The Rookie Phase Is Over

Aburame Tetsumaru returned to the Land of Rain and received his orders: he had been appointed Chunin captain of a ninja squad.

Following the instructions in the order, he quickly arrived at the edge of a swamp and waited for his team members.

Wrapped in a fitted trench coat, Aburame Tetsumaru walked easily across the misty swamp under the drizzle. After mastering the Summoning Technique, he had finally gotten rid of that enormous backpack. He felt light all over.

More importantly, he could finally wear the Aburame Clan's signature trench coat. It blocked both wind and rain, and even with two layers of insects wrapped around his entire body, he still looked slim and well-proportioned. He was delighted.

The Snail that had sat atop his head for the past year on the battlefield was now concealed beneath the hood. Even the name Snail had become history. The current Eye of Truth looked more like an electric scooter helmet, so once covered by the hood, aside from making his head look a size larger, it no longer created any noticeable protrusion.

After spending several busy months at home, he had gotten some proper rest. He had grown quite a bit taller and put on a little weight.

When Aburame Tetsumaru arrived, milky-white mist drifted along the edge of the swamp beneath the fine rain. The softly falling droplets landed soundlessly on the ground, plants, and water, making almost no noise.

No one?

Aburame Tetsumaru could not be sure. In this dark, rainy, foggy weather, Dragonflies and large moths could not fly, and even the Eye of Truth's vision had been greatly affected. So he released his Kikaichū. The Kikaichū, full of Chakra, were almost unaffected by the rain and fog, and their flight speed remained unchanged.

The Kikaichū searched an area three hundred meters around him but found no ninja.

The observant Aburame Tetsumaru noticed that the Kikaichū avoided four spots. He froze for a moment, then realized those places all contained anti-reconnaissance measures.

It seemed one team member had already arrived.

But whether that person was actually in one of those four spots, Aburame Tetsumaru could not tell.

Deception could make the false seem real and the real seem false. The ninja might not know that saying, but they were very skilled at the same sort of trickery. The person might well be hiding in one of them.

In the Shinobi World, no matter how much methods changed, they could never escape Chakra. That was why the Byakugan was the strongest reconnaissance method.

Fortunately, Aburame Tetsumaru had mastered a similar method before entering school. He closed his eyes, calmed himself, then used Insight to observe the Chakra Grand Circulation inside his body.

From Insight's perspective, the steady, precise grand circulation displayed all sorts of fluctuations. They were all reflections of external Chakra.

By observing those fluctuations, Aburame Tetsumaru quickly discovered that the Chakra at those four abnormal points was weak. Instead, there was a powerful Chakra source fifty meters to his left and another ninety meters to his right.

Both people had arrived early, but both were hiding.

Now that he knew their locations, he could use the Eye of Truth's ultrasonic perception. Aburame Tetsumaru saw the two people's movements and postures, making their methods of concealment obvious.

No, neither of them was hiding.

The one on the left leaned against the trunk of a dead tree, while the one on the right crouched atop a rock, hands resting limply on their knees.

Tch, Genjutsu. Both were experts in Genjutsu.

Aburame Tetsumaru could not help wanting to roll his eyes. He was a Chunin captain, so his team members could not possibly be Jonin.

Although he had only been promoted after his achievements exceeded the Chunin promotion standards several times over, he was still only a newly promoted Chunin. The people assigned to him could not possibly be veteran Chunin, could they? Veteran Genin or newly promoted Chunin?

The key was that the Genjutsu cast by these two was natural and lasting, without any trace of a technique. On top of that, their Genjutsu styles were completely different.

At that moment, a classic line echoed in Aburame Tetsumaru's mind: "A new word has been dug out—there is so much!"

These two ninja who had hidden themselves with Genjutsu were one Uchiha who had awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan and one Kurama who had awakened a Kekkei Genkai.

Including himself, three ninja whose combat strength vastly exceeded that of ordinary Chunin had formed a squad. What kind of bizarre combination was this?

Aburame Tetsumaru immediately decided to conceal some of his abilities. For now, he would use only the Kikaichū Secret Technique, hiding everything else, including the Locusts, and putting all the insects attached to his body into dormancy.

After making his preparations, Aburame Tetsumaru had no interest in playing ninja games with them. He waved to either side, and two swarms of Kikaichū rose from his body, launching attacks around two patches of seemingly empty ground.

Secret Technique: Insect Sphere

The Kikaichū had not found enemies, but under the secret technique's command, they could attack designated locations.

Aside from an absurdly abnormal Forbidden Technique like Izanagi, Genjutsu could not alter reality. The two people under attack could only respond for themselves.

The person on the right scrambled away on hands and feet, rolling and crawling in an attempt to dodge, but failed. An Insect Sphere wrapped around her head, and she shrieked in terror. It was a girl.

The person on the left formed hand seals quickly and spat out a Fireball Jutsu in half a second. Then he leaped through the opening blasted by the Fire Release ninjutsu and escaped the Kikaichū's encirclement.

