New Captain

"Master... isn't this inappropriate?" Jin looked at Sakumo in confusion. "I've only been a genin for barely a month or two. How am I suddenly a chunin?"

"This is my fault," Sakumo said apologetically. "The mission was originally S-rank because we had to infiltrate an enemy village, but by our estimate, it was only a B-rank mission, so we let Minato take you along to experience it. But we didn't expect... Consider this compensation for you."

"But... I..." Jin still did not understand. This chunin rank had come out of nowhere...

"Take it, Jin. You have the strength for it. Without you, we might have had to pay a price before we could make it back," Kato Dan said sincerely.

Jin did not believe that for a second, but seeing that he could not refuse, he reluctantly accepted it...

"All right. Then, Chunin Uchiha Jin, your first mission is to take over as captain of Minato Squad. Your new teammate will join in three days." Sakumo patted Jin on the shoulder.

"Hahahaha, congratulations, Captain Jin," Minato teased. Everyone happily offered their congratulations. Only the person being congratulated was in complete disarray, at a loss for what to do.

"All right, go back and get some proper rest." Sakumo gave him an encouraging look, but Jin paid no attention... Shouldn't I be going back to the village? Didn't we agree I'd go back once the mission was done?

"Minato, Dan, the two of you will form a new squad. When the time comes..."

"Hiss... I remember Kato Dan was killed in action during the Second War..." Jin thought to himself. Although he had not spent long with Kato Dan, the man was pretty decent... At any rate, he was someone Jin could entrust his back to... Should he do a good deed?

"I object!" Once Jin finished thinking, he blurted it out. The sudden words made Sakumo pause, since he had not expected anyone to actually interrupt him.

"Oh, no." Jin hurriedly changed his wording. "I mean, why not have Brother Kato and Lady Tsunade go to the medical department? After all, medical ninja are still pretty scarce."

"Mm..." Hearing Jin put it that way, Sakumo suddenly felt his disciple had a point...

Tsunade also looked at Sakumo with a hint of anticipation. Deep down, she knew... On the battlefield, swords and blades had no eyes. She did not want her lover to be in danger.

"Dan, what do you think?" Sakumo decided to respect the person's own wishes. Kato Dan looked at everyone, especially when he met Tsunade's expectant gaze... He hesitated a little.

"Let's decide it that way, Brother Kato," Minato spoke up then. "After all, medical ninja are also very important, and we already have too few of them."

"All right." In the end, Kato Dan nodded. "Then I'll go to the medical department."

"Then your teammate, Minato..."

In the gap while Sakumo was speaking, Jin hurriedly fled the place. After all, if they ended up choosing him again to partner with Minato... That would definitely be a life-or-death lineup...

With no missions for three days straight, Jin enjoyed a rare stretch of leisure and slept in for three days. Summon his teammates? They were all acquaintances. What was there to see?

After drifting through three days, his scarce wartime vacation finally ended when someone called Jin to the command center.

"Master, Lord Jiraiya." Jin looked around and found no blond hair. "Where's Brother Minato? Is he not here?"

"Oh, Jin, you're here. Your Brother Minato went on a mission with your Brother Fugaku," Sakumo explained casually. "I called you here just to remind you that your squad members have arrived and are waiting for you."

"Oh, okay." Jin nodded. Seeing that Sakumo had nothing else to say, Jin said his goodbyes and went to the assembly point.

"You're the new teammate?" Morikawa Hotaru looked curiously at the girl in front of her. "You and little Jin are both from the Uchiha Clan, right? My name is Morikawa Hotaru."

"Hello, my name is Uchiha Mikoto. Jin is on this squad too?" Uchiha Mikoto asked curiously. "Then where is he?"

"I don't know. Little Jin stayed together with Captain Minato. Only, a few days ago, they suddenly said they were changing our captain. I don't know if Jin will come back." Morikawa Hotaru explained.

Seeing that no one else was around, she quietly grumbled, "I think Captain Minato is great. Why transfer him away... What if the new captain is bad? Aaaah..."

Furuno Tetsuji dug at his ear in disdain, though he also felt that changing captains was pretty troublesome...

"Huh? You all got here this early?" Jin walked over slowly. Seeing someone wearing the attire of the Uchiha clan, he instantly understood that the person sent over was from his own clan.

"Jin?" Mikoto turned around. She had not seen this little brother of hers in so long, and she had really missed him.

"Sister Mikoto?" Jin was very surprised. What was the higher-ups' purpose in sending Sister Mikoto here?

"Jin, why are you only coming now? If the new captain has a bad temper, he'll scold you," Morikawa Hotaru said nervously, afraid the new captain would hear.

"Captain?" Jin froze for a moment. Had they not told them who the new captain was? Could they not tell that he was the captain?

He lowered his head to look at his clothes, then suddenly realized... He was wearing the Uchiha ancestral black outfit...

"The captain, huh? The captain should be here soon." Jin instantly had an idea and decided to tease everyone.

"You know who the new captain is?" Morikawa Hotaru could not suppress her gossiping curiosity. Even Furuno Tetsuji, who usually did not participate much in conversations, pricked up his ears to listen.

"I know. You're all pretty familiar with him." Jin smiled mysteriously, then said, "I just remembered I forgot to bring something. I'll go back and get it first."

After saying that, he vanished with a Body Flicker, leaving only Morikawa Hotaru, whose curiosity was about to burst, stamping her feet.

Seeing her teammate like this, Mikoto spoke up to comfort her. "It's fine. Seeing Jin act like that, the new captain probably isn't too fierce."

Only Furuno Tetsuji silently pondered what Jin had meant by saying they were all familiar with him.

Before long, Jin returned with another Body Flicker. The only difference from before was... he now had an extra green vest.

"Hello there, I am your new captain—Uchiha Jin," Jin said cheerfully.

"Huh?!" x3

Morikawa Hotaru and Furuno Tetsuji looked at the child in front of them, who was more than a head shorter than them, and learned that he was their new captain. They only felt as if they had been struck by lightning several times.

Mikoto, however, believed Jin's words completely. It was just that after barely over two months apart, he had become a chunin... He must have suffered a lot... In an instant, Mikoto's gaze toward Jin filled with heartache.

Fugaku: ??? Is no one going to feel sorry for me? Is the next head of the Uchiha not worthy of anyone's sympathy??

Jin's side was all harmony and joy, but Fugaku's side was a string of misery.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" Fugaku spat out a fireball, incinerating several Sand ninja ahead of him, his crimson Sharingan constantly sweeping the surroundings.

Clang!

His long blade collided with the enemy's kunai, sending sparks flying everywhere.

"Genjutsu: Sharingan!"

Fugaku glared fiercely at the enemy, and in that Sand ninja's eyes, Fugaku instantly transformed into a spinning three-tomoe Sharingan.

Seizing the moment, Fugaku cut his throat with a single slash. The Sand ninja slowly collapsed. Fugaku wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered, "I wonder if that kid Minato has finished things on his end."