On the morning of our departure, more precisely, right before dawn, I finally learned that Fugaku had a sense of humor he'd kept hidden until now. I don't know whether to laugh or cry, but... he played this well, and I admit defeat. I had nothing to shoot back with... I lost. I say this because when I arrived at the training field, the one he told me we would be gathering before sunrise, the first face I recognized staring at me was Sayuri's.
"Huh," I muttered as she stood about twenty meters away from where I stopped, looking at me just as I looked at her. Her eyes asked the same question mine were: What are you doing here? It was clear they were also unaware of who they were waiting for...
"...Renji?"
Her entire face brightened when she spoke, then she stopped herself from rushing over and returned to a pretty professional stance, giving me a firm nod. I'd never really seen her become serious like this, but I didn't want to embarrass her or myself, so I just smiled and nodded back before I gradually shifted my gaze to the rest of her team... Tsk. Fugaku's true punchline. So they want to see me work with people I couldn't find an accord with before.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me." The second figure whispered, and it was... Well, Arai Uchiha. I haven't talked to him since breaking his bones all those years ago.
"Good morning to you too," I spoke up clearly and walked closer, scanning the third person, who stood like someone with a stick pushed so far up their bottom it replaced their spine. Shinrai Hyūga...? If I recall his name well enough. Not that I have ever really spoken to him, but at least he gave me a tiny nod, so I had guessed his name right.
"Uchiha."
Okay, a nod would have been enough; no need to call me out like that. Geez. I have a name, but I guess you want to act like you don't know it, huh? Dick.
"Hyūga." I shot back, and Arai looked between us, suddenly unable to say anything; I could tell he didn't like either Shinrai or me, so he didn't really want to take sides at the moment.
Sensing the headache to come, Sayuri simply closed her eyes, inhaling and exhaling rhythmically while I could practically hear her internal screaming. It was then that Fugaku walked straight out of the darkness, standing beside me.
"Your team."
"Was this intentional?" I asked, looking at him.
"Yes. A Jōnin needs to learn how to lead. This is your exam for that... We decided to make it easy for you."
"Easy?" I muttered, twitching an eye. "Sure..."
"Jōnin?!" The trio asked, and only Sayuri sounded happy, while the other two were more shocked than anything.
"You were reassigned to this mission for a reason." Fugaku explained, now talking to the three, "Don't take this lightly, as this is a proper mission from the Village and not a walk in the park or a training exercise. We are at war!" He added, making them flinch, "We won't hold exams as we used to anymore, so this is just as much of one for you as it is for Renjiro. Do the mission well, and while Renjiro becomes a Jōnin, you will be promoted to Chūnin. After you leave, he will be the one you speak to and ask your questions. I'm only here to evaluate your decisions and performance, not to interfere. If any of you turn to me for advice... you automatically failed."
"..." Sayuri gulped loudly as she looked from him to me, but the moment I gave her a reassuring smile, she definitely relaxed; I could tell.
"Wait..." Arai gasped, "Renji is leading us?"
"Ask another question, and you stay a Genin," Fugaku said simply, making him close his mouth at once. "From now on, the mission is active," he added, turning toward me. "They are yours." And with that... he pretty much melted back into the shadows.
"Understood." I nodded, taking a deep breath, and stepped forward to speak to them as a group leader should. "Our mission is diplomatic in nature, but because we are indeed at war, I want all of you to be at full alert the moment we leave." To my surprise, as soon as I began the briefing, all three grew serious. Huh... That's a good sign. Let's hope it stays like this. "We are traveling to the border of the Land of Rain."
"So..." Arai frowned. "We are heading to Amegakure? Isn't it in a civil war or something?"
"Yes... I think so." Sayuri nodded, her eyes moving toward me, unsure how much she could share from what I told her.
"There is a group that is taking over after Hanzo's death." I continued, "They are called the Akatsuki, and we are going to meet up with them. They were there and gave us a helping hand when the bastards ambushed our Hokage. They helped Minato and me to escape and then Ashina-sama to kill Hanzo."
"You know them?" Shinrai asked, growing curious, then he looked at Sayuri all of a sudden. "You knew this?"
"Renji told me what happened at the summit." She muttered, which made me smile and continue before they started questioning her. Throughout it all, Fugaku remained silent, and I almost forgot he was watching us from further away.
"The reason we are going," I added, "is because this Akatsuki contacted Konoha directly, as they're requesting a formal meeting. With the Great Villages aiming at our heads, we need allies, and Amegakure may be the first of those we recruit to our side."
"Even then," Shinrai frowned, "They won't be much of a fighting force, not after such a strife in their own country."
"We don't know that," I said, shaking my head. "Our Intelligence believes that their Akatsuki currently controls several major sections of Amegakure and may soon take over the country entirely. As for how strong they really are, we don't know, and we don't need them to fight our battles either. We need them to secure our borders so we can focus on our more active enemies. As I said, we are making allies, and not puppets."
