Chapter 69 Aoba Team
Hokage Office.
A group of Jonin and Special Jonin gathered.
After receiving their team information, they left one by one and went to the Ninja Academy.
Kakashi looked at the list of students for Team Seven and felt somewhat helpless. He clearly wanted to live a leisurely life, but the Hokage still assigned him trouble.
Naruto Uzumaki, Minato-sensei's child, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
Sasuke Uchiha, the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan.
This team is not easy to lead!
At this time, Yamashiro Aoba also received the information for Team Nine. Seeing that his clan brother was in it, he was rarely relieved.
He actually didn't understand why he, a Special Jonin from the Intelligence Division, would be assigned to be a team leader, but seeing that he was going to lead his clan brother, he didn't think much about it anymore, just treated it as a rare vacation.
However, Sarutobi Hiruzen mentioned, "Aoba, there's a little guy named Alex in your team who is a genius. You must cultivate him well."
Alex? Genius?
Yamashiro Aoba opened Alex's file and was immediately stunned, "This Alex, he's the inventor of the Ninja Killing Card Game, and he even defeated Sasuke Uchiha! Single-hand seals, Water Release Ninjutsu... Lord Hokage, forgive my bluntness, but a genius like this should be given to Kakashi to lead!"
Kakashi rolled his eyes. Why did everyone want to give him trouble?
Sarutobi Hiruzen laughed, "Kakashi has other arrangements, you should know that Kakashi is the most suitable person to lead the Uchiha 460 child, and also Naruto... In short, pay more attention to that little guy Alex."
Kakashi also patted Yamashiro Aoba's shoulder at this time, "Aoba, Alex is a good kid, smart, rational, and responsible. Leading him will be very easy."
Yamashiro Aoba looked at Kakashi in surprise, not expecting Kakashi to evaluate this Alex so highly.
He would have to take a good look then.
"All right then, I'll do my best."
Yamashiro Aoba left with the list and information. Before reaching the school, he read all the information and put it away, then arrived at the classroom door.
"Team Nine, Alex, Yamashiro Rinne, Kato Megumi, follow me!"
After saying that, he turned around and left.
Alex nodded to Shino, and he and his two teammates quickly left the classroom and followed the receding figure.
This Aoba-sensei doesn't play by the rules; he calls people out but then runs far away himself. Is this immediately starting to test the strength of the three of them?
The three immediately chased after him, with Alex in the middle leading the way. Alex decided the pace and rhythm, keeping close to Yamashiro Aoba without falling behind, but also without expending too much physical strength. The key was that they didn't say a word, seemingly not curious at all about what Yamashiro Aoba would arrange.
Yamashiro Aoba naturally noticed this and nodded secretly in his heart.
Leaving aside the strength of the three, just this composure and calmness made them qualified Genin.
This is how a Ninja is; when the team leader says go, you follow, don't ask what you shouldn't ask, and the person leading the team will naturally tell you what you should know.
If this were Naruto, he would have been asking questions non-stop. Team leaders actually dislike this kind of personality the most; they are obviously noisy, hot-blooded idiots who might not follow orders and rush forward recklessly during missions, easily ruining things.
Only Kakashi would spoil him; other Jonin wouldn't indulge him at all.
Getting back to the topic, let's talk about Yamashiro Aoba again.
Alex had also been observing this team leader. His appearance was pretty much the same as in the original work.
Black spiky hair pointing upwards, headband slightly askew, wearing green sunglasses, a blue tight suit, and a green Jonin vest. He looked cool.
As for his personality and strength, that would have to be understood slowly.
Soon, Yamashiro Aoba stopped at a training ground, and Alex and the other two followed suit, standing opposite Yamashiro Aoba without moving.
Yamashiro Aoba pushed up his sunglasses, "My name is Yamashiro Aoba, a Special Jonin from the Intelligence Division, and from now on, I will be the team leader for Team Nine. I have already seen your files, so let's skip the self-introductions. Now, let me see your strength."
Oh, he's really decisive.
That's good too; introducing what you like, dislike, and your dreams is a bit silly.
Then let's have a fight first!
Alex immediately made a gesture, and Yamashiro Rinne and Kato Megumi immediately surrounded Yamashiro Aoba on both sides, subtly forming a three-sided encirclement, but none of them rushed forward rashly.
Yamashiro Aoba smiled, "Are you attacking directly? Isn't stealth a basic skill for a Ninja?"
Alex's expression remained unchanged, "Aoba-sensei is a Special Jonin, skilled in detection and tracking. Our stealth techniques are simply not enough, so we won't play with Aoba-sensei."
Yamashiro Aoba nodded slightly, "Good judgment. So, how do you plan to attack?"
Alex pulled out a Kunai and threw it out as a test.
Yamashiro Aoba casually took out a Kunai to block it, clearly guarding against Kato Megumi and Yamashiro Rinne on both sides. If he dodged, he would reveal a weakness, so he chose to block.
Unexpectedly, Kato Megumi and Yamashiro Rinne also threw out a handful of Kunai, and Yamashiro Aoba frowned as he blocked them.
He felt something was wrong.
The next second, as the Kunai was touched by his Kunai, it suddenly exploded, and a pungent poisonous mist instantly enveloped Yamashiro Aoba, causing his expression to change, and he immediately held his breath.
"These little guys, they're playing this trick!"
Alex seized the opportunity to quickly make hand seals, splitting off several Shadow Clones to go underground, and then continued to make hand seals using the Four Illusionary Appendage Technique and Body Merging Technique. Meanwhile, Kato Megumi and Yamashiro Rinne continued to throw Kunai, but the Kunai all embedded themselves in the ground. The next second, they all shot out steel wires with hooks, successfully hooking onto Yamashiro Aoba's clothes.
Yamashiro Aoba hadn't even managed to jump out of the poisonous mist range when his clothes were hooked, making it very difficult to break free.
These were Kunai specially prepared by Alex for his two teammates. The poisonous mist Kunai was not only poisonous but also obscured vision, and the steel wire Kunai, while not very damaging, was very annoying when hooked onto clothes. If he tried to forcibly break free, his clothes would be pulled, in short, it would waste time and be very irritating.
"Little guys, you're pretty good at sneak attacks!"
Yamashiro Aoba almost couldn't help but laugh, quite satisfied with these three students.
Although he was just a Special Jonin and not particularly strong, being able to suddenly sneak attack and entangle him was already quite remarkable for a Genin team.
However, he couldn't be too weak, otherwise he wouldn't have any authority in the team in the future.
So he quickly made a few hand seals and exhaled a gust of wind, successfully blowing away the poisonous mist.
Just as he was about to break free from the steel wire hooks, he saw Alex charging straight at him. His speed was astonishing, and he could hear the sound of air being cut by his fists, indicating considerable strength.
He instinctively tilted his head to dodge, but the hooks were caught on his clothes, making dodging a bit troublesome. Fortunately, he still managed to avoid it smoothly.
But Alex smiled. He saw a fist suddenly extend from his shoulder blade behind him, hitting Yamashiro Aoba hard, sending him flying along with a pile of steel wire Kunai.
Kato Megumi and Yamashiro Rinne did not cheer, but instead continued forward to surround him.
They would not think that these few moves could defeat a Special Jonin. As long as Aoba-sensei had not said it was over, they had to keep fighting.
Yamashiro Aoba silently stood up at this moment, slowly pulled out the steel wire hooks from his clothes, and also pulled the Kunai connected to the steel wire into his hand to look at it, and even gave a thumbs up.
"You really surprised me. You managed to ambush me with two kinds of special shuriken. As Genin, you are quite excellent."
"But Aoba-sensei blocked that punch of mine, right?"
Alex did not relax at all. "My Four Illusionary Appendage Technique was used for the first time, and it was used when Aoba-sensei was deeply in the mist, and my arms were hidden behind me until I found an opportunity to sneak attack. However, Aoba-sensei, at that moment, was still able to free up a hand to block it, otherwise I would definitely have shattered the sensei's sunglasses."
Yamashiro Aoba patted the dirt off his body: "So, this Ninjutsu that creates two extra hands is called Four Illusionary Appendage Technique? It's a good Ninjutsu. So, how do you plan to continue the attack? Or, do you surrender?"
Surrender? Definitely not possible!
Alex rushed forward directly, his fist heading straight for Yamashiro Aoba's face.
Yamashiro Aoba raised his hand to block, but as soon as he touched Alex's fist, he realized something was wrong and immediately blocked his lower abdomen with his backhand, successfully blocking Alex's punch, while the previous punch went through Yamashiro Aoba's head, which was actually an illusion.
"Your Clone Body Fusion Technique is written in the data, so it can't ambush me."
Yamashiro Aoba said so, but his face did not dare to relax.
