Cruising seemed like a simple task, but it was actually accompanied by unpredictable dangers.
As long as they put out to sea, no one dared pat their chest and guarantee that everyone would return alive.
The team leader had to step in and protect everyone at critical moments.
If their strength was insufficient and they could not even take care of themselves, how could they protect the others?
Although fatalities were rare during the Elite Class's naval combat assessments, they were not unheard of. The death rate during the Reserve Navy's naval combat assessments was even higher.
A rookie who had just graduated from the Training Camp could simply follow the main force and coast on military merit.
But accept the position of team leader?
He must not even know how the word "death" was written!
Everyone secretly sneered, certain that Morito would definitely back down.
He was skinny and scrawny, with less than a few pounds of flesh on him. His skin was even fairer and more delicate than a woman's, and his face was prettier than one too. How much combat power could a pretty boy like that possibly have?
With those thin arms and legs, they could beat him single-handedly!
Onigumo's defeat proved nothing about Morito's strength. It only showed that Onigumo, that good-for-nothing, was too weak!
Just as everyone waited to see Morito make a fool of himself,
Morito curled the corners of his mouth and confidently spat out three words.
"Of course I can!"
His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. His tone was calm, yet it revealed intense confidence.
That overwhelming confidence infected everyone.
An inexplicable thought welled up in their hearts. It was as though, just as Morito had said, the words "cannot" did not exist in his dictionary!
As long as it was him, he could do it!
"You're very confident. I hope your strength is as powerful as your confidence!"
A flash of approval flickered through Zephyr's eyes.
Confidence was a basic quality possessed by the strong.
The leaders of the three small warships had been decided. Next, the Elite Class members had to be divided into three teams.
Generally speaking, they would be divided evenly by headcount, with a dozen or so people in each team.
But there was one prerequisite: The leader of each team had to be someone everyone genuinely respected. They had to be able to follow whoever they wanted and comfortably coast on military merit.
As a newcomer, Morito could not possibly win everyone's sincere respect.
Judging from everyone's expressions, it seemed that no one wanted to board the same warship as Morito.
Zephyr frowned. Just as he was preparing to assign the teams by name, he saw Morito looking completely relaxed, as though he did not care in the slightest that no one wanted to team up with him.
Zephyr immediately changed his mind.
"The warships are already docked at the harbor. Assemble at the harbor in thirty minutes!"
"This time, the teams will be formed according to your personal wishes. Whoever you want to follow, board that person's warship."
After speaking, Zephyr waved his hand, signaling that everyone could leave.
Before long, the classroom was empty.
The adjutant was Zephyr's longtime subordinate and still addressed him as Admiral.
Obedience was a soldier's virtue.
Only after everyone had left did he ask, "Admiral Zephyr, is it really appropriate for Ōtsutsuki Morito to lead a team alone?"
Zephyr was no fool. How could he let Morito, who had only joined the Elite Class that day, lead a team alone?
What he had said in the classroom was merely going along with the situation.
It had also been a test of Morito, giving him a chance to see what choice Morito would make.
If Morito accepted the task, it would mean he had immense courage, would not give up easily when faced with difficulties, and would rise to meet challenges.
If Morito rejected the task, it would mean that reason outweighed emotion for him, and that he could remain absolutely calm and rational at any time.
Whether Morito accepted or rejected it, Zephyr did not care.
Zephyr said to the adjutant, "Wake Kuzan and have him follow behind Morito's warship. He'll be responsible for protecting its safety."
The position of leader for the third team had originally been assigned to Kuzan.
But that brat Kuzan was still sleeping!
As punishment for Kuzan sleeping in, Zephyr decided to make him a babysitter and have him follow behind Morito and the others' warship.
The sea stretched magnificently beneath the sky.
The sea and sky met at the horizon, extending beyond sight and creating the feeling that heaven and earth were boundlessly vast.
With the route of Zephyr's flagship as the main route, the three small teams spread out in a fan shape aboard their small warships. They remained a short distance from the flagship without getting too far away.
This expanded the range of the Navy's patrol while also allowing the Elite Class members to gain experience.
With Zephyr's flagship following behind them, even if the three teams encountered an enemy they could not defeat, he could provide support immediately.
Unless necessary, the Navy soldiers aboard the three small warships were only responsible for sailing and would not participate in battle.
The Reserve Navy members of the Elite Class were the only combatants.
Morito had assumed that no one would be willing to board his warship, but the result surprised him somewhat.
At that moment, five Elite Class members stood on the deck of Morito's warship.
Kazan and Momonga.
Morito had no impression of the other three.
Each of them had boarded this warship with some purpose. Perhaps its leader was too weak, making it easier to rake in military merit?
Morito had no interest in finding out.
Nor did Morito need the others to obey his every word or respect him from the bottom of their hearts. As long as everyone could maintain a superficial harmony, that was enough.
"Since we're all on the same ship, let's get to know each other."
"Ōtsutsuki Morito."
Morito took the lead and introduced himself.
Morito was not difficult to get along with. On the contrary, he was extremely polite.
When others showed him an inch of respect, he returned a foot.
Unfortunately, Morito's appearance made it easy for others to feel inferior, especially the male cadets in the Naval Academy whose looks were particularly abstract.
What could he do about being too handsome?
"Kazan." Kazan introduced himself with a friendly smile.
"Momonga." The mustached man, who spoke and acted rigidly, introduced himself.
The remaining three also introduced themselves one after another.
Roer and Luomen were twin brothers who looked extremely similar.
Ulysses was a muscular man over three meters tall.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Morito always felt that there was something subtly strange about the way the Roer and Luomen brothers looked at him. He could not yet put his finger on exactly what it was.
Keeping his guard up, Morito parted from the five and returned to his own room.
It was nearly impossible to run into pirate ships in the waters near Marine Headquarters. Before the warship left the waters around Marine Headquarters, everyone chose to remain in their rooms and rest.
After returning to his room, Morito lay on the bed and pretended to rest.
However, the Byakugan's vision could not be blocked by a few walls.
The Byakugan had three basic abilities.
Telescopic Eye: It used Chakra to adjust the distance of one's field of vision. Morito's current maximum range was ten kilometers.
X-ray Eye: It could see through objects, including human bones, meridians, and the flow of Chakra. It could also penetrate walls and obstacles to see anything within one's field of vision.
Insight Eye: It provided a 360-degree field of vision and allowed one to observe changes in the surrounding environment in great detail.
Morito's room was next to the others' rooms. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and his gaze pierced through the wall, revealing the room of one of the two brothers.
Empty?
Morito quickly shifted his gaze toward the other room.
As expected!
The Roer and Luomen brothers had both gathered in that room. They sat around the table, where two Den Den Mushi rested.
One was an ordinary Den Den Mushi, while the other was a black Den Den Mushi specifically used for eavesdropping.
The Roer and Luomen brothers were talking to someone on the phone.
"If only I could hear the sound."
Before you continue