Hearing Shikamaru Nara's arrangements, Kiba Inuzuka grinned. "Finally, a chance to put our skills to use! Did you hear that, Akamaru?"
Akamaru barked excitedly, his tail wagging like a windmill.
Hōmon Hyuga was a little younger than Tokuma, but just as composed. "I'll do my best."
"The third team..."
Shikamaru paused and looked at the two sitting a little farther away.
Naruto straightened up, and Hinata looked over as well.
"Naruto and Hinata."
The arrangement surprised no one.
Naruto's strength spoke for itself. With his Six Paths level combat power, he alone could match everyone else combined.
And Hinata's Byakugan was the purest among the three Hyuga, with the widest scouting range. Pairing the two ensured both combat strength and scouting efficiency.
Besides... Shikamaru added inwardly, with Naruto and Hinata together, if Toneri really does show up to abduct Hinata, Naruto is the only one capable of stopping him head-on.
He did not voice that reason, but everyone present understood it without saying a word.
Naruto stood up. "Don't worry! Leave it to me."
Hinata's cheeks flushed slightly at those words, but she quickly regained her composure.
She looked at Naruto's profile and said something softly, but her voice was so quiet that the crackling of the campfire drowned it out.
"What?" Naruto turned to look at her.
"N-nothing." Hinata hastily shook her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.
Shikamaru paid no attention to the little interlude and continued explaining the details of splitting up.
"There are a few points I need to stress about communication and support."
His voice grew serious, making everyone realize that what he was about to say was important. "After we split up to investigate, each team must make contact every two hours."
"Any method is fine, whether it's signal flares