Clone Technique is actually very easy to distinguish the clones, but when the clones and the main body merge into one, constantly interfering with vision, it becomes a bit difficult to detect, unless one has the Sharingan or Byakugan. In addition, Alex's Four Illusionary Appendage Technique also has an extra pair of arms, which means there will be four real arms and two illusory arms attacking consecutively, which is indeed not easy to block.
As expected, the next second, Alex started a crazy attack mode, swinging his six arms so fast they almost smoked, making it dazzling.
If it weren't for Yamashiro Aoba's excellent Taijutsu, he would have been hit by punches long ago.
But that wasn't all, Kato Megumi and Yamashiro Rinne weren't just watching, but would occasionally throw Kunai and shuriken to support, although the damage wasn't great, the trouble caused wasn't small either.
After ten minutes, Yamashiro Aoba was actually constantly retreating, while the three students followed closely, being very persistent.
However, such a performance really satisfied Yamashiro Aoba, and he was already thinking about how to train these three little guys.
Suddenly, a shuriken thrown by Kato Megumi arrived in front of him. Yamashiro Aoba subconsciously wanted to avoid it, but the shuriken suddenly popped and turned into Alex's appearance, directly hugging one of Yamashiro Aoba's arms.
And Alex, who was directly opposite Yamashiro Aoba, suddenly retreated.
Yamashiro Rinne, on the other hand, smiled and started forming hand seals, which was clearly Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.
Yamashiro Aoba quickly punched the Alex who was wrapped around his arm, but this Alex suddenly exploded with a bang. He didn't expect it to be a Shadow Clone.
In just an instant, Yamashiro Aoba understood.
After the poisonous mist shuriken attack earlier, Alex took the opportunity to split off a Shadow Clone. The Shadow Clone also turned into a shuriken and hid in Kato Megumi's hand, just waiting for an opportunity to sneak attack.
These little guys really know how to play!
"Wait? Shadow Clone? Who said Alex can only split off one Shadow Clone? It's definitely impossible! Where is it? Not good!"
However, by the time Yamashiro Aoba reacted, it was already too late. Three Shadow Clones of Alex suddenly sprang out from the ground. One grabbed his feet, one clamped his arms, and one even directly rode on his body.
At this very moment, Yamashiro Rinne finished forming the hand seals and opened his mouth to spit out a fireball:
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! The three Shadow Clones exploded under the fireball.
Bang! Yamashiro Aoba, however, turned into a log.
"Runya! He's behind you!"
Kato Megumi suddenly reminded him. Don't think that she can't do anything except throw shuriken. Ever since she threw the shuriken that was Alex's Shadow Clone, she had been using Chakra to lock onto Yamashiro Aoba to prevent him from running away and not being found. So when Yamashiro Aoba ran away using the Substitution Jutsu, she was also the first to discover it.
"Haha! The little girl is quite sharp! But it's too late!"
Yamashiro Aoba suddenly appeared behind Yamashiro Rinne, and his big hand was about to hit Yamashiro Rinne's head.
However, with a whoosh, Alex flashed behind Yamashiro Rinne and narrowly blocked this attack.
Yamashiro Aoba was not surprised. He suddenly extended his other hand and actually hit the arms behind Alex, blowing up these fake arms, and Alex and Yamashiro Rinne were also kicked away.
...Seeking flowers...
In terms of Taijutsu, Yamashiro Aoba was still stronger.
The two rolled a few times on the ground but immediately flipped over and stood firm, protecting Kato Megumi behind them, and continued to guard against the opponent's attack.
However, Yamashiro Aoba clapped his hands: "Alright, alright, I have a general idea of your strength... Oh no, Alex, you probably haven't used your full strength, are you trying to cooperate with your two teammates? As for you, I'll fight you individually later. Now I'll give you a summary. Come over here."
The three of them breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and walked a few steps to their teacher, with smiles on their faces.
Especially Yamashiro Rinne and Kato Megumi, they never expected to be able to stalemate with a Special Jonin to this extent.
Even if the sensei went easy on them, their cooperation should have been good, at least they didn't suffer too much.
Yamashiro Aoba commented: "The three of you should be led by Alex, and the tactics should have been discussed beforehand. Very good, Alex's command was proper, and Yamashiro Rinne and Kato Megumi's cooperation was very close. Although Team Nine has just been formed, your Genin team is already considered very excellent."
However, your shortcomings are still great. First, Alex is unable to fully utilize his abilities because he is taking care of his two teammates. Yamashiro Rinne and Kato Megumi's strength still needs to be improved. Especially Runya, your hand seal speed is too slow. If you were just a little faster, I wouldn't have had time to use the Substitution Jutsu."
Yamashiro Rinne scratched his head: "Aoba-nii..."
"Call me sensei at this time!"
Yamashiro Aoba unhappily knocked on his clan brother's head, "However, you have also grown. At least compared to how carefree you used to be, you are much more mature now."
Yamashiro Rinne chuckled foolishly: "This was all taught by the boss. He said he wanted to give the team leader a surprise."
That was indeed quite a surprise!
Any team leader who encounters such students should be happy, right!
However, you call Alex the boss?
Yamashiro Aoba then held the steel wire shuriken and asked: "Did you design these two special shuriken?"
His two teammates looked at their boss: "The boss gave them to us."
Alex shrugged: "I designed these for my girlfriend. This morning, I thought that the team leader might test us, so I took a little, and it just so happened to be useful."
Chapter 71: BBQ Q (Another 20,000 words)
The three of them looked at each other with some confusion upon hearing this.
They felt that this guy was showing off that he had a girlfriend, but they had no evidence.
However, they didn't expect these two special shuriken to be designed by Alex. They were truly ingenious ideas, and they could indeed have miraculous effects when facing an unsuspecting enemy.
Yamashiro Rinne quickly said: "Boss, boss, can you get us more?"
Kato Megumi also said: "That's right, boss, these two shuriken are really good. Can you prepare more for us? We can pay whatever the price is."
"Uh, well, I'll go back and ask your sister-in-law."
Alex was a bit conflicted. "I gave the design drafts to my girlfriend back then, and she said she wanted them for her exclusive use. If I go back and ask her for them, she should give me some, but not too many."
Yamashiro Rinne and Kato Megumi instinctively exchanged glances. They felt that their boss had no human rights with his girlfriend.
However, they quickly thanked him: "Thank you, boss, we will pay."
Yamashiro Aoba didn't want to continue talking about these trivial matters. Seeing that it was getting late, he said: "Let's end it here for today. As your teacher, I'll treat you to some BBQ. Tomorrow morning at eight o'clock, we'll meet here, and I'll take you to take on a mission."
"Wow! Aoba-nii/sensei is great!"
Not long after, Team Nine arrived at BBQ Q, but they didn't expect the other teams to already be there. They saw Asuma sighing as he looked through his wallet, Shikamaru and Ino were bored, while Choji was eating happily.
Clearly, Asuma had miscalculated when it came to treating his students to BBQ.
Yamashiro Aoba quickly greeted him: "Yo! Asuma, your Team Ten is also here to eat BBQ."
Asuma, with a cigarette in his mouth, smiled: "Oh, it's Aoba. You're also treating your students to BBQ? Be careful, you might have a big eater among your students."
Meanwhile, Alex was chatting with Shikamaru and the other two.
"Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, you guys finished pretty quickly."
"Well, after all, it's the first day. Asuma just tested the strength of the three of us, and then he said he wanted to treat us to BBQ. Choji is already about to make Asuma cry from eating."
Shikamaru kept watching Asuma's wallet gradually get thinner and couldn't help but shed a tear of sympathy for Asuma. To encounter a student like Choji and still dare to treat him to BBQ, it seems he thinks he has too much money. He might as well have gone to Ichiraku Ramen, at least the ramen isn't expensive, and the soup can fill his stomach, so Choji definitely wouldn't eat too much.
"Hehe, Choji is going to eat up Asuma-sensei's marriage fund. If the sensei ends up being a bachelor, it's all Choji's fault." Ino laughed heartlessly.
"Since Asuma-sensei is treating, I naturally cannot let down the delicious food. This is my Ninja Way!" Choji was even more heartless.
"You guys, at least think about me..." Asuma wanted to cry but had no tears.
Alex could only give the three of them a sympathetic look. To encounter such students was also quite unlucky.
Yamashiro Aoba had already ordered a few plates of meat and motioned for his three students to sit down.
He casually opened the conversation: "Alex, you know Kakashi? Earlier at the Hokage Office, Kakashi was praising you."
Alex nodded: "My girlfriend is Teacher Alex's student, and then Teacher Alex introduced me to Kakashi-senpai. Kakashi-senpai also taught me Hatake Swordmanship."
"Kakashi taught you Hatake Swordmanship?!"
Yamashiro Aoba couldn't help but be surprised. "No wonder he praised you so much. He even taught you his family's swordmanship, which shows he really thinks highly of you. It seems you have quite a bit of hidden strength. I'll have to test it out sometime and see how much of the Hatake Swordmanship you've learned."
