Squad

In the empty room, only Sosuke remained.

He sat cross-legged in the center of the room, head bowed as he looked at his chest, and spoke softly.

"Hogyoku, begin."

"Understood, Lord Aizen," a youthful voice replied to him.

Following a flash of brilliant blue light.

Sosuke, who had been sitting calmly on the wooden floor, suddenly had his expression shift!

Just as the look of agony spread across his face, a massive surge of chakra erupted violently from his body!

In an instant!

A powerful current of air began to swirl fiercely within the room. Fortunately, there were no other items inside, though the doors and windows rattled noisily under the force of the gale.

The intense pain made it difficult for Sosuke to remain composed; his brows were tightly furrowed, his teeth clenched shut, as he endured the agony that pierced deep into his marrow!

An astonishing volume of chakra materialized above his body like a gathering tornado!

This situation persisted for quite some time.

Sosuke, who had been enduring this suffering all the while, was drenched in sweat!

Suddenly!

He opened his eyes, the look of pain on his face replaced by calm.

It was for the sake of obtaining greater power that Sosuke had demanded the Hogyoku once again permanently open the Life Gate, one of the Eight Inner Gates.

The intense wind swirling in the room and the massive chakra dissipated into nothingness.

He gazed at his own body with deep, profound eyes. Upon feeling the surge in his strength and chakra reserves, a sharp glint flashed in his pupils.

At this moment, that youthful voice sounded once more.

"Lord Aizen, I have consumed too much energy to permanently reinforce this gate. The Hogyoku requires your power."

Following this, it took a large gulp of Sosuke's chakra, leaving him feeling hollowed out.

To this, Sosuke remained indifferent; he merely curled the corners of his mouth into a smile and said softly.

"Thank you, Hogyoku. This is the reward you deserve."

With this, Sosuke had successfully opened three permanent gates, gaining chakra levels that surpassed an average jonin and power completely inconsistent with his age!

The next day.

After a simple meal, Sosuke went to report to Shimura Kazumi.

When Kazumi saw Sosuke, she feigned a very indifferent expression and said.

"Yo, Sosuke, you're back?"

Glancing at the bandage on Sosuke's left arm, she felt a flicker of worry and asked with some suspicion.

"What!? Was the mission that difficult? You actually got hurt!?"

In her heart, though she was unwilling to admit it, Sosuke's strength was undoubtedly formidable. That he could be injured with his level of skill!? This made Shimura Kazumi find it inconceivable!?

What kind of mission did her uncle arrange for him!? An S-rank mission!?

"Ah, there was a small accident during the mission. I got a minor injury, but it's nothing serious," Sosuke said softly.

Naturally, Shimura Kazumi did not believe this, and she spoke in a very cold tone.

"A ninja must maintain absolute vigilance while executing a mission to ensure its success. With your careless attitude, I fear you will need a few more years of training before you can stand on your own."

After a moment of contemplation, she continued.

"I will explain this matter to Lord Danzo. Until you can become a sufficiently qualified ninja, I will not allow you to accept missions that exceed your capabilities."

Hearing this, although Sosuke felt helpless regarding Shimura Kazumi's cold demeanor, he could tell she had his best interests at heart, so he could only nod in agreement.

"Thank you, Captain Kazumi."

Seeing the warm, sun-like smile on Sosuke's face, Shimura Kazumi was slightly taken aback.

She nearly failed to maintain her icy expression and hurriedly changed the subject.

"By the way, that Might Duy you recommended to me is now a member of our squad, but I don't believe someone with his personality can join the Root. Therefore, the secrets of the Root must be kept from him."

"Yes, I had considered that. But I assume Captain Kazumi has already seen that guy's strength," Sosuke said with a soft laugh.

At the mention of this, Shimura Kazumi's pretty face fell into thought as she recalled the scene of her first meeting with Might Duy.

That day, she had gone straight to find Might Duy. Her long years as a ninja allowed her to make a judgment about him in an instant.

Thick eyebrows, a laughable green bodysuit—aside from the look of determination on his face, there was almost nothing remarkable about him.

Of course, the thick calluses on his hands were proof that this guy definitely had some level of accomplishment in taijutsu.

However!

What did this have to do with that brat Sosuke!?

It was hard to imagine that Sosuke, who was excellent in every conceivable way, would actually value this Might Duy before him so highly!

Although she had only skimmed through Sosuke's file, Shimura Kazumi knew deep down that Sosuke was far from the ordinary level of excellence recorded in the Ninja Academy files!

He was a genius ninja who, at the age of nine, had been able to single-handedly contend with several elite Chunin!

His strength was likely not a whit inferior to that of a Jonin.

And yet, he was actually recommending such an ordinary Genin?

Following this, she brought Might Duy to the Konoha Training Ground.

Under the influence of a powerful genjutsu, she witnessed a scene that left her dumbfounded!

The ordinary youth before her seemed to transform instantly from a common sheep into a giant elephant with burning blood!

His terrifying speed and immense destructive power left the entire Konoha Training Ground in shambles in an instant!

Even she was forced to retreat repeatedly under such fierce, rapid-fire attacks!

Shimura Kazumi could not help but be astonished by this child's terrifying taijutsu!

Just like that, after exerting great effort to restrain Might Duy, he became one of the team members under her command.

At this moment, Might Duy arrived on the scene.

When Might Duy saw Sosuke, his face instantly lit up with immense joy. He suddenly accelerated, sprinting toward Sosuke and kicking up a thick trail of dust!

"Sosuke! You're back? Was the mission completed successfully!?" Might Duy asked heartily, his face filled with pure delight—the excitement of seeing Sosuke!

But when he noticed the bandages on Sosuke's arm, he froze, asking blankly, "Sosuke... are you hurt!?"

To this, Sosuke smiled slightly and said, "It's nothing, Dai. Just a minor accident during the mission."

Hearing Sosuke's words, Might Duy finally felt at ease, and with youthful passion, he began recounting his recent activities and training schedule to Sosuke.

Sosuke listened to his chatter with a smile on his face.

Meanwhile, Shimura Kazumi stood to the side, her face cold and marked with a vein of irritation!

This brat!! How dare he ignore my existence!!

Consequently, she said coldly, "Dai! I have already devised a training regimen tailored specifically for you!"

Only then did Might Duy notice Shimura Kazumi's presence! Hearing her words, his eyes lit up!

"Really!! Kazumi-sensei!! As expected of a Jonin, to think you could come up with this so quickly!"

"Please, tell me! No matter how brutal the method, I will definitely work hard to complete it! Youth does not allow for laziness!"

"Is that so... then..."

Shimura Kazumi glanced at Sosuke, who wore a smile, and said, "...Fight!! Only in battle can you grow faster! Since Sosuke is back, I'm sure his strength is more than enough to guide you. Start now! Fight him!"

Hearing this, Might Duy naturally hesitated to strike at Sosuke, saying, "But, Sosuke's arm is injured."

To his surprise!

Sosuke interrupted Dai with a smile, saying softly, "It's fine, Dai. Feel free to come at me. Kazumi-sensei's suggestion is indeed a good method."

After saying this, Sosuke nodded at Shimura Kazumi with a smile.

Might Duy did not have a shred of doubt regarding Sosuke's words; he trusted that Sosuke would never do anything he wasn't certain about.

Immediately!

He stepped back a distance and assumed a combat stance.

Shimura Kazumi, however, watched this scene in a daze.