An Unexpected Combination

Takuma sat on a bench at the edge of the training ground, holding the team application form in his hand. The "Temporary Teammates" section was empty, not a single word written in it.

In the distance, several Genin squads were doing their final team drills. Shouts, the crack of Ninjutsu, and the clanging of metal Kunai blended together, occasionally punctuated by the scolding of their supervising Jonin.

Forget it. He'd try his luck at the mission desk again tomorrow.

He stood up, dusted off his pants, and was about to leave the training ground when a girl's voice came from behind him.

"Mori Takuma?"

Two people stood at the entrance to the training ground. One was a girl with shoulder-length black hair and skin so pale it was almost translucent. She was so slender that a gust of wind might have knocked her over. She wore a loose, light-colored kimono and held a thick sketchbook in her arms. She looked a year or two younger than Takuma, her gaze shifting vaguely, unfocused, as if her thoughts were elsewhere.

Behind the girl stood a grown man. He was around thirty, tall and broad-shouldered, his gray uniform faded from many washes but immaculately clean. An old scar ran across his face, from his left eyebrow to his right cheekbone, crossing the bridge of his nose. He stood there silently, arms hanging naturally at his sides, like a wall that couldn't talk.

Takuma stopped. "I'm Mori Takuma. Who are you two?"

The girl opened the sketchbook in her arms to the page marked by a bookmark. She glanced down at it, then up at Takuma's face, as if comparing something. "My name is Kurama Yakumo. We need someone who can take a hit in close combat."

Takuma blinked. "...What?"

"We need someone who can take a hit in close combat," Yakumo repeated, her tone completely flat. "I heard you have great recovery and are good at getting beaten up. So I came to ask if you wanted to team up."

Takuma's mouth twitched. "What exactly has my reputation turned into?"

"Word's spread through the entire Konoha Genin community." Yakumo tilted her head, as if recalling the details. "Team 12 encountered rogue ninja on a C-rank mission. Two teammates died, and you were the only one who came back alive. You kept fighting after a Kunai pierced your left shoulder, and the Medical Corps said your recovery speed was abnormally fast. The lady at the mission desk said you always pick the hardest missions whenever you take one."

"...How did that last lady know?"

"I asked around," Yakumo replied matter-of-factly. "You should always do a background check before choosing teammates."

Takuma opened his mouth, then had no idea what to say.

"What was your name again? Kurama?"

"Kurama Yakumo."

Takuma recognized the surname. The Kurama Clan had some standing in Konoha, and their Kekkei Genkai was a special kind of Genjutsu. He seemed to have seen the name in a manga in his previous life, but couldn't remember the details. He only vaguely recalled that it had something to do with Genjutsu.

"You're asking me to team up because you're planning to take the Chunin Ninja Exams?"

"Mm." Yakumo nodded. "I need a three-person squad to register. But my circumstances make it difficult to form a team. Mr. Tetsu has always been responsible for protecting me, but there are only two of us. The Third Hokage said I could find a temporary teammate, and he recommended you."

She stepped aside to let the broad-shouldered man behind her move forward. The middle-aged man took a step forward and silently gave Takuma a slight nod in greeting.

"This is Mr. Tetsu, my guardian," Yakumo introduced him. "He specializes in defensive Earth Release and has plenty of combat experience, but he's not very good at frontal assaults. I handle Genjutsu control and ranged attacks, but I get zero points in Taijutsu."

"Zero points?"

"The kind of zero points where I'd faint after running two hundred meters," Yakumo said flatly. "I've lost in hand-to-hand combat to a ten-year-old. My Shuriken accuracy is about twenty percent."

Takuma glanced at her slender wrists and the heavy sketchbook, and figured she probably wasn't being modest about those "zero points."

"So you need someone who can hold the line against enemies," Takuma summed up. "I happen to fill that gap."

"Exactly." Yakumo opened her sketchbook and showed Takuma a page with a detailed Genjutsu design. "My Kekkei Genkai can project scenes from a drawing into real space, creating traps and restraints that are partially tangible. But the composition takes time, and I can't be interrupted while I'm working on it. Mr. Tetsu's Earth Release can build defensive positions, but if the enemy breaks through and gets close, all I can do is wait to die."