Hatake Swordmanship was a name that resounded like thunder for people of Yamashiro Aoba's generation.
Yamashiro Aoba was, after all, in the same class as Kakashi. Back then, Kakashi graduated early, and his name as a genius resounded throughout Konoha. Coupled with the fame of Konoha White Fang in the Ninja World, Yamashiro Aoba would not be unaware. .
He just didn't expect that he would have a student who inherited Hatake Swordmanship.
Could he really teach such a prodigy well?
Of course, Alex said it on purpose. There was no need to hide this kind of thing. Saying it would get Yamashiro Aoba's attention, and his suggestions would have more weight in Team Nine in the future. After sparring with Yamashiro Aoba alone later, Yamashiro Aoba should also understand his strength, and he would not be treated as a normal Genin when going on missions in the future.
In addition, if he made some requests to Yamashiro Aoba in the future, they should not be rejected.
For example, if he wanted to learn Mind Reading, he would probably teach it.
In short, the benefits would not be small.
"Aoba-nii, is the Hatake Swordmanship very powerful?" Yamashiro Rinne was curious, and Kato Megumi also pricked up her ears...
"It's more than just powerful, it's incredibly powerful!"
Yamashiro Aoba praised, "You are young, and there are some things you shouldn't know, and it's not convenient to talk about. I'll just tell you about Kakashi Hatake. I entered the academy in the same year as him, but he only attended for one year before graduating, and then became a Jonin at the age of twelve. As for me, your teacher, I'm still just a Special Jonin."
The two of them were stunned: "Is that Kakashi-senpai such a powerful person? And such a powerful person taught the boss his family's swordmanship?"
Yamashiro Aoba nodded: "That's right! So, the two of you need to work hard, otherwise you will be left far behind by Alex. At that time, teaming up with him will only drag him down, understand?"
"Understood! We will work hard!"
Yamashiro Rinne and Kato Megumi couldn't help but swallow their saliva, feeling a lot of pressure.
Shikamaru and Ino heard a bit of it and didn't dare to interrupt, but they looked at Asuma with curious eyes and received a nod from him.
For a moment, the two of them were very surprised. They didn't expect that such a powerful person would teach Alex swordmanship. Doesn't that mean Alex will become stronger and stronger in the future, and might even be stronger than their teacher Asuma?
Can everyone still be good friends in the future?
Thinking of this, even the usually lazy Shikamaru felt a sense of urgency. After all, being left too far behind by a friend is not a happy thing. As for Ino, she was actually a little envious of Tenten. After all, Tenten's boyfriend was getting stronger and stronger, and he seemed to be getting more and more handsome.
As for Choji, he was still eating BBQ and didn't hear a word.
Asuma glanced at Alex, only curious, but didn't think too much, after all, he was not like Sarutobi Hiruzen, that old geezer, he didn't have so many schemes in his heart.
At this moment, someone else entered BBQ Q, and Asuma's eyes suddenly lit up: "Kurenai, you also brought your students. Come over here, there's a seat here!"
Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino exchanged glances upon seeing this: So that's how it is!
Shino, Hinata, and Inuzuka Kiba, who entered together, were also not stupid: So that's how it is!
It has to be said that Kurenai Yuhi is really beautiful, and her figure is also good, so it's normal for Asuma to like her.
Chapter 72: D-rank Mission (Thanks for the great monthly votes and rewards)
Alex wasn't concerned about Asuma and Kurenai Yuhi's matters. He greeted them: "Shino, you guys are here too. How do you feel?"
Shino quickly walked to Alex's table, nodded and greeted the others, and said: "Alex, you guys are also eating BBQ. I feel alright. Kurenai Yuhi-sensei is a very capable teacher."
"That's good. Our class's Aoba-sensei is also very capable..."
The two of them chatted familiarly. After all, they had been deskmates and good friends for so many years, there was no need to be polite.
Yamashiro Aoba glanced at Alex again. It was written in Alex's file that this kid had a very good relationship with the children of several ninja families. It seems he is very good at socializing.
Both a genius and good at making friends, it seems Alex has a bright future!
The BBQ was quickly finished. Yamashiro Aoba reminded them of the meeting time and place for tomorrow, then flashed away.
Seeing that it was getting late, Alex asked Yamashiro Runya to escort Kato Megumi home.
He himself hurried towards the 21 Ninjutsu Shop. As expected, Tenten was already waiting at home. As soon as she saw Alex, she excitedly ran over and bumped into his arms.
"Hmm, smells like BBQ. Looks like your sensei also treated you to BBQ," Tenten seemed quite satisfied with this.
After all, BBQ Q isn't cheap, and a sensei who is willing to spend money to treat their students to BBQ on the first day of a new team's formation is generally very generous and definitely a good sensei.
Since her boyfriend had a good sensei, she, as his girlfriend, could naturally feel at ease.
Alex first nodded to his convenient Father-in-law, then began his report: "I was assigned to Team Nine. My two teammates are Yamashiro Runya and Kato Megumi, and the sensei is Yamashiro Aoba. Aoba-sensei is a Special Jonin in the Intelligence Division. Although his strength isn't top-tier, he's proficient in many things and is very well-rounded. And his Taijutsu is not weaker than Teacher Alex's..."
Before long, Alex recounted the day's events.
It was mainly to put Tenten at ease.
Tenten also nodded after listening. Although she would have preferred Kakashi to be Alex's sensei, having witnessed Kakashi's strength, Yamashiro Aoba seemed pretty good too.
Moreover, this was the Hokage's arrangement, and no one could question it.
The Ninjutsu Shop Owner Father-in-law pretended to clean the counter with a feather duster, but in reality, his ears were perked up the whole time. He was more concerned about his future son-in-law's situation than he had imagined.
"Alright, Alex, you must be tired. Go take a bath first. Do you need me to help you scrub your back?" Tenten pushed Alex towards the bathroom.
"Help me scrub my back? Can I?" Alex couldn't help but look forward to it.
"No! You're still young!" The Ninjutsu Shop Owner Father-in-law roared, startling both Alex and Tenten, who then playfully stuck their tongues out at the Ninjutsu Shop Owner.
If we're not scrubbing backs, we're not scrubbing backs! Why yell so loudly!
However, they really couldn't. They were indeed still young, and more importantly, they were entering puberty. Going into the bathroom together was simply inappropriate.
But the Ninjutsu Shop Owner didn't know that Tenten would sneak into Alex's bed at night.
Alex was both doting and helpless: "Tenten, you're a big girl now. You can't keep sneaking into my bed. Don't force me to make a mistake."
Tenten mumbled, "Alex, you haven't given me an electric shock in a long time."
Alex was momentarily dumbfounded: "Didn't you learn to shock yourself..."
"But I want you to help me! Please!"
"Alright, alright! Don't move around! It's very dangerous!"
The night passed. Alex got up feeling refreshed. Fortunately, Tenten returned to her own room after the electric shock, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to sleep and would have likely gone out with dark circles under his eyes the next day.
After breakfast, the young couple tasted the meat buns from each other's mouths and then parted ways at the shop entrance.
Alex quickly arrived at the agreed-upon location. Yamashiro Runya and Kato Megumi were already waiting there, but perhaps it was his imagination, there seemed to be a bit of awkwardness between them.
However, Alex didn't pay much attention to this. Instead, he distributed some special shuriken to each of them.
This was with Tenten's permission, so it was fine, but the money owed wouldn't be less.
As soon as eight o'clock struck, Yamashiro Aoba immediately appeared, showing great punctuality, not a minute more or a second less. He then immediately took the three of them to the Hokage Building to receive a D-rank mission: harvesting wheat!
Yamashiro Runya was bewildered: "Aoba-nii, isn't this work for farmers? Why is this a ninja's requested mission?"
Kato Megumi also couldn't quite understand: "Yes, Aoba-sensei, can this even be considered a mission?"
Yamashiro Aoba didn't explain, only looked at Alex.
Alex had no choice but to speak: "Alright, you two, a mission is a mission, don't complain. Seeing you like this, I'll explain a couple of things. D-rank missions are basically odd jobs in the village. First, it's because there aren't that many dangerous missions, and ninja need to earn money to support their families. These D-rank missions are very good jobs. Second, it's to cultivate the camaraderie and bonds among the new team members, to let us rookies get to know each other. Third, and most importantly, it's to teach us how to disguise ourselves."
Learn to disguise?
They seemed to understand, yet not quite.
"You guys need to learn to think!"
Alex could only spend more words: "Future dangerous missions may require us to infiltrate enemy territory. We might need to disguise ourselves as local villagers, and villagers have all sorts of professions. Just like harvesting wheat now, it's to teach us how to be a farmer so that when we disguise ourselves in the future, we won't be seen through by the enemy. Understand?"
