restless.

"Hey, Zhen-niisan, what kind of person do you think our leading Jonin will be?"

"How should I know? Listen, Yugao, I don't mind you treating me like a know-it-all, but can you stop treating me like a prophet? I know ninjutsu, but I really don't know divination magic."

"I'm just curious."

"Please, strangle the 'curious little person' in your head. A ninja must have patience; we'll know soon enough." Dongye Zhen remained composed, though he had already dismissed his earlier concerns. He was, after all, the top graduate of this class with a perfect score. Even if the Third Hokage were muddled, he wouldn't hand Zhen over to the Uchiha. Even if the Hokage were willing, his "dear friend" Danzo Shimura would never agree. Man, if you didn't give me the top graduate, fine, but giving him to the Uchiha?

Sarutobi, you've changed. After a while, a lean middle-aged ninja with semi-long brown hair finally walked in. He wore the standard green flak jacket and a shinobi cap with a metal protector. He was of average height. It seemed that in Konoha, black and brown hair were the most common; yellow, white, red, blue, and purple were all outliers. Yugao Uzuki gasped in surprise.

"Oh! Uncle Yunmi? Why are you here? Wait, don't tell me you're our...?"

"Yes, you guessed correctly. Team 3: Dongye Zhen, Yugao Uzuki. Follow me." Indeed, the newcomer was Yunmi Gekko, the father of Hayate Gekko. He was a family friend of the Uzukis and a senior and friend to the Dongye couple. The three families were well-acquainted. Furthermore, both the Gekko and Uzuki clans were the type that could barely be called "clans"—they were essentially commoners and die-hard members of the Hokage Faction. Thus, the selection of Konoha's leading Jonin was never random.

Seeing that the leading Jonin was Yunmi Gekko, Zhen already guessed who the final teammate would be. Sure enough, when the two followed Yunmi to a secluded training ground, a familiar figure leaped down from a tree. Hayate Gekko! His appearance had changed slightly; like his father, he wore a shinobi cap. Aside from his height and age, he now matched the image in Zhen's memory. Talk about a father-son duo on the battlefield. Yugao was incredibly surprised.

"Hayate-niisan, why is it you?" It seemed she hadn't known Hayate would be joining this team. After all, there was no need to consult the opinion of a fledgling Genin for such matters. Zhen asked curiously, "You graduated a year ago. Why are you alone? Where are your teammates?"

"Well, it's a long story," Hayate said somewhat helplessly.

"About six months after graduation, our team went on a C-rank mission and encountered a rogue ninja from Sunagakure." During wartime, rogue ninja were active everywhere in the shinobi world, though they were slightly less common around Kumogakure. Encountering them was normal.

"So? Your teammates died in the line of duty?" Hayate shook his head.

"No, we killed the target. It's just... sigh. My teammate Amamatsu suddenly ran over to search the body. We couldn't stop him in time, and an explosive tag trap blew off one of his legs. He's crippled now and can no longer be a ninja. The other teammate, a girl, was terrified and quit the field team. I recommended her to Auntie Sakura's Cryptanalysis team; she has a fair bit of talent in that area." Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

This "Sakura" was Sakura Uzuki, Yugao's mother—a functional Chunin belonging to Konoha's Intelligence Decryption Unit. Zhen hadn't expected the story to be so darkly comedic. It proved that the shinobi world was no place for the thick-headed; even some formidable foes would leave "gifts" behind after death. Only those with "protagonist armor" could shrug it off. Without it, a simple explosive tag trap could send you to heaven—isn't that right, Nawaki? Nawaki: "???"

After hearing the story, both Zhen and Yugao tilted their heads to look at their soon-to-be sensei, Yunmi Gekko. Their expressions clearly said: I didn't expect you to be so unreliable. Yunmi was a mature Jonin and immediately saw that he was being looked down upon.

