"I know him. We used to be in the same class, but he graduated early."
As he answered, Gong Yi watched Ogawara's expression.
The other boy's face showed resentment, complaints, even hatred!
Gong Yi pressed him. "What? You know him too?"
Ogawara swung his arm angrily. "That damned bastard! I'd better not run into him. I'll beat him up for sure."
Hyuga Senso said in a low voice, "Yuan, you can't beat Kakashi."
Ogawara's eyes were red. "Even if I can't beat him, I'll still fight him. Captain Sakurada and Captain Matsubara both died because of him. One day, I'll beat him until he apologizes to our two dead captains!"
Hatred poured from his voice without the slightest restraint. He was a young man, and made no effort to hide what he thought.
Gong Yi grew even more curious about the grudge between Kakashi and the others.
Hyuga Senso briefly explained the situation.
"Kakashi used to be in our squad. We completed a C-Rank Mission and a B-Rank Mission together."
Gong Yi nodded. "That sounds pretty good, doesn't it?"
Hyuga Senso shook his head, his hand curling into a fist. "The price of completing the missions was our captain's life. Then, on the second B-Rank Mission, our new captain died too."
A wordless sorrow filled the air.
Even though Gong Yi hadn't been there, he could still feel the hatred in Hyuga Senso's subdued voice.
"That bastard only cared about completing the missions and never thought about the danger. Both times, we survived only because the captain stayed behind to cover us. But Kakashi didn't learn a thing. He still thinks he did nothing wrong!"
Ogawara's eyes were bloodshot. It seemed that if Kakashi were standing in front of him, he'd throw himself at him without a second thought.
In fact, after returning to the village, Ogawara had punched Kakashi in the face.
But Kakashi had merely looked at him calmly. He offered no explanation or response, and simply walked away.
That indifferent attitude was what had left Ogawara unable to let it go, unwilling to forgive Kakashi.
As Gong Yi listened to Ogawara's account, he quickly formed a picture of what his former classmate was like now.
After his father's suicide, Kakashi had become lost over how to choose between a mission and his comrades.
His father was dead, and Kakashi believed he had been wrong. So, as his father's son, he had to follow the right path.
Even if it meant losing his comrades!
It was hard to say whether that choice had been right or wrong, but it had certainly protected the village's interests.
Clap! Clap!
The sound of applause drew everyone's attention to Iga Kawaji, who wore a stiff smile.
"My turn, right?"
"I'm Iga Kawaji, your new captain. I like grilled meat, and if we complete this mission successfully, I'll treat you all to a meal! As for what I'm good at, it's Earth Style Ninjutsu, gathering intelligence, and stealth!"
Gong Yi, Ogawara, and Hyuga Senso bowed to Iga Kawaji, showing their respect for their captain.
A Jonin certainly deserved their respect.
Gong Yi was feeling rather pleased, though.
Judging by the squad's lineup, it was clear that the village's higher-ups had begun to take notice of him, and were even providing him with resources to help him grow.
The squad had Ogawara, who specialized in setting traps and Medical Ninjutsu.
Hyuga Senso was skilled at reconnaissance.
With a powerful Jonin as well, the team was exceptionally well balanced—perhaps even comparable to the future protagonist team, Team 7.
And this was before the Third Shinobi World War had even begun.
Konoha's medical ninja system had also declined after Tsunade fell into despair. The teams couldn't afford to have medical ninjas assigned to them.
And having a member of the Hyuga Clan was even less likely.
Moreover, Iga Kawaji specialized in Earth Style Ninjutsu. In that sense, wasn't the village also assigning Gong Yi a mentor?
Iga Kawaji continued his speech, but as a shinobi who had only recently left Anbu, he still wasn't used to life in the sunlight.
Even his smile looked stiff.
Still, he did his best to play the role of captain.
"I don't care whether you're Genin with plenty of mission experience, scions of distinguished clans, or rookies who just graduated. Now that you're in my squad, you'll follow my orders on missions from here on out!"
"Whether a mission succeeds or fails affects not only our lives, but the interests of the village as well."
"As the hidden village of the Land of Fire, our funding comes mostly from mission commissions. Only with a high mission success rate will the Land of Fire—and the Five Great Nations—entrust us with more missions. Then the village will have more funds to develop and improve the villagers' quality of life, and, of course, our own living conditions too."
Gong Yi nodded slightly as he listened.
Hyuga Senso listened in silence as well.
Ogawara was fired up. "Lord Iga, are you one of those people who put missions above everything else too?"
The words had barely left his mouth before Hyuga Senso tugged at him.
"Apologize to him! How can you talk like that?"
Ogawara pulled free and stared stubbornly at Iga Kawaji.
Unexpectedly, Iga Kawaji wasn't angry about Ogawara's impoliteness.
"First, I should remind you that you should call me Captain, not Lord!"
"Ah."
"Second, missions are indeed the highest priority for the village. But when we're carrying them out, I'll do everything I can to keep you safe. Of course, you can't hold me back either. You need to work hard and complete the tasks you're assigned."
"Lastly!"
Iga Kawaji paused, his expression turning distant.
"If you're unhappy with the village's decisions, you shouldn't question them. You should work hard to change them!"
Ogawara blushed, realizing he'd been in the wrong.
Gong Yi thought Iga Kawaji had made a good point.
Rather than questioning the rules, why not make yourself stronger and then break them?
"Actions speak louder than words!" Gong Yi said firmly.
Iga Kawaji's eyes lit up. "That's a great summary, Gong Yi."
"All right, we don't have much time. Now that we've introduced ourselves, let's get going!"
"Captain, aren't we going to accept a mission?"
"I already accepted one before setting out. I'll tell you about it on the way. Our destination is the Land of Rain!"
Before you continue