The two suddenly realized: "So that's how it is! As expected of the leader, you know so much!"
Alex twitched the corner of his mouth, unable to smile. He always felt that being praised by these two teammates wasn't something to be happy about.
Yamashiro Aoba, on the other hand, was leisurely enjoying himself. He remembered what Kakashi had said, that having a student like Alex would make things much easier. It seemed to be true now.
Many problems didn't require him, the sensei, to handle. He could just leave them to Alex.
After all, Alex was the leader of this team.
Just then, Alex suddenly looked over: "Aoba-sensei, how about we play a game?"
Yamashiro Aoba calmly asked: "What game?"
"It's simple. Sensei, you don't go to the mission point first. The three of us will go first, and after we transform and disguise ourselves, you come and find us. If you can't find any flaws in our disguise, we win. As a penalty, you have to teach us a Ninjutsu. If we lose, you can arrange a punishment, how about that?"
"Hehe, that's quite interesting. Alright, you go first, I'll come find you in twenty minutes."
Yamashiro Aoba felt this was quite good. After all, as Alex said, students could learn how to disguise themselves while doing these D-rank missions. And as a sensei, he naturally needed to give guidance. Playing this game now was just right. Not only was it fun, but it also allowed the students to learn something.
Indeed, Alex was doing a good job as the leader. From now on, he, the sensei, could relax.
However, these three little guys might have forgotten that he was a Special Jonin in the Intelligence Division. Trying to play disguise in front of him was too naive!
Chapter 73: The Disguise Game
The three of them didn't dare to delay and immediately sped up towards the mission point.
"Whether we can get Aoba-sensei to teach us Ninjutsu depends on our efforts. Disguise yourselves well later, don't get seen through!" Alex instructed.
"Don't worry, leader, we've taken disguise classes and learned the Transformation Technique before."
The two were full of confidence and were no longer complaining like before. Instead, they became excited.
This was the thrill of doing a mission! As expected of the leader, he could even come up with such a game, and if they won, they could learn a Ninjutsu! How fun!
Therefore, they had to win!
Soon, the three of them arrived at the location, handed over the mission request to the villager who posted it, and were then led to the wheat field.
There were already quite a few people harvesting wheat in the field. The villager who posted the mission also took a sickle and went down to the field. Harvesting wheat was a race against time, after all, no one knew when it would rain.
Yamashiro Runya observed the villagers, then used the Transformation Technique to transform into an honest-looking farmer. He took a sickle and started diligently harvesting wheat. His disguise was quite convincing. Kato Megumi transformed into a village girl and also joined the wheat harvesting team.
Alex, however, created two Shadow Clones, planning to do something different.
By the time Yamashiro Aoba arrived, the wheat field was busy, and he naturally couldn't see his students.
But he just glanced around and quickly located two people. He walked directly towards them and smiled: "Your wheat harvesting movements are so clumsy, you don't look like an old farmer. And this village woman, you're picking up the wheat with three fingers? Are you a young lady from some wealthy family? Runya, Megumi, stop pretending!"
Bang!
Bang!
Both Yamashiro Runya and Kato Megumi returned to their original forms, their faces full of despair.
They hadn't expected that their supposedly perfect disguises would have such big flaws. It seemed they had underestimated disguise too much.
Leader, whether we win depends on you!
Yamashiro Aoba's gaze swept around again, finally locking onto a seemingly ordinary villager. His wheat harvesting movements weren't skilled, but not bad either. And when he saw Yamashiro Aoba, he showed a simple and honest smile, then continued to bend down and harvest wheat.
"Alex, your disguise is pretty good, but your stance is too stable. You don't look like a farmer, but rather a samurai who has learned martial arts.
Bang! The villager exploded, but Alex was nowhere to be seen.
Yamashiro Aoba's eyes narrowed: "Good kid, you actually used a Shadow Clone and even tricked me!"
Saying that, he scanned the area again, finally locking his gaze onto a child who was picking up wheat ears: "It's you! Do you think disguising yourself as a child can fool me?"
The child hugged the wheat ears, tilted his head, and looked confused: "What are you saying, uncle? Are you a ninja, uncle?"
Uncle? I'm such a handsome guy, and you call me uncle?
Don't think you can get away with pretending to be stupid!
Bang! The child exploded, but Alex was still not there. It was still a Shadow Clone.
This time, Yamashiro Aoba couldn't help but stroke his chin. He felt he had underestimated Alex. His eyes scanned around again, and for a long time, he couldn't find Alex. However, a Special Jonin's abilities were not ordinary. He immediately used Chakra sensing and finally locked onto a weed on the path through the wheat field.
This guy, turned into a weed!
"Hehe, you've learned the Transformation Technique well, you even transformed into a weed so realistically." Yamashiro Aoba reached out and poked the weed.
Bang! Alex returned to his original form.
He spread his hands and said: "As expected, it's hard to hide from Aoba-sensei!"
Yamashiro Aoba chuckled: "How do you think a sensei gets by in the Intelligence Division? Your performance was very good, at least much better than the other two. Although you didn't win, I can teach you something after the mission is over."
Alex was surprised but also understood that this was Yamashiro Aoba's recognition of this game.
So he quickly said: "Thank you, Aoba-sensei!"
Yamashiro Runya and Kato Megumi also became excited: "Yay! Aoba-nii/Sensei is the best!"
After that, the three of them harvested the wheat at the fastest speed, submitted the mission at the Hokage Building, and didn't rush to take on another mission. Instead, they followed their sensei to the training ground.
Yamashiro Aoba cleared his throat: "You can tell me what Ninjutsu you want to learn."
Yamashiro Runya immediately raised his hand: "Brother! Brother! I want to learn the Art of Scattered Crows!"
Kato Megumi fiddled with her fingers: "I, I have Water Release Chakra. If possible, I'd like to learn Water Release Ninjutsu."
Yamashiro Aoba adjusted his sunglasses and noticed that Alex hadn't spoken. So he asked: "Alex, do you have any ideas? Although I don't know as many Ninjutsu as Kakashi, I can teach you one or two."
Alex thought for a moment, his gaze falling on his two teammates.
Actually, he didn't need to learn any Ninjutsu himself. After all, even if Yamashiro Aoba could teach him, it would only be D-rank or at most C-rank Ninjutsu, which wouldn't improve him much.
Mind Reading was good, but he didn't need it for now.
The reason he suggested learning Ninjutsu was to consider his two teammates. After all, they were in the same team. If his teammates were too weak, it would really be difficult.
So Alex suggested: "Aoba-sensei, I suggest you teach them the Shadow Clone Technique first, and then assign them the training tasks of tree climbing and water walking. As of now, their Chakra control is still a bit weak."
Tree climbing and water walking, the timeless training methods for Genin.
Yamashiro Runya and Kato Megumi came from small families. Their parents were probably only Genin, so they naturally didn't have someone to guide them like those from large families. Even though Yamashiro Aoba was Yamashiro Runya's clan brother, it was probably difficult for them to meet him on a daily basis, let alone receive guidance.
The two opened their mouths upon hearing this but didn't speak.
Although they didn't quite understand their leader's suggestion, they still trusted him and believed that he was definitely doing it for their own good.
Yamashiro Aoba was a little surprised and then smiled. As expected, having Alex as a student was indeed very easy. This kid already knew how to consider his teammates.
So he nodded in agreement: "Then I'll teach them both the Shadow Clone Technique and assign them the training tasks of tree climbing and water walking."
Alex also explained to his two teammates: "You've seen the convenience of the Shadow Clone Technique. There's no harm in learning it. And I'll tell you, Shadow Clones can also be used for training, and the experience gained from training can be fed back to your brains. In other words, when learning Ninjutsu in the future, having Shadow Clones help means twice the learning speed!"
The two's eyes immediately lit up: "Leader, you don't need to say anymore, we'll learn the Shadow Clone Technique!"
"Then tree climbing and water walking..."
"Training Chakra control, we know!"
Seeing so many benefits, Yamashiro Runya and Kato Megumi were naturally very enthusiastic and urged Yamashiro Aoba to teach them quickly.
As for missions, they weren't in a hurry for now. After the two learned the Shadow Clone Technique, they could just take on a few more. Having Shadow Clones was very convenient.
Chapter 74: Alex VS Yamashiro Aoba
However, it must be said that Yamashiro Runya and Kato Megumi's aptitude was not bad.
In just one day, the two learned the Shadow Clone Technique.
After that, they would assign their Shadow Clones to do missions after taking them on, while the two themselves began tree climbing and water walking, truly training diligently and hard.
As for Alex, he was called aside by Yamashiro Aoba.
"Alex, I'm going to test your strength now. Show me all your abilities, whether it's the Six Styles you developed yourself, the Eight Gates, or Hatake Swordmanship. Attack me with all your might. I want to see what level you've reached!"
He was truly very curious about this student of his.
