After leaving the Hokage's office, the four of them found a relatively quiet spot to talk.
Judging from how the Third had handed the mission scroll to Uchiha Shisui, it was clear—he was the squad leader.
As for the rest of them, aside from Ishiki, who was just a Genin, the others were all Chūnin.
Still, Shisui stepped up with ease, no trace of arrogance on his face.
"Let's work well together from now on," he said warmly."Why don't we each introduce ourselves? I'm Uchiha Shisui. I specialize in support, intel gathering, and covering fire."
"Yamashiro Aoba. Support type. I'm good at reconnaissance, sensory skills, and intel analysis."Aoba had a crow perched on his shoulder—likely a ninken familiar trained for scouting missions. Ninja crows were especially suited for intel retrieval.
"Mirina. Close-quarters combat and infiltration."The pink-haired girl spoke with a sweet voice that didn't match her brutal specialty. Honestly, she looked more like a medical-nin than Ishiki did.
"Kūjō Ishiki. Specializes in medical ninjutsu."
Ishiki felt the pressure.He was the only Genin in the entire team.
"We'll be counting on you, Ishiki-kun," Shisui added, his tone completely devoid of the typical Uchiha pride found in many clansmen.He even offered those words on purpose—perhaps sensing Ishiki's unease.The others gave him friendly smiles as well.
"If anything, I'm the one who should rely on you all, senpai…"Technically, Ishiki and Aoba had once been in the same year, but Aoba was at least six years older, and the other two looked older as well. Calling them senpai wasn't out of line.
"We're teammates now. No need for titles—just call me by name. We're technically the same generation, right? And we've met before," Aoba said with a grin, glancing toward Shisui.
"Fair enough," Ishiki replied, mentally flipping through old memories.He did remember something—when Aoba had first become a Genin, he'd done some missions under Ishiki's father, and had even come by their home for dinner a few times.After his father's death, though, their contact had faded.
Most shinobi spent nearly all their time on missions or training.During wartime, anyone with ambition—or a desire to stay alive—had no time to slack off.
Shisui nodded.
"Exactly. We're close in age. It'll help our teamwork to be on a first-name basis."
"So, captain," Mirina cut in, her sweet voice edged with a sly tone,"what's our mission?"
When she wasn't smiling, Mirina gave off a sharp, mature vibe—but when she did smile, her dimples and sugary energy hit like a genjutsu.
Shisui pulled out the scroll.
"Release."
With a hand sign and that single word, the mission scroll unfurled with a poof of chakra smoke.
He scanned the contents swiftly and looked up.
"We're being deployed to the Land of Frost to support the front lines. Further mission updates will be relayed en route.For now, we can either grab dinner together or dismiss for the day and meet at the village gate tomorrow morning at 0800 hours."
"Dinner!" Mirina said immediately.
"Sounds good," Shisui smiled."Let me treat you all as your squad leader."
"Captain's the best!"Mirina's enthusiasm exploded like a fireworks release technique.
Ishiki and Aoba gave thumbs-up in response.
Despite the slight age gap, Ishiki got along with them quickly.His body might've been that of a kid, but his soul certainly wasn't.
Over dinner, he learned from Shisui that his assignment to the team was an exceptional case.
Had Konoha not been desperately short on medical-nin, there's no way a newly certified Genin medic would be placed in what was essentially a special operations team.
Shisui's reputation had already begun to spread during the Third Shinobi War.While he hadn't reached legendary status yet, his potential as a genius of the Uchiha had not gone unnoticed by the other villages.
Had the war with Kumogakure not erupted, Shisui would likely have joined the ANBU Black Ops by now.
To Ishiki, this squad felt… temporary.Shisui was simply too powerful. Their presence might end up slowing him down.
A shinobi of Shisui's caliber should've been paired with other Jōnin, sent on S-rank black ops missions behind enemy lines.
Instead, here he was, leading three Chūnin-level subordinates (and one Genin medic) on a likely A-rank support mission.
Such a waste of talent.
Was this the Hokage's design?Perhaps to manage the Uchiha's image, which had recently soured in public perception.
Aoba had been a Chūnin for years. His talents in support, sensory perception, and interrogation made him a valuable all-rounder.
Mirina, while relatively unknown, had also attained Chūnin early and had survived the Third Shinobi War.
If not for placing first in the medical-nin exam, and the overall shortage of available medics, Ishiki doubted he'd have been considered for this team at all.
"Call it luck if you want," he mused silently,"but that doesn't erase the work I put in to get here."
He couldn't yet tell if joining this team would be a blessing or a curse.
After the meal, they all went their separate ways.
Ishiki made a quick stop at the hospital.
When he told Renge he'd been assigned to the front lines, she sighed—she'd known this day would come, but that didn't make it easier.
She even left her shift early to accompany him home, helping him prepare gear for tomorrow's deployment.
Truth be told, ninja didn't need much—basic tools, some rations.
Most of it would be pre-packed by the village, handed to the squad leader and stored in sealing scrolls.
Items would be summoned later via summoning jutsu, a storage method common throughout the shinobi world.
Ishiki had already learned how to craft sealing scrolls and the proper hand signs to summon them.
He sealed his unused discs into one such scroll.
Everything else?Just notebooks.
Even in the field, Ishiki didn't plan to stop learning.
The next morning, he left home early—hoping to avoid any drawn-out goodbyes.
What he didn't know was that the moment he walked out, Renge had stepped out onto the balcony, silently watching his figure disappear around the corner…
…and never once looking away.
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I will post bonus chapter if we reach 300 power stones !
300 power stones = 1 bonus chapter