Hyuga Makoto!

The man before us was tall and slender, dressed in a military uniform. His long hair was tied back, and his gaze was indifferent. A black mask concealed his face completely, revealing only a pair of snow-cold eyes. He stood before us like a drawn blade.

I froze, feeling that he looked familiar.

This person, this person seemed to be—

"To ensure the mission's success, you'll go together." Orochimaru curled his lips, clearly pleased by our surprised expressions.

"Someone from the Hyuga Clan should be able to help you avoid every enemy."

Hyuga? The Hyuga Clan?

I understood at once!

The Hyuga Clan's Byakugan offered a 360-degree field of vision. Their eyes could even see things within a kilometer!

The Hyuga Clan were the perfect choice for battlefield reconnaissance!

With someone from the Hyuga Clan leading the team, maybe we really could complete the mission!

I widened my eyes and looked the man up and down. At last, I remembered. Wasn't this the fierce senior who'd told me to "let go" when our team returned from its first mission?

What a small world!

My emotions must have shown too clearly, because they caught Teacher Orochimaru's attention. He looked at the two of us and suddenly asked, "What, do you know each other?"

I didn't answer. I looked at the man first, but he was utterly quiet, standing there without even seeming to notice I existed. His gaze never shifted.

Hey! Why couldn't you speak up in front of the teacher?

I met Orochimaru's inquisitive gaze and had a sudden idea. Grinning, I said, "Teacher, of course I know him!"

"Oh?" Orochimaru seemed interested.

I was overjoyed inside, but kept my expression innocent. "You don't know, Teacher, but during my first mission, I accidentally bumped into Senior. He was so kind that he let me lean against him for a while."

Orochimaru chuckled. "That's all?"

"Mm-hmm." I nodded and hugged his sleeve, my eyes shining with earnestness. "Senior is a really good person!"

Heh. That'll teach you to be mean to me! First, taste the yin-yang art of the Uchiha Clan!

"Teacher... who is he?" Kusama Shigeo frowned, apparently very displeased by this sudden new team leader.

Orochimaru glanced at Shiyan beside him and instructed, "He's one of your people. You introduce him."

"Yes, sir." Shiyan stepped forward, looking rather pleased with himself. "His name is Hyuga Makoto. He's my subordinate, and he'll be your temporary team leader for this mission."

Hyuga... Makoto?

My eyes lit up. This was interesting.

Was his name Makoto, as in "honest"?

He was so fierce, but his name was quite nice.

"Hyuga?" Kusama Shigeo frowned. "Tch, another person from a prominent clan. So why haven't I seen him before?"

Hearing that, I rolled my eyes inwardly. I knew he was about to get scolded.

"You carried out a group mission together just a few days ago. Do you lack even that much observational ability?"

Orochimaru's cold snake-like eyes swept over him, and Kusama Shigeo fell silent.

After scolding Kusama Shigeo, Orochimaru turned to us and continued his lecture. "Though you haven't worked closely together before, remember this: in any country, on any battlefield, a three-person squad is the standard for shinobi. One attacks, one defends, and one provides medical support. This system was built on hard-won lessons paid for in blood. Even when two people are sent on a mission, it's only because a teammate has already fallen. Only then are the others allowed to split up. Understood?"

This formation had been established by Senju Tsunade. It had greatly reduced Konoha Ninja casualties during the Shinobi World Wars, and the practice had been passed down ever since.

"Yes." I was listening attentively, but Kusama Shigeo couldn't help speaking up again. "Teacher, you said he's our team leader?"

Kusama Shigeo went over and sized Hyuga Makoto up, his expression disdainful. He was clearly unhappy about it, but with Orochimaru present, he didn't act on it.

Orochimaru noticed, too, and his voice turned cold.

"Given your ranks, a Chunin would normally be the best you could get. But because this mission is particularly difficult, I've assigned someone from the Hyuga Clan to lead you."

The meaning was obvious: Don't complain when you're being given a good deal!

"Lord Orochimaru is wise," Shiyan interjected. "With the Hyuga Clan's skill in reconnaissance and Jonin Hyuga Makoto's strength, I believe he's fully capable of handling this mission." As he spoke, his eyes remained fixed on Hyuga Makoto.

"In fact, there's practically no chance of failure."

I blinked, wondering why that sounded so strange. A Jonin was taking two Genin to an isolated island, slipping past a heavily guarded shinobi village to rescue someone. Who could guarantee the mission wouldn't fail?

I stole a glance at the man standing straight as a rod and wondered, Is he really that strong?

"Hmph..." Orochimaru glanced at Shiyan. Something flickered in his snake-like eyes, as though he approved, but he said nothing.

Then he put on his black cloak, and that bloody smell began to spread again.

"Remember, stay close to your team leader on the way. Obey his orders as you would mine. For the sake of your lives, don't make any decisions on your own."

"Understood, Akatsuki?"