To be recognized by both Alex and Kakashi, his abilities must be extraordinary.
Alex naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity to test his own strength. He might not use a move of the level of Vortex Boiling Bullet, but the intensity of Eight Gates + Hatake Swordmanship was worth testing.
Furthermore, whether the Six Styles could contend with a Jonin's Taijutsu also needed to be properly tested.
"Alright then, Aoba-sensei, be careful. I'm afraid I won't be able to hold back my strength, so don't get beaten to death by me!" Alex assumed a stance.
"Heh! Is that confidence or arrogance? Just attack without worry!"
As Yamashiro Aoba finished speaking, Alex's figure disappeared.
Using Body Flicker Technique, he flashed behind Yamashiro Aoba, sweeping a whip kick that sliced through the air.
However, Yamashiro Aoba's taijutsu was excellent, and he naturally saw through it early.
He dodged with a sidestep, then launched into a set of punches.
Alex immediately used Iron Skin to harden his fists and exchanged a few blows with Yamashiro Aoba, leaving Yamashiro Aoba's hands numb.
"Your Iron Skin fist technique is really troublesome, I can't directly clash with you!"
Yamashiro Aoba jumped back, attempting to create distance from Alex.
However, Alex raised his foot and unleashed a Wind Release: Gale Palm slash, forcing Yamashiro Aoba to dodge again.
Meanwhile, Alex had already pursued him again using Body Flicker Technique.
"Finger Gun!"
Puff! Puff! Puff!
His sharp fingers seemed to pierce the air.
Yamashiro Aoba did not dare to be careless and decisively took out his Kunai to block.
He heard a series of clangs, the Finger Gun as dangerous as steel nails.
Fortunately, Yamashiro Aoba's taijutsu was indeed powerful.
Not only did he block all of Alex's Finger Gun attacks, but he could also find Alex's openings to counterattack, forcing Alex to use Paper Drawing to evade.
"Six Styles are truly extraordinary!
Currently, just five styles are already proficient in both offense and defense.
I heard there's another style, Moon Walk, that allows you to run in the air.
I'd really like to see it with my own eyes."
As Yamashiro Aoba thought this, he suddenly ducked down and performed a sweeping leg kick.
Alex decisively leaped up, but found Yamashiro Aoba attacking rapidly again.
Helpless, he had no choice but to evade in the air using Moon Walk.
Yamashiro Aoba pushed up his sunglasses, a smile on his lips: "So this is Moon Walk, indeed you can walk and run freely in the air.
It seems I'll have to shamelessly learn this technique from my student, after all, it's really quite practical."
Half an hour later, Alex's Six Styles had been polished, but he still hadn't gained an advantage against Yamashiro Aoba's taijutsu.
Thus, he took a deep breath: "Eight Gates, Third Gate, The Gate of Life, Open!"
Boom!
A surge of air rose from his body, his hair stood on end, and he could feel the intense Chakra fluctuations from him.
However, he only opened up to the Third Gate; for a spar, there was no need to open the later gates and harm his body.
Whoosh!
He disappeared again, much faster than before with Body Flicker Technique.
Yamashiro Aoba did not dare to be careless and quickly raised his arms to block, but was swept back by a massive force.
He retreated several steps before barely stopping, but Alex's figure kept flickering around him.
His speed was truly astonishing.
If it weren't for his exceptional eyesight and extensive experience, he would have been defeated by that kick just now.
"Heh heh, Alex, you really keep surprising me more and more!"
Yamashiro Aoba smiled brightly, focusing his full attention on the fight.
Alex was also not polite, relying on the strength and speed of the Eight Gates, he continuously launched fierce attacks in conjunction with Six Styles.
For a moment, he actually held a slight advantage.
However, the Eight Gates couldn't be kept open for long, even just opening the Third Gate consumed a significant amount of Chakra.
If the fight continued, Yamashiro Aoba might still win in the end.
Yamashiro Aoba proactively said: "Your Six Styles are already familiar to me.
Even with the speed and strength of the Eight Gates added, defeating me is impossible.
Show me your real skills, where is your Hatake Swordmanship?"
Clang!
A short sword was drawn.
Lightning flickered on the blade, and the next second it was in front of Yamashiro Aoba's face.
Yamashiro Aoba was startled and quickly used his Kunai to block.
He heard a 'zzz' sound, the Kunai was cut in half on the spot, and a bloody gash was sliced across his shoulder.
"So fast!
As expected of Sakumo Hatake-senpai's swordmanship!"
In Yamashiro Aoba's view, even if Alex had only learned ten percent of the Hatake Swordmanship, he already possessed Jonin level strength.
If he hadn't blocked and dodged in time just now, Alex might really not have been able to stop his sword and would have cut off his teacher's neck.
Wouldn't Alex then become a rogue Ninja?
He didn't dare to be careless and immediately formed hand seals quickly, summoning crows to fight: "Ninja Art: Art of Scattered Crows!"
Immediately, a dense swarm of crows enveloped Alex.
Alex moved quickly, relying on the speed of the Eight Gates to weave through the swarm of crows.
The short sword in his hand continuously unleashed lightning, killing crows wherever it passed, but it was very difficult to get close to Yamashiro Aoba.
Yamashiro Aoba was wary of the lightning and kept moving around the outside of the crow swarm, refusing to let Alex get close.
Furthermore, he also saw Alex's weakness, which was that his Hatake Swordmanship wasn't pure enough, otherwise he wouldn't be relying on the speed of the Eight Gates.
In reality, Yamashiro Aoba's observation was indeed sharp.
Alex had been learning Hatake Swordmanship for less than a year.
Although he understood the essence of the sword technique, mastering it was very difficult.
He had only learned to make the sword faster, but his own speed couldn't keep up, so he could only rely on the Eight Gates to increase his speed, but this didn't match the sword technique, preventing him from unleashing his strongest power.
Alex also speculated that White Fang's speed was Lightning Flash, which was why he was so fast.
However, Lightning Flash was also difficult to learn, and he was still figuring it out.
After learning it, he still needed to coordinate it with the sword technique to make the lightning blade faster than Lightning Flash, which was even more difficult.
Currently, he could only reach a level where he was roughly evenly matched with Yamashiro Aoba.
Of course, if he were to open the Eight Gates to the Fifth Gate, or use powerful techniques like Vortex Boiling Bullet or Soaring Sky Spin, he would have a chance to win, but there was no need.
A few hours later, Alex collapsed on the ground, exhausted.
Yamashiro Aoba also looked disheveled, clearly Alex had caused him quite a bit of trouble.
However, he smiled: "To be able to fight me to this extent, your strength is in the Elite Chunin to Special Jonin range.
Among Genin, you should be the strongest.
However, your weakness is also obvious; your combat experience is severely lacking, and you still need to continue learning in the future."
Alex decisively seized the opportunity: "Then I'll trouble Aoba-sensei to be my sparring partner from now on!
Thank you, sensei!"
Yamashiro Aoba was speechless.
This little guy thanked him directly, how could he refuse?
Chapter 75: Cultivating Teammates
A few more days passed, and Yamashiro Runya and Kato Megumi completely mastered tree climbing and water walking.
Even on relatively turbulent river surfaces, the two could run on the water without issue, and their Chakra control had clearly improved by a level.
This was a significant benefit; learning Ninjutsu in the future would be twice as effective.
The two were also excited by their growth and now wanted to learn more.
Alex and Yamashiro Aoba discussed and came to a decision.
"Megumi, since you have Water Release Chakra, I will teach you some Water Release Ninjutsu, as well as the Moon Walk and Wind Release: Gale Palm from the Six Styles.
I believe these should be enough to raise your strength to Chunin level.
Additionally, because girls tend to be more meticulous in their thinking, they have finer Chakra control, so I recommend you learn Medical Ninjutsu."
"Medical Ninjutsu?"
Kato Megumi was naturally excited about Alex teaching her Water Release Ninjutsu, but she was still confused about Alex recommending her to learn Medical Ninjutsu.
Although having fine Chakra control is indeed more suitable for learning Medical Ninjutsu, she didn't necessarily have to learn it, right?
Alex saw that the girl seemed somewhat reluctant, but still chose to persuade her: "Actually, having a Medical Ninja in a small team was a suggestion Tsunade-sama made a long time ago.
However, since Tsunade-sama was not in the Village later, it was put on hold for a time.
In fact, verified during the Fourth Shinobi World War, teams with Medical Ninja often had higher survival rates."
Upon hearing this, Kato Megumi was immediately moved.
In fact, through spending time together these past few days, she had gradually realized that her role in the team in the future might not be very significant.
Firstly, because there was someone as strong as Alex in the team, and secondly, because Yamashiro Runya's growth was faster than hers.
Even though she was faster and better than Yamashiro Runya at tree climbing and water walking, she could see that Yamashiro Runya would grow to be much stronger than her in the future.
