The teasing after their reunion soon ended, and their conversation returned to normal.
After a little small talk, Oto Uchiha asked, "Zou, come to think of it, Itachi hasn't been assigned a jonin team leader yet. Do you think he should accept the village's arrangement, or should the Uchiha make the arrangements?"
Zou Hyuga smiled. "That doesn't really have anything to do with us, does it?"
Oto looked serious. "Itachi is the clan head's son. This concerns the Uchiha's attitude toward the higher-ups. That's why I'm asking you."
Zou Hyuga fell into thought. After a long while, he said, "Itachi should make his own choice. But with his talent, it'll be hard for him not to catch the Masked Man's attention. The Masked Man targeted you before, so we really should be careful about that."
At the mention of the Masked Man, Oto's expression changed. "We do need to watch out for him, but Itachi has never left the village. He shouldn't have had any chance to show his talent, should he?"
Zou Hyuga shook his head gently. "The Masked Man can use the Space-Time Ninjutsu Kamui. On top of that, he has White Zetsu, whom even kekkei genkai dojutsu have trouble detecting. It'll be hard to hide anything from him going forward."
After considering it for a moment, Oto narrowed her eyes and smiled slyly. "Zou, why don't you apply to become a jonin team leader and take charge of Itachi's team?"
"Absolutely not!" Zou Hyuga rejected the idea without a second thought, then added, "Oto, do you think the Third would let me lead a team?"
Oto looked a little disappointed, but she had to admit that was true.
As only a special jōnin, Zou Hyuga wasn't qualified to become a jonin team leader.
Just then, Itachi finished