"What are you looking at? I wasn't the one leading that team," he snapped, shaking off a "black pot" of blame that didn't belong to him. Then, his expression turned serious.

"Hayate's experience serves as a reminder for you both. As a ninja, you must maintain vigilance at all times, or you will lose your life very easily."

"After that incident, I had Hayate train at home for a few months while waiting for you to graduate. After all, the three of you grew up together and are familiar enough with one another." For a formal Konoha Jonin to have a hand in his own son's team placement was a small favor the village was willing to grant. After all, Dongye Zhen's grades were at the top of the school every year; since Shisui's graduation, he had been leading by such a margin that others couldn't even see his tail-lights.

The Hokage's office naturally paid attention to such a genius. Arranging for childhood friends to be his teammates ensured the bonds would be as solid as possible. It was perfect.

"Alright, enough small talk. Now, Team 3 of this graduation class is officially established. Each of you, introduce yourselves." Yugao didn't quite understand.

"Uncle Yunmi, do we really need introductions? You should be very familiar with us already."

"It's protocol," Yunmi said with a stern face.

"Also, I am now your leading Jonin and direct superior. During work hours, address me by my title. Remember this for the future: while on missions, you can call me Sensei or Captain, but you absolutely cannot call me Uncle or Father. That is a form of intelligence leakage that enemies can exploit. Most importantly—obey orders!" The young girl shrunk her neck, not daring to resist, and honestly confessed: "I am Yugao Uzuki, age 9. I like viewing flowers. My dream is to own a large private garden."

"I am Hayate Gekko, age 10. I like the feeling of growing alongside friends. My dream is to become a sword master."

"I am Dongye Zhen, age 9. I like training. As for my dream... to protect my companions in Konoha." This dream was politically correct, but the right of interpretation belonged to Zhen. Protecting companions was correct, but the power to define who counted as a "companion" remained firmly in Zhen's hands. Yunmi Gekko was naturally very familiar with the three of them, given the relationships between their families.

"Very well. Normally, there is a test before a team is formally established, and those who fail are not allowed to graduate. Given my understanding of you all, we can skip that test. However, I still need to check your strength to facilitate planning for future missions. Now, each of you report the abilities you excel in." Yugao: "I excel in Konoha-Style Kenjutsu, and low-to-mid rank Wind Style ninjutsu and Genjutsu."

Hayate was similar: "I also excel in Konoha-Style Kenjutsu, and low-to-mid rank Wind Style, Water Style, and Genjutsu." Their Wind and Water Styles had been taught by Zhen, but he hadn't taught them too much, mainly reminding them to focus on nature transformation training. As long as their mastery of nature transformation was deep enough, learning the corresponding ninjutsu in the future would be very simple; they could even develop ninjutsu suited to their own combat systems.

However, as they were ordinary ninja without bloodline enhancements, their progress couldn't compare to "cheaters" and required a significant amount of time to refine. As for Genjutsu, it was a component of their respective family sword styles. When it was Zhen's turn, he thought for a moment and said, "I suppose I'm an all-rounder. Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Medical Ninjutsu, and Sensory abilities are all decent. Hmm... I also know a bit of Sealing Jutsu." He wasn't bragging.

In the past year, he had indeed studied basic sealing theory and runes, mainly because they were useful for developing defensive ninjutsu, so he had learned some along the way. The three of them stared at him, dumbfounded. What kind of god-tier statement was that? Were those even human words? Hayate and Yugao were especially surprised. We grew up together. Your strength is high, that's true, and Medical Ninjutsu is understandable, but what on earth are 'Sensory' and 'Sealing'? Yunmi Gekko looked deeply at Zhen.

Before taking on this team, he had specifically contacted his old friends, Jiro Dongye and Yuwa Uzuki. Through Jiro's letters, he thought he had a sufficient understanding of Zhen, but it now seemed that the intel from his friend on the front lines was outdated. He had no idea what kind of "monster" his son's friend had become.