In that case, she would have almost no role in the team; it would be a blessing if she didn't hold them back.
If learning Medical Ninjutsu could increase the team's survival rate, then she was naturally willing to learn.
That way, she could also help out effectively.
Alex pressed on: "You've already gone home and asked your parents, right?
Katou Shizune-senpai should be related to you.
Shizune-senpai has always been with Tsunade-sama, so her Medical Ninjutsu must be quite extraordinary.
I was thinking, if you build a good foundation in Medical Ninjutsu now, and perhaps meet Shizune-senpai in the future, you might be able to become her disciple.
At that time, you'd also be considered Tsunade-sama's grand-disciple..."
Tsunade-sama's grand-disciple?
Kato Megumi's eyes lit up: "Then I want to learn!
No, I'm definitely learning Medical Ninjutsu!"
Girls all admired Tsunade, and they all had a dream of becoming Tsunade.
Now hearing that she had a chance to become Tsunade's grand-disciple, she naturally no longer hesitated.
Moreover, Alex wasn't lying.
Since Kato Megumi and Katou Shizune were related, becoming her disciple in the future would definitely not be a problem.
Yamashiro Aoba was surprised: "Alex, you even know about Shizune?"
Alex also thought of something: "Katou Shizune-senpai seems to have been in the same class as Aoba-sensei.
I heard a little bit about it.
It just so happens that Megumi is related to Shizune-senpai, so I thought Megumi might also be suitable for learning Medical Ninjutsu."
Yamashiro Aoba nodded slightly, recalling the cute black-haired girl from their time at the Ninja Academy in his mind.
Shizune was very cute when she was little...
"Aoba-sensei, your smile is a bit strange.
Are you thinking of something?
Or rather, do you have any special feelings for Shizune-senpai?" Alex stared at Yamashiro Aoba.
"Ah?
Cough, cough!
Don't talk nonsense!
I was just thinking about things from the Ninja Academy.
It's been many years since I've seen Shizune, and I don't know how she's doing.
We old classmates are actually quite worried about her sometimes."
Yamashiro Aoba quickly explained, feeling somewhat like he was covering something up.
Alex didn't pursue it.
When Tsunade returned one day to become the Fifth Hokage, Shizune would naturally return, and he could see then.
Next was Yamashiro Runya.
"Runya, you have Fire Release Chakra, but I don't know Fire Release Ninjutsu.
I can only teach you the Four Illusionary Appendage Technique and Body Flicker Technique, which should be somewhat helpful to you.
Your main focus will be learning from Aoba-sensei.
He's your clan brother, so he won't have too many reservations about teaching you.
Just figure out how to squeeze all his skills out of him!"
"Okay, Boss!
I will definitely squeeze all of Aoba-nii's skills out!"
Yamashiro Runya saluted to express his determination.
Yamashiro Aoba just felt a headache, feeling that his clan brother was a bit silly, but ultimately he was a brother from the same clan.
Teaching him well was fine; the Yamashiro clan could also grow stronger in the future.
Afterward, the four split into two groups.
Alex was responsible for teaching Kato Megumi.
Besides Medical Ninjutsu, he also taught her Water Release: Violent Water Wave, Water Release: Telescope Technique, Water Release: Magnifying Glass Technique, etc.
Also, two of the Six Styles, Moon Walk and Wind Release: Gale Palm, were related to Water Release, so he taught them as well.
Just these alone could raise Kato Megumi's strength by several levels.
··Requesting fresh flowers········
Occasionally during breaks, Alex would teach the Four Illusionary Appendage Technique and Body Flicker Technique to Yamashiro Runya.
Kato Megumi also watched from the side, wanting to learn.
Anyway, helping his two teammates grow would make him much more at ease when going on missions in the future.
As for the D-rank missions in the Village, they naturally accepted them every day and handed them all over to their shadow clones to complete.
Neither training nor missions were delayed, so they could be said to be living very fulfilling lives.
Just like that, a month passed.
On this day, Team Nine was assigned a C-rank mission outside the Village: escorting a merchant convoy to the Fire Country Capital.
....
...0
"Hehe, we can finally go on missions outside the Village."
Yamashiro Runya swung his arms, excited.
"After learning from Aoba-nii and Boss for a month, it's time to test ourselves.
I wonder what kind of strong enemies are waiting for us on the road."
Kato Megumi poured cold water on his enthusiasm: "C-rank missions at most involve bandits or robbers blocking the way.
What kind of strong enemies could those scumbags be?"
Yamashiro Runya wilted upon hearing this: "Megumi, I'm finally happy for once, can you not pour cold water on me?"
"What?
You disagree?"
"I agree!
Definitely agree!
Megumi is right!"
Yamashiro Runya scratched his head and grinned foolishly at Kato Megumi, while Kato Megumi hugged her arms proudly.
Alex watched them, always feeling there was something going on between the two.
Especially over the past month, Kato Megumi loved to tease Yamashiro Runya, and Yamashiro Runya would always grin foolishly and yield.
"They're truly a bickering couple, and their names are so fated."
Alex felt like he was being fed dog food, but he refused to eat it, because he wasn't a single dog.
Yamashiro Aoba spoke up at the right time: "Alright, you have half an hour to go back and prepare.
You need to be at the main gate on time in half an hour.
Although it's only a C-rank mission, you mustn't be careless.
Sometimes if you accidentally encounter a powerful Ninja, you will also face danger.
Now, dismissed!"
After speaking, he flashed and disappeared.
Alex gave the two a meaningful look and also disappeared.
The two left standing there looked at each other, their faces slightly red, because the Boss's gaze was a bit off, as if he had discovered their situation.
Chapter 76: Leaving the Village
Tenten had already left the Village for a mission earlier, so Alex went to the Ninja Tool shop and greeted his cheap father-in-law.
He picked up the summoning scroll he had prepared long ago and walked towards the main gate.
On the way, he also encountered Team Seven who were looking for a cat.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were chasing and cornering a cat, but their coordination wasn't good enough, and the kitten was giving them a hard time.
Alex looked up and saw Kakashi on the rooftop reading his adult book, and quickly greeted him: "Kakashi-senpai, you're quite leisurely."
Kakashi closed his book: "Oh, it's Alex.
Looking at your attire, are you going on a mission outside the Village?"
Alex nodded: "Yes, Lord Hokage assigned a mission to escort a merchant convoy to the Fire Country.
I'll be leaving soon."
"Oh, well, go quickly then.
Be careful."
"Bye-bye, senpai."
Alex waved and quickly ran towards the main gate.
"Four Six Zero"
Naruto finally caught the kitten, but was scratched on the face by the kitten.
While he was in a mess, he saw Alex running past.
He seemed to have just heard Alex talking to Kakashi-sensei.
So he asked curiously: "Kakashi-sensei knows Alex?"
Sasuke and Sakura were also curious; they had also heard Alex greeting Kakashi just now.
"Yeah, we just met last year."
Kakashi opened his book again, his tone nonchalant, "Alex is much more sensible than you guys, and he's going out on a mission now. Unlike you, who can't even catch a cat properly. Oh dear, I really envy the sensei of Team Nine."
"What?! Team Nine is going out on a mission?!"
Naruto and the other two were immediately agitated when they heard this.
They had been doing odd jobs for the past month and were sick of it. They didn't expect that Alex's Team Nine could already go out of Konoha. How could they tolerate this?
So they strongly demanded, "Kakashi-sensei, we want to go out on missions too!"
Kakashi smiled slightly, "No way! You have to wait for Lord Hokage's arrangement!"
After all, it involved the Jinchuriki. Kakashi couldn't make the decision. Only after the Third Hokage decided could the Jinchuriki leave Konoha. Otherwise, if anything went wrong, no one could take responsibility.
Alex had already reached the main gate.
Yamashiro Aoba was leading the merchant caravan to register with the two gate guards, Kotetsu and Izumo. Yamashiro Rinne and Kato Megumi were very excited about leaving Konoha and had arrived early. It could be said that Alex was the latest to arrive, but as long as he wasn't late, it didn't matter.
However, the merchant caravan seemed dissatisfied.
Speaking of a merchant caravan, it was actually just one mustachioed man who was the merchant; the other four were servants or guards.
The mustachioed merchant saw that Alex was the last to arrive and couldn't help but complain, "Is Konoha Village capable or not? I paid money, and they just sent a few brats to escort me? Don't tell me their legs will turn to jelly if they encounter bandits!"
Yamashiro Rinne and Kato Megumi were immediately unhappy and glared angrily at the mustachioed merchant.
Yamashiro Aoba, however, was unfazed. After all, he had heard plenty of complaints from clients when he was on missions before.
But Alex was not someone to suffer in silence. He smiled and said, "If this merchant lord is not satisfied, it's still not too late to change the request now. I suggest the merchant lord spend one million ryo to post an S-Rank request. Lord Hokage will definitely send the most elite Jonin to escort you all the way. How about it? Want to change the request?"
