Recommended Team Members

On his way back, Sosuke happened to spot a lively figure.

Seeing that golden-blond ponytail, Sosuke neatly concealed his emotions and greeted her with a warm smile.

"Tsunade, long time no see."

Hearing that familiar voice, Tsunade paused for a moment and looked up at Sosuke.

"Oh, it's you! Sosuke, long time no see. How have you been?"

The moment she saw Sosuke, her eyes seemed to light up. She quickly raised a hand and waved to him, then asked with delight.

Sosuke chuckled softly.

"I've been doing pretty well. What about you? How does it feel to be Lord Hokage's student?"

Tsunade didn't seem to care for the title Lord Hokage. Or perhaps she'd remembered something unpleasant, because she quickly waved her hand and said awkwardly, "It's fine, it's fine. But I bet if you asked that guy Jiraiya, he'd say he couldn't be happier with his life right now."

"Really? It seems Jiraiya gets along very well with Lord Hokage. That's great," Sosuke said with a smile.

At Sosuke's gentle smile, Tsunade blushed slightly. Her face flushed as she protested, "That's not it! Those two are birds of a feather! They're both idiots who like to peep at women! If you joined the team, Sosuke, you'd never act like that!"

Sosuke could more or less guess what had prompted Tsunade's outburst. Thinking of Jiraiya's character, he smiled indulgently and said, "Try to be a little more understanding of them. No matter what, Jiraiya is someone you can trust. There's no denying that."

At that, Tsunade hurriedly asked Sosuke, "By the way, what about you, Sosuke? I heard you don't have a teacher leading and training your team right now."

Hearing Tsunade's question, Sosuke didn't hide anything. He adjusted his glasses and replied gently, "That was true a few days ago, but my instructor is Captain Kazumi now."

Tsunade looked a little confused at the title Captain Kazumi. "Is there a jonin in the village named Kazumi?"

Sosuke gave a slight, wry smile at Tsunade's persistence and clarified, "Her full name is Shimura Kazumi."

"What!? The Shimura Clan!!"

Even Tsunade was clearly startled by that name.

Someone from the Shimura Clan? If she's his teacher, will Sosuke be forced to get caught up in the clans' struggles too? Should I warn him?

Tsunade immediately thought of many things and began to worry about Sosuke's situation.

Her face filled with worry and indecision. Having grown up among the great clans, she'd naturally heard plenty about how they operated, and she was afraid Sosuke might become a target for the other clans.

She looked at Sosuke seriously and said in a low voice, "Sosuke, if you agree, I can ask the elders in my family to help you get a different instructor."

"You should know that the Shimura Clan doesn't have the best reputation in the village. Some people who hate them might take out their grudge against the Shimura Clan on you!"

Sosuke naturally wouldn't agree. He was planning to use Danzo's schemes to pull off a switch.

Besides, he believed that with Kyoka Suigetsu at his side, he had nothing to fear from people who lurked in the shadows.

So he smiled at Tsunade. "It's all right, Tsunade. Don't you know me by now? I wouldn't do anything unless I was confident. No matter how dangerous it is, I believe it'll bring me enough in return."

Hearing this, Tsunade knew there was no point trying to persuade him. She could only silently resolve that if anything happened to Sosuke, she'd have the Senju Clan step in and get him out of trouble.

The mission party was due to set out the day after tomorrow, and Sosuke still had no idea what the mission actually involved.

The next day, after buying some supplies for the mission, Sosuke went to see Shimura Kazumi.

They were both dressed normally and weren't concealing their identities.

Sosuke kept a smile on his face and spoke first. "Captain Kazumi, is it just me on our team right now? Are there any other potential members?"

Shimura Kazumi, who could never stay in a good mood for long around Sosuke, was surprisingly composed as she calmly brewed a pot of tea.

Amid the rising steam, her fair face and purple hair, together with her tall figure and slender legs, gave her every gesture a feminine charm.

But when she heard Sosuke's question, her brow furrowed slightly, adding a touch of life to the calm, elegant atmosphere.

"What is it, Sosuke? Are you unhappy about being on a team like this?"

As soon as she'd said it, she regretted it!

Damn it! How does this brat manage to irritate me with just one sentence? Do we have some kind of grudge against each other?!

Sosuke could naturally hear the displeasure in her voice. Rather than rush to explain, he smiled and took a sip of the fresh tea.

He slowly swallowed. The fragrant tea left a bittersweet sweetness on his tongue, its rich flavor lingering.

Sosuke praised it softly. "Captain Kazumi, you must have spent many years honing your tea-making skills. The tea is sweet and delicious, turning bitterness into sweetness and leaving a lovely fragrance on the palate. It's truly exquisite. Your skill is remarkable."

Hearing Sosuke's praise, Shimura Kazumi—who had so often felt outmatched in front of him—was clearly quite pleased.

But that meant she could no longer maintain the cool, detached composure she'd been trying to project.

The rich, resonant sound of Sosuke's praise made the tips of Shimura Kazumi's ears turn faintly red.

Fortunately, the rising steam hid her embarrassment, and Sosuke didn't notice.

He continued softly, "I have someone in mind whom I'd like to recommend for the team. But as you probably know, I'll be carrying out a Root Base mission tomorrow, so I won't have time to handle this. If you think he's suitable, you could look into him."

Only then did Shimura Kazumi understand why Sosuke had come. She knew he was about to undertake a Root Base mission, but her uncle hadn't told her what the mission involved.

She didn't find Sosuke's request troublesome. Instead, she was curious about the person he wanted to recommend.

What kind of person could make even this guy care so much?

"Mm, that's no problem. If he checks out, I'll apply to have him join my team. But you should know the Root's confidentiality rules. If he joins us, that also means joining Root."

"I don't think that'll be a problem. If you can, then I'll leave it to you. His name is Might Duy."

Sosuke spoke softly.