Disappointed Team

Yuzuru rested at the camp for three days before receiving orders to reform his squad and participate in a mission to defend the Land of Rivers.

This new squad was designated the "Eleventh Reconnaissance Squad" and belonged to the Land of Wind's operational direction. The squad's mission was a passive defense and surveillance task, meaning the squad would essentially remain within the Land of Rivers and make no incursions across the border.

In other words, as long as the opposing Sunagakure ninja did not initiate an attack, both sides would be at peace.

Due to the shift in Iwagakure's operational direction, Konoha's deployments were also adjusted accordingly... Since Iwagakure's offensive intent was stronger, Konoha would naturally defend the south and attack the north.

For Konoha at this time, constrained by frontline troop strength, there had to be a focus when engaging in a three-front war.

Upon receiving the new orders, Yuzuru immediately understood the nature of the mission he was to participate in. To put it simply, it was nothing more than "filling a slot."

Perception and reconnaissance ninja also required protection from their teammates during missions, which was why someone like Yuzuru was needed.

But it was fine; he gladly accepted this purpose. Filling a slot in the Land of Rivers was better than being on the front lines in the Land of Rain.

Unfortunately, because Torifu Akimichi had been recalled to Konoha, Yuzuru's original squad was disbanded. His teammates would now be strangers whose skill levels he didn't know.

He could only hope his upcoming teammates wouldn't be people who would drag him down.

Furthermore, Yuzuru's speculation about command authority was correct. After his original squad disbanded, either Special Jonin Kairi Omori or Chunin Hazuki Uchiha could become the captain of the new squad, but Yuzuru would not receive such treatment.

His qualifications were problematic.

When the new squad began to assemble, Yuzuru was the first to arrive at the meeting point. Then, when he saw the first teammate arrive, he was immediately taken aback... Huh? The Hyuga clan?

Was this squad's setup this high-class?

The young ninja walking over appeared to be one or two years older than Yuzuru. His attire and appearance strongly resembled that of the Hyuga clan – long hair, white clothing, wide robes... So, for a reconnaissance mission, could they have such a powerful and convenient reconnaissance ninja on the team?

The Byakugan was a "clairvoyant eye" that could survey the entire situation, possessing immense strategic value. If Yuzuru remembered correctly, during the mission to pursue Sasuke with Team Hawk in the original story, Hinata Hyuga had easily detected traces ten kilometers away... Ten kilometers was certainly not the limit of a high-purity Byakugan.

Even a ninja from the Hyuga branch family was a valuable reconnaissance asset.

So, setting aside the special circumstances when Torifu Akimichi was captain, could a ninja from a commoner background like Yuzuru be mixed into a squad with ninja from a prestigious ninja clan?

But then Yuzuru noticed something incongruous about the other person. He only looked like a Hyuga ninja. Immediately, Yuzuru spotted the discrepancy... Everything about the approaching ninja looked very "Hyuga," except for the pair of black pupils in his eye sockets.

Where was your Byakugan?

"Hello, are you a member of Squad Eleven?" the other person asked as he approached, greeting Yuzuru.

"Yes, I am Yuzuru, a Chunin of the newly formed Squad Eleven. Hello."

"Then we are teammates from now on... I am Shinnosuke Kohinata, a Genin. Please take care of me from now on." The other person's attitude was very friendly. When he revealed his Genin status, he even sheepishly touched his head.

Kohinata? Yuzuru was a bit curious. Not Hyuga? What did Kohinata mean?

"Don't worry about it. I was a Genin just a few days ago... The less ability, the less responsibility. We just need to do our own missions well," Yuzuru tried to comfort him.

"Alright... Yuzuru, you're curious, you haven't heard of Kohinata?"

"Sorry, I actually thought you were from the Hyuga clan just now. I really haven't heard of the surname Kohinata."

"Kohinata has a slight connection to Hyuga. We are an independent small ninja clan. We were once members of the Hyuga clan, but due to our diluted bloodline, we were later expelled from the Hyuga, hence we adopted the name Kohinata..."

"You can tell from my glasses. Our bloodline is so thin that we can't even awaken the Kekkei Genkai."

"Without the Byakugan, you naturally can't be Hyuga, so you can only be Kohinata."

"Look on the bright side, we've both been exiled. Since we're not Hyuga, there's no main or branch family distinction, and naturally, we don't have to be controlled by the Caged Bird."

Huh? Why is it that anyone even remotely connected to the Hyuga seems to be unhappy with the Caged Bird? Is it appropriate for you to say this to someone you just met? What if I don't even know what the Caged Bird is... Yuzuru felt that Shinnosuke Kohinata was a bit strange.

He remained suspicious. Was there really a Kohinata clan? Was this person creating fanfiction here? Was there a ninja clan called "Kohinata" in the original work?

Although the Hyuga clan's Byakugan had purity differences, weren't they born with those eyes? And as long as they reached a certain age, Hyuga clan members could use their Byakugan, unlike the Uchiha who had to go through an awakening process.

In other words, the Byakugan originated from Kaguya Otsutsuki. Could such a bloodline be so diluted?

Yuzuru had only read the original manga, after all. In some obscure stories, there did exist a ninja clan called Kohinata, whose origins were similar to what Shinnosuke Kohinata had said... Later, an ordinary Jonin named Mukai Kohinata had severely beaten the Uchiha prodigy duo, Shisui and Itachi, with Taijutsu.

Not having the Byakugan and not being controlled by the Caged Bird sounded like a good thing. However, the Kohinata clan's treatment was even worse than that of the Hyuga branch family... Their bloodline was too thin. If they didn't have the Byakugan at birth, it meant that by the time they grew up, their descendants would also not possess the Byakugan.

In ordinary sight, Kohinata ninja were essentially commoner ninja.

Without the Byakugan, Shinnosuke Kohinata could only be a Genin. Given the Hyuga clan's feudalistic ways, they indeed had a reason to expel them.

It was time to cut losses. This even involved "deep considerations" to prevent the clan's bloodline from being "polluted."

"You don't need to rack your brains trying to comfort me. For years, we without the Byakugan have suffered from the eyes of those with it. I'm used to it," Shinnosuke Kohinata seemed to have accepted it.

"Comfort? Not at all. I'm from the Konoha Orphanage."

"..."

Yuzuru's meaning was simple: no matter how miserable you are, can you be more miserable than me?

"Uh, sorry, I'm too dense."

"It's fine. I just wanted to say that we don't need to care about these things."

What was supposed to be a friendly meeting of teammates turned into a competition of who had it worse.

"Since we're teammates, let me tell you about myself first. I basically fight using Taijutsu... But my strength is very limited, and my offensive methods are even monotonous," Shinnosuke Kohinata continued.

"What a coincidence, I basically only use Taijutsu too," Yuzuru said, half-truthfully.

"Aren't you a Chunin? Shouldn't you know one or two Ninjutsu?"

"Regrettably, I was promoted on the battlefield. The reason for my promotion was that my previous squad successfully completed a dangerous mission... Actually, it was all thanks to the previous captain."

It was too bleak. As they spoke, it seemed like there was no "most miserable," only "more miserable."