The next day, Akira was summoned to the Hokage's office by the ANBU.
When Hiruzen left for the frontlines, he obviously didn't take the entire ANBU force with him. Some members still remained in the village to carry out their duties.
Inside the Hokage's office, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were handling paperwork.
These two useless fossils…
Akira grumbled inwardly.
These two were famous in Konoha for being good at nothing and ruining everything. If they hadn't been on the same team as Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo back in the day, they would never have climbed to their current positions.
"Hyuga Akira," Homura said, pushing up his glasses as he looked up. "You seem to have been idle for quite some time."
Akira had just returned from the Iwa frontline.
But he had gone under Root's identity, so it wasn't strange that these two didn't know.
And technically, under his public identity, he really hadn't received any missions recently.
"Teacher Hiruko hasn't summoned me, so I've just been staying at home," Akira replied.
He had no idea where Hiruko had run off to. The man said he would teach him ninjutsu after returning from the Land of Rain, yet Akira hadn't seen him once since.
Surely he hadn't run away just to avoid teaching him.
…Probably not.
"Hiruko is currently still on the Kirigakure battlefield and hasn't returned to report in," Homura said after a moment of thought. "Since he hasn't called for you, we've decided to assign you to a new team."
"Don't tell me it's another Hyuga squad," Akira said with obvious mockery.
Back when he had just graduated, the Hyuga main family had forcibly stuffed him into a Hyuga team.
"Watch your attitude!" Homura snapped.
Akira remained completely indifferent.
Against these two old relics, he could beat them with one hand tied behind his back.
Seeing his careless attitude made Homura grind his teeth in anger.
But there wasn't much he could do about it.
After all, the two of them were indeed little more than bureaucrats. Most real decisions were made by Hiruzen himself. Their role was simply to offer suggestions and handle paperwork when Hiruzen was busy.
Just like now.
Besides, the decision to reassign Akira to a squad wasn't theirs—it was Hiruzen's.
"Anyway," Homura said coldly, "go to Training Ground Seven tomorrow afternoon. You'll meet your teammates and your squad leader there."
Akira looked disappointed.
He had just gotten used to being free without a team, and now they were giving him more baggage.
He just hoped the squad leader wasn't weaker than him.
Akira clicked his tongue.
If that turned out to be the case, he might have to take over the leadership himself.
The next afternoon.
Yeah… I definitely can't beat this guy.
Akira's smile stiffened as he looked at the man in front of him.
The man looked like a snake, yet somehow still gave off a strangely gentle feeling.
A righteous version of Orochimaru.
This was Orochimaru before he fully descended into darkness.
Faced with someone like him, Akira immediately gave up the idea of taking over the team.
Even if the Three Legendary Sannin hadn't fully matured yet—they were still the Sannin.
"Akira-kun, are you surprised to see me?" Orochimaru asked with a gentle smile.
"A little," Akira admitted helplessly.
If Orochimaru was the team's jonin leader…
Then his teammates must be—
"Big brother! I didn't expect you to join our squad!" came an energetic voice.
Akira looked helplessly at the bright and cheerful Nawaki.
How had he ended up on Nawaki's team?
"Hello. I'm Aburame Mushi-hime," said a girl wearing a black cloak beside them with a gentle smile.
She held out a purple insect toward Akira.
"Want to eat it?"
No. Absolutely not. Never.
Akira's face instantly changed, and he even stepped back.
Who in the world eats bugs?!
Mushi-hime looked disappointed and popped the purple insect into her mouth.
Green juice splattered everywhere as she chewed.
Both Akira and Nawaki's faces turned pale, and they instinctively backed away.
Akira stiffly turned toward Nawaki.
"…Is she your teammate?"
Nawaki swallowed nervously and shook his head firmly.
"No. She just joined today too."
After finishing the bug, Mushi-hime took out a handkerchief from somewhere and wiped her mouth before looking up.
Her delicate face appeared beneath the cloak.
"My name is Aburame Mushi-hime. I'm twelve years old and also graduated this year. I'm the leader of the Aburame faction. Akira-senpai, Nawaki-kun—you two have both beaten me before."
Neither of them had any memory of her.
The two shook their heads simultaneously.
Back when they dominated the Ninja Academy, they had fought plenty of people—but someone this distinctive would definitely have left an impression.
"Figures… I've been ignored again," Mushi-hime said sadly, lowering her head.
Maybe the Aburame clan had some undiscovered bloodline limit.
The Art of Being Ignored.
What a tragic ability.
Watching the girl's disappointed expression, something flickered in Akira's memory.
"Wait… weren't you that small-eyed girl who cried really badly after I beat you up?"
What exactly had he been doing back in the Academy?!
Nawaki subtly moved a step farther away from Akira.
But even after staring carefully at the girl, he still had no memory.
"Akira-senpai, you remembered me!" Mushi-hime blushed slightly.
"You told me I looked better without glasses back then. So I stopped wearing them."
"Haha…"
Akira laughed awkwardly.
He had completely forgotten about that.
"What about me? I seriously can't remember anything," Nawaki said, scratching his head in frustration.
Mushi-hime spoke quietly.
"I accidentally passed by the Hundred-Man Battle at the Ninja Academy. Nawaki-senpai knocked me unconscious with one punch. You probably didn't see me."
Akira stared at Nawaki with wide eyes.
What the hell had he done to the Ninja Academy?!
Nawaki scratched his head awkwardly.
"Hahaha…"
Clearly, he was trying to laugh his way out of embarrassment.
"So what exactly did you two do at the Ninja Academy?!" Orochimaru finally shouted, veins popping on his forehead.
It felt like the Ninja Academy they attended was completely different from the one he remembered.
The two looked at each other and laughed awkwardly.
"Hahaha…"
"Explain it clearly!" even gentle Orochimaru couldn't hold back anymore.
"Akira-senpai and Nawaki-kun stood at the very top of the Ninja Academy!" Mushi-hime said excitedly.
It was obvious the girl had some violent tendencies.
"The top?" Orochimaru's eye twitched.
No, this wouldn't do.
He would have to suggest to Hiruzen-sensei that the Ninja Academy be reformed.
"Top" sounded less like an academy and more like a training ground for gang leaders.
But that wasn't important right now.
Orochimaru took a slow breath.
"Now that our new squad has formed, I need to test your abilities before we begin taking missions."
All three of them looked at him.
Orochimaru raised the bell in his hand and shook it lightly.
"Your task is simple."
"Take this bell from me."
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