Chapter 52: Team 13
Since they had four hours before they had to report to the Hokage's office, Kaida and Yomi decided to enjoy some Ichiraku ramen in the meantime. They headed straight toward the shop.
Ayame came to see who had arrived so early in the morning and was elated to find them.
"Oh! Kaida-san, Yomi-san, welcome back! Where have you been for the last three months?"
"We were training under our new sensei, and we've become super powerful now," Yomi said.
"Also, we were doing some missions. We're now genin," Kaida added with a proud smile.
"Oh, that's great! So, what do you guys want to eat?" Ayame asked.
"The usual."
"Coming right up."
'Now that I think about it, Ayame is the name shared by both her and the girl from the D-rank transport mission. Maybe that's why Kaida was talking to her so much,' Yomi thought.
After 30 minutes, Ayame and Teuchi came out with a hot bowl of miso ramen with all the toppings. They served it, and Kaida and Yomi ate until their stomachs were about to burst. They paid the bill and then headed toward the Hokage building, walking leisurely. On the way, they both wondered who would be their new teammate.
They only had a single friend in the academy; everyone else just used to give them the cold shoulder.
At 9:50, they reached the Hokage building and were surprised to find Ryota waiting there.
"Hey, Ryota, how are you?" Kaida asked.
Ryota, upon hearing Kaida, stood up from his seat, walked over to him, and punched him straight in the gut.
"I'm fine, you asshole. You never visited us after your sudden graduation, and here I thought we were friends."
Kaida thought, 'Ryota's words hurt more than his punch.'
"I'm sorry, bro. We were really busy—heck, we didn't even have time to sleep during our training under our new sensei," Kaida said with a sad face.
*bark bark*
Kiba also showed his displeasure at not receiving his treats and pats for such a long time.
"Sorry to you too, buddy," Kaida said, patting Kiba. Since he was expecting to meet them, Kaida had brought some treats with him, which he gave Kiba as an apology.
"Hey, Yomi."
"Hey, Ryota."
Yomi and Ryota had a normal interaction since Ryota's anger was already over. This was one of the best things about members of the Inuzuka clan: they didn't hide their feelings.
"Lord Third is calling you guys," the receptionist said, interrupting their reunion.
They headed toward the Hokage's office.
"Greetings, Lord Hokage," Ryota bowed to Hiruzen.
"Good morning, Grandpa," Kaida and Yomi said, bowing slightly.
"Good morning to all of you. Hmm, it seems Kenji's words were true—you three are well acquainted with each other," Hiruzen said, then looked toward Kaida and Yomi before continuing. "As you may have guessed already, Ryota will be your new teammate. He graduated from the academy in one week and completed his necessary D-rank missions to go on C-rank missions."
"Yes, Grandpa, but who will be our team leader and new sensei?" Kaida asked.
"Oh, you know him very well," Hiruzen said.
As if on cue, the office door opened, and Yukihiro walked in.
"How are you doing, kids?"
"Yukihiro-sensei!" Kaida said, pleasantly surprised.
"Yes, he will be your new sensei," Hiruzen confirmed.
"That's great!" Kaida exclaimed, while Yomi was happy but thought it would have been even better if Daichi were there. Ryota was the most surprised by this news.
"The famous Fire Sword is going to be our sensei?" Ryota exclaimed.
"Hahaha, yes. Now, you three wait outside; I have something to discuss with Yukihiro," Hiruzen said.
The three of them went outside of the office.
"Hey, what was that about the Fire Sword?" Kaida asked.
"You don't even know about that? He's one of the most powerful swordsmen in Konoha and had a bounty of 35 million Ryo on his head in the Bingo Book. The higher your bounty, the more powerful you are. Some even say he's S-rank in terms of kenjutsu. How do you guys know him?"
"Umm, he's the one who taught me elemental jutsu and kenjutsu," Kaida said sheepishly, ashamed of not even knowing about his sensei.
"Now I'm not even angry about you not visiting me—just too jealous of you," Ryota said.
"Me too," Yomi added.
While they were discussing this, Hiruzen and Yukihiro were having a different conversation.
"Yukihiro, I had some Anbu ninja watch Kaida's and Yomi's progress, and the results were astounding.
If we talk about Yomi, she has enough strength to go toe to toe with any chunin.
As for Kaida, his growth is monstrous. He can be compared to an elite chunin, and I'm not saying jonin only because of his inexperience."
"I don't see any problem with this, Lord Third."
"There is a very big problem with this. They have enough power but no experience and haven't even had their first kill. A ninja of their strength is being wasted doing nothing in such a turbulent time. I want you to take whichever mission you want and make sure they gain enough experience, including their first kill."
"Yes, Lord Third."
Yukihiro left the office after that.
…
"Sensei, I didn't know you were so famous," Kaida said when he saw Yukihiro coming toward them.
"Yes, yes, I'm super cool. Now, leave that aside. We're all going to meet in Training Area 55 in 30 minutes. Don't be late."
Yukihiro said and moved away using Wind Instantaneous Movement Jutsu.
"We better hurry if we don't want to be late," Ryota said.
Though Kaida could reach there within a minute using Wind Instantaneous Movement Jutsu, he decided to walk with his friend.
They reached Training Area 55 ten minutes before the required time and were not shocked to find Yukihiro already standing there.
"Now that you guys are here, let's begin with our introductions.
My name is Senju Yukihiro. I am a kenjutsu and ninjutsu user. I dislike people who don't value time. What I like is none of your business."
"I am Senju Kaida. I am also a kenjutsu and ninjutsu user. I dislike wasting my time. I like utilizing my time most efficiently."
"I am Yomi. I am a ninjutsu user. I like spending time with my friends and dislike staying away from them."
"I am Ryota Inuzuka. I am a ninjutsu and taijutsu user. I like spending time with my friend Kiba, and I dislike people with double faces."
"Good, but from now on, you also have one more identity: a member of Team 13.
Since you guys already know each other, let's not waste time on team bonding. Doing missions together is the best team bonding exercise, according to me.
Now, come here and take your mission kit."
Yukihiro handed each of them a handguard with a symbol on it.
"Wear it and channel your chakra into it."
They wore the handguards and channelled their chakra, surprised to find that the guards contained 12 shurikens, 4 kunai, ninja wire, and 60 nutrient bars.
"These handguards have storage seals in them. You can store ten times the amount already present. Whenever you go on a mission, this is the basic requirement: your weapon and food for at least twice the duration of the mission."
"Yes, Sensei."
"I hope you guys are ready because we're going on a mission right now," Yukihiro said with a full grin on his face.
Since Kaida and Yomi didn't have any problem with that, they agreed, but Ryota mentioned he had to notify his family.
"Okay, Ryota, tell them you'll be out for three days on an escort mission, and we'll all meet at the village gate in two hours."
They all went back after that.
*********
Next Chapter: Sharingan
(A.N: Guys, this is the last chapter without any fights. From now on, there will be fights and killing (brutal killing), so stay tuned. Also, don't forget my Power Stones!)