"They are taking over already... Hm..." Sayuri's expression was cute, seeing her be this serious, furrowing her brows, thinking, "Doing all that so quickly? That already shows that their group has some very powerful shinobi and the support of the locals."
"Internally, they could still be fragile," Shinrai said calmly, and I nodded, because that could be the case, but I wasn't so sure. Still, this wasn't what I remembered anymore, so I couldn't just wave his thoughts away; I had to take it into consideration.
"We will have to rely on what we learn or see." I nodded. "I don't know how far we'll go into their country, but their message specifically requested that I attend. That's why I'm going to lead your team for this mission, and we will meet up with their people at the borders."
"Why?" Arai blurted it out at once, but then, to my utter surprise, he took a step back. "I shouldn't have asked." He said, throwing a look at Shinrai before he could open his mouth, "If it's confidential, it is confidential. And you did say you fought together... So I get it."
"Who are you? And what did you do with the Arai I remember?" I asked, chuckling, making him snort. "What I can tell you is that we are going to meet the Akatsuki's three leaders. Their names are Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan. We will see what they have to offer and open discussions, but we aren't there to make promises in the name of the Village. So be careful what any of you say or mention."
"So we are just there to see if our intel is right and be the first messengers?" Shinrai asked, making me nod.
"If negotiations go beyond my authority, the matter goes back to the current War Council. So yes, we are errand boys and an errand girl for this one." I said with a chuckle, "Sometimes we don't get to do the exciting stuff before some foreplay."
"..."
"Sorry," I added, realizing it could sound bad. "Khm. We don't expect any combat, but I still want everyone to keep an eye out for possible traps set by infiltrators. If they learned about this meeting, they could aim to assassinate them or us, breaking up this budding alliance before it has a chance to grow. We can't let that happen."
"Especially if they convince some hardline Ame factions..." Arai muttered, surprising me AGAIN. Damn... This more mature Arai is creeping me out. "This could be the exact moment to try and strike back. If I were them, I would go for it."
"Exactly," Shinrai nodded, making Arai flinch. "And if we can see that, this Akatsuki can too. Maybe they are expecting something like that. Which means, we may be just bait... Okay. What formation are we to travel in?"
Huh... Suddenly, I felt pretty good about this team. As for that? Hmmm... Good question. Hm... Minato would already have one prepared, I guess. No. Stop that. He wasn't here, and this is my team now.
"Shinrai." I began, seeing him straighten up even more. "You will be our forward scout, as your eyes see the farthest and have the widest range."
"Understood."
"Sayuri," I continued, turning towards her.
"Yes!"
"You will take up the center position, as you're our sensor and communication hub. If we split, you're the relay between us."
"Understood."
"Arai," I said, turning to him as he looked at me, waiting, "You are going to bring up the rear, as your Sharingan is better for reading close movement and catching anything that slips through. If someone aims to strike, they may single out Sayuri, so your role is to intercept possible attacks at our center."
"Okay." He nodded too, and there were not even any arguments. What was happening...? Am I in a genjutsu?! This is starting to weird me out...
"If we do run into enemy forces, don't force yourself into impossible situations." I said, warning them, "Work as a team, as you are already used to, while I will adapt and react. I won't issue orders on how to fight, because I already have faith in your teamwork. However, if I tell you to fall back, you do so. I'll bring up the rear if that happens. Questions?"
"..."
"If there is none, then," I nodded, seeing them simply exchange glances and stay silent. "Here, take these." I finished as three kunai appeared in my hand, all of them marked by Minato. Naturally, I had more in my holster, but I had to use them carefully, because without him, they were a finite resource.
Tsk... I need to get my thick head around how to place them.
"Oh!" Sayuri exclaimed, recognizing the marks on their handles, and Arai and Shinrai finally realized why I was handing them out. "Hiraishin?"
"This does not leave your possession," I said as seriously as I could, as they looked at me in shock. "Ever. Understood?"
"Y-yes." They nodded.
"Keep it concealed." I continued, "Do not throw it in a fight unless you specifically want me appearing at that location. With these on you, I can get to you quicker than you can say my name. I have a limited number of them, and I won't give out more if I want to stay ready for the worst-case scenario. If everything goes wrong, these kunai are your last resort."
"What if you can't jump to us?" Sayuri asked, making me shrug.
"Then we're probably all fucked."
"Don't jinx us..." Arai snorted, and Sayuri gave him a dark look, but she stayed silent in the end, biting her lip as she holstered the kunai.
"Can you teleport all of us?" Shinrai asked suddenly.
"Probably." I shrugged, making Arai flinch, and I wasn't going to tell them no; I wasn't here to kill their morale.
"Probably?"
"Depends on distance, my chakra, and whether I'm injured or not." I explained, "Hiraishin isn't magic, so don't think I can pull your assess out of every type of fire. I'll try, but I can't promise anything, and if you kill me because of some stupid nonsense, I'm crawling back from the underworld to haunt you. Now... Let's move out! We've got to get to the border before sunset!"