Once people moved, the Genjutsu dispersed.

A ninja boy wearing traditional ninja clothes with the Uchiha fan crest on his back appeared. His face had turned black as the bottom of a pot.

He had been discovered, and there was even someone he had failed to notice.

Uchiha Kei's heart filled with regret and frustration. After awakening the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, he had still gotten carried away. Now not only had he failed to show off, he might have exposed the Sharingan's secret.

Then he and Aburame Tetsumaru turned to look at the person screaming miserably. That person's Genjutsu was somehow still functioning, so neither of them could see her figure. They could only hear the screams.

Aburame Tetsumaru suddenly caught a hint of something strange in the sound. No way!

He immediately formed hand seals, ended the secret technique, and recalled the Kikaichū. The screaming stopped at once, followed by a long exhale.

Then, after a rustling sound, the Genjutsu finally ended. A bright-eyed, fine-toothed little girl appeared before them. It was obvious she had just touched up her makeup.

"I'm Aburame Tetsumaru. I have been ordered to serve as captain of the Aburame Squad. Are you my subordinates?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Oh my, oh my. The captain is so impressive, yet you're not Lord Aburame Shikuroo. The Aburame Clan really has so many Jonin."

A thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl dressing flamboyantly was nothing unusual.

But the moment she opened her mouth, she spoke like a street thug. That was beyond what Aburame Tetsumaru could accept. He was rather sick of people who acted like slippery troublemakers, especially when they were subordinates. They were a disaster waiting to happen.

Aburame Tetsumaru stared at his subordinate through his sunglasses and said, word by word, "You cannot use that tone when speaking to me. If there is a next time, you will never speak again."

The girl was frightened and did not dare say anything.

"Now state your names, ages, ninja ranks, and specialties. One general specialty will be enough." Aburame Tetsumaru pointed at the Uchiha boy. "You first."

Suppression through force, verbal intimidation, then a direct command—three moves in a row. Aburame Tetsumaru had seized control of the conversation's rhythm and established his authority as leader.

But neither of them was convinced. The seemingly timid girl had an eager glint in her eyes, as though she wanted to court death, while the boy lowered his eyelids and tried to pass off a feigned fearfulness as genuine.

"I am Uchiha Kei, fourteen years old, Chunin. I specialize in Fire Release and Genjutsu."

!!!!

Aburame Tetsumaru's heart jolted. No way. It couldn't be. I can't be that unlucky, can I?

"I am Kurama Yun, thirteen years old, Genin. I specialize in Genjutsu. My Taijutsu and stamina are both rather poor."

Uchiha Kei narrowed his eyes. Tch, putting on an act. I don't know whether this little girl arrived before or after me. If she came early, then she saw my eyes. If she came late, then did she enter beneath my very nose while using Genjutsu?

Either possibility meant this woman's Genjutsu level was terrifying.

Hmph, stupid Uchiha. He secretly glanced at me with killing intent. Did he realize I saw his Two-Tomoe Sharingan?

I need to watch out for him plotting against me. Yeah, I should strike first and find a chance to kill him.

Neither of them noticed that Aburame Tetsumaru's Snail could observe in every direction through the Kikaichū, taking both their expressions into view.

What the hell? What kind of freaks are these two? Are they planning to plot against each other? Were all their previous teammates killed by their own people?

Aburame Tetsumaru was practically going mad. Two subordinates who were both figuring out how to kill the other—this squad was truly deadly.

Thinking back, the first squad he had joined had been led by Captain Ueno. That hard-mouthed, soft-hearted captain had taken good care of newcomers, trusted him when he was still an inexperienced fledgling, and helped him survive the most dangerous rookie phase.

He had been incredibly lucky.

But Captain Ueno's luck had not been bad either. All three of his subordinates had been dependable: one was a familiar, reliable veteran; one was a hidden cheat, a hot-blooded youth-type pioneer; and one was an Aburame transmigrator.

No matter what, the wonderful rookie phase was over. What came next was the grueling pioneering phase.

The more Aburame Tetsumaru thought about it, the more unpleasant these two subordinates looked. He gave the order irritably, "Enough."

"Now that personnel have been confirmed, we still have a mission to carry out. If there are no further questions, follow me."

The boy and girl instantly straightened their clothing, moods, and expressions, then answered solemnly, "Yes!"

Once a captain issued a formal order, it could not be refused. Even in ordinary circumstances, there would be severe punishment. This was a battlefield, and a captain had both the authority and obligation to execute subordinates who disobeyed orders.

Yes, not only authority, but also an obligation and responsibility. If a subordinate's disobedience led to defeat, the entire squad could be endangered. Even if they survived and returned afterward, the captain himself would still be held individually accountable.

If the situation was serious enough—for example, if it resulted in the destruction of other squads, the loss of a battle, or the fall of an important stronghold—the captain might be executed as a result of that accountability.

