"Lord Hokage, you're not joking, are you?"
Hagoromo stared at the Third Hokage with a look of pure bewilderment.
"I'm just pulling your leg."
Unfortunately, the Third Hokage wasn't the type of man to say something like that. He had neither the time nor the inclination to play pranks on his active-duty shinobi.
Half an hour ago, Hagoromo had been deep in his nature transformation training when he received the summons. Five minutes ago, the Hokage had explained the purpose of the meeting. Now, Hagoromo was struggling to process the logic behind his next assignment.
"Hagoromo, are your injuries fully healed?" the Hokage had asked the moment he stepped into the office.
"I've made a full recovery," Hagoromo replied.
He knew the Kage wasn't just making polite small talk. In the language of a wartime leader, that question actually meant: Are you fit for combat deployment?
Technically, Hagoromo's wounds had closed before he even set foot back in the Hidden Leaf. He shouldn't have been back in the village at all. For a ninja with his kind of combat potential, the front lines were where he belonged.
However, there was a glaring logistical issue: Hagoromo didn't have a squad. Considering the efficiency of team-based operations—and the gaps in Hagoromo's individual skill set—he had been sent back to the village as a temporary "unattached asset."
Now, it was time to put him back on the board.
The Hokage took a long drag from his pipe, exhaling a cloud of smoke before nodding. "Good. I have a new mission for you. I intend to form a new squad centered around you, which you will lead."
Centered around him? The meaning was simple: Hagoromo was being given command of his own unit. He was now a squad leader.
Generally speaking, a ninja has no right to refuse a mission from the Kage. During peacetime, there might be some room for negotiation, but in the middle of a World War, a Kage's order was absolute. If the Hokage's brain suddenly short-circuited and he ordered Hagoromo to break into the Raikage's office to steal defensive maps, Hagoromo would have to go—even if the success rate was zero and it was a suicide mission—unless he planned on deserting the village entirely.
But Hagoromo was reading between the lines.
If he, a Chunin, was the leader, the implication was obvious: there would be no Jonin in this squad.
A Chunin commanding a Jonin was unheard of unless that Chunin happened to have the tactical IQ of someone like Shikamaru. This was going to be a "B-team" of Chunin and Genin. From a power-scaling perspective, the Hokage wouldn't be sending them into any high-stakes, S-rank death zones.
Hagoromo's mind raced through the possibilities, but his outward response was immediate: "Understood."
The Hokage handed him a file folder. These were the details for his new teammates. Normally, the Kage wouldn't personally oversee the formation of a standard squad, but due to Hagoromo's unique status and the identity of one of the members, he had decided to handle this briefing himself.
Hagoromo opened the folder, curious to see who he'd be stuck with.
Ninja Reg. No: 010886 Name: Aoba Yamashiro Rank: Chunin Experience: D-rank: 34, C-rank: 22, B-rank: 14, A/S-rank: 0 Specialization: Genjutsu, Taijutsu, Summoning...
That was the first one. He flipped to the second:
Ninja Reg. No: 010829 Name: Asuma Sarutobi Rank: Chunin Experience: D-rank: 56, C-rank: 20, B-rank: 18, A-rank: 1, S-rank: 0 Specialization: Ninjutsu, Taijutsu...
And the third:
Ninja Reg. No: 010881 Name: Kurenai Yuhi Rank: Genin Experience: D-rank: 28, C-rank: 22, B-rank: 10, A/S-rank: 0 Specialization: Genjutsu...
The dossiers were thick, containing detailed evaluations of their performances across various missions. These three were all Hagoromo's peers; Asuma and Kurenai had even been in the same class as him. This was a "Rookie Squad" through and through.
Of course, they weren't total greenhorns. While Hagoromo had been in the village training with Kushina after graduation, these three had already been blooded on the battlefield.
Hagoromo went silent as he finished the files. It wasn't because he was leading the Hokage's son, or because the team lacked experience, or even because the total combat power seemed low.
It was because, looking at this lineup, he had absolutely no idea what kind of mission they were supposed to be good at.
Based on the data and his own memories, he and Asuma were combat-oriented all-rounders. Throw in Aoba and Kurenai, who were both Genjutsu specialists... and what exactly was the goal? This team was "unprofessional" in every category.
"Lord Hokage, what exactly is our mission?" Hagoromo asked.
Instead of answering directly, the Third cleared the paperwork from his desk and unfurled a map of the Elemental Nations. He beckoned Hagoromo closer and pointed to a specific region.
"We have concluded the war with the Land of Wind. The western border is stabilizing, so we are reducing our heavy troop presence there. However, the Land of Earth to the northwest is our primary enemy for the next phase. Given the supply lines, they are likely to invade through the Land of Grass or the Land of Valleys, so we are focusing our defenses there."
The Kage's finger moved across the map. "But between these two major defensive sectors, there is a vacuum of power."
Before the Hokage could finish, Hagoromo provided the answer: "The Land of Rain..."
"Precisely," the Hokage said, glancing at him. "The Hidden Rain was very active early in the war, but their national strength is limited. After a few defeats, they've been quiet. Up until now, we've relied on the pressure from both the Sand and Stone fronts to keep them in check. But now that the Sand front is being dismantled..."
"We suspect that while the Rain lacks the strength for a massive offensive, they might attempt specialized sabotages or incursions—especially given their behavior during the peace summit. We must bolster our surveillance and reconnaissance of the Land of Rain."
"We don't have the resources to build a dedicated defensive line against them. If they launch a full-scale invasion, we'll pull reinforcements from the Stone front. But for now, our only option is to increase our scouting presence on the border. We are deploying 20 to 40 reconnaissance squads to that sector."
The border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain wasn't particularly long; forty squads were more than enough for basic scouting.
"Your squad is one of them."
So, Hagoromo's new team was a reconnaissance unit.
And that was why Hagoromo was shocked.
Hagoromo Kamishiro, Asuma Sarutobi, Aoba Yamashiro, Kurenai Yuhi...
In this entire lineup, there isn't a single specialized sensory-type ninja!
The squad was a blatant patch-job. With casualties mounting daily, there simply weren't enough perfectly balanced teams to go around. The Hokage probably would have loved to send a dozen Hyuga to that border, but in the middle of a world war, reality rarely cooperated with the ideal.