Change it... like hell!
One million ryo! Do you think money is printed in your own home?!
The mustachioed merchant's face turned red with frustration for a moment. He had so little cargo that even if he sold it all in the Fire Country Capital, it wouldn't amount to three hundred thousand ryo. He would be crazy to spend one million ryo to post a request. But he clearly heard the little brat's sarcasm, mocking him for complaining when he didn't have money and telling him to shut his mouth!
He wanted to curse back, but facing Alex's gaze, his heart suddenly turned cold.
Thinking carefully, although these brats were young, they were official Ninja, much stronger than his four guards. He was foolish to dare complain.
For a moment, he chose to keep his mouth shut.
Yamashiro Rinne and Kato Megumi couldn't help but laugh. As expected of their leader, one sentence shut that arrogant guy down.
Yamashiro Aoba also looked at Alex in surprise. He thought Alex would argue with the merchant, but he didn't expect him to hit the merchant's weak spot with one sentence, leaving him speechless.
This personality, unwilling to suffer losses, but very rational and also very smart.
Yamashiro Aoba was becoming more and more satisfied with Alex.
"Ahem, let's get going. Alex, you take charge," Yamashiro Aoba completely handed the mission over to Alex.
This was mainly to train Alex. Alex's strength was sufficient now, but he lacked Ninja experience. To help Alex grow quickly, he had to let him try being a leader early on...
Anyway, with him, the sensei, backing them up, Alex could mess around however he wanted.
Alex nodded, then arranged, "I'll walk in the front, the caravan will follow behind me, Rinne and Megumi will be on the sides. Don't just get excited, remember to take turns scouting along the way. Aoba-sensei will be at the back. Well, sensei, just watch us perform."
Yamashiro Rinne and Kato Megumi immediately echoed, "That's right, Aoba-nii/sensei, watch us perform!"
Yamashiro Aoba pushed up his sunglasses, looking leisurely.
Kotetsu and Izumo, however, were quite surprised. They didn't expect Yamashiro Aoba to completely hand the mission over to his students. Although he would back them up, daring to do this on their first mission outside Konoha was quite bold.
Soon, the team set off.
Alex walked at the very front. It was a bit of a novelty to leave Konoha Village for the first time.
However, the environment in Fire Country was pretty much the same. The road just didn't have as many people and houses as Konoha Village. It was basically all tall trees and forests. The environment was basically unchanged, and there wasn't much to see.
Even the very excited Yamashiro Rinne and Kato Megumi quickly lost their initial excitement and focused on the mission.
The two took turns scouting. Kato Megumi used Water Release: Telescope Technique, which allowed her to see the situation within a kilometer. Yamashiro Rinne, on the other hand, summoned crows and used them for reconnaissance.
However, there wouldn't be any danger in the short term.
Because this place was very close to Konoha, and occasionally there were Ninja passing by, even if bandits were bold, they wouldn't dare to cause trouble near Konoha Village.
In addition, the main reason was that the caravan was quite slow. The merchant traveled light and easily, but the four guards had to push a cart of goods. What's more, this stingy merchant didn't even have a horse to pull the cart, so they didn't go far after walking for a long time.
And he dared to complain that the Ninja sent by Konoha were young?
You buy a horse to pull the cart first, and we can be faster!
Alex looked back at the mustachioed merchant, the displeasure in his eyes making the merchant sweat, fearing that this little guy would suddenly explode and beat him up.
Didn't he just complain at the gate? He still remembers?
How petty!
The team walked along, stopping only at noon to eat and rest, then continued walking until evening when they encountered a situation.
Chapter 77: A Boring Mission
"Boss, there are ten people hidden on both sides of the road eight hundred meters ahead. They are all armed and don't look like Ninja. They should be bandits preparing to rob us."
Kato Megumi looked at the image in her lens and quickly reported.
"Okay, got it."
Alex raised his hand to stop the team and also scouted. He found that they were indeed not Ninja.
So he said to Yamashiro Rinne and Kato Megumi, "Just a few small fry. Do you want to have some fun? You must be bored after walking all this way."
Yamashiro Rinne immediately spoke, "It's quite boring. Boss, Megumi, just leave the small fry to me. I guarantee it won't take too long. But Boss, how should we deal with these bandits?"
Alex waved his hand, "Subdue them first. Later, let Aoba-sensei use Mind Reading. If they are vicious guys, just kill them."
Killing, for a Ninja, is something they will definitely experience, it's just a matter of time.
Therefore, Alex and the other two were already mentally prepared. The reason Alex didn't let Yamashiro Rinne directly kill them was simply because he didn't want to kill indiscriminately. Even though this world was very twisted, Alex didn't want to become an executioner who disdained life. Kill those who should be killed, and try not to kill those who shouldn't be killed, that's all.
This is not being a saint, it is a person's bottom line!
Yamashiro Rinne nodded, quickly formed a few hand signs, and slapped the ground, "Summoning Technique: Crow Swarm! Watch the Art of Scattered Crows that Aoba-nii taught me!"
Saying that, he directed the crows to rush towards the bushes ahead. The hidden bandits were immediately driven out by the crow swarm, causing a commotion. These crows were not ordinary crows, but summoned beasts. Ordinary bandits, even if they swung their swords wildly, could not harm the crows, and were instead constantly pecked and scratched.
Yamashiro Rinne then rushed forward quickly, reaching the bandits in the blink of an eye, kicking them down one by one, the whole process taking less than two minutes.
The mustachioed merchant and the four guards couldn't help but swallow their saliva when they saw this. They didn't expect this twelve-year-old little Ninja to have such ability, eliminating ten bandits by himself.
And the little guy called 'Boss' hadn't even made a move yet, so his strength must be even greater.
As for the sensei walking at the back, there was no need to mention him.
They had actually dared to complain to such powerful Ninja before. It was already merciful that the other party didn't directly attack them. It seemed they should be more polite in the future.
Alex smiled and said, "Aoba-sensei, Rinne is improving very quickly."
Yamashiro Aoba also nodded slightly, "That kid Rinne works very hard, so improvement is natural."
"Hehe, it's also possible that he wants to perform in front of someone. Isn't that right, Megumi?"
Alex's teasing remark made Kato Megumi blush. She immediately realized that her situation with Yamashiro Rinne had been discovered, so she couldn't help but glare at Alex.
Alex just shrugged. Teasing was one thing, but he shouldn't interfere.
However, Alex remembered that this little girl, Kato Megumi, used to be a member of Sasuke's fan club. How did she forget Sasuke so quickly and fall for Yamashiro Rinne?
Could it be that their names are truly fated?
Soon, Yamashiro Rinne escorted the ten bandits over, grinning, "Boss, done!"
Saying that, he even looked at Kato Megumi with a smug look, as if saying "See how awesome I am," which immediately made Kato Megumi blush and roll her eyes.
Alex nodded and looked at Yamashiro Aoba.
Yamashiro Aoba walked up to the bandit leader, formed a few hand signs, placed his large hand on his head, and withdrew his hand after a short while.
"Just a bunch of vagrants. They mainly wanted to block the road and demand some toll."
"Then beat them up and leave them by the roadside."
Since Alex was mainly responsible for this mission, he naturally had the authority to decide how to deal with these bandits. The others also had no objection to this arrangement.
Yamashiro Rinne personally took action, severely beat up these ten bandits, and then left them aside.
"Alright, let's continue moving forward. When the sun sets, we'll stop by the roadside for the night."
Alex gave the order, and the team continued to move forward, but the caravan's speed was too slow. They hadn't gone far when they saw the sun starting to set, and the team had to stop.
If it were just Ninja traveling, they would have reached the Fire Country Capital before dark.
But they had to escort this slow caravan, and the caravan didn't even arrange for a horse to pull the cart, so they were bound to be slow as death.
However, since they became Ninja, they would only face more things in the future. This kind of situation was considered normal, so it was better to complain less. Moreover, when going out on missions in the future, they would inevitably have to camp outdoors. It was better to get used to it now, so they wouldn't be unable to cope when the camping environment became more harsh later.
Alex took out a scroll and summoned a few tents, as well as pots, bowls, and spoons.
Of course, this was prepared for their own people. The merchant caravan had to take care of their own food and sleep.
Anyway, Team Nine's mission was just to escort them. If they encountered danger, they would protect them, that's all. They didn't need to worry about anything else. Plus, the mustachioed merchant was impolite at the beginning, so they didn't need to give him face.
Then, the five people from the merchant caravan ate dry rations, staring enviously as Alex and the others set up a pot, heated oil, and ate hot meals.
After that, the five people from the merchant caravan could only make do by the cart for the night, while Alex and the others slept soundly in tents. Fortunately, they also arranged for a night watch, otherwise the merchant caravan would have cried themselves to death.