She closed the sketchbook and looked up at Takuma. "You can hold your own in close combat, right?"

"I can, but..." Takuma paused. "If I'm the only one holding them off, will the two of you deal enough damage?"

"Mr. Tetsu can use Earth Release and the terrain to inflict damage. Once my Genjutsu has restrained the enemy, I can use it to restrain specific targets or interfere with their minds." Yakumo tilted her head as she thought it over. "In theory, as long as you don't go down within a minute, we can win."

"...Couldn't you say that with a little more confidence?"

Takuma looked at Yakumo's expressionless face, then at Tetsu's equally expressionless one. He suddenly felt there was a strange harmony to the group. A Genjutsu user whose every sentence was dispiriting, a burly bodyguard so quiet he was nearly mute, and himself, a transmigrator covered in obvious flaws... Put the three of them together, and they really could form a complementary tactical unit.

"Fine, I'm in." Takuma nodded. "But I'll be upfront: I'm not much of an attacker. I mostly rely on Taijutsu and ninja tools, and I can use a few Water Release techniques now and then. I can take hits on the front line, but you'll have to finish them off."

"Fine." Yakumo closed her sketchbook. "Then let's go register at the Hokage Building."

The three of them turned and headed out of the training ground. Takuma walked beside Yakumo, while Tetsu followed half a step behind them in silence.

On the way, Takuma remembered a question. "By the way, you said the Third Hokage recommended you. Have you met him in person?"

"I have," Yakumo said. "The Third Hokage has always arranged my training plan himself."

Takuma gave a quiet "Oh" in his mind. Having the Third Hokage personally arrange one's training plan wasn't a privilege ordinary Genin received. It seemed the Kurama Clan's Kekkei Genkai really was something special. The frail-looking girl might have quite a few impressive abilities hidden away.

"How long can your Genjutsu projection last?"

"It depends on how complex the image is. A simple design made of single lines can last over ten seconds. A detailed composition can last three to five minutes. For a large-scale projection, I need to prepare a scroll beforehand. Once it's unfolded, it can last ten to fifteen minutes."

"That should be enough for a real fight." Takuma quickly worked out how they might coordinate. "I'll draw fire at the front, Mr. Tetsu can use Earth Release to split up the battlefield when he gets the chance, and you can unfold a large-scale Genjutsu scroll from the back."

Yakumo paused and glanced at him. "You catch on pretty quickly."

"Of course. I've spent two days looking for teammates. I've already gone through every possible formation in my head."

"Then why did it take two days for us to find you?" Yakumo asked bluntly.

Takuma choked. "...Because all the other Genin in Konoha had full squads, and I was the only one left without a team."

Yakumo gave a soft "Oh" and didn't ask anything else. Tetsu continued following them silently, though the corner of his mouth seemed to twitch. Takuma couldn't tell if he was trying not to laugh.

By the time the three of them left the Hokage Building, the sky had already darkened and the streetlights were coming on one after another. Takuma stood on the steps and stretched, feeling some of the tension that had built up over the past two days finally ease.

"By the way," Yakumo suddenly said, "our team needs a name."

Takuma thought for three seconds. "Team 12 Revival Plan."

Yakumo fell silent for a moment. "That's so cringey."

"It's called nostalgia! You wouldn't understand!"

"Whatever." Yakumo opened her sketchbook and wrote the words on the first page. Her handwriting was neat, though some of the strokes were crooked. "But I'm not calling us that during the exams."

"Whether you say it or not doesn't matter. That's what we have to put on the registration form."

Yakumo said nothing, simply lowering her head to continue writing and sketching in her notebook. Tetsu stood quietly beside her.

Looking at this team, Takuma suddenly felt that, even though the way they'd ended up together was bizarre, the result had turned out surprisingly well.

[System Notification: Witnessed the completion of "An Unexpected Combination: The Trio Assembles"]

[Reward: 1 Draw]

Here we go again. Takuma silently thought, "Draw." The glowing orb faded away, and a magazine appeared in his palm.

[Draw Result: Stark Industries Annual Product Catalog]

[Note: For browsing and appreciation only]

Takuma stuffed the magazine into his pocket and sighed without expression.

"What's wrong?" Yakumo looked up.

"Nothing. I'm used to life beating me up."