When Teacher Orochimaru called me out by name, I quickly stood at attention and answered,

"Yes!"

When it came to following orders, I was one of the best!

He nodded in satisfaction, then his expression turned stern.

"Before the mission begins, I have one last instruction. It's also the most important."

"In five days, Kirigakure will begin a large-scale purge of people with Kekkei Genkai. Snow One Village will naturally be within its reach."

"It takes about four days to get from here to Kirigakure. That means you'll have to find the child within a day of reaching the southern part of Kirigakure, then return immediately. So I'm giving you ten days."

"Ten days...?" I frowned, thinking, Of course there's a deadline!

After speaking, Orochimaru turned his gaze to Hyuga Makoto. His tone was commanding, quite different from the kindness he'd shown us.

"As for you, as the leader of this operation, your most important duty aside from completing the mission is to keep them safe and bring them back here in one piece."

"Remember, protect them at all costs."

Kusama Shigeo immediately grew smug. If he had a tail, it would probably be wagging in the air!

"What is he, our bodyguard or something?" I heard him mutter scornfully, and frowned.

Hyuga Makoto knelt before us, bowed his head, and replied, "Yes, sir."

He was utterly obedient, almost obsequious. His attitude toward me had been completely different.

"Akatsuki."

I was staring at Hyuga Makoto, lost in thought, when I suddenly felt a chill approach. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, as if a snake had fixed its gaze on me.

"Teacher?"

I didn't have to turn around to know Orochimaru had placed a hand on my shoulder.

"This mission is already S-rank. Even with an elite Jonin, failure, injury, or even death are all possible."

"Are you afraid, Akatsuki?"

I didn't understand what he was getting at, but it was almost impossible to lie beneath those snake-like eyes.

I was just about to answer when my vision blurred. I saw a flicker of a memory beneath the candlelight, embracing my teacher. Reassured, I smiled and said clearly, "Teacher, I'm not afraid."

I raised my head and stared into his eyes.

"You said that a teacher would never hurt his own student."

"So I believe in Senior Hyuga Makoto's abilities, in myself, and in you."

"You wouldn't put us in danger."

Something seemed to flicker in Orochimaru's eyes as he heard this. His smile gradually deepened, and his hand rose to my face. His fingers brushed against my temple, bringing a reassuring coolness.

"What a good child."

With that, he stepped back and disappeared into his black cloak.

"Then I wish you a safe journey."

As soon as he finished speaking, his black figure vanished in the blink of an eye.

Shiyan, who'd been standing beside him, disappeared along with him.

In an instant, the vast training ground was left with only the three of us.

"..."

I stared in the direction they'd gone, lost in thought.

Teacher really was busy...

I wondered what they were going to do in Amegakure this time. But with so many people involved, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd forgotten something.

What was it?

Had anything major happened in Amegakure around this time in the original story?

I was trying to recall the original story when I heard an obnoxious voice behind me.

"Hey, you're Hyuga Makoto, right?" Kusama Shigeo snorted, then immediately challenged him. "Let's make a deal. How about you hand the team leader position over to me?"

My heart skipped a beat. I turned around and saw the figure ahead of us slowly rise. His pale eyes swept over us indifferently, and with a single glance, he pinned us to the spot.

"W-why are you glaring at us? We're the teacher's precious students. You're just someone he sent to protect us. Be smart and do as I say. Use your Byakugan to scout ahead for me, got it?"

Kusama Shigeo's bravado had clearly faltered. He was shouting to bluff, while Hyuga Makoto silently watched us. After hearing those words, he suddenly rose to his feet and started walking toward us, step by step.

"Y-you, what do you think you're doing?"

Kusama Shigeo backed away two steps, then hid behind me and shouted, "I'll have you know, the Lord Hokage personally recommended me! I'm a medical genius from the Kusama Clan! Are you trying to defy me?"

When Hyuga Makoto continued approaching without reacting, Kusama Shigeo took advantage of my inattention to shove me forward—!

"This guy's the Uchiha Clan's young clan head and heir! You've heard of him, right?"

I was shoved out for no reason. Before I could even raise my head, a shadow fell over me!

Damn it, Kusama Shigeo!

Remembering our earlier run-in, I tensed and forced out, "Senior... no, Team Leader. Hello."

"I'm Uchiha Akatsuki. We've met before."

The shadow in front of me remained motionless. I gritted my teeth and raised my voice. "I was out of line before, but I didn't mean to act that way. I'm sorry. Please forgive me!"

He still didn't react, so I blurted everything out in one go.

"I'll follow your orders and do my best on the mission! I won't hold you back!"

"Please trust me!"

The wind died down.

The surroundings fell quiet in a way that seemed almost miraculous. I cautiously raised my head. In the shadow of the sunlight, I couldn't see his eyes.

But strangely, the pressure vanished in that moment.

Hyuga Makoto walked past me, brushing by my shoulder as he headed toward the forest ahead.

"Meet at the clearing ahead."