The night passed uneventfully. Team Nine, who had slept well, looked at the five members of the merchant caravan who looked exhausted and immediately felt pleased.
And they call themselves merchants? They didn't even prepare a tent for themselves. Either they didn't make money, or they were stingy.
And they dared to complain about the Ninja arranged by Konoha Village?
You yourself are unwilling to spend money, and you still want the Hokage himself to protect you?
The rest of the journey basically didn't encounter any danger. After all, it was the main road from Konoha Village to the Fire Country Capital. Plus, with Konoha Ninja escorting them, bandits didn't dare to cause trouble, unless they were ignorant or didn't care about their lives. Otherwise, no one would want to rob a team of Konoha Ninja.
In addition, the merchant's goods were too shabby and not worth robbing.
It was evening again, and the team arrived at the Fire Country Capital. The mission was naturally considered complete.
Team Nine and the merchant caravan separated directly. Team Nine was no longer responsible for the caravan's safety. Seeing that the sky was getting dark, they naturally had to stay in the city for the night and take a stroll around the city.
To be honest, this mission was quite boring.
If they hadn't encountered a few bandits on the way, they probably could have completed the mission by yawning and sleeping all the way.
And Alex's expectation for this mission was nothing more than to have fun in the Fire Country Capital and buy some small gifts for his girlfriend. Everything else didn't matter.
Yamashiro Aoba found a cheap inn and then said thoughtfully, "The Fire Country Capital is also very lively at night. Go out and explore. Just remember to come back at night. Also, we are Konoha Ninja. Remember not to cause trouble, but don't be afraid of trouble either. Simply put, don't disgrace Konoha Village."
"Okay, Aoba-nii/sensei! Then we'll go play!"
Chapter 78: Someone is Following
Yamashiro Rinne and Kato Megumi agreed quickly and then left together, clearly going on a date.
Alex smiled and said, "Aoba-sensei, your clan younger brother is quite fast."
Yamashiro Aoba spread his hands, "That kid Rinne is quite clever. When he meets a cute girl like Megumi, he has to make a move early, otherwise he'll have nowhere to cry later."
"Hehe, he's quite clever. What about Aoba-sensei? Why didn't you make a move on Shizune-senpai earlier? Did you think Shizune-senpai wasn't cute? Does Aoba-sensei have a place to cry now?"
"You brat! How dare you tease your sensei! Go play on the street!"
Yamashiro Aoba kicked Alex out. For a moment, he really had nowhere to cry. How could he have known that Tsunade-sama would take Shizune away, and for so many years?
Back then, the three cutest girls in their class were Kurenai Yuhi, Kato Shizune, and Rin Nohara. Rin Nohara had already sacrificed herself, while Asuma was pursuing Kurenai Yuhi. Shizune was nowhere to be found. The men of their generation were quite miserable, okay? And this guy Alex was still rubbing salt in the wound. Isn't this asking for a beating!
Alex had already slipped out onto the street.
I have to say, it's worthy of being the Capital City of the strongest nation in the Ninja World.
Fire Country has always been very prosperous due to its advantageous geographical location. The Capital City where the Daimyo resides is even more bustling. Even late at night, it is still brightly lit, and there are laughter and joy even at night, as if this Ninja World is not chaotic at all.
This might be an unwritten rule of the Ninja World.
It's okay for Ninja villages to fight to the death among themselves, but no one is allowed to attack the Daimyo. Otherwise, it's a violation of the rules.
The Daimyo is the ruler of the country, with money and power. Ninja villages are just armed organizations under the Daimyo's jurisdiction. Generally speaking, they have to obey the Daimyo's orders. Even the Fourth Shinobi World War was like a war game played by the Daimyo.
This is truly unbelievable for people from the Flower Country.
If an ambitious person from the 'Land of Flowers' came here, they would overthrow the Daimyo and everything else. After all, besides their so-called status and money, the Daimyo have nothing; they lack powerful strength, they lack formidable armies, and when something happens, they still have to rely on the Ninja Villages. How can such people be the rulers of a country?
Overthrow them! Overthrow them all!
Moreover, they would unify the entire Ninja World!
Then they would capture all the girls like Hinata, Ino, Kurotsuchi, Karin, Mei Terumi, and so on!
Those who are more ruthless wouldn't even spare Granny Chiyo!
Uh, these are all the thoughts of ambitious people. Alex felt tired just looking at them. What's fun about such a twisted world? Anyway, he didn't want to live so tiringly.
Alex strolled around the city, buying some small items to take back for Tenten. As for a gift for his Father-in-law, there was no need to bring one at all.
Because when he reported to his Father-in-law before leaving Konoha, his Father-in-law said something:
"Alex, do you know how many businesses our family has?"
"On this trip to the Fire Country Capital, you can go take a look at these few shops; just consider it getting familiar with them..."
After walking around, Alex did find the few shops his Father-in-law mentioned, which were a hotel, restaurants, cloth shops, and so on.
Heh heh, he'd skip getting familiar with them for now and do it with Tenten later.
However, since his family already had businesses in the Fire Country Capital, there was no need to bring a gift for his Father-in-law.
Anyway, Alex didn't have much money, and the cheap goods he bought might not even catch his Father-in-law's eye.
But Tenten was different; bringing a small item could make her happy and let her know her boyfriend was thinking of her.
After buying the gifts, Alex started walking towards the inn.
However, after only a few steps, he saw Yamashiro Rinne and Kato Megumi, his two good teammates, walking back hand in hand in the distance. Kato Megumi was even feeding Yamashiro Rinne a grilled sausage, and both had shy smiles on their faces.
Very good, those two were indeed as he suspected!
It's just that they were too engrossed in their date and didn't notice someone following behind them!
Alex's gaze narrowed, and he discovered a person sneaking behind the two. Judging by their steps, they should be a Ninja, and he could sense a slight Chakra fluctuation.
Who dared to follow Ninjas from Konoha?
And what was their purpose?
Alex decisively lightened his steps and silently followed the tracker, trailing all the way to the vicinity of the inn. After Yamashiro Rinne and Kato Megumi shyly let go of each other's hands and entered the inn, the tracker finally intended to quietly leave.
However, just as the tracker turned their head, they were suddenly startled by the figure that appeared before them.
Without a word, Alex slapped the tracker on the forehead, knocking the person unconscious on the spot. He then quickly frisked them and pulled out a forehead protector.
"Hmm? A music symbol? Otogakure?! Was it sent by Orochimaru?!"
The appearance of an Otogakure Ninja forced Alex to take it seriously.
Previously in the Village, he hadn't considered matters related to Orochimaru because the Konoha Crush was still far away. Even if Orochimaru quietly returned to the Village, it was only to trade with Danzo, and he basically wouldn't cause trouble.
As for now, it seemed the Chunin Exams were not far off, and the Konoha Crush was about to begin.
So, what was the purpose of this Otogakure Ninja tracking Konoha Ninjas?
Was it just a simple investigation? Or were they planning to kidnap? Or even assassinate?
Alex didn't understand, so he simply carried the person back to the inn, knocked on Yamashiro Aoba's door, and blew a signal to call Yamashiro Rinne and Kato Megumi over as well.
"What happened?"
Yamashiro Aoba immediately opened the door. Seeing the person Alex was carrying, his expression instantly turned serious.
Yamashiro Rinne and Kato Megumi also rushed over. Seeing the scene, they were momentarily confused but didn't ask questions, instead following everyone into Yamashiro Aoba's room.
Yamashiro Aoba even specifically used Chakra to scan the surroundings, ensuring no one else was eavesdropping before looking back at Alex.
Alex took out the Otogakure forehead protector and said, "When I came back, I saw this person quietly following Runya and Megumi, so I followed him too."
"Until he tried to leave, I simply knocked him out and then found this on him."
Yamashiro Rinne and Kato Megumi's expressions changed.
They hadn't expected two groups of people to be tracking them. It was one thing for their relationship to be discovered, but being tracked by strangers without noticing was a bigger problem.
Yamashiro Aoba glanced at his clan junior but didn't say anything.
Instead, he took the forehead protector and looked at it: "Otogakure?"
"I did hear before that Otogakure was established in the Land of Rice Fields. Lord Hokage was curious but didn't send anyone to investigate thoroughly."
"Now a Ninja from this Otogakure is suddenly tracking our Konoha Ninjas. What is their purpose?"
What their purpose is, you should ask yourself, Aoba-sensei!
You can use Mind Reading!
Yamashiro Aoba also knew he had asked a pointless question. He formed a few hand signs, placed his large hand on the person's head, and began reading their memories.
Not long after, Yamashiro Aoba's expression suddenly turned stern, and he blurted out: "Orochimaru..."
Fortunately, he closed his mouth in time, otherwise, the students would have heard.
However, Yamashiro Aoba's expression was extremely serious, completely lacking his usual demeanor.