Since captains bore such enormous responsibility, they naturally possessed corresponding authority. Many Konoha squad captains were extremely strict, and some Genin had even brought about their own deaths by acting flippant and grinning foolishly.

The sort of thing where protagonists in the Shinobi World talked back to a Jonin captain simply did not exist, at least not in Konoha's Year 32.

Aburame Tetsumaru took the lead and walked at the very front.

Normally, the captain should have walked in a central position better suited for responding to events on either side. But the newly formed Aburame Squad was unfamiliar with one another, and Aburame Tetsumaru himself had sufficient reconnaissance ability, so he simply led the way himself.

Kurama Yun walked second, thirty meters from the captain and about five meters to the left of his path.

She had not lied about being physically weak. Ordinary ninja of the Kurama Clan were normal enough, but ninja who awakened the Genjutsu Kekkei Genkai—if they did not go insane because of it—had certainly paid a tremendous price. Weak constitutions and terrible Taijutsu were common knowledge.

Uchiha Kei consciously walked at the rear, thirty meters from Kurama Yun and fifty-five meters from the captain, following from the right.

Aburame Tetsumaru led the two of them to their destination soon after. It was a clearing in the woods.

This journey had improved his impression of both subordinates somewhat. Despite their young ages, they were each quite experienced and possessed a sense of teamwork.

Not bad. Very not bad.

After selecting the northwest corner of the clearing as the squad's concealed position, Aburame Tetsumaru signaled for the two to come within five meters of him, then instructed, "Kurama, conceal us with Genjutsu."

"Yes." Kurama Yun answered seriously.

She immediately formed hand seals, using a secret technique to draw forth the strange thing within her heart. After a peculiar wave passed through the area, the three of their bodies began to turn transparent and soon vanished into the air.

It was truly incredible. Neither Aburame Tetsumaru nor Uchiha Kei could see their own bodies. Their sense of touch and feedback remained intact, of course, or they would definitely have panicked.

As Kurama Yun cast the technique, Aburame Tetsumaru took out the document scroll that served as proof of assembly, tied it to the ring of a Kunai, and threw the Kunai into the center of the clearing.

Uchiha Kei watched Kurama Yun cast her technique and experienced its remarkable effect for himself. While amazed, he also felt somewhat relieved.

This Kurama Clan secret technique's Genjutsu effect was too powerful. It truly made them transparent. Only when they moved quickly could he still see light refracting at the edges of their transparent forms.

That meant Kurama Yun had merely arrived at the assembly point early. She had not arrived behind him later.

Forget it. So what if she knew? The captain probably knew too. Trying to kill her to silence her would likely be difficult.

After casting the Genjutsu, Kurama Yun had consumed a great deal of Chakra. Combined with the exertion from running earlier, she could no longer suppress her rapid, faint panting.

The little girl immediately swallowed a Military Ration Pill, closed her eyes to rest, and prayed that their next mission would not involve intense combat. Otherwise, she would only hold them back.

Aburame Tetsumaru heard the panting and swallowing, immediately understood what had happened, and said nothing. He instead considered how to arrange Kurama Yun in a support role if fighting broke out.

The three each considered their own matters and waited silently.

Soon, one squad after another arrived. When the newly arrived captains saw the Kunai in the clearing, they followed suit, tying their own mission documents to Kunai and throwing them over before concealing themselves.

However, the squads differed greatly. Some concealed themselves well, while others did so less effectively, but none of them were weak.

The captains tacitly competed through their concealment and reconnaissance skills. Seeing comrades on the battlefield always made people happy, and they could not resist playing this little game for fun.

The eighth squad was a pure Byakugan squad. Four Hyuga ninja simply did not conceal themselves and stood openly in the middle of the clearing. Not only did they refuse to hide, the leading Hyuga ninja activated his Byakugan and looked around. Every time he spotted someone, he gave a cold laugh, continuing until he had found everyone.

Aburame Tetsumaru's group was discovered as well. The ability to see through things, combined with the ability to directly see Chakra, was simply overpowered for close- and mid-range reconnaissance.

But doing that was incredibly irritating. What was the point of hiding? What was the point of competing?

The captains of the seven squads stepped out, all glaring angrily at the leading Byakugan user. That annoying Hyuga Main Branch—aside from the Byakugan, there was nothing about them that was pleasant.

Moreover, the Hyuga Main Branch rarely went to the battlefield and had no combat experience. They needed several elite Hyuga experts to protect them, making them even more annoying on a battlefield lacking reconnaissance capability.

The Hyuga Main Branch also often sacrificed Branch Family members because of their reckless behavior on the battlefield. Most Konoha Ninja had worked with Hyuga Branch Family ninja, and they could not stand this practice of using their comrades' blood to paint over their own achievements.

Yet the Hyuga Clan's methods did indeed reduce the possibility of the Byakugan being lost to the lowest level. The Hokage had nothing to say about it, so everyone could only glare with killing intent. That was all.