Chapter 14

"A young Hyūga Clan Jōnin led two Shinobi into the room, announcing the arrival of Hyūga Tazumo Squad.

Hyūga Tazumo, a rare genius of the Hyūga Clan, was several years older than Fugaku. He had mastered the Jūken at a younger age than his two brothers, Hyūga Hiashi and Hyūga Hizashi.

The comparison between Uchiha Fugaku and Hyūga Tazumo was a common topic among the members of their respective clans. This unexpected arrangement, where Fugaku and Tazumo ended up in the same team, caught Fugaku off guard.

Both the Hyūga and Uchiha clans considered themselves as the foremost clans in Konoha. However, they had never engaged in direct rivalry. Whether it was a deliberate decision by the higher-ups of Konoha or merely a coincidence remained unknown.

Fugaku didn't believe in coincidences.

Placing the geniuses of both clans in a small team for a mission raised Fugaku's curiosity about the intentions of the Konoha leadership.

Two more Shinobi entered the room after Tazumo's squad, reporting as Yamada Shinji and Koudamaru.

Fugaku glanced at Yamada Shinji, who belonged to the Yamada Clan but lacked any Kekkei Genkai jutsu. Shinji's family had a long-standing legacy within the clan. In his youth, Shinji had made significant contributions to Konoha's establishment alongside the Nidaime Hokage, earning him the status of an elder in the village.

With Shinji's death, the Yamada Clan lost their genius and eventually faded into an ordinary clan within Konoha.

Hatake Sakumo nodded and spoke, "Now that everyone is here, you should all be aware of the situation in the Land of Rain. Three-man squads are a rarity these days. Uchiha Fugaku will be the captain of this team, and Hyūga Tazumo will be the vice-captain."

Sakumo handed a scroll to Fugaku, saying, "This is intelligence from our sources about a Sunagakure stronghold. It contains valuable supplies that need to be destroyed, and our mission is to disrupt Sunagakure's supply system."

Fugaku observed Sakumo's expression, but it revealed nothing. Placing the Hyūga and Uchiha in the same team, along with a former elder of Konoha and a suspected ANBU member, made this mission seem like a test for Fugaku.

Leading his team, Fugaku made his way to the tent they would be staying in.

"Before we begin, let's introduce ourselves," Fugaku started. "As a newly-formed team, we are not familiar with each other. Let's discuss our individual strengths and ensure we coordinate well for the upcoming tasks."

He continued, "I am Captain Uchiha Fugaku, skilled in Fire Release and Sharingan Genjutsu."

"Hyūga Tazumo, a member of the Hyūga Clan, excels in Byakugan and Hyūga-style Jūken."

"Yamada Shinji specializes in Earth Release and his family's inherited Kenjutsu."

Fugaku nodded, recognizing that many surviving elders from the Sengoku period possessed their own family's inherited Kenjutsu. Some of these clans had transitioned from being samurai clans to becoming shinobi clans, including the Hatake clan, which had risen to prominence in the generation of Hatake Sakumo. Sakumo's son, Kakashi, was renowned for his ninjutsu and Sharingan.

"Koudamaru, proficient in Water Release."

"Aburame Nozawa, skilled in manipulating destructive insects."

"Satōmaru, adept in Fire Release and Kenjutsu."

Fugaku then shifted his gaze to the remaining two members of the team.

"Okasawa Ōno, adept in Earth Release and Fūinjutsu."

"Genyaki, skilled in Fire Release and Kenjutsu."

Fugaku acknowledged that even after more than 20 years since Konoha's establishment, many clans still retained their Sengoku period Kenjutsu techniques. The combination of ninjutsu and Kenjutsu was a force to be reckoned with.

Fugaku unfolded the mission scroll, revealing a map that marked the target location—a Sunagakure stronghold serving as a supply point.

The stronghold lay southwest of Sunagakure, closer to the Land of Rivers. To reach it, they would need to traverse more than half of the Land of Rain to the southeast.

"Prepare yourselves, we depart in ten minutes," Fugaku announced. "This mission will serve as our first test as a vanguard force. It will undoubtedly be a rigorous challenge. I expect everyone to be fully prepared."

From Fugaku's perspective, having two Jōnin and six Chūnin attempt to destroy a stronghold's supplies in Sunagakure seemed like a formidable task. Such a supply point would likely be guarded by at least three teams consisting of nine or more shinobi. There was also the possibility of encountering Sunagakure teams collecting supplies at any given moment.

As the team of eight Konohagakure shinobi ventured through the rain, countless destructive insects buzzed around them.

Hyūga Tazumo periodically activated his Byakugan to survey their surroundings. Byakugan and the destructive insects complemented each other, providing enhanced vigilance against enemy ambushes.

"Captain, there's a situation ahead," Aburame Nozawa suddenly spoke up. "We've spotted six Ame shinobi. If we continue forward, we'll likely run into them."

"Maintain concealment," Fugaku ordered. "Stay hidden and halt our progress until they pass."

"Captain, there are only six enemy shinobi," Okasawa Ōno suggested, "We could eliminate them completely and proceed with the mission."

For the first time since their departure that morning, someone voiced a different opinion, and Fugaku recognized that it was just the beginning.

Fugaku glanced at Okasawa Ōno, his Sharingan spinning its three tomoe. "Engaging in battle could attract additional shinobi, potentially jeopardizing the mission's success or even leading to casualties before we accomplish our objective. As a Chūnin, you must learn to lead Genin in future missions. Your ability to analyze intelligence is not yet adequate, and there is much you need to learn. I emphasize once again that we must avoid unnecessary detours until the mission is complete."

Ōno's face reddened slightly, realizing that all eight shinobi remained concealed while the six Ame shinobi gradually moved away without detecting them.

Throughout the journey, Hyūga Tazumo, as the vice-captain, remained silent and refrained from expressing his opinions. However, Fugaku could sense that some team members still held reservations. They harbored doubts about being led by a hairless brat of only thirteen years old, believing he was unfit to lead them in completing the mission.

As twilight approached, Fugaku repeatedly ordered the team to hide, successfully evading other foreign shinobi squads.

The team continued to cooperate, fully aware that their main objective remained unfinished. Any encounter with enemy shinobi could result in mission failure, and none of them wanted to bear the burden of unauthorized actions leading to such failure.

"Nozawa, find a suitable cave for us to rest in tonight," Fugaku instructed.

They were still halfway from their destination, and they would continue the journey tomorrow.

Hyūga Tazumo, breaking his silence, spoke up. "Captain, there's a suitable cave to the south of our current position. It provides sufficient concealment and has ample interior space."

Fugaku nodded and replied, "Lead